Chapter 1 The Vélodrome Under Night

Under the night, the Vélodrome stadium, with its white, wavy roof, lit up with a purple light curtain, gradually blending with the quiet ancient city.

Halftime.

Spain 2:1 France.

The audience was generally satisfied with the halftime result, eagerly anticipating the score changes in the second half.

Spanish fans believed that as long as Del Bosque didn't substitute Li, the game would continue to be one-sided.

French fans, on the other hand, believed that the talent-filled French team would definitely be able to reverse the situation.

Of course, the most important thing at the moment was to take care of physiological needs.

The fans in the stands left one after another.

Arsène Wenger exclaimed, "That kid named Mbappé reminds me of Henry... especially his ability to create open shots. Anelka mentioned him to me!"

Zinedine Zidane stood up and rubbed his bald head. "It's too late. This game will make Mbappé's price skyrocket."

AS Monaco FC is a famous "black shop" in Europe.

Even if Wenger had led them to the Ligue 1 title and discovered the Ballon d'Or winner, George Weah, there would be no discounts on buying players.

Wenger's smile seemed a bit bitter.

Arsenal had only completed one signing so far this summer window: Xhaka.

But Arsenal had more money at their disposal this summer.

"I need to hurry up and rest. Li's games always take my breath away."

.....

In the Spanish locker room.

The coaching staff was analyzing the goal conceded in the first half.

"Our defense had no problems. It was the coaching staff's mistake. Our intelligence analysis of the French players wasn't comprehensive enough."

"In the second half, we must strengthen our focus on Pogba, preventing him from advancing on the left side, and also guarding against his wide-ranging passing ability."

"Especially, we must cut off his connection with Mbappé!"

Del Bosque called San José and Juanfran aside, patiently analyzing the French team's offensive routines and Mbappé's characteristics.

Li Kang, on the other hand, was using his God's-eye view to review the French team's formation changes on both offense and defense.

It seemed there weren't many changes.

For the time being, the French team's tactical variations were far inferior to Germany's.

Two members of the coaching staff were explaining the offensive details for the second half to Morata.

The latter had an excited expression, eager to try.

Most of the players in the squad were old. Who knew if they would be injured or retire from the top five leagues before the 2018 World Cup? He was the one who could go all the way with Li Kang, so how could he always be a substitute?

Milla was puzzled and asked in a low voice, "Boss, are we not playing tiki-taka in the second half? Like Barça, passing the ball around... Who said that thing: possession is the best defense!"

Del Bosque smiled. "Deschamps is very pragmatic. He should be targeting that tactic right now. We have more cards to play."

His gaze then swept over the substitute players...

At this moment, Spain's bench depth was frightening.

He just didn't know how many familiar faces would remain two years later.

A moment later.

The huge locker room was completely silent.

As if aphasia was contagious.

All the Spanish players were in a calm mood.

There was no euphoria from leading, nor was there any anxiety after the opponent had scored a goal back.

....

In the French locker room.

Mbappé had a calm expression, with a slight smile on his face.

His teammates affectionately patted his little bald head.

Could this little stone, who always sat silently in the corner of the locker room, be the hope for France's comeback?

Didier Deschamps clapped his hands.

"Giroud, put on your safety pants!"

"Cheer up, lads! Your performance in the first half was great. The two goals conceded had nothing to do with mistakes and didn't prove your failure!"

"You all know how to defend that kid Li, right? Don't give him easy challenges! Maintain good defensive spacing!"

"We're only one goal behind. There's nothing to be afraid of!"

"Spain's tactics won't change much in the second half. Del Bosque loves tiki-taka at heart."

"Don't rush, stick to low-block compact defense, and there will definitely be opportunities for counterattacks!"

"Pogba, pay attention to linking up with Mbappé! You two are key to reversing the situation!"

"Kanté, your assists are great! In the second half, seize the opportunity to push forward during counterattacks!"

"Spain is old. A super genius can't save that dilapidated warship. The future belongs to you!"

The average age of the French team was very low.

A wave of pep talk made the youngsters' blood boil, and their eyes were filled with fanaticism as they looked at the coach.

Especially Kanté, whose dark face flushed with excitement.

Everyone briefly forgot the fear of being overturned by Li Kang.

Only Pogba curled his lip dismissively.

After the applause subsided, the coaching staff began to explain the tactical deployment for the second half in detail.

Deschamps turned to face the wall, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, the pep talk was good, but... France's situation was very difficult. There was only one substitution left. What if Li Kang ate up two more people in the second half...?

