Chapter 116: The Curved Shot

Pato won a prime free kick for Villarreal. The ball was positioned just over 35 meters out, slightly to the right of the edge of the penalty area.

The Monaco players retreated quickly. Realizing the threat, they set up a five-man wall. As for Villarreal, center-back Ruiz and Bruno Soriano pushed into the penalty area, ready to challenge for a header or capitalize on a rebound. Villarreal’s free kicks were usually taken by Castillejo or Trigueros, though it was typically Trigueros who took charge when he was on the pitch. Trigueros paced back nearly ten meters, a very long run-up.

Suddenly, Dai Zhiwei ran over.

"Huh? Why is Dai Zhiwei coming out? It looks like he wants to take this free kick; he’s consulting with Trigueros right now," exclaimed Zhan Jun on Penguin Live. "But Dai Zhiwei has almost no history of taking free kicks. He’s scored plenty of headers and put-backs from set pieces, but what is he planning this time?"

After a brief exchange, Trigueros nodded twice, and both players began to retreat. Dai Zhiwei glanced at the ball, backed away a few steps, looked at Trigueros, and then stepped back a few more. Then, he began his long stride run-up!

...

Three days ago, following the 1-1 draw against Granada in the first round of the 2016-17 La Liga season, the Villarreal squad was shrouded in gloom. Only Dai Zhiwei wore a faint smile. In fact, he would have laughed aloud if he hadn't restrained himself. After accumulating points for most of the season, his system points had finally reached 50, meaning he could redeem his first 50-point skill.

Without needing a recommendation from Tsubasa Ozora, Dai Zhiwei had long ago set his sights on the skill he had dreamed of since encountering the "Captain Tsubasa System"—Tsubasa’s Drive Shot. The skill required no introduction; any fan of "Captain Tsubasa" knew it well: powerful, fast, long-range, and with a treacherous trajectory. Its only weakness was the difficulty of mastery. Although the skill was directly instilled by the system, it was far from perfect; most notably, Dai could only execute it from a set piece and struggled to fire it while the ball was in motion. Even with Tsubasa’s guidance in the system space, he had not fully mastered it in three days. But even at ninety percent efficiency, Dai Zhiwei was now a top-tier free-kick specialist in world football.

...

As Dai stood before the ball, Pato, Bakambu, Ruiz, and Bruno Soriano swarmed the box. Zhan Jun watched from the booth, smiling. "The distance is truly too far for a direct shot from Trigueros. It seems like a tactical play. With all the strikers in the box, Dai Zhiwei is likely just providing cover."

Villarreal fans shook their heads; a direct shot from this distance seemed impossible. Like the fans, Monaco overlooked Dai, dismissing him as a decoy since he had no history as a dead-ball specialist. Even his own coach, Fran Escriba, and his teammates thought the same.

Dai Zhiwei took a deep breath, scanned the positions of his teammates, the goal, and the keeper, calculated the trajectory, and stepped back further.

The referee blew his whistle. Dai and Trigueros both moved in unison, accelerating instantly.

"It has to be Trigueros!" Subasic and every player in the box concluded.

Dai ran faster and faster, planted his left foot, and swung his right foot with immense force. The ball whistled into the air.

"Dai Zhiwei! It’s actually Dai Zhiwei!" Zhan Jun cried out, his eyes locked on the ball.

Fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions held their breath. The ball reached its apex, cleared the Monaco wall, and then suddenly dipped sharply toward the net.

"A leaf-fall shot!"

Monaco goalkeeper Subasic froze, his heart sinking. His focus had been entirely on Trigueros, leaving him a split second late. He wasn't overly worried, however, as his positioning was ideal for a standard dipping shot. He watched the ball descend with increasing speed, roared, and leapt, palms outstretched toward the ball's path.

"What?"

Subasic’s mind went blank. He had expected a straight drop, but as the ball descended, it swerved with a perverse arc to the right!

The ball hissed through the air, bypassed Subasic’s palms, and tucked into the goal!

3-1! The aggregate score was now 4-3!

Before the ball had even hit the grass, the stadium erupted like a tsunami. Zhan Jun and his broadcast partner were screaming at the top of their lungs: "It’s in! A goal from a Dai Zhiwei free kick! We have overtaken the score! We are the unbreakable Yellow Submarine!"

Villarreal fans everywhere jumped to their feet, shouting in ecstasy. They were conquered by the brilliance of the strike: "Long live! Long live Dai Zhiwei! Long live the great Yellow Submarine!"

The Monaco players were stunned, standing motionless where the wall had been, staring at Dai Zhiwei as he was mobbed by his teammates, their hearts heavy with defeat. Dai’s signature "pistol shot" celebration appeared on the pitch once more.

Subasic leaned against the goalpost, his eyes vacant. This goal had completely shattered his confidence.

