Chapter 27 Turning Point

When the game reached the final twenty minutes of stalemate, the situation changed.

With little time left, the young players on the field became restless. None of them had made a game-changing play yet, and more bluntly, none had scored.

In this situation, both the Red and Blue teams saw a resurgence of individualistic thinking.

The Red team's offensive structure, which had been organized by Zhou Yi, began to show signs of falling apart.

A clear sign was that fewer players were willing to pass the ball to Zhou Yi, and he received fewer passes from his teammates.

Especially near the penalty area, players with the ball preferred to go it alone rather than pass to Zhou Yi to orchestrate the attack.

Sitting in the stands, Zhou Jianliang's relaxed brow furrowed again. At this rate, his son wouldn't get many opportunities to shine…

He still cared about whether his son would make the final team. After all, it was his ultimate goal in this selection.

"Sigh, it's all messed up again…" Little Wang on the podium also saw the game reverting to its old ways.

Hao Dong remained silent, focused on Zhou Yi. He wanted to see if the boy could remain calm in this situation and what he would do.

He was genuinely curious.

※※※

Zhou Yi passed the ball to a teammate, ran into open space, and hoped the teammate would pass it back. But the teammate who received the pass turned and took a shot, sending the ball high over the crossbar, posing no threat to the Blue team's goal.

Zhou Yi didn't complain. This wasn't the first time, and he was used to it.

He was anxious too, but he knew the more anxious he was, the more he needed to stay calm. Of course, he wanted to rush to the goal and score, but he also understood his strengths. If he rushed to the goal and no one passed him the ball, what difference would there be between him and a wooden stake?

Instead of wasting opportunities, he should think carefully about how to create them.

He looked up and observed the situation on the field.

The game was coming to an end, and everyone was anxious. Not just the Red team, but the Blue team players also wanted to score and win.

As a result, their defense wasn't as tight as before, and they weren't shrinking back as much. Zhou Yi noticed many gaps appearing near the Blue team's penalty area. Some gaps were large, some small. They might not be fatal now, but if he could do something, a fatal gap would eventually be created.

But what exactly could he do to create that gap?

He began to frequently turn his head, observing his surroundings, memorizing all the information, and forming a bird's-eye view in his mind. On this map, the positions of every player from both the Red and Blue teams were accurately marked. Zhou Yi was like an eagle, looking down from the sky, seeing everything clearly.

※※※

Huang Zhihua received the ball outside the penalty area again. Since he was quite far from the goal, he didn't shoot directly. He didn't know what to do. Force his way through with his skills? He had tried that several times before. It was alright outside the penalty area, but near the area, it was nearly impossible.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zhou Yi.

The remaining clearheadedness in his brain reminded him of the passes Zhou Yi had made to him. Since he didn't know what to do, why not pass the ball to him?

With that thought, Huang Zhihua passed the ball to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi moved to meet the ball, feinting a move to the left, causing the Blue team defender in front of him to move preemptively. But Zhou Yi didn't touch the ball, letting it roll past him, from the left to the right.

Then he turned and chased after the ball, leaving the Blue team defender who thought he was going to the left behind!

Zhou Yi suddenly accelerated, dribbling diagonally towards the Blue team's penalty area!

Although Zhou Yi wasn't a speed demon, that didn't mean he was slow. Especially over a short distance, his sudden acceleration was still threatening.

Seeing this, Zhou Jianliang excitedly stood up from his seat, raising his arm and shouting, "Go, son!"

The Blue team parents cried out, hoping their children could stop Zhou Yi from getting near the penalty area.

Without realizing it, everyone had come to realize that Zhou Yi was the Red team's biggest threat…

The Blue team defenders moved to intercept, blocking his path, preventing him from entering the penalty area.

Just then, Zhou Yi swung his right leg.

But instead of forcing a long shot, he gently tapped the ball, kicking it in the opposite direction!

The ball passed through him and the Blue team defenders, rolling to the other side. And there, not a single Blue team defender was present!

A huge gap!

Huang Zhihua appeared in this huge gap, receiving Zhou Yi's pass!

"Nice pass!" Little Wang shouted excitedly again.

This time, even Hao Dong couldn't help but be moved, his facial muscles twitching.

When it became difficult to break through the defense with passes alone, this kid chose a combination of breakthrough and pass, creating an opening!

※※※

Huang Zhihua seemed a little surprised that he had received Zhou Yi's pass, but he quickly reacted.

Shoot!

He could almost hear his father roaring from the stands.

This was an excellent opportunity!

With that thought, Huang Zhihua swung his left leg again, shooting with all his might!

This time, he wasn't aiming for accuracy, but for power.

Sometimes brute force works wonders!

The ball, kicked by Huang Zhihua, flew towards the far corner of the goal like a cannonball!

