Chapter 74: The outcome
"Wang Feng's shot from a narrow angle flew into the corner of Alaves' goal!"
"This is Wang Feng's 22nd goal in the Europa League, putting him far ahead on the top scorer's list."
"He will become the youngest Golden Boot winner in Europa League history. Just a few days ago, he also became the youngest Golden Boot winner in the Belgian Pro League."
"To all the fans in the stadium, to all the viewers in front of the TV, let us once again give warm applause to Wang Feng. And for those of us who witnessed history, we feel immensely honored at this moment."
"Wang Feng has proven his potential on the Europa League stage. We look forward to him stepping onto the grand stage of Europe again and shocking the world in the Champions League."
After scoring, Wang Feng didn't rush to celebrate but stood still, gently massaging his knee. Karl Bess, who rushed over to embrace him, stopped his action and anxiously asked, 'Wang, are you okay? Do you need to call the team doctor?'
Other teammates who gathered around also expressed their concern, and Wang Feng smiled and waved his hand, 'It's nothing serious. There are still a few minutes left. Let's make one last effort and try to end the battle as soon as possible.'
With that, he slowly jogged back to his own half. Every step he took, he felt waves of pain, clearly telling him that the injured area needed to stop moving to recover. But he didn't intend to do so. He could endure playing the rest of the game and then spend some extra time in the hospital.
But his heart was still very anxious. After being injured, his speed and dribbling would be affected. If the game went into extra time, it would be a losing situation for him and Genk.
'We must resolve the battle in regular time!' Wang Feng's eyes revealed determination. They had come this far, how could they accept failure.
In the remaining time, Wang Feng continued to run and search for opportunities, but his speed was no longer as rapid. Several times, he couldn't shake off the defensive entanglement and had to pass the ball out.
Coach Aimee Antonis stood on the sidelines with a furrowed brow. Based on the series of situations just now, something was wrong with Wang Feng. He was also worried about the possibility of extra time. After the regular time ended, he would talk to Wang Feng and find out what was going on.
The stoppage time in the second half was very short, only three minutes. In the 93rd minute, Barry passed the ball to the right, and Wang Feng, enduring the pain, quickly moved up, finally getting the ball before the defense, but Contela closely followed him, interfering.
Wang Feng resisted Contela with his remaining strength, but Contela's small actions continued. His left hand kept pinching Wang Feng's waist, while his right hand slightly pushed him.
If Wang Feng were in a healthy state, he might have ignored these actions and directly broke through. But now, with greatly reduced speed, he couldn't shake off the defense. Contela's shoving made him lose balance and fall to the ground.
'Beep~' The referee's whistle sounded timely. The German referee, Deich-Gehman, quickly ran to Contela, showing him a yellow card warning and awarded a free kick in the opponent's half.
This free kick was near the sideline, with a narrow angle that didn't allow for a direct shot. So both Alaves and Genk breathed a sigh of relief and quickly arranged their defense in the penalty area."
Wang Feng touched his left knee, leaving this free kick to Aaron Abigail to take, while he positioned himself in the penalty area. He gathered Abigail and Barry to one side and said, 'Abigail, I'll attract the defense at the near post. You aim for the far post, Barry fights for the header, let's try to kill off the opponent.'
Barry said, 'Isn't your heading good enough? Why not go for it?' Wang Feng smiled bitterly and shook his head. He couldn't even jump now.
After discussing the tactics, the three of them took their positions. As Wang Feng expected, the defense in the penalty area was all focused on him.
When the referee blew the whistle, Abigail started his run-up, and Wang Feng also started moving in the penalty area. Several Alaves defenders quickly followed suit, leaving a gap in the defense line.
But Abigail's ball was a bit too low and couldn't completely bypass the defensive players to reach the far post. The defender in the middle, Glei, leaped up desperately, intending to head the ball out of bounds.
"But he didn't hit it squarely, and the ball flew towards the goal. At this moment, the goalkeeper's position was a bit to the right, as he was focusing on Wang Feng. When he saw the ball flying towards the left corner of the goal, he was shocked and hurriedly dove to save it, but he was a step too late."
Own goal! In the 93rd minute, Alaves defender Glei and the goalkeeper both made a huge mistake, resulting in irreparable consequences.
No one expected that this goal battle would end with an own goal. This was truly a decisive blow. After Alaves kicked off again, referee Gehman blew the final whistle for the end of the game.
Genk won the first-ever Europa League trophy in history! And earlier, they won the league championship this season, making them the true double champions!
The players and coaches on the bench rushed onto the field in excitement, the Genk fans in the stands displayed banners proclaiming 'We are the champions,' and even King Albert II in the VIP box stood up to applaud Genk. This was also an honor for the Belgian Pro League."
Glei, who scored the own goal, knelt painfully on the ground, covering his face with his hands, while his teammates were comforting him. Football is sometimes so cruel. Every time this classic match is mentioned, this own goal will be brought up.
Alaves coach Abdul Stamm also didn't anticipate that although Alaves scored one more goal than Genk, they lost the championship. He could only smile bitterly and shake hands with Antonis, congratulating him on his achievement.
When Aaron Abigail lifted the Europa League trophy, the entire Westfalen Stadium applauded Genk's brilliant performance. The live camera and all the journalists' eyes were focused on these players who made history.
Wang Feng, as the absolute core, the Europa League's best player and member of the Europa League's best lineup, did not celebrate extravagantly in the spotlight. He silently moved aside, watching his teammates revel in joy, feeling a mix of emotions in his heart.
After tonight, the various players of Genk will also go their separate ways, and they may never reunite. Barry and Civu's loan periods are over, and they will certainly not stay with the team. Bess may stay, Odriozola has performed well in the league and may attract offers from other teams. Abigail has been with Genk for many years and may retire after this season.
Coach Aimee Antonis quietly approached him and stood side by side with him. 'How does it feel to win the championship?'
'It feels fantastic. I can assure you, I don't want to lose anymore,' Wang Feng said with a smile.
'Yes, winning all the time can be addictive, but losing all the time can also make people numb. Please keep this desire for victory, Wang. I believe you will become a great player.'
Antonis also had thoughts of leaving. He has won all the honors that Genk can achieve, the Belgian Cup, the league championship, and now the Europa League championship. As for the Champions League, that's not something a club like Genk can aspire to.
He will undoubtedly become a legendary coach of Genk, just as Wang Feng will become a legendary player of Genk.
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