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Chapter 31 Long time no see, Wang Lie

"Daniel White!!"

"careful!"

"Oh!"

The commentator Luo Jin on TV exclaimed repeatedly, and the audience in front of the TV felt like they were on a roller coaster, with their emotions going up and down.

Hurlingham FC's defensive midfielder Daniel White suddenly fired a long shot in front of the penalty area, heading straight for the goal.

Fortunately, the ball hit the body of Tyne center back Matej Katic and flew out of the baseline...

But before the Chinese fans in front of the TV could breathe a sigh of relief, Daniel White, who took the shot, and several other Hlingham FC players suddenly raised their arms to indicate that Katic had committed handball!
"Ah? Handball?" Luo Jin's heart sank.

Before the referee made a decision, the broadcast of the game immediately cut to the slow-motion replay of the previous shot.

So everyone could see clearly that when the football flew over, Katic moved sideways to block it, but his left hand was slightly raised outward, expanding the defensive area, and it was considered a "raising hand" action.

And the football hit his raised palm!

Luo Jin said in a low voice: "Katic did commit handball, but whether this handball will lead to a penalty kick, we may have to wait and see..."

In today's penalty area, whether a handball should be awarded a penalty kick or not is a matter of discretion in the rules, and the referee will make a decision based on the specific circumstances. For example, handball can be divided into intentional handball and unintentional handball, and unintentional handball can be divided into whether it changes the trajectory of the ball and the result of the attack.

If the ball's trajectory is indeed changed, but if the referee believes that the ball was kicked too close to the player who committed the handball, making it difficult for the offending player to react, then even if it is a handball, a penalty may not be awarded...

So Luo Jin didn't say anything definite, but at the same time he still had some hope.

England commentator Connor Cowley did not have Luo Jin's concerns, he said directly: "Katic's raised arm changed the flight trajectory of the football, the football that was originally heading for the goal went out of the baseline! In other words, Katic used his hand to prevent Herlingham from scoring a very likely goal! Even if he did it unintentionally... this was an undisputed handball foul, he should have been awarded a penalty kick!"

The visiting team's fans cheered first at Lize Park, but were quickly suppressed by the boos from the home team's fans.

After the replay screen exited, the referee was seen using the headset to communicate with the video referee team.

During this time, both Hurlingham FC players and Tyne players surrounded him and tried to put pressure on him.

The referee used his other hand to make a "stay away from me" gesture.

Katic was very excited. He kept repeating: "I didn't mean to do that! I didn't mean to do that!"

Daniel White, who took the shot, also repeated to the referee: "He stopped my goal! He stopped my goal!"

Tyne goalkeeper Goetz shouted angrily: "Bullshit! Even if he didn't block it, I could have saved the ball!"

There was a lot of noise around the referee, but he was still communicating calmly with the video referee team.

Their conversation did not last long. The video referee team asked him if he wanted to go to the sidelines to watch the slow-motion replay. The referee said no, he could see it clearly.

Then he waved his hand to signal the players on both sides in front of him to disperse, and then pointed his right hand to... the penalty spot!

"Penalty! Not a corner kick, but a penalty kick! Alas!" Luo Jin sighed.

Wang Ziqi, who was watching TV, spread his hands and said, "Well, it looks like we're going to have a headwind today."

Luo Jin has already begun to explain the logic behind this penalty to the audience:
"...Ten minutes into the second half, from these ten minutes of play, the away team, Herlingham, gradually gained the upper hand. Because the high-pressure defense in the first half was too physically demanding, the players of Tyne were somewhat unable to cope in the second half. In addition, they were not focused enough on defense. Just now, when Daniel White kicked the ball in front of the penalty area, no Tyne player went up to interfere with him! The result was this penalty..."

※※※

McNeill and his coaching colleagues in front of the home team's coaching bench were very dissatisfied with the penalty - they didn't care how the rules explained the handball foul, they were just simply dissatisfied with the penalty kick awarded to their team.

