Chapter 39 A Crucial Goal

To many, Zhou Yi's shot looked odd. Not only wasn't it a powerful strike, but the ball also traveled slowly, as if someone could kick it away at any moment during its flight toward the goal.

But no one did. The ball remained lonely until it went in. Wu Lei's goal at least had Maya Yoshida as a background, rolling into the net with fanfare.

This time, the ball was as quiet as a handsome man, elegant and composed, making light work of a heavy task.

This was evident in Zhou Yi's series of actions from interception to shot. His interception wasn't dramatic; it was light and skillful, without exaggerated movements that would change his center of gravity. With a seemingly casual lift of his foot, he blocked the ball that was about to fly away.

His subsequent flick was also effortless, giving the impression that he hadn't used any force.

Then came the two consecutive step-overs, dribbling past Japan's center-back, Tokuhisa Yuhei, while seeming like ordinary adjustments. This was completely different from Wu Lei's forceful breakthrough with a burst of speed. There was no sharp feeling.

Yet, he had entered Japan's penalty area so smoothly, as if taking a stroll in front of Japan's box.

Yoshida Maya and Gonda Shuichi rushed at him aggressively. In such situations, many attacking players would quickly pass the ball or take a shot.

But Zhou Yi didn't, or rather, he didn't seem to be in a hurry. He maintained his original stride and executed a very subtle and unexpected chip shot.

Gonda Shuichi and Yoshida Maya hadn't even gotten into their rhythm when the ball flew past them.

Finally, there was the slow-motion moment that everyone saw.

In slow motion, the ball flew into the goal without any suspense.

Compared to Zhou Yi's relaxed and effortless goal, He Ping in the commentary box was extremely excited, so much so that his voice cracked. His throat was torn, and he had to cough hard to continue speaking normally.

"It's the seventy-second minute, China leads Japan 3-1! What does this mean? There are still twenty minutes! Twenty minutes... We are twenty minutes away from the Olympic championship!! Viewers, we are witnessing history!"

Mark Lawrenson also slammed the table and exclaimed, "Great goal! A brilliant goal! Zhou Yi is like throwing a red-hot iron into a pool of ice water!"

The Japanese commentator had his mouth open but couldn't make a sound. Seeing this goal at this moment, he was speechless.

The frenzy in the commentary box wasn't an isolated case. In the stands, at the Chinese team's coaching bench and among the substitutes, it was the same.

The moment the ball flew into the goal, the stands of the New Wembley Stadium seemed to tremble and vibrate—caused by the Chinese fans jumping up and down.

In front of the coaching bench of the Chinese Olympic team, Blazevic didn't raise his arms and shout. Instead, he stood on the sidelines, shaking his head gently with a "My God" expression on his face.

Behind him, the translator Jiang Xiaojun and team leader Guo Bing hugged each other, waving their fists excitedly and roaring to the sky.

At 2-1, they were excited, but they had hidden worries, fearing that Japan would equalize. After all, this score was no different from 1-0, and a one-goal lead was the most dangerous.

But at 3-1, the meaning was different! The stone in everyone's heart had fallen, and the two-goal lead allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief, let go of their worries, and celebrate to their hearts' content, because they could finally think—the Olympic championship is within reach!

In front of TVs and online, Chinese fans were also in an uproar.

"I love Zhou Yi! If I were a woman, I would definitely marry him!!"

"A decisive blow! I say this is the goal that ends the suspense, no doubt, right? Hahaha! The first world champion in Chinese football history is coming!!"

"Handsome! Handsome! Zhou Yi is so handsome! This goal is so handsome!! Both the aesthetics and the importance are impeccable!"

"Damn it, I've got a football in my eyes!"

"Damn, I'm crying! But it's not shameful, hahahaha!"

"Gold medal! Olympic gold medal! Chinese football wins the Olympic gold medal! And it's men's football! Am I still dreaming?!"

……

When Wu Lei scored the go-ahead goal, the Chinese fans weren't this crazy, because they had the same worry, fearing that they would be equalized.

And Zhou Yi's goal diluted their worries a lot.

This was also Zhou Yi's pursuit of a "safe score."

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After scoring, Zhou Yi was tackled to the ground by the crazy Chinese players. This time, it wasn't just the players on the field who pounced on him, but also the substitutes on the bench. They surrounded Zhou Yi from both directions, leaving him with no escape, then dragged him to the ground, and everyone piled on top.

Even Sun Pan rushed over from the distant goal, the last one to pile on. On top of everyone else, he didn't forget to wave his fist at the Japanese fans in the stands, showing off his power.

