Lin Wanxing stood by the sidelines.
The students swarmed around Qin Ao, ruffling his head.
Even Chen Jianghe, who usually seemed the most aloof, rushed over, hugged Qin Ao, and vigorously patted his shoulders.
The field erupted in excitement.
The students were celebrating fervently after scoring this goal following nearly 80 minutes of grit and perseverance.
Lin Wanxing also waved excitedly from the edge of the field, grabbing onto an arm beside her and shaking it a few times.
Then, the sensation of firm muscles under her palm made her turn to look. The young man beside her remained calm, hands in his pockets.
She gave an awkward laugh, released his arm, and smoothly placed her hand on his shoulder, patting it firmly. "Well done."
At that moment, Qin Ao rushed to the sidelines, picked up a random bottle of water from the ground, and drank from it while shouting at her, "Was I fucking awesome?"
The student laughed arrogantly, the scar under his eye glowing brightly.
Several other students ran over as well.
As soon as they reached the sidelines and heard Qin Ao boasting, Qi Liang said, "Let's be real, with that long pass, anyone with legs could've kicked it in."
Qin Ao, who had just taken a big gulp of water, cheeks bulging, nearly spat it all over Qi Liang's face.
Fu Xinshu patted Qin Ao, signaling him to swallow before speaking.
Chen Jianghe finished an entire bottle of water. "If we score one more goal, we can tie the game."
"It's been so long since we played this tournament. If we tie, do we go into extra time?" Lin Lu asked, panting heavily.
"That depends on the committee's arrangements, but we won't be eliminated immediately," Fu Xinshu replied.
The students grew even more excited. Setting down their water bottles, they immediately prepared to return to the field.
Before heading back, Qin Ao declared, "Then let's score another goal!"
—
After the brief celebration, the match resumed.
The students took their positions again at the center circle.
Each of them was excited, eager to score another goal.
And the students from Anning Experimental were no different.
After the kickoff, Anning Experimental launched a fierce attack.
Their coach waved and shouted continuously from the sidelines, urging his players to press forward.
Lin Wanxing could faintly hear the opposing coach's roars and didn't understand. "Are Anning Experimental crazy? They're still leading. Why keep attacking?"
"What does leading matter?" the young man suddenly asked.
"Well! The match is almost over. Wouldn't it be better to defend?"
"Why defend?" he retorted. "They're well-trained, their team is cohesive, their personnel are well-equipped, and their strength is quite good for a high school team. The players, like their coach, are proud and confident. With a long tournament ahead, if you were coaching such a team and conceded a goal to a weak opponent in the first match, would you choose to defend and show weakness?"
"I—" Lin Wanxing wanted to argue but found herself at a loss for words. Finally, she said, "Probably not. If we turtled up after conceding to a weak team, it would affect morale in the later stages."
"Then congratulations, you chose wrong."
Lin Wanxing stared, baffled by his sudden change in attitude. "You would choose to have your team defend?"
"I would."
"Why?"
"Because victory is extremely important."
At the time, Lin Wanxing didn't understand what he meant.
In her view, Anning Experimental had quickly turned the tide of the game. Their aggressive pressing and fierce attacks would only extend their lead and secure the win.
In the 82nd minute, Fu Xinshu was knocked to the ground.
In the 83rd minute, Anning Experimental's number 10 received the first yellow card of the match for a dangerous tackle.
Just minutes earlier, her students had been full of ambition, but now they were completely pinned in their own half, unable to move.
A sharp whistle pierced the air above the field.
Anning Experimental's forward took a tricky shot from a tight angle, but fortunately, it missed the goal.
87th minute.
Lin Lu, exhausted, collapsed for the third time after being beaten.
The boy looked as if he had been fished out of water, his face sunburned red and even purplish. He lay on the ground for a moment but refused to give up, struggling to his feet.
The ball was intercepted, but the referee didn't blow the whistle, meaning the attack continued.
Before returning to the field, Qin Ao had said they would score another goal.
But now, he could only desperately cover on defense, as their entire backline had become as soft as tofu.
In an instant, Anning Experimental's forward sliced through the penalty area like a sharp knife, adjusted his stance, and took a shot.
