Chapter 99: Do Not Disappoint Me

“The number ten has switched to left midfield.” After the second half began and watching the game for a while, the assistant coach of Dalian Dongfang said to Chi Shangbing.

Chi Shangbing nodded. “That kid, Dai Guangming, has pretty solid skills. He’s naturally left-footed, so he can play left midfield... A very clever formation change. Not only does it suppress our attacks down the right flank, but it also leaves our two defensively strong central defensive midfielders without a clear opponent... Tell Jiang Qi and Zhang Han to take turns pushing forward and test the defensive capability of their defensive midfielder.”

The assistant coach quickly relayed the information, and soon Jiang Qi’s position on the field shifted forward.

Jiang Qi, as a Jiangxi native, had earned the captaincy of Dalian Dongfang’s under-89 squad not just by neutralizing the opposition’s attacking core on the pitch, but also through his all-around ability. His offensive incursions were notably effective.

As he advanced, Yun Jia Tianyu’s defense began to feel pressured. As Ding Yu had said, although Hu Gandang marked Fan Pengfei tightly, he lacked the energy to assist the backline. Fortunately, Zhong Tao’s constant retreats and the rigorous defensive setup of Yun Jia Tianyu’s backline prevented any breaches.

Nonetheless, within ten minutes of the second half, Dalian Dongfang had already launched two threatening shots. Jiang Qi’s long-range strike grazed the far post and went out, while Chen Yongjun’s forced breakthrough and shot along the flank forced Wu Bufan into a spectacular save.

“Push forward! Press up!” Wu Bufan waved his arms, then threw the ball to left-back Zhao Yi. Zhao Yi advanced with the ball and, before the opponents could close him down, passed it to Dai Guangming, who had moved into the center.

Dai Guangming shielded the ball from Zhang Han, then executed a beautiful drag-back turn to evade the defender. Seeing Jiang Qi charging fiercely toward him, he chose not to tussle but instead played a direct through ball to Long Bisheng, sprinting forward himself.

Long Bisheng received the ball with his back to the goal and didn’t immediately turn to break through. He had just entered the attacking zone within thirty meters. Even if he managed to turn and evade, the reliable sweeper Zhang Jian would soon close in to challenge him—especially since no teammates were nearby to support; Zhong Tao had just retreated and hadn’t advanced yet.

After a brief pause controlling the ball, Long Bisheng passed it back and turned to dash into the penalty area. Dai Guangming kept the ball moving, sending a pass to Zhang Yi on the right wing. Zhang Yi controlled the ball, saw Long Bisheng had entered the box, and launched a 45-degree lofted cross into the penalty area.

Fan Tong saw the ball’s trajectory was beyond his reach and hesitated to come out, shouting loudly, “A Niu! Mark him tightly! Don’t let him jump!”

Unfortunately, despite Niu Ren’s efforts to contest position with Long Bisheng, he couldn’t stop Long Bisheng’s momentum from the sprint. He could only jump closely alongside him, forcing Long Bisheng to struggle to get a comfortable header.

Long Bisheng felt discomfort as Niu Ren persistently nudged his waist mid-air. The pressure wasn’t strong, but it was enough to unsettle him. Heading powerfully requires core strength, yet Niu Ren’s hand pressed against his lower back, using their close bodies to obscure the referee’s view.

Still, Long Bisheng jumped higher with a better vantage point. Spotting Dai Guangming sprinting near the edge of the box, he abandoned the idea of a direct header on goal and flicked the ball toward Dai Guangming a short distance ahead.

This move was second nature to Long Bisheng. The ball landed perfectly about a meter in front of Dai Guangming, who could use his forward momentum to shoot directly. Meanwhile, Zhang Jian, another Dalian defender, was just shy of blocking the shooting angle.

Dai Guangming did not disappoint. Without stopping the ball, he struck it fiercely with his left foot while running.

Zhang Jian raised his leg but failed to block the ball, which flew past him straight toward the goal. Fan Tong instinctively swatted it out over the end line—corner kick.

Dai Guangming clasped his head but quickly raced to the corner spot. There was no time for regret. His shot was quite impressive, managing to keep the ball controlled without a touch and anticipating the defender’s blocking path—showcasing his quality. Unfortunately, Fan Tong proved far from the “rice bucket” his name suggested. His near-reflex action crushed Yun Jia Tianyu’s chance to take the lead.

Li Jie ran up. Now, four Yun Jia Tianyu players crowded inside Dalian Dongfang’s penalty area. Hu Gandang stayed back between the center circle and the edge of the box, positioned to prevent counterattacks and to join the offense quickly if needed.

