Chapter 33: Victory by Header

After all, Wu Lei was not a player whose specialty was the wing, and his crossing ability was just average. This ball was more of a shot than a pass—it soared high through the air, but the arc was flat and the speed was astonishingly fast, cutting diagonally into Hong Kong Island’s penalty area and almost slicing through their entire defensive line.

This was likely the Chinese team’s last chance of the match. All the stoppage time had already elapsed, even overshooting by more than ten seconds. If this attack failed, even if the referee wanted to favor the home team, he would have to blow the final whistle to end the match.

Fatous and Li Zhihao dared not be careless and charged up with Dai Zhiwei, one on the left and one on the right, forming a pincer. As Dai Zhiwei and the two defenders leapt for the ball, the hearts of fans on both sides in the stands and all those watching the broadcast tightened.

Perrin clenched his fists unconsciously—his nerves were taut as well.

Fatous and Li Zhihao sandwiched Dai Zhiwei between them, but the highest jumper was still Dai Zhiwei, China’s number 21! Fatous leaned back, putting his whole weight onto Dai Zhiwei, while Li Zhihao made a very subtle tug.

At this moment, they were betting that the referee would not dare award a penalty in the final minute.

The defenders’ flagrant fouls did affect Dai Zhiwei. His body lost balance in mid-air. Just as he was tilting and falling, Wu Lei’s ball arrived in the box.

The pass seemed too high, and the closest defender, Li Zhihao, attempted a bicycle-kick clearance. If he succeeded, China would have no more chances, and the match would end.

But then, in the corner of his eye, Li Zhihao caught a dark shadow suddenly appearing above!

A huge gasp of shock swept the stadium—the sound startled Li Zhihao. Something was about to happen.

Wasn’t China’s number 21 already off balance?

“Is this chance slipping away?”

In that instant of lost balance, knowing he was about to miss his only shot, Dai Zhiwei, helpless, entered the Captain Tsubasa system and pulled up the skill exchange page he’d long prepared. After two months of grueling training and matches, he’d accumulated 29.8 points. He had wanted to reach 30 to unlock a special move, like Kojiro Hyuga’s Tiger Shot, but it seemed he couldn’t wait any longer.

“I’ll save up for that later.” He scrolled to the skill he’d long considered: “This one!”

He chose the 15-point skill—“Strange Bird” Soaring High Header!

“Strange Bird” Soaring was the signature skill of the 2.02-meter-tall Chinese center forward in Captain Tsubasa, whose top-class heading made him the ultimate secret weapon for breaking through defenses!

Inside the system, redeeming the skill took several minutes, but in reality, it was just an instant. The moment Dai Zhiwei exchanged for the “Strange Bird” Soaring High Header, Wu Lei’s pass had already arrived.

Confronted with this bizarre trajectory, his body still tilted mid-air, Dai Zhiwei gritted his teeth, tensed his legs to absorb the force, then exploded with strength from his waist and core, his body surging upward, using Fatous’s collision to forcibly twist his center of gravity.

It was like something from a martial arts novel, the Wudang Sect’s legendary “Cloud Ladder Step.”

Before, he could never have managed such control; his core and balance simply weren’t enough for this almost supernatural suspension.

In a flash of surprise, Dai Zhiwei realized this must be the power granted by the “Strange Bird” Soaring High Header.

His body nearly horizontal, head forward and feet trailing behind, Dai Zhiwei launched himself at the ball!

With Li Zhihao’s boot swinging in for a bicycle kick and Fatous colliding into him, he smashed his head into the ball!

In front stood two more defenders, close as a tightly shut city gate. He had always failed before, but this time, he was determined to break through.

His perfect judgment of the ball’s drop allowed him to reach it first.

Then—a fierce header!

As the ball flew, Li Zhihao’s right foot crashed into Dai Zhiwei’s forehead. Darkness fell over his eyes, something seemed to rupture, and dizziness overwhelmed him as he slammed sideways into both Fatous and Li Zhihao.

His shoulder struck Fatous’s chest, then his thigh and knee crashed into Li Zhihao, like a car smashing into a wall, twisting and distorting, all energy unleashed!

All three toppled to the ground, but where was the ball?

It was already in the net!

“Dai Zhiwei! He’s done it—he’s killed off Hong Kong Island! He’s killed the game!” roared He Wei, the star commentator for Huaxia Television.

Special guest Li Yi couldn’t help but nod repeatedly. “China kept targeting Dai Zhiwei in the last 20 minutes, and their tactics have paid off! Hong Kong Island failed because they didn’t focus enough on this super player! What, you say Fatous and Li Zhihao double-teamed him at the end? No—that was just instinctive play. The coach should have drawn up a dedicated defensive plan for Dai Zhiwei!”

“You’re absolutely right, Coach Li! What a brilliant display… His technique is superb, his speed is astonishing, and his composure is remarkable… Dai Zhiwei is the brightest pearl to emerge in Chinese football in recent years!” He Wei could not stop his praise.

“A last-gasp winner! This is a true, instant kill! Dai Zhiwei has destroyed Hong Kong Island! The match is over…”

It wasn’t just Huaxia Television; every commentary booth was in chaos.

At the very end, such a stunning goal—Dai Zhiwei’s presence and form had conquered every commentator. Even those for Hong Kong Island could only shake their heads and admit their team lost without injustice.

“Did it go in?”

On the field, Dai Zhiwei was still dizzy, but managed to prop himself up and turn toward the goal. The ball was lying quietly in the net.

It was in!

He breathed a sigh of relief and felt something wet at the corner of his eye. Wiping it, he realized it was his own blood—most likely his forehead had been split by Li Zhihao’s bicycle kick.

It hadn’t hurt before, but now the pain was sharp.

Seeing the ball in the net, his teammates sprinted over, lifted him from the turf, and hoisted him high above their heads, grinning.

They had every reason to celebrate. It was this 21-year-old rookie striker, bearing unimaginable pressure, who had rescued them from the brink of a draw and spared them from being torn apart by angry fans after the match.

They could well imagine what would have happened if Hong Kong Island had forced a draw. They might well have been eliminated from World Cup qualification yet again because they failed to take all three points.

On the sideline, Perrin finally exhaled. Only now did he realize his tightly clenched fists had dug his nails into his sweaty palms.

Could Dai Zhiwei still remain a substitute in the next match?

Fatous and Li Zhihao, just beaten in the air, looked at the man being lifted high, at his young face streaked with blood, and for the first time felt the full force of their opponent’s strength—a sense of invincibility, as if a demon god had descended upon the earth.

Was he a devil?

After this match, praise for Dai Zhiwei’s decisive winner poured in without end!

“Heaven-sent hero for China! Why is he always the one to step up in crucial moments?”—Football Daily could not praise Dai Zhiwei enough.

“Zheng Zhi: ‘So excited, thank you Xiao Wei, he’s our guarantee of victory!’ Perrin: ‘What a relief! Andy is already good enough!’”—Football Vanguard

“King of the crucial goal! The most terrifying killer in Asia! Are Japan, Korea, and West Asia trembling?”—After analyzing his goals, Football Club magazine crowned Dai Zhiwei as Asia’s king of clutch finishes.

But some questioned why Dai Zhiwei was only a substitute and not in the starting eleven.

“Praise him? No—I’m angry! Why isn’t Dai Zhiwei starting?”—commented football legend Li Weifeng.

Amid the media uproar, none were happier than 361 Degrees. After the match, the two football boots Dai Zhiwei endorsed sold out everywhere, with even knock-off versions appearing in Putian.

It was clear—Dai Zhiwei was on fire!