Chapter 95

Rongguang watched as the football sailed over the crossbar and directly onto the stands behind the goal.

This was the first long-range shot of the match, and it went wide.

But Rongguang was not frustrated or disheartened.

He had only practiced long-range shots for one day, so it was perfectly normal for this shot to go wide.

If an ordinary person had kicked the ball wide and faced ridicule and discouragement, they would have given up the idea and kicked the ball according to the original rhythm. Even if their performance was not outstanding and they lost their starting position in the next match, they would not have complained.

But Rongguang was different.

The malicious laughter and looks could not stop him from continuing to attempt long-range shots.

This was the only way to save himself, and he could not abandon the idea of trying long-range shots.

If he failed to deliver a convincing performance in this match, who knew if he would still be in the starting lineup for the next game.

He only lived for the moment, seizing the current opportunity—this was Rongguang's attitude.

So when he got the ball again, he undoubtedly took another long-range shot!

"Rong received the ball, turned... and another long-range shot!"

"This time it's still high! What is he doing? Two consecutive long-range shots have gone wide..."

The commentator's tone was somewhat complaining.

"See, this is the problem with a newcomer, not stable enough! You never know what he's thinking!" Grayson, in the media stand, spread his hands and shook his head.

Considering Rongguang's performance, he seemed to be right.

Even Gode on the stands wondered if Rongguang was being too hasty.

He had only practiced long-range shots for one day...

He believed that with Rongguang's learning ability, if he waited another week, it should be fine.

But unfortunately... he also admitted that time did not wait for anyone.

If he couldn't deliver a convincing performance in this match, time would not give Rongguang another chance.

But this way of playing wasn't a solution either... if he kept wasting opportunities like this, how many people would still pass the ball to Rongguang? Even if this match was over, he would definitely not have a chance to play in the next match.

No matter how Gode thought about it, Rongguang seemed to be on a dead-end path.

He frowned.

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"... Two consecutive long-range shots, completely ignoring his teammates waving at him from other positions. Rong's choice is very poor. I think this further proves the claim that he lacks football intelligence—the assist in the first round of the tournament against Botafogo was just luck..."

Cafure's voice came through the TV speaker.

After hearing Cafure's commentary, Sun Fengyang snorted, "Lack of football intelligence? You don't know anything!"

He noticed that Rongguang's two long-range shots were getting closer to the goal with each attempt.

The first shot was way off, but the second one clearly showed that he deliberately controlled the ball. However, because it was a long-range shot, he had to use force and control the ball, which was very difficult, so he still shot the ball high. But compared to the first shot, the second one was much closer to the crossbar.

A bold idea popped into Sun Fengyang's mind—maybe soon, Rongguang could shoot within the goal frame!

When did he tell him about long-range shots? And considering his training time...

Sun Fengyang thought this kid was simply a monster!

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"Rong!" Fabiano had raised his hand, wanting Rongguang to pass the ball to him. Although his position wasn't good, he still wanted to try to attack.

But Rongguang didn't even look at him and directly shot the ball towards the goal.

He was also somewhat dissatisfied.

Wasting two consecutive offensive opportunities, who would still pass the ball to him if this continued?

Rongguang heard Fabiano's voice and made an apologetic gesture to him.

But this did not change his mind.

As long as he had the ball, he would still try long-range shots.

Because he had found a pattern from these two long-range shots.

He realized that being too concerned about whether the shot would go in actually had a negative effect.

In the first shot, he was very concerned, resulting in overusing force, and the ball flew high over the crossbar.

In the second shot, he wasn't as concerned, just thinking about shooting within the goal frame, and the height was significantly lower.

He had already practiced the technical movements for long-range shots during his shooting practice, so he didn't have to start from scratch.

The key was the rhythm.

The rhythm from receiving the ball to shooting.

The rhythm of the body.

This was a feeling that gradually accumulated through countless long-range shot practices, making the cells remember.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to do such repetitive practice.

In the 90 minutes of this match... no, it was already the second half, and he had less than 45 minutes to decide his fate.

He raised his hand again to ask for the ball.

At the same time, Kaka used a change of direction to temporarily shake off the player from São Caetano who was defending him, and quickly raised his arm to ask for the ball from his teammates behind.

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Rongguang was not really being closely marked by any São Caetano players. The São Caetano players had already figured out Rongguang—unless he entered the penalty area, his threat to the goal was almost zero.

So when he had the ball outside the penalty area, the São Caetano players were not too nervous. If he tried to break through longitudinally, they would build a wall in front of him.

Their defensive focus was more on Fabiano and Kaka.

