Chapter 46: Skillfully Playing the “Card”

Qatar, playing on their home turf, launched frenzied attacks, pushing Dai Zhiwei and his teammates back to the center circle under the fierce leadership of their captain, Girard. At first, the situation seemed manageable, but as the match progressed, the Chinese players grew hesitant to step forward, fearing that any advance might be punished by a Qatari counterattack.

Those dozen or so minutes felt like an eternity for both the Chinese team and their fans. Within two minutes of Dai Zhiwei’s goal, Boudiaf sent a long pass, and Sebastian unleashed a fierce shot from twenty-five yards on the left, only to be denied by Wang Dalei. In the 30th minute, Sebastian broke past Zhang Chengdong on the right of the penalty area and cut the ball across to Haydos at the far post, but Wang Dalei intercepted and claimed it five yards out. Qatar missed another golden opportunity in the 34th minute—a direct pass from Huh saw Sebastian shoot from twelve yards, only for Wang Dalei, charging out, to block the attempt, which then ricocheted off the crossbar. In the 36th minute, Boudiaf found Maksoud, whose shot from fifteen yards on the left was again saved by Wang Dalei.

For a time, the Chinese goal was hanging by a thread.

As for Dai Zhiwei, after his opening goal, he was tightly marked outside Qatar’s penalty area by the combined efforts of Cazorla and Yassir, leaving him no chance to utilize his newly-acquired “Tiger Shot.” With the referee’s whistle signaling halftime, the Chinese players finally eased their taut nerves, heading to the dressing room with a 1-1 draw—a narrow escape.

“Not bad. We held the home side to a draw in the first half. But in the second half, we must strive for all three points,” Perrin encouraged his players as soon as they returned to the locker room. After all, a draw with Qatar was an acceptable result, but a win would be even better.

Dai Zhiwei held a generally favorable opinion of Perrin. While the coach’s abilities were average, he was worth his salary and certainly an improvement over the cowardly Camacho. Moreover, Perrin had been the one to first call Dai Zhiwei into the national team—a gesture that had left Dai Zhiwei somewhat grateful.

As the second half began, China launched a furious offensive. However, Qatar had anticipated this during the interval, knowing that China’s frantic attacks at the end of the first half had drained much of their energy. Qatar’s plan was to defend staunchly for fifteen minutes before mounting their own counterattack. Although China attacked relentlessly, they found no clear opportunity against Qatar’s full-strength defense, and Qatar even managed several threatening chances at the Chinese goal.

Once again, with passes to Dai Zhiwei effectively cut off, China found themselves lacking firepower up front. Dai Zhiwei realized that he still needed to improve; as things stood, it was truly difficult to carry a team of “pig teammates.”

At that moment, Dai Zhiwei thought of Armenia, for whom he had once played.

In the 56th minute, Zheng Zhi and Ji Xiang combined to bypass Boudiaf. For the first time, Dai Zhiwei unleashed his “Tiger Shot” from outside the box, striking the ball before it even touched the ground. The ball rocketed toward the top left corner of the goal. Seeing Dai Zhiwei wind up, the Qatari goalkeeper Amin immediately dove to his left, but the shot was so powerful that, despite his best efforts, Amin was a step too slow.

Just as everyone thought the ball was in, a resounding “bang” echoed as the ball crashed against the outside of the woodwork and shot out of play.

“Damn it! What rotten luck!” Dai Zhiwei shook his head. “Still not quite mastered it.”

Though he had acquired the “Tiger Shot” skill, mastery required repeated practice both in the system’s space and in reality.

The match continued with China maintaining their attacking rhythm, while Qatar, led by defensive pillar Yassir, repeatedly neutralized their advances. In the 65th minute, Cai Huikang broke into the right side of the box, trying to square the ball for Yu Dabao, but Hasan intervened just in time.

Growing anxious, the Chinese players pressed forward fully, seeing that Qatar had no intention of attacking and were solely focused on defense. Even Zhang Linpeng and Ren Xing surged up to midfield.

