Chapter 1 Wu Lei's Shot

Wu Lei's shot didn't pose any real threat to Spain's goal. When Zhou Yi passed the ball, the Spanish players were startled, but Wu Lei's shot dispelled their worries.

This attack by the Chinese team failed to sound any alarm bells for the Spanish players.

When the Spanish players had the ball, their pace still couldn't pick up.

For many teams, the first five minutes of a game and the last five minutes are always dangerous, because the players are often not yet fully into the game.

Zhou Yi knew very well that if the Chinese team wanted to score, this was a good opportunity.

That's why he told everyone to try to play faster after the start of the second half.

Use speed to attack the Spanish defense and force them to make mistakes.

Soon, possession returned to the Chinese team's feet, and they launched another attack.

Yan Min was once again dribbling the ball on the left wing. He didn't go straight to the byline, but cut inside when he reached the thirty-meter area.

Juanfran, the Spanish right-back defending him, didn't dare to tackle, fearing that Yan Min would get past him. Yan Min's speed and agility had left a very deep impression on him.

However, Juanfran's caution had its benefits, as Yan Min couldn't easily break through.

After cutting inside with the ball, he moved diagonally towards the penalty area.

After drawing Javier Alonso, another Spanish player, to face him, he passed the ball to Zhou Yi, who was supporting him diagonally behind.

After passing the ball, Yan Min continued to cut forward diagonally, heading towards the space behind the Spanish defense along his previous route.

It looked like he was going to play a two-on-many with Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi also raised his foot, and judging from his orientation, he was indeed going to pass the ball to Yan Min.

At this time, the Spanish defense was collectively pressed up to the edge of the penalty area, leaving space behind them. If Zhou Yi played a chip pass, it wouldn't be difficult to get the ball to Yan Min.

So Iniesta hurried to close down Zhou Yi, while the Spanish defense was caught in a dilemma—should they push forward to play offside, or should they chase Yan Min?

Logically, they should have played offside, but Zhou Yi's passing ability was obvious to everyone. They weren't confident that they could successfully play offside before Zhou Yi passed the ball, because they saw Zhou Yi's leg swing up as if he was going to pass.

If he passed the ball now, then Spain's offside trap would be doomed to fail, and instead give Yan Min an excellent one-on-one opportunity. So the Spanish defense just froze in place.

When Zhou Yi's right foot came down, he did pass the ball, but not to Yan Min. Instead, he passed it to the completely opposite side, to the left side of the Spanish defense. Because of Yan Min's cut inside, the Spanish defense's attention had been drawn to the center, leaving that side empty, with no Spanish defenders there.

Because of Yan Min's cut inside, He Ying, who was originally in the center, had moved to the left. And although Zhou Yi was looking in Yan Min's direction, he knew that He Ying would definitely see that space. All he needed to do was pass the ball there. It was complete trust in his teammate. So, without even turning his head, he relied solely on changing the angle of his wrist to send the ball towards He Ying!

"No_Look_pAss!!!" Marcel Reif shouted excitedly.

Zhou Yi's no-look pass accurately went through the gap between Spanish center-back Albiol and full-back Juanfran, rolling into the huge space behind them!

At the same time, He Ying on the left decisively moved forward, going around the outside of Juanfran and cutting in behind them. He then received Zhou Yi's pass!

"He Ying—! An opportunity!!" Liu Jianhong shouted excitedly.

This was indeed a good opportunity for the Chinese team. After receiving the ball in the inside channel, He Ying took only one touch before shooting!

His rhythm was very fast, without excessive adjustment or hesitation.

Although Spanish goalkeeper Reina decisively rushed out of his goal, the ball still slipped past him before he could completely block the angle, and then rolled into the empty net behind Reina without any suspense...

"Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!!! 2:0! 2:0!! The Chinese team is leading Spain by two goals!! He Ying scores again for the Chinese team!" Liu Jianhong shouted excitedly. "This is also his fourth goal in this World Cup, and he is currently the top scorer in the World Cup!"

In the stands of the Arena da Baixada, the cheers of the Chinese fans rang out again.

They waved the five-star red flag and the red scarves in their hands, jumping up from their seats and raising their arms in cheers.

