Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 8 Appearance in the Match
The eighth round of the Austrian Bundesliga in the 2008-2009 season.

Kaffinburg hosted Altach at home, and the 12000-seat Franz Fekert Stadium was packed to capacity.

Despite Kaffinburg's poor performance, it's already a good thing for such a small city to be playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, and even if they are relegated, it's not a big deal.

Their opponent, Altach, has also had a poor season, and both teams consider each other a must-win opponent.

Dan Yongzhuo sat on the bench, feeling somewhat conflicted.

"If the opponent takes the lead, and then the team goes a long time without scoring, maybe I'll get to play?"

"But I'm a member of Kaffinburg, so I shouldn't be so selfish. I should want the team to win."

"Or, the team falls behind first, then I come on as a substitute, turn the tide, and help the team come back to win?"

Various thoughts collided fiercely in Shan Yongzhuo's mind, making him appear somewhat lost in thought while sitting in his seat.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Dan Yongzhuo turned his head and saw his teammate Su Gusu smiling at him.

"Don't be nervous, this is just a regular league match."

"Thank you, I'm not nervous," Shan Yongzhuo said with a smile. "I was just thinking about how I could possibly get a chance to play."

Su Gusu nodded and said calmly, "I can understand. I understand the feeling of looking forward to playing, only to sit there for the whole game. After all, it's really too difficult for a substitute goalkeeper to get playing time."

Only then did Shan Yongzhuo realize that this guy was the goalkeeper...

In a match, it is relatively rare for a substitute goalkeeper to come on.

Moreover, Su Gusu is already over 30 years old, making him the oldest player on the team. He's almost at the age where he'll retire, and he's just rediscovering the feeling of his youth.

Just as Sugus was reminiscing about his less-than-successful career, the situation on the field changed.

In the 22nd minute, Altach took the lead.

It was a corner kick that the opposing striker, Jalic, powerfully headed the ball into the net, giving Altach the lead away from home.

The stadium was deathly silent, and even the old man's reminiscence was interrupted. The atmosphere on the bench was a little somber for a moment because the team was behind.

When a team keeps losing, this is what happens.

Pflug felt a headache coming on. The forwards were in a slump, with star striker Gošić in poor form. He brought on substitute striker Verga for this match, but the situation remained unchanged.

For the remainder of the game, Kaffinburg were very passive. They couldn't even mount a threatening attack, let alone score a goal. By the end of the first half, Kaffinburg had only managed three shots, all of which were harmless long-range attempts.

During halftime, the atmosphere in the locker room was incredibly somber.

Each player was doing their own thing, and no one was talking about the game.

The second half continued, but the situation did not improve much.

In the 50th minute, midfielder Fiwanin pulled one back, but just eight minutes later, Altach striker Jalic scored with a long-range shot to put the team ahead again.

Head coach Pflug was getting restless and decided to make a substitution. The players on the bench seemed to notice this as well, and immediately straightened their backs, looking eager to try.

Pfluger's gaze swept across the bench, passing over each player, and finally settled on Shan Yongzhuo.

"Single, go warm up!" Pufflug's tone was firm and left no room for argument.

"Huh? Me?" Shan Yongzhuo was stunned for a moment. He was prepared to sit on the sidelines and didn't react for a while.

"What? Don't want to?"

"No, no, I'll go right now." Shan Yongzhuo was overjoyed and stood up abruptly, immediately taking off his coat to warm up.

Old Su Gusu watched from the sidelines with envy, saying, "Kid, you're lucky to be able to come on as a substitute in your first game."

Pflug looked at Shan Yongzhuo, who was warming up, and still felt a little hesitant.

When considering substitutions, he didn't think of Shan Yongzhuo, but after glancing at the bench, he changed his mind.

The substitute striker, Gošić, has proven to be unreliable. Wilson and Biki are both young players, so Pflug doesn't need to consider their opinions too much. Instead of bringing them on, it would be better to try Shan Yongzhuo.

If none of these options work, what if this kid can?

With this in mind, Shan Yongzhuo got the chance to play.

In the 65th minute, number 7 Verga was substituted off, and number 19 Shan Yongzhuo came on as a substitute.

Watching Shan Yongzhuo walk onto the field, his head trembling slightly with excitement, Pflug smiled. "At worst, he won't make it either, but what if he can continue his magic from the training matches? Maybe..."

"Kaffinburg has made a substitution. Vilga has been replaced by... number 19, Shan? Shan?" "This is a new player; the combination of his name is quite a mouthful..."

The stadium announcement paused briefly before the information was found: "This is a young striker from China, a player promoted by Pflugge from the B team."

"Perhaps he is a genius?"

The stadium commentators seemed to have high expectations for Shan Yongzhuo, after all, he was a player who came from their own youth academy.

Very few of the Kafenberg fans in the stands knew Shan Yongzhuo; he had only been a member of Kafenberg for a little over three months.

Shan Yongzhuo?
At least most fans can't even spell his name correctly.

However, the fans still applauded and encouraged the young Chinese player. After all, he was a player who came through the club's youth training system and was a child of Kaffinburg.

Of course, if he performs poorly, fans won't mind booing him.

……

The moment Shan Yongzhuo stepped onto the court, he felt extremely nervous.

It would be a lie to say I'm not nervous.

Although it's just the Austrian Bundesliga.

Moreover, Kaffinburg's home stadium only has a little over 10,000 spectators.

But it is, after all, a professional league, and its level is undoubtedly far superior to that of the Chinese Super League.

Shan Yongzhuo kept reminding himself, "This is a professional competition!"

Everyone has expectations and nervousness for their first time. After hugging Verga, who was substituted off the field, Shan Yongzhuo patted his face.

"Don't be nervous, it's nothing!"

However, once the game started, an awkward situation quickly arose.

Dan Yongzhuo was detached from the team's overall tactical system, a fact he himself had realized. What made it even more difficult was that he was marked by Milian, the defensive linchpin of Altach.

Milian was tall and experienced, making him a formidable opponent.

Mi Lian showed no slack in the face of Shan Yongzhuo, and in the five-minute match, Shan Yongzhuo did not gain any advantage.

However, the other party's behavior now left Milian completely puzzled.

What is this guy doing?
are you asleep?

The commentator also noticed this scene, "Has this young player lost confidence because of Milner's defense? Is he sleeping?"

However, just one minute later, Shan Yongzhuo moved.

Kaffinburg's midfielder made a interception, and Fiwanin received the pass and quickly advanced forward.

"Marcos, over here!"

Dan Yongzhuo waved and shouted from the front, which also attracted the attention of the defenders next to him. Mi Lian immediately became alert and closed in.

Fei Huaning passed the ball to Shan Yongzhuo in front of him.

While squeezing past Mi Lian, Shan Yongzhuo rushed towards the ball.

The two were locked in a fierce battle, each vying for the best position. Shan Yongzhuo's strength was only 51 points, so he was no match for Mi Lian, but he still tried his best to grab a spot.

The two arrived at the receiving point together. Mi Lian forcefully pushed Shan Yongzhuo aside, so that although Shan Yongzhuo received the ball, he could not adjust comfortably at all.

However, Shan Yongzhuo didn't care. The moment he received the ball, he didn't adjust himself. As his body tilted and was about to fall, he slammed his right foot into the ball.

"It's back, it's all back!"

The football was kicked out like a cannonball, flying from about 30 meters away directly under the opposing goalkeeper's arm and into the swaying net.

The goalkeeper didn't react at all.

"Goal! Goal!"

"Number 19, the young Chinese player Shan, who just came on the field, scored a world-class goal from 30 meters out!"

"2-2, we've tied the score!"

(End of this chapter)