Sure enough, once Li Jie advanced, Dong Fanghong retreated to add height inside the box. Niu Ren stuck close to Long Bisheng, while Dong Fanghong marked Li Jie. Dai Guangming took the corner, but amid the tussle, none of the four tallest players managed to head the ball, and Zhang Jian cleared it from the penalty area with a header.

Hu Gandang intercepted and controlled the ball ahead of Fan Pengfei. Dalian Dongfang players surged forward, seeking an offside trap, but Hu Gandang didn’t pass. Instead, he summoned all his strength and launched a long-range shot!

The ball deflected off a defender, changing direction, but Fan Tong made a timely dive to smother it beneath him.

“Over here!” Fan Pengfei raised his right arm, signaling for the ball. Fan Tong instantly scrambled up and threw the ball far downfield.

After the shot, Hu Gandang paused briefly, then responded immediately to the call behind him, sprinting backward. Meanwhile, another center-back, Liu Jun, confronted Fan Pengfei to slow his attack.

Fan Pengfei chest-controlled the ball. Despite Liu Jun’s pressure from behind, Fan Pengfei flicked the ball over his shoulder, spun one and a half times, and broke through!

Fan Pengfei’s agility and skill caught Liu Jun off guard. After the feint, Liu Jun turned to chase but slipped and fell.

Fan Pengfei surged across midfield like lightning. Yang Yong approached to block him from the side but was beaten again by a sudden acceleration—another breakthrough!

Though he bypassed two defenders, the pressure didn’t ease. Hu Gandang kept chasing from behind, narrowing the gap. Although Hu Gandang was slightly slower, the difference between sprinting without the ball and dribbling at pace was significant. No matter how skilled, Fan Pengfei was young and couldn’t have perfected ball control at that speed.

Approaching the edge of the box, Fan Pengfei sensed Hu Gandang closing in. Helpless, he abruptly stopped, moved the ball sideways a step, and immediately lofted a shot—spotting Wu Bufan positioned too far forward!

Just as he released the shot, Hu Gandang’s foot reached him.

Wu Bufan saw the ball arching over his head. He quickly retreated, taking a large step back, then leapt up and caught the ball mid-air with a rebound-like grab!

Dalian Dongfang’s most threatening counterattack since the start of the match was finally thwarted through the combined efforts of Hu Gandang and Wu Bufan.

“Damn it! Such a good chance and still no goal!” Chi Shangbing waved his hand in frustration. Dalian Dongfang had pressed forward early with an extra man to prevent the opponents from dragging the match to the full ninety minutes, but this left them unable to play their favored steady defense and counterattack style. Still, Fan Pengfei’s individual display was brilliant, only denied by the opposition’s superior effort.

“Keep attacking! So what if we’re one man down? With me here, they won’t score easily!” Wu Bufan quickly threw the ball far away after landing.

Because of the earlier attack, many Yun Jia Tianyu players stayed forward. Yang Yong received the ball and passed to Zhang Yi, who passed to Zhong Tao, who then distributed to Dai Guangming—the one-man-down Yun Jia Tianyu controlled possession up front!

“Stay calm! Don’t rush!” Seeing Yun Jia Tianyu seize control, Chi Shangbing relaxed—what was there to fear? Their strength lay in solid defense and quick counterattacks. If a shorthanded Yun Jia Tianyu dared to hold the ball in the opponent’s half, it was as if they were courting defeat!

After a few passes, Dalian Dongfang’s defense held firm. Once Long Bisheng entered the box, two defenders immediately trapped him. Helpless, he had to run out of the box, where Dai Guangming quickly passed the ball to him.

Long Bisheng controlled the ball at his feet, with Niu Ren pressing as usual behind him. Dalian Dongfang’s two defensive midfielders paid little attention to him, knowing Long Bisheng might have solid fundamentals but would only pass under such pressure. Their main focus was on the dangerous shooters Dai Guangming and Hu Gandang. Even defender Zhang Jian was marking Zhong Tao inside the penalty area.

“This is the moment!” Ding Yu’s face remained calm, but his heart pounded. Although there were many defenders in the penalty area, most concentrated on the bigger threats: Dai Guangming, Hu Gandang, Zhong Tao, and Zhang Yi. Only Niu Ren guarded Long Bisheng. If Long Bisheng could shake off his marker, he could break the defensive line and open the door for an attack.

“Don’t let me down, Long Bisheng!” Ding Yu silently urged.

ps: Tomorrow’s update will include two chapters. The Dalian battle concludes, and the main character’s assets will be officially revealed in the early hours of the 1st. At least two free chapters will be released that day. Brothers, please cast more monthly votes. As usual, two chapters will update daily, and for every additional fifty monthly votes, an extra chapter will be released.