Chapter 257 Passing Six Players (Part 1)

Qiu Suhui saw Zhang Jun in the coffee shop inside the Stadio Artemio Franchi. From the outside, he looked the same as in the news photos, but his mental state was obviously different from when he was in Milan.

"Coach Qiu!" Zhang Jun greeted him with a cheerful hug.

"Good, good, you look good too." Qiu Suhui patted Zhang Jun's shoulder, like an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time. He hadn't seen him in a year, and the kid had grown stronger. "Let me take a good look..." He held Zhang Jun by both shoulders, examining his prized student. His eyes were brighter than before, with a faint smile on his face, and his slightly curly long hair was tied into a braid. He was wearing a purple Fiorentina tracksuit. "You look very energetic! Very good! Much better than when you were in Milan!"

Zhang Jun smiled a little embarrassedly, not wanting to dwell on the past.

Qiu Suhui knew what he was thinking, so he didn't continue on that topic. "I came to see you. At the end of March, I'm bringing the team to Europe for training and matches. I'll be recruiting you into the team at that time, but if your form isn't good, I won't let you play." Qiu Suhui said with a smile.

Zhang Jun knew that Coach Qiu wasn't joking with him. If he wasn't in good form at that time, he would definitely not be able to enter the national team. Because now Coach Qiu was also under great pressure. The major reshuffle of the national team had almost caused another earthquake in Chinese football. Some former veterans and absolute mainstays of the national team suddenly found overnight that they couldn't even get into the national team training camp! What a shocking feeling that was!

The players were making trouble, the clubs were making trouble, and the media and fans were following suit. But Qiu Suhui just wouldn't compromise. Even when the higher-ups asked him to "do ideological work," he insisted on his principles. "If you want to see Chinese football make a historic breakthrough in the World Cup in Germany, then let me do my job. If you don't want to achieve anything, then you can fire me now. Anyway, the Chinese team hasn't failed before in so many years. What glorious history is there to talk about? What other way out is there? Why not take a gamble?" That was what he said to Chen Wei at the time, telling him to think clearly about what he, they, really wanted.

In the end, the Football Association came forward and used administrative means to suppress the matter. But internally, Qiu Suhui still made a military pledge to the Chinese Football Association and the General Administration of Sport: to guarantee that the Chinese team would advance from their group in the World Cup, otherwise he would resign.

This military pledge was not yet known to the public, but its harshness was conceivable. To have a team that had just undergone a major reshuffle advance from their group in the World Cup was something that even the coach of the French team would not dare to guarantee, let alone the Chinese team?

Even Chen Wei, who had always trusted him, didn't know where Qiu Suhui's confidence came from.

Zhang Jun nodded. "Don't worry, Coach Qiu. If I'm not in form at that time, you can not recruit me into the national team without saying a word."

Qiu Suhui nodded in satisfaction. He was very happy to see that the three of his beloved players were in good form after coming to Italy. "You have a home game tomorrow, will you still be starting?"

"Yes, the opponent is a bit strong. They're fourth, we're fifth. If we win, we'll be fourth and they'll be fifth. But if we lose, they'll be third and we'll be fifth. The competition among the top seven is too intense." Zhang Jun analyzed the situation in Serie B for Qiu Suhui.

Qiu Suhui was enjoying this moment. Zhang Jun was able to analyze the situation so eloquently for him, which meant that he had integrated well into the team and knew the team's situation like the back of his hand, and he didn't make any mistakes.

Although he had already heard these things, he still listened to everything Zhang Jun said. "Very good, then I'll be waiting to see your performance tomorrow."

Zhang Jun smiled. "I'll do my best, and I hope I won't disappoint you, Coach Qiu."

※※※

Modena had been relegated to Serie C1 by the Italian Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee for match-fixing in the previous two seasons and had been deducted six points before the season. Two club officials were also banned from participating in football activities for three years. However, this penalty was later overturned by the Professional League's Disciplinary Committee, which only relegated Modena to Serie B and deducted five points. The player Marasco was banned for three years for "organizing gambling." A penalty that couldn't be lighter, and it didn't cause any irreparable damage to Modena's campaign in Serie B.

In their first season in Serie B, they were only one step away from the promotion playoffs due to the points deduction. This season, they were making a comeback. By the twenty-fifth round of the league, they were already ranked fourth and had the hope of being directly promoted to Serie A without playing in the playoffs.

And today's away game against Fiorentina was very important to them.

For Fiorentina, wasn't it the same? After Zhang Jun integrated into the team, Fiorentina rose from seventh to fifth in one month, a clear improvement. His partnership with Riganò on the front line had contributed ten goals for Fiorentina in six games, and now they had become the most popular attacking duo in the entire Serie B.

