Chapter 57

Liu Hao finally made his appearance, alongside Mao Jianqing.

One tall, one short, one fat, one thin, one old, one young, they were positioned as the left and right wingers...

Li Xiaopeng was playing the no-striker formation again.

Zhu Ting's goal in the first half put Wuhan Zuoer in the lead. Could Liu Hao and Mao Jianqing turn the tide for the team in the second half?

Wuhan Zuoer's head coach Baisek also made adjustments, replacing three attacking midfielders, including Zhu Ting.

As for the players who came on?

When those three players rushed past Liu Hao, his head only reached their shoulders.

Yes, the guy in the No. 5 jersey was 1.90 meters tall, the guy in the No. 6 jersey was 1.88 meters tall, and the young kid in the No. 22 jersey, who looked like a post-90s, was at least 1.86 meters tall.

Liu Hao looked left and right, silently comparing, and suddenly felt himself deeply surrounded.

Baisek's tactical idea was quite simple: withdraw three attacking midfielders and replace them with three tall and strong defensive players, focusing on defense.

Why did he replace them with such tall players? Probably to defend against Liu Hao's free kicks and corner tactics!

Given Liu Hao's current physical condition, his contribution in open play was almost zero.

After the outside-of-the-foot shot in the first match, no coach would let their players stay three meters away from him anymore. So, while defending him, the focus was still on defending free kicks and corners.

Baisek's goal was that simple...

However, although Liu Hao's contribution in open play was zero, as long as he didn't offside, he could still dominate a position on the right.

Don't let him get the ball and shoot, or it would be a threat!

So he could at least pull one defender away, contributing to his teammates.

This privilege didn't apply to Mao Jianqing.

Mao Jianqing was playing with all his might.

At 29, it's usually a player's peak.

But for Chinese players, maybe their peak is around 22, and then they usually start to decline.

Mao Jianqing's physical condition was somewhat similar.

But what everyone saw was his wind-like speed!

Such a dazzling speed, it could only be seen from Qu Bo many years ago! The Zhongneng fans really thought they saw Qu Bo for a moment.

The difference was that Qu Bo was once the darling of Qingdao fans, while Mao Jianqing was just a new player.

Mao Jianqing needed to prove himself and earn a starting spot.

So, like in the previous match, he played with all his might.

In front of a player who plays with all his might, if you don't play with all your might, you're sure to lose.

He was Zhongneng's Di Maria!

Attacking made the opponents fall over, and defending made them fall over...

"Wow..." Li Xiaopeng was delighted, almost drooling. Did he not tell Mao Jianqing to play so hard?

Now there were two treasures on the field, one old and one young...

... Fortunately, he was substituted early, or the coach might have moved him to right back, and he would have been dragged to death by this guy. Zhu Ting, sitting on the bench, watched the game with a cold heart.

Zhu Ting could be considered a versatile player in the club, capable of playing as a forward, winger, or wing-back. Baisek liked to use him as a utility player, which was why he thought this way.

But his club teammate, the current right-back, Liu Shangkun, a post-90s, was suffering greatly. After successfully stopping Mao Jianqing, he panted heavily and glanced to the left, where his teammate Ke Zhao was standing leisurely next to Liu Hao, not looking like he was playing football but more like they were chatting!

Why were people so different!

Mao Jianqing came again, like a cockroach that couldn't be killed, sprinting with the ball.

Damn it! I don't believe I can't take you down! Liu Shangkun, young and hot-blooded, couldn't bear Mao Jianqing's endless torment. After defending so many times, his emotions began to fluctuate.

Although you are a famous player...

Seeing Mao Jianqing about to approach, in a flash, Liu Shangkun didn't pay attention to his feints.

What's a step-over? Liu Shangkun directly slid to tackle, his feet tightly pressed to the ground, like two sharp knives, flying towards Mao Jianqing's ankles...

Damn! Mao Jianqing didn't expect the opponent to be so ruthless, and had no time to dodge.

This time he really flipped in the air like a feather.

As soon as he landed, he grabbed his left foot, right at the ankle.

His left foot was his breadwinner...

Sweat poured from his forehead, and Mao Jianqing closed his eyes, groaning in pain, looking seriously injured!

No way!

Teammates also ran over, including Liu Hao.

The hot-tempered teammates had already surrounded Liu Shangkun. The original captain, Liu Jian, was not there, and the temporary captain was the goalkeeper, Liu Jun.

Liu Jun actually rushed from his goalkeeping position, running more than 60 meters!

As a captain, he could do this, worthy of the captain's armband!

Teammates surrounded Liu Shangkun, and the other players of Zuoer couldn't even get close to save him, as they were blocked by Zhongneng players.

Liu Jun directly negotiated with the referee.

At 1.90 meters tall, he was already extremely tall, and in front of the referee, he clenched his fists in a frenzy, looking like he was boxing, "This foul is too vicious, with no sportsmanship at all!"

The referee was used to such scenes and didn't take Liu Jun's roar seriously, but he was worried that Liu Shangkun, trapped in the middle, might cause a brawl.