"Nothing can stop us from lifting the trophy on our home turf!"

....

The fifteen-minute halftime break ended quickly.

The players from both sides returned to the green field.

The Vélodrome stadium was filled with noise again, and the shouts of tens of thousands of people seemed to make the ancient city of Marseille tremble slightly.

"Good evening, viewers, and welcome back!"

"We are now broadcasting the semi-final of the 2016 European Championship!"

"The second half between Spain and France!"

"The current score is 2:1!"

"Del Bosque has made a substitution, Morata replaces Iniesta! This isn't a like-for-like substitution! Does he want to strengthen the front line?"

"Diego Costa's position should be pulled back a bit!"

....

At the same time.

The number of viewers in the live broadcast room was increasing.

-【What's Spain doing bringing on Morata? I don't quite understand. He and Diego Costa aren't exactly a "tall and fast" combination either!】

-【Iniesta is coming off a bit early. I think he can still maintain peak performance for 90 minutes!】

-【He's full of injuries. It would be better if he were two years younger.】

-【Spain is getting smoother and smoother after surviving Italy and Germany. There's not much pressure in this semi-final.】

-【No big deal. I think Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal can also advance to the final.】

-【Messi didn't win the Copa América. There's no suspense for this year's Ballon d'Or.】

-【Yeah, is Li Mingdeng going to win the Golden Boy Award and the Ballon d'Or together?】

.....

With the referee's whistle.

The second half officially began!

France had possession.

The soccer ball rolled quickly on the green field.

The sea breeze blew the red and blue jerseys.

Paul Pogba once again became the focus of the audience's attention.

"France's advance isn't facing much resistance!"

"So far in this European Championship, Pogba has fully demonstrated his ability to receive the ball in the center, advance, and break free!"

"Saúl and Cazorla are double-teaming him!"

"Beautiful! An acceleration! The French genius cleverly slipped past!"

"Huh?"

As soon as the words were spoken.

The close-up sound equipment picked up a "thwack."

Pogba fell to the ground.

The soccer ball slid out of bounds.

Diego Costa patted the grass clippings off his butt and kindly helped him up.

He was a forward-defender trained by Simeone and Mourinho.

Combined with Saúl and Cazorla's interception, a coup de grace plus a brawl got the ball out.

Pogba forcefully shook off the Chelsea striker's hand and protested to the linesman that he had fouled.

The referee jogged over and signaled for him to calm down.

"From the slow-motion replay, there was no foul. It was a clean disruption."

"Oh, Diego Costa's follow-through was fierce, but it's hard to reach the level of a yellow card."

"Hopefully Pogba won't be provoked!"

"Don't repeat Zidane's mistake!"

....

On the sidelines.

Deschamps was worried.

The Spain in front of him had become unfamiliar again.

Not only was there no high pressing in the frontcourt, but it also seemed like they were imitating him, dragging the defensive line back to the edge of the penalty area.

Li Kang's movement was also a bit strange... retreating to the front side of the defensive line.

...

The game resumed.

Patrice Evra threw in a corner kick.

Blaise Matuidi stopped the ball, glanced at his teammates' positions, hesitated slightly, and then passed the ball to Mbappé, who had retreated.

Pogba raised his hand in confusion, and Diego Costa's friendly greetings blew in his ear.

Mbappé quickly turned around after receiving the ball.

The French fans in the nearby stands burst into warm applause and cheers.

This unknown kid had become their hope!

"He's very fast!"

"Mbappé is showing confidence that doesn't match his age! I'm looking forward to seeing what heights he will reach in the future!"

"Why is the Spanish team giving up the space on the left side of the penalty area?"

"San José and Juanfran are moving inward. Someone from Spain must come out to press and interfere..."

"Li Kang!"

...

In Mbappé's line of sight, the figure of Spain's number 6 appeared.

Facing the terrifying genius midfielder, the little bald head didn't show any panic, and even had a slight smile on his face.

He had been following Li Kang's games for a long time.

Always very envious, purely envious.

He originally thought that he would only make a splash in the Champions League next season, but he didn't expect the applause and flowers to come so quickly.

The distance between the two was getting closer and closer.

The audience couldn't help but get excited.

What could be more exciting than a duel between young geniuses?

Perhaps they were witnessing the birth of a legendary moment.

....

The two coaches were both watching the distribution of their players' movements.

Del Bosque calmly unscrewed his bottled water, as if everything was under his control.

