Chapter 1 Chelsea's Defenses

Chelsea had taken many precautions against Chen Hero, using overall and individual tactics to contain his scoring.

But they couldn't defend against Chen Hero's free kicks.

They couldn't very well stand in front of the ball to block it, could they?

That would be a foul.

They had to retreat the required distance. Even if they subtly moved forward by a meter or two, it wouldn't affect the thirty-seven-meter distance much.

Unless they moved forward four or five meters, it might have some effect…

When Chen Hero precisely blasted the football into the goal guarded by Čech, the entire Wembley Stadium exploded!

Many people hadn't expected that Liverpool would be in the lead! The Liverpool reserves!

Although Chen Hero scored the goal, wasn't it Jay Spearing, a genuine reserve team player, who created the free kick opportunity for him?

"Goal… Goal—scored—!!!"

The commentator roared, drawing out his voice.

"A direct free kick! A distance of thirty-seven meters is nothing to Hero! Nothing at all! His free kicks from this position are easier than penalty kicks!"

"Unbelievable! The Liverpool reserves are actually in the lead in the match! The goal was scored by Hero! This is his thirteenth FA Cup goal of the season! And his twenty-second overall goal in the FA Cup! In the previous three seasons, due to fewer appearances, he didn't score many goals in the FA Cup. He only scored three goals in the first season, two in the second, and four in the third. But this season, he has suddenly exploded, scoring thirteen goals so far! This is truly an amazing achievement! He is now only twenty-two goals away from the FA Cup goal record of forty-four goals set by his club predecessor, Ian Rush, but I believe that if Chen Hero continues at this rate, he will definitely be able to break Ian Rush's record!"

"Liverpool takes the lead! A beautiful goal, a signature free kick!"

"Chelsea must not have expected that their team would be behind in the final… Now the situation has become unfavorable for Chelsea. To win the championship, they must attack with all their might in the following game. But in this way, the space behind them will be exploited by Liverpool for counterattacks—the game has entered Liverpool's favorite rhythm. This reserve team, like the first team, seems to be good at leading their opponents in the game!"

This commentator was right, this was the result of the Liverpool reserves implementing the same tactics as the first team. The characteristics of the two teams were the same, and the reserves and Chen Hero adapted to each other much more easily.

"Hero has scored again! Scoring goals seems like a very simple matter for Hero! As long as the ball is at his feet, Liverpool is not far from scoring!" This commentator planned to talk about Chen Hero's scoring record, he was a knowledgeable commentator with all the information in his head, and when he needed it, he could retrieve the information he needed with a little thought.

This time was no exception, he quickly searched his mind for Chen Hero's goal tally in all competitions this season, and then added them up.

The league was the easiest to find because just recently, a week ago, Chen Hero created his own single-season league goal record with sixty-two goals. The Champions League was not over yet, but Chen Hero had scored eighteen goals so far, the League Cup was… seven goals, the FA Cup was… twelve before this goal, oh, and there was a Community Shield goal.

Sixty-two plus eighteen plus seven, plus twelve and one, equals…

…

…

…

The commentator was stunned for a moment, and did not immediately report the number, not because he couldn't do the mental arithmetic, but because he was frightened by the number he had calculated.

Because the result was… one hundred!

One hundred goals in a single season!

The first player in history to reach triple digits in a single season!

This… had he calculated it wrong?

He quickly recalculated it, this was the simplest addition, and it was not difficult for him. He calculated it twice in a row, and the results were the same—one hundred!

One hundred!

He sucked in a breath of cold air.

No one in the world of football had ever reached triple digits in a single season of official competition goals!

Chen Hero… he had actually done it without realizing it!

And everyone hadn't even realized it!

In fact, his fifth goal against Newcastle United in the last round of the league, which was also his glorious sixty-second league goal, was exactly his one hundredth goal of the season!

After the game, everyone's attention was attracted by the record-breaking goal and the subsequent disputes, and they forgot to count his total goals for the season…

So much so that the media didn't mention such a great thing!

In this commentator's view, sixty-two league goals in a single season was great, but breaking one hundred total goals in a single season was just as great!

Am I the first one to discover this?