McNeill knows his team's character too well. This penalty will definitely affect the morale and state of the players on the field!
However, McNeill and his team’s protests could not change the penalty, so after venting their emotions, they had to find a way to prevent the situation from getting worse.

"We need to change the king!"

"Go and call the king!"

Assistant coaches Valo and McNeill said it almost in unison.

When Varo saw that McNeill had the same idea as him, he immediately turned around and called for help from the bench.

"King! King! Quick! Get ready to go out on stage!"

※※※

Hurlingham FC assistant coach Liam Andrew of course fully supported the decision. He clapped his hands and shouted, "Good! Good decision!"

Then he and head coach Rossiter high-fived each other and praised: "You are right, as long as we can put enough pressure on them, they will lose sight of the big picture!"

Rost smiled and said, "It's no secret. After McNeill took over as coach, this 'mercenary team' has been much better. It was even worse before. Have you forgotten how we beat them in the first half of the season?"

In the third round of this season, Hurlingham FC played against Tyne at home. Tyne also scored first in that match. But when Hurlingham FC came out in full force and launched a desperate attack, Tyne could not withstand it. From the first goal lost, the game went downhill and eventually lost 1:4.

Assistant coach Andrew was excited: "Then starting from this penalty kick, the game will take a turn! It's our turn to fight back!"

Rost was amused by Andrew's words, and then he caught a glimpse of some movement in front of the home team's coaching booth next door.

He turned and looked over.

Wang Lie, who had taken off his coat, stood in front of Tyne head coach McNeill, who was giving him instructions.

Rost's smile did not disappear when he saw this scene, but became even brighter:

You are finally coming out!
Then he turned and looked back at the podium.

The general manager and Chinese owner of Hurlingham FC were there.

Take a good look, this is the person you have been thinking about!
※※※

"Wang Lie is about to go on stage!"

The penalty had not been taken yet, but the TV broadcast suddenly cut from the front of Tyne's goal to the Tyne coaching bench on the sidelines. Everyone saw McNeill giving instructions to Wang Lie.

Luo Jin, who had been sighing in a low voice just now, seemed like a different person and shouted excitedly.

Wang Ziqi in front of the TV also jumped off the sofa and cheered: "Oh oh oh!! Dad is going to play!!"

It seems that he doesn't care at all whether it's against the wind or not.

Not to mention him, even Grandma Zhou Hong couldn't help but get excited at this time.

Her son's last Premier League appearance was last year...

"Wang Lie's last Premier League appearance was on December 20th last year, in the 16th round of the league..."

Luo Jin was also looking back.

"In that match, Sofia United defeated Tyne's opponent today, Hlingham FC, 2:1 away from home. Wang Lie came on as a substitute in the last fifteen minutes of the game and did not score any goals or assists. No one thought at the time that it would be Wang Lie's last game for Sofia United in the Premier League... One month, one week and four days, a total of forty-two days later, we saw him again in the Premier League! Long time no see, Wang Lie!"

Zhou Hong sat up slightly in the wheelchair, looking forward to her son's appearance.

Tang Xingmei did the same. She didn't even scold her son and asked him to be quiet in the middle of the night.

But she was not only looking forward to it, she was also a little scared.

This is my husband's first game after joining the new team. His performance is directly related to how smooth the road ahead will be.

She knew very well that this was her husband's last chance, and if he failed to deliver a convincing performance, tremendous pressure and criticism would come like a landslide.

By then, even she would not have the confidence that her husband could make a comeback...

Tang Xingmei clasped her hands together and pressed them tightly against her mouth to suppress her slightly trembling teeth.

※※※

Almost everyone's attention was drawn to the scene happening in front of Tyne's coaching booth at this moment, even the players on the field.

Elliot Goetz saw Wang Lie being pulled aside by head coach McNeill for explanation.

He knew that Wang Lie was going to play, so he secretly vowed in his heart that he must save this penalty kick. He couldn't let Wang Lie face such a mess in his first appearance in Tyne!

