Chapter 81: In Prime Condition

If you were to ask who the most dazzling player in Spanish football was from late February to early March, aside from household names like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Suárez, you would now have to add a name relatively unfamiliar to the European football scene—Villarreal’s Dai Zhiwei.

In La Liga’s 26th round, Villarreal hosted Levante. In the 12th minute, Bruno sent a pass forward, and Dai Zhiwei, relying on his blistering pace, broke free, shooting sharply from a tight angle on the left side of the box to open the scoring for his team. In the 30th minute, Dai Zhiwei broke through the center and delivered a pass to Castillejo, who finished low into the right corner from fourteen yards out.

As the second half began, Dai Zhiwei continued his dazzling performance. Receiving a pass from Trigueros, he broke through two defenders and slotted the ball into the lower right corner from twelve yards, scoring his second of the match. With two assists and a goal from Dai Zhiwei, the Yellow Submarine triumphed 3–0 over Levante.

In the 27th round, Villarreal traveled to face Celta Vigo. Just as the match was destined for a lackluster goalless draw, Dai Zhiwei unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box, turning one point into three for his side!

The 28th round saw Villarreal welcome Las Palmas at home. In the first half, Las Palmas capitalized on a corner; Viera delivered a tactical ball in from the left, and David García headed home from close range. Over the next 60 minutes, Villarreal, determined on home turf, launched relentless attacks but failed to break through the opposition’s defense. It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that Dai Zhiwei, breaking into the box, was brought down by a Las Palmas defender. He took the penalty himself and calmly equalized, preserving the honor of the Stadium of the Love Song.

Three La Liga matches, four goals and an assist for Dai Zhiwei, and his brilliance did not end there. In European competition, he pressed on undeterred.

In the first leg of the Europa League round of sixteen, Villarreal played host to Bundesliga stalwarts Bayer Leverkusen. In the fourth minute, Soldado lofted a pass forward, and Dai Zhiwei, outpacing two defenders, broke into the box and coolly finished past Leno to make it 1–0. In the 56th minute, a failed Leverkusen corner led to a swift counterattack; Dai Zhiwei picked up the ball in midfield, surged into the box, and fired home to double the lead to 2–0.

With his tally in this season’s Europa League now at six, Dai Zhiwei had granted his team a commanding advantage toward qualification.

Yet Villarreal’s triumphant run in La Liga and Europe finally stumbled in the 29th round. Away to the mighty Sevilla, the Yellow Submarine found themselves on the back foot early—the 23rd minute saw Gameiro break into the box and unselfishly square for Iborra, who tapped in from close range. Villarreal were a goal down.

But Dai Zhiwei quickly struck back with two goals to put his side ahead. In the 29th minute, Rukavina’s cross from the right was blocked, and Dai Zhiwei pounced on the rebound, calmly slotting in from twelve yards. Seven minutes later, Bakambu flicked a pass on the edge of the box, and Dai Zhiwei, from eight yards out on the left, volleyed sharply into the far corner—his second of the night.

Alas, Dai Zhiwei’s heroics alone could not save the team, as Sevilla netted three times in the second half to retake the lead.

In stoppage time, Dai Zhiwei latched onto Leo’s through ball, beat the offside trap, rounded the keeper, and slotted into the empty net—his first hat-trick since joining Villarreal. Yet his third goal came too late to prevent defeat. After the match, Dai Zhiwei sought out the referee, claiming the match ball as a memento of his first hat-trick in European football.

Dai Zhiwei had set himself a personal target of twenty goals for the season, and now, in mid-March, he had already scored sixteen—ten in the league and six in the Europa League. It seemed that the goal of twenty was, if anything, too modest.

Despite the loss, coach Marcelino was far from discouraged. “Dai Zhiwei was outstanding today; he utterly destroyed the confidence of the opposing defenders. Had he joined us at the start of the season, he could have even challenged for the La Liga Golden Boot. I am certain that in three days’ time, against Leverkