Seven-time champion

Chapter 21: The Decisive Strike Just outside First High’s penalty area, Lu Wenbin received a pass from a teammate and used a series of quick feints to dribble past a midfielder whose defense was lacking. Immediately, two of First High’s dedicated defenders rushed to block Lu Wenbin’s path. Two more First High players charged in from the left and right, preparing to swarm Lu Wenbin. The First High School midfielder who had just been left behind by Lu Wenbin was also turning to chase him back. It was as if Lu Wenbin had single-handedly drawn the attention of five opponents; aside from a forward who had deliberately stayed up front waiting for an attacking opportunity, there were only four players left in First High School’s backfield. Meanwhile, aside from the four Meijiang Middle School defenders who hadn’t pushed up, the other five players—excluding Lu Wenbin—were actively making runs in First Middle School’s half, waiting for Lu Wenbin’s decisive pass and the chance to seal the victory. Han Dapeng cut in from the wing toward the edge of the penalty area, Nie Yingkun made a lateral run, and Xiang Youming sprinted diagonally toward the left side of the penalty area… Although the remaining players from First High School saw these runs, they merely shifted their positions slightly and didn’t pay much attention. This was because, in the first half, Lu Wenbin rarely passed the ball after receiving it; he simply focused on dribbling through on his own. And from the start of the second half until now, Lu Wenbin hadn’t made a single pass—he’d gone it alone the entire time. Consequently, the other players from First Middle School also kept their eyes fixed on Lu Wenbin, who was dribbling toward the goal and about to be surrounded by five defenders, paying little attention to the runs of the other Meijiang Middle School players. Besides, they only had four players left, while Meijiang High had five besides Lu Wenbin. Even with man-to-man coverage, they didn’t have enough players to mark him effectively. So, just as the First High players watched confidently as Lu Wenbin was about to be surrounded—assuming he would either have the ball stolen or end the play with a wild shot—Lu Wenbin, who had been observing the situation on the court the whole time, had already made up his mind. This was the opportunity Lu Wenbin had been waiting for. Under the gaze of everyone on and off the field, this time Lu Wenbin did not wait to be completely surrounded by the First High School players. Before they could fully form a circle, Lu Wenbin unexpectedly lifted his foot and passed the ball to the edge of the penalty area, rolling it past a First High School player who was running toward him, ready to tackle. The First Middle School player was taken aback and reflexively stuck out his foot to poke at the ball, but it rolled past his toes by a hair’s breadth. A First Middle School cheerleader, completely caught off guard by this turn of events, exclaimed, “Holy crap, Lu Wenbin actually passed the ball!” Meanwhile, the Meijiang Middle School cheerleaders, who had spotted the ball’s trajectory, clapped and cheered, “Great pass!” The neutral spectators watching from the sidelines also shouted in unison, “Great pass!” Under everyone’s astonished gaze, the ball rolled through the circle of First Middle School players and landed at Han Dapeng’s feet on the edge of the penalty area. A simple pass had nearly created a one-on-one opportunity. Between Han Dapeng and the goal stood only the First Middle School goalkeeper. Moreover, when Han Dapeng received the ball, the goalkeeper was still positioned in the center of the goal, having previously been focused on defending against Lu Wenbin’s shot! At that moment, Han Dapeng received the ball and feigned a shot. The First High School goalkeeper—who had been completely thrown off balance and lost his composure after Lu Wenbin’s pass—had no time to think. He quickly dived toward the near post, ready to block Han Dapeng’s shot. Meanwhile, another First High defender who had been marking Han Dapeng gave it his all, charging in front of him, diving headfirst to make a sliding tackle, and using his body to block the shot. However, Han Dapeng’s next move, just like Lu Wenbin’s pass, took everyone by surprise. Just when everyone thought he would shoot directly, Han Dapeng didn’t actually take the shot; instead, he passed the ball past the goalkeeper to the other side of the six-yard box. Bi Rui, a defensive midfielder from Meijiang Middle School who rarely ventured into the penalty area and had gone unnoticed by everyone, appeared at the far post. Moreover, he was completely unmarked; the nearest First Middle School player was three or four meters away. Most of the attention had already been drawn to Lu Wenbin, and the rest of the defenders were focused on marking attacking players like Han Dapeng, Nie Yingkun, and Xiang Youming—no one noticed Bi Rui charging into the six-yard box. Han Dapeng’s pass skimmed along the ground, making it easy to control or shoot. Of course, inside the six-yard box, Bi Rui didn’t waste time controlling the ball; instead, he extended his leg for a textbook push shot. The ball bounced off the instep of his foot and rolled lightly into the net. The nearest First Middle School player, who had rushed over as soon as he saw the ball headed toward Bi Rui, only managed to reach Bi Rui’s side. Before he could even dive in for a sliding tackle, the ball had already rolled into the net. Meijiang Middle School had finally scored; the goal was by Bi Rui, assisted by Han Dapeng. Lu Wenbin neither scored nor assisted. But there was no doubt that Lu Wenbin’s pass to Han Dapeng—made while surrounded by five players from No. 1 Middle School—was the key to this goal. Seeing the ball hit the net, Bi Rui turned excitedly and charged toward Lu Wenbin. But before he could reach Lu Wenbin, Xiang Youming, who was nearby, let out a loud shout, tackled him to the ground, and pinned him down. Then, Nie Yingkun, Han Dapeng, Lu Wenbin, and others all rushed over excitedly, piling on top of each other to form a human pyramid, crushing Bi Rui beneath them until he was screaming in pain. On the sidelines, Zhang Minghai and the supporters of Meijiang Middle School were also clapping and cheering excitedly, celebrating wildly. In contrast, the players from No. 1 Middle School, having conceded the goal, stood frozen in shock. The No. 1 Middle School coach, who had widened his eyes the moment Lu Wenbin passed the ball, now looked completely dazed. The No. 1 Middle School cheerleading squad was equally dumbfounded. Who would have thought that after their school team had stubbornly defended for over 80 minutes, disregarding their pride, Lu Wenbin’s very first pass in the second half would result in a goal against them. No. 1 High School now trailed Meijiang High School 0-1. The spectators on the sidelines were also surprised and delighted, clapping and chatting among themselves. “Lu Wenbin made a really great pass!” “I thought Lu Wenbin would never pass the ball, but I never expected him to pass this time—and to set up a goal, no less. What a surprise!” “I wonder if he did it on purpose or by accident. If it was intentional, then all that dribbling and breaking through earlier was just a ruse, a smoke screen. That would be truly impressive!” “It must have been intentional; otherwise, Lu Wenbin wouldn’t have made a single pass in the second half. “However, while Lu Wenbin was impressive, Han Dapeng’s feint-and-pass move was also crucial!” “Wrong—Lu Wenbin was the real key. He drew the defense of five players from First Middle School before playing the ball out. Even if Han Dapeng hadn’t passed to the scorer, his chances of scoring were still high.” “Exactly—Lu Wenbin’s dribbling and pass were the decisive factors!” “What a killer move! With Lu Wenbin on the field, they don’t stand a chance—they’re bound to lose this final!”