Chapter 13: The Rising Sun in the Depths of Despair

Although Dai Zhiwei could be considered a rising star overnight, he never allowed himself to become complacent. He remained diligent and meticulous in training, earning the approval of head coach Cannavaro. As a former World Footballer of the Year, Cannavaro had encountered many prodigies far more dazzling than Dai Zhiwei, yet it was Dai’s hard work and self-discipline that truly impressed him.

In their last match, Evergrande managed to defeat Kashima Antlers, but their performance was far from satisfying. Aside from the challenge of playing away, a significant factor was the physical and mental fatigue brought on by competing on two fronts. Considering that only two days had passed since their last away match against Kashima, and mindful of the exhausting travel, Cannavaro, determined to avoid injuries at the start of the season, ultimately decided to include Dai Zhiwei in the starting lineup for the third round of the Chinese Super League against Changchun Yatai.

Compared to Evergrande, who had won both of their opening league matches, Changchun Yatai had only played once this season due to a postponed second-round fixture—their first match ended in a 0-2 defeat to Shandong Luneng.

Historically, the two teams had met eight times in the league, with Evergrande winning four, drawing once, and losing three, holding a slight edge. Notably, however, Evergrande suffered home and away defeats to Yatai in the league last season—a double blow they could not easily forget.

Therefore, even with home advantage, Evergrande regarded Changchun Yatai with considerable caution.

From the first whistle, Yatai seized the initiative. After only four minutes, their foreign import Huszti delivered a corner from the left, and Bolivian striker Moreno’s header flashed just wide of the far post, giving the home fans an early scare.

Evergrande, too, had moments of brilliance, particularly Dai Zhiwei, making his debut in the starting eleven and displaying remarkable energy up front. In the 22nd minute, Evergrande launched a long diagonal from the right, and Dai Zhiwei, bursting into the box, squared the ball across the face of goal. Unfortunately, Elkeson, arriving in the center, mishit his shot, squandering a golden opportunity.

On the football pitch, missed chances often invite punishment, and this time was no exception.

In the 29th minute, Yatai mounted a swift counterattack. Du Zhenyu played a precise diagonal pass from the left, and Mazú sprinted forward, broke into the area, and finished calmly, putting Yatai ahead 1–0.

Falling behind spurred Dai Zhiwei on. Barely two minutes after conceding, he broke through Yatai’s back line and delivered a cross, only for Goulart, charging into the box, to lose control of the ball, allowing Yatai’s keeper Song Zhenyu to collect.

In the 43rd minute, Li Xuepeng surged forward in support and fell in the area, but referee Tan Hai waved play on without hesitation.

Trailing at halftime at home was not what Evergrande had hoped for, so as soon as the second half began, they poured forward in waves.

In the 53rd minute, Yanfeng handled the ball on the edge of the area, giving Evergrande a free kick. Elkeson's shot deflected off the wall and fell kindly to Zhao Xuri, but his effort was cleared.

Just two minutes later, Dai Zhiwei received the ball on the left and backheeled it to an overlapping Li Xuepeng, whose cross was nearly diverted into his own net by Yatai’s center back Jiang Zhe.

In the 58th minute, Evergrande attacked again. Dai Zhiwei, again central to the move, backheeled to Zhao Xuri, who fired left-footed but missed the target.

His teammates’ repeated waste of his carefully crafted passes left Dai Zhiwei frustrated; he resolved to take matters into his own hands.

In the 61st minute, Evergrande was awarded a free kick on the right. This time, Dai Zhiwei decided not to pass, as he had before, but attempted an acrobatic overhead volley from the left side of the penalty area.

As the ball arced toward goal, Elkeson, apparently in an offside position, seemed to head it in. Although Dai Zhiwei pleaded with referee Tan Hai that Elkeson hadn’t touched the ball, the referee ruled the goal out.

Previously, Dai Zhiwei had only witnessed the ineptitude of Chinese Super League referees on television or the internet. Now, having experienced such a blatant error firsthand, he finally understood the meaning of a "blind whistle."

What could Dai Zhiwei do, having worked so hard to earn his place in the starting eleven? Confront the referee? All he could do was shake his head in resignation and accept reality.

“Tan Hai? I’ll remember you!” Dai Zhiwei fumed in silence, embracing the spirit of Ah Q.

Yet the referee’s blunder did nothing to extinguish Dai Zhiwei’s hunger for a goal; instead, it fueled his determination.

Barely three minutes after the disallowed goal, Evergrande won another free kick. This time, Goulart took it quickly, spotting Dai Zhiwei’s clever run.

