Assoonashereceivedtheball,YangPanrealizedthatZhongyuanhadnotattackedthemfromtheget-go.Instead,theywereplayingratherconservatively.

"Playinglikethisfromthestart...LookslikeZhongyuanholdstheotherteaminhighregard."ZhouPenganalyzed.Hisyearsoffollowingtheteamhadmadehimquitethespecialistonthem.

"Ofcourse!ShuGuang'soffenseisn'tbuiltfromdust!It'sintimidatingevenwithoutZhangJun,"ChenHuafeng,ShuGuang'sveryownspecialistreplied.

YangPancarriedtheballtwopaceshowever,noonecameuptostophim.Hewas35mawayfromthegoal,butZhangYanghadexpressordersfromhiscoachnottocloseinonYangPanaslongashedidnotgettooclose.

Meanwhile,LiYonglestillneededtimetoabsorbthefactthatZhangJunwasnotplaying,causinghisdefendingtobecomealittlesloppy.

WhenYangPanfirststartedplaying,hisfirstcoachhadalreadydiscoveredhisabilityforshootinggoals;Togroomthattalent,healwaystoldYangPan,whowasatoddlerthen,"Whenyouthinkyoucanshoot,don'thesitate!"

"Canitbedone?It'ssofar!"

"Whatdoesyourhearttellyou?"thecoachwouldaskhim.

"Itsaysthatitcanbedone"

"Then,shoot!"

Inthepresent,YangPanaimedforthegoalandhecouldseeaclearlinetowardsit.

"Then,shoot!"YangPangrowled;heraisedhisfootandkicked.

Likeamissile,theballspedinthedirectionoftheZhongyuangoal,carryingwithitahugewaveofpressure.

"It'shere!"ZhangLintaomuttered.Buttheballhitthewoodworkandwentout.AlthoughhehadseenYangPan'sshootingbackinmiddleschool,thiswasthefirsttimeheexperienceditfirsthandbehindthegoalline;hecouldfeelsuchimmenseforcebehindtheballthatitalmostlefthimrooted.

TheZhongyuancheerleadingteamwerealsodumbstruckatthesightoftheattempt.

ZhouPengwentnumbtoo;hehadonlyheardaboutYangPan'sshootingskillsfromChenHuafeng,buthadneverwitnessedit.Assuch,hedecidedtosticktohisruleof"nocommentuntilseen."

However,whenhedidseeit,hewasspeechless.Itwashisnotionthathighschoolersdidnotshootlikethatnotevenprofessionalswereguaranteedtobeabletodoit.Yet,YangPandidsonearthestartofthegameandevenalmostscored.Ittookhimquitesometimetoutter,"Suchaforcefulshot35mandthepost is stillshaking"

Indeed,thatattemptleftseveralZhongyuanplayersconfoundedonlyoneofthemmanagedtomaintainhistypicalcool."Stopdaydreaming!"ZhaoDefengclapped."It'stimeforour counter-attack!"

SunLaihongnoddedcontentedly.WhenZhaofirstenteredtheteam,hisgamewasalreadymaturebeyondhisyears;althoughhewasofferedthecaptain'sarmbandinhissecondyearbySunhimself,theplayerhadrefused."I'mjustasecondyearstudent,it'snotidealformetobeacaptain.LuoBinisathird-yearnowandacoreplayerinourdefensehe'sabetterfit."

Butthecoach'spickwasnottoappeasetheprideoftheplayers,whowereabouttograduate.HewantedZhaoascaptainforthegoodoftheteam,forthesquadtohaveafirmfoundationandsolidplaystylehewouldnothavechangedthecaptaincyotherwise.Afterall,thearmbandwasnotjustwornasadecoration;towearitmeanttakingonheavyresponsibilities.

LaihongbelievedinhisownjudgmentthatZhaoDefengwouldbecomeanexcellentcaptain,anditwasbeingprovenrightnow.

ZhangLintaoclearedtheballforward.SuLiheadeditbutthebalefelltoLiYongle,whobrokeforward.WhenLiuLeilungedathim,LisimplypassedtheballtoZhangYuchaoontheleft.Duetotheirformation,ShuGuanghadlessmenguardingtheflanks,thusbecomingmorevulnerable.Assuch,itwasYuchao'stimetoshine;hemadeadashintoShuGuang'sarea.

LiuHuiclosedin,butYuchaousedhis"ShadowlessFeet"toquicklysliptheballbetweenhislegsandacceleratedpastthedazeddefender.Nutmeg!

ButinsteadofcrossingtheballafterslippingpastLiuHui,theZhongyuanplayerpickedadiagonalroutetodashintotheboxandshoot!

AnKepunchedtheballawaywithbothofhisfistswhileLiJieguangheldLiQiangoffandcleared.