Modena also took this into consideration, and they fielded five defenders and two defensive midfielders in this game, hoping to use their numerical advantage to defend against Fiorentina's attack.

But just twenty seconds into the game, Zhang Jun gave them a head-on blow.

Captain Di Livio's long-range shot hit a defender's leg and changed direction, bouncing to the other side. Zhang Jun arrived just in time and volleyed the ball directly into the net before the goalkeeper could react.

"Zhang—Jun!! Fiorentina leads 1-0! Just twenty seconds into the game, Zhang used his keen sense of smell in front of the goal to score the first goal for Fiorentina."

After scoring the goal, Zhang Jun ran to the bottom of the stands and stood there with his arms raised. Opposite him was a huge purple Fiorentina team flag, and the fans were cheering and waving the flag.

Behind him, his excited teammates chased after him.

Qiu Suhui leaned forward slightly. He didn't expect them to score so quickly. It seemed that Zhang Jun was in good form today. Or was it because he was in the stands, and he was eager to show him his skills?

Qiu Suhui smiled. He wouldn't say any grand words off the field, so he could only rely on his performance on the field to impress him. That was indeed Zhang Jun's style.

The Fiorentina officials next to him all stood up, raising their arms and cheering. At this time, although they were wearing suits and ties, their performance was as狂热 as those die-hard fans.

The most proud was naturally Chairman Della Valle. When he decided to loan Zhang Jun, some people on the board of directors were against it, believing that the risk of loaning a player who was completely out of form to help the team get promoted was too great. In the end, he overruled the objections and insisted on the loan.

Now, after only a month, he had won the love of almost everyone, and he couldn't help but admire Robbie's vision.

※※※

Modena had just recovered from the blow of conceding a goal at the start of the game and were planning to counterattack when they were hit hard again.

This time, it was Zhang Jun who led the counterattack himself. Modena had just had a corner kick opportunity, and two of the three center backs had gone up, leaving only two full backs and one center back in the backfield.

Guzzo headed the ball out of the penalty area, and it landed right at Zhang Jun's feet. He looked up to find someone, but suddenly found that the opponent's defensive midfielder had rushed up to him aggressively. Somewhat surprised, he didn't have time to think about when the opponent had rushed up, and his body had already reacted—he flicked the ball outwards with his right foot, while his body moved to the left.

A body feint past the opponent!

After passing one player, Zhang Jun saw that the road ahead was clear. He decided to break through with the ball himself.

Zhang Jun's dribbling was different from Yang Pan's. When there was no one within ten meters in front of him, Yang Pan would kick the ball a little far, while Zhang Jun always kept the ball within an appropriate distance to facilitate his next move. Therefore, in terms of long-distance dribbling, he was not as fast as Yang Pan, but in terms of sudden acceleration within five to fifteen meters, no one could match him.

Someone was rushing up quickly from behind, and Zhang Jun could feel that the person was getting closer and closer. Running with the ball was indeed not as fast as running without it.

Just as the opponent's hand was about to touch Zhang Jun's shoulder, Zhang Jun suddenly accelerated! The opponent didn't expect Zhang Jun to be able to increase his speed again. His hand didn't hold on tight, and his steps became chaotic, and he almost fell.

A huge cheer erupted in the air above the Stadio Artemio Franchi, as the fans cheered for Zhang Jun.

"It's like a rocket being launched step by step! Zhang got rid of Puenzo's entanglement with one acceleration! He continues to dribble forward, unstoppable!"

"Second! Second! Second!" the fans shouted loudly, wanting Zhang Jun to get past all the remaining opponents.

"Stop him, foul him, damn it!" Modena's captain, Maier, shouted at Zhang Jun from behind, and another defender, Ugali, immediately rushed towards Zhang Jun.

Behind Zhang Jun, four Modena players were frantically chasing back. With three people blocking in front and four pursuers behind, the scene was extremely spectacular from the stands.

This kind of spectacle could not be experienced when watching the game on television. This feeling belonged to the scene.

Ugali wanted to block him head-on, forcing Zhang Jun to slow down. But he saw Zhang Jun's left shoulder suddenly sink, and the kid was going to break through to the left! He quickly adjusted his center of gravity, turned to the left, and prepared to block him one step ahead.

Zhang Jun's left shoulder sinking was just an illusion. In reality, he was going to break through in the opposite direction. Seeing that Ugali had fallen for the trick, Zhang Jun flicked the ball to the right with his right foot, while his body turned to the right!

Ugali was shocked and hurriedly turned around. He was quick to react, and he was able to shift his weight back in this situation.