The Blue team goalkeeper dived with all his might, not wanting his goal to be breached in the final minutes of the game…

His fingers grazed the ball, but it didn't change its trajectory much. The ball still flew straight towards the far corner of the goal.

Huang Zhihua had really put all his strength into this kick.

Almost everyone's eyes were glued to the ball. Would it go in?

Under dozens of focused gazes, the ball slammed into the far post!

"Ah!!"

A mix of regretful and relieved cries erupted from the parents.

But even as they were still shouting "Ah," they saw a red figure suddenly dart out in front of the Blue team's goal, meeting the rebound off the post with a diving header!

The ball flew straight into the empty net.

Goal!

The field, which should have been filled with cheers, suddenly fell silent.

Then, someone clapped loudly… no, two people.

Zhou Jianliang clapped and shouted, "Well done!"

Not far away on the podium, Hao Dong also stood up from his seat and slapped Little Wang on the shoulder: "He's the one!!"

He had seen it clearly. After passing the ball, Zhou Yi didn't stop, but suddenly accelerated towards the goal, as if he knew what was going to happen next…

Sure enough, the ball hit the post and rebounded, just in time for the speeding Zhou Yi to catch up with it. A clean diving header, which shouldn't be difficult for a striker with a decent goal-scoring record.

Able to organize the midfield and score goals, what could be a more perfect performance? And he was a substitute, with less time to show his skills than the others.

※※※

Zhou Yi was very excited after scoring. He got up from the ground and ran straight to the sidelines. He didn't hug his teammates, though most of them didn't intend to hug him anyway.

He ran to the bottom of the stands and shouted to the stands, "Dad, I scored! I scored!"

As Zhou Yi ran to the sidelines, Zhou Jianliang also ran down from the stands, almost tripping on the steps in his excitement. He stumbled, but luckily he had reached the front and grabbed the railing, preventing himself from falling. But he was still a mess.

Zhou Jianliang didn't care. He leaned on the railing, straightened up, and gave his son a thumbs up. "Good job! Good job!" But as a father, he didn't forget to remind his son not to get carried away. "Stay calm, the game isn't over yet! Play well!"

Zhou Yi saluted his father. "Don't worry!"

As his son turned and ran back to the field, Zhou Jianliang turned to look at the other parents. He saw envy and jealousy in their eyes, and he sat down, satisfied.

Why didn't you think about this when you were making fun of my son?

※※※

When Zhou Yi scored, he not only broke the deadlock in the score but also upset the delicate balance in everyone's hearts.

Before, although they all wanted to score, at least no one had scored before them, and their limelight hadn't been stolen.

Now, Zhou Yi had stolen everyone's limelight.

And you couldn't even accuse Zhou Yi of hogging the limelight. Since coming on as a substitute, Zhou Yi had focused on passing and assisting his teammates. Many people had scoring opportunities thanks to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi's final shot was a rebound after Huang Zhihua's shot hit the post. You could say he was picking up the scraps, but why was it him who picked up those scraps?

When the others saw Huang Zhihua shoot, they went into spectator mode, but only Zhou Yi persisted in cutting inside, and ultimately, hard work paid off, giving him a chance to shine.

What else could you say?

Reluctantly, they had to accept it.

After someone scored, the others suddenly lost the motivation to keep fighting—everyone could see that Zhou Yi's performance was better. He could not only pass and organize but also score himself. Compared to him, what outstanding performance did they have?

In this mood, the final minutes of the game passed quickly, and the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

The final was over, and it was time to reveal the answer.

Hao Dong stood in front of these panting, exhausted young players again.

"Does anyone remember the last thing I said before the game, kids?"

Hao Dong's question left everyone confused. Some shook their heads, others didn't react at all, or didn't know how to react.

"I reminded everyone that football is a team sport. But unfortunately, none of you heard it, or you forgot. Only one person did it, and I think everyone knows who he is."

Some people turned to look at Zhou Yi, standing at the back of the line.

"So I think there shouldn't be any objection to him being the last one selected, right?" Hao Dong asked.

Some shook their heads, some were silent, but no one objected.

Even Huang Zhihua, who had been confident in himself, just lowered his head and said nothing. He had thought that if he had scored that goal, he would have been the winner.

But after hearing Hao Dong's words, he realized that even if he had scored, he would probably still be the alternate.

Seeing that no one objected, Hao Dong nodded slightly, looked at Zhou Yi and said, "Zhou Yi, come here."

Zhou Yi walked to the front of the line, in front of Hao Dong, amid everyone's envious gazes.

Hao Dong pulled Zhou Yi to his side, letting him face the players and their parents.

Zhou Yi wasn't shy. He stood confidently next to his idol and saw his dad at a glance.

His dad was in the crowd, holding a camera in one hand and giving him a thumbs up with the other.

"Congratulations, you are qualified to go to Europe!" Hao Dong patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder forcefully.

※※※