“Tactic One” sounded like a perfunctory name.
But Wang Fa’s tactical content was detailed and specific, unlike those flowery motivational speeches or unrealistically ambitious goals. Detailed and specific—first and foremost, it brought a sense of achievable reality.
As if quite naturally, the students temporarily forgot who their Sunday opponents actually were and threw themselves wholeheartedly into practicing “Tactic One.”
Under Fu Xinshu’s leadership, the students began their warm-up exercises.
The football was placed in the center of the field, the time was 8:00 PM. The students of Hongjing Eighth Middle School football team began their first football lesson after having previously given up on the sport.
The students’ actual time to practice the tactics was just a short two days.
But what Wang Fa had said—that completing just one tactical coordination would count as success—had deeply imprinted in their minds.
Everyone was full of energy.
If they didn’t have time to eat lunch, they would pack it in preservation bags and take a few bites at the field, saving time for more passing practice.
Dinner was even simpler—a steamed bun with a sports drink would do. From sunrise to sunset, they continuously ran on the field.
From initially being unable to smoothly complete the coordination, to gradually being able to finish with a shot on goal; from having their tactics completely disrupted during resistance training, to smoothly breaking through their own teammates’ blockade.
The simple clarity of the goal made the results of training visibly clear.
Each time they successfully shot at the goal, the students unconsciously pumped their fists toward the sky.
Then they would begin the next round of training.
Two days of focused training—time passed more slowly than imagined.
Of course, deep down, the students certainly hoped that time could pass even more slowly, so they would have more time to prepare.
But that day would inevitably come.
September 25, Sunday, on the school bus.
The autumn air was crisp and clear, rice stalks bent their branches, swaying in the breeze.
The bus drove along the same road they had traveled a week ago, but this time, the atmosphere inside was somewhat subdued, with the students very quiet.
Quiet didn’t mean they weren’t talking; on the contrary, the boys were constantly discussing match tactics.
Like how to kick off, how to cross, and how to distribute the ball when faced with defense.
Although these were all things Wang Fa had told them many times, with the coach not by their side, everyone felt uncertain.
Lin Wanxing looked to her side.
Indeed, the bus seat that belonged to Wang Fa was empty.
Wang Fa had mentioned long ago that he would go to Yongchuan Evergrande Club for a trial on Sunday.
This morning at breakfast, to test Wang Fa’s attitude, Lin Wanxing had deliberately bought a complete deluxe KFC breakfast.
Smoked chicken flatbread, century egg and lean meat porridge, soy milk, coffee, cheese chicken papani…
The items filled an entire table under the sunshade on their rooftop.
Even Wang Fa himself was startled by the breakfast spread when he walked out of his door.
Fortunately, Comrade Wang Fa was typically unflappable. He sat down very naturally and ate through most of the table.
It was Lin Wanxing who couldn’t help asking first: “What are your plans today, are you still going to Yongchuan, what time is your high-speed train ticket?”
She looked at Wang Fa with expectant eyes, but the answer she got was “Leaving right after eating.”
After saying this, Wang Fa leisurely stood up, went to the sink to wash his hands, and even took away the coffee from another set meal.
Watching Wang Fa’s graceful departing figure, Lin Wanxing suddenly felt this wasn’t so bad.
Wang Fa’s attitude was clear—this was indeed an unimportant match, with no powerful opponents or must-achieve goals.
All the boys needed to do was complete one “Tactic One” coordination.
Nothing more than that.
At Hongjing Mingzhu Club Field, the Lvjing International High School side.
Compared to Hongjing Eighth’s very simple tactical goal, Lvjing International was under considerably more pressure.
Lvjing International’s coach, surname Chen, given name Yuan, was formerly a professional player who had once played for a top club in the Chinese Super League.
Most people in their field become coaches after retirement, but coaching positions also have hierarchies. Someone like him who ultimately secured a job with a professional development team was proof of his solid professional quality.
Therefore, upon learning of their opponent for this round, he researched the previous round’s match.
He found the official match recording and even, through his connections, treated the referee from Hongjing Eighth’s previous match to a meal, doing some corresponding work.
