Chapter 143: A Miraculous Reversal to Advance

Seeing Sterling strike the ball, Asenjo instinctively dived to his right, correctly reading the trajectory and punching the ball away, only for it to rebound directly toward the far post of the goal.

Asenjo hastily lunged sideways again, desperate to gather the ball.

However, it was already too late; the Arabic numeral 72 on the back of the Manchester City jersey had already appeared right in front of Asenjo's eyes.

Two to one!

"Goooooooooooooooooooal! Sterling, Sterling! His shot forces a parry from Asenjo, and Iheanacho slides it in to pull one back!" This was clearly a commentator supporting Manchester City. "This goal levels the aggregate score at six to five! We are ahead, we are ahead of Villarreal once again!"

Manchester City players celebrated wildly, venting their excitement right under the noses of the tens of thousands of Villarreal fans filling the El Madrigal stadium. Blue jerseys fluttered incessantly.

"Damn it!" Dai Zhiwei swung his right arm fiercely, while Ruiz, picking the ball out of the net, lashed a ferocious clearance high into the sky, venting his inner frustration.

And they had every reason to be frustrated, because throughout the match, Villarreal had suppressed Manchester City. The shots were twelve to seven, shots on target seven to four, corners five to two, and possession stood at 52.7% to 47.3%—every single metric exceeded Manchester City's. Even the scoreline of the night was two to one, but this single away goal had once again placed them behind on aggregate over the two legs!

Just a glance up at the giant screen suspended in the center of the stadium, showing the one-to-two scoreline on the night alongside the five-to-six aggregate, instantly filled the eyes of every single Villarreal player with fury and a murderous intent.

When Iheanacho once again put the ball into the Yellow Submarine's net, Escribá had originally prepared to make an early substitution to resolve the issues on the pitch. But upon seeing the players' performance, he sat back down, trusting that his disciples could complete a comeback, and believing with absolute certainty that Dai Zhiwei would never stop his march toward scoring goals.

Dai Zhiwei tugged at his jersey, clenched his jaw, and bit down hard on the fabric—the unmistakable prelude to unleashing his full fury.

Watching the Manchester City players celebrate inside his own penalty area, he found the sight blindingly agonizing.

As Dai Zhiwei participated in more matches, the sting of defeats had gradually increased, yet his thirst for victory had not diminished by even the slightest fraction.

Staring at the one-to-two scoreline, he remained silent for a long while. But when he shifted his gaze back onto the pitch, his eyes, burning with murderous intent, locked solely onto the football at his feet and the white goalposts half a pitch away.

"Keep going! Keep going!" Although missing their captain Bruno, the Villarreal squad showed not a shred of discouragement, because they still had Dai Zhiwei as their backbone. Playing in supreme form tonight, they firmly believed they could breach Manchester City's goal once again!

As the match restarted, Villarreal visibly increased their attacking manpower. Of the two full-backs, Gaspar and Costa, one would surge forward every single time to maximize their advantage in ball control.

The two wingers, Dos Santos and Roberto Soriano, frequently cut inside, interacting constantly with Dai Zhiwei and the flanks. This forced several Manchester City midfielders into endless defensive cover, stretching their defensive line left and right.

Yet whether it was Dai Zhiwei's powerful drive or Trigueros's long-range shot, both were blocked by the Manchester City players. Although Manchester City's attack was stronger than their defense, that was merely due to their terrifying offensive firepower; their defensive capabilities were far from weak, leaving Villarreal still unable to find a breakthrough.

In the seventy-fifth minute, Alfred N'Diaye intercepted the ball in the backfield and laid it off to Trigueros.

Trigueros frowned as he assessed the situation on the pitch, having no choice but to distribute the ball to the right flank. Dos Santos used his slick dribbling to surge rapidly into the attacking half; under Escribá's tactics, the midfielders and forwards enjoyed immense freedom of movement.

As Dos Santos drove forward, Dai Zhiwei was also in motion, and the moment he moved, the entire Manchester City defensive line was forced to shift and adjust accordingly.

Just as Dos Santos cut inside, he was swarmed by Manchester City players. Unwilling to force the issue, he glanced at the edge of the penalty area and instantly delivered a diagonal pass straight to Dai Zhiwei's feet.

Life wasn't easy for Dai Zhiwei at that moment either. Manchester City's defenders were naturally not about to grant him an easy path into the box, and Stones appeared right in front of him instantly.