He Ying, who scored the goal, ran towards Zhou Yi, who had passed him the ball, and hugged him. The other Chinese players came up and hugged them as well.

"The Chinese team with Zhou Yi and without Zhou Yi are two completely different teams!" Liu Jianhong said. "Without Zhou Yi, the Chinese team scored three goals in the first two games, but these three goals required us to do our best and rely on the favor of the goddess of luck. With Zhou Yi, the Chinese team's attack has become more directional, organized, and targeted. Under his leadership, the players in every position of the Chinese team clearly know what they have to do. This is the biggest change from the previous two games. The players have a clearer idea in their minds and feel more secure..."

"Oh my god... Spain has conceded another goal!" Unlike the excited Liu Jianhong, the Spanish commentator was very pained and disappointed. In this battle for honor, Spain was two goals behind the Chinese team. "Spain made a mistake in defense on this goal, and then Zhou Yi seized on this mistake. It's really unfortunate! We have no way to deal with Zhou Yi. He can appear in any corner of the field. Even if you press him closely, he has the ability to pass the ball with one touch. You can't tell that this is someone who was just injured a month ago and has only been training with the team for three days... Is he a monster!"

Is he a monster?

This is probably what many people watching the game live are thinking.

It may not be surprising that Zhou Yi is in such good form, but considering that he hadn't trained properly for a month before, and had only trained with the team for a short three days, how did he bring this team together and master it so well?

No one can figure it out, it's completely illogical.

But the game clearly tells those who dare not believe it, that's how it is. Zhou Yi is the one who has collectively raised the Chinese team's performance to a new level...

The score of 2:0 is displayed on the big screen, and everyone can see it.

The five-star red flag below the score, which had struggled so hard in the first two games, conceding two goals first against Chile and then desperately chasing to finally tie the score, but without being able to go any further, ultimately only managing to draw.

Against the Netherlands, they conceded a goal first, and then quickly equalized, but then there was nothing else. They could only put all their energy into defense. It wasn't that the Chinese team didn't want to beat the Netherlands, but Zhou Yi wasn't there, and they didn't have the strength to do so. So they might as well give up the idea, so they wouldn't think too much and end up not even getting a draw.

Now, with Zhou Yi, the Chinese team can lead the defending World Cup champions by two goals. It's a transformation.

Many Chinese fans looking at the score couldn't help but think—if Zhou Yi hadn't been injured in the Champions League final, what would the Chinese team be like now? We would definitely have won against Chile, and with a bit of luck, we might have even won against the Netherlands. Then this game against Spain would probably just be a formality. We should have enjoyed the excitement and joy of historically entering the knockout stage of the World Cup four days earlier...

When the Chinese team finished celebrating and returned to their own half, the camera didn't focus on He Ying, who scored the goal, but on Zhou Yi, the captain and midfield core of the Chinese national team, who was surrounded by his teammates as he walked back to his half, with a smile on his face.

This scene is enough to explain everything—he is the core of this team.

※※※

After Spain kicked off, the game continued.

But being two goals behind had greatly affected the team's morale and performance.

Del Bosque, seeing the urgency on the sidelines, immediately made a substitution.

He replaced Villa with Mata.

"Villa is going to be substituted! In the first half, he had a very, very beautiful backheel shot that almost broke through the Chinese team's goal, but unfortunately, he didn't succeed. Otherwise, the situation might be different now..."

Villa, realizing he was going to be substituted, couldn't help but cry while he was still on the field.

When the team was two goals behind, he couldn't continue to work hard on the field and contribute to the team.

For a veteran, being substituted at this time meant that his World Cup journey was completely over. He would never be able to represent the Spanish national team in the World Cup again.

On the one hand, he couldn't help the national team change the situation, and on the other hand, his World Cup journey had come to an end.

Villa, overwhelmed by sorrow, couldn't control his emotions and covered his face to cry on the field.

This scene was unexpected, and the commentators were surprised.

"Villa directly cried..."

"This... Villa can't control his emotions, he's crying very sadly... Cazorla and Juanfran have gone up to comfort him. This is a truly sad scene... Villa worked very hard in the game and created opportunities, but he still couldn't score. He and the Spanish national team, it seems, are both doomed..."