B2B midfielder, fully known as a box-to-box midfielder.

The box refers to the penalty area, meaning an all-round midfielder who can cover from his penalty area to the opponent’s.

The B2B midfielder attacks and defends completely, with an extremely large defensive running range, and can appear anywhere on the field. In terms of status, he is responsible for organizing both offense and defense, undoubtedly the core personnel of the entire team.

This was the on-field positioning that Wang Fa gave to Wen Chengye.

When the students heard that English term, their mouths were already wide open. And when they heard the on-field authority that Wang Fa had given to Wen Chengye, they were all too shocked to speak.

The students’ first reaction was, of course, “What gives him the right?!”

Even Wen Chengye himself was pleasantly surprised, never imagining that he would be placed in such an important position by the coach.

Looking at the students’ reactions, Lin Wanxing couldn’t help but sigh, feeling that Wang Fa was cunning and calculating.

First, he let Xiao Wen volunteer to play midfield, then placed him in a high position with heavy responsibilities. The previous Wen Chengye was a free spirit roaming outside the defensive line. Now, Wen Chengye was burdened with responsibility, from front to back, having to do all kinds of work.

“I… I don’t know how to play as a B2B midfielder, I’ve never done it before,” Wen Chengye admitted honestly. Under sudden pressure, anyone would be somewhat hesitant.

“Most of the time, you’re quite free to run wherever you want to go,” Wang Fa said, seemingly casually.

Rather than having ten people coordinate with Wen Chengye, it was better to have him coordinate with the other ten people on the field.

This was the core idea behind Wang Fa’s personnel switch.

After the entire team’s formation changed, from right to left, it was:

Defenders: Lin Lu, Fu Xinshu, Zheng Feiyang, Qi Liang, Yu Ming

Midfielders: Zhi Hui, Zheng Ren, Wen Chengye

Forwards: Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe

Besides the position swap between Wen Chengye and Fu Xinshu, Wang Fa also had Zheng Feiyang take on more of a sweeper role, helping to cover the gaps for the two defenders charging ahead.

Previously, the other students certainly couldn’t accept “Dog Wen” as the core player directing them and controlling the team’s offensive and defensive rhythm.

But they had fought, vented their dissatisfaction, and played through the most difficult defensive battle. Wen Chengye had humbled himself first, and it wasn’t easy for everyone to come together again. So they reached a consensus that after changing positions, they would play well in their final match.

When implemented on the training field, it meant Wen Chengye running all over the place to put out fires. He was there for offensive coordination, defensive coverage, and even jumping for headers on corner kicks in front of the goal.

The students who had been slightly dissatisfied with Wen Chengye’s “core” positioning, upon seeing Young Wen exhausted like a dead dog, his jersey wet enough to wring water from after a simple training session, had no further complaints.

Adding to Wen Chengye’s burden was not only the coach’s expectation.

There was also the match result between Yuzhou Silver Elephants and Shanghai Seawave.

Unexpectedly, the two teams drew 1-1 again!

The fifth round of group matches was as follows:

Shanghai Seawave 1:1 Yuzhou Silver Elephants

Yongchuan Evergrande 2:0 Hongjing Eighth Middle School

Points standings:

Yongchuan Evergrande 15

Shanghai Seawave 5

Yuzhou Silver Elephants 5

Hongjing Eighth Middle School 3

This meant that if they, Hongjing Eighth Middle School defeated Shanghai Seawave in the next match and took all 3 points, their group points would be 6.

Because the big boss Yongchuan Evergrande was too strong, Yuzhou Silver Elephants would find it hard to win. Then their Hongjing Eighth Middle School could advance with a total of 6 points, overtaking the other two teams with 5 points!

As for Yongchuan Evergrande winning their match…

One couldn’t say the hope was great; one could only say:

“If that bastard Qin Qichu doesn’t win, I’ll go to Yongchuan and beat him up!” Qin Ao declared.

They had thought the last match would be their final desperate fight, but now this last match offered further possibilities, and everyone was filled with determination!

As the schedule progressed, the match day between Hongjing Eighth Middle School and Shanghai Seawave soon arrived. They would travel to Shanghai to face their final group-stage opponent as the away team.

“I bought high-speed rail tickets.”

The day before departure, Lin Wanxing announced this during the assembly for departure matters.

