Chapter 41: King of the League (Extended Chapter, Please Add to Favorites)

As the saying goes, a good beginning is half the battle. In the twenty-fourth minute, Dai Zhiwei’s goal gave Evergrande a perfect start. Although Renhe’s strength is slightly superior to Evergrande, playing at home in a crucial relegation match made their performance unpredictable. Dai Zhiwei’s strike reassured the entire Evergrande team and their supporters.

The match pressed on. In the twenty-ninth minute, Renhe’s foreign import Yuri was fouled by Kim Young-kwan, who received a yellow card. Yuri’s ensuing free kick sailed wide of the left post. Five minutes later, Evergrande finally seized an opportunity to extend their lead after Renhe’s relentless attacks failed to break through. Paulinho launched a thirty-meter long pass to Elkeson, but the Brazilian, rusty from a long absence, let the ball strike his arm while attempting to control it in the penalty area, squandering the chance to seal the victory before halftime.

A minute later, Elkeson again found himself tumbling in Renhe’s box, but the referee declined to award a penalty, much to the dismay of Dai Zhiwei and his Evergrande teammates. Clearly, the official judged that someone of Elkeson's robust physique shouldn't collapse so easily and stuck firmly to his decision.

In the forty-second minute, Dai Zhiwei set up captain Zheng Zhi, who unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the area, but Renhe’s central defender Liu Yang cleared the ball off the goal line, thwarting Evergrande’s attack.

In the dying moments of the first half, Feng Xiaoting deliberately committed a handball to prevent a pass reaching the area and was booked. Renhe’s ensuing free kick soared over the crossbar yet again.

The referee’s whistle signaled the end of the first half, with Renhe trailing Evergrande 0-1 at home.

Evergrande had finally managed to keep their goal intact, weathering nearly twenty minutes of relentless pressure. They knew that Renhe might not have the energy to continue such all-out attacks in the second half—if they could withstand the early stages after the restart, Renhe’s offensive intensity would surely wane.

Moreover, while Renhe needed three points, Evergrande required only a draw to secure the league title, granting them a significant psychological advantage.

Just two minutes into the second half, Renhe had a chance to equalize, but Zhu Baojie’s shot from six yards was denied by Zeng Cheng’s heroic save. In the fiftieth minute, Feng Renliang’s long-range effort deflected off an Evergrande defender and went out for a corner.

A minute later, Yuri’s strike from twenty-one yards was again deflected wide. As the minutes dragged on, Renhe began to tire; their attacking threat diminished after the first ten minutes of the second half.

Renhe’s squad, after all, was only at the level of a team fighting relegation. To dominate Evergrande for the last twenty minutes of the first half and the opening ten of the second was already their limit—otherwise, they wouldn’t be languishing at the bottom of the standings.

Sixteen minutes into the second half, Zheng Zhi orchestrated Evergrande’s attack, passing to Paulinho, who evaded Zhu Baojie’s interception and surged forward.

Instead of tracking Paulinho, Zhu Baojie followed Zheng Zhi, attempting to cut off their connection. Unexpectedly, Feng Renliang also focused on Zheng Zhi, and by the time he noticed Paulinho, the latter was already charging down the right flank. Feng Renliang could only hurry to assist.

Paulinho then passed to Dai Zhiwei, who had been a constant headache for Renhe.

Dai Zhiwei’s speed and strength had earned him and Evergrande numerous chances; if not for Liu Yang and Park Joo-sung’s proactive defending and Zhang Lie’s exceptional performance, Evergrande would have led by two goals in the first half, avoiding this drawn-out struggle.

Dai Zhiwei’s relentless attacks nearly shattered Renhe’s defensive line. Facing Liu Yang’s challenge, he feigned a shot, tricking Liu Yang into raising his leg to block, then deftly shifted the ball with his right foot, opening up a channel to the goal.

“The space is tight,” Dai Zhiwei hesitated briefly. “Never mind, power brings miracles!”

Seeing Renhe’s defense allowed no time for further adjustment, Dai Zhiwei immediately struck with all his might.

With Liu Yang unable to catch up and Park Joo-sung unable to block, Dai Zhiwei deliberately curved the ball, aiming to bypass the goalkeeper and find the far corner.

It was a cunning shot. In tense moments, the goalkeeper’s ability to instantly judge the ball’s flight is crucial, but if the timing and strength of the leap are off, the ball is nearly impossible to push away.

Zhang Lie steadied himself, watching the ball’s trajectory. Suddenly, he sprang up, and as the ball began its descent past its peak, he skillfully pushed it out for a corner.

Dai Zhiwei frowned, gazing at the nearby Renhe defenders. Since his goal, the opposition had assigned two central defenders to mark him, depriving him of space for easy dribbling or shooting.

Renhe quickly mounted two more attacks, both culminating with Yuri, but today Yuri seemed off his game—one shot flew wide, and another clear chance facing Zeng Cheng in the box was squandered, prompting the substitutes on the bench to clutch their heads in disappointment.

After a spell of chaos, Evergrande regrouped under the leadership of their formidable quartet up front—Dai Zhiwei, Goulart, Elkeson, and Robinho—and engaged Renhe in a fierce exchange.

Both sides battled back and forth. Then, suddenly, Dai Zhiwei launched another assault!

