Fox in the Penalty Area

Hu Lai, who was hit with a nosebleed, went to the sidelines to stop the bleeding and change his jersey at the request of the referee—his jersey had also been dripped with nosebleeds. Although there were not many, according to the requirements of the competition organizing committee, As long as there is blood on the jersey, it must be replaced.

When he went to the sidelines to receive hemostatic treatment and change his jersey, Dongchuan Middle School lost one person on the field.

And Li Ziqiang has already made adjustments when the team celebrated the goal. Now he can let the team recover across the board and stick to it until the end of the game.

Like a swarm of irritated bees, Huitang Middle School swarmed out and launched the most violent attack on the goal of Dongchuan Middle School.

With time running out, it was impossible for them to be patient in the frontcourt as before, looking for loopholes in Dongchuan Middle School's defense. The players of Huitang Middle School are very anxious now, they want to shoot directly through the goal of Dongchuan Middle School when they get the ball, it is simply unrealistic for them to follow the original established tactics.

But Huitang Middle School has always insisted on this style of play, and now they are required to quickly change their tactics in the last few minutes. If they start simple and rough long passes, crosses from the side and direct long shots, the offensive effect will also be great. discounted.

I believe that Lu Jianbai, the head coach of Huitang Middle School, must be very aware of this, but he has no choice.

In fact, any team in this situation would make the same choice as Huitang Middle School, even those rich professional teams.

Because this is the most suitable style of play in this situation, pursuing more attacks, and then hoping that at least one of the so many attacks will hit the target... To put it bluntly, it is just luck.

Hu Lai, who was being treated on the sidelines, seemed anxious as he watched his team being bombarded by the opponents in the half court.

He kept asking the doctors in the medical team: "Is it all right? Is it okay? I don't think my nose is bleeding..."

"Don't worry, young man. You are in a hurry to get on the field. If you bleed again, don't you have to come down?" The doctor in the medical team is an elderly doctor with white hair, and he speaks and behaves in a calm, confident and leisurely manner . If you are sitting in the consulting room, it really makes the patient feel a sense of trust and security when they see it.

But now on the sidelines of a fierce game, his slowness can only make a boy like Hu Lai feel impatient.

"Isn't that better?" he replied.

"Better?" The old doctor couldn't understand how it would be better if his nose was bleeding again...

"Then I can come down for another treatment, and when I walk off the field slowly due to excessive blood loss, there will not be many seconds left in the game." Hu Lai gave his explanation.

"..." The old doctor was speechless, what is going on in the minds of children nowadays!

He patted Hu Lai's shoulder hard: "Okay, let's go to the court!"

Hu Lai stepped forward quickly, stood on the sidelines, raised his arms high and waved to the referee, hoping that he could see it sooner.

At the same time as he raised his hand, the referee had already made a hook gesture to him, indicating that he could play.

At this time, Huitang Middle School has almost turned the game into a half-court offensive and defensive battle.

When Hu Lai ran onto the field, behind him on the bench of Dongchuan Middle School, all the substitute players had left their positions and stood side by side side by side, eagerly awaiting the whistle for the end of the game.

Beside Li Ziqiang, the team leader teacher also stood there, with an expectant expression on his face, waiting for the end of the game.

※※※

Li Qingqing looked up at the game time, the fourth official had already held up the stoppage time sign, and the stoppage time was three minutes.

In three minutes, the game will be over.

In other words, Dongchuan Middle School is only three minutes away from reaching the quarterfinals of the national competition.

As a team that entered the national competition for the first time, it was able to become the top eight. This performance is very remarkable.

She is happy for her father,

Being able to lead a high school football team to achieve such results immediately after coming out of the Transit fully proves his ability.

At the same time, she was also happy for Hu Lai.

When I watched him clumsily train alone in that small open space, I never imagined that one day, this clumsy boy would score three goals in the national competition and help the team reach the top eight in the country.