Dai Zhiwei cast a cautious glance toward the penalty area. Villarreal's other striker, Bacca, was tightly locked down by Kolarov, leaving him zero passing options. Combined with the velcro-like marking of Stones, he realized his only choice now was to attempt a breakthrough.

Gazing at Stones, who stood poised and ready, Dai Zhiwei carefully manipulated the ball at his feet, drifting closer and closer to Stones, step by step.

Both he and Stones were extremely cautious, neither willing to let a single lapse in concentration ruin the opportunity.

Yet defense is inherently reactive. Dai Zhiwei held the upper hand in the attack because the defender could never predict what move he would pull off next.

Stones was cautious enough, and certainly experienced enough, but at this exact moment, he was destined to be nothing more than a supporting actor, a mere backdrop.

Dai Zhiwei suddenly moved. His footwork was blindingly fast, executing a brilliant breakthrough before Stones could even react.

Using the outside of his right foot, Dai Zhiwei gently nudged the ball to the right. Just as Stones shifted his body weight in preparation to react, the inside of Dai Zhiwei's right foot abruptly appeared beside the ball, striking it sharply with the instep, sending the sphere flying swiftly to the left.

A textbook La Croqueta!

Stones had grown careless at that moment. Fearing that Dai Zhiwei would resort to a step-over or a body feint, he never expected the opponent to execute a La Croqueta, resulting in a complete miscalculation that left him rooted to the spot like a wooden post as Dai Zhiwei glided past him with ease.

By the time Stones instinctively tried to recover and chase him down, it was already far too late; his balance was gone, and he nearly stumbled in embarrassment while Dai Zhiwei was already charging toward the penalty area!

El Madrigal erupted into a thunderous roar. All the Yellow Submarine fans sprang to their feet in excitement, shouting at the top of their lungs toward the pitch!

This was a golden opportunity—one hard-won chance!

Amidst the deafening, wave-like cheers of the entire stadium, Dai Zhiwei was simply enjoying the game.

At this moment, there were virtually no defenders directly blocking his path, and he had carved out ample shooting space. Yet he didn't even consider striking the ball right then, knowing that shooting under such circumstances might not guarantee a goal.

With very little time remaining in the match, and having fought so hard to create this opening, he refused to waste it easily.

Manchester City's defenders scrambled frantically into action, their sole priority now being to cover the space and cut off Dai Zhiwei in time.

Noticing Kolarov abandoning Bacca to rush toward him, Dai Zhiwei immediately checked his momentum and gently pinned the ball. Spotting the opening, he believed that if he could simply deliver the ball across the face of goal, Bacca would successfully convert it.

Before Dai Zhiwei could release the pass, however, a collective groan of disappointment swept through El Madrigal—Dai Zhiwei was seen sitting on the turf in utter frustration.

It turned out that just as Dai Zhiwei prepared to pass, Stones, who had chased him relentlessly all the way back, finally seized his moment, giving an unsuspecting Dai Zhiwei a subtle shove that sent him tumbling to the ground.

A foul!

Without a shadow of a doubt!

The referee first extended his right arm, pointing to a spot just outside the penalty area towards the left, and then brandished a yellow card at Stones with a stern expression!

A free-kick plus a yellow card!

"The referee's decision is spot on. That's a foul just outside the box, an unquestionable free-kick. Stones has done his job; his choice was sound, and very decisive," commentator Martin Tyler noted with a smile.

El Madrigal erupted once again, this time with even louder encouragement. The Yellow Submarine fans shouted at the top of their lungs to pump up the players, chanting Dai Zhiwei's name in a rhythmic, booming chorus.

As the team's primary free-kick taker, Dai Zhiwei naturally stepped up, gently placing the ball twenty-five meters out from the goal.

"The position is not bad at all!" Dai Zhiwei slowly backed up a few paces, continuously observing the setup of the defensive wall in the box and Caballero's positioning on the goal line.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling that the free-kick could be taken.

The instant the whistle sounded, Dai Zhiwei surged forward into a run-up. On the goal line, Manchester City's goalkeeper Caballero bounced on his toes nervously, crouching low with arms outstretched to maximize his coverage.

As Dai Zhiwei drew closer and closer to the ball, he didn't bother looking at the wall or Caballero on the line, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the top two corners of the goal.

