Chapter 52: Shifting Offense and Defense

The second leg of the 2015 AFC Champions League final between Guangzhou Evergrande and Dubai Al-Ahli was scheduled for 8 PM on November 21 at Tianhe Stadium.

With the championship looming, tickets were nearly impossible to obtain. Tickets originally priced at 1,500 yuan were resold for 3,000 yuan, and those costing 4,000 yuan soared to 5,000 yuan. Since the majority of tickets were priced above 4,000 yuan, there was once a genuine concern that the stadium might appear empty before the match. Yet, despite the staggering prices, Tianhe Stadium was packed to the brim.

According to incomplete statistics, Evergrande's box office revenue for this match exceeded 150 million yuan, setting a new record in Asian football history. The last time Evergrande played a Champions League final at home, their shirt sponsor changed from “Evergrande” to “Evergrande Ice Spring,” and that sudden marketing move created a brand sensation. For this final, Evergrande employed a similar strategy, replacing their usual sponsor, "Dongfeng Nissan Venucia," with "Evergrande Life Insurance" on their shirts.

Evergrande had entered the financial sector, and Evergrande Life Insurance was their first flagship insurance brand, launched with extraordinary visibility. For six years, Evergrande Group had treated football as their greatest advertising platform, and they would not let such an opportunity slip by. Their actions revealed a sense of urgency in launching a new brand at the final.

...

At 20:00 local time, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the second leg of the 2015 AFC Champions League final at Evergrande's Tianhe Stadium.

Chinese football fans rarely experienced the glory that football could bring; most of their lives had been spent enduring the agony brought by Chinese football. Thus, this Champions League final was a rare moment of pride. From the very outset, the fans cheered tirelessly for the home team, the red of their jerseys flooding the night at Tianhe Stadium.

As all fans anticipated, since Evergrande had won the first leg 2:1, Al-Ahli was forced to attack, making this an exceptionally intense duel. The starting line-ups were as follows:

Evergrande:
Goalkeeper: Zeng Cheng
Defenders: Zou Zheng, Kim Young-gwon, Feng Xiaoting, Zhang Linpeng
Defensive midfielders: Paulinho, Zheng Zhi
Midfielders: Dai Zhiwei, Goulart, Huang Bowen
Forward: Elkeson

Al-Ahli:
Goalkeeper: Mahmoud
Defenders: Sango, Khamis, Kwak Tae-hwi, Walid Abbas
Midfielders: Hassan, Ribeiro, Fardan
Forwards: Hamadi, Lima, Khalil

Zheng Zhi won the coin toss, gaining possession for Evergrande. Less than a minute into the match, Evergrande launched an attack that nearly gave the thousand Al-Ahli supporters present heart palpitations.

Elkeson kicked off and passed back to Zheng Zhi, who, upon receiving the ball, glanced at his teammates' positions and saw Dai Zhiwei rushing forward near Al-Ahli's penalty area. Without hesitation, Zheng Zhi sent a long pass. His pass, while broad, was merely average; despite being one of the best midfielders domestically, Chinese football was still far from the world's top level, and domestic excellence often meant little on the international stage.

The ball sailed over Al-Ahli's defensive midfielders, landing between Dai Zhiwei and Khamis, actually closer to the right-sided Khamis. The two were nearly aligned; if Dai Zhiwei could control the ball and enter the penalty area, Khamis would struggle to deal with him. Undoubtedly, this was a golden opportunity for Evergrande.

Although the ball seemed closer to Khamis, Dai Zhiwei's speed and explosiveness were among the best in the world. He shot forward like an F1 car transformed into a supersonic jet, seizing the ball ahead of Khamis and controlling it at his feet.

Bear in mind, not even twenty seconds had passed since the referee's whistle. Al-Ahli's defenders were still warming up and finding their rhythm; who could have expected Evergrande to strike so swiftly, launching a lightning attack right from the start?

By the time they reacted, the ball was already at the feet of Evergrande's striker, Dai Zhiwei, the player Al-Ahli most feared.

The first to sense danger was Khamis, who had expected to reach the ball first. Dai Zhiwei's speed and power stunned him. As Dai Zhiwei was about to enter the penalty area, Khamis, in desperation, swept in with a reckless sliding tackle.