Deschamps was so excited that he couldn't stand still.

In his opinion: Spain was too careless. Li Kang might not be able to defend Mbappé.

As long as he got past him and swept the ball into the penalty area, France would have a chance to equalize the score!

...

Mbappé roughly judged the distance from his opponent, and pushed the ball with his right foot towards the vicinity of the touchline, trying to cut into the penalty area diagonally.

Still the same old trick.

The young Monaco striker didn't like fancy dribbling skills.

"His ball control is like Henry's!"

"Will Li Kang be able to keep up?"

"He's keeping up!"

"He's predicting Mbappé's dribbling route very accurately!"

"Head-on interception!"

Alessandro Nesta's phantom didn't appear.

But his teammates had already cooperated with Li Kang's blocking movement, cutting off the connection between France's left-wing attack.

It was still a cage match.

On the edge of the penalty area, Li Kang stood in front of Mbappé.

The latter pushed the ball again with the outside of his left foot, and suddenly accelerated!

Extremely simple speed, without any feints.

"Here it comes again!"

"Huh?"

Just at the moment when the soccer ball was barely out of Mbappé's control.

Li Kang seemed to have seen through his intention in advance. He raised his left foot early and poked the soccer ball first!

Mbappé couldn't stop his inertia and staggered forward a few steps.

The little bald head's face was full of confusion!

Where's the ball?

....

France's attack suddenly stagnated.

The whole place was confused.

From the audience's perspective: Li Kang calmly controlled the ball, like a car mechanic, suddenly removing the tires from Mbappé's sports car!

Deschamps stared blankly. Before he could fully recover, he saw the soccer ball rushing to the frontcourt!

Pogba angrily cursed and immediately turned back to defend!

"Beautiful!"

"Accurate over-the-top long pass."

"Found David Silva in the frontcourt!"

"Spain's transition from defense to offense is too smooth!"

"Look at this counterattack!"

"Two-on-four in the frontcourt!"

....

Mbappé shook his head, feeling a little disappointed.

The black mist of the Eye of Truth instantly contracted, disappearing with satisfaction in the wind.

Li Kang almost couldn't help but want to pat his little bald head.

He liked it very much... The Eye of Truth really liked defending against this kind of super-talented striker with a single center of gravity and extraordinary talent.

There was no time to like it.

In his vision, the phantom of the little foal suddenly appeared.

The anxious neighing urged him to run faster.

....

On the center circle.

Manchester City midfielder vs Paris Saint-Germain midfielder!

David Silva's one-touch pass elegantly got rid of Matuidi's press.

The audience didn't even have time to applaud.

The soccer ball left the ground.

Making a beautiful parabola in mid-air.

"Beautiful!"

"The Spanish team has too many midfield masters!"

"The soccer ball passes over Koscielny's head!"

"The space for a counterattack is out!"

"This lead is too perfect!"

"Why isn't he running yet?"

Morata had a psychological shadow. After confirming that he wasn't offside, he started to move!

His hesitation also allowed Umtiti to turn around!

In the empty French backcourt.

The two rushed towards the landing point of the soccer ball at the same time!

...

"Both of them are very fast."

"Morata isn't good at physical confrontation... huh?"

"What's going on?"

Afraid of physical confrontation? It depends on who the opponent is.

Umtiti, who hadn't been trained by Enrique yet, was no match at all!

Morata's other attributes besides shooting were all perfect.

Thwack!

Boom!

The Juventus striker's speed was ultimately a step faster than the Lyon defender!

Lift the long legs, stop the ball.

After both feet landed.

Lean on one side, and accelerate again!

The early childhood Umtiti was like a marshmallow falling on the ground, squeezed away!

"Beautiful!"

"One-on-one!"

"Morata!"

....

On the sidelines.

Milla had an unbelievable look on his face.

Del Bosque frowned and instinctively covered his chest.

On the other side.

Deschamps looked terrified.

Why?

Why would Spain become so pragmatic?

.....

All eyes were on the French thirty-meter area.

Morata's heart was a little excited.

He was clean in his personal life. Although he had a handsome face, although he was a popular new generation of strikers in Europe, he never indulged in extravagance, and rarely interacted with the opposite sex.

Just a few nights ago.

His online girlfriend of many years finally agreed to a date after the European Championship.

He decided.

The celebration after scoring a goal would be to express his enthusiasm to Alice in front of the camera!

Soccer and love have the most beautiful connection.

Facing French goalkeeper Lloris, who rushed out.

