Seven-time champion

Chapter 35: A Tough Final On March 4, 2007, the 15th day of the first lunar month (Lantern Festival), at 3:00 PM, the final match of the 2006/2007 Zunyi High School Soccer League kicked off with the referee’s whistle. The defending champions, Moutai Affiliated School, faced off against the dark horse, Meijiang Middle School from Meitan County. Right from the start, Moutai School used their kickoff to launch an attack on Meijiang Middle School’s goal. After the previous three matches, there were essentially no secrets left between the two teams. Meijiang Middle School relied on a defensive counterattacking strategy, depending on Lu Wenbin’s individual skills to break through and take shots up front. Judging by Lu Wenbin’s performance in the previous three matches, it would be extremely difficult to keep him from scoring a single goal in a single game. In fact, despite the tight man-marking and multiple defenders sent to shut him down by teams like Zunyi No. 4 High School and Chishui Vocational High School in the previous three matches, Lu Wenbin still averaged over three goals per game. Even though Maotai Affiliated School is slightly stronger than the other teams, there is no guarantee they can keep Lu Wenbin scoreless for 90 minutes. Therefore, to defeat Meijiang Middle School, the defending champions, Maotai Affiliated School’s strategy is to leverage their overall strength to launch a relentless offensive and outscore Lu Wenbin. Currently, the situation on the field is that Moutai Affiliated School has only one defensive midfielder and two center backs in their backline guarding Lu Wenbin. Even that defensive midfielder surges forward to join the attack when needed, leaving only two center backs to defend against Lu Wenbin. Facing only two defenders, Lu Wenbin has a very high chance of breaking through. However, five minutes into the game, Lu Wenbin hasn’t even received a single pass. Meijiang Middle School has been completely overwhelmed by Moutai Affiliated School’s offensive pressure; the ball can’t even cross the halfway line, let alone set up Lu Wenbin for an assist. Moreover, Moutai Affiliated School’s overall strength is indeed far superior to that of Meijiang Middle School. Compounded by the short overall duration of this tournament—Meijiang Middle School had played four matches within a week, leaving the team with insufficient rest and energy—their defense was facing a grueling test against the strongest opponent, Maotai Branch School. In the first five minutes, Meijiang Middle School’s defense looked precarious, as if they might concede a goal at any moment. In the 5th minute, Lu Wenbin finally touched the ball for the first time in the final. However, after a defender cleared the ball with a long kick, Lu Wenbin failed to control it properly under pressure from the opposing defensive midfielder; the ball rolled two or three meters away and was cleared by an opposing full-back who seized the opportunity. Lu Wenbin didn’t even have a chance to secure the ball and drive forward. After Maotai Affiliated School gained possession, they continued to launch relentless attacks on Meijiang Middle School’s goal. Lu Wenbin occasionally managed to receive a pass, but he was unable to carry the ball into scoring range to take a shot. In the 17th minute, after being under intense pressure for over ten minutes, Meijiang Middle School’s goal finally fell, conceding a header. Meijiang Middle School now trailed Maotai Sub-campus 0-1. The Maotai Group cheer squad in the stands pounded their drums, erupting in a thunderous roar of cheers. Lu Chongxin shook his head and sighed, “Ah, Meijiang Middle School is just too weak—no one’s setting up Wenbin!” The other spectators around him nodded in agreement. “That’s right. There’s not even a single player making runs to support him. It’s just too hard for Lu Wenbin to fight this battle all by himself!” At that moment, Sun Jiahui, as a woman and a mother, let her emotional side shine through. Sun Jiahui said, “I believe in Wenbin. For the sake of his soccer dream, no matter how strong the opponent is, he can score and he will win!” With that, Sun Jiahui stood up and shouted with all her might toward the field: “Go, Wenbin!” Seeing this, Lu Chongxin also stood up and joined his wife in shouting, “Go, Lu Wenbin!” The other spectators around them began chanting, “Go, Lu Wenbin!” Just then, Lu Wenbin turned his head toward his parents in the stands and caught sight of them cheering him on. Lu Wenbin, who had been feeling somewhat overwhelmed and helpless, suddenly felt a surge of fighting spirit well up from within. He nodded to his parents, then turned to take the kick-off from the center circle. To play professional soccer and become a superstar—how could that possibly be achieved so easily? With the Champion System to help him, if he couldn’t even pull this off, he might truly end up as his homeroom teacher said: a burden on society! Lu Wenbin didn’t want to be a burden! Since he couldn’t receive the ball up front, Lu Wenbin decided to simply drop back. After all, his stamina was superior to everyone else’s, and since he didn’t have to participate in defense, he wasn’t afraid to make a few extra runs back and forth. Combined with Lu Wenbin’s exceptional speed and dribbling skills, he felt that even from a distance from the opponent’s goal, scoring wasn’t out of the question. Sure enough, after dropping back into his own half, Lu Wenbin began receiving the ball more frequently. Upon receiving the ball, Lu Wenbin used his superior speed and dribbling skills to charge into Maotaizi School’s half. In the 24th minute, Lu Wenbin received the ball in his own half and made a 40-meter run, dribbling past three defenders before nearly scoring. The ball was ultimately pushed out for a corner kick by Maotaizi School’s outstanding goalkeeper, earning Meijiang Middle School a corner kick. However, due to poor technique, Xiang Youming’s corner kick failed to reach Lu Wenbin’s head and was cleared by the opposing defender, wasting the opportunity. However, Lu Wenbin had already figured out his strategy for the match. He instantly regained his confidence and began using his off-the-ball movement to wait in the defensive third for a pass from his teammates. In the 32nd minute, Lu Wenbin received the ball again. However, before Lu Wenbin could get a run on it, the opposing fullback rushed up in time to make a sliding tackle and clear the ball. In the 43rd minute, Lu Wenbin finally received a pass from a teammate in a large open space created by his off-the-ball movement. He turned and dribbled toward the Maotai Sub-school goal. Only then did a defender rush up to mark Lu Wenbin, but it was too late. With a simple dribble, Lu Wenbin used his speed to beat that Maotai School midfielder and continued sprinting toward the opponent’s goal. The Maotai School players were horrified. Not only was the player who had just been beaten desperately chasing after him from behind, but players from other directions also began converging on Lu Wenbin’s path, determined to stop him. Lu Wenbin drew the attention of four or five Maotaizi School players like a magnet. Meanwhile, Han Dapeng, who had just been involved in the defense, was on the other side of the field, panting heavily and gritting his teeth as he charged toward the opponent’s goal. He didn’t know if Lu Wenbin would pass the ball, but he hoped to give Lu Wenbin another option, just as he had done in the county-level final against First High School. No one noticed Han Dapeng at all; everyone on and off the field was captivated by Lu Wenbin—the ball-carrier who was fast, had excellent dribbling skills, and posed a massive threat.