The boys were quite surprised, after all, Shanghai was only 20 minutes by high-speed rail from Hongjing, so a point-to-point bus seemed more convenient.

“Haven’t you all noticed that Wen Chengye gets carsick?” Lin Wanxing asked.

Wen Chengye, sitting in a corner, suddenly looked up. Then as the other boys all turned to look at him, he embarrassedly lowered his head again.

Only then did the students realize that Wen Chengye’s sour face before each match might not have been purely about giving them attitude.

Although the match against Shanghai Seawave was an important one that would determine whether they could advance, and there had been many fantasies before playing, when the day actually came, it somehow became a natural matter.

Shanghai Seawave’s home field was very large, just beside Shanghai North High-Speed Rail Station, a 10-minute walk away.

That day, the sky was blue with white clouds, and the weather was fine.

Upon reaching the venue—yes, Shanghai Seawave had arranged a standard stadium as their home field—the students discovered that there were even spectators in the stands.

Many of their previous matches had been played in cage-like fields, which, although standard size, were compact. They couldn’t compare at all with the standard stadium open to the public.

The stadium stands were dense, with scattered spectators looking like a few sesame seeds sprinkled on the stands.

Standing by the sideline at Shanghai Seawave’s field, Lin Wanxing felt small for the first time.

“Such a big venue,” Lin Wanxing remarked.

Wang Fa turned to look at her.

“Was your previous home field bigger than this?”

“Smaller than this. Our St. Mary’s Stadium had about 32,000 seats.”

“And what about Shanghai Seawave’s home field?”

“This is a 50,000-person stadium,” Wang Fa said.

Perhaps because the venue was too formal, the students seemed somewhat nervous during warm-up.

Firstly, they had lost to Shanghai Seawave before, creating psychological pressure. Secondly, the opponents looked truly professional, with a professional team on the sidelines and the substitute bench filled with substitute players wearing yellow vests, the whole team appearing determined to win.

Shanghai Seawave had never imagined that their professional development team would have to play a life-or-death group stage match against a high school team.

Nevertheless, although it was a crucial match, the qualification situation still favored them. The unfortunate Yuzhou Silver Elephants had to face Yongchuan Evergrande in their last match, while they, Shanghai Seawave, were up against Hongjing Eighth Middle School. It’s worth noting that the last time they faced Hongjing Eighth Middle School, they had won by a large margin of 5-0.

No matter how you looked at it, a high school team was easier to deal with.

So they had great confidence in winning the match!

Shanghai Seawave’s confidence was also evident on the field.

The weather was excessively fine, with sunlight falling, making every muscle of the Shanghai Seawave players gleam brightly in the sun.

Before the match began, players from both sides shook hands.

The opponent’s muscles were knotted, and Qin Ao’s hand was squeezed painfully by the opposite number 11. Not willing to yield, he glared fiercely at Shanghai Seawave’s number 11.

After the handshake, players from both sides dispersed on the field, waiting for the referee’s whistle to start the game.

Lu Liwei was the head coach of Shanghai Seawave’s youth team, and at this moment, he was watching the field.

Having been in this circle, he had certainly heard of the neighboring coach’s fame. He didn’t mean to look down on Wang Fa. In his view, no matter how high a coach’s level was, it was useless if the players’ quality wasn’t good enough.

And now, Lu Liwei certainly knew that the other side had changed their lineup. An unfamiliar face was placed in midfield, and the original midfielder and captain had been moved to the defensive line by the head coach.

He didn’t think much of Wang Fa’s lineup change.

It was like…

Trying to run before learning how to walk.

The referee blew the whistle to start the match.

Boom, boom, boom!

Suddenly, the sound of drums resonated from the stands.

Lin Wanxing was startled.

Although there were almost no spectators in the stands, those who came were wearing Shanghai Seawave’s home team jerseys, with drums and flags, showing the dedication of Shanghai Seawave’s die-hard fans.

With home fans drumming for encouragement, the Shanghai Seawave players became even more serious.

At the beginning of the match, their performance didn’t look much different from the last encounter.

According to the coach’s deployment, they played steadily, patiently trying to seize shooting opportunities through continuous passing. They attempted to score through numerous attacks.