Even if I have to foul, I won't let you break through our entire defense by yourself! Ugali thought to himself, reaching out with both hands.

Zhang Jun's speed far exceeded his imagination, because he didn't grab anything, not even a shadow. Instead, he lost his balance and fell to the ground!

"Third! Third!" The cheers rang out again.

"Antonio, let's go together!" Maier shouted the name of another defender, and rushed up first.

Two Modena defenders approached Zhang Jun one after the other, one on the left and one on the right, staggered in front and behind, clearly layered.

Zhang Jun didn't plan to avoid them either—in fact, he couldn't avoid them. Just now, in order to ensure that he could get past the wrestler, he had kicked the ball a little too far. If he wanted to change direction next, he would have to slow down and be caught up by the people behind him. So he could only rush towards the last two Modena defenders.

"Kid, you want to go head-to-head?" Maier thought to himself, blocking with his body and stretching his foot to block the ball at Zhang Jun's feet.

Zhang Jun lightly hooked the ball to the left with his right foot, dodging Maier's foot. Maier's move was just a trap to induce Zhang Jun to lose control of the ball. As long as the ball left his foot, Antonio would have a chance. Seeing that the ball had left Zhang Jun's control, Antonio Pena on the left saw a great opportunity to steal the ball, so he took a step forward and stretched his foot to intercept it.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Jun quickly followed up with his left foot, tapping the hooked ball to the right front, dodging Pena's outstretched foot, while his body twisted and he squeezed out from between the two of them!

"Goalkeeper! Goalkeeper!" The fans wanted Zhang Jun to get past the goalkeeper as well.

Modena's goalkeeper, Renard, abandoned his goal and attacked. Zhang Jun had already entered the penalty area, and he couldn't sit still and wait for death.

The one-on-one between the goalkeeper and the striker, whether it was a field goal or a penalty kick, was always the most exciting. The fans all stood up, clenched their fists, and watched intently at that small area in front of the Modena goal.

"This is a good opportunity!"

"How can I let you get your wish..." Before Renard could finish thinking, he saw Zhang Jun posing as if he was going to shoot. He quickly fell down and slid towards the ball, hoping to get the ball one step ahead.

Zhang Jun's shot was a fake. He pulled the ball to the right with his left foot, thus shaking off the goalkeeper Renard!

In front of him was an empty goal, so what was there to hesitate about? Zhang Jun swept his right foot and easily kicked the ball into the empty net.

When Zhang Jun got past the goalkeeper, the cheers in the air above the Stadio Artemio Franchi had already reached a peak. 2-0! Fiorentina led 2-0!

Even the cameras broadcasting the game live were shaking, which showed how enthusiastic the atmosphere was at the scene.

Della Valle stood up and hugged Qiu Suhui, who had also just stood up next to him. "You Chinese have produced a genius!" he shouted excitedly.

"This is a Maradona-esque goal! Zhang Jun started dribbling the ball from in front of his own penalty area, ran nearly seventy meters in a long-distance raid, and got past six people including the goalkeeper! Even in Serie B, such a goal is rare!"

Seeing Riganò running towards him excitedly, Zhang Jun knelt down on one knee in front of him, signaling him to step on his scoring right foot and shine his shoes for him!

After hugging Qiu Suhui, Della Valle went to hug other people. It could be seen that he was really excited.

Qiu Suhui turned his head and looked at the black-haired boy in the field. Three months ago, how many people would have believed that he could score a goal after getting past six people? Or rather, how many people still believed in his ability?

Playing football in Serie A is playing football, and playing football in Serie B is also playing football. What you lack is not ability, but confidence. Now it seems that you are gradually regaining your confidence. Congratulations, Zhang Jun.

At the same time, Qiu Suhui also knew that for the visiting team Modena, the game was actually over, and they would not have any more chances. Because of his personality, Zhang Jun was actually an emotional player. When his emotions were not good, he would perform poorly in consecutive games, just like those two months in Milan. But once he went crazy, there were very few people in this world who could stop him, and Modena's players were clearly not among them.

Based on Zhang Jun's current form, it would be perfectly normal for him to score one or two more goals in this game.

As Qiu Suhui expected, Zhang Jun assisted Riganò with a header at the beginning of the second half, and then in the sixty-ninth minute, he scored his third goal of the game after receiving a through pass from Maspero, completing his hat trick, which was also his second hat trick in the short month he had been in Florence. The efficiency was amazing.

In the end, Fiorentina won 4-0 against Modena, who were ranked fourth, ending this game, which was considered by critics to be an evenly matched match before the game, in a one-sided manner. Zhang Jun also rose to the top ten in the Serie B top scorers list with this hat trick. He had scored nine goals in one month.