"A leaf-fall? Or a banana kick? The trajectory is too bizarre—it’s a combination of both! Regardless, this is the most beautiful free kick in European football—or the world—this season! It rivals any legendary specialist in history!" Zhan Jun’s voice was hoarse, his passion spilling over.

No one would argue with that praise. The Drive Shot was destined to amaze the world from the moment it appeared. Subasic climbed to his feet, sighing. In his entire career, he had never seen such a strange free kick; even if he could face it again, he wouldn't be confident of saving it. He picked the ball out of the net and tossed it to a dazed Jemerson.

Monaco was now trailing, not just by one goal, but because Villarreal held three away goals; they needed two more to advance. Fabinho shook his head and ran to the center circle.

There wasn't much time left in the first half of extra time. Before Monaco could muster another attempt, the referee blew the whistle. Despite over 100 minutes of play, Dai Zhiwei felt exhausted, yet the thrill of his first successful Drive Shot made him feel as though he could play another hundred minutes.

In the second half of extra time, the pitch became a stage for Monaco’s desperate offensive. Under Escriba’s orders, Villarreal retreated completely, with Dai Zhiwei dropping back to the center circle as the furthest man forward. Villarreal simply needed to survive the final 15 minutes without conceding twice.

Monaco attacked. Fabinho dribbled forward, shaking off two defenders before passing to the substitute, Carrillo. Carrillo fired a powerful shot, but Asenjo tipped it over the bar. Glik took the corner, but the ensuing chaos saw Bruno Soriano clear the ball into the Monaco half. Only Subasic remained back, presenting a perfect counter-attacking opportunity for Villarreal. Alas, even the exhausted Dai Zhiwei had retreated to help defend, and the ball was eventually collected by the rushing Subasic.

Despite Monaco’s best efforts, the score remained unchanged. After 15 minutes of the second half of extra time, Escriba’s team emerged victorious!

Villarreal eliminated Monaco, completing a stunning comeback to reach the Champions League group stage!

After the match, reporters swarmed Dai Zhiwei as he swapped jerseys with Bernardo Silva. Despite his fatigue after 120 minutes, Dai smiled. "One at a time, please. Don't crowd. I have a press conference later, so you can ask more questions there. Let’s start with the lady here."

The reporter she pointed to, Catherine from the *Daily Mirror*, flushed with excitement. "Hello, Dai. That free kick—how did you come up with it? I recall you’ve never taken one before."

Dai smiled. "Your memory is good, but I’ve been practicing in private. You’ll see more of these in my matches from now on!"

A reporter from *Marca* asked excitedly, "Dai, Villarreal is through to the group stage. What is the team’s goal?"

"The team’s goal is set by the coach," Dai replied. "As players, we just try to complete the tasks set for every match. But," he paused, "personally, I hope to at least experience the knockout stages of the Champions League!"

The reporters clearly preferred this answer. Before they could corner him further, Villarreal officials escorted Dai into the tunnel.

The next day, the media was flooded with coverage of the Villarreal-Monaco match and Dai Zhiwei’s miraculous shot. The *Marca* front page featured a photo of Dai pointing to the sky, surrounded by teammates, with the headline: "The Dragon Roars, The Submarine Rises!"

...

Dai Zhiwei’s Latest Stats:

Offensive Ability: 97 (Top Tier)
Defensive Ability: 34 (Very Poor)
Body Balance: 85 (Good)
Left Foot: 75 (Average)
Right Foot: 86 (Good)
Stamina: 83 (Good)
Top Speed: 97 (Top Tier)
Acceleration: 95 (Top Tier)
Reaction: 97 (Top Tier)
Agility: 91 (Excellent)
Dribbling Accuracy: 95 (Top Tier)
Dribbling Speed: 90 (Excellent)
Short Pass Accuracy: 92 (Excellent)
Long Pass Accuracy: 70 (Average)
Shot Accuracy: 88 (Good)
Shot Power: 96 (Top Tier)
Shot Technique: 89 (Good)
Free Kick: 98 (Top Tier)
Turning: 87 (Good)
Heading Accuracy: 91 (Excellent)
Jumping: 93 (Excellent)
Technique: 91 (Excellent)
Goalkeeping: 40 (Amateur)
Teamwork: 89 (Good)
Health: 7 (Excellent)

Skills: Miller’s Mind Dribble, Kisugi’s Off-the-Ball Movement, Tachibana Brothers' Aerial Header, Hyuga Kojiro’s Tiger Shot, Roberto Hongo’s Overhead Kick, Aoi Shingo’s Right-Angle Feint, Pierre’s Eiffel Tower Pass, Tsubasa Ozora’s Drive Shot.

Overall Rating: 95.5 (Between Super Star/Epic Star)