The ball traced a graceful arc toward the far corner of the goal.
Once again, Lin Wanxing felt her heart stop.
In front of the goal, goalkeeper Feng Suo leaped high.
He stretched his body mid-air, reaching for the ball.
The next moment, with a heavy thud, the ball's trajectory changed, sent flying out over the goal line.
It was an incredible save, and the referee's whistle followed—corner kick.
"Ah!" A collective sigh came from the Anning Experimental bench.
On the field, her students stood dazed, more from exhaustion than anything else, unable to react immediately.
They stood there for a moment.
The Anning Experimental coach quickly composed himself and began shouting from the sidelines, directing his players on corner kick tactics, urging them to press forward immediately without delay.
Beside Lin Wanxing, the young man finally moved.
He glanced at his watch, picked up an unopened bottle of water from the ground, and looked toward Fu Xinshu.
Fu, who was positioned closer to them on the field, immediately understood and jogged over.
As he approached, Lin Wanxing could feel the heat radiating from him.
Fu Xinshu could no longer control his breathing, panting heavily, his movements stiff from exhaustion.
He opened his mouth to speak but lacked even the strength to form words.
"Still want to score?" the young man asked.
Fu Xinshu looked up sharply, his voice hoarse. "Do we still have a chance?"
The young man unscrewed the bottle cap and handed the water to Fu Xinshu. "Defend this corner, try to gain possession, and send a long pass to the forwards."
Fu Xinshu grew anxious. "All their players are too close to our half, so our forwards have to drop back too, or we'll be offside. There's no space for passes."
"There's a rule about offside: if the receiving player is in their own half at the moment the pass is made, it doesn't matter if there are defenders ahead—it's not offside. So, have our forwards stand behind the midline."
"Will their defenders make such a mistake?" Fu Xinshu asked.
"If you're lucky enough," Wang Fa replied.
88th minute.
The fourth official on the sidelines indicated two minutes of stoppage time.
The match had only four minutes left.
On the field, Fu Xinshu went over to Qin Ao and Chen Jianghe, saying a few words.
Both hung their heads, seemingly arguing back.
After Fu Xinshu explained, they too froze, then simultaneously looked toward the sidelines.
Qin Ao raised a finger and nodded firmly at them.
"In the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League semifinals, Barcelona faced Chelsea. The score was 2-2, and Barcelona desperately needed a goal to advance."
The young man's calm voice sounded beside her ear.
Lin Wanxing looked out at the field.
On the green pitch, the whistle blew. Anning Experimental's midfielder sent the corner kick toward the edge of the penalty area.
Players from both sides leaped fiercely, and in the scramble, Chen Weidong headed the ball out of bounds. The referee awarded Anning Experimental a second corner.
89th minute.
"During stoppage time, Barcelona pressed forward aggressively, leaving their defense wide open."
The second whistle blew. Anning Experimental's midfielder took the corner again.
The ball flew into the penalty area.
Every Anning Experimental player had pushed past the halfway line. No one could accept a 2-1 score; the momentum of attack made them eager for one last crucial goal.
The ball soared.
The seconds ticked by, the minutes slowly approaching the end.
Lin Wanxing's gaze fixed on the air.
During the aerial duel, an Anning Experimental player headed the ball away.
The ball changed trajectory, bounced near the goalpost, and deflected outward.
Players from both sides scrambled. A cleat flew up, and with what seemed like every ounce of strength, the ball met the shoe, the contact creating a slight indentation.
Then, for what felt like the millionth time in this match, the ball flew into the sky.
Spinning in the wind, it descended and finally landed at the feet of a player in black cleats.
On one side of the white midline were all 21 players; on the other side, the entire half-field lay empty.
Anning Experimental players raised their hands, appealing to the referee for offside.
But the referee's whistle remained silent. The match continued.
The sounds of running and heavy breathing grew louder.
The Anning Experimental goalkeeper's figure in front of the goal seemed infinitely small.
Lin Wanxing heard the young man beside her say, "Barcelona was beaten by Torres's solo run from the halfway line. Chelsea advanced to the finals with a 3-2 aggregate."
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