This work certainly didn’t refer to match-fixing or other things that violated professional ethics; he merely carefully inquired about Hongjing Eighth’s tactical approach in the last match, learning about the personnel’s level and relationships to make appropriate arrangements.
Chen Yuan admitted he was nervous. Although his professional level was solid, if Lvjing International High School didn’t advance to the regular season of this Youth Super League round, he would likely lose his job.
Before the match, Chen Yuan called all players to him for final tactical deployment.
The players had just finished warming up, with light sweat on their bodies.
Chen Yuan could tell from their expressions that they weren’t tense about today’s match.
He clapped his hands; the loud sound attracted all the players’ attention.
“Pay attention! Be serious with me! Hongjing Eighth being able to play a tiebreaker with us means they also won against an opponent.” He emphasized, “Although Anning Experimental is just an ordinary high school team, their football is quite good. Don’t underestimate this opponent.”
“Understood, coach,” replied Lvjing International’s captain, the center forward wearing number 9.
After saying this, fearing he might put too much pressure on the kids, making them timid during the match, Chen Yuan added: “But we don’t need to worry too much. They were able to come back and tie against Anning Experimental because Anning was too eager to win more. Hongjing Eighth is still just a high school team with only one set of long-pass counterattack tactics to find space behind, which I just emphasized to you in the locker room.”
The players nodded one after another.
Chen Yuan: “They showed strong fighting spirit in the second half and played tenaciously. So we need to try to score several goals in the first half, then we can slowly control them in the second.”
“So in the first half, we stick to the tactics you just mentioned?” the captain asked.
“Yes, Hongjing Eighth’s right back is weak in confrontations, making it easy to break through. So we’ll focus on attacking the right flank and then crossing. Look for opportunities to find breakthrough points from the position I mentioned.”
The players all nodded.
“What if they make tactical adjustments?” the captain suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Chen Yuan looked toward the coaching area in the distance.
It was said that Hongjing Eighth had a coach, but now, there was only a girl sitting there, looking just like a team leader.
“That won’t happen,” Chen Yuan said with confidence. “When all’s said and done, they’re just here to play for fun. They don’t have a coach.”
On the other side of the field, is the Hongjing Eighth camp.
Lin Wanxing sat under the sun shelter, unaware she had just been observed.
She shielded her eyes with her hand, looking toward the field.
The students had just finished warming up, still wearing their colorful sports clothes. Compared to the neatly uniformed Lvjing International, they completely looked like a ragtag army.
Lin Wanxing looked at the students, and the students also looked at her.
After a while, they were still looking at each other, making the scene somewhat awkward.
“Just say whatever you want to say,” Qin Ao was the first to break.
“What do you mean? I’m waiting for you all to speak first,” Lin Wanxing said.
“What do you mean waiting for us to speak first? Shouldn’t the teacher say something to boost morale?” Lin Lu shouted.
Just then, a huge burst of “Come on!” erupted from the neighboring rest area, with roars shaking the sky, startling Lin Wanxing.
Inspired by this, she also cleared her throat.
“Everyone, do your best~”
She had just begun to speak when Qi Liang’s voice drifted from the back corner.
Lin Wanxing coughed lightly, falling silent.
“Teacher, are you speechless?”
“Is this the best a top liberal arts gaokao scorer can do?”
“Think harder.”
The boys began chattering.
“What kind of declaration do you want to hear?” Lin Wanxing said with her hands in her pockets. “Comrade Wang Fa told us the goal for this match before we came, right?”
“Complete one ‘Tactic One’ coordination and it counts as success,” Chen Jianghe said.
“Then let’s complete one,” Lin Wanxing said, both casually and solemnly.
The afternoon field had just been watered, with mist evaporating to about half a meter high.
Both teams lined up.
A sharp whistle pierced the clear sky, and the match officially began.
Lvjing International kicked off first, passing the ball back and forth two or three times before quickly sending it to the flank.
Lin Lu immediately went to meet it; directly facing him was Lvjing International’s armband-wearing center forward, number 9.