Hongjing Eighth Middle School, on the other hand, defended itself inside its penalty area, directly “parking the bus.” No matter how organized Shanghai Seawave’s attacks were, they would be blocked like floodwaters hitting a dam.

Having experienced the difficult moment of defending against Yongchuan Evergrande with only 10 men in the last match, Hongjing Eighth Middle School seemed at ease when defending against Shanghai Seawave. They cooperated, going forward without hesitation when needed, and immediately filling in any gaps left behind.

For the defending side, achieving this was not easy at all.

So soon, Shanghai Seawave felt the stubbornness of Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s defense.

How to describe it? It was like the players from Hongjing Eighth Middle School had no regard for their lives.

They ran, covered, and pressed crazily, as fierce as if they hadn’t conceded a goal in a hundred years or would all be executed if they conceded just one.

This kind of relentless pressing intimidated the Shanghai Seawave players who were used to playing steadily from the very beginning. The players desperately tried to seize shooting opportunities, appearing very anxious.

Shanghai Seawave’s head coach Lu Liwei certainly noticed this. Although their defense was fierce, Hongjing Eighth Middle School hadn’t organized any effective attacks.

Only when the match reached the twenty-third minute did Hongjing Eighth Middle School have a chance to counterattack.

Shanghai Seawave’s cross was headed out by Zheng Feiyang, who had moved into position, and Fu Xinshu, who had dropped back, got the ball near the edge of the penalty area. He saw Wen Chengye running and calling for the ball not far away.

He immediately passed the ball to him.

Wen Chengye received the ball and turned, quickly kicking it out before Shanghai Seawave’s defense line could surround him!

The soccer ball flew like a sword out of its sheath toward the opponent’s half.

However, there were no “teammates” there.

Qin Ao and Chen Jianghe only started sprinting after Wen Chengye had made the long pass. This meant the front field was empty, and the Shanghai Seawave goalkeeper who had come out got the ball and kicked it to a teammate who was falling back.

So easily, Hongjing Eighth Middle School ended a round of attacks.

Lu Liwei sat back in the coach’s seat, frowning, signaling his players to be more focused.

But as he had expected, Hongjing Eighth Middle School had no effective counterattack means.

Shanghai Seawave reorganized for a new round of attack.

Lin Wanxing, who had just excitedly jumped up, now stood on the sideline feeling the breeze. The two fans in the stands were also startled by this wave of attack and started drumming again.

Boom boom boom!

Boom boom boom!

The drums rumbled, making the entire field seem even more vast and distant.

Lin Wanxing knew clearly that the failed attack just now was because, on the defensive line,

Fu Xinshu had passed a step too late, forcing Wen Chengye to pass immediately. Qin Ao, wanting to see Wen Chengye’s movement, didn’t start running immediately.

In short, one step slow, step by step slow.

Although everyone had trained together for a while, Wen Chengye was after all a new midfielder, and their coordination wasn’t so smooth.

Five minutes later, Hongjing Eighth Middle School welcomed another opportunity.

Almost the same situation with a header clearance, but this time Wen Chengye actively dropped back and received the headed-out ball. Then he looked up toward the front field, where Qin Ao had already rushed out…

With three Shanghai Seawave defenders pressing around Wen Chengye, there was no space. He could only slip the ball to Zheng Ren beside him.

Under the opponent’s pressing, Zheng Ren couldn’t protect the ball. The soccer ball was squeezed out of bounds, and possession returned to Shanghai Seawave.

If it had been before, this failed pass by Wen Chengye would have been criticized as him wanting to show off with the ball. But this time, Qin Ao, who had sprinted half the field, only fell back after the opponent gained control, and even clapped his hands at Wen Chengye, indicating it was okay, to pass again next time.

“Was it Wen Chengye who hesitated when passing this time?” Lin Wanxing asked Wang Fa.

Wang Fa nodded, but after a pause, he continued, “But this is something with both advantages and disadvantages.”

“Why?” Lin Wanxing was stunned. “What’s the good aspect?”

“Because they’re trying to keep up with each other’s rhythm,” Wang Fa said.

“And the bad?”

“Too polite,” Wang Fa glanced at her and said.

At first, Lin Wanxing didn’t understand what Wang Fa meant by “polite.”

But gradually, as the match progressed, she began to understand.

