Seven-time champion

Chapter 36: The Comeback Everyone had their eyes fixed on Lu Wenbin, completely overlooking Han Dapeng—but Lu Wenbin wouldn’t forget. His 9/11-level vision might not be able to spot those fleeting openings in a professional league, but in this high school match, he could easily spot Han Dapeng, who was completely unmarked. So, after Lu Wenbin dribbled past another defensive midfielder and reached the edge of the penalty area—where the two opposing center backs were bracing themselves to prevent him from entering the box—he feigned a dribble move and suddenly sent a cross to the far side of the penalty area. Han Dapeng, completely unmarked, easily received Lu Wenbin’s pass and slotted the ball into the near corner of the net before the goalkeeper could rush over from the other side. In the 43rd minute of the first half, Meijiang Middle School finally scored a goal to level the score. It wasn’t Lu Wenbin who scored, but his dribbling and the attention he drew from the Maotai Sub-school players were crucial. Moreover, it was his direct assist. Han Dapeng, who had scored the goal, and the other players excitedly rushed over to celebrate with Lu Wenbin, while Lu Wenbin’s parents in the stands and the spectators around them applauded and cheered enthusiastically for his performance. In the first half, Maotai Affiliated School’s tight marking of Lu Wenbin and their pressure on the entire Meijiang Middle School team paid off; Lu Wenbin received no support from his teammates and failed to score from the few offensive opportunities he had. However, this goal in the 43rd minute proved that Lu Wenbin wasn’t the only one on Meijiang Middle School capable of scoring. If Maotai Sub-school had completely relaxed their defense against Meijiang Middle School’s other players, and if Lu Wenbin had chosen to pass for an assist instead of dribbling through for a shot, they would have conceded a goal just the same. This conceded goal put them in a difficult position. Nevertheless, regardless of the circumstances, the fact that they kept Lu Wenbin from scoring for a full 45 minutes made them the best-performing team among the four that have faced Meijiang Middle School in this tournament. Moreover, to secure a victory, they had no choice but to continue their relentless attack in pursuit of a goal. Even if Lu Wenbin scored himself or assisted a teammate again, they had to keep attacking—it would simply come down to a contest of who could score more goals. Consequently, neither team changed their tactics in the second half. However, Maotai Branch School attacked with greater determination and paid closer attention to the runs of Han Dapeng and others while defending. However, when they were distracted by Han Dapeng and others’ runs, Lu Wenbin’s individual skill stood out. Although Maotai Sub-campus broke through Meijiang Middle School’s defense again in the 64th minute of the second half, taking a 2-1 lead, Meijiang Middle School scored just five minutes later. In the 69th minute, when Lu Wenbin dribbled the ball from the backfield into the area just outside the opponent’s penalty box, Han Dapeng and Nie Yingkun also ran into the box from both sides, forcing the Maotai Sub-school players to split their attention to defend against these two. Although they weren’t marking them closely, they had to keep an eye on their movements at all times and block the passing lanes between Lu Wenbin and them to prevent Lu Wenbin from suddenly passing to them. However, when they were distracted by Han Dapeng and Nie Yingkun, their focus on defending Lu Wenbin himself dropped significantly. So, Lu Wenbin ruthlessly took advantage of their distraction and carelessness, dribbling past two defenders with a series of feints and stepovers to enter the penalty area. Then, facing the Maotai Sub-school goalkeeper who was closing down the near post, Lu Wenbin aimed for the far corner, and the ball rolled precisely into the net. Lu Wenbin finally scored his first goal of the final, helping Meijiang Middle School tie the score at 2-2 and keep their hopes of victory alive. Lu Chongxin and Sun Jiahui in the stands leapt to their feet, celebrating wildly and cheering for their son’s first goal of the final. Seeing that Lu Wenbin hadn’t passed to anyone this time but had instead broken into the penalty area and scored himself, the Maotai Sub-school players were nearly driven mad. When they focused solely on defending against Lu Wenbin, he would set up a goal. When they were wary of Han Dapeng and others, Lu Wenbin would break through and shoot himself. Did that mean they had to add more defenders? That would result in a lack of offensive firepower, making it impossible to breach Meijiang Middle School’s goal. Lu Wenbin alone was already tying up the energy of three or four of their backfield players; with only six or seven players attacking up front, scoring against Meijiang Middle School—which was defending with ten players at full strength—was already difficult enough. If they now had to pull players back from the front to mark Lu Wenbin, scoring would undoubtedly become even more difficult. Besides, even if they pulled players back to defend, they couldn’t guarantee that Lu Wenbin wouldn’t score in the remaining time. Lu Wenbin’s individual skill was something even the defending champions, Maotai Branch School, feared. After pondering for a moment, the Maotai Sub-school coach made his decision. He was seen shouting the name of Maotai Sub-school’s on-field captain from the sidelines, then gesturing with a sweeping motion toward Meijiang Middle School’s half of the field, signaling for everyone to push forward and attack with everything they had. What followed was a period where it truly became a one-man show, with Lu Wenbin going head-to-head against Maotai Sub-school in a scoring duel. As both teams’ stamina waned and mistakes increased, the physically superior Lu Wenbin gained more opportunities to dribble, break through, and shoot in the subsequent period, and his success rate soared. Of course, conversely, Meijiang Middle School’s defensive errors in the backfield also increased, and Moutai Affiliated School, having pushed forward with full force, also gained more scoring opportunities. In the 74th minute, Maotaizi School scored with a header, regaining a 3-2 lead over Meijiang Middle School. However, less than three minutes later, in the 77th minute, Lu Wenbin equalized the score with a lob shot from outside the penalty area after dribbling past two defenders on a quick counterattack, bringing the score to 3-3. Lu Wenbin scored his second goal of the match. In the 82nd minute, Moutai Affiliated School had a golden opportunity to score. Their free kick was parried by Yu Yuanhang, but the ball did not go out of bounds; instead, it flew back into the penalty area and landed right at the feet of a Moutai Affiliated School forward. At that moment, he was less than 5 meters from the goal—much closer than the penalty spot. Moreover, goalkeeper Yu Yuanhang was already on the ground after making a save, leaving him facing an open net. However, even from such a close range, he somehow struck the lower part of the ball. The ball flew high into the air and sailed well over the crossbar—he completely missed the target from less than 5 meters out. The Moutai Group cheer squad in the stands collectively buried their heads in their hands and groaned in despair! Missing an open goal comes with a price. So, in the 89th minute, when Meijiang Middle School earned a corner kick, Lu Wenbin leaped high in the penalty area and headed Xiang Youming’s corner kick into the Moutai Affiliated School’s net. 4-3. Lu Wenbin had scored another hat trick, and Meijiang Middle School finally took the lead over Moutai Affiliated School for the first time, completing the comeback.