Chapter 7: First goal !
Wang Feng grew more confident on the court, and with reduced defensive pressure, he began roaming around the midfield, anticipating chances. However, his Virton teammates hesitated to trust him, and the ball rarely reached his feet.
Aware of the lack of trust, Wang Feng wasn't bothered. He persisted in moving and reading the game, despite the likelihood of not receiving the ball.
In the 67th minute, Saint-Gilles United attacked from the right, catching Virton's defence off-guard, as Wang Feng supported the defence in the penalty area. The opponent's long pass landed on the left.
The striker from the opposite side swiftly pursued a neutral position. At that moment, like an arrow released from a bow, Wang Feng rushed towards the ball's landing point. He reached it first, flicking with his right foot before it touched the ground, surpassing the opponent.
The precision of this kick was a result of his ball juggling practice. The strength and angle were impeccable, ensuring the ball remained under his control.
Wang Feng's speed persisted as he dribbled the ball forward from the right, transitioning Virton from defence to offence. On the entire right side, the only obstacle in front of Wang Feng was St. Gillian United's left back.
Dribbling at high speed, Wang Feng passed the halfway line rapidly. Although Virton players waited behind him for a pass, Wang Feng believed passing to them would likely result in the ball not coming back. In that instant, he decided to go solo.
As Wang Feng buried his head and charged towards the opponent's defender, he encouraged himself, prepared for the possibility of failure, focusing on quickly returning to defence.
On the sidelines, head coach Mette Magritte was shocked. He realized Wang Feng intended to dribble through, despite scepticism about his ability to break through, even with his improved skills in the past two days.
Approaching the defender, Wang Feng remained calm. Gradually slowing down, he observed the opponent's every move. The St. Gillian left-back assumed Wang Feng would pass, positioning himself closer to the infield.
Noticing the gap, Wang Feng seized the opportunity, taking a deep breath and driving the ball towards the defender at a constant speed, silently calculating the distance.
The experienced defensive players retreated, waiting for the right moment, but Wang Feng's right shoulder sank, pushing the ball outside with his right foot. His arm made a clear movement, signalling a forced breakthrough from the outside. Defensive players hurried forward to block the route.
However, as they went for the ball, they witnessed Wang Feng using the inside of his right foot to kick the ball back to his left foot. A poke with his left toe allowed him to break through to the inside.
At this moment, everyone, including players, coaches, audience, and the on-site commentator, was surprised. In the blink of an eye, Wang Feng used a fake move to shake off the opponent's left-back and broke through with the ball.
The stadium erupted in cheers, and Magritte was amazed. Wang Feng demonstrated delicate and extraordinary moves in his first match, showing no signs of stage fright.
Facing the cheers, Wang Feng quickly dribbled the ball to the right side of St. Gillian's big penalty area. With the left back beaten and the midfielder not yet in position, the left centre-back had to step in.
All eyes were on Wang Feng, anticipating his next move. The other Virton front line players also rushed in, diverting the visiting team's defensive attention.
Wang Feng keenly observed the goalkeeper positioning to the right for his cross, with an unobstructed line between the left central defender and the ball. Without hesitation, he recalled his practised shooting feeling and executed a long shot near the penalty area line.
The ball tumbled past the defender's blocking foot, flying straight towards the blind corner of the goal. St. Gillian's goalkeeper failed to stop it, and the ball rolled into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL," echoed the passionate commentator, and the home team's fans erupted in cheers.
A goal?
Although Wang Feng felt the shot was threatening and nearly perfect, the question lingered. Had he really scored a goal like this? In his first game in the Belgian second division, had he broken the goal record of the leader Saint-Gilles United?
At that moment, Wang Feng's mind went blank. When teammates approached to celebrate, he remained expressionless and dull. The carefully thought-out celebratory actions were forgotten.
In the stands, Andre Diest stood up excitedly, shouting, "I knew you could do it, hard-working boy."
The eyes under Henks' sunglasses flashed with surprise. He recorded, "Virton's No. 30 forward is fast, explosive, calm, and delicate in footwork, with a strong grasp of opportunities in front of the goal."
With the whistle sounding, the game restarted. No. 11, facing Wang Feng, stared at him, as if saying, "You don't want to do anything any more; I will stare at you to death."
After several kicks, St Giles United attempted a shot, but it was too straight and easily saved by the home team's goalkeeper. Soon, the ball came near the midfield, and Wang Feng waited for a pass in the open space.
This time, Virton's midfielder hesitated, then passed the ball to Wang Feng. Unfortunately, the pass was too big, and Wang Feng couldn't stop it with his first kick. Forced by the opponent's No. 11, he quickly turned around to protect the ball and passed it back to the defence.
Wang Feng raised his hand in embarrassment to indicate his fault. Throughout the game, he had received few passes, making him uncomfortable. No. 11, feeling complacent, thought Wang Feng was hurried due to his defensive efforts.
After reorganization, the ball returned to the midfield. This time, Wang Feng caught the ball perfectly, running from the right side to the centre, and firmly controlled it under his feet.
Seeing no defenders in the vicinity, he quickly started, rushing to the front court. No. 11 from the opposing side approached to press him. Wang Feng, nearing him, secretly resolved to give this kid a hard time.
Approaching the defenders, Wang Feng used a stepover action. Like the last time, No. 11 on the opposite side was caught off guard. Seeing Wang Feng's left shoulder sinking and his left foot moving the ball, he instinctively blocked to the left. Unexpectedly, Wang Feng moved the ball to the right, quickly starting to break through.
The stadium erupted in exclamations as everyone witnessed Wang Feng passing the defender with a few fake moves, continuing to break through with the ball.
When No. 11 on the opposite side turned his head, Wang Feng had already reached the right side of the penalty area. An accelerated and sudden stop sent the ball away from the central defender, who was rushing to help defend. The striker made an easy push, scoring.
The score was now 2:2, and Virton had equalized. The goal scorer celebrated with the fans, and the stands echoed with excited cheers in response.
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