But even though Goetz judged the direction correctly, he still failed to save the powerful penalty kick from Hlingham FC striker Mohammed Kutari. "Kutari! Nice shot! Hlingham has tied the score!"

Goetz, lying on the ground, angrily pounded the grass with his fists.

He still didn't do it!

When he got up from the ground, Wang Lie was already on the sidelines preparing to go on the court.

The fourth official raised the substitution sign right next to him.

No. 26 goes down and No. 99 goes up.

No. 26 Ryan Graham was about to walk off the court when he was stopped by Goetz.

"Give this to Wang." Goetz took off the captain's armband on his arm and handed it to Graham.

Graham took the captain's armband and turned to run to the sidelines.

Because all the TV broadcast cameras were on Wang Lie, it was not until Graham ran up to Wang Lie, high-fived him and handed him the captain's armband that the commentators realized that Tyne's on-field captain had been replaced!

"Graham handed the captain's armband to Wang Lie... Does this mean that Wang Lie will be the captain on the field?"

"Wang is the captain of Tyne?!"

The commentators were surprised - they had never heard that Wang Lie was the captain of Tyne before...

The fact that Goetz gave up the captaincy to Wang Lie was only known within the team and was not spread outside, and the club's various official accounts did not publicize this matter.

So even though Wang Lie has been acting as the captain of the team for almost ten days, this is actually his first appearance in public as "Captain Tyne".

Everyone was just a little surprised at first, but didn't think too deeply about it.

After all, although Wang Lie is not the captain of the club, he has always been the captain of the Chinese national team, so it is not surprising that Tyne wears the captain's armband now, and it is not worth making a fuss about.

Compared with this, Wang Lie's return to the Premier League and his debut for Tyne are more worthy of talk.

Connor Cowley: "McNeill replaced the starting striker Graham with Wang. This was Wang's first appearance for Tyne! But to be honest, seeing Wang wearing a jersey other than that of Sofia United in the Premier League is a bit...uncomfortable! But you have to get used to it, because this is a new chapter in Wang's career... In a brand new team, on a brand new stage, everything from the jersey to the number is brand new... As a tribute to such a legendary player, I hope he will do well in Tyne, although I also know it will be difficult..."

Luo Jin: "From leading by one goal in the first half to being equalized by the opponent's penalty kick, Wang Lie made his debut for Tyne under such circumstances. He was faced with difficulties right from the start... This is really not the best time to play! McNeill seemed a little hesitant when the team encountered difficulties in the second half - if he had let Wang Lie play directly during the halftime break, would there be no penalty kick?"

Wang Ziqi shouted in front of the TV: "'Mercenaries', give us some strength!"

※※※

After Wang Lie took over from Graham, he ran onto the court while putting the captain's armband on his arm.

He didn't expect that Goetz would ask Graham to bring the captain's armband to him.

Although he is the captain, Goetz can wear it all the time, and he does not intend to ask him for the armband.

But Wang Lie also understood why Goetz did this.

The team is now tied and morale is low. Goetz hopes he can boost the team's morale.

What he handed over was not only the captain's armband, but also a heavy expectation and responsibility.

Wang Lie took the lead. After putting on the captain's armband, he clapped his hands at his teammates and shouted, "They can only score from penalties! That's no big deal! Now it's our turn to charge them!"

Then he found Vitini and told him what McNeill wanted him to pass: "If you have the opportunity to cut in from the wing, cut in. If there is no space to shoot, pass the ball back, pass it in a triangle, and Van Ginkel will move forward to meet you, and I will open up space for you. If there is no opportunity to cut in from the wing, just pass it directly to the top of my head."

Vitini nodded excitedly: "I'll listen to you, King!"

He could finally...finally fight alongside his idol in the game! When he thought of this, he didn't even feel how frustrated and unhappy it was that the opponent had just tied the score.

Wang Lie smiled and patted his shoulder: "I listen to the boss. These are all arranged by the boss."