Perhaps because everyone had made up after arguing, they were more concerned about each other, so they were very mindful of each other’s positions and coordination, always wanting to act according to the other’s intentions first.

But organizing an attack is itself very delicate. The timing of receiving the ball—one second more or one second less—makes a huge difference. Whether to directly receive or adjust before immediately passing at the moment of reception, all determines whether the attack is successful or not.

Of course, because the students’ defensive strength was indeed solid, mainly because they were constantly under pressure, there weren’t many opportunities to practice offensive tactics.

Just as she was thinking about this, a whistle interrupted her thoughts.

Zhi Hui, while harassing Shanghai Seawave in midfield, committed an obvious foul, knocking down the opponent’s number 11 attacking player. The referee awarded Shanghai Seawave a perfectly positioned free kick in the attacking third, to be taken by the number 11 player who had been knocked down.

The sunshine became scorching.

Lin Wanxing looked nervously toward the free-kick spot.

The soccer ball traced a beautiful arc, directly hanging into the penalty area, causing chaos in front of the goal.

Zheng Ren failed to clear the ball twice, and amid the chaos, a Shanghai Seawave forward touched the ball with his toe. Just as the soccer ball was about to loop into Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s goal!

Goalkeeper Feng Suo decisively came out.

With both fists, he hit the soccer ball hard with a “thud,” knocking it far away.

A large group of people on the neighboring coach’s bench all stood up at once. They had been prepared to cheer but now could only clutch their heads in frustration.

The players on the field all froze for a few seconds, clearly shocked as well.

A long breeze blew from the canopy, Lin Wanxing took a deep breath, cold sweat running down her back. Just then, she truly felt her heart jumping to her throat.

She knew clearly that in this chaos in front of the goal, Shanghai Seawave had built up momentum. Once they started the next round of attack, they would surely continue with a barrage of shots.

Fortunately, the referee soon blew the whistle to end the first half.

The first half ended.

0-0, the two sides were temporarily tied.

Lin Wanxing breathed a sigh of relief.

In the Shanghai Seawave locker room.

Lu Liwei paced back and forth in the locker room, his every step charged with energy: “Too rushed, you’re playing too rushed!”

He criticized his players: “Many opportunities, if only you had been a bit more patient, a bit more delicate, you could have seized the chances completely, just like the last one!”

Lu Liwei directly named and criticized the forward: “You could have used the outside of your foot to shoot, that angle was good.”

With the head coach angry, the entire locker room fell silent. The substitute players dared not make a sound.

“Why so rushed? Do you look down on them? Just want to bombard wildly, score a few more goals, have some personal performance, is that it?” Lu Liwei sharply pointed out the players’ impetuous mentality. “You should know that even if we draw, our points would still be 2 more than their high school team, and we can advance directly.”

The young players who had been feeling low due to the coach’s talk, upon hearing this, recovered their spirits considerably.

Indeed, Shanghai Seawave’s goal was to advance from the group stage. Even with a draw, their points would be higher than Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s, so there was no need to be so anxious.

“In the second half, still play steadily, first do a good job with our defense. Follow our rhythm, don’t be anxious. We can play more ball control, and lure them to attack, and if they attack, it will be much easier for us to score on the counterattack. You must believe in your strength!” Shanghai Seawave’s coach, giving both stick and carrot, said confidently to his players.

“Do you have confidence?” Lu Liwei shouted to his players.

“Yes!”

The atmosphere in the Shanghai Seawave rest area was quite spirited and uplifting.

Hongjing Eighth Middle School, on the other hand, was relatively quiet.

Because of the arduous defense in the first half, everyone had consumed a lot of energy. In the rest area, everyone was busy wiping sweat and drinking water, with no one talking.

But this was quite good too, after all, when Hongjing Eighth Middle School had played matches recently, they had been arguing during halftime. It was touching that everyone was getting along peacefully for once.

What surprised Lin Wanxing was that Wang Fa generally didn’t like to talk during halftime breaks. But this time, contrary to his usual behavior, after waiting for the players to catch their breath, he stood up directly from his seat, clapped his hands, and gestured for everyone to look at him.

“I’m very satisfied with the first half,” he said.

The students all suddenly raised their heads, looking at Wang Fa in disbelief! This seemed to be the first time they had heard Wang Fa say they had played well in a match?

“Re… really?” Qin Ao asked, unable to believe it.

