"Haha..." Upon seeing the ball fly into the goal, Pogba pointed at Zhang Xu and burst into laughter, saying, "Look...look at this, haha, this is what you call a sign! This is luck! Kid, even if you can stop me, can you stop my team? Haha!"
"Hmph! If I can stop you, I can certainly stop your team!" Zhang Xu retorted angrily.
"Well, first, I need to go celebrate the goal with my mates, goodbye, haha!" said Pogba, laughing heartily as he left.
Zhang Xu watched Pogba run away, feeling frustrated but helpless.
With less than twenty minutes left in the match, the unexpected setback made the situation tense for the Woluwe team.
Zhang Xu didn't like the taste of defeat, and nobody did. So, he started to give it his all!
So, he started to fight back with all his might!
When the game resumed, Zhang Xu began running tirelessly, using his robust physicality and a speed rating of 92 to extend his defensive area indefinitely.
While defending actively, he also began to try to help his team attack.
Pogba naturally sneered at Zhang Xu's desperate tactics.
During one of their encounters, Pogba taunted, "Kid, this won't have any effect. It will only drain your energy, and by then, I'd like to see how you can defend against me!"
"Don't worry, rooster head, I have plenty of energy!" Zhang Xu didn't bother to argue and ran towards the ball after his reply.
"Rooster head?" Pogba was stunned for a moment before realizing, touched his hair, and yelled angrily, "Damn! This isn't a rooster head, this is a razor trim, the most fashionable hairstyle! Hey, hey, did you hear that?"
"I heard you, rooster head!" came a response from afar that made Pogba seethe with anger...
Seeing Zhang Xu's relentless efforts, his teammates were deeply inspired. Football is not an individual sport, and seeing one player giving his all motivated the whole team.
Thus, under Zhang Xu's lead, the Woluwe team, like they were injected with chicken blood, taking the game to Antwerp.
The Woluwe team went all out, but Antwerp wasn't prepared for such a fight. The situation on the field suddenly shifted, and the previously dominant Antwerp now seemed to be on the defensive.
Zhang Xu and his teammates' desperate playing style immediately excited all the Woluwe fans and the new Chinese fans. They shouted, waved, and jumped madly along with Zhang Xu and the others.
Perhaps these fans didn't even know what they were shouting, and perhaps the players on the field had no chance or time to see the waving flags and scarves, but they still shouted and did so, as if only by doing this could they help the team and feel their hearts connected with the team's.
It was a feeling of sharing the same breath and fate!
This is what fans are!
This is also the powerful charm given by football!
With the joint efforts of the team and the fans, the Woluwe team soon came to their first climax.
In the 77th minute, the game's intensity was palpable. Zhang Xu, with his keen sense of anticipation, intercepted an Antwerp pass. He quickly relayed the ball to Driss, the team captain, who deftly dribbled past an opposing midfielder attempting to regain possession. Driss, showcasing his creativity, then executed a precise lob pass that sailed over Antwerp's defensive line.
Seizing the moment, Henry made a darting run forward, timing his approach to meet Driss's lob. He unleashed a shot towards the goal, a mix of finesse and power. The Antwerp goalkeeper stretched to his limits, but the shot's crafty trajectory eluded his grasp. Just when he was in despair, a sound like celestial music, "tink", rang above his head!
The ball hit the post and rebounded back into the penalty area!
Antwerp's defense, recovering quickly, managed to clear the danger with a forceful kick.
This near-goal moment electrified the Woluwe players, igniting a fiery determination within them. In the 81st minute, while Antwerp was still reeling, Woluwe mounted another offensive. Again, it was Zhang Xu who sparked the play with a stunning slide tackle, starting from five meters away. His tackle was a perfect blend of timing and aggression, dispossessing Antwerp's midfielder Dunk and leaving him startled and dispossessed.
Zhang Xu, lying on the ground, cleverly passed the ball to Gil on the right. After the pass, he casually got up, nonchalantly patted his jersey, walked away amidst Dunk's horrified expression. Gil then took over, displaying his speed and skill along the sideline before playing the ball back to Driss who came up diagonally. knocked the ball back, allowing Gil, now on the edge of offside, to cross the ball into the area.
The cross was low and fast. Zhang Xu, using his formidable jumping ability, leaped from outside the penalty area. He flew an impressive three meters, meeting the ball with a powerful header.
