Chapter 49 Entering the Finals

"Game over! Thanks to Zhou Yi's assist and goal, the Chinese team defeated Australia 2:1 in overtime and entered the finals!" Liu Hong shouted. "But the team's core player, Zhou Yi, was sent off with a red card in the final moments for obstructing Australia's attack… He will definitely miss the final match between China and Japan…"

Logically speaking, after the game, the Chinese team players who had made it to the finals should have celebrated wildly on the field.

But they didn't.

As soon as the whistle blew, the Chinese players returned to the locker room as quickly as possible, without staying on the field. Gao Lin even waved his hand to reject interview requests from several reporters.

After a perfunctory handshake with the Australian coach, Gao Hongbo also quickly headed for the player tunnel.

Every Chinese player and coach left the field in such a short time, as if they were the disgraced losers.

There was no celebration, and the players' faces showed no joy at advancing to the finals.

They went straight back to the locker room.

They returned so quickly that Zhou Yi had just taken off his jersey and was about to take off his pants.

"Why are you back so early?" Zhou Yi, shirtless, was surprised and pulled up his pants with his hands.

No one answered his question, or they didn't know how to answer. The teammates who flooded into the locker room just stared at him after they came in.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh: "What's up? You look like you're here for my funeral. Hey, I'm not dead yet!"

He told a joke, but no one laughed.

"Okay, or are you all worried that you can't win against Japan without me?"

"How is that possible?!" Gao Lin blurted out.

Zhou Yi looked at him and smiled.

"But you helped us get to the finals, but you yourself…" Gao Lin said.

"No, it wasn't me who helped you." Zhou Yi shook his head and interrupted him, correcting him. "We are a whole, we are all players of the Chinese team. Reaching the finals is the result of everyone's joint efforts, not just mine. Don't think of me as so important, I'll get proud!"

"You are indeed very important, Zhou Yi." Gao Hongbo said, walking out from behind the crowd.

"Coach Gao?"

"I'm telling the truth, and I believe other players can understand it."

The national team players behind Gao Hongbo all nodded.

"So you don't have to be too humble, Zhou Yi."

After speaking, Gao Hongbo turned around and said to the players behind him: "But now we won't have Zhou Yi for the first time in the finals. What should we do? Should we just surrender in advance? Our opponent is the powerful Japan. No, of course we can't surrender. No matter what the result of the game is, I think we should all go all out. Losing to the opponent can only be because of inferior skills, not because of inferior hearts. Compared to the desire for victory, you should not lose to anyone. Just like Zhou Yi."

After speaking, he turned to look at Zhou Yi again.

"Coach Gao, if you praise me like this, I'll really get proud!" Zhou Yi scratched his head embarrassedly.

"I'm not afraid of you being proud." Gao Hongbo laughed.

This conversation between the two also amused the others. The air in the locker room, which had seemed frozen before, began to flow again, and the atmosphere became much more lively.

"Okay, everyone go take a shower. Next, we need to rest well. There is still a game waiting for us." After Gao Hongbo finished speaking, he turned and went out to attend the post-match press conference.

※※※

At the post-match press conference, Gao Hongbo answered reporters' questions. The reporters were most concerned about how the Chinese team without Zhou Yi would face the Japanese team in the finals, and whether they could still compete with the Japanese team.

"I don't know what the finals will be like until the game is really played. But whether we have Zhou Yi or not, we will go all out," Gao Hongbo said.

These words sounded a bit tragic to everyone. In fact, everyone knew the huge gap in strength between the Chinese team and the Japanese team. With Zhou Yi, this gap could be made up a little bit.

Now that Zhou Yi was gone, the difference in strength between the two sides was so great that the final lost its suspense.

So what Gao Hongbo said now, in everyone's opinion, was nothing more than expressing an attitude and conveying a message.

After Zhou Yi came out of the locker room, he was surrounded by reporters when he was about to go to the bus.

"What were you thinking at the time?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything, I just didn't want him to break through."

"Do you regret that foul?"

"No, I don't regret it, why should I regret it? I just did what I should have done."

"But as a result, you won't be able to participate in the finals…"

"Is the Asian Cup held every four years? I'll just participate again in four years, anyway, I'm only nineteen years old."