The skinny Lin Lu was like a piece of cardboard in front of number 9, completely unable to block the opponent’s forceful breakthrough. Nevertheless, Lin Lu tenaciously chased back, cutting off the opponent’s route into the penalty area.
Seeing he couldn’t penetrate the penalty area, number 9 chose to cross. The football flew into the penalty area, where Qi Liang won the first header to clear. However, Hongjing Eighth had no tactical coordination after clearing, creating chaos in front of the goal. The football flying out was controlled again by Lvjing International, and the attack resumed.
This was roughly all that happened within the first minute after the whistle.
In just 60 seconds, Lvjing International had already completed a very sharp, quick attack.
Although Lin Wanxing’s entire understanding of football came from cramming over the past dozen or so days, that pressing momentum, sharp breakthrough, and precise crossing all made her feel the “heritage” of a powerhouse.
Before Hongjing Eighth’s players could react, Lvjing International began a second round of fierce attacks.
Following Coach Chen Yuan’s pre-match arrangement, the players continued to execute the left flank breakthrough tactic. They again forcibly broke past Lin Lu, creating space and crossing.
Chen Weidong jumped up to clear but misjudged and failed to make contact with the football, which flew toward the middle of the penalty area.
At that moment, Zheng Feiyang appeared in the covering position, getting to the ball ahead of the opposing forward and booting it forward with a big kick.
With a loud “bang,” the football made contact with the instep.
On the coaching bench, Chen Yuan suddenly sat up straight, surprised by this timely covering.
This move by Hongjing Eighth could only mean they had dropped their midfield players back to play with three center-backs. While this could well protect the goal, it also meant weakened attacking power in midfield.
But Chen Yuan reconsidered, though strange, that Hongjing Eighth was still an ordinary high school team. Perhaps switching to “three center backs” wasn’t an intentional tactic but a natural defensive response when facing sharp attacks.
The football was kicked out of bounds. During this dead-ball opportunity, players went to the sideline for water.
Chen Yuan stood up and told his players what he had observed: “Next attack, try to break through from midfield. They’re one person short in midfield.”
The Lvjing International player nodded, took a few more sips of water, threw down the water bottle, and relayed the instructions to teammates on the field.
This was the advantage of having a coach providing on-site guidance—able to immediately tell players about observed changes on the field and make tactical adjustments.
According to the coach’s arrangement, Lvjing International’s captain and commander began organizing the attacking route, planning to initiate the attack from midfield through passing.
But Hongjing Eighth’s three midfielders, as if receiving some signal, suddenly began to drop back, firmly guarding just in front of the penalty area.
Lvjing International could only choose to continuously pass the ball around the perimeter, finding it difficult to penetrate for the moment.
Before them was a naked iron bucket formation. Lvjing International’s number 9 wasn’t surprised; most weaker teams adopt a turtle-like defensive posture when facing stronger opponents. No one can avoid making mistakes. As long as they attack patiently, they will eventually find opportunities.
He began distributing the ball, continuously passing from midfield to the flanks. According to the coach’s instructions, he crossed whenever there was an opportunity, with direct passes into the penalty area from the center to find the forwards, hoping to create chances through chaotic situations.
Once, twice, three times…
What surprised Lvjing International’s number 9 was that Hongjing Eighth’s defensive positioning was more tight than he had imagined.
The three center backs had clear assignments in the penalty area—(number 7) Chen Weidong and (number 11) Qi Liang were responsible for winning the first contact point, and any balls they occasionally missed would be cleared out by number 18 one by one.
And once Hongjing Eighth briefly possessed the ball, they would anxiously launch long passes to find their forwards. Such simple and crude long passes would be easily controlled at the landing point by the well-prepared Lvjing International.
“Bang!”
With another stupid and crude long pass, the football comically crashed into the sideline wire fence.
The Lvjing International players’ faces showed mocking smiles—just as the coach said, this was their only long-pass tactic.
Some players ran lazily toward the coaching bench for water, as if victory was already in hand.
Lvjing International’s number 9 ran toward where the ball had landed. The moment his hand touched the football, he suddenly sensed a hint of conspiracy.