"Bang!" The ball smashed towards the goal.
However, his technique was slightly off, and the header missed the target.
Although Woluwe fought like crazy, Antwerp, was not without their chances. Pogba created an opportunity, allowing Antwerp's forward Schmidt to successfully break the offside trap. If Schmidt hadn't been hasty in his shot, Antwerp could've have scored another goal to secure the victory.
Of course, in this world, there are no ifs, only inevitabilities.
Now, in the 87th minute of the game, this inevitability arrived.
Zhang Xu once again made a crucial play. He intercepted a pass intended for Pogba and quickly sent a long ball to the left field where Damien was unmarked.
Damien, taking advantage of the lack of defense, quickly cut inside.
When he reached the upper left corner of the penalty area, the opposing defender came up to him. He didn't use fancy footwork to take him on, but made a precise pass.
His pass, made with the instep, bypassed the defender, the ball skimmed past the defender's right leg finding its way into the penalty area. Henry, timing his run, received the ball but was quickly challenged by an Antwerp defender. In a split-second decision, Henry kicked the ball back to the middle of the penalty area.
There, Driss was perfectly positioned to meet the ball. With a fierce strike, he sent the ball flashing into the Antwerp goal.
Goal!
As the match was about to end, the Woluwe team, led by Zhang Xu and fighting with all their might, finally managed to tie the score!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!" Today's commentator was quite fair. Seeing this wonderful goal, he couldn't help but shout loudly.
"What a spectacular goal, starting with Zhang's interception, a series of passes, showing the best form of Woluwe in history, and finally with Captain Driss, hitting the target directly! Really beautiful!"
"Since the second half of the game when Woluwe fell behind in the score, the team has changed, fighting crazily, running actively, leading to this hard-earned goal."
"Congratulations to them! They truly deserve this draw!"
After the ball flew into the goal, the fans of Antwerp team quieted down, but the fans of Woluwe team and the red Chinese section went wild.
Roars, drumbeats, and flying flags turned the entire stadium into a sea of joy.
The goal scorer Driss and his teammates surrounded Zhang Xu and came to the front of the red section, lifting their shirts again to show the words that moved Zhang Xu.
After Woluwe celebrated, there wasn't much time left in the game. Antwerp hadn't even had the chance to attack across the halfway line before the referee blew the whistle to end the match.
The game was over!
Thanks to Zhang Xu's spectacular long-range shot and a goal from captain Driss in the second half, Woluwe team fiercely drew against the powerful Antwerp team away from home!
As soon as the match ended, all players of the Woluwe team lay on the ground, not wanting to move.
Though exhausted, everyone's face was filled with the smile of victory, and some even lay on the grass laughing out loud.
Although they didn't win the game, it felt even more exhilarating than a victory!
"Hey, kid! Can you still move?" Just as Zhang Xu was gasping for air and resting, a figure with a rooster comb haircut suddenly appeared before him, looking impatient.
"Nonsense! Try it yourself!" Zhang Xu replied gruffly, but politely got up: "What's up, what are you up to now?"
"Kid, what's your name, Zhang Xu, right? Although you're annoying and hateful, you're indeed a respectable opponent!"
"Thanks!" Zhang Xu smiled: "Although you're not very handsome, I still really like your rooster comb trim!"
Pogba didn't bother with the words 'not very handsome', but he did acknowledge 'rooster comb trim, which made him angry again: "No, no, no, it's not a rooster comb! It's a razor trim! Understand? Razor trim! Damn!"
"Razor trim?"
"Yes, haha, razor trim! Cool, right? Haha, it's the most popular hairstyle right now, I had a fashion stylist design it for me, how about I introduce you to them?" Pogba got excited talking about his hairstyle, and enthusiastically started recommending it to Zhang Xu.
Zhang Xu shuddered at the thought of having a black rooster comb on his head: "Let's not, rooster head!"
"Uh, it's not a rooster, it's a razor!"
"Alright, I got it, rooster head!"
"Razor head!!!"
"I know, rooster head!"
...
"Alright, Zhang, you win, you're really annoying!" Seeing that he couldn't correct Zhang Xu's mistake, Pogba helplessly spread his hands, then took off his shirt and handed it to Zhang Xu: "How about a souvenir?"
"Sure! That'd be great! But isn't exchanging jerseys supposed to be a full set? Why don't you take off your pants and give them to me too?"
"..."