Chapter 1 The Biggest Upset

"...In the first match of the World Cup's round of sixteen that just concluded, the biggest upset of the tournament so far has occurred! Pre-tournament favorites and hosts, Brazil, have been eliminated in the round of sixteen... They lost after a grueling penalty shootout. In the ninety minutes of regular time, Brazil and China drew 1-1, and neither side could break the deadlock in the thirty minutes of extra time, forcing the game into a penalty shootout..."

"David Luiz was the first to step up for Brazil in the shootout, and he successfully put the ball in the net. Zheng Zhi was the first for China, and he also scored. In the second round, Willian missed, but He Ying's shot for China was saved by César... In the third round, Marcelo of Brazil accurately found the target, while Wu Lei missed. In the crucial fourth round, Hulk's penalty for Brazil was saved by Sun Pan, while Yang Muge stepped up under pressure and put the ball in, leveling the score at 2-2. In the final round of penalties, Neymar's shot was saved by Sun Pan, and Zhou Yi, the last to shoot, used a deceptive, dramatic, and artistic move to put the ball in the net, ultimately securing a 3-2 victory for China over Brazil in the shootout, sending them to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in history..."

"In the aftermath, utterly disappointed Brazilian fans rioted outside the stadium, overturning three cars, burning a bus, and preventing the Brazilian team bus from leaving... Brazilian police urgently dispatched forces to confront the emotionally charged Brazilian fans... Meanwhile, the Chinese team bus left the stadium under police protection, and three hours after their departure, the Brazilian team bus was finally able to leave the stadium... In addition to Belo Horizonte, fan riots occurred in other Brazilian cities... Embassies and consulates of various countries issued notices reminding their tourists and fans to pay attention to their safety..."

"...Before the match, no one would have thought that the host nation, Brazil, would be eliminated in the first knockout round of the World Cup. The lack of psychological preparation for this result throughout Brazil may be the reason for these frequent riots... It's not just Brazilian fans who are disappointed, but also the Brazilian media, who are using the most intense language to criticize every member of the national team. They unanimously believe that head coach Scolari should resign immediately... However, Scolari refused to resign at the post-match press conference and even had a dispute with the reporters present, leading to an unhappy end to the press conference..."

"...At the post-match press conference, Scolari attacked referee Webb, accusing him of favoring China, saying that the refereeing team was unwilling to give Brazil anything. He also thought it was ridiculous, because it was Brazil's home ground after all... Hulk also claimed in a post-match interview that he did not commit a handball when he scored, and that he stopped the ball with his chest. However, slow-motion replays from multiple angles show that Webb's decision was not problematic..."

"...In stark contrast to the frustrated and angry Brazilian fans were the jubilant Chinese fans celebrating after the match. Some fans expressed their ecstasy after the match... However, this can be described as 'happy troubles' for Chinese fans... because some Chinese fans never thought that the Chinese team could reach the quarterfinals, and their hotel reservations have expired, so now they have to find a new place to stay. But despite this, everyone is still very happy. Some excited Chinese fans told our reporter that even if they have to sleep on the streets, they will continue to support the Chinese team... However, we still want to remind Chinese fans in Brazil to pay attention to their personal safety and property..."

"Last night, in the city of Belo Horizonte, a fan attack occurred... Several Brazilian fans, angered by losing the match, attacked a group of Korean tourists who happened to be there, causing minor injuries to two Korean fans... It is said that this was because the drunk Brazilian fans mistook the two Korean fans for Chinese fans..."

"There is a lot to say about this match, but the most worthy of mention is actually the last penalty in the shootout. Zhou Yi, who took the penalty, was interviewed after the match. When asked why he chose to take the penalty in such a strange way, Zhou Yi said that it was an idea that came to him in a flash of inspiration, and he thought it would catch the opponent off guard. Although everyone knows the principle, being able to make such a choice in such a high-pressure match is still worthy of being called 'bold and skillful'."

"...After the match, Zhou Yi's penalty video was featured prominently on major news media... Zhou Yi's strange penalty-taking method has become a topic of discussion for media and fans around the world... Some foreign commentators exclaimed that Zhou Yi had turned a scene that could only be imagined in the past into reality... Other commentators repeatedly called it 'unbelievable'. Some Brazilian media believed after the match that Brazil was defeated by such a penalty, leaving them speechless..."