"Thwack!" Dai Zhiwei lashed his right foot fiercely across the ball, sending a banana curve sweeping over the leaping wall and straight toward the goal!

"The top left corner!"

Seeing the ball soar over the wall, Caballero relied on his experience to deduce that the shot was aimed at the top left.

Caballero trusted his judgment—or rather, years of muscle memory sent him instinctively diving toward the top left corner.

Events proved Caballero's read was entirely correct, but as he flew through the air, his gloves grasped at nothingness.

Dai Zhiwei's curling shot possessed an astonishing amount of bend, flashing past Caballero's outstretched fingertips and rocketing straight into the absolute corner!

The theoretical top corner!

"Goooooooooooooooooooooooooal!"

"Three to one! Aggregate score six to six! We are ahead again!"

Seeing Dai Zhiwei's thunderous cannon of a free-kick hit the back of the net, the pitch-side commentator roared at the top of his lungs. He was answered by the ecstatic, deafening cheers of tens of thousands of Yellow Submarine fans who leapt into the air, waving their team scarves in triumphant jubilation.

After scoring the free-kick, Dai Zhiwei let out a primal roar, then raised three fingers on both hands, pointing straight up at the heavens.

This was Dai Zhiwei's fourteenth goal in the UEFA Champions League this season!

More crucially, across the two legs against Manchester City, he had scored consecutive hat-tricks!

Pep Guardiola, pacing the sidelines, looked ready to snap after seeing Dai Zhiwei score yet again. "Is this kid Manchester City's kryptonite?"

Yet Guardiola had no time to dwell on the thought, because Manchester City were once again trailing on aggregate. If they wanted to advance, they had to score another goal within the remaining ten minutes!

The match resumed swiftly. Holding the lead, Villarreal began to slow down the tempo, killing time in the attack through patient passing sequences in their own half. Whenever Manchester City threatened to build momentum, Villarreal players decisively halted them with tactical fouls.

Even when the ball traveled into Manchester City's half, Dai Zhiwei would shepherd it toward the touchline, using his exceptional ball-retention skills to keep possession under his control, or deliberately drawing contact to force the ball out for a throw-in, before taking his time to restart play and maintain control on the flanks.

Escribá also began utilizing substitutions to further drain the clock, sending on defender A. González in place of striker Bacca to reinforce the team's defensive solidity.

Under Manchester City's fierce, storm-like attacks, Villarreal's defensive line stood like an immovable monolith.

In the eighty-eighth minute, Manchester City suffered another heavy blow.

Villarreal central defender Musacchio intercepted the ball in the backfield and delivered a diagonal pass to Gaspar. The Spanish full-back surged rapidly up the flank, feeding the ball to Trigueros past the halfway line. Trigueros then launched a long ball toward the edge of the Manchester City penalty area, where the Villarreal number ten was waiting.

If Dai Zhiwei had continued his run, he would have broken cleanly into the box with only Caballero left to beat. Out of desperation, Stones hauled down the dribbling Dai Zhiwei right at the edge of the penalty area, earning himself another yellow card from the referee!

El Madrigal erupted into instant jubilation because Stones was already carrying a yellow; following this second bookable offense, it turned into a red, forcing Manchester City to accept playing a man down!

Villarreal's morale skyrocketed to its peak. Bolstered by home turf advantages, their defense was already unfazed by Manchester City, and with the visitors a man down, Villarreal had absolutely no reason not to secure the victory.

Manchester City made two consecutive substitutions thereafter, but they still struggled to overturn their numerical and tactical disadvantage.

Though Villarreal was forced into passive defending punctuated by sporadic counter-attacks, victory was all that mattered.

Escribá was no greenhorn; to ensure smooth progression to the Champions League quarterfinals, he had no concern for aesthetics. After all, Villarreal wasn't some European powerhouse. Soon enough, Dai Zhiwei, Dos Santos, and their teammates were shielding the ball near Manchester City's corner flag to run down the clock.

In the end, Villarreal successfully completed a comeback against Manchester City in the second leg, advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals on away goals after a 6-6 aggregate draw. Their opponents in the next round would be Borussia Dortmund of the German Bundesliga!

Another formidable and equally tricky opponent!

After the match, as Dai Zhiwei walked to the touchline to applaud and thank the fans at El Madrigal, the Yellow Submarine supporters held their scarves high and roared his name in unison.

At this moment, he feared no challenge whatsoever!