Chapter 41: League in progress, start of the Europa League
Jupiler Pro League, Round 5, Genk hosted Ghent at home, and Wang Feng continued to start, with head coach Aime Antonis fully trusting him.
Ghent's defense against Wang Feng was well-executed, focusing on marking and double-teaming strategies, preventing him from making sharp breakthroughs. However, due to Wang Feng attracting a lot of defensive attention, it created space for other players to exploit.
Quickly, Gareth Barry assisted Jason Aldrich in scoring a goal, giving Genk the lead. Trailing, Ghent seemed a bit at a loss, wanting to continue pressuring Wang Feng, but other Genk players kept creating dangerous situations. As the game approached the end, Wang Feng seized an opportunity for a quick counterattack, scoring another goal for Genk, securing the victory.
After the match, Wang Feng's performance was unanimously recognized. Despite being closely marked, he didn't lose heart. Instead, through continuous movements, he drew defensive attention, making other players' attacks more threatening. Finally, he seized a chance to convert into a goal, demonstrating exceptional efficiency.
Anderlecht and Club Brugge both won in this round, keeping close behind Genk, while Standard Liège drew 0-0 with Brussels, widening the gap with the top teams.
A week later, in Round 6 of the Jupiler Pro League, Genk faced Kortrijk away. Just ten minutes into the game, Bess and Wang Feng staged a splendid combination, with Wang Feng's shot opening the scoring for Genk.
Five minutes later, Wang Feng struck again. Successfully receiving the ball on the right flank, he faced the oncoming defender, skillfully dribbled past him, and then slotted the ball into the net.
In the second half, Barry's header in the penalty area set up a splendid assist for Wang Feng, who volleyed it into the net, completing a hat-trick.
In the end, Genk won 3-0 away, with Wang Feng scoring a hat-trick for the first time in this season, tallying 10 goals in 6 games, securing the top spot on the goal-scoring chart. The media hailed him as an attacking machine.
After this round, Genk still occupied the top spot on the standings with an unbeaten record.
In Round 7 of the Jupiler Pro League, Genk played at home against Lokeren. Due to the international break, several key players including Barry and Civu were absent, forcing Genk to field a makeshift lineup.
The guests, struggling near the relegation zone, displayed unusual resilience, making it difficult for Genk to find effective attacking avenues. Wang Feng also found it challenging in the attacking third.
After withstanding Genk's attacks, Lokeren relied on a defensive counterattack, resulting in a handball in Genk's penalty area, leading to a penalty kick.
The away team's captain made no mistake, giving Lokeren the lead. They then adopted a more conservative approach, with the entire team focusing on defending in the thirty meters in front of their penalty area.
In the 50th, 60th, 70th, and even the 80th minute, Genk failed to find a breakthrough. Wang Feng, feeling frustrated, kept running, waiting for an opportunity.
As the game entered stoppage time, Wang Feng received a pass on the right flank, then played a one-two with Bess, cutting into the penalty area from the right. Simultaneously, Bess also played a pass into the penalty area, reaching Wang Feng's feet.
Wang Feng received the ball in the penalty area, feinted past a Lokeren defender with a fake move, then shot with power.
"Wang Feng receives the ball in the penalty area, feints past the defender, shoots directly, beautiful, goooooooooooooooal, it's in!" After scoring, Wang Feng didn't celebrate, quickly retrieving the ball from the guest team's goal and running back to the center circle.
Unfortunately, time was not on their side. Shortly after Lokeren kicked off, the referee blew the final whistle.
In the end, Genk was held to a 1-1 draw at home by bottom-ranked Lokeren. After this round, Anderlecht took full three points, surpassing Genk to the top of the standings, while Genk slipped to second place, with Club Brugge also closely following.
Genk received considerable skepticism from many media outlets after the game. Sports Bulletin stated that Genk's squad depth was poor, and with several key players missing, their strength had significantly diminished. This season, Genk would have to compete in the league, cup, and Europa League, making it difficult to achieve good results.
Regarding Wang Feng's crucial goal, most media outlets gave positive evaluations. Latest News Bulletin believed that Wang Feng's spirit of perseverance was worth learning by everyone. "Until the last second, he never gave up on victory."
In Round 8 of the Jupiler Pro League, Genk challenged Cercle Brugge away, still with a depleted lineup.
After the game started, Wang Feng launched an attack. He forced a corner kick on the right flank and decided to take the corner kick himself. His curved ball found John Wilson, who had come on as a substitute for Barry, and he promptly scored, giving Genk the lead.
After scoring, Wilson remained standing in place, not reacting, which amused Wang Feng. Wasn't this exactly how he behaved when he scored his first goal? So he went forward and pulled Wilson, celebrating together with him.
Cercle Brugge had no choice but to come out and play, giving Genk more space to attack. In the 33rd minute, Wang Feng suddenly ran to the left to receive the ball, dribbled past two defenders, and entered the penalty area, skillfully evaded a defender, and then shot directly, scoring another goal for Genk.
The final score of 2-0 held until the end, with Genk securing valuable three points, still biting closely at the top of the standings alongside Anderlecht, while Club Brugge and Standard Liège were both held to draws, widening the gap with the top two.
The draw for the Europa League group stage also took place this weekend, with Wang Feng, the coaching staff, and teammates gathering in the meeting room to watch the live draw.
Genk was drawn into Group B, along with Beitar Jerusalem from the Israeli Premier League, Br?ndby from the Danish Superliga, Espanyol from La Liga, and Lokomotiv Moscow from the Russian Premier League.
This draw was relatively favorable for Genk. In the Europa League format, the group stage adopts a single round-robin system, with the top three advancing to the round of 32. Beitar Jerusalem and Br?ndby are both relatively weak teams. Even though Espanyol and Lokomotiv Moscow are strong, Genk should ensure at least third place in the group.
However, to avoid encountering top teams from the five major leagues in the round of 32, it would be best to compete for higher rankings. Last season, Genk fell in the round of 32. This season, they must make a breakthrough.
In Round 9 of the Jupiler Pro League, Genk hosted Beveren at home, with players returning from national team duty, but their form had not fully recovered.
The entire game was relatively dull, with the only notable moment occurring in the 76th minute of the second half, when Wang Feng received the ball on the right flank, dribbled past two defenders, and delivered a cross. Barry, positioned in the center, scored, securing the victory for Genk.
Although Wang Feng didn't score in this game, all of Genk's threatening attacks were created by him, earning him unanimous praise from the media.
Following this match, Genk would travel to Israel to face Beitar Jerusalem.
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