But when she saw him for the first time, she thought he was like a dog with a frisbee...

Thinking of that first scene, Li Qingqing couldn't help laughing again.

She never told Hu Lai what his image was in her heart - she was afraid that Hu Lai would be angry if she said it, surely no one would like to be thought of as a dog by others, right?

She looked at the small figure on the TV screen with a smile on her face.

※※※

With the passage of time, the players of Huitang Middle School became more and more impatient, while Dongchuan Middle School's countermeasures were very simple, focusing on safety. When they got the ball, they kicked it directly to the sideline of the front field, trying to let the football Out of bounds.

In this way, it takes time to re-serve the throw-in, and the game time is consumed reasonably.

Hu Lai panted and ran on the court, wherever he got the ball, he didn't care about his position at this time, even if it could interfere with the opponent's attack, it would be good.

He is not good at defense, so he can only make a small contribution to the team in this way.

During this process, he has no time to pay attention to how much time is left in the game.

It wasn't until he suddenly heard three whistles, and the shouts in the stands increased, that he realized—the game is over!

They became the top eight teams in the national competition!

So he stopped chasing the football and ran to the nearest teammates with open arms to hug and celebrate with them.

"The game is over! The game is over! It's unbelievable! Dongchuan Middle School, which participated in the national competition for the first time, actually defeated Huitang Middle School, the fourth place in the previous national competition, 3:2 in the second round!" The narrator shouted excitedly, He has no obvious bias, but everyone likes to see upsets, and he is no exception.

"In the strength comparison between the two sides before the game, Huitang Middle School is stronger than Dongchuan Middle School. But this is the charm of football games. Before the final whistle, you will never know who will win in the end! Huitang Middle School started Great, they once led Dongchuan Middle School by two goals in the first half, but then Dongchuan Middle School launched a Jedi counterattack and scored three goals in a row! Looking at it now, Luo Kai’s goal in the first half is very crucial, and it will divide the points. The difference was narrowed to one point, which boosted the morale and confidence of the Dongchuan Middle School team, and laid the foundation for the Jedi counterattack in the second half... Of course, Hu Lai, who came off the bench on the 14th in the second half, also played an important role. The first goal directly helped the team equalize the score. Although the second goal was a bit of luck, it was scored after all..."

While the commentator was still talking, the Dongchuan Middle School players on the sidelines couldn't wait to rush into the field. They cheered, screamed, jumped, spun, and some even burst into tears.

Chu Yifan's eyes turned red.

Yan Yan hugged him tightly: "What's the matter, Captain Chu? Why are you so popular?"

Chu Yifan rubbed his eyes: "There are grass clippings in my eyes."

Yan Yan laughed loudly: "I understand, understand, understand."

Chu Yifan looked at Luo Kai and Hu Lai who were hugging with his teammates, and sighed deeply: "During the Anton Cup, I felt that I would be satisfied if I could participate in the national competition once in my life. For me, the national competition It is a very far away, very sacred stage... but those who can participate in the national competition are the best teams, and I have been dreaming of this dream since I entered Dongchuan Middle School..."

Yan Yan didn't speak, just smiled and patted the captain's shoulder.

"I should thank Luo Kai and Hu Lai. They not only helped me realize my dream, but also far exceeded my original expectations. I just wanted to participate in the national competition, but I didn't expect that I could really reach the quarterfinals... When others said that Jiaxiang High School won the top 16 and top 8 in the national competition, they thought it was really amazing..."

"So now we are the same as Jiaxiang!" Yan Yan said.

※※※

"Boom!"

Suddenly there was a crisp sound in the locked principal's office, as if something had been thrown to the ground.

This made the principal's secretary who was sitting in the distance stand up nervously, and looked towards the door.

He knew what the old headmaster was doing behind closed doors at this time, because it wasn't the first time the headmaster had done this during this period of time.

Watching football, of course.

But watch the ball and see something fall...

