NFBE Chapter 31 Bottle Opener!
Chapter 31 Bottle Opener!
Domestically, in the afternoon.
Li Laoqi pushed open the door, his legs spread wide in an exaggerated manner, toes pointing outwards, and he moved towards the sofa with extremely strange steps. His brows were furrowed, and he gasped for breath with every half step he took. After struggling for half a minute, he finally collapsed stiffly onto the sofa cushions.
The kitchen door opened, and Little Potato came out carrying a steaming bowl of chicken soup. She pulled up a low stool and sat down next to the sofa, carefully blowing away the oil floating on the surface of the water with a spoon before handing the bowl over.
"Seventh Brother, drink it while it's hot." Little Potato's eyes curved into crescents. "I knew this urology clinic's VVIP package was amazing! The doctor's surgery was so fast. You've finally fulfilled my long-held wish. This is your reward."
Li Laoqi grimaced in pain. He barely managed to raise his hand to take the chicken soup, took a big gulp, then rolled his eyes and snorted coldly.
"You don't know anything! If you hadn't been taking such good care of me these past two days, I wouldn't have suffered like this. It really hurts like hell."
Although they complained to each other, their eyes were sticky when they looked at each other.
Little Potato picked up the phone from the table. She swiped her finger across the screen a couple of times, then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she shoved the screen right in front of Li Laoqi's face.
"Seventh Brother, look!" Little Potato exclaimed excitedly, pointing to a betting website entirely in a foreign language. "Atletico Madrid is playing Villarreal tonight, and Atletico's odds of winning are 1.4! Isn't that free money?"
Little Potato became more and more excited as he spoke, and even reached out and tugged at Li Laoqi's sleeve.
"You said Atletico Madrid's defense was invincible in the last game, forcing a draw against a full-strength Real Madrid team. Let's bet all 200,000, and tonight it'll become 280,000! We can buy a new car next month!"
Li Laoqi didn't even glance at the screen; he just glared at Little Potato.
"Juanmei, do you think the ball is round, and money is round too, so it can just roll into your pocket anytime?" Li Laoqi pointed a finger in the air. "Look where Villarreal is in La Liga right now? Third from the bottom!"
Little Potato was stunned: "What's wrong with being third to last? Doesn't that mean you're even weaker?"
"A team like this, drowning in the fight to avoid relegation, will absolutely resort to any means necessary to park the bus and defend to the death against Atletico Madrid!" Li Laoqi adopted the tone of a tactical mastermind, launching into a long and detailed analysis. "Besides, haven't you seen the news? Atletico Madrid is in complete disarray right now. That troublemaker Li Jing hasn't been blacklisted by the management, and Simeone is even insisting on keeping him in the starting lineup. How can those veteran players in the locker room not be emotional? This match is bound to be a disaster!"
Little Potato listened, completely bewildered.
"Would a betting company do something like giving away money for free?" Li Laoqi snorted. "This kind of lousy match has no suspense whatsoever. It'll definitely end in a 0-0 draw, or Villarreal will just get lucky and steal a goal. This match has no betting value whatsoever. I won't even watch it tonight. I'll just leave it in the background and listen to the noise."
Although Little Potato didn't understand the tactical logic, seeing Li Laoqi's confident demeanor, he quickly nodded in agreement.
"Wow, Seventh Brother, you know so much!" Little Potato exclaimed happily, utterly impressed by Seventh Brother's professional knowledge. "You're right, listening to you is always the best course of action. I almost got scammed. I'll shut down the website then."
The phone screen went out.
Li Laoqi proudly raised his chin, but the large movement aggravated the wound on his lower body. He immediately gasped, his face contorting in pain.
"Turn on the computer tonight, let's play a single-player game." Li Laoqi instructed from his seat on the mat.
Little Potato protested: "Don't do those borderline game broadcasts today! It's offensive, you understand?"
"You get rock hard even playing Resident Evil, is that my fault?" Little Potato retorted.
"Okay, okay, get the live stream set up for me, hurry up." Li Laoqi waved his hand.
……
At the same time, in Madrid, Spain.
As night fell, the Calderon Stadium was packed to capacity.
The broadcast cameras panned across the top tier of the stands, where tens of thousands of home fans were waving red and white scarves wildly, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.
In a corner of the stands, several protest banners targeting Li Jing were still hanging.
In the broadcasting studio of a domestic sports channel, commentator He Wei's highly poetic and magnetic voice rang out.
"Welcome to this round of La Liga, viewers."
I am your commentator – He Wei!
At this point, we are here together, and I believe everyone is paying special attention to this match!
As for Atletico Madrid...
This is not just an ordinary relegation battle, but also Atletico Madrid's attempt at self-redemption during a period of turbulent public opinion.
