Chapter 64: A strong opponent in the semi-finals
Looking at the calm surface of the lake, his thoughts also wandered far. Perhaps he should buy a set of fishing gear to pass the leisure time? Wang Feng sat by the lake for quite a while, until the sun completely rose, shining dazzlingly on the lake before he left.
Then he returned to the dormitory, dressed up in disguise, and prepared to go out and explore the streets of Genk. As a well-known figure frequently featured in the sports section of newspapers, if Wang Feng were to appear directly on the streets, it might cause some commotion.
Having been in Genk for over a year, Wang Feng had always been focused on the dormitory and training ground, without really appreciating the local customs and scenery of Genk. Seizing this opportunity, he took a nice stroll around.
On the banks of the Mandel River, at the Severeld Stadium, Genk was about to face Ruselare in the 30th round of the Belgian Pro League. In the 23rd minute, Ruselare's attack was intercepted by Genk.
Wang Feng received the ball in the backfield, sprinted over seventy meters to reach the frontcourt, evaded the defending player with a dribble, and broke into the penalty area alone.
Facing the goalkeeper, he calmly shot and scored, marking Wang Feng's 35th league goal of the season. He broke the goal-scoring record in the Belgian Pro League and became the youngest player to score the most goals at the age of 17 years and 291 days.
His goal-scoring performance was far from over. In the 71st minute of the second half, Gareth Barry intercepted the opponent's pass in the middle, passed it to Jason Aldridge in the frontcourt. After shielding the defending player with his body, Aldridge pushed the ball to the left for Wang Feng.
After receiving the ball, Wang Feng directly dribbled past the defending player at the edge of the penalty area, rushed into the penalty area. The goalkeeper chose to rush out, Wang Feng flicked the ball to the right, dodging the goalkeeper's dive, and then pushed the ball into the empty net.
2-0! Genk defeated Ruselare comprehensively, and each subsequent goal by Wang Feng would rewrite history.
In this round, Anderlecht did not fall behind either, they narrowly defeated Charleroi. However, the process of the match was very difficult, as they trailed at one point, and it was still Jan Koller who stepped up at the critical moment, helping the team secure all three points.
From this performance, one could see how much pressure Anderlecht's entire team was under. They had lost both cup competitions and the Europa League this season. If they failed to defend their league title, they would end up with nothing.
Moreover, they were still behind Genk now. No matter how hard they tried in the future, as long as Genk didn't lose, they wouldn't have a chance to top the league. So, the players' minds were gradually being dominated by pessimism.
In contrast, although Genk's lead was not large, just one point, the initiative was in their hands. As long as they didn't make mistakes, they would definitely succeed in winning the championship!
After lengthy negotiations, domestic CCTV and UEFA finally reached an agreement to broadcast Genk's upcoming Europa League matches. This was, of course, to allow domestic fans to watch Wang Feng's performance through live broadcasts.
The four teams in the Europa League semi-finals were Genk, La Liga's Alaves, Premier League's Liverpool, and Serie A's Roma, all except Genk were powerhouse teams from the top five leagues. Unfortunately, Genk's luck seemed to have been exhausted in the previous round, drawing Liverpool as their opponents in the semi-finals.
Under the leadership of the renowned coach Gerard Houllier, Liverpool had been on a winning streak this season, smoothly sailing through the stages of the FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League, striving towards the goal of a treble.
Liverpool's squad was also full of stars, including one of Europe's best center-backs, Finnish international Sami Hyypia, English defender Jamie Carragher, Scottish forward Gary McAllister. And the nominee for the Ballon d'Or, English forward Michael James Owen, and so on.
Now, Belgian media were not optimistic about Genk's ability to continue playing the role of the dark horse. Even the team manager, Bill Albert, stated in an interview, "We have already achieved a historic breakthrough in the Europa League. Our focus will now be on competing for the league title."
Domestic fans left messages on forums, expressing their intention to continue watching the game, "Although the strength gap between the two teams is significant, we hope Wang Feng can show his level in this series and not leave any regrets."
But there were still two people who were unwilling to accept elimination. One was Genk's head coach, Aimee Antonis, who had already led Genk to win the league title and now wanted to achieve results on the European stage. The other was Wang Feng. Having reached the semi-finals, with the trophy just two steps away, how could he easily give up?
Antonis calculated his limited rotation chips and discussed tactical arrangements with the coaching staff in a tight schedule. Meanwhile, Wang Feng continued to train his skills and physique, preparing for the upcoming fierce battles.
In the 31st round of the Belgian Pro League, Genk faced Lierse. Wang Feng, Carl Bess, Gareth Barry, and other main players were all on the bench.
Coach Antonis deployed a rare 5-4-1 formation, with insufficient ability in the defensive bench players, relying on quantity to make up for it. Lierse's overall strength was not strong, and Genk focused on defending, seeking attacking opportunities without conceding goals.
Jason Aldridge, who was in the front, lacked the support of the midfield and Wang Feng, so he had no chance to threaten the opponent's goal. He was substituted off in the 60th minute.
After Wang Feng came on, Genk's attack became smoother. Just 3 minutes later, Wang Feng orchestrated a highly threatening cross from the right, but the players in front of the goal failed to seize the opportunity.
In the 74th minute, a direct long pass from Genk's midfield to behind the right-back of Lierse, Wang Feng quickly inserted near the baseline to receive the ball, and the defending defender also hurried over.
Taking advantage of the defending player's unstable footing, Wang Feng gently poked the ball with his left foot, threading the ball between the defender's legs. Then, Wang Feng swiftly bypassed from the outside of the field, caught up with the ball, and broke into the penalty area.
At this moment, other Genk players in the penalty area had not caught up, and the opportunity was fleeting. Without hesitation, Wang Feng took a shot. He kicked a high shot with the inside of his left foot, the ball soared powerfully towards the far corner of the goal, hit the goal post, and bounced into the net.
"Goal! Gooooooooooooal! Wang Feng, who came off the bench, scored another fantastic goal for Genk!"
"Let's take a look at the replay of this goal. From the insertion to the dribble and shot, Wang Feng's play was just magnificent."
With this goal, Genk successfully took all three points from Lierse. On the other hand, Anderlecht's pressure finally erupted as they unexpectedly lost to Lokeren. With that, Genk's lead expanded to 4 points.
With three rounds left in the league, Anderlecht's hopes of a comeback seemed increasingly slim, and Wang Feng was getting closer to his first league title.
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