"Are you convinced! Are you convinced! I'm just asking if you're convinced!!" He shouted.

Not far away, many of the Japanese fans were holding their heads in their hands, looking dazed—they, who had broken into the Olympic finals, also dreamed of creating history, winning the first Olympic gold medal for Japanese football, just like the Chinese fans.

But now, they were getting further and further away from this dream, while China was getting closer and closer...

This was a painful and heartbreaking reality for them. They were speechless in the face of this reality, especially having to watch the Chinese players celebrate their goal right in front of their eyes...

Fortunately, they couldn't understand what Sun Pan was shouting, or it wouldn't be just heartbreak.

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Kagawa Shinji sat in the box, witnessing the entire process of Zhou Yi's goal. When he saw him dribbling past Yamaguchi Hotaru, he had a bad feeling. From his understanding of Zhou Yi, although Zhou Yi didn't score many goals, he was very good at scoring crucial goals, because his extraordinary composure on the field always allowed him to perform well under pressure.

What happened next confirmed his understanding of Zhou Yi.

Kagawa Shinji felt very bitter inside.

As a Japanese, he certainly hoped that Japan would historically win the Olympic gold medal in men's football.

The Japanese women's football team had already won the World Cup, and the Japanese men's youth football team had also won the World Youth Championship. Only the adult men's football team had never won the highest honor. Although the Olympics wasn't an A-level event like the World Cup, it could be considered an adult men's football event.

He hoped that he could witness the historical moment of Japanese football with his own eyes.

Now it seemed that he had witnessed the historical moment of Chinese football...

He sat in his seat, staring blankly at the field, thinking of the scene when Zhou Yi ran into him and the Japanese Olympic team after the first game of the group stage.

At that time, the Japanese Olympic team, which had just defeated the world champion Spain 1-0, was in high spirits, and the media in Japan were also desperately praising them for creating history and writing miracles. He also came to the Olympic Village to cheer for the Olympic team.

Before Zhou Yi came, he was chatting with the Japanese players. Otsu Yuki said what he had told the media, the goal was the gold medal.

Some people thought he was talking big, including Kagawa Shinji.

Because the rapid development of Japanese football in the past two years had given every Japanese a strong sense of confidence. Their achievements proved that nothing was impossible in the face of Japanese football.

At the beginning of 2011, in the Women's U-19 Championship held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the Japanese women's football team won the championship, and this was their successful title defense.

In the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup, the Japanese men's football team, led by Kagawa Shinji, defeated the Chinese team and won the Asian Cup for the fourth time in history, becoming the undisputed king of Asia.

In the 2011 Women's World Cup, the Japanese women's football team defeated the United States in the final penalty shootout and won the world championship. This was not only the first world championship for the Japanese women's football team, but also the first world championship for Japanese football, and also the first world championship for Asian football.

In the same year, at the World University Games held in Shenzhen, China, the Japanese men's football team defeated the British team in the final and won the Universiade championship.

With four championships in one year, and so many championships, why couldn't they look forward to the Olympic gold medal?

Unlike Zhou Yi, who was questioned by the media and fans in China when he shouted that his goal was the gold medal, the Japanese believed that their strength had already allowed them to covet the gold medal on this stage that traditional football powers didn't value so much.

There had always been rumors that the Japanese Football Association was seeking to leave Asia and join Europe, hoping to compete on the highest level stage, so as to further improve their strength. They were so ambitious, and it was only natural that they achieved today's results.

The performance of the Japanese team at this year's Olympics can be said to be the natural result of the previous work of Japanese football. They really deserved the honor of breaking into the final, and they also deserved an Olympic gold medal.

But they happened to meet the Chinese golden generation that emerged out of nowhere.

In the eyes of many people, although China is a populous country, it is not a football powerhouse. It is worth celebrating nationwide that they can break into the Olympic finals. Winning the championship? That's thinking too far.

But Zhou Yi, He Ying, Sun Pan, Yang Muge, and Guo Nu, these young players appeared on the world football scene and in front of everyone as if they had popped out of a rock.

Back then, outside the Olympic Village, Zhou Yi ran into the Japanese team and said with a smile a sentence that made Kagawa Shinji's hair stand on end.

If you want to win the championship, you have to get past him first.

Now it seems that he was simply a prophet, and he really guessed it—the Japanese team met the Chinese team led by Zhou Yi in the final.

Looking at this game now, if Zhou Yi hadn't been suspended in that Asian Cup final, it's really hard to say what the result would have been…