PossessionwenttoLiYongleoncemore,althoughthistime,hisattempteddeliverytoZhaoDefengwasinterceptedbySuLi.Inasinglemove,hesentoutalongball,whichfoundWangBo,whoheadedittoRenYuDe.Thelatterbeganhisdribblefromhisrightfoot,butinfrontofhimwereboththeballandZhongyuan's1v1specialist,LiuChao,waitingtightlyforhim.

YuDeleanedforwardbuthismarkerstayedmotionless;evenwhenheperformeda Denilson-stylestepover,hisopponentstilldidnotextendhislegtochallengefortheball,optingtoremainbetweentheShuGuangforwardandhisgoalpost.Knowingthathewasfacingaskilledopponent,RenYuDechangedhisapproachandwentforahardbreakthrough.

ButassoonasRenYuDemadehismoveandtheballinchedawayfromhiscontrol,LiuChaosawhischanceandknockedtheballoutofthetouch-line.

WangBodeliveredtheensuingthrow-in to Ren, but even as Ren tried to shield the ball with his entire body, he felt the immense pressure the Zhongyuan wing back exerted from behind. "Damn! Such a small body, but so much power!" Noticing that he would soon be surrounded, he promptly made a backheel pass and turned. Catching Liu Chao by surprise with his change of direction in such limited space, Ren Yu De was free!

Cross!

"Doyouthinkwedefendersarefools?"LuoBinyelledashejumpedandheadedtheballclear.Butbeforehelanded,hewasmetbyahorrifyingsight:YangPanappearedbehindtheball,legsraisedandreadytoshoot!

ZhangYangdashedintothefraywithaslidingtackle!

ButthechallengewasignoredbyYang,whovolleyedfromoutsidethebox!

Arrivinglate,onlythetipofZhangYang'sbootcameincontactwiththeball.AlmostatthesametimeasYanglettheballfly,ZhangLintaomadethecorrectdecisionanddivedtowardstheball.

"Hecan'tstopYangPan'sshotfromthatspot!"ZhangJunshookhishead.

Butwithaloudbangontheposts,theballfelltotherightsideofthebox!LiuChaoquicklycleareditfaraway.ZhangJunalmostleapedfromhisseat.YangPanalmostnevermissedfromthehalf-circlespotduringpractice.HowwasLintaoabletokeepitout?

Regardless,theZhongyuankeeperstoodup,grittinghisteeth.HewantedeveryonetoknowthatYangPan'sshotswerepointlessagainsthimalthoughintruth,thepaininbothhishandswasexcruciating.Whilehisfistswereabletostoptheball,theyweredevoidofthefleshycushionthatopenpalmshad.Thisinturncausedmoredamage."TarnationIboastedthatIcouldkeepnineoftheseoutatthestart.Butnow,I'dbeluckyifIcoulddofive!Whatformidableknuckleballs!"

YangPanwastakenabacktoo;HethoughtthatitwouldgoinforsureonlytoseeitbeingsavedbyZhangLintao.ButZhangJun'sbestfriendwasnotshaken.Hemerelyshookhisheadalittle.

Intheblinkofaneye,ZhongyuanswitchedtotheoffensiveandarrivedinfrontofShuGuang'sbox.WithhisbacktoSuLi,ZhaoDefengpassedtheballtoLiYongle,whorefrainedfromaneffortandslippedittoZhangYulininstead.HecrossedittoLiQiang,wholeapedagilelywithhis185-cm frame, dominating his aerial duel against Li Xiaopeng. But just as he was ready to head the ball in, An Ke rushed out from his line and gathered the ball.

Whilethetwoteamsfoughtfearsomely,ShuGuangcontinuedtohaveaslightadvantage;andwithYangPan'sspeedandshots,Zhongyuan'sdefensewasafraidofpressingtoohigh.Yang'scrazyeffortsalsoprovedtobearecompenseforLiangKe'spreviousorderstosuppresshislongshotsinthelastfewgames.

PunchingawayYangPan'sfourthknuckleball,ZhangLintao'shandswerebeginningtotremble.Anditwasjustthetwenty-thirdminuteofthefirst-half!

Notinghisshiftingexpression,YangPansmirkedatthekeeper,andLintao,feelinghisentirebacksoakingwet,understoodwhatitmeant."Keepstoppingmeifyoucan!"

ZhangLintaowasnottheonlyonewhofeltYangPan'spower,evenZhangYangfeltit.Thepunk!Nevercomingclose!Onlyfiringlongshots!Butevenashethoughtthat,ZhangYangknewthatifYangPanmadeadashtowardshim,hewouldnotbeabletokeepupwithYangPan'sspeed.

"It'sasifheimmobilizedtheentireZhongyuangdefensebyhimself.YangPanishereallyahighschoolstudent?"ZhouPengmoaned.

"I'vethoughtaboutit,"ChenHuafengreplied."Whetheritbespeed,strength,physicality,techniqueorawareness,he'salmostperfect.Ithinktherewouldn'tbeissuesforhimevenifhewentprorightnow.Hejustmightneedtogetusedtosomeofthenormswithintheprofessionalscene."

