Chapter 73: Fierce confrontation
Wang Feng watched as the ball was passed horizontally towards him, and in an instant, various attacking strategies flashed through his mind. If he stopped the ball and then attacked, he would easily encounter tight defense. Most of his teammates had already started to retreat, so the support for himself would definitely not be enough in the short term.
Suddenly, he saw the rolling ball coming towards him, and without hesitation, he lifted his leg and took a shot. The ball whizzed out and thundered into the net of Alaves.
"Wang Feng strikes with a cold arrow, he shoots, and it's a goal!!! In the 32nd minute, Wang Feng equalizes the score for Genk with a world-class goal."
"Alaves' defensive clearance in the backline led to a huge mistake, directly passing to Barry of Genk. After Barry passed horizontally to the center, Wang Feng took a shot from thirty meters away from the goal."
"The angle and power of this shot are excellent. The goalkeeper tried his best to save, but the ball slipped past his fingertips and flew into the net."
Just 7 minutes later, Barry passed the ball to Wang Feng on the right side of the field. Wang Feng, with a series of dribbles resembling fried meatballs, deceived the defending players in front of him and was about to enter the penalty area with the ball.
At this moment, the Alaves defender who was deceived by Wang Feng grabbed his shirt from behind, preventing him from continuing forward. "Whistle~", the referee's whistle sounded at this moment, awarding a free kick to Genk in the opponent's half.
This free kick on the edge of the penalty area could directly threaten the goal. After discussion among several Genk players, it was decided that Wang Feng would take it. The live camera timely focused on Wang Feng standing not far from the free kick spot, giving him a close-up.
The commentator's voice also sounded at this moment: "As we all know, Wang Feng's free kick accuracy is very high. Many times, Genk has won matches thanks to Wang Feng's direct free kicks."
"We can see that Wang Feng is standing next to the free kick spot, indicating that he will take the kick. Alaves is on high alert, with the goalkeeper constantly moving between the left and right sides of the goal, directing the positioning of the defensive wall, looking very nervous."
When the referee's whistle sounded, Wang Feng ran up alone and took the shot directly. The ball flew high over the wall, then sharply descended after entering the penalty area, deceiving the Alaves goalkeeper who initially thought the shot was going high.
He jumped to try to palm the ball out with his right hand but couldn't reach it. The ball flew into the net, grazing the underside of the crossbar.
"Gooooooooooooooal! In the 39th minute, Wang Feng once again opens the door to Alaves with a high-quality curled free kick. We can see that the ball had a clear downward trend in the air."
"Wang Feng scores his second goal, helping Genk reverse the score to 2-1 against Alaves. They are one step closer to the club's first-ever Europa League trophy!"
Seeing the team's reversal, head coach Antonis no longer pretended to be calm. He jumped up from the bench with fists clenched, excitedly dancing. He knew that Wang Feng never disappoints.
On the other side, Stamm covered his forehead with his hand. Although he was mentally prepared for the possibility of the team falling behind due to Wang Feng's fierce attacks, seeing the remaining time left in the match, he still felt a hint of anxiety.
The first half ended with Genk in the lead. In the locker room, the players were relaxed. Odriozola suggested opening champagne to celebrate, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
Wang Feng, however, had a hint of worry in his heart. He clapped his hands and said, "Guys, our battle is not over yet. We must not be careless."
At this point, Coach Antonis said, "Yes, we must not be careless. In the second half, the team will focus on defense, while Wang Feng will distract the opponent in the frontcourt. As long as we score another goal, victory will be secured."
After speaking, he began to explain the tactics for the second half, reminding everyone to pay special attention to Alaves' aggressive start after the kickoff. After withstanding that period, the dawn of victory would be close at hand.
As expected, in the second half, Alaves immediately launched a fierce attack towards Genk's backcourt, catching them off guard. Their aggressive pressing made Genk's defense line uncomfortable, becoming increasingly vulnerable.
Although the team had a tactical plan, the lead still led to some complacency among them. In the 51st minute, Alaves directly intercepted the ball in Genk's backcourt, and Moreno quickly scored, equalizing the score, also completing his brace.
One minute later, Genk took the kickoff, but the ball was immediately intercepted by the pressured Alonso, passed to the front of the penalty area, and Kluivert scored another goal for Alaves.
From leading to falling behind, Genk only took 6 minutes, which left the players feeling like they were in a nightmare. What's worse, a minute later, Alaves intercepted Genk's ball again, and Alonso made a long run. Just as his shot was about to cross the goal line, Wang Feng, who was tracking back, blocked the ball out for a corner.
Wang Feng loudly reminded his teammates to quickly regain their focus and fully commit to defense. His brow furrowed. He didn't expect Alaves' counterattacks to be so resolute and intense.
More importantly, they had successfully reversed the score again, relying on mistakes from Genk's defensive players, undoubtedly increasing the pressure on the players. If they couldn't adjust in time, they might collapse.
Coach Antonis also realized this. He stood on the sidelines, loudly calling on the players to defend, while preparing to make personnel adjustments. He substituted striker Odriozola for a central defender. Although they were currently trailing by one goal, as long as Wang Feng was on the field, there was still a chance. However, if Alaves were to score again, it would be precarious.
After taking the lead, Alaves did not stop their offensive. They continued to press high against Genk, intending to disrupt all of Genk's attacking opportunities.
The situation on the field seemed somewhat strange, with the leading side pressing relentlessly, while the trailing side could only gradually retreat. Wang Feng also had to frequently retreat to defense.
Sweat had completely soaked Wang Feng's clothes. He breathed heavily, and just now, Genk got a chance for a throw-in, allowing him to take a sip of water and rest for a moment.
In the past thirty-plus minutes, he had been tirelessly involved in both attacking and defending. The chaotic situation of Genk gradually stabilized, because the teammates saw Wang Feng's efforts, their frustration and panic gradually disappeared, and their form returned to the level at the beginning of the match.
It could be said that Wang Feng single-handedly reversed the imminent collapse situation, but there wasn't much time left for Genk.
"Genk throws the ball to Barry in midfield. Let's see how he handles it. Barry makes a beautiful feint to evade the pressing defender without making a mistake."
"After Barry directly passes to the right side of the defensive line, Wang Feng quickly starts a run forward. Contela's defensive speed is also fast, blocking Wang Feng's path."
Wang Feng and Contela formed a one-on-one near the right touchline. Wang Feng used a large swing to deceive Contela, pretending to dribble to the bottom for a breakthrough but actually cutting inside.
This time, the exaggerated tilt of his body during the dribble completely fooled Contela, but it came at a cost. Having run for nearly 90 minutes, Wang Feng felt that his knees couldn't bear it anymore, and a wave of pain swept over him.
But he still gritted his teeth and broke into the penalty area, before the other defending players could catch up, he swung his left foot and took a shot. The ball spun fiercely in the air, skimming past the goalpost and into the net!
3-3! As the match approached its end, Wang Feng completed a hat-trick, once again saving Genk!
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