Dai Zhiwei, anticipating Khamis's challenge, deftly poked the ball forward with his toe and leapt over the foul, gliding into the box.

Yet Khamis's tackle had an effect; Dai Zhiwei's poke was a touch too strong, and Al-Ahli's goalkeeper, Mahmoud, had already decided to charge out before Dai Zhiwei could break past Khamis, kicking the ball out for a throw-in.

"Sigh!"

The collective regret rippled through the stands, forming a strange wave among the Chinese fans. It was a pity; had Evergrande scored within thirty seconds, the championship would have been all but secured.

In Al-Ahli's penalty area, Khamis lay on the grass, clawing at the turf, Mahmoud wiped cold sweat from his brow, and Dai Zhiwei kicked the air in frustration.

"Should've just taken the foul and won a free kick in a good spot," Dai Zhiwei muttered under his breath.

After all, playing at home meant familiar climate, familiar pitch, and countless supporters. As the match progressed, the home team with the advantage of time, place, and people began to seize the initiative.

Though Al-Ahli had suffered an unfriendly early shock from Evergrande, their aggregate deficit forced them to attack rather than defend. Soon, they launched a threatening counterattack.

Lima, on the edge of the six-yard box, received a through ball from Hamadi, who had broken through the center, and his shot was blocked by the in-form, quick-reacting Zeng Cheng, pushing it out for a corner.

On the ensuing corner, Lima volleyed the ball after Feng Xiaoting's ill-timed challenge, and it grazed the crossbar, flying out of bounds.

Except for that wave of Al-Ahli's attacks, Evergrande dominated the next twenty minutes. Al-Ahli's midfield and forwards seemed out of sync, completely suppressed.

Khalil, Dai Zhiwei's main rival for Asian Footballer of the Year, was rendered invisible by Evergrande's combined defensive efforts.

As Evergrande's attacks grew fiercer and the crowd's excitement soared, everyone rose from their seats, red banners waving in the stands of Tianhe Stadium.

If such momentum persisted, Al-Ahli would likely face a grim score and result after ninety minutes.

Yet, a barrage of attacks did not guarantee a goal. After over thirty minutes of relentless bombardment, Al-Ahli gradually stabilized their formation amid Evergrande's offensive waves. Though the ball still flew around their half, the danger had lessened.

It was Evergrande's attack again—Goulart surged forward, observing the positions of both teams. Evergrande had Dai Zhiwei, Elkeson, and Huang Bowen, while Al-Ahli quickly dropped back, all four defenders returning, with Hamadi and Fardan hustling to cover.

Goulart glanced left at Huang Bowen, noticing Al-Ahli's defensive focus shift in that direction. Without moving his eyes, he deftly flicked his ankle, sending the ball accurately to Dai Zhiwei on the right.

Dai Zhiwei received the ball and sprinted, with Sango still some distance away, desperately running towards Goulart.

Seeing Sango charging at him, Dai Zhiwei accelerated, attempting to break past him.

But Sango anticipated Dai Zhiwei's move, positioning himself not directly on Dai Zhiwei but on his path forward.

As Dai Zhiwei tried to break for the baseline, Sango blocked his way, signaling that the ball could pass but not the man.

Dai Zhiwei faced Sango's defense, weaving his feet over the ball in a series of step-overs, but Sango held his ground, unfazed by the feints, and retreated with small steps, tracking Dai Zhiwei's movements.

"Come on, you can't be that unadventurous!" Dai Zhiwei quipped.

Seeing his tricks weren't working, Dai Zhiwei spun, squeezing Sango behind him, and with a pull and a jump, the ball flew over their heads towards Elkeson in the middle.

As Dai Zhiwei turned, Elkeson moved ahead of Khamis. When the ball arrived, the Brazilian flicked it left and back with his instep, spun right, and tried to slip past Khamis.

Kwak Tae-hwi knew Khamis alone couldn't handle Elkeson. As Elkeson received the ball, Kwak Tae-hwi stepped up to help defend.

Just as Elkeson attempted a split move, Kwak Tae-hwi intercepted the ball.

In an instant, possession shifted to Al-Ahli. Seeing most of Evergrande's team pushed past midfield and only three defenders left in the back, Kwak Tae-hwi chose not to pass to the defenders but launched a long ball upfield.

The tide of attack and defense turned in a flash, the situation transformed in a heartbeat.