Especially Kaka, who had scored in four consecutive matches and posed a significant threat from outside the penalty area.

They had to defend him strictly.

Now both Rongguang and Kaka were asking for the ball.

Ricardinho didn't even think and passed the ball to Kaka.

But both Kaka and Ricardinho underestimated the intensity of São Caetano's defense on Kaka.

Just as Kaka received the ball, the São Caetano player who had just been shaken off rushed back.

This time, Kaka couldn't even turn.

Kaka, facing the direction of the attack, could have passed the ball back to Ricardinho.

But he didn't choose to do so. His lack of performance in the first half had made him very frustrated. He had scored in four consecutive matches and was in great form, and he wanted to build on that momentum to outshine Rongguang.

But in this match, he faced tight marking from the opponents.

Rongguang was standing nearby.

He could have passed the ball to him, but he certainly wouldn't do that.

He wanted to break free from the defense himself.

Kaka tried to turn forcefully, but the opponent saw through his intention and poked the ball away with his foot, getting to it first. Kaka turned and tripped over the opponent's foot, stumbling. If he hadn't reached out to support himself, he would have fallen to the ground.

He raised his head in frustration and saw the ball roll to Rongguang's feet.

He clenched his fists.

How did it end up at his feet?

If he took a direct long-range shot, São Paulo would waste another offensive opportunity!

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"Rong received the ball, is he going to take another direct long-range shot?!"

Commentator Bueno shouted.

He was even somewhat looking forward to it—not hoping for Rongguang to score, but hoping for another long-range shot so he could mock Rongguang.

He saw a São Caetano player rush towards Rongguang as soon as he received the ball.

"Truly a team that has reached the national tournament finals for two consecutive years! The São Caetano players did not relax their guard just because Rong's two consecutive long-range shots went wide... but I really want to say you're overthinking it..."

Bueno was taking every opportunity to mock Rongguang when he saw Rongguang suddenly move.

He didn't take a direct long-range shot!

He dribbled the ball forward!

Even though the result of dribbling forward would likely end in a turnover, the chances of success were still greater than taking a direct long-range shot.

Most importantly, a direct long-range shot ended São Paulo's attack too quickly, like premature ejaculation, which was very demoralizing.

Dribbling and breaking through, regardless of the final result, always had a process, giving people some hope and imagination.

"Breakthrough!"

Bueno also called out excitedly, had this kid finally figured it out?

Seeing Rongguang dribble and break through, the São Caetano player defending him immediately became more tense.

His body tensed, and he quickly rushed horizontally towards Rongguang, trying to interfere with him.

He knew that if Rongguang tried to break through, as the first line of defense, it would be difficult to stop him. His role was to interfere as much as possible, making it hard for Rongguang to focus on the next defender.

Seeing Rongguang break through, another São Caetano player immediately approached Rongguang but did not fully close in, maintaining a suitable distance. If Rongguang tried to break through his first teammate, he could take advantage of the situation.

Gode, in the stands, saw Rongguang suddenly change his strategy and breathed a sigh of relief—not that long-range shots were bad, but this match was too rushed. Compared to long-range shots, Rongguang was better at breaking through, and maybe he could create some opportunities...

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"Whether it's a long-range shot or a breakthrough, the result is the same—wasting opportunities!" Renaldo spread his hands, shrugged, and shook his head.

He didn't even continue watching, closing his eyes to show his disdain.

But he heard his teammates stand up from their seats.

He quickly opened his eyes and saw his teammates standing in front of their seats, intently watching the field.

He didn't understand what was happening...

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Rongguang was originally breaking through to the left, but he suddenly came to a sudden stop!

Then he used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball to the right and changed direction!

He went to the right!

The São Caetano player defending him was not a pushover and immediately turned to chase Rongguang. His speed was not as fast as Rongguang's, so he threw his center of gravity forward, almost parallel to the ground, and lunged forward, not considering whether he could continue moving, just trying to interfere with Rongguang's dribbling.

But Rongguang did not continue dribbling.

After temporarily shaking off the São Caetano player, Rongguang immediately swung his right foot!

His left foot firmly planted next to the ball, which was rolling forward but not very fast, and his right leg followed closely.

To keep the ball low, Rongguang's right foot was straight, with the toes pointing down, and he kicked the middle-upper part of the ball.

Peng!

A solid kick.

Grass clippings flew up, blinding the São Caetano player who lunged forward.

He instinctively squinted his eyes.

Then he felt a gust of wind pass by his face.

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"Here it comes, another long-range shot!"

Bueno thought, "You didn't disappoint me, I've got my chance!"

But the next second, he was stunned.

In the blink of an eye, the ball had crashed through the São