Chapter 57: Conflict
After the home match against Slavia Prague in the 23rd round of the Belgian Pro League, Genk would face newly-promoted Mouscron-Peruwelz. The coaching staff of Genk discussed and decided to rotate some key players to prepare for the upcoming away match against Slavia Prague.
Naturally, Wang Feng was within the rotation scope, and he didn't even make it to the matchday squad for this game, enjoying a rest. Fortunately, Genk still managed to win with a narrow 1-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Anderlecht and Club Brugge were both affected by their European defeats, which had an impact on their league performance. Anderlecht was held to a draw by Lokeren this round, while Club Brugge suffered a 0-2 defeat against Beveren.
As a result, Genk widened the gap with second-placed Anderlecht to 7 points, and their championship prospects were looking promising.
Soon, the second round of the Europa League knockout stage would arrive, with Genk traveling to the Czech Republic to challenge their opponents.
With a two-goal lead, Genk organized themselves steadily, while Slavia Prague, pushed to the edge, went all out on the attack.
As time passed, the home team's players became more impatient, and their actions became more aggressive. In the 36th minute of the first half, Slavia Prague earned a corner kick, and defender Claude Savin seemed to use his hand to knock the ball into the net in front of the goal.
Upon video replay, it was evident that the ball hit Savin below the shoulder, and he made a clear arm-lifting motion.
"That was undoubtedly a handball, but when the referee ruled the goal valid, we saw Genk players surrounding the referee, trying to argue," the commentator said.
"The referee ignored Genk's protest and showed a yellow card to Genk captain Aaron Abigail, warning them to disperse and continue the game. We can see the disbelief on Abigail's face."
Wang Feng didn't approach the referee to argue because he knew that he might also receive a yellow card if he did, considering the advantage of playing at home.
He was somewhat worried because the Genk players were holding their breath due to the home team's antics and the referee's leniency. If not handled properly, they might indeed be overtaken and eliminated.
"As long as we score one more away goal, Slavia Prague will need to score three more to reverse the situation," Wang Feng calculated silently.
In the injury stoppage time of the first half, Gareth Barry dribbled the ball from the left, then lobbed it into the penalty area, where Wang Feng, with his back to the goal, controlled the ball.
The Slavia Prague defender behind Wang Feng kept interfering with him, even putting his hands on Wang Feng's waist to push him. Wang Feng, with a stroke of luck, knocked the ball with his right heel and quickly turned around.
Because the defender had been grappling with Wang Feng, his legs were spread apart, and the ball passed through his crotch, with Wang Feng gliding past him.
Wang Feng caught up with the ball at the edge of the small penalty area, raised his foot, and shot, catching the goalkeeper off guard, who could only watch the ball fly into the net.
"The ball is in, gooooooooooooooal! Wang Feng has come forward again, it's like he has eyes on the back of his head, using an incredibly imaginative heel to get past the defense."
"With this, the score between the two teams is 1-1, and Genk has rewritten the total score to 3-1, gaining a valuable away goal. Slavia Prague is pushed to the brink of elimination."
During halftime, the atmosphere in Genk's locker room was relatively relaxed. Everyone discussed the poor refereeing decisions and Abigail's yellow card in the first half. Head coach Aimee Antonis clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, our lead is already very obvious. Let's not provoke the referee and the opponents anymore. Our task is to maintain the fruits of victory."
Everyone nodded. After the break, Slavia Prague's actions became more intense. In the 63rd minute, Genk defender Maxim Dubois was fouled and fell to the ground in pain, but the referee only awarded a free kick.
Genk captain Abigail angrily shouted at the referee, "This is an intentional foul, you should show a card!" The referee indeed showed a yellow card, but it was to Abigail, and with two yellows, it turned into a red, and Abigail was sent off.
Dubois was also substituted due to his inability to continue playing, making Genk's situation more unfavorable.
In the 67th minute, with one man down, Genk was successfully attacked by Slavia Prague. Forward Devin Hurl scored a goal, and just 5 minutes later, the home team struck again, using a corner kick to level the score at 3-1, making the total score 3-3, with Genk only retaining the advantage of away goals.
In the 75th minute, Wang Feng seized a counterattack opportunity, sprinting more than 50 meters from the back to reach an area about 25 meters from the opponent's penalty area, only to be ruthlessly tackled from behind by a defender.
The tackle was completely aimed at his ankle, so Wang Feng fell to the ground in pain, clutching his left heel. Carl Bess, who was supporting from behind, saw all this and was furious. He rushed forward and pushed the opposing defender down, shouting, "You bastard."
The defender fell to the ground, and players from both sides confronted each other angrily. The referee promptly ran over to stop the conflict from escalating further, and substitutes and coaching staff from both sides rushed onto the field, pulling the players apart.
After everyone calmed down, the referee showed a yellow card to the Slavia Prague defender who made the tackle, but showed a red card to Bess. Several teammates wanted to surround the referee to argue, but were stopped by others. Bess cursed lowly and had to walk towards the locker room.
Wang Feng was receiving on-site treatment, and the situation was not optimistic. Coach Antonis came over anxiously to inquire about the situation, and the team doctor said, "He must be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately. Substitute him."
Although Wang Feng felt waves of intense pain, there was also a trace of coolness around the wound, indicating that his self-healing ability was at work. At present, Genk only had 9 players on the field, facing 11 opponents, and it was highly likely that they would experience a shocking reversal.
So he struggled to get up and said, "Coach, let me take this free kick, and then you can substitute me." The team doctor immediately said, "Absolutely not. Your injury is so severe that you're limping even to walk. We don't even know if you've injured your bones. You absolutely cannot play anymore."
Wang Feng looked at Antonis with determined eyes. Antonis confronted him for a while before reluctantly saying, "Why do you have to do this? We still have the advantage. It's not worth risking your career like this."
Wang Feng shook his head and said, "I'm confident in my body. I just don't want my efforts to be in vain. If we continue like this and let the opponents reverse the situation, I will regret it for a lifetime."
He knew very well in his heart that his professional career would not be affected in the slightest. The kind of spirit that would fight to the death touched others deeply.
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