The image of Morata's online girlfriend disappeared instantly.

.....

"Lloris is very decisive!"

"He rushed out quickly."

"His explosiveness is too strong."

"His blocking timing is very accurate, and his sense of position is very good!"

"Let's see how Morata handles it. He's slowing down... Is he going to choose to dribble past the goalkeeper and shoot directly?"

"Hey! He didn't get past, and the ball is still under his control!"

"He can't hesitate anymore."

In this historical period, among the new generation of young goalkeepers in the top five leagues, Lloris's rushing ability was unique.

His goal was often not to personally destroy the ball, but to delay the opponent's attack in various ways.

It was very contrary to the laws of soccer, and contrary to the details of goalkeeping rules in textbooks... but it often had a magical effect.

Morata's dribbling was very strong. He made a handsome feint during the deceleration process, but he didn't fool the French goalkeeper!

The essence of dribbling is the game of the center of gravity.

Helpless.

He could only accelerate again, taking the ball to the touchline.

Lloris's steps were very steady, and his body position maintained a subtle distance, completely not giving the opponent a chance to change direction!

"Don't panic!"

"No big problem."

"There's a reason why Lloris can beat the veterans and become France's number one goalkeeper!"

The audience was anxious.

The Spanish bench was anxious.

The French bench was even more anxious.

Each was like betting on two different racehorses, still running side by side in front of the finish line, unable to determine the winner!

How many years haven't they seen this kind of dawdling and comical one-on-one!

....

Morata was a little panicked.

He could even feel someone catching up!

It was definitely not David Silva, that guy was slow.

Two black figures flanked him from behind on the left and right.

Evra and Umtiti!

The 36-year-old former Manchester United full-back could still run!

His ability on the defensive side was still as solid as a rock!

"France's defensive speed is very fast."

"Evra is still strong, and he even participated in the attack in the frontcourt just now!"

"Morata is going to lose this ball!"

"There's no way!"

"But Spain has shown its power..."

....

In a panic.

Morata saw a touch of red!

Like grabbing a life-saving straw.

The super-perfect Juventus striker, besides shooting, grabbed the life-saving straw!

Thwack!

At the moment when he was squeezed out of the touchline by Evra, he sent the ball out!

The French fans and Deschamps, who were originally relieved, suddenly opened their mouths wide.

Li Kang and Mbappé?

It's them again?

What kind of speed do these two guys have?

And Pogba!

The camera moved with the erratic trajectory of the soccer ball.

Yes.

It was erratic.

Morata couldn't guarantee the quality of the pass under interference. It was already very good to be able to send it out!

....

Lloris ran back desperately, but couldn't help but look back to observe the ball's path.

Deschamps was in a daze.

Looking at the empty backcourt, he kept comforting himself.

He can't shoot directly!

With Pogba and Mbappé interfering together... Li can't shoot directly!

That's right!

The quality of this pass is also very poor!

At the Vélodrome stadium, the audience was about to run out of breath.

Spain's number 6 on the green field... seemed to have a God's-eye view, judging the ball's path earlier than Pogba and Mbappé.

All eyes were focused on the landing point!

....

Li Kang looked up at the rapidly descending soccer ball.

The phantom of the little foal gradually disappeared, replaced by a golden phantom of a bald head.

Number 5 in white!

Mbappé suddenly accelerated, heavily squeezing towards Li Kang. But at the moment of getting close, he was pushed back a few steps by a powerful force.

Pogba followed closely, trying to compete for the landing point, but was leaned on by the other side's back!

The two little black eggs could only watch Li Kang raise his left foot...

That was an exaggerated height to raise his foot.

Accompanied by an even more exaggerated swing of his leg.

The sea breeze blew frantically on the red jersey.

Li Kang seemed to be bathed in flames.

The incredible shooting posture made Duan Xuan and He Wei only think of one word: heavenly descent!

Accompanied by the exaggerated shooting action.

The soccer ball made an extreme bang.

Boom!

In an instant!

As if there were shooting stars, illuminating the night sky of France!

In a trance, the people on the field seemed to hear bursts of roaring!

The wind howled!

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled!

Heavy rain!

Lloris suppressed the despair in his heart and desperately wanted to save everything.

Too late.

There were too many things that were too late in life.

That unpredictable soccer ball finally shattered his last stubbornness.

Shattered the hopes of the French fans.

Shattered Deschamps' deployment.

The Vélodrome stadium was instantly submerged in sighs.