Seeing that Zhou Yi actually answered so easily, everyone was very surprised. Taking advantage of the reporters' astonishment, Zhou Yi had already drifted away and boarded the bus.

After getting on the bus and sitting down, he didn't forget to wave to the reporters below.

Seeing Zhou Yi like this, it was really hard to believe that he had just used a suicide-like foul in the game to stop Australia and also bid farewell to the Asian Cup in advance.

The reporters had been waiting outside, just waiting for Zhou Yi. They thought they would wait for a painful and frustrated Zhou Yi, but one who might pretend to be strong in front of the camera.

But unexpectedly, what they saw was a… Zhou Yi who didn't seem to care.

Not being able to participate in the finals is a lifelong regret for many players, but why doesn't Zhou Yi have such emotions?

Everyone suddenly recalled Zhou Yi's last sentence.

"Participate again in four years."

They hadn't noticed this at the time, but now they think about it… Participating again in four years, I'm afraid it doesn't mean participating in the Asian Cup, right?

But… participating in the Asian Cup final again?

Has he booked his place in the final four years in advance?

Thinking about it this way, his ease and calmness seem to make sense…

Chinese reporters continued to think along Zhou Yi's words and suddenly became a little excited.

Zhou Yi is only nineteen years old, and he will be twenty-four in four years.

And at that time, we may have new national team players like Sun Pan and He Ying.

At that time, at the Australian Asian Cup, perhaps… we can really make it to the finals again?

Thinking about it this way, many Chinese reporters were not so disappointed.

Because Zhou Yi represents the future, and the future has unlimited possibilities.

※※※

Sun Pan said in the group: "I must join the national team as soon as possible!"

"Well, I don't want to be a spectator anymore." Yang Muge said. "But first I have to play in the Schalke 04 first team."

"Me too, I want to be in the Inter Milan first team…" Guo Nu said. "Then the national team!"

"Me too," He Ying said.

"Then, guys, let's work hard together! Let's meet in the national team then!" Sun Pan said enthusiastically.

"This idea is good, let's make a promise. Let's agree to meet in the national team." Yang Muge agreed.

"Okay!"

"Yeah, sounds good."

※※※

When the bus started and drove towards the hotel, Zhou Yi, sitting in his seat, put the earphones into his ears and turned on the music player on his phone.

In the sound of music, he closed his eyes.

As soon as he closed his eyes, his mind replayed the scene of him fouling Cahill.

From all angles, what he should have seen and what he shouldn't have seen, just like a multi-angle slow motion of a movie.

Does he regret it?

Actually, he still regrets it a little… If he could have stopped him without fouling, or if he had just gotten a yellow card…

That way he could participate in the finals, meet Shinji Kagawa in the finals, and lead the Chinese team to defeat the Japanese team, avenging the revenge of the 2004 Asian Cup final.

This is the script in Zhou Yi's mind.

If that foul didn't exist, he could go on like this.

But if that foul didn't exist, maybe the Chinese team wouldn't have the qualification to advance to the finals?

There is no "if" in football, and there is no "if" in life.

So the most important thing at this time is not to feel sorry for what has already happened, but to look forward.

Football is like life, it cannot be perfect and flawless, there are always regrettable imperfections. Zhou Yi also had times when his state fluctuated, and he also had times when he couldn't play in the first team for several months in a row. Just as waiting is a part of football, failure is a part of football, and regret is also a part of football. And these are all parts of life.

It's meaningless to regret what happened in the past, looking to the future is the most important thing.

Because the past is all that has happened and is conclusive, while the future has unlimited possibilities. Nothing has happened, and anything can happen.

Thinking about it this way, the regret in Zhou Yi's heart was diluted a lot. He felt fatigue surge into his heart, his eyelids became extremely heavy, and his heart gradually fell into peace.

Zhou Yi just closed his eyes and leaned back on the chair, already asleep.

He was really too tired in this game today, so neither his teammates nor the coach came to disturb him, and no one even sat next to him, so he could enjoy this tranquility alone.

Faint singing leaked from his earphones.

"…Still remember the youth declaration at that time; the brilliant fireworks are my world… No matter how heavy the rain is, dreams will never be defeated; no matter how strong the wind is, it can't stop the youth from preparing to set off… Come on, I want to run bravely forward! On the track of life, don't forget to smile even if you fall! Youth is a high fever, burning wildly, not letting down the youth—"