Chapter 18

No matter if it's a good thing or a bad thing, being talked about in this way means he's famous.

Not to mention the professional football scene... Even in the amateur league, his reputation is quite significant.

"Liu Hao looks like a football star," this phrase has been used to tease him by countless teammates.

When he goes to play football, he simply puts on a pair of sunglasses, acting as if he really is a small-time star.

However, there are also times of distress. When the team is trailing, he can't always play the hero. If he could score every time he took a free kick, it would be like admitting his own abilities.

To keep a low profile, he always deliberately misses the first few free kicks and then 'guesses' one in, maintaining a very low-key approach.

The team's strength is actually mid-level among the 20 teams participating in the league. However, after four weeks and eight matches, Hu Zhiye, as the team's manager and captain, was surprised to find that his team was actually in second place on the league table, only because of fewer goal differences.

Hu Zhiye is a very meticulous person, and he carefully analyzed these eight matches.

The result was a shocking conclusion.

Liu Hao scored two free kicks, directly forcing two strong teams to a draw.

Apart from these two free kicks, Liu Hao's greater contribution was in assists.

Corner kick assists! And free kick assists!

He provided 2 corner kick assists and 3 free kick assists.

In total, five assists, bringing the team five victories and fifteen points...

Including the two draws, that's seventeen points.

In other words, out of the eight matches the team played, seven of them were directly related to Liu Hao, either through assists or goals.

In the amateur league, people often focus on who scores the goals, and no one pays attention to who provides the assists.

Moreover, in the amateur league, forwards score goals like crazy, and assists are also plentiful, so very few people bother to calculate these statistics.

But the meticulous Hu Zhiye discovered that Liu Hao is simply the key player for Chabala.

Because the team's defense is good enough, but their offensive capabilities are lacking, scoring goals is particularly valuable, making Liu Hao's assists stand out.

It can be said that because of him, the team is in second place.

Liu Hao is not only the team's MVP, but he could even be considered the MVP of the current league.

This shocking result left Hu Zhiye stunned.

Even though Liu Hao has been very low-key and unassuming, he still discovered the key point.

"This guy... is too scary. I can't let you go this time, who else could it be?" Hu Zhiye chuckled evilly and opened the website of the Sports Weekly.

He dialed the number he had long wanted to call without hesitation...

※※※※

Two days later, at the Yinzhou City Chao Yue Stadium.

A league match between Chabala and Football Bar is underway.

This is a battle between the first and second-ranked teams; whoever wins will take the top spot, and a draw will maintain the current rankings.

There are no fixed stands in the stadium, so all fans and players from other teams can only watch from the sidelines.

"Chabala has no chance of winning against Football Bar; the gap in strength is too large. Even if their defense is good, scoring a goal is just a matter of time."

"I still can't figure out how Chabala managed to climb to this position."

"Based on overall strength, Chabala is only mid-level."

Three guys in earthy yellow jerseys were discussing on the sidelines, clearly scoffing at Chabala's strength.

"Their set-piece utilization is very efficient; 70% of their goals come from free kicks."

A beautiful woman wearing a mud-colored cowboy hat and a sky-blue cowboy outfit couldn't bear to listen anymore and interjected.

As a professional football journalist, her insights into the game are not necessarily inferior to the players, and she can see the bigger picture.

This woman is the same beauty who caught Liu Hao in the player tunnel.

At this moment, she has come to Yinzhou City.

Her goal is clear; her captivating eyes have already locked onto Liu Xiaopang.

A smile curved her beautiful lips, as if everything was already in her control.

After searching for so long, you were hiding here. This time, where will you run...

Liu Hao, of course, had no idea he was being targeted and was working hard on the field.

As he had planned, he was playing low-key.

It seemed that fate was giving him a big gift; the match was still at a stalemate in the second half, with the score still 0-0.

Before the match, Hu Zhiye had made it clear that the team should aim for a draw and strive for a win.

In other words, a draw would be the most ideal result.

A very pragmatic attitude, not talking about victory...

But Liu Hao seemed to want to bring a surprise to the team.

For the corner kick, he carefully observed the penalty area and made his decision.

If he had created a scoring opportunity at the start of the match to put the team ahead, they might have been thoroughly beaten by the strong Football Bar. Now, with less than ten minutes left in the game...

If a goal is scored at this moment, it could completely throw Football Bar into chaos!

He smiled slyly and aimed at the team's attacking center-back.

All he needed to do was accurately deliver the ball to that guy's feet, and scoring would be almost impossible to miss! Liu Hao, who was increasingly confident in his set-piece skills, decided to complete the assist at this moment.

A not too high or too low straight ball flew rapidly along the edge of the baseline.

Everyone on the field focused their attention on the flying ball.

Especially the defensive players, who were ready to clear the ball. Normally, clearing this ball would be quite easy.

However, just as the ball entered the small penalty area, it made a slight change.

The speeding ball suddenly curved slightly outside the small penalty area!

The defender of Football Bar, who had extended his foot to clear the ball, missed it by a hair.

The ball, which should have passed in front of him, now went behind him...

At the same time, the ball began to descend in mid-air and travel along the ground.

The trajectory of the ball was too bizarre!

The ball was about to reach the feet of the center-back Liu Hao had designated.

Damn it, if you don't score this time, you're really a brick! Liu Hao cursed in his heart.

Liu Hao had put a lot of thought into the peculiar center-back Yao Shixing.

First, this guy's technique for stopping high balls is extremely poor, but he is good at stopping ground balls. Of course, this is just the basics. If it involves shooting, the ball must be delivered to his left foot, and it must be just right for him to shoot.

The most critical point is that this guy is like a wooden post; he never moves to get into position for a shot...

Liu Hao's corner kick was tailored to Yao Shixing's characteristics.

So when Yao Shixing received the ball, he touched it and really managed to deflect it into the goal...

A brick blooming!

"Haha, very cunning, showing your fox's tail, huh!" The female journalist smiled slightly, just as she had guessed, Liu Hao used a set-piece to help the team break through the opponent's defense.

At the same time, the camera in her delicate hands accurately captured Liu Hao's heroic pose as he took the corner kick...

"This time, where will you run..."

The three amateur players who had been watching earlier drew a sharp breath, not expecting the female journalist's prediction to be so accurate.

Journalist?! Their eyes exchanged glances.

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