Chapter 118: A Pyrrhic Victory to Start

Dai Zhiwei did not continue to tangle with Jung Sung-ryong. In his view, while it might be worth his effort to duel with someone like Son Heung-min, confronting a nobody like Jung felt beneath him.

After the restart, the South Korean team continued to control the ball patiently, while the Chinese team's attacking methods remained largely unchanged. As for the so-called "South Korea complex," Dai Zhiwei believed that for the current Chinese team, that feeling had long since vanished. In the past, the Chinese team was relatively close in strength to South Korea, making the outcome unpredictable, yet they would somehow end up losing. Now, even with Dai Zhiwei in the lineup, there was a clear gap in overall strength compared to South Korea. Losing was to be expected, while winning would be a massive upset, so there was no longer any talk of a "complex."

Dai Zhiwei and the newly substituted Hao Junmin pressed aggressively in the front court, causing the South Korean team to commit two passing errors. In the 81st minute, Dai Zhiwei intercepted the ball in the middle and immediately distributed it to Hao Junmin on the left. Hao took a moment to adjust before sending a brilliant cross to Wu Lei. Unfortunately, facing a header from point-blank range, Wu Lei missed the target entirely, leaving the Chinese fans on the sidelines feeling incredibly disappointed. Although Wu Lei resisted the urge to smash his head against the goalpost, the way he fiercely kicked the post twice afterward made his frustration and desperate desire to score clear to everyone.

However, Wu Lei soon created another good opportunity through his movement. Three minutes later, after receiving the ball in the middle, Dai Zhiwei feinted past the tight-marking Han Kook-young. After drawing the full attention of the South Korean defense, he pushed the ball to Wu Lei, who was surging in from the flank. This time, Wu Lei utilized his speed advantage, reaching the ball before anyone else.

A half-breakaway! Everyone was watching to see what Wu Lei would do next. If this had been Dai Zhiwei, the goal would have been certain, but with Wu Lei, a huge question mark remained. In truth, Wu Lei was a truly excellent forward within Asia, possessing top-tier positioning and speed, as well as well-rounded skills. His only shortcoming was his finishing ability in front of the goal; he had yet to reach the standard of a top-tier European league forward.

However, the South Korean team did not give Wu Lei the chance to test his ability to convert the half-breakaway; the moment he burst into the penalty area, he was knocked to the ground from behind by Kim Ki-hee.

Sitting on the ground, Wu Lei raised his arms high and roared repeatedly, "Penalty! Penalty!"

In the broadcast booth, He Wei and Coach Tao stretched their necks, saying, "Let's see what the referee rules. We are already in the 84th minute. The referee already awarded us one penalty earlier; will he call it again?"

"No! The referee called for a free kick just outside the penalty area; he did not award a penalty!"

"Oh, I think this decision is debatable!"

Subsequent slow-motion replays still could not definitively show whether Wu Lei's supporting leg was inside the penalty area when he was tripped by Kim Ki-hee. Observing from different angles yielded two completely different results.

"Based on the slow-motion replay, we still cannot determine if this was a penalty. Thus, the referee's decision is not a major error. It was a call that could have gone either way; the Chinese team has no reason to feel wronged for not getting the penalty," Coach Tao commented in his typically steady, non-offending manner, though it was at least objective.

However, the players on the field could not see the replay, and they continued to surround the referee, demanding a penalty. Wu Lei was quite anxious; this might have been the last best chance for the Chinese team to equalize before the end of the match. His demeanor was quite agitated as he confronted the referee, and even Dai Zhiwei, who was half a head taller than him, could not pull him away.

"Hey! Are you officiating this game fairly? You already erased one of our penalties earlier, and now this!"

The referee immediately singled out the culprit and showed Wu Lei a yellow card.

"Damn it, the Koreans always love to pull this stunt!" After being pulled back by Dai Zhiwei and Zheng Zhi, Wu Lei continued to mutter incessantly.

The Chinese team captain for this match, Feng Xiaoting, and Dai Zhiwei pulled Wu Lei away and went to speak with the referee, while Zheng Zhi quickly pulled Wu Lei further out of the referee's sight. He firmly clamped his large hands on Wu Lei's face and said sternly, "Pressuring the referee is fine, but don't bring trouble upon yourself and the team. Don't let the cost outweigh the gains, understand?"