“Why wouldn’t it be true?” Wang Fa said with certainty.

He wasn’t wearing a baseball cap today, his figure tall and slender, his demeanor steady and serious, making people feel extremely reliable.

“In the first half’s defense, I saw your tenacious defensive abilities forged through the hellish match last time. In the offense, I also saw your efforts to coordinate and cooperate,” Wang Fa said.

The students were all dumbfounded; they thought Wang Fa was just praising them but didn’t expect the coach to come up with such a long string of compliments.

“But our attack wasn’t successful,” Chen Jianghe said honestly.

“Then let’s make it successful in the second half,” Wang Fa began analyzing the players’ two key counterattacks in the first half. “During the first counterattack, Wen Chengye passed immediately, but Qin Ao didn’t make his usual forward movement. Was it because you wanted to see Wen Chengye’s passing intention clearly, to better coordinate with him?” Wang Fa asked Qin Ao.

Qin Ao remained silent, a bit embarrassed.

“During the second counterattack, Qin Ao moved forward, but Wen Chengye didn’t pass immediately. Was it because you made a mistake in the first pass, so you wanted to wait and coordinate with Qin Ao’s run before passing?” Wang Fa asked Wen Chengye.

Wen Chengye also kept quiet.

The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy, after all, being pointed out problems by the coach, no one would be happy.

So Wang Fa gave a slight nod. Lin Wanxing received the signal to adjust the atmosphere and said with a smile, “Though you don’t say it, you still care a lot about each other.”

“Damn, teacher, don’t spew nonsense!” Qin Ao was the first to shout.

“Don’t make me sick,” Wen Chengye said expressionlessly.

“What exactly should we do in the second half?” Fu Xinshu asked seriously after a moment of thought.

“Attack,” Wang Fa said.

“Attack?” Fu Xinshu was very hesitant. “But we haven’t practiced attack much, we’ve mainly practiced defensive counterattacks…”

“Counterattack is also a form of attack. Use the passing routines we’ve practiced before, that’s our offense. You’ve tried it many times in training. When you don’t know who to pass to, give it to Wen Chengye and let him organize the attack,” Wang Fa said.

“I…” Wen Chengye, suddenly being named again and entrusted with heavy responsibility, rarely said, “I don’t think I did well in the first half.”

“Dog Wen, have you changed your nature?”

“Just do what you’re told, why are you being so wishy-washy?”

The boys all chimed in.

“Not just Wen Chengye, I hope everyone plays more ‘willfully’ in the second half,” Wang Fa said. “A person’s subconscious reaction precedes your thinking.”

“But we’ve practiced attacking relatively little. Are we going to open up and attack against them?”

The students trusted Wang Fa with all their hearts; what they doubted was their ability.

Wang Fa said, “We’ve been growing through matches all along, and this time is no different. I hope that in the second half, you’ll invest yourselves fully, feel how much we’ve grown through so many training sessions and matches, and enjoy the fun of the game.”

In psychology, there’s a term called “flow.”

It roughly means that when you’re fully engaged in some work, it brings a high sense of excitement and satisfaction. The professional level they display and the results they achieve would also be higher than their usual baseline.

Many athletes have experienced this “flow” feeling, probably like being on fire on the basketball court, making every shot.

On the soccer field… Lin Wanxing wasn’t very sure.

As time passed, it was now noon.

Blue sky and white clouds, the weather was exceptionally fine. The stadium grass was maintained to a glossy shine.

Players from both sides stood on the field again, and with the referee’s whistle, everyone on the field, including those in the stands, tensed up.

For the Shanghai Seawave players, this was their life-or-death battle. They just needed to maintain a draw to advance, and the situation looked very promising.

As for the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players, they originally had mental baggage, but the coach had said they played well, encouraging them to go all out.

Sporadic cheers rose from the stands.

After touching the ball, Wen Chengye’s gaze was cold and stern, looking straight at the goal ahead. Without thinking too much, he directly kicked the ball toward the front field. A loud “bang” echoed throughout the Shanghai Stadium, sounding the attack bugle for Hongjing Eighth Middle School.

Following this, the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players engaged in fierce battles with Shanghai Seawave, fighting for ball possession. Each time after winning the ball, they no longer passed backward to distribute but continuously passed toward the front field.