He was so excited that his voice trembled a little.

"I just calculated and discovered an amazing thing—Hero's goal is actually his… one hundred and first goal in all official competitions this season!!!"

If this commentator could hear the audience's reaction, then he would definitely feel very accomplished at this moment. Because everyone who heard his words in front of the TV, all took a breath of cold air, just like him.

Many people also thought they had misheard.

The commentator's voice then rang out, quickly dispelling their doubts: "Yes, it is the one hundred and first goal! The historically significant one hundredth goal, everyone will not be unfamiliar with, that is the one he scored in the game against Newcastle United…" The commentator quickly recalled Chen Hero's goal in his mind, "That left-footed turn and shot!"

"But we were all shocked by Chen Hero breaking Dixie Dean's record, and we forgot that this goal was just as important! Because Chen Hero is the first player in the history of world football, with recorded data, to reach one hundred official goals in a single season!"

※※※

The commentator and the audience in front of the TV were very excited, but the person involved was very calm. Chen Hero did not even sprint to celebrate after scoring, but just pointed his single finger to the sky, extending his index finger.

The meaning was obvious—I am the best!

The excited Liverpool reserve players swarmed up and surrounded him.

"Well done, Hero! Beautiful!"

"That free kick was really beautiful!"

"So I said, scoring goals can be completely entrusted to Hero alone!"

"Hahaha! We're in the lead! We're in the lead! We're in the lead in the final!!"

Everyone was laughing, jumping and shouting.

Their emotions were very excited.

Chen Hero seemed more bland, as if this goal was a matter of course.

There were not many smiles on his face.

It seems that he really doesn't know that he has become the first player in history to score more than three digits in a single season…

This is normal, who would be okay and count how many goals they have scored every day? There is no system task for scoring one hundred goals in a single season, Chen Hero would not keep an eye on it like he did when he was staring at the task of scoring goals in consecutive rounds.

Usually, the media keeps an eye on this area, and after reporting it, the players themselves will know: Wow, it turns out that I have scored so many goals without realizing it?

※※※

There were still many people who didn't know that Chen Hero had actually scored so many goals, so their reaction to Chen Hero's goal was just a general one. But I believe that after the game, they will soon know what a great thing Chen Hero has done!

Now…

Advocaat was one of those who was completely unaware.

Seeing the team concede a goal, he was very frustrated in the stands.

He simply put his hands on his head to express his regret.

Still failed to contain Chen Hero… but he had already done his best, how else could he contain him?

He really couldn't think of any other way.

This goal conceded may bring a very bad result.

Advocaat became a little apprehensive.

But his players were not as frustrated as he was.

At the moment of conceding the goal, many people also put their hands on their heads, but they only felt a little regret and disappointment.

They quickly adjusted their emotions.

Isn't it just conceding a goal?

When we go all out, can the Liverpool reserves still hold on?

Every Chelsea player thought so.

But when the game restarted, they found that things were not as simple as they thought.

Before, they always felt that they had not fully exerted themselves, and it was normal for the Liverpool reserves not to concede a goal, it was not a very unexpected thing. And once they started to exert themselves, Liverpool's defense would collapse instantly.

But when they started to exert themselves, they found that… they still couldn't break through Liverpool's goal!

The Liverpool reserves' goal did not collapse instantly as they had imagined, nor did they panic under their fierce offensive.

Although the Liverpool reserve players were more embarrassed in defense, they successfully held on to the score, and maintained it until the end of the first half!

Chelsea's increased offensive not only did not bring them goals, but they also almost conceded another goal.

At that time, Liverpool took advantage of Chelsea's pressing attack and launched a counterattack. Chen Hero headed the ball in front of the goal, but it was blocked by Čech.

Čech's save at that time was world-class. Although he blocked Chen Hero's goal, he also scared many Chelsea fans into a cold sweat.

So for the score of 0:1 behind in the first half, Chelsea fans really didn't know whether they should feel fortunate or disappointed…

Liverpool fans were much happier than them, they didn't have such troubles, because their team was in the lead!

In the Liverpool fans' singing, the two teams ended the first half of the game, and quickly walked into the tunnel and returned to the locker room.