Chapter 127: Facing Tottenham Again

Villarreal swept CSKA Moscow 8-0 in the previous Champions League group stage match, meaning they only needed a draw in this round to secure qualification with one game to spare. Their opponents, Tottenham Hotspur, had to fight for a win to take control of their own destiny in the group.

The highly anticipated clash between the two sides was set to ignite. On the eve of the battle, Tottenham captain Harry Kane issued a warning to Villarreal: "We are ready to break you!"

Kane believed Tottenham had enough firepower to sink the reigning Europa League champions. "We are very focused, and we are ready for a win," he said. "We have already gained an advantage in the league, and now we hope to secure another victory in the Champions League."

"Villarreal is a tough opponent with a solid defense, but we will create goal-scoring opportunities in front of their net."

Beyond the captain’s rallying cry, Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino also encouraged his team, stating, "We have the ability to beat any team in the world."

To better understand Villarreal, Pochettino sent an assistant to Bilbao last Saturday to watch Villarreal’s 12th La Liga match. However, with key players like Dai Zhiwei and others absent, the reference value was limited.

For this match, Tottenham started with Harry Kane up front, supported by Alli, Winks, and Son Heung-min, with Wanyama and Dembélé in the defensive midfield. In the backline, Dier and Wimmer partnered as center-backs, with Rose and Trippier on the flanks, and Lloris in goal.

Villarreal fielded their classic lineup led by Dai Zhiwei.

Villarreal Starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Asenjo
Defenders: Mario, Musacchio, Ruiz, Costa
Midfielders: Dos Santos, Bruno, Trigueros, Roberto Soriano
Forwards: Dai Zhiwei, Pato

Tottenham Starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Lloris
Defenders: Trippier, Dier, Wimmer, Rose
Defensive Midfielders: Wanyama, Dembélé
Midfielders: Alli, Winks, Son Heung-min
Forward: Harry Kane

Just four minutes into the match, Roberto Soriano received a headed flick from Trigueros at the edge of the penalty area. Utilizing his footwork, he dribbled past several defenders and fired a left-footed shot from the right corner of the box, but the ball struck Trippier’s right arm and deflected away. The referee dismissed the penalty appeal, ruling it an unintentional handball, and Villarreal missed a golden opportunity to break the deadlock.

Nevertheless, the "Yellow Submarine," playing at home, firmly controlled the tempo. Dai Zhiwei played a long pass to Pato, who laid it off to Trigueros. Instantly, Villarreal’s formation stretched, and the ball quickly found its way to Roberto Soriano. Seeing that Tottenham’s defense had settled, Soriano pulled the ball back, laid it off to Costa, and made a run to open up space for the wing-back.

Costa sprinted nearly twenty meters before Trippier caught up to challenge him. With a deft touch, Costa shimmied past Trippier and, after glancing toward the center, delivered a cross toward Dai Zhiwei. Seeing Costa beat his marker, Dai Zhiwei instinctively made a run. Whether the ball arrives is a matter of the passer's ability, but whether to run is a measure of the striker's attitude.

As Dai Zhiwei bolted, the ball trajectory moved toward his path. Dier and Wimmer chased desperately, but they could not match Dai Zhiwei’s pace.

"Dai! Dai Zhiwei has started his run, the ball is right in front of him—it’s a one-on-one! Oh, no! My god, the assistant referee has raised his flag, and the referee’s whistle has blown! Blast it! We can only blame our lad for being too fast!" The stadium announcer at El Madrigal cheered initially, only to groan at the sight of the waving yellow flag. It was a great opportunity, but Tottenham’s defense had successfully set an offside trap.

"Was I really offside?" Dai Zhiwei muttered to himself as he tracked back.

As the match progressed, the battle in midfield intensified. Trigueros rarely had the chance to push forward, and Bruno, tasked with defensive duties, had no opportunity to join the attack. Trigueros dispossessed Wanyama and quickly fed the ball to Dos Santos. Dos Santos cut inside sharply, while Pato and Dai Zhiwei hovered between the two center-backs, waiting for a lethal pass.

Trippier, who possessed decent speed, quickly caught up to the dribbling Dos Santos and shoved him. Dos Santos stumbled, and a triumphant-looking Trippier stole the ball. Dos Santos immediately signaled for a foul, but the referee waved play on. Dai Zhiwei, watching from the side, shook his head silently. This was the difference between La Liga and the Premier League; the English game, which favors a more physical style, had a looser threshold for officiating.

This was exactly why Brazilian stars like Ronaldinho and Neymar never chose the Premier League. If Neymar were to "perform" as much in England as he did elsewhere, he would likely be physically broken within two games.