Seeing the opponent open up an attacking posture after kick-off, the Shanghai Seawave players almost wanted to laugh.

What’s your level that you dare to press forward and attack?

Lu Liwei was also startled at first by Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s forward-pressing momentum. He couldn’t help but glance at the neighboring coach’s bench but quickly composed himself.

For high school teams like Hongjing Eighth Middle School, even if they pressed up to attack, it was just a momentary surge of spirit; they might suddenly become difficult to deal with for a few minutes. But as long as they weathered this phase, once the opponents had consumed most of their energy, they would be much easier to handle.

Everyone from Shanghai Seawave, including the club’s senior management, valued this qualification opportunity. Lu Liwei had been called to the youth training manager’s office a few days ago, where the leader conveyed the club chairman’s concern.

Thinking of this, Lu Liwei stood up and called out to the field a couple of times, telling his players to stabilize first and counterattack after avoiding the opponent’s sharp momentum.

Lin Wanxing had been eavesdropping on the opposite coach’s bench.

Hearing that the opposite side wanted to stabilize, she immediately looked at Wang Fa.

Wang Fa also glanced at her.

“Has our tactic deceived the other side so far?”

“How can you say it’s deception?” Wang Fa chuckled.

Lin Wanxing knew very well that just now, Hongjing Eighth Middle School had been in a very dangerous situation. Because they lacked coordination, although they pressed forward to attack, it was by intimidating the opponent with a fierce momentum, which had many vulnerabilities.

At that time, if Shanghai Seawave had pressed aggressively in the middle and front field regardless of energy consumption, they could certainly have disrupted their formation, making their already uncertain attack even more full of errors.

In this mental chess match between the two coaches, Shanghai Seawave was too conservative, allowing them to win despite being the weaker side.

The soccer ball was continuously passed between the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players.

The routines were all those practiced countless times during regular training.

The two wing-backs pushed up, constantly receiving the ball on the flanks. As Wang Fa had arranged, when they received the ball and met resistance, they would pass to Wen Chengye for distribution, letting him transition before launching another attack.

The tactics weren’t complicated, but in a soccer match, being able to execute routines was already quite difficult.

Hongjing Eighth Middle School launched multiple attacks in Shanghai Seawave’s half. They passed and received the ball at a high frequency, not fearing failure.

When Wen Chengye organized a cross, Zhi Hui, who was perfectly positioned, even tried a long-range shot after receiving the ball. The soccer ball flew over the goal, heading straight toward the few Shanghai Seawave fans in the stands, drawing a mocking laugh.

But Zhi Hui, being naturally quiet and steady, was not affected. He just turned his head and signaled to Wen Chengye that the pass was good! Wen Chengye also nodded in response.

According to the coach’s arrangement, after blocking several somewhat clumsy attacks from Hongjing Eighth Middle School, the Shanghai Seawave players felt they had many opportunities to seize.

If it had been another opponent, Shanghai Seawave might have continued defending, after all, they were leading and a draw would be enough to advance, so just defending well would suffice.

But facing Hongjing Eighth Middle School, they had already defended for a while. According to the coach’s arrangement, the opponents should have consumed enough energy by now. They could press forward a bit, open up space, and counter-press.

What Wang Fa was betting on was precisely this moment when the opposing players lacked mental stability and couldn’t smoothly transition from defense to attack.

Wen Chengye received the ball again. Instead of passing it to Qin Ao, who was running according to the routine, he directly gave it to Chen Jianghe, who had moved out of the penalty area.

According to Chen Jianghe’s usual passing and receiving habits, he should immediately sprint towards the penalty area after moving out, because at this time, teammates would use a high pass to Qin Ao, who would head the ball to him, and he would be perfectly positioned to shoot.

But Wen Chengye had passed the ball to him!

The high-intensity attack had mobilized Wen Chengye’s attention, and he was very focused. After smoothly stopping the ball, Wen Chengye observed that Lin Lu, who had originally been on the flank, had run back a couple of steps, while Qin Ao had also run out towards the penalty area, ready to link up with him.

The two of them had stretched Shanghai Seawave’s defensive formation.

It was at this moment that Wen Chengye ran forward. It was the tacit understanding from many practice sessions, it was Wang Fa saying to trust Wen Chengye, and it was also what he subconsciously felt was the most correct choice at that instant.

