Chapter 54: Against Anderlecht - 2
Both sides returned to the same starting line again. For some time afterwards, both sides played cautiously, without posing a significant threat to the goal again until the end of the first half.
Wang Feng received Barry's pass on the left edge of the penalty area. With a flick of his left foot, he dribbled the ball horizontally along the edge of the penalty area to the right. At this moment, a defender closely followed him from behind, and another defender pressed tightly from the left. Faced with the double team, he still calmly controlled the ball at his feet and had an angle for a shot.
At this moment, a third nearby defender sensed the danger and hurried over to block Wang Feng's shot. Allowing him to shoot easily in this position would be too threatening.
Wang Feng attracted the attention of most of the defending players. Jason Aldridge on the left took advantage of the situation and made a forward run in an unmarked state. Wang Feng kicked the ball with his left heel, accurately threading it between the two defending players, into the left side of the penalty area.
Aldridge received the ball, with plenty of space around him. After a slight adjustment, he shot and scored.
After scoring, Aldridge excitedly ran to Wang Feng and asked, "How did you know I was there? Do you have eyes on the back of your head?"
Wang Feng smiled and replied, "I don't have eyes on the back of my head, but I knew that position was open. I trust my teammates to seize this opportunity."
Aldridge's admiration for Wang Feng grew even stronger. Everyone laughed and cheered around, while Anderlecht suffered another heavy blow.
After the first half, the Anderlecht locker room was silent. Even Jan Koller dared not say any encouraging words anymore. Deep down, he gradually felt that they couldn't beat Feng now, not anymore.
Coach Edgar Viss stared at the players for a long time before saying, "Our performance in the first half was good enough. We didn't lose to Genk, we lost to Wang Feng. But we have no way out now, do we?"
"In the second half, I will send all our attackers to give it their all. We might still have a chance. It's not time to despair yet, lads."
As the second half began, Viss used up all three substitution slots at once, replacing all of Anderlecht's attackers to launch a fierce attack against Genk. For a moment, Genk's goal was under great threat.
Thanks to the strong performance of the defense and the extraordinary play of the goalkeeper, they repeatedly thwarted Anderlecht's attacks. In the 71st minute, Christian Civu made a tackle in the backcourt. After a few passes in the midfield, the ball was passed forward to Wang Feng.
Wang Feng received the ball near the 30-meter mark from the goal, preparing to dribble forward. He was then directly brought down by Esteban Casin, and the referee blew the whistle, promptly showing Casin a yellow card and awarding a free kick in the frontcourt.
Wang Feng got up from the grass in frustration. There was obviously an opportunity just now, but he didn't expect Casin to be so decisive, preferring to commit a foul rather than giving him any chance.
Aaron Abigail took the free kick. He placed the ball at the penalty spot and took step by step backward. Reflecting on his previous mistake that led to conceding a goal, Abigail felt extremely ashamed. As the former captain of Genk, he had experienced the glory of the club and tasted the feeling of falling into decline.
Now they have excellent players like Wang Feng, Barry, and Civu, they have a great chance to achieve better results this year. Abigail would never allow the team to lose because of his own reasons.
Abigail's eyes gradually became sharp. He licked his dry lips, wiped the sweat from his palms on his trousers, and stared firmly at the top corner of the goal.
With the sound of the referee's whistle, Abigail made his run-up, took the shot directly, and scored! The shot was powerful, piercing through the wall and blasting into Anderlecht's goal.
After scoring, Abigail ran to the vicinity of the stands, roaring to vent his pent-up emotions. His teammates surrounded him, embracing and celebrating with him.
Head coach Antonis also felt emotional when he saw this scene. He understood very well what was going on in Abigail's mind. For Abigail, Genk Club was not just a football club anymore; it was also an emotional support.
Scoring this goal was his redemption. And this goal helped Genk secure victory!
In the end, Anderlecht failed to organize effective attacks in the remaining time and lost 1-3 to Genk, the top team in the standings.
Wang Feng, who contributed a goal, an assist, and a set-piece goal, was undoubtedly unanimously selected as the best player of the match, marking his 14th selection as the best player after the match this season.
In addition, with Genk's outstanding performance this season, he won the Belgian Football Association's award for the 4th time as the best player of the Jupiler League month. Wang Feng's performance can be described as dominant.
However, defending champion Anderlecht had a tough time. In two encounters, they were defeated by Genk with the same scoreline. Local media in Brussels pessimistically believe that Anderlecht has already lost the chance to compete for the championship against Genk this season.
After the match against Anderlecht, it was time for a two-week national team match day. Several players from Genk were called up to the national team, including the young talent Jason Aldridge. His performance this season has been outstanding. When Wang Feng was heavily marked, he could step up and seize the opportunity.
Wang Feng, as usual, did not receive an invitation from the national team. During this time, the Chinese team was training in Guangzhou. They would play two friendly matches against Norway and the Czech Republic, preparing for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in April.
When asked if they would consider calling up Wang Feng, the relevant officials shook their heads and said, "Our lineup is already strong enough, and we are very confident in creating history by advancing from the qualifiers and performing well in the World Cup finals."
When asked about considerations and arrangements for Wang Feng, the official said, "Wang Feng is undoubtedly a pride of Chinese football, but he is still too young, not even an adult yet. I think he should be given more time to grow."
Wang Feng, without national team duties, enjoyed the leisure time. During these two weeks, he continued training according to the training plan formulated by Abel Le Goff.
The effectiveness of the training has already been reflected in the matches. Whether in terms of physical fitness or physical confrontation, Wang Feng can now compete evenly with tall white players, which has significantly improved his competitiveness on the field.
On the other hand, under the guidance of Carl Bess, he also began practicing set-pieces. Although Wang Feng has previously taken set-pieces and assisted goals, he has not developed it into a regular attacking method or scored directly from set-pieces.
To become an offensive kaleidoscope, mastering set-pieces is a must.
On the training ground, Wang Feng repeatedly kicked the ball towards the goal, silently feeling the posture of his body, the angle and strength of his shots, even the distance of his run-up. He constantly improved his shooting technique, and steadily increased the probability of hitting the target frame.
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