Seven-time champion

Chapter 20: Venturing into the Lion’s Den Hearing his father say that victory doesn’t necessarily require scoring a goal, Lu Wenbin was baffled. How can you win without scoring? Seeing his son’s confused expression, Lu Chongxin shook his head and laughed: “Didn’t you notice? In the first half, No. 1 Middle School focused most of their energy on you, so the defensive pressure on the other Meijiang Middle School players wasn’t actually that high. It’s just that in the first half, all the passes went to you, so they didn’t have many scoring opportunities—that’s why they didn’t score. If you keep up the good work in the second half, dribble more to break through, draw the attention of No. 1 Middle School’s defenders, create open spaces for your teammates, and then pass to them, they’ll get excellent scoring opportunities. As long as we score one goal, the situation will definitely change.” Lu Wenbin was instantly dumbfounded, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head. Lu Wenbin’s vision attribute was only 5/11. In the first half, he was so focused on dribbling, breaking through, and shooting that he tried to lead the team to victory through individual heroics, without paying much attention to or thinking about his teammates’ positions. Now, after his father’s reminder, Lu Wenbin immediately realized his mistake. On every offensive play, First Middle School assigned two or three players to defend him; at times, as many as four or five players would swarm him. Every team on the court has only so many players; with so many from First Middle School swarming him, gaps naturally opened up elsewhere. It was just that in the first half, he’d been so focused on his own performance that he hadn’t noticed. Now, after hearing his father’s reminder, Lu Wenbin decided to look up more often and observe the court in the second half. Although his Vision stat was only 5/11, as long as he made a conscious effort to observe and find one or two open spots, he could still set up his teammates for scores. Lu Wenbin saw a glimmer of hope for victory. As long as they won, whether he scored or not wasn’t really that important. After all, only by defeating First Middle School could Meijiang Middle School claim the championship and qualify for the municipal tournament—and only then would Lu Wenbin have a chance to go further and catch the eye of professional club scouts. Besides, even if he didn’t score, winning the game would still earn him 10 experience points! Thinking of this, Lu Wenbin instantly cheered up. However, he was a bit curious that his father had instantly recognized his predicament and offered a solution. So, Lu Wenbin asked his father in surprise, “Dad, how do you know so much?” Lu Chongxin laughed smugly, “As a die-hard fan who’s been watching soccer for nearly 20 years, I’d be pretty useless if I didn’t even understand these basic tactics.” Lu Wenbin said admiringly, “You really are amazing, Dad. Coach Zhang never mentioned any of this to me—he just tells me to dribble more and shoot more.” Lu Chongxin shook his head. “He’s still young—just a physical education teacher, not a professional soccer coach. Plus, being right in the thick of it, he’s too nervous to see the bigger picture. It’s understandable. Go talk to Coach Zhang. Have Meijiang Middle School play exactly as I described in the second half, and we’ll definitely beat First Middle School.” Lu Wenbin nodded vigorously and turned to find Zhang Minghai. Lu Wenbin returned to the school team’s dugout and explained his father’s plan to Coach Zhang. Upon hearing it, Zhang Minghai slapped his forehead in frustration. “Why didn’t I think of that?” In truth, Zhang Minghai had simply been too nervous and had fallen into a mental rut. Now that Lu Chongxin’s plan had reminded him, he suddenly saw the light. Winning didn’t necessarily depend on Lu Wenbin scoring; goals from other players could just as easily secure a victory over First Middle School. With First Middle School focusing most of their defensive energy on Lu Wenbin, it created better open spaces and scoring opportunities for the other Meijiang Middle School players. So, in the second half, the spectators saw that Lu Wenbin of Meijiang Middle School seemed even more self-reliant than in the first half. Whenever Lu Wenbin got the ball, he seemed to forget how to pass, focusing solely on dribbling past defenders. Dribbling, feints, stepovers, the Marseille turn—Lu Wenbin captivated the entire stadium with his dazzling, professional-level skills. Countless fans screamed wildly at his performance, seemingly all waiting for the moment when Lu Wenbin would score a classic goal after dribbling past four or five players. However, the more the crowd anticipated it, the tighter First Middle School’s defense on him became. After all, Lu Wenbin only had a dribbling attribute of 10/10; he didn’t reach the level of a truly outstanding professional player and was unable to truly break through the opponent’s defense and put the ball in the net in this match. After all, Lu Wenbin alone was no match for the opponent’s frenzied pressing tactics. Although the First Middle School players admired Lu Wenbin’s skills, they felt much more at ease seeing him consistently charge forward headlong after receiving the ball, only to end up in a dead end—either having his attempt thwarted or firing off a wild shot that missed the target entirely. It was impossible for Lu Wenbin to defeat the entire First Middle School team on his own, and the First Middle School players were determined not to let themselves be used as stepping stones for Lu Wenbin. Just as the First Middle School players were closing in on Lu Wenbin with united determination, Lu Wenbin—after more than ten minutes of observation—had already determined that First Middle School was focusing all its energy on him and had completely neglected the positions of the other Meijiang Middle School players. On several occasions, Lu Wenbin spotted Han Dapeng, Nie Yingkun, and others in open spaces. However, on those occasions, either Lu Wenbin himself was already surrounded and couldn’t pass the ball, or a First Middle School player was blocking the passing lane, preventing him from getting the ball through. Lu Wenbin’s 5/13 passing accuracy made him hesitant to act rashly; without confidence, he’d rather dribble the ball himself and waste the attacking opportunity. However, Lu Wenbin believed that as long as he kept playing this way, there would eventually be a moment when he could find an opening to make a good pass. Otherwise, just one such pass would put the First Middle School players on high alert. This is why, after playing for over ten minutes in the second half, Lu Wenbin had yet to pass the ball to anyone; whenever the ball reached his feet, he either lost it under pressure or ended the attack with a half-hearted shot. The match continued, and Lu Wenbin carried on with his lone-wolf, one-man-show style of play. Once the No. 1 Middle School players realized Lu Wenbin never passed the ball, they focused more of their energy on him, and the runs by Nie Yingkun, Han Dapeng, and others were almost completely ignored. Just as everyone thought Lu Wenbin would continue his solo performance—either scoring a goal to seal the victory for Meijiang Middle School or being dragged into a penalty shootout by No. 1 Middle School—the clock ticked to the 84th minute. With only a dozen minutes remaining, the match was drawing to a close. Just then, Lu Wenbin received another pass from a teammate. Then, amid the “I knew it” speculation from First Middle School’s players and countless spectators, Lu Wenbin continued dribbling toward the penalty area, seemingly intent on continuing his solo charge into the lion’s den.