A thought popped into the secretary's mind: Could it be that our Dongchuan Middle School lost the game? The old principal threw something in a rage?

Thinking of this, he walked quickly to the door, but stopped just as he was about to put his hand on the doorknob—the old headmaster locked it, and he couldn't open it...

He raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Principal Zhai? Principal Zhai?"

He also vaguely heard the roar coming from the TV behind the door, but he couldn't make out what was said...

Just as he was about to knock on the door again, the door was opened from the inside. Principal Zhai stood in front of him and said to him with a smile: "Xiao Wang, ask Auntie Cleaning to clean my room."

The secretary looked at Principal Zhai in front of him. There were water stains on his hair, and some water stains on his shoulders and chest that had not been wiped off quickly.

"Principal Zhai, this is..." he asked strangely.

"Oh, I was so excited, I accidentally knocked over the teacup." Principal Zhai stepped aside, and his secretary saw the broken ceramic teacup on the floor behind him, and the spray-shaped teacup extending from the desk to the floor. tea...

"Well, Principal Zhai, did we... lose?" the secretary asked cautiously.

"Losing? How is it possible..."

Before Principal Zhai finished speaking, the secretary heard the excited voice of the commentator from the TV in the house: "Dongchuan Middle School, which is participating in the national competition for the first time, has achieved remarkable results! They eliminated the previous one 3:2. The fourth place in the competition, Huitang Middle School, entered the top eight of the competition!"

The secretary who heard these words showed a surprised expression, but the smile on the face of Principal Zhai standing in front of him became brighter and brighter, like a blooming flower.

※※※

While the players from Dongchuan Middle School were wildly celebrating their promotion, their opponents from Huitang Middle School were all slumped on the ground.

Many people, including captain Wang Chaolin and vice-captain Ke Yan, looked up at the sky and couldn't stop their tears from streaming down their faces.

They were fourth in the country last year, but they stopped in the second round of this competition.

Such a huge gap is unacceptable to many people.

Especially high school players like Wang Chaolin. The loss of this game meant the end of their high school football career.

After returning to school, they will all retire from the team and devote themselves wholeheartedly to preparing for the college entrance examination.

Unless some of them will choose to develop in the direction of professional football...

After shaking hands with Li Ziqiang, the head coach of Huitang Middle School, Lu Jianbai, walked onto the court.

He walked up to the distraught players, looked at the crying players, pursed his lips and didn't speak for a long time.

He quietly gave those children time to cry.

As boys, this is probably one of the few times they can cry without being laughed at.

He didn't bother them.

It wasn't until a while later that he said: "Get up, you still have to shake hands with your opponent."

He didn't yell at them, scold them, criticize them like before.

After the players assembled, they looked at the sad and fearful players and said, "Don't worry, I won't scold you. I don't scold you. It's not because you tried your best in this game, so you have no complaints and no complaints." I regret it. You still have a lot of problems in this game, some of which are even serious, otherwise we would not have lost the game. I don’t scold you because the game has already been lost, and now I call you the grandchildren It doesn't work either. If we have another game, I will definitely scold you so much that you can't eat or sleep at night. I promise, you should all know what kind of coach I am."

The players pursed their lips and looked at the ferocious head coach they were used to.

As the captain, Wang Chaolin choked up a little: "Coach, we..."

Lu Jianbai waved his hand: "Don't rush to apologize. You made mistakes in the game, and I also made mistakes in the game-I shouldn't ignore the No. 14 who was replaced. I ignored him, so you also ignored I lost him... But now these are not important. Students, youth is like this, like a football game, there will always be mistakes, either here or there, and may even make mistakes again in the same place."

Speaking of this, he took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled: "Remember these mistakes, don't lie to yourself with those self-deceiving excuses. Remember, because you made a mistake, you lost the game. If you make a mistake, you will lose the game." There must be a price, that is the price. If you are sad because you were eliminated, you must remember this and then in the rest of your life - not only football, but also other things - give me Remember this, don't take chances, think that as long as you make a mistake, you will be fine. Let me tell you, as long as you make a mistake, there will be a price waiting for you to pay, either at the time or in the future. When? I hope my words can be of some help to you, now go and shake hands with your opponents, be generous, they play better than you!"

