Chapter 39

It wasn't Lampard who took the free kick, but Wayne Rooney, who had just recovered from an injury and was playing his first game in a Chelsea shirt!

It's impossible to describe this free kick with words.

After the match, someone did a statistical analysis and found that the fastest free kick in the world was the 210 km/h shot by Lothar Matthäus during the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Even if the goalkeeper reacted within 0.01 seconds, it would have been too late to save. In 2002, Roberto Carlos's free kick against China's goalkeeper Jiang Jin reached 149 km/h! According to Jiang Jin, he felt the ball enter the goal with a gust of wind!

The free kick Rooney took against Paris Saint-Germain reached 196 km/h! It's worth noting that this was just a young player who had just recovered from an injury! The free kick was 18.9 meters from the goal, and the entire goal took only 0.35 seconds, making it even harder to control than a penalty. How could Letizi possibly save it?

The ball didn't have a tricky angle; it just grazed past Letizi's ear and into the net. The ball was like a missile. By the time Letizi reacted and reached out to save it, the ball had already entered the net and, with its immense force, even broke through the net and flew into the stands!

After the match, Rooney specially visited a middle-aged man in the hospital with a signed Chelsea jersey, as he was the fan hit by that free kick!

ESPN commentator Zhan Jun, who had seen many great moments, exclaimed after seeing this goal: "Little Fatty Rooney! Little Fatty Rooney scored an unbelievable goal! His powerful shot was like a missile! We've seen Rooney take free kicks before, but this is undoubtedly the most classic one of all! Paris Saint-Germain's goalkeeper Letizi had no reaction at all!"

"... Unbelievable... This is simply unbelievable... This goal is too unbelievable..." The commentator on the scene was stunned for a moment before finally speaking, repeating "unbelievable" several times.

After scoring, Rooney ran down the field, facing the camera and slapping the Chelsea badge on his jersey, as well as his solid chest.

I, Wayne Rooney, am back!

Little Fatty Rooney repaid Jowan Xian's trust with his actions, proving that he was worth every penny of his Premier League record transfer fee!

After the wild celebration by the Chelsea players, the game continued. However, Paris Saint-Germain seemed to have lost their confidence and soul after Rooney's powerful shot. Except for Pauleta and Rothen, the other players were dazed and could no longer organize effective attacks.

At the 27th minute, less than 7 minutes after the previous goal, Chelsea ruthlessly stabbed another knife into the bleeding wound of Paris Saint-Germain. The assist came from the attacking midfielder Kaká, and the goal... was scored by the god-like Wayne Rooney!

In Jowan Xian's 3-attacking-midfield formation, the wings were completely handed over to the full-backs. With the defensive pressure greatly reduced, Ramos went forward to assist, and in the wing, he played a combination with Kaká. However, under the interference of two defenders and a defensive midfielder, Kaká had to take the ball to the corner and was forced to cross.

Owen had no control over the cross, and the tall Cannavaro and Terry were still near the midfield. Lampard was lurking at the second point outside the penalty area, and Joe Cole was still standing still. All the responsibility fell on Rooney! Unfortunately, the ball's trajectory was slightly behind, and Rooney, standing on the edge of the small penalty area, had to turn his back to the goal to see the ball's path.

The Paris Saint-Germain defenders sighed in relief, thinking the ball was no longer dangerous. But the next moment, all the fans at the Parc des Princes stadium gasped and let out a "buzz"!

The players on the field were stunned, and even the usually calm Jowan Xian rushed to the sideline, staring wide-eyed at the shocking scene.

A bicycle kick, a flying bicycle kick!

When a header was impossible and turning to receive the ball was out of the question, Rooney had a bold idea. His strong body leaped high, but the posture was a bit unusual. His upper body pressed down, and his legs lifted high, like a diving eagle or a soaring phoenix! After a rhythmic swing, the entire bicycle kick was perfectly executed!

"Oh! God, the ball went in! It's Wayne Rooney again! He scored a goal that even the alien Ronaldo couldn't complete! Although this is just the first match of the UEFA Champions League, I can guarantee that this goal will definitely be one of the top ten goals of the tournament! Oh, and the missile-like free kick earlier! God, if it weren't for his youthful face, no one would believe he's just a 19-year-old! The 25 million pounds transfer fee, I can only say, Chelsea got a great deal!"

The commentator on the scene had forgotten to praise his own team and instead showered Rooney with unreserved praise.

"Little Fatty Rooney, it's Little Fatty Rooney again!" Zhan Jun seemed to have a special fondness for Rooney, his voice clearly excited: "Chelsea's manager Jowan Xian said that England has the best attacking line in the world, but Eriksson doesn't know how to use it! Owen's performance at Chelsea is self-evident, and now this Rooney, who has just recovered from an injury, has truly shocked the entire world of football!"