After a sustained bombardment lasting over ten minutes, even Qatar’s resolute defense began to falter. In the 70th minute, Cazorla intercepted China’s corner and headed the ball out to Asadalla outside the box. Asadalla surveyed the field—only Sebastian was ahead—so he passed the ball forward to him, hoping China’s storm of attacks would pause and his defenders could catch their breath.

At this point, only Sebastian remained in midfield for Qatar, his presence intended merely to prevent China from committing too many players forward.

As Sebastian received the pass and turned, he saw Ren Xing and Zhang Linpeng closing in rapidly. Still pondering his options, Sebastian was caught off guard as Wu Xi poked the ball away from his feet.

Ren Xing met the loose ball and launched a long pass upfield toward Qatar’s penalty area.

Relying on his explosive speed, Dai Zhiwei managed to shrug off Yassir’s tug and caught up to the ball, entering the box. As Dai Zhiwei charged in, Yassir, desperate to catch up, finally did so. With Dai Zhiwei about to shoot, Yassir, in his urgency, gave him a slight push from behind. Though not forceful, the push upset Dai Zhiwei’s balance, forcing him to slow down to steady himself.

Yassir, now alongside Dai Zhiwei, slid in to try to dispossess him. Dai Zhiwei spotted the challenge out of the corner of his eye.

“This guy’s reckless—sliding in the box?” Dai Zhiwei thought. “Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Accelerating, Dai Zhiwei nudged the ball forward with his right foot, then drew his left foot into Yassir’s sliding tackle, tumbling to the ground inside the box.

Lying on the pitch, Dai Zhiwei did not clutch his ankle or roll about like some notorious players; instead, he calmly lay with arms outstretched, gazing at the referee.

“What are you doing, you cheater! That was a dive!” Yassir shouted, scrambling to his feet, eyes blazing with fury at Dai Zhiwei.

“What do you mean, what do you mean? That was a clear penalty!” retorted Zheng Zhi, the Chinese captain, rushing over with eyes wide, ready to confront Yassir if he said another word.

“What are you all doing?” The referee arrived at last, stepping between Zheng Zhi and Yassir. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of home fans, led by the announcer, erupted in a cacophony of boos to pressure the referee.

After consulting with his assistant and glancing at Yassir, the referee hesitated before pointing to the penalty spot. He then produced a yellow card, cautioning Yassir.

China was satisfied, but Qatar’s players were indignant, convinced that Dai Zhiwei had dived and refusing to let the matter rest.

From Dai Zhiwei’s perspective, it was not a dive—he had indeed been tripped by Yassir. But Yassir’s accusation was not entirely unfounded; Dai Zhiwei could have avoided the challenge, but with little chance of scoring, he had deliberately sought contact with Yassir’s outstretched leg.

China’s designated penalty taker was Zheng Zhi, but since Dai Zhiwei had won the penalty himself, he rightfully claimed the spot after a brief exchange.

With the referee’s whistle, Dai Zhiwei glanced at the Qatari goal, took seven steps back, and began his run-up. At the moment of striking the ball, he feinted as if aiming for the left side. Instinctively, Amin tensed and shifted left.

Having deceived the goalkeeper, Dai Zhiwei unleashed a thunderous shot, sending the ball into the right side of the net at blistering speed.

2-1!

Dai Zhiwei had completed the comeback.

Qatar, unwilling to accept defeat, mounted a full-scale attack, while China dropped deep to defend.

In the 78th minute, Sebastian beat Ji Xiang and Zhang Chengdong on the right and crossed, but Feng Xiaoting cleared ahead of Haydos. In the 84th minute, Cazorla fired from thirty yards but was denied by Wang Dalei, and Sebastian squandered the rebound inside the box. A minute later, Musa’s long-range shot from outside thirty yards also missed.

At last, the final whistle sounded. China had secured a fourth consecutive victory, overtaking Qatar to top the group.

After the match, the biggest controversy revolved around whether Dai Zhiwei had dived to win the decisive penalty.