Time seemed to turn back to that drizzling night.
They stood on the sodden grass, practicing free kicks for potential rainy match conditions.
Their jerseys were soaked through with sweat and rain.
Their coach had used even harsher methods, dragging players down.
Back then, they had no idea why he did this.
On that rainy night path, all pent-up emotions seemed ready to burst forth at any moment.
They didn't understand why their teacher had encountered such misfortune, nor why they were still here playing football.
They didn't know what lay ahead, didn't know what they could do, didn't understand why the world was like this?
In that instant, all their rage and frustration poured out toward their coach.
They even forgot that after Lin Wanxing left, he had no real obligation to stay.
Yet that night, their coach remained.
He maintained his lonely and calm tone throughout.
He explained to them that no referee could guarantee absolute fairness in any match. He also taught them how to fight for favorable conditions in subsequent calls.
"Even if the referee shows just a moment's inclination toward fairness, that becomes our opportunity to defeat our opponents," he had said.
By the end of the argument, everyone had apologized to Wang Fa.
In that starless, moonless rainy night.
Their coach, equally drenched, said: "Staying rational and winning the match - that's the greatest justice you can achieve for yourselves on this field."
Zhi Hui rolled over and sat up.
Wen Chengye took a deep breath and went to check if Zhi Hui was alright.
Qin Ao unclenched his fists and joined Fu Xinshu in surrounding the head referee, arguing that Hanling Victory had committed a pulling foul.
"That's within normal physical contact range," the head referee said.
"But our player fell, and the match should be stopped," Fu Xinshu argued.
"Since it's not a foul, your opponents stopping play is sportsmanship, but continuing play isn't wrong either," the head referee replied.
Hearing this, Hanling Victory's captain finally felt he'd gotten some revenge.
As he passed the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School captain, he asked: "How was our free kick?"
Every member of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School felt unlike themselves in this match.
On one hand, their hearts felt cold, as if still in the chilling rain of training, devoid of strong emotions. Their entire focus was fixed on this field, wanting only to win this match.
On the other hand, an unnamed fire seemed to burn in their chests, both oppressive and scalding hot.
The 0-1 score held until halftime.
In the locker room, only the smell of pain relief spray filled the air. Including Wang Fa, no one in the entire room spoke.
The break felt so brief, and the second half seemed to begin again in an instant.
7th minute.
Hanling Victory broke into the penalty area, but their through pass was cleared over the end line. The referee awarded Hanling Victory a corner kick.
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players got a brief breathing space amid the intense competition.
Their muscles ached, joints felt sore, and the pain from earlier falls seemed etched into their bones. Many times when they closed their eyes, the pitch appeared in deep, dense black.
Yet for some reason, they saw this field more clearly than ever before.
The corner kick was taken by Hanling Victory's number 9, their captain.His shot was slow and straight, easily caught by Feng Suo.
The transition between offense and defense happened in an instant.
Feng Suo immediately launched a long kick, sending the ball flying toward the front field like a cannonball.
In the front field, Chen Jianghe controlled the ball steadily.
He quickly passed it to Qin Ao, who was supporting him, and then dashed forward himself.
Qin Ao wasted no time, immediately making a diagonal pass to the advancing Chen Jianghe for a one-two to beat the offside trap!
Their coordination was swift and precise, slicing through the defense like a scalpel.
Hanling Victory’s left-back attempted to poke the ball away from Chen Jianghe’s feet, but just as he made his move, Chen Jianghe lightly tapped the ball with his toe, sending it gracefully through the defender’s legs.
He then swiftly changed direction, bypassed the defender, and entered the penalty area.
In his peripheral vision, Chen Jianghe spotted a pair of feet—a Hanling Victory player sliding in from his left.
In front of him, the opposing goalkeeper was positioned too far forward. The ball bounced lightly on the grass, and without hesitation, Chen Jianghe leaped up, swinging his right foot with the instep tightly stretched.
A dull thud echoed!
Chen Jianghe fell to the ground.
His face pressed against the cold turf, and in his narrow field of vision, the ball soared toward Hanling Victory’s goal.
Almost grazing the crossbar, the ball plunged into the net.
The net rippled violently.
Chen Jianghe closed his eyes, clenched his fist, and pounded the grass fiercely.