WhenYangPanpickeduptheballoncemore,ZhangYangmadeabeelineforhimevenwhenhisopponentwas30mout.

"I'mnotgivingyouanychancetoshoot!"hecried.

"Youcantry."YangPansmiledandshiftedhisweightitlookedlikehewasaccelerating.

Mustbeadummy,ZhangYangthought;butYangPanreallymoved!Withonehitoftheball,hebegantoaccelerate!BythetimeZhangYangturned,Yangwasalreadythreemetersaheadofhimandstillspeedingup!

Ishereallyclockedat11secondsper100m?Lies!ZhangYangthoughtafterbeingleftstaringathismarkfromtheback.

And30mwasallYangPanneededtoshowoffhiscapabilities.Withaslipofthetipsofhisboots,heleftDengRuifordead.DengRuiwasnotevenabletograspYangPan'ssleeveswithhisoutstretchedhand.

Cross!

Inaleap,ZhangRuifinallygottoheadtheballaheadofLuoBin!ButZhangLintaocouldeasilyhandlethelevelofhisattemptandcollectedtheballtidily.

Thekeeperflungtheballoutforanoffensivemove.LiYonglekickedittoZhangYulin,whohelditfortwopacesbeforesendingittoZhaoDefeng.NotgivingtimeforShuGuang'sdefensivemidfieldduotogetnearhim,hemadeathroughpassthatslippedthroughtheirentiredefense!Knowingthatitwashischance,HeJialinbrokethroughthecrowdfortheballbuthewasjustalittletooslowandAnKe'stimelydashresolvedthecrisis.

"Aheart-stoppinggame."ZhouPengbreathed."Offensesanddefensesshiftingeverymoment!There'snotimeatalltoobserveanyoutfieldhappenings!"

ChenHuaFengagreedwithhim."That'sright!"

Thetwosideswerestillleveledat0: 0,althoughfromatechnicalpointofview,Zhongyuanwas atadisadvantage.

Attempts:ShuGuang6,Zhongyuan1;

Attemptsontarget:ShuGuang6,Zhongyuan1;

Fouls:ShuGuang3,Zhongyuan5;

Offsides,Corners:Both0.

Butfortheoccasionsofventuring30moutfromtheopponent'sgoal,ShuGuanghaddonesooneightoccasions,whileZhongyuanonlymanagedthree.AnyonewhoonlylookedatthenumberswouldprobablythinkthatZhongyuanwerebeingbullied.

Still,evenwiththedisadvantagetheywerefacinginthepitch,SunLaihongdidnotseeminclinedtogiveanyinstructionsandhemerelyleanedagainstapillarundertheshadeofthetechnicalarea.

Thegamewentintothethirty-second minute when Yang Pan shifted from his habit of shooting outside the box to dashing in to Zhongyuan's area! Luo Bin quickly dropped his mark on Zhang Rui and surrounded the intruder with Deng Rui and Zhang Yang.

"Buffoon!ZhangYang!Slidingtackle!"LuoBinscreamed,althoughZhangYangwasalreadydoingthat.

YangPanliftedhislegandtookashot!

ZhangLintaodove...buttheballwasalreadyatthebackofthenet.YangPangotupandrantothecornerflag,punchingtheairandroaring,"Goal!"

1:0!ShuGuangledagainstZhongyuaninthethirty-secondminute!

HowmanyteamswerethereinLuoyangwhocouldboastofleadingagainsttheZhongyuanteaminamatch?Still,ShuGuanghaddoneit!

ThereweredeliriouscelebrationsbehindZhouPengandonthepitch.

"ZhangLintao'srecordofnotconcedingfor279minutesisnowhistory."Hesmiledbitterly.

"It'snothisfault.Suchashotatsuchadistancehisreactionitselfisalreadyremarkable,"ChenHuafengadded.

"Iknow,suchfearsomeshots"

ZhangJunsawthegoalbuthedidnothopandjumparoundtocelebratelikehisteammates.Heclenchedhisfistandsmiledforthefirsttimesincethegamestarted.

SuFeiontheotherhand,wasmuchmoreexcited.Shegaveeveryonehigh-fives before she noticed that Zhang Jun's reaction was not as enthusiastic as the others.

"Youlookunhappy,"SuFeistated,sittingdown.

"Nonsense!Can'tyouseethatI'msmiling?"

"Then,whyareyousittingaloneandnotmoving?"

"IknewwhatwouldhappenassoonasYangPanraisedhisfeet,soofcourseI'mnotgoingtoreactliketheothers."

"Hmph!Soyou'restillupsetovernotplaying."

""

ZhangJunwentquiet.Hehadnowayofrespondingandsimplymovedhisgazetowardsthescoreboardnexttothefield.

1:0,ShuGuangwasinthelead.