“Well played!” he thought.

The swift free kick caught everyone off guard. While Goulart was cunning in his delivery, Dai Zhiwei was even more so in his movement. By the time the ball reached him in the Yatai penalty area, not a single defender was marking him.

Dai Zhiwei hurled himself forward, stretching out a foot to meet the pass. The ball sailed over the onrushing Song Zhenyu and nestled in the net. Evergrande had finally drawn level.

After scoring, Dai Zhiwei glanced at the referee twice. Whether it was provocation was anyone’s guess, but not until the official signaled that the goal stood did he allow himself to celebrate with abandon.

With the score now level, Evergrande, backed by their home crowd, laid siege to Yatai’s goal with relentless attacks.

In the 74th minute, Yatai’s fullback Li Guang pulled down Dai Zhiwei and was shown his second yellow card, reducing the visitors to ten men.

But despite their dominance, Evergrande could not find the winner. In the dying moments, Goulart’s shot was parried by Song Zhenyu onto the post, and the match ended 1–1, halting the defending champions’ five-match winning streak.

Dai Zhiwei was left just as frustrated with the draw, but if he had to choose between a team victory and scoring himself, he would always choose the latter—for selflessness was not yet in his nature.

“Three goals now—the team’s top scorer and maybe even the Golden Boot are within reach!” Back home, poring over the league scoring charts, Dai Zhiwei began to form a plan.

…

Exiting the system’s virtual space, Dai Zhiwei collapsed wearily onto his bed and took a bite of pineapple.

Evergrande’s recent form could only be described as satisfactory, but Dai Zhiwei himself shone ever brighter, having cemented his place in the starting lineup.

In the fourth round of the 2015 Chinese Super League, Evergrande traveled to Henan to face Jianye. Dai Zhiwei, who had started the previous match, returned to the bench for this one.

With captain Zheng Zhi absent due to injury, Evergrande’s play was disjointed. Their foreign strikers Goulart and Elkeson, though immensely talented, found little support from their teammates. Jianye, by contrast, were well-prepared and took the lead in the eighth minute with a stunning goal from Xiao Zhi.

From then on, Evergrande dominated but could not find the net. Cannavaro was left with no option but to bring on Dai Zhiwei in the second half.

Dai Zhiwei’s introduction immediately injected life into Evergrande’s right flank with his pace and dribbling.

In the 64th minute, he combined with Goulart on the right, exchanging quick passes before bursting into the box and unleashing a shot to the near post, wrong-footing the keeper and leveling the score.

However, Evergrande could not hold on for the draw. Their shaky defense was easily breached once again as Bi Jinhao headed Jianye back into the lead.

As the match neared its end, Evergrande grew desperate. Dai Zhiwei won a penalty with his dribbling, but in stoppage time, Elkeson blazed his spot kick over the bar. At the final whistle, Feng Xiaoting was shown a yellow card for remonstrating with the referee.

Evergrande’s unbeaten start to the season was over, resulting in the biggest upset of the new league campaign—a result that heaped pressure on Cannavaro.

Sadly, Evergrande’s spell of misfortune was far from over.

After their defeat away to Henan Jianye, Evergrande faced Kashima Antlers again in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League group stage.

A win would have seen Evergrande, with four consecutive victories in the group, secure top spot and early qualification, while Kashima’s hopes of advancing were purely theoretical.

Perhaps due to overconfidence, Evergrande, including Dai Zhiwei making his AFC Champions League starting debut, seemed more focused on scoring than on winning.

Their restless energy led to disaster. In the 19th minute, Endo Yasushi crossed from the right, the ball struck Kim Young-gwon’s arm as he retreated on the edge of the box, and the referee awarded a penalty, which Endo converted to put Kashima ahead.

After the break, Kim Young-gwon was penalized again for a foul on Caio down the flank. Shibasaki Gaku’s free kick found substitute Takasaki Hiroyuki in the center, whose header found the top corner, giving the visitors a 2–0 lead.

Only then did Evergrande seem to wake up, but it was too late. In the 79th minute, Dai Zhiwei netted a consolation goal—Evergrande won a free kick deep in their own half, played a long ball forward, Elkeson turned and escaped his marker before crossing from the left, and Dai Zhiwei darted in front of Naomichi Ueda to finish from close range.

From the third round of the league on March 21 to the fourth round of the AFC Champions League on April 7, Evergrande endured a bleak fortnight. In that dark period, there was only one bright spot.

Dai Zhiwei!