Zhu Baojie lost the ball in midfield to Zheng Zhi, and Paulinho, who had been preparing to double-team, surged forward. Zheng Zhi delivered a pinpoint pass, Paulinho distributed the ball just before Feng Renliang could intervene, and Dai Zhiwei burst in from the right to receive it comfortably.

Feng Renliang, wary, turned to follow Dai Zhiwei, while Liu Yang or Park Joo-sung on the back line moved to intercept.

“One-on-one?” Dai Zhiwei smiled confidently. “Within China or even Asia, I have no rivals anymore!”

Liu Yang stepped forward and steadied his balance. Dai Zhiwei, adjusting his angle, glanced at Elkeson up front and, with a subtle touch, sent the ball speeding forward.

Liu Yang managed only a reflexive attempt to block, but failed to make contact, and he lacked the momentum to halt Dai Zhiwei’s continued advance.

Elkeson suddenly dropped back, drawing Park Joo-sung’s attention. Park Joo-sung wisely ignored Elkeson, moving instead to block Dai Zhiwei’s run.

Realizing his opponents had anticipated his interplay with Elkeson, Dai Zhiwei remained unfazed.

Just as he seemed poised to shoot, Park Joo-sung instinctively lunged forward to block, shifting his weight as Dai Zhiwei had intended.

In that instant, Dai Zhiwei stopped abruptly, pulled the ball back with his right foot, dodging Park Joo-sung’s defense. With Park Joo-sung out of the way, Dai Zhiwei had a clear view of goal.

No one remained; Liu Yang and Feng Renliang behind him had no time to intervene, leaving only goalkeeper Zhang Lie facing Dai Zhiwei alone.

After evading Park Joo-sung, Zhang Lie rushed forward, the angle narrowing with each step, but Dai Zhiwei showed no haste. With a gentle touch, he flicked the ball.

Zhang Lie, mid-sprint, suddenly saw the ball sail over his head—he knew instantly what had happened.

A lob!

The ball bounced and rolled into the net. Dai Zhiwei, exultant, tore off his jersey, waving it like a victorious banner.

He sprinted to the Evergrande supporters’ stand, followed by his teammates who rushed to embrace him.

This goal came in the seventy-fifth minute and, in effect, sealed the win.

It signaled that the league title was now just minutes away for Evergrande.

But facing relegation at home, Renhe would not surrender so easily in front of their hometown fans.

In the seventy-sixth minute, Zhu Baojie forced his way through and fired a shot, parried by Zeng Cheng, and Liu Yang bravely tackled to thwart a dangerous Evergrande attack.

In the eighty-first minute, Renhe won a corner. Liu Yang met Zhu Baojie’s delivery with a header, only for Zeng Cheng to block it with his arm. Three minutes later, Yuri’s shot beat the goalkeeper but was cleared off the line by defender Feng Xiaoting.

In the eighty-seventh minute, Renhe finally pulled one back—Yuri crossed, Santos pounced in front of goal and scored: 1-2!

Renhe saw hope of equalizing once more.

With only two minutes of injury time added, Evergrande’s players shrewdly began passing aimlessly in the midfield and defense, employing every means to delay the game.

As time expired, the home side Renhe, full of regret, fell 1-2 to Evergrande.

After the match, the sea of red Evergrande jerseys engulfed the Olympic Center. Whether in the stands or on the pitch, Evergrande fans and players embraced, chanting, “We are champions!”

Dai Zhiwei, substituted after his second goal, and the unused substitutes rushed onto the field, joining their teammates at the stands to celebrate their first championship of the season with their fans.

After half an hour of jubilant celebration, the scene gradually calmed. The award platform was ready; lights converged on the podium, where officials from the football association and league sponsors stood in suits.

Evergrande supporters waved enormous flags, cheering and singing without caring that their voices were already hoarse.

“Now, please welcome our league cup champions—Evergrande!”

“We are champions, we are champions!”

“Evergrande! Evergrande! Evergrande! Evergrande! Evergrande…”

As Zheng Zhi raised the league trophy high, the stadium erupted. The frenzy of Evergrande fans unleashed a deafening roar, shaking everyone to their core.

After stepping down from the podium, Dai Zhiwei was immediately doused in celebratory champagne by his teammates; the entire Evergrande squad erupted in joyful chaos.

Even Cannavaro was soaked by his players, but who cared at such a moment? He smiled broadly, sharing the joy, as nearly every Evergrande player sprayed him with champagne, leaving him drenched as if hauled from a pool.

Reporters swarmed around Cannavaro, Zheng Zhi, and Dai Zhiwei, with Dai Zhiwei nearly immobilized by the layers of journalists.

“Dai Zhiwei, this is your first year as a professional, and you’ve broken the league’s single-season scoring record and won the championship. Can you share your thoughts?”

“It’s a wonderful feeling. I crave this taste of victory,” Dai Zhiwei replied, enjoying every interview as an opportunity to show off.

Though it was only a league title, no one would ever complain about having too many championships.

“Which aspect do you think your team excelled at compared to others this season?”

“I’d say resilience. Winning the league trophy was hard—you saw it yourself. At one point, we weren’t even among the top teams, but we held on, especially during that brutal stretch at the end of the season.”

“What’s your next goal, the Asian Champions League?”

“Yes, I want more titles!”

“Are you confident?”

“We’re capable, and we will do it!” Dai Zhiwei clenched his fist before the reporters.

That night, Evergrande chartered a plane and left Guiyang as a full team, eager to return to Guangzhou and present their fifth league trophy to their waiting fans.