Restrained by Zheng Zhi's strong grip, Wu Lei's head finally cooled down. He realized he had been too impulsive, earning himself a bright yellow card.

"Do you understand?" Zheng Zhi shouted at Wu Lei.

Wu Lei nodded repeatedly; he had to admit that Zheng Zhi’s grip was incredibly strong—his face was actually hurting from the squeeze. Wu Lei pouted, wanting to say something tough, but thinking of Zheng Zhi's authority, he wisely swallowed his words.

The free kick was very close to the goal, not an ideal position, but Dai Zhiwei was the undisputed choice to take it.

"Curved shot?" Dai Zhiwei stood in front of the ball, somewhat hesitant. Because the position was almost on the edge of the penalty area, it was simply too close to the goal. If he used a curved shot, even if it cleared the jumping wall, it would be difficult to make it dip below the crossbar.

"Tiger Shot?" As soon as this thought appeared, Dai Zhiwei shook his head vigorously. Using a Tiger Shot for a free kick from this distance would likely result in no goal, but it would definitely take out a South Korean player. He did not want to carry the reputation of a "murderous footballer."

Dai Zhiwei carefully aimed at the wall and the position of goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong for a long time, then suddenly let out a laugh. "A curved shot doesn't have to be a falling leaf or a banana kick; I'm being silly—why must I go over the wall?"

This time, Dai Zhiwei retreated a full twelve steps, further than any previous free kick. After the referee blew his whistle, he accelerated to his maximum speed within three steps. Then, his left foot planted firmly into the turf, his right leg arched like a bow, and he unleashed a strike like a rainbow piercing the sun!

The ball kicked by Dai Zhiwei flew through the air with almost no spin. As it neared the wall, its trajectory shifted right, passing just to the right side of the wall, but immediately after clearing it, it suddenly swerved left and dipped rapidly. The football carved a beautiful 'S' shape in the air!

"Bend it!"

Seeing the ball swerve after clearing the wall, Dai Zhiwei began to celebrate, feeling that the goal was inevitable! Who cares about banana kicks? Who cares about falling leaf balls? This was his own unique curved shot!

Standing on the goal line, Jung Sung-ryong felt a blur before his eyes. By the time he saw the football again, it had already grazed the turf and drilled into the bottom corner by the post.

"Goal! Beautiful! 2-2! We have equalized!"

"It's the ever-reliable Dai Zhiwei!" He Wei roared in the broadcast booth. "I said it before—with Dai Zhiwei, the Chinese team never has to worry about scoring! They just need to deliver the ammunition to Dai Zhiwei and watch him perform!"

After the goal, Dai Zhiwei called all his teammates on the field to celebrate together, including goalkeeper Zeng Cheng. In his view, the Chinese team's strength was limited and destined not to be a match for world-class teams, but as long as the team was united and worked in harmony, they could still compete with top Asian national teams.

Equalizing the score boosted the morale of the entire Chinese team. However, the South Korean team did not give up; their goal was certainly not to settle for a draw on home soil. Amidst the cheers of the home fans and the roaring of their coach Stielike on the sidelines, the South Korean team launched wave after wave of desperate attacks in the final ten minutes.

At the same time, Perrin immediately made corresponding adjustments. Since the team had equalized, he prioritized defense and strengthened the power of fast counterattacks. If they could steal a goal, great, but even if not, they needed to increase the pressure on the South Korean defense. Looking at the five-defender starting lineup, it was clear that the goal for Perrin and the Football Association for this match was a draw.

Having made up his mind, Perrin replaced Wu Lei with Cai Huikang. The formation changed accordingly, with Zheng Zhi dropping deeper, turning the Chinese team back into a purely defensive 5-4-1 formation.

In the 85th minute, Lee Chung-yong combined with Son Heung-min. Son sent a cross from the wing, and Lee Chung-yong suddenly broke into the penalty area for a header. Zeng Cheng had no time to react, but fortunately, Lee's header hit the outside of the post and went out for a goal kick. Perrin's heart skipped a beat watching that; Lee's header had been stylish, but from Perrin's perspective, he wished he could have swallowed the ball before the header even happened. On the other side, Stielike's expression improved, indicating that his adjustments were taking effect.

