Chapter 338: Hard work
At 2:00 AM Beijing time, the most popular online community in China, the "Dong Fangzhuo Bar" on a certain search engine, became extremely lively. Various posts kept emerging, all about live updates of the Alkmaar vs. Eindhoven match.
The administrators had to intervene, leaving the live thread opened by the bar owner for everyone to discuss, while deleting all other posts.
People could only curse the moderators while discussing in the designated thread. "Has the match started?" one netizen commented. "Yes, it has kicked off. Quickly turn on the TV and tune in to the sports channel; you can watch it now."
"I came to the bar to check updates because I can't watch the live broadcast. Please remember to inform me of any progress immediately."
"Got it!"
"By the way, is Sun Xiang playing? Didn't he go on loan to Eindhoven in January and perform well in the Champions League?"
"No, he didn't even make it into the squad. It's a pity."
Thirteen minutes into the game, Avilaze entered the penalty area and shot, hitting the side netting, resulting in a goal kick for Eindhoven.
"Avilaze took the shot too selfishly. He should have passed to Dong Fangzhuo, who was in the right position. He could have scored with just a tap-in. Do you think it's because Dong Fangzhuo snatched his position as the team's top scorer that he wanted to suppress him?"
"The OP is being paranoid. Didn't Avilaze assist Dong Fangzhuo in scoring multiple times in previous matches? I think this was just a result of not seeing Dong Fangzhuo's positioning or being disrupted by defending players nearby."
"Stay calm, stay calm. It's just a normal attack. There's still a long time left. I think Alkmaar has the advantage in this match."
"Here comes another attack from Alkmaar!" After this comment was posted, there was silence for a while. Many fans who couldn't watch the live broadcast anxiously asked, "What's going on? Where's the OP? No updates?"
"The ball is in! Dong Fangzhuo scored! Alkmaar is now leading!"
"Maldia lifted the ball into the penalty area, and Dong Fangzhuo leapt and volleyed with his right foot against the defender. I have to say his physical strength is really strong, honed by European league matches."
"It's not necessarily true. I think the Chinese Super League is also fiercely competitive."
"Fiercely competitive? Are you talking about fighting? Physical battles in the CSL are not like those rough guys. It's not just brute force; there's technique involved in positioning and exerting force while controlling the ball during physical confrontations."
"Moreover, if you let those CSL veterans face European tough guys, they might fall to the ground after just one collision."
"Yeah, Dong Fangzhuo has improved in all aspects this year. I think Chinese players should go abroad. Players like Wang Feng, Sun Jihai, and Zheng Zhi are clearly much better than domestic players."
"But it depends on whether they are willing to go. Nowadays, Chinese football is getting more attention, clubs are getting richer, and salaries are getting higher. Who would want to leave their hometown and suffer in a faraway place?"
"Alas, everyone is after quick money. How can Chinese football develop like this?"
"Don't discuss such heavy topics. We can't change anything. How's the match going?"
"The game is in a stalemate. Alkmaar's attacks have slowed down, and Eindhoven has launched several attacks. They almost equalized just now, scaring me."
"Dong Fangzhuo's stamina still can't keep up. He looks a bit tired after running for just over thirty minutes. I've seen Wang Feng play a full 90 minutes without breaking a sweat."
"Don't compare these two. Wang Feng is just too good. Ordinary forwards can't run like him. I think Dong Fangzhuo shouldn't learn from him. He should find his own style as soon as possible. Asians might have a slight disadvantage in terms of stamina."
"What's wrong with actively running on the field? Who said Asians must have worse stamina than other races?"
While everyone was still debating the players' stamina issue, the situation on the field changed again. In the 42nd minute, Dong Fangzhuo found space and received a pass from Avilaze.
Due to his limited stamina, he didn't control the ball well at first, and Eindhoven defender Klomp immediately closed in. But Dong Fangzhuo remained calm, flicked the ball behind him with his toe, just above Klomp's head.
He then caught up with the ball and slotted it past goalkeeper Gomez with his right foot, sneaking into the net.
"Dong Fangzhuo scored again, Alkmaar leads by two goals! He completes a brace!"
"Beautiful! It was worth staying up. Is this his third brace of the season? When will he get another hat-trick?"
"Can Alkmaar win the league? If Dong Fangzhuo wins the Eredivisie title, he will become the second Chinese player after Wang Feng to win a league title in a top European league."
"I think it's doubtful. Ajax has been too stable this year. Even if Alkmaar wins this match, they still need to make up four points in the remaining three rounds. Even if they win all their matches, they might not have a chance."
"The first half of the match is over. This thread will continue to provide real-time updates for everyone in the second half!"
The second half had just started, and Eindhoven launched a counterattack, capitalizing on a mistake in Alkmaar's defense to score a goal.
"What kind of defense is this? A little pressure and they make a mistake. I think these defenders should be replaced."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Weren't their defenses good in the first half? This goal was just a momentary mistake. Besides, they still lead by one goal. Let's see Dong Fangzhuo continue to perform."
"The ball is in! Dong Fangzhuo scored again, a hat-trick! Haha, who just said Dong Fangzhuo would score a hat-trick today? What a prediction!"
Many netizens asked, "What happened? Wasn't there a goal conceded just now? How did he score again so quickly?"
"Just now, after Eindhoven lost possession in the midfield, Alkmaar's midfielder immediately played a through ball, and Dong Fangzhuo used his speed to break through and scored!"
"Amazing! Dong Fangzhuo recovered his stamina quickly after resting for a while at halftime, but his endurance is still lacking, haha."
"Besides Wang Feng, we have another player who scored a hat-trick in a top European league. Dong Fangzhuo's status as the second best Chinese player abroad is solidified!"
"There were so many people mocking him before, saying he couldn't make it in Europe. Now Dong Fangzhuo has finally succeeded after enduring hardships!"
"After waiting for so long, Dong Fangzhuo's hard work has finally paid off!"
"I think he can go play in the top five leagues now. Where do you guys want to see him?"
"Real Madrid! I want to see a Chinese forward combination!"
"Come on, with his current level, he can't establish himself in a top club yet. It's more appropriate for him to go to a mid-table team in the top five leagues and become a key player."
"Not necessarily, with his current performance, he's already qualified to join a title-contending team."
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