"Zhou Yi's penalty alone is enough to get him included in the history of the World Cup. Never before has a player used such a penalty-taking method in a World Cup penalty shootout... I think that years from now, this scene will still occupy a place in the highlights of the World Cup..."

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"Damn it, that's not fair! I saved two of their penalties in the shootout and scared them out of another one, so why is it that you're the one getting all the attention in the end?"

In the hotel where the national team was staying, Sun Pan complained to Zhou Yi while browsing the news on his phone.

"This shows that the eyes of the people are sharp, and they know who the most important contributor to this team is." Zhou Yi unceremoniously accepted all the praise for him online.

"Get out of here!"

"Zhou Yi, you really dared to play around. If you had missed that ball, the result would have been completely different..." Yang Muge still felt that Zhou Yi was crazy when he thought about that scene.

But Zhou Yi smiled and patted Sun Pan on the shoulder: "What's there to be afraid of? Don't we still have Panpan? If I miss, it's just 2-2, and we can just keep kicking. Panpan is like a security door, safe to come home to. Wouldn't it be fine if Panpan saved another one?"

Sun Pan shrugged Zhou Yi's hand off his shoulder: "You only think of me when it's convenient, huh?"

"I've always known how good you are." Zhou Yi said with a smile. "If you hadn't saved Neymar's shot, I definitely wouldn't have played like that. It's because you saved it that I had the leeway to play like that."

Guo Nu said from the side: "I thought you were confident..."

"Confident my ass..." Sun Pan retorted.

"I really wasn't confident, I was just gambling. I wasn't confident in any of the penalties, it was just a matter of whether I won or lost the gamble." Zhou Yi shook his head.

He Ying remained silent on the side. He missed China's second penalty, and this missed penalty also affected Wu Lei's subsequent third penalty, ultimately pushing China to the brink of despair...

He felt guilty for the discussion about the penalty shootout and didn't know what to say.

Zhou Yi sensed his silence and mood, turned his head and patted He Ying and said, "Don't think about it, just think of it as giving Panpan a chance to shine."

"That's right, that's right." Yang Muge also comforted He Ying.

"Shine my ass, all the attention is on Zhou Yi!" Sun Pan gritted his teeth and said.

"This is the people's choice." Zhou Yi spread his hands shamelessly.

He Ying could also feel the kindness of his friends towards him, but he still didn't want to continue talking about penalties, so he changed the subject: "Who are our opponents in the next match?"

"Colombia." Zhou Yi said. "They beat Uruguay 2-0 yesterday."

"Another South American team..."

"Does that mean the semi-finals are also a sure thing?" Sun Pan said.

"Don't be too happy too soon, Colombia isn't weak either. This is South America, which is considered the home ground for all South American teams, so we should still be careful." Yang Muge was very cautious.

"Okay, suppose... I mean suppose, just in case, if we accidentally... win against Colombia and reach the semi-finals, who will our opponents be?" Sun Pan said, but in fact, he seemed to have already determined that China would advance to the semi-finals and was starting to care about their opponents in the semi-finals.

Yang Muge started taking out his phone, preparing to search. But Zhou Yi directly announced: "This topic is a bit far off... If we defeat Colombia and enter the semi-finals, then our opponents should be the winner between Germany and Algeria, and the winner between France and Nigeria."

"That's so convoluted..." Guo Nu frowned.

"The winner between Germany and Algeria in the round of sixteen will meet the winner between France and Nigeria in the quarter-finals..." Zhou Yi explained.

"Then what else is there to say? It's definitely going to be either France or Germany!" Sun Pan said. "Do you guys think Germany will lose to Algeria, and France will lose to Nigeria?"

"That's true..." Yang Muge nodded.

"Germany or France..." He Ying started imagining that scene, even though the match with Colombia hadn't been played yet, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to the semi-finals.

Even though China's every step forward in the World Cup was creating history.

But that was the history of Chinese football.

If China could reach the semi-finals, they would be tying the best result of an Asian team in the World Cup.

If China could also reach the finals, they would be creating the best result of an Asian team in the World Cup, which would be a completely new history.

Reach the finals...

It was like a dream.