Dos Santos didn't linger; he chased Trippier back into his own half, using his physicality to harass him. However, Trippier didn't engage, instead passing to Dembélé and sprinting forward. Ruiz abandoned Dembélé to track Trippier, but neither he nor Dos Santos could match the speed of the ball. Dembélé one-touched a diagonal pass behind Ruiz. Son Heung-min burst down the right, beat Musacchio to the ball, and unleashed a low drive in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, Dembélé, a perfect through ball! Son Heung-min, he is so agile! He shoots!" The English commentator, who had been frustrated for ten minutes, finally let out an excited roar. However, Son’s shot drifted wide of the frame, and Villarreal survived the scare. Son looked at the goal in frustration and gave a thumbs-up to Dembélé.

After Asenjo’s goal kick, the game picked up speed. The ball was contested back and forth in midfield, but thanks to home-field advantage, Villarreal gradually seized control. With Tottenham’s midfield struggling, Bruno dispossessed Dembélé and quickly found Trigueros. Trigueros changed direction, shook off Trippier’s challenge, and played the ball to Pato.

Pato attempted to dribble past Wanyama but, seeing Dai Zhiwei making a run on his left, tried to maneuver around the midfielder. Wanyama, seeing the ball slip past him, was forced to reach out and pull Pato to the ground. The referee whistled, issued a warning, and awarded Villarreal a free kick.

The free kick was nearly 50 meters from the goal. Even with Dai Zhiwei’s mastery of the curveball, a direct shot from this distance could hardly threaten a focused goalkeeper. Trigueros stood over the ball, scanned the Villarreal players in the box, and locked eyes with Dai Zhiwei for a second before looking away. Although Dai Zhiwei was only 178cm tall, his agile positioning and jumping ability meant he was rarely at a disadvantage in set-piece aerial duels.

Following the referee's whistle, Trigueros took his steps and used the inside of his right foot to whip a high, curling arc into the penalty area. The delivery was fast, almost like a shot aimed at the far post. However, from 50 meters out, the ball lost momentum by the time it reached the box, and Lloris was already prepared to leap and claim it.

Yet, before Lloris could jump, a yellow figure soared high on the left side of the penalty spot. The white number 10 appeared above everyone else—it was Dai Zhiwei, having received the signal from Trigueros. Seeing the ball above him, Dai Zhiwei halted his forward momentum, met the ball with a backward header, arching his body at an exaggerated angle. The ball soared toward the top far corner. Because the ball had slowed down, the shot lacked pace, but it was perfectly placed, dipping toward the dead corner of the goal.

"Slap!" A giant palm blocked the bottom edge of the ball, and a figure dove sideways, crashing heavily onto the goal line.

It was Lloris again. After misjudging the initial trajectory, he had somehow dove in the opposite direction to deny Dai Zhiwei’s header!

"Is this guy hacking today?" Dai Zhiwei felt a pang of unease, recalling their first encounter.

However, the Tottenham players clearly hadn't expected Lloris to save the header, leading to a momentary lapse in defense—the two center-backs failed to double-team Pato on the goal line. After Lloris parried the ball, Pato rushed in and, meeting the rebound, dove to head the ball into the net.

1-0!

"Haha! 'The Loverboy,' that was all thanks to my indirect assist!" Even though it wasn't his goal, Dai Zhiwei happily lunged at the goalscorer, calling him by the nickname he had given him. Because Pato was known for his colorful social life, Dai Zhiwei had christened him with that moniker. Aside from Pato, Dai Zhiwei had given nicknames to many teammates.

Since they weren't fully familiar yet, the nicknames were relatively mild, and the Yellow Submarine squad accepted them. Only those who had been with him at Evergrande knew of his "viper" nature—once he got to know you, the nicknames he gave were increasingly vicious. For instance, he had dubbed a teammate who hated showering after matches "The Prince of Grime."

Pato’s follow-up goal gave Villarreal the lead, and the fans at El Madrigal were ecstatic. A win would see them qualify early. But Villarreal’s joy lasted only ten minutes. In the 34th minute, Winks used his physicality to knock over Gaspar during a dribble and delivered a cross from near the corner flag.

The cross wasn't particularly dangerous, as Villarreal’s defenders had initially secured the front post, but Costa made a fatal error in the middle, failing to clear the ball. Harry Kane, delighted by the gift, headed home unmarked from six meters out to equalize.

1-1.

Dai Zhiwei stood with his hands on his hips, watching a regretful Costa, feeling fortunate that he had chosen to be a forward. If football tracked player errors like basketball, the number of mistakes made by attacking players would be many times higher than those of defenders. However, unlike forwards, any mistake by a defender is likely to lead to a goal and result in public scrutiny. It was unfair to defenders. Forwards only faced condemnation when they missed one-on-ones or repeatedly "fumbled the bag."

This season, Costa had been a reliable pillar of Villarreal’s defense. He rarely made flashy runs, but he had been solid until this lapse allowed the opposition to score.

As Dai Zhiwei sighed, Villarreal made another mistake. After the restart, the ball was played back to the defense, where Ruiz committed an error that led to a Tottenham steal. Spurs launched a counterattack, and Kane beat the offside trap, only to fire his shot just wide of the onrushing Asenjo.

"Is that all this turtle-brained shooter has?" Dai Zhiwei always looked down on Kane. "Trying to steal the spotlight from me?"