3:1!!!

Duan Xuan and He Wei were silent for a few seconds before going crazy.

"Celestial being!"

"Goal of the century!"

"The miracle of France!"

"Too wonderful!"

"An unspeakably great moment!"

"Super moment!"

"He is the master of the Vélodrome stadium! He has conquered Marseille!"

"Hat trick!"

"An 18-year-old kid completes a hat trick in the European Championship semi-final!"

"Just like Napoleon back then, conquering everything in France!"

"Heavenly descent!"

"The king has arrived!"

Trembling voices.

The fans in front of the TV stared blankly at the screen.

Worldwide.

Every corner of the earth, countless faces... were shocked by this goal.

....

In the live broadcast room.

The big screen replayed the entire process of the goal from various angles...

-【The waning moon embraces the high mountains, and the meteor sweeps through the dawn sky...】

-【Li Kang is awesome!】

-【So handsome.】

-【I didn't get to witness Zidane's celestial being... Li Kang fulfilled my wish today.】

-【Am I watching a cartoon? What is this? Is this a ball that humans can kick?】

-【Li Mingdeng has locked in that Puskás Award! Locked in the European Championship Golden Boot! And even going to break records!】

-【Heavenly descent! Hat trick in the European Championship semi-final!】

-【Was the semi-final played like a final?】

-【What European Championship with a galaxy of stars, only Li Mingdeng is the most dazzling!】

-【It feels like I'm back in the era when Simeone played soccer. The midfielder has more shooting opportunities than the striker.】

-【I'll pull the progress bar back a bit... damn it! What's going on here... Are Li Kang and Mbappé participating in a track and field competition?】

.....

At the stands.

Zidane's pores all over his body stretched, and his hair stood on end.

He couldn't help but stand up and raise his hands.

That was a goal that he could never replicate in his life... Today, someone did it!

Thwack!

Thwack thwack thwack!

The applause didn't bring about the glare of the surrounding French fans, but was like a snowflake, causing an avalanche at the Vélodrome stadium.

Tens of thousands of people in the audience.

All couldn't help but dedicate the most enthusiastic applause to this wonderful and beautiful goal.

There was no other sound that could deny Spain's number 6 on the green field.

This night.

Someone conquered France.

Only Wenger showed a bitter smile in addition to his joy.

The 150 million on the books had never seemed so shabby...

.....

On the sidelines.

Del Bosque jumped up excitedly!

The always calm old man began to celebrate hysterically.

His big belly shook with the amplitude of the jump.

It didn't seem like he was celebrating the goal that killed the suspense.

But to celebrate Li Kang's extraordinary performance.

The substitute players left their seats one after another, rushing to the sidelines and shouting as much as they could.

Milla was so excited that he couldn't control himself, and excitedly carried a box of bottled water.

On the other side.

The French coaching staff was shrouded in silence.

It seemed out of place with the noise.

Everyone's faces were filled with sadness.

Deschamps rubbed his face hard, unable to hide the shock in his heart.

Desperation.

France was in despair.

Even letting Morata score a one-on-one wouldn't completely defeat the spirit of the French soldiers.

....

Madrid.

Benzema stood in front of the TV with mixed feelings.

He subconsciously imitated Li Kang's shooting posture...

How did he do it?

Li's luck was too good, right?

It must be good luck.

Zidane himself said that he couldn't do that celestial being again in his life...

Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh no, Karim, your social media account has been attacked by thousands of netizens!"

"They left messages saying..."

"It's all Benzema's fault!"

....

On the green field.

The phantom of the bald head disappeared with the wind.

Li Kang was surrounded by his teammates. Accompanied by bursts of cheers, he was thrown high into the air.

Morata said in a panic: "Li, I suddenly thought of you before I wanted to shoot, and I knew you would come!"

Everyone laughed.

One side's joy set off the other side's sadness.

Pogba was lost and full of feelings.

Is this the genius midfielder who is as famous as him?

Lloris sat down on the grass with his hands weakly drooping.

Evra patted him on the shoulder and comforted him: "Don't blame yourself, get up from where you fall! Li is very likely to transfer to the Premier League next season, and then you will have many opportunities to defeat him!"

Mbappé jogged all the way to the net, picked up the soccer ball, and his expression didn't change at all.

.....

The soccer ball was placed back on the center circle.

"Del Bosque made a second substitution."

"Atlético Madrid youngster Koke replaces David Silva!"

"Spain is going to play with three defensive midfielders!"