Among the three passing routes, Chen Jianghe passed the ball back to Wen Chengye.

The two Shanghai Seawave players who had already formed a pincer movement in front of the penalty area were both stunned. Because they had just pressed forward, causing a gap behind them, Wen Chengye had precisely inserted himself into the space they had just exposed!

The Shanghai Seawave players reacted quickly too, with the flank player immediately running towards the outside of the penalty area, and the defender in the penalty area also coming out, ready to block Wen Chengye’s shooting route.

Wen Chengye raised his foot and crossed the ball to the wing.

Lin Lu, who had dropped back, got the ball.

Chen Jianghe was already running toward the penalty area, while the opponent’s defenders were still covering the previous gap.

A gap was pulled open in the defensive line.

Good opportunity!

Lin Lu had no time to think and immediately passed the ball into the penalty area!

Lin Lu’s cross, Chen Jianghe’s forward insertion, and the opponent’s defender opening up space—these three things happened almost simultaneously. It relied on subconscious reactions faster than thought, and extraordinarily tacit coordination.

In that instant, there was no one defending Chen Jianghe in the penalty area.

He immediately seized this opportunity. After stopping the ball, it fell on the instep of his foot. The next moment, facing the goalkeeper, he shot!

The fierce wind was like a knife, brushing past the face of the opposing goalkeeper, whose shocked expression was magnified countless times.

The soccer ball heavily crashed into the net, causing the white bag to flutter.

Goal.

The field was extremely quiet, quiet to an extreme point.

The ball… just went in like that?

The referee’s whistle echoed over the stadium, and those few die-hard fans in the stands were stunned. But the soccer ball was clearly lying inside their Shanghai Seawave’s goal line, motionless.

Only then did Lin Wanxing react; she jumped up from the coach’s bench, both hands grabbing Wang Fa’s arms, jumping up and down: “Goal! Goal!”

On the field, the players all huddled together.

Everyone went to slap Chen Jianghe’s crew cut; the goal-scoring Xiao Chen still had a dazed face, not believing the ball had just gone in like that.

The students’ celebration ended quickly; even with Lin Wanxing’s hand still on Wang Fa’s arm, the players had already let go of each other.

Wen Chengye and Qin Ao simultaneously rushed into the goal…

Qin Ao grabbed the ball first, then ran back!

“Score another one!” he shouted.

The Shanghai Seawave players, still in a dazed state, all suddenly woke up.

Scoring one wasn’t enough for you? What’s the meaning of scoring another one?

This sentence completely infuriated the Shanghai Seawave players on the field; the fire was blazing in each of their eyes, and they were also truly anxious. If they couldn’t equalize in the next 20-plus minutes, they would not be able to enter the knockout stage.

For all the players of the Shanghai Seawave youth team, this kind of professional development team was undoubtedly a catastrophic disaster.

Including the Shanghai Seawave head coach, the entire team tensed up.

“Attack, press up, what are you afraid of!” Lu Liwei started shouting towards the field.

The goal just now made him realize that if they let the opponent control the ball and attack for a long time, their defense would always have vulnerabilities.

Defense is passive; the initiative should be in one’s own hands. With more than twenty minutes left until the end of the match, there was no reason to still be conservative.

After the kickoff again, Shanghai Seawave launched a fierce attack on Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s defensive line after a front-field interception!

Compared to Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s less skillful attacks, relying on momentum pressing and flashes of inspiration, Shanghai Seawave was calmer, so their attack rhythm was also slightly slower. They wouldn’t blindly shoot from a distance but would find a good opportunity before shooting.

However, the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players were most skilled at positional battles.

They began to defend densely, with no distractions. Everyone was extremely serious and focused; although their bodies were already very tired, their clothes soaked through, during that period, they seemed not to feel fatigued, completely immersed in this green field.

Their thoughts were pure, and their performance was also pure. They continuously repelled Shanghai Seawave’s attacks, not completely satisfied with a one-goal lead, and their formation had not completely contracted. At the slightest opportunity, they were ready to launch a counterattack.

Compared to simply breaking through the defensive line, Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s fearless posture of nearly attacking back made the Shanghai Seawave players feel too unreasonable.

You’re leading, why don’t you defend?

Why do you still attack?