His whistle kept blowing, trying to disperse the Zhongneng players.

Mao Jianqing was still rolling on the ground, getting louder, not stopping. The surrounding circle hadn't been broken, and Liu Jun kept chasing the referee, making the scene quite chaotic.

At this moment, some sincerity was needed. Liu Hao's chubby body blocked the referee, preventing him from getting close to his teammates.

With a calm face, he stared straight at the referee, not saying a word.

Such a wide body in front of him, the referee was a bit dizzy.

They say a group of Chinese people is like a worm, but how could these guys be so united? Each one was like a dragon!

Don't look at the referee's yellow skin, he was actually Korean.

So Liu Jun's incessant chatter in front of him was completely ignored, as he couldn't understand it.

But with Liu Hao standing so firmly in front of him, he understood...

They wanted a card!

Quickly, he reached into his pocket!

A yellow card! He had already pulled it out halfway.

Hmm?! Liu Hao's eyes widened, his eyebrows like swords, and his gaze was fierce. He pointed at Mao Jianqing, who was still rolling on the ground, but still didn't say a word...

The meaning was clear. Although he had no professional football experience, he had plenty of amateur football experience, just putting pressure on the referee.

Alright... yellow turned to red... the referee understood and took out both cards.

The first one was the red card.

With the red card in hand, no one dared to surround Liu Shangkun anymore. In a flash, everyone cleared a path.

Liu Shangkun crouched on the grass, hands on his head. When he looked up, he saw a bright red card being extended towards him.

Red card! Yes, the referee was sending him off!

"This was a front foul!" Even at the last moment, Liu Shangkun was still stubborn.

The red card in the referee's hand shook again, meaning, "Go, no more talk..."

Then, he turned around.

The yellow card came out.

"Me? Double hit!" Liu Hao's eyes widened, and he swore, but in Cantonese.

I didn't say a word, and this guy gives me a yellow card? It's too unfair, just a bit of pressure, right?

Teammates also looked at each other, confused, but Liu Jun understood quickly and patted Liu Hao's shoulder.

"Fat brother, it's fine, he's just balancing things out. This guy probably only wanted to give a yellow card, but ended up giving a red card, so he's balancing it out from us..."

The referee didn't know what these two were mumbling, but the yellow card was out, and he just focused on making notes.

"But I got a yellow card for no reason?"

"Don't forget, you just swore. If it's written in the record, you'll get additional punishment," Liu Jun whispered.

Oh... Liu Hao was also surprised, not expecting Liu Jun to understand the meaning of "double hit." It was indeed a curse, not allowed in the game.

"Alright... let's consider it a contribution to the team. This guy, he's alive again!" As Liu Hao spoke, Mao Jianqing, light as a bird, got up, as if nothing had happened.

"Damn! I knew it would be like this!" Liu Jun laughed and cursed, quickly heading back to his goal.

It was just an act! I thought he was really injured! Liu Hao also understood. Mao Jianqing was fouled, but it wasn't as serious as he imagined. He was just faking the pain to gain the referee's sympathy. In the end, the referee gave a red card, but why did I get a yellow card?

The first yellow card of his life! It should have some value, right?

Ignoring Mao Jianqing's sneer, he placed the ball where Mao Jianqing had fallen.

Using a yellow card to get a goal, that was the minimum requirement...

But the distance was too far, more than 40 meters.

"Why wasn't it a penalty?" Mao Jianqing muttered.

"Did you hit your head? At this distance, even if you roll, you won't roll into the penalty area. The referee would have to be blind to... " Liu Hao spat, speechless.

However, Baisek didn't think so.

The three tall substitutes formed a small wall nine meters away.

The other tall and strong players found their defensive targets in the penalty area.

Baisek clearly knew a lot about Liu Hao's free kicks, showing his caution.

Did he have to make such a big fuss? Even Li Xiaopeng was surprised.

He himself didn't believe Liu Hao would shoot from 40 meters away. With his physique, it was impossible.

Mao Jianqing had already quietly positioned himself next to the wall. Compared to the other players, his height wasn't a disadvantage, at 1.87 meters! But he had two players defending him, showing that he was a key target.

Yes, the distance was a bit far! Liu Hao reaffirmed this.

Looking ahead, his teammates were already concentrated in the penalty area.

The opponents were clearly prepared. If he passed to Mao Jianqing, the chances of scoring were too low, at least lower than if he shot himself... After a moment's consideration, he decided to do it his way.

But such a long distance required a good stance!

So, everyone saw Liu Hao's preparation before the shot.

Pulling up his left pant leg, then his right, then swinging his left leg, then his right, he crouched down, his eyes fixed on the upper corners of the goal.

Yes, Liu Hao didn't look at the wall or the crowd in the penalty area; he only thought about the upper corners of the goal.

Kick the near post! Shorter distance, less effort...

It was just a simple logic, not the complex thinking others imagined, about whether the near post or the far post was easier to score.

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