A clear offside trap and an impeccable shot!
The referee’s whistle blew, signaling a valid goal.
The adults in the stands erupted into excited cheers!
1-1
With an indisputable goal, Chen Jianghe broke through Hanling Victory’s defense, tenaciously leveling the score.
On the afternoon of the twenty-first day after Lin Wanxing’s departure, in the 55th minute of the match.
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s players had taken another step closer to their dream final stadium.
The adults in the stands jumped to their feet, celebrating wildly.
The students on the field rushed toward Chen Jianghe and pulled him up.
A draw, extra time, and a penalty shootout were not outcomes Hanling Victory could accept.
Their head coach shouted from the sidelines.
Physical confrontation had always been a crucial part of football, and with the advantage of the referee’s leniency, why wouldn’t they use it?
From that point on, Hanling Victory held nothing back.
They began recklessly charging into Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s penalty area.
Hongjing’s players kept falling, sometimes taking a while to get back up.
This was a type of football they had never experienced before. Compared to their defensive battle against Yongchuan Evergrande with 10 men, the pain from the intense physical clashes was particularly sharp.
Sometimes, after hitting the ground, their vision would go black, and they’d doubt if they could stand again.
Yet, as the match unfolded exactly as their coach had described, their minds grew exceptionally clear.
Less grappling in the penalty area, more midfield battles.
Patiently waiting for Hanling Victory to push forward before launching long passes for counterattacks.
When the forwards received the ball, they drove toward the byline as much as possible, seeking opportunities to create corner kicks or draw fouls.
In the 81st minute.
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School seized a counterattack opportunity, and the long pass once again landed accurately at Chen Jianghe’s feet.
Chen Jianghe intended to replicate his earlier success, executing a one-two with Qin Ao before continuing his forward run.
But the opposing players, having been thoroughly instructed by their coach, gave him no room to advance. As they brushed past him, an opponent immediately closed in. Exhaustion and the referee’s repeated overlooked calls had made them bold and unrestrained.Chen Jianghe was brought down to the ground with arms and legs tangled.
But just then, the referee's whistle blew.
Both players had fallen together, necessitating the whistle. The Hanling Victory defender had practically used wrestling moves to take down Chen Jianghe—perhaps this was the moment Wang Fa had spoken of.
The referee awarded Hongjing No. 8 Middle School a free kick in a position almost identical to the one Hanling Victory had just enjoyed.
"I'll take it!" Qin Ao raised his hand to claim the kick, drawing everyone's attention.
He aggressively placed the ball on the penalty spot.
The Hanling Victory players formed a wall, staring intently at him as if expecting him to launch a fireball that would obliterate them all.
The referee blew his whistle, and Qin Ao began his long run-up.
Everyone's focus was now captivated by Qin Ao's furious performance.
But just then, Fu Xinshu, standing beside the ball, suddenly swung his foot and passed the ball diagonally to the other side of the penalty area!
They had practiced countless set pieces over the past days, waiting for this exact moment.
Wen Chengye, almost completely unmarked in that position, received the ball. Facing the goalkeeper who had hastily turned around, he calmly took his shot. The ball whistled past the keeper and slammed into the net.
2-1! Hongjing No. 8 Middle School regained the lead!
The stands erupted in unprecedented cheers.
Qin Ao was nearly kneeling on the ground.
The entire stadium was noisy yet eerily quiet at the same time.
As they passed each other, the Hanling Victory captain heard one of the opposing players ask him, "What do you think of our free kick?"
With little time remaining in the match, what followed were ten minutes of complete darkness.
Wen Chengye, who had been running tirelessly all game, exhausted his last reserves of energy. After being knocked down once more, he couldn't get up again, forcing Wang Fa to substitute the anxiously waiting Chen Weidong onto the field.
Meanwhile, Hanling Victory also brought on two attacking players, practically throwing everyone forward as they collectively pressed into Hongjing No. 8 Middle School's penalty area.
Chaotic attacks and defenses ensued, with the taste of blood suppressed in their throats. Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players frequently fell, received elbows, and the referee's whistle sounded intermittently. Bones might have been broken, or perhaps not—everyone was exhausted and in pain, yet they forced themselves to maintain a sliver of clarity in their minds at all times.
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