※※※

The players of Jiaxiang High School did not turn off the projector and leave after the game. When they saw the opponents they defeated in the third and fourth finals last year, but now fell on the road of sixteen to eight, it was inevitable that they were a little bit embarrassed .

The single-elimination national competition is too cruel. A team has prepared for a year, but they have to go home after only playing one or two games.

In fact, since the birth of the national competition, there has always been a controversial voice, who believes that the national competition should adopt a World Cup-like group match plus knockout system, so that the team can play a few more games and have more participation. feel.

But doing so will prolong the competition time, and there is concern about delaying students' preparation for the college entrance examination. It may make the senior players directly withdraw from the national competition.

Therefore, the national competition has always adhered to the current single-elimination competition system.

Although cruel, although there are shortcomings, as long as it is competitive sports, how can it be without cruelty and regret?

Chongwen Middle School, the champion of the previous national competition, was eliminated in the first round of the last competition. It is more cruel and regrettable than Huitang Middle School today.

Everyone has to get used to and accept this kind of cruelty and regret. After all, there are more cruel and regrettable things than the national competition waiting for them in the society.

Seeing that everyone's emotions were affected, the captain Wu Yue stood up and slapped his hands: "Hey, everyone should correct their positions. We are the team of Andong Province. Dongchuan Middle School represents our Andong Province. Everyone should stand up for them. I am very pleased with the outstanding performance!"

At this moment, the live broadcast on the projection screen was still going on, and Hu Lai appeared on the screen and was being interviewed.

Seeing this scene, the players of Jiaxiang High School were a little surprised: "I'm going to interview Hu Lai after today's game?! This kid..."

"It's normal. He scored two goals in the game. Looking at the goals alone, he is the biggest contributor to Dongchuan Middle School's promotion to the quarterfinals..."

"It's really unexpected. When we played against us, he used his hand to brush the captain's hair. He was a completely unreliable brat... But now he is a player who can score three goals in the national competition... ..."

The on-site interview came from the speakers: "Student Hu Lai, first of all, congratulations to your team for advancing to the quarter-finals. Before the game, many people thought that Dongchuan Middle School participated in the national competition for the first time. Keep moving forward. But the fighting spirit and level you showed in the competition are unforgettable, how do you feel about reaching the quarter-finals in the first national competition?"

Hearing this question, the Jiaxiang High School players who were discussing a lot shut their mouths and turned to look at the person on the big screen.

I saw Hu Lai showing a puzzled expression: "Is it incredible to defeat the fourth place in the previous year? I haven't thought about this problem at all... After all, we eliminated the third place in the previous year in the province." National competition."

Seeing the strange expression on the reporter's face, he thought that the other party didn't believe him, so he quickly said: "It's Jiaxiang High School, isn't it the third place in the last national competition? We won them all. So you see, win the last national competition Fourth place, is it nothing special?"

He spread his hands.

Reporter: "Uh..."

The Jiaxiang High School players in the audio-visual room were stunned for a few seconds, and then collectively exploded.

"I take back what I just said! This is still an unreliable brat!"

"Wow! It's too much to deceive! Don't bring such a corpse!"

"Damn it! You're only in the top eight and you're pulling it like this! What a fart you are!"

"Just wait and see, the next Anton Cup will let you know who is the boss of Anton High School football!"

"Wu Yue, it's not that I don't give you face! Let such a brat represent us Anton, I won't do it!"

Wu Yue covered his face, and thought to himself, what are you guys doing...

Feng Yuanchang, who was sitting in the last row of the classroom, saw this scene with a smile on his face.

In the next Anton Cup, as a coach, he doesn't have to worry about mobilization at all...