Subsequently, Son Heung-min used his individual ability to create several good shooting opportunities, but the results all narrowly missed the goal, leaving the Chinese fans in a state of constant anxiety. Seeing the defense strained, Dai Zhiwei had to drop back to the half-court to help defend. Although his return stabilized the Chinese midfield, the South Korean team still kept the Chinese team under a heavy barrage.

In the 87th minute, South Korea took their sixth corner kick of the match. After the attack failed, Ki Sung-yueng and his teammates used short passes to stabilize the rhythm. After a series of passes, they stealthily moved to the center. While the Chinese players were focused on the dribbling Son Heung-min, Ki Sung-yueng quietly moved to the edge of the penalty area. Son Heung-min suddenly accelerated toward the end line, and just when the Chinese players thought he would cross, he passed the ball back to Ki Sung-yueng at the arc of the penalty area.

Ki Sung-yueng set himself up for a long-range shot, but Zheng Zhi suddenly charged forward and stretched out his left leg to block. Ki Sung-yueng was forced to slow down and trap the ball instead. As soon as Zheng Zhi rushed past him, Ki Sung-yueng fired a powerful shot.

Zheng Zhi, charging with too much momentum, tried desperately to slow down and lifted his trailing right leg. The shot deflected off his right leg and flew out of bounds. Zheng Zhi, having lunged forward, was struck by the powerful shot and slammed onto the ground. This kind of unconventional defensive action is prone to injury. When Zheng Zhi fell, Huang Bowen, who was coming over to provide cover, immediately signaled for the team doctor. Huang Bowen did this partly out of genuine concern for Zheng Zhi, who was a 36-year-old veteran, and partly to waste as much time as possible.

Zheng Zhi had indeed suffered a strain, but Perrin dared not substitute him at this point, so he had to let the doctor treat him briefly and have him play through the injury.

After the restart, Son Heung-min broke through Zhang Linpeng's defense again and crossed from the end line. In the center, Ji Dong-won used his arms to push Ren Hang behind him, then unleashed a beautiful header that smashed against the goalpost, drawing gasps from the South Korean fans behind the goal. Even though the Chinese team had retreated and parked the bus, South Korea still showed formidable strength, and Ji Dong-won's powerful performance in the penalty area made Perrin frown deeply.

"Damn it, how many minutes are left?" Ren Hang's face was drenched in sweat; defending Lee Chung-yong was clearly exhausting. Time always seemed to pass very slowly when defending. South Korea controlled the rhythm with relentless attacks, as if the Chinese goal would be breached at any moment. This was torture for the defending Chinese side, like being cut by a dull blade.

Just then, a South Korean breakthrough was cleared out for a throw-in by a Chinese defender. Stielike and Perrin both made substitution decisions simultaneously. South Korea's final substitution was bringing on Trabzonspor forward Suk Hyun-jun for Han Kook-young, clearly showing Stielike's intention to keep attacking. Meanwhile, China replaced Huang Bowen with Jiang Zhipeng. Perrin's intent was as clear as day—defense! Nothing but defense! This was the final strategy for the Chinese team.

Seeing the Chinese team concede the field to them, why would South Korea hesitate? The center-backs Hong Jeong-ho and Kim Ki-hee had both moved up to the center circle to participate in the attack.

In the 89th minute, Son Heung-min took a throw-in, Lee Chung-yong headed it on, and Ki Sung-yueng's 12-yard header was collected by Zeng Cheng. Subsequently, Kim Ki-hee sent a long pass, and Suk Hyun-jun's 10-yard header missed the target.

The officiating team added a full six minutes of stoppage time, which left Perrin extremely dissatisfied; he roared at the fourth official repeatedly, as six minutes of stoppage time was indeed rare. But that was the South Korean home-field advantage!

In the 91st minute, South Korea returned to the fray. Koo Ja-cheol sent a through ball, and Son Heung-min's long-range shot missed. A minute later, another header from Lee Chung-yong set up Oh Jae-suk, who made a sudden run and fired a long shot that again missed the goal guarded by Zeng Cheng.

South Korea kept attacking around the Chinese goal—crossing, headers, long-range power shots... South Korea exhausted every means possible, but they simply could not put the small ball into the Chinese net.

Finally, when the stoppage time reached the seventh minute, the referee blew the final whistle. The Chinese team had managed to keep their goal intact, securing a 2-2 draw!

A good start? For the weak Chinese team, it certainly counted as one.