Cheers, like a mountain and sea of sound!

After this goal, even Paris Saint-Germain's manager Harry Redknapp couldn't help but clap, watching Rooney slide on his knees in celebration, his eyes filled with astonishment and envy: "This player, in the future... will surely surpass Alan Shearer!"

The game had been going on for less than 30 minutes, and the team was already 0-2 down at home. This result was something Harry Redknapp had anticipated, but he still found it hard to accept.

He knew that in Chelsea's front five, only Lampard could defend, while the other four were defensive novices. With Ramos and Bridge's aggressive forward runs, the team should have had more opportunities to counterattack. But he hadn't expected Chelsea to have a French black man, Makelele, in midfield!

This over-30 defensive midfielder was like a barrier in Chelsea's midfield, almost impossible to breach. Despite the heavy defensive pressure, he performed his duties well! As a Frenchman, he understood French football well, making the Paris Saint-Germain players hate him to the bone.

At the 39th minute of the first half, with the referee's whistle, Harry Redknapp covered his face in pain. Rothen, who he had placed great hopes on, tripped Owen, who was darting through the penalty area like the wind. The German referee Van der Sar awarded a penalty!

"Van der Sar points to the penalty spot! Just 40 minutes into the first half, will the recently recovered Rooney, making his debut, complete a hat-trick?" Zhan Jun had a special fondness for the young Rooney and was eager to see him perform perfectly.

But the next moment, his voice turned to surprise: "Hmm? Chelsea didn't give this opportunity to Rooney! The one standing in front of the ball... What? It's Cech again? We know that Chelsea received a penalty in the league, and the one who took it was the goalkeeper Cech. I didn't expect that in the Champions League, it would still be Cech taking the penalty. Could it be... that in a team full of penalty experts, Cech is the first-choice penalty taker?"

Zhan Jun's guess was correct. Following Jowan Xian's instructions, Cech was the first-choice penalty taker! And he lived up to expectations, calmly pushing the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal. Letizi made no attempt to save it, perhaps thinking Cech would choose the center, and could only watch the ball enter the net.

3-0!

The first-half battle ended with a joke for Harry Redknapp.

In the second half, Harry Redknapp completely abandoned his pre-match strategy, replacing the ineffective forward Cisse with the experienced midfielder Marino to strengthen the defense and avoid a humiliating defeat!

As Jowan Xian's 3-attacking-midfield system became more familiar, Joe Cole, Lampard, and Kaká's movements became more flexible. They crossed and switched positions, and the inside cuts by Joe Cole and Kaká became a common way to toy with the Paris defenders. Suddenly, the two central defenders, Yepes and Armand, collided and fell over, completely disoriented...

The Chelsea players, laughing heartily, wouldn't miss such an opportunity. Kaká, with a great shooting opportunity from the edge of the penalty area, selflessly passed the ball to the rapidly advancing Wayne Rooney.

Rooney unleashed a powerful shot, and the ball flew into the top left corner of the goal!

Letizi was once again stunned by Rooney's powerful shot. Looking at the ball rolling in the net, he suddenly felt a bit relieved. At least the ball went in; if it had hit his face... he would have been disfigured!

At the 60th minute of the match, Rooney finally completed the hat-trick that Zhan Jun had been eagerly awaiting, shouting and jumping with excitement.

However, Rooney's debut time was also set at 60 minutes. After all, he had just recovered from an injury, and Jowan Xian didn't want to risk him further. He replaced Rooney with the Icelander Eidur Gudjohnsen to continue refining the 3-attacking-midfield system.

Gudjohnsen, who was not as capable as Rooney and didn't have the favor of Source No. 1, couldn't make the front attack as smooth as when Rooney was on the field. The stars began to ignore team cooperation and looked for more opportunities to showcase themselves.

Sure enough, at the 81st minute, Kaká finally seized a long-distance opportunity, scoring with an outside-of-the-foot shot despite being surrounded by four Paris Saint-Germain players! 1 vs. 4, Kaká was not at a disadvantage at all!

In the end, the final score was 5-0, and Chelsea beautifully secured 3 points at the Parc des Princes, starting the 04-05 UEFA Champions League season on a high note. After the match, Rooney kept the match ball and, accompanied by his manager Jowan Xian, received thunderous applause from the Paris fans.

Looking at Jowan Xian, Rooney felt even closer to him. Jowan Xian quickly moved away, saying seriously, "Don't look at me like that, I'm not gay!"

"Haha..."

Rooney felt very happy. This... is the true joy of football, he thought, sincerely grateful to Jowan Xian.