Chapter 12

Applause.

If the applause was for the goal scored by the Sea Cows, it was understandable.

However, why were they laughing and saying, "I told you so, it's a draw! Haha, haha, hahaha!" while clapping?

"Chinese football is just like this, it can never be clean! This time is no different!"

"Haha, after waiting for ninety minutes, it's finally time to see the joke. This match was worth it."

"Ten years ago, my father's prediction was spot on. Chinese football is just like this. My father can finally rest in peace..."

...

Most of the fans watched the game with this mindset. The scene at the end of the match was not at all surprising.

However, some fans laughed with a deeper meaning.

"Is this guy the scapegoat for the Super Team?"

They were clearly talking about Liu Hao.

Liu Hao was on the field for less than five seconds before the opponent stole the ball and scored. No other player would have such a result.

But Liu Hao just happened to be the one. Poor Liu Hao.

"If this guy came on just to be sacrificed, is Li Tie really that stupid? Impossible," the elderly man said dismissively.

Even if it was a setup, it shouldn't be so one-sided.

Faking it also requires skill. If Liu Hao was faking to be fake, then the efforts of everyone before would be worthy of an Oscar.

Of course, Li Tie, the first to react, jumped up from the bench and roared furiously!

"Liu Xiaopang!!! What are you doing! Focus! Everyone, give me one hundred percent concentration!!!"

The angry general was furious to the extreme. At the last moment of the match, the Sea Cows managed to equalize. Although a draw would still allow them to advance, what if they conceded another goal?

Nothing is absolute. As long as the match isn't over, even a few seconds matter.

Of course, the opposing coach wasn't in a much better position.

"Defend! Defend!" It was like the war between the GONG Party and the Nationalist Army.

This was a draw worth hundreds of millions. As long as it ended in a draw, both teams could advance to the top division in 2014.

If one team lost, they would have to stay in the second division for at least a year.

Who wants to play in the second division?

Better to be the tail of a phoenix than the head of a chicken!

Although the audience was watching the joke, three people had a different mindset.

One of them was the fourth official.

The fourth official's face was darker than a black hole.

Even a draw in this match was fine, but why did Li Tie substitute in that obviously unskilled fat guy? Wasn't this just like throwing a stone at his own foot?

If the match ended in a draw, he would definitely be criticized by the media, and there would be no way to explain it clearly.

Wasn't this just a clear case of throwing the match?

Moreover, why did the opponent know that the fat guy couldn't control the ball and steal it from him? This was too unreasonable!

It was a fixed match! Even he believed it.

The second person who was upset was the official personally sent by the FA chairman, Hao Haidong.

Witnessing this farce, he had already made up his mind.

Why couldn't Chinese football develop? This match was a clear example.

For ninety minutes, he watched with a smile, and the progress of the match made him very satisfied. He thought he could report a happy ending to his superiors, but the result?

The result was so fake...

The last person who was upset was, of course, Liu Hao.

Finally, he could play in the match, but he indirectly assisted the opponent's goal as soon as he came on.

This was not just a tragedy.

His ball control was terrible, but it shouldn't have been so easily exposed.

Even if it was exposed, how did they score so quickly?

Fortunately, the match was still a draw, and it didn't deal a fatal blow to the Super Team.

He couldn't help but look up at the big screen and take a deep breath.

Fortunately, there were only two minutes left.

Faced with the waves of laughter, his legs went weak.

He was already thirty, and he couldn't handle such pressure.

After all, this wasn't his strong point. If it were in the political arena, he could handle any pressure, right?

But this was a football field, where pretending would get him struck by lightning...

Because of his fear and cowardice, he even forgot what he was supposed to do on the field.

His position was quite peculiar, neither a midfielder nor a forward.

Now, hiding on the left side of the front line, he didn't know whether to advance or retreat.

Poor Liu Hao, in front of forty thousand people, he was at a loss.

Life is full of unexpected things, especially those you don't have the courage to face.

At this moment, Liu Hao was facing such a situation.

It was like a cheating husband caught in bed by his wife, with no place to hide.

Liu Hao's round body even felt hot.

If it were ten years ago, he could have just toughed it out, but now, at over thirty, it was so embarrassing!

I just came on as a substitute for three minutes, is that wrong?

Just to fulfill a dream of playing professional football, is that wrong?

"Is that guy really an idiot?"

He had never seen such a lively scene outside the field, and both sets of fans were equally lively.

On one hand, if the match ended in a draw, everyone would be happy.

On the other hand, they could see such a peculiar guy perform on the field. How could it not be lively?

Liu Hao, at this moment, had forgotten everything. He didn't know what he was doing.

If it weren't for Ling Zhenbang standing next to him and patting his shoulder, he might have wandered around the field in a daze until the end.

"Liu Ge! Come on, you take this free kick!"

Huh?

Amidst the cries of despair, Liu Hao felt like he had seen the Buddha, or perhaps the Lord or God.

In any case, Ling Zhenbang's voice pulled him back from the distant cliff to the field.

A free kick?

A free kick?

A free kick?

He wasn't a machine, but he scanned the ball three times. The ball was quietly lying on the spot, prepared by Ling Zhenbang, who had even set it up.

What better treatment could there be?

Liu Hao, of course, would take the free kick.

The fans outside were stunned.

The ball was to be taken by this guy?

Wasn't the joke just now enough? Could he even take the Super Team's free kick?

Everyone was incredulous.

Of course, except for the Super Team's players...

He had been waiting for this moment for three weeks.

For this one kick, Liu Hao had prepared every day.

And now, the opportunity was right in front of him.

Laugh all you want.

A smile appeared at the corner of Liu Hao's mouth.

That smile was so light and content.

I will definitely score!

The 92nd minute.

We saw that fat figure, that side face resembling Maradona, that clumsy run-up and shooting posture.

But we also saw a beautiful arc, that stunning shot.

Everyone's attention was focused on the fat man's body.

Yes, no one cared about his shot, where the ball would go.

All they wanted to see was what would happen to his bulky, fat body after the shot.

Would they chuckle, or laugh out loud, or burst into laughter?

The arc that no one paid attention to, even without a real wall to block it.

After all, the ball was over thirty-five meters away.

Even as the ball drilled into the net, no one noticed...