As Machado wrote in his poem, "Traveler, there is no road, but a road is made by walking."
Therefore, today's match is something to look forward to.
Although He Wei is a professional commentator, his commentary in China seems to be naturally biased!
In domestic matches like these, it's generally assumed that teams like Villarreal don't have fans.
Therefore, for many commentators, their commentary is extremely biased in some details that they themselves have not even noticed!
He Wei picked up the starting lineup and began his professional analysis.
"Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides. For Villarreal, the goalkeeper is Diego Lopez, and the defense is led by Zapata and Oriol."
The midfield is anchored by technical masters Borja Valero and Cazorla, while the forwards are Nilmar and Ruben.
This yellow submarine is mired in the relegation battle and will fight tooth and nail at the Calderon tonight.
He put down the list of players from Wuhan Qianhua, picked up the page for Atletico Madrid, paused slightly, and deliberately raised his voice.
Atletico Madrid's starting goalkeeper is Courtois.
Defenders Juanfran, Godin, Miranda, and Filipe.
The midfield includes Raul Garcia, Gabi…”
He Wei took a deep breath.
"And in the defensive midfield position remains Li Jing, the young Chinese player still embroiled in huge controversy!"
The live stream chat in China was instantly filled with question marks, shocking the entire internet.
He Wei continued his explanation:
"Coach Simeone withstood tremendous external pressure and kept Li Jing in the starting lineup."
The forwards are Falcao and Diego Costa.
It seems Simeone wants to use his toughest defensive system at home to win the game.
He Wei made a prediction about the course of the game.
"However, I personally think that tonight's game will probably be extremely close."
To avoid relegation, Villarreal will likely rely heavily on Cazorla and Valero to control the midfield, attempting to wear down Atletico Madrid's attacking prowess with their classic attacking midfield style.
He Wei highlighted the potential risks for Atletico Madrid.
"Li Jing showed terrifying defensive toughness against Real Madrid, but he was no match for Villarreal's extremely delicate ground passing and movement."
His past defensive style, relying solely on physical challenges, could be easily bypassed by opponents exploiting the rhythm of the game. A prolonged midfield battle is expected, with very few goals likely.
on the field.
……
In the away fans' section at the highest point of the stands, 15-year-old Rodri gripped the front railing tightly, leaning out over the edge.
He stared fervently in Cazorla's direction and shouted.
"Mr. Sant! Lead us to those damn three points!"
……
The referee stood in the center circle and glanced at his watch.
With a long whistle, the competition officially began.
The center forward from Huangqian passed the ball to the midfield.
In the broadcast studio, He Wei spoke at a steady pace:
"Borja passed the ball back. Villarreal gained possession and tried to slow down the pace of the game."
It seems today's match might be a bit boring...
Before He Wei could finish speaking, the situation on the field exploded.
Falcao and Diego Costa took off, charging straight across the center circle and heading towards Villarreal's half.
"Press them down! Force them to their deaths!"
Gabby yelled at the top of his lungs from behind.
Almost from the very start, Atletico Madrid's formation resembled a pack of wolves that spotted their prey, swarming forward!
The entire stadium erupted in cheers.
Atletico Madrid fans are naturally excited!
Wow, so energetic?
Even during a slump, seeing the team so aggressive always boosts morale, regardless of the outcome.
The fans were naturally ecstatic and would support him without question.
Villarreal fans, on the other hand, were completely baffled.
Holy crap, are you crazy?! Isn't this outrageous?!
Of course, the player facing Villarreal at that moment felt even more frustrated.
Villarreal's center-back Zapata had just received a pass back from midfield and hadn't even had time to look up when Falcao collided with him.
Zapata was thrown to the side by the impact.
In his panic, he passed the ball to left-back Oriol.
"Forget about formation, just charge!"
Juanfran sprinted down the right flank and shut down Oriol.
Oriol had no chance to turn around; his passing lane was completely blocked by the two Atletico Madrid players in front and behind him.
"Middle! Come and take this!"
Oriol shouted anxiously at the midfield.
These Atletico Madrid players were giving it their all from the very start!
These lunatics, they're already robbing people right from the start?
Don't they care about their physical fitness at all?
Aren't you afraid of being countered right from the start?
Upon hearing the shout, Cazorla immediately dropped back from his attacking midfield position to receive the pass.
In the broadcast studio, He Wei raised his voice:
"Cazorla got the ball! He's Villarreal's best metronome."
Cazorla's toe just touched the surface of the ball.
Li Jing and Gabi flanked Cazorla from the left and right, instantly blocking his forward runs and crosses.
Cazorla felt immense pressure and dared not take another step.