Then he ran to find Van Ginkel: "The boss asked you to press forward as much as possible, get closer to me and Vitini, especially when I press in front of the opponent's goal, you must quickly and decisively get to the area near their penalty spot. If you have a chance to shoot, don't hesitate."

The Dutch attacking midfielder asked: "Like in training?"

Wang Lie nodded and said, "Yes, just like we did in training."

In the past week of training, McNeill's way of using Wang Lie was to use Wang Lie's threat to create shooting opportunities for his teammates, rather than simply letting everyone pass the ball to Wang Lie.

McNeill and his coaching staff believed that it was unrealistic to expect Wang Lie to help the team with goals immediately. If they wanted Wang Lie to become a ready-to-fight player, they had to work on his center attributes.

When Wang Lie was young, he was not a center but a forward. He gradually became a center as he got older.

Especially after the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

In fact, if we look at Wang Lie solely by the standards of a center, he is not a top-notch center. After all, his back-to-the-basket ability is not outstanding enough.

But you can't use the standard center forward template on Wang Lie. He just needs to stand in the penalty area, even if everyone knows that his back-to-the-basket ability is not top-notch, but what does it matter? Who dares not to send someone to mark him? Who would ignore the presence of a current top scorer in the penalty area?
So other teammates naturally have opportunities and space.

The only thing that needs to be done is to persuade Wang Lie to give up some shooting opportunities.

McNeill didn't expect that Wang Lie was so reasonable. He readily agreed to cooperate with the team's tactics and help his teammates.

However, the above are all the results in training. Whether McNeill’s ideas are really useful still needs to be tested in actual combat.

If this game can show what McNeil wants, then Tyne will most likely stick to this style of play in the future.

Although he had performed similar things in training, at this moment, McNeill, who was standing on the sidelines and looking at Wang Lie, was still nervous.

He said that he had confidence in this veteran who was about to turn 38, and he did a lot of targeted work because of this.

But football is a result-oriented sport after all, and victory or defeat determines everything.

If he loses this game, how long can his stuff last?

Was Wang Lie's final decline in Sofolian due to Helden not giving him enough opportunities and trust, or was it a true reflection of Wang Lie's own decline in ability?

He felt like a gambler standing at the gambling table, pushing all the chips in his hand up.

Then just wait for the dice cup to shake.

※※※

"The King!! The King is here!!"

Jon Berg in the stands was very excited when he saw Wang Lie walk out of the bench and come to the head coach.

Now watching Wang Lie run onto the court, he waved his fist at Robbie Dixie beside him: "Robbie, you lose! Ha! A glass of beer!"

Robbie Dixie cursed: "Damn it! Katich is old too. How could he not control his arm on that ball?"

Berg laughed: "Don't change the subject. You don't think Wang wouldn't play if there was no penalty kick, right? I tell you, it's just a matter of time, he will definitely play!"

Dixie, who had already lost a bet, curled his lips and snorted, "Do you really believe that he can turn the situation around?"

"Of course I believe it. That's 'China Wang'! Don't you know what this title means? 'Seven-time champion'! 'Ballon d'Or'! 'Current top scorer'! 'Champions League top scorer'... I can give you more if you need me to!"

Dixie shook her head: "That was all in the past. The current 'China Wang' is old..."

"I'm old too. But look at me, I can shout with more energy than you! Age is not the key to everything, this is it!"

Berg stabbed himself in the heart.

"I can still feel the passion that football brings me. And you, Robbie. You are only 69 years old, but your mentality is like a 96-year-old dying person, refusing to believe in 'possibility'!"

"That sounds nice," Dixie laughed, "but in football, it's not whoever says the nicest things will win."

"It doesn't matter. There's only about half an hour left before the end of the game. Let's just watch!"

After saying that, the two stopped arguing about who was right and who was wrong, and both turned their eyes to the court.

They are at the scene of this game. Just witness with your own eyes who is right and who is wrong.

(End of this chapter)