The more steadily Hongjing Eighth Middle School played, the more anxious Shanghai Seawave became. Emotions on the field have a huge influence on each other.

Must score, or we lose!

Just one goal to draw again, and they would still be the ones to advance!

These emotions lingered in the minds of the Shanghai Seawave players.

Under these circumstances, their attacks became chaotic. They unconsciously pressed their entire formation forward, trying to put more pressure on the Hongjing Eighth Middle School opponents.

When the match reached the 77th minute, Shanghai Seawave launched a very threatening attack!

Shanghai Seawave’s number 18 forcefully broke through on the wing and crossed.

Zheng Feiyang couldn’t cover in time, only managing to slightly touch the ball, which then flew towards the far post. The quickly inserting Shanghai Seawave forward was undefended, and he immediately shot!

In that instant, everyone inside and outside the field seemed frozen.

However, the next second, the soccer ball hit the post heavily and bounced back into the penalty area!

Before Lin Wanxing’s cold sweat could even break out, Wen Chengye, who had originally been at the edge of the penalty area, began moving in the opposite direction.

In the penalty area, Qi Liang, getting there before the opponent’s forward could follow up with a shot, made a sliding tackle on the ground, clearing the ball out of the penalty area!

The ball rolling out of the penalty area was seized by Fu Xinshu. The opponent’s midfielder came directly to the press, and Fu Xinshu had no time to see Wen Chengye’s position. He just kicked the ball toward the front field according to the habitual possible running route of Wen Chengye!

Wen Chengye, who had already started running forward, received the ball…

Near the center circle line, Qin Ao had already accelerated and started sprinting, just about to approach the last defender at the center circle line…

Wen Chengye raised his foot, with a loud “thud,” and kicked the ball far away!

Wen Chengye’s long-pass ability was nothing special, but at this moment, he just needed to kick the ball into the opponent’s half.

The soccer ball whistled into the sky, then whistled toward Shanghai Seawave’s half. Qin Ao ran with all his might, accelerating and accelerating again, charging into Shanghai Seawave’s half.

At a distance of about thirty meters, Qin Ao received Wen Chengye’s long pass and was not offside.

Shanghai Seawave’s goalkeeper came out first, but in an instant, his hair stood on end.

Because before he had walked half the distance, Qin Ao had already got the ball, putting him in a very awkward position.

Qin Ao quickly approached him with the ball, and the scar on the opponent forward’s face magnified infinitely on his retina.

This tall forward from Hongjing Eighth Middle School made a fake shooting motion that dropped him to the ground, then dribbled past him, and raised his foot to kick the ball into the empty net.

2-0!

The Shanghai Seawave players were all dumbfounded, unable to move for a long time.

This time, the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players began a crazy celebration, with others running toward Qin Ao from all directions, surrounding him in the middle! Different hands wildly patted Qin Ao’s head, and Qin Ao smiled with his teeth showing, like a flower.

After a while, Qin Ao finally broke free from his enthusiastic teammates. He turned his head and saw Wen Chengye standing behind him, wiping sweat.

Qin Ao paused, raised his hand, and gave him a thumbs up.

Wen Chengye’s sweat-wiping motion paused; he looked at the gesture Qin Ao made and finally smiled too.

For Shanghai Seawave, the second conceded goal had already announced their death sentence. However, in the last few minutes, they launched frantic attacks on Hongjing Eighth Middle School’s goal, eager to equalize.

But the more anxious they became, the heavier the mountain on their chest felt.

Such hasty attacks were completely inadequate before the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players, whose state and morale had already reached their peak.

After several attacks that seemed forceful but posed no threat, the head referee blew the whistle to end the match!

On the field, the Hongjing Eighth Middle School players rushed toward the coach’s bench.

Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa were surrounded by the boys.

The verdant grass, the dazzling sunlight, the heavy smell of sweat, and the boisterous wind. The joy filling their chests was incomparable. The delight after victory seemed to fill the entire stadium.

Everything was so incredible.

Amidst the crowd, Lin Wanxing suddenly saw Wang Fa.

The young man’s expression was still relaxed and calm. Lin Wanxing couldn’t help but mouth to Wang Fa: “Stop pretending to be cool!”

Wang Fa’s eyes curved, and he smiled brilliantly at her.

The spring breeze caressed their faces, spirits soaring.