He flicked his ankle and quickly passed the ball to veteran Senna behind him.
"Senna, give me a cross!" Cazorla shouted a reminder.
As soon as Senna stopped the ball, the three Atletico Madrid players immediately closed in on him.
"Don't fall! Kick it out!" Cazorla shouted, sensing the danger.
Senna didn't observe the space in the attacking third at all, and blindly swung a long kick at the bottom of the ball to clear it.
The ball soared high into the air and plummeted towards the defensive vacuum in midfield.
At that moment, just as the football took flight...
Li Jing seemed to have seen the trajectory.
He didn't look up at the ball in the sky.
The calculations were completed quickly in my mind.
"Senna struck the ball from the bottom left. The drop point was about 5.5 meters to my left."
Of course, this conclusion was not in his mind.
Instead, they saw where the ball would land a few seconds later.
This moment is so clear!
Li Jing turned around immediately, shook off the defender next to him, and sprinted towards the open landing spot.
The ball fell rapidly with tremendous downward force.
Li Jing stood firmly directly below the landing point.
He thrust his chest forward. The ball struck his chest, dissipating all its force, and obediently rolled to his feet.
The entire ball-stopping motion was fluid and seamless, without a single unnecessary adjustment.
Possession instantly shifted to Atletico Madrid.
Cazorla, who was closest to him, stared wide-eyed, stopped in his tracks, and looked completely astonished.
He simply couldn't understand it.
Senna's kicks were clearly blind and lacked any accuracy.
How did this Chinese kid manage to predict the future and stand at that landing point two seconds in advance to wait for the ball?
He Wei's voice instantly rose in the broadcast studio.
"Beautiful! Li Jing's positioning was divine! He practically stood there waiting for the ball to come to him!"
The live stream chat in China was flooded with comments.
"Holy crap, does this kid have X-ray vision?"
"Is this some kind of lucky guess? How could the accuracy of the landing point prediction be so perfect!"
On the sidelines, Simeone excitedly pumped his fist and turned to yell at assistant coach Burgos.
"See that?! I knew it! This kid has a damn tactical radar in his head!"
On the field, the moment Li Jing controlled the ball, three excellent passing routes were already marked in his field of vision.
Various data points were rapidly filtered through my mind.
There are many players on the left flank, and the defense is dense.
The central Huangqian defensive line retreated extremely quickly, leaving no space.
There was a full twelve meters of absolute open space in front of Raul Garcia on the right.
Li Jing quickly exerted force with the inside of his right foot.
The ball skimmed the grass, a low, long pass that tore open a gap in the Yellow Dragons' defensive formation.
"Raul! Charge!"
The ball rolled precisely into Raul Garcia's sprint path, three meters in front of him.
Raul Garcia made no pause and dribbled down the wing.
He assessed the situation inside the penalty area and delivered a low, triangular pass back to the penalty spot.
Falcao used his powerful core strength to firmly lean his back against Villarreal's center-back Zapata.
"Get out of my way!"
Falcao roared and used his waist to forcefully turn. He met the rolling ball with a powerful right-footed shot.
"Bang!"
A deep, muffled thud echoed throughout the stadium.
The ball slammed into the left post with a blur, and the huge rebound caused it to bounce directly into a blank area on the left side of the penalty area.
He Wei sighed with regret in the broadcasting studio:
"What a pity! Falcao's shot hit the post!"
Villarreal defender Oriol was closest to the ball. His tense nerves relaxed, he let out a long breath, and ran towards the ball, shouting.
"Threat eliminated! Goalkeeper back in position, I'll take it!"
All the defensive players relaxed their guard for that instant.
Just at this time.
Li Jing didn't stop to watch after passing the ball.
He quickly identified a "defensive blind spot" that no one had noticed.
He moved along an extremely strange diagonal line, avoiding everyone's sight, and silently slipped into the left side of the restricted area.
Oriol had just stretched out his right foot, preparing to kick the ball out of bounds.
A red and white figure suddenly appeared from his blind spot.
Li Jing took a half-step ahead and blocked the position.
He didn't even stop the ball; with remarkable composure, he pushed the ball into the empty net with the instep of his left foot.
The ball crossed the goal line without any doubt and crashed heavily into the net, causing the net to tumble violently.
For a full second, not a single person in the audience uttered a sound.
He Wei roared in the live broadcast room, his voice echoing throughout the entire studio.
"Goal!! Li Jing!! Just three minutes into the game!! This is a ghostly rebound shot, a testament to top-tier awareness!"
The away team's fan section at the highest point of the stands.
Fifteen-year-old Rodri gripped the railing tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.
He stared wide-eyed at the tall figure celebrating in the corner flag area!
……