Would You Mind If I Play?

Time continued to pass as second by second slipped through the grasp of the 22 players on the pitch. Time flowed through the tense bench of substitutes and evaporated from the steaming viewing box.

"It looks like the match will enter a second half of overtime! If there isn't a goal in the second half, the match will be decided through penalties!"

Luo Bin pressed forward. He had quietly rushed forward when Shu Guang's defenders were preoccupied by Zhao Defeng.

Zhao Defeng caught a glimpse of Luo Bin and immediately knew what he was supposed to do.

There were three heavyweight gunners in Zhongyuan: Zhang Yuchao, Li Yongle and Luo Bin. As he was usually a center back, he rarely had a chance to shoot. However, his shooting skills were not to be trifled with.

"Zhao Defeng makes an accurate pass even though Wang Ning interferes! Unmarked, Luo Bin receives the ball!"

Unfortunately, Shu Guang had neglected him.

Luo Bin received the ball from Zhao Defeng at the top corner of the penalty box. Miraculously, no one came forward to block him. He was also clever, thus he adjusted his body slightly. He lifted his right leg at the edge of the penalty box and took a shot.

"A long shot from Luo Bin..."

There was a large and empty space in front of Luo Bin, which lead towards the goal. His shot was so sudden that Shu Guang's defenders were unable to stop him.

Since he could no longer trust his eyes, he put his sight aside and decided to trust his body as well as his own hands.

An Ke closed his eyes and leaped towards the ball, which was flying to his left.

"An Ke! That was brilliant! A sideways leap perfectly pushed Luo Bin's shot away from the goal line! How did he do it?" the commentator exclaimed. Naturally, the commentator would not have been able to guess that An Ke had closed his eyes and relied on the feeling of his body to complete the amazing leap. It sounded like something out of a comic book.

"A corner kick! Zhongyuan's offensive is not yet over!"

Those in the penalty zone became more heated. Perhaps the first half of overtime would end after the corner kick. As a result, Luo Bin and Deng Rui both rushed towards Shu Guang's penalty box. An Ke was unable to go out and catch the ball. High balls like these depended on the aerial ability of each side. Amongst the tallest two in Zhongyuan, the one who was better at headers would definitely be the decider.

An Ke looked at the chaotic penalty area. It was a mess, because he saw countless people there. He undoubtedly understood the danger of the corner kick, but he was unable to do anything. It would be a joke if he closed his eyes again to leap at a close-range header.

He looked at the goal post behind him and suddenly had an idea. He walked over, and slammed his head against the post!

Everyone who witnessed this scene was stunned. They did not know what An Ke was trying to do.

Has he gone mad from that knock earlier? Is he addicted to knocks now?

All of the Shu Guang players felt relieved. An Ke did not go crazy after all. They heard the familiar roar and knew that the An Ke they knew had returned.

An Ke was now truly full of confidence. Mainly because, everything he saw was turning back to normal. There were no more double images and his vision had stopped shaking. This was only temporary, but it was enough.

It was enough for him to catch the corner kick.

"Zhongyuan's corner kick!"

In Shu Guang's chaotic penalty box, Luo Bin, Deng Rui, Lin Xiaofang and Li Jieguang were entangled. Kaka did not return to the penalty box this time. Instead, he stayed in the middle of the pitch alongside Yang Pan. They had the same thoughts. It was probably their last chance, so it was all or nothing.

The ball flew forward in an arc and slowly descended towards the goal's mouth.

"Everyone, move aside!" An Ke shouted and jumped up with his hands stretched out. He then caught the ball firmly in his hands.

Shu Guang's fans burst into cheers.

"An Ke catches Zhongyuan's corner kick! Is he really injured?"

He quickly squeezed through the crowd in the penalty box and went right up to the edge. He then used all of his strength and flung the ball towards Kaka. After releasing the ball, he fell face forward from the momentum.

Zhang Yuchao, who was standing in his periphery was the first among the Zhongyuan players to understand the situation. He quickly ran towards Kaka and the ball.

Zhang Yuchao was quickly approaching when the ball arrived. However, Kaka did not give him any chance to get to the ball. He turned his back to Zhongyuan's goal, and without even so much as a backwards glance, he used the outer part of his right foot to kick the ball back as hard as he could. He then swiveled around the stunned Zhang Yuchao and continued his forward run.

Ren Yu De accelerated to intercept the ball before Liu Chao could cause any disruption. He stretched his left leg out and sent Kaka's ball back to the middle. However, he was paralyzed himself, and fell onto the pitch shortly after. He was unable to stand up, feeling completely exhausted.

Zhang Jun faked a move and ditched Li Yongle, who was marking him. He jumped up and sent the ball to Yang Pan on the right. After that, he landed and made a run towards goal. He sped up and left Li Yongle stumbling to keep up.

Yang Pan leaped up. Without looking, he kicked the ball, which was up in the air with his left heel. The ball was sent to Kaka, who was running forward. Yang Pan then rushed towards the goal line as well.

Kaka saw that Yang Pan had given him the ball and he knew what to do. He kicked the ball up again, sending it over and behind Zhang Yang.

Until now, the ball had not yet landed.

Yang Pan ran as fast as he could. He easily got past Zhang Yang and ran towards the ball's landing spot. He clearly knew that this would be the last pass.

Luo Bin shouted as loud as he could, "Zhang Lintao!" Now that they were all up front and could not make it back in time to defend, all their hopes were on the goalkeeper.

'God!'

Su Fei and everyone else stood up.

"Yang Pan has passed the ball!"

Zhang Lintao jumped forward and opened his hands to catch the ball. However, someone's leg in white socks appeared before his eyes. The person's boot slammed into the ball and Zhang Lintao squinted out of reflex when a patch of grass flew onto his face.

"A bicycle kick by Zhang Jun! God! The ball flies into Zhongyuan's goal without any resistance! They've scored the goal they needed! It's the golden ball! The golden ball!"

Zhang Lintao and Zhang Jun landed at the same time. However, Zhang Lintao stayed on the ground and stared blankly at the ball, which was still bouncing about in the goal.

Zhang Jun sprang up and ran to the center circle. At the same time, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match.

"What a unique goal! Shu Guang made a series of passes through the air, culminating in an amazing bicycle kick by Zhang Jun! The golden ball. The first champions to be decided through the golden ball system! Shu Guang are the champions!"

Liang Ke also led a group of substitutes onto the pitch. Their target was to point their arms to the sky.

Even Ren Yu De and An Ke were supported by others to join the manic celebration. Although they had no energy to jump and scream, they could still muster a laugh.

They laughed to their hearts' content for the hard won victory and championship.

Li Yongle watched on helplessly as Zhang Jun leaped up in front of him. Zhang Jun turned and steadied his left leg on the ground as he landed, then he swung his right leg up into the air. Zhang Lintao was just as helpless as Li Yongle. His legs could no longer support him. It was a miracle that he could even stand.

I lost…

He looked up and squinted at the sky. He wondered if the color of the sky would return to normal now that the match had ended.

Suddenly, his knees buckled and he fell down to his left. However, he was immediately supported by Zhang Yang.

"I lost."

"I know." Zhang Yang put Li Yongle's right hand over his neck and propped his partner up.

Lu Qing was the only sniveling and crying. He had failed during the first year of his participation. Liu Chao embraced him by his neck and said, "Don't cry. You still have two more years!"

Standing by the touchline, Sun Laihong had a blank expression as he looked at the players under his leadership. He had not made any mistakes, yet he still lost. The players had fought their hardest, but they still lost.

Zhongyuan's 15-year unbeaten record in the Henan District for official matches was now history.

They now had to face a new beginning.

The reporters intervened quickly and separated the Shu Guang players, who were tangled up in a bundle.

Zhang Jun received the most attention.

"Zhang Jun, how do you feel about winning?"

"Zhang Jun, do all of you normally practise goals like that last one?"

"Zhang Jun, how long have you been practising the bicycle kick?"

"Zhang Jun…"

Countless flashes, numerous microphones and camera lenses gave the Shu Guang's players a sense of what it meant to be champions.

The reporters' manic behavior did not last long as the organizing committee began to clear the venue for the award ceremony.

A temporary podium was set up and a bright, glittering trophy sat across from it: the champions' trophy. For the past few years, this trophy had been placed in Zhongyuan High School's exhibition hall. Today, it would have a new owner.

The runner-up prize was like a cold appetizer before the main meal. Nobody applauded and nobody cared.

Zhongyuan's players put on a forced smile and took their silver medals. The silver medals were still of great importance to them. It was their first silver medal from a regional competition.

The runners-up quickly went off and it was time for the champions to be in the spotlight.

Shu Guang's players squeezed onto the podium nervously. They were all drunk with excitement and glee.

The deputy mayor of Luoyang personally awarded the gold medals to the champions. Many of them took their gold medals and examined it. This was their first one!

After that, the most exciting moment arrived. Yang Pan received the shining championship trophy from the deputy mayor. On top of the commentators' passionate shouts, the atmosphere in the entire venue peaked when Yang Pan held the trophy high above his head with both hands.

"The champions! Shu Guang High School!"

Zhang Jun was beside Yang Pan. His eyes did not linger on the big trophy like his teammates. Instead, he looked past the crowd towards Shu Guang's bench.

Su Fei was still sitting there and she looked over too. Their eyes made contact.

Su Fei smiled at Zhang Jun, but she could not stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

A year and a half of hard work had finally paid off.

The trophy was then handed over to Zhang Jun. In front of the audience and all the reporters, he held it high and roared, "We are the champions!"

"Oh!"

When Zhang Jun finally escaped the pestering reporters, he saw Li Yongle being supported by Zhang Yang. They were waiting for him at the entrance to the tunnel.

Zhang Yang looked sombre. After losing the match, he did not respond to Zhang Jun.

Instead, it was Li Yongle who smiled, even though the smile was bitter.

"Umm… you guys actually played really well…" The winner, Zhang Jun did not know what to say.

"You don't need to be polite. A winner's line is always the same. A win is a win, a loss is a loss," Li Yongle replied. "I lost."

"That's because you were injured…"

"No! The moment you got that ball and broke away from me, I already lost. I wouldn't have been able to stop you even if I was in good condition. You don't need to find an excuse to comfort me. I'm not the kind of person to be so easily frustrated. We still have one year left."

"Yes, one more year! Your knee…" Zhang Jun looked at the thick gauze on Li Yongle's left knee.

"I'll have it examined. Don't worry. I won't hang up my boots until I defeat you." Li Yongle laughed. "You are my eternal adversary."

Zhang Jun laughed too. "You're also my eternal friend."

That moment, two hands were tightly clasped together.

Author's note:

The author has mentioned that there will be a sequel to this story, which he will write after he has rested. The sequel will be about Zhang Jun and his team in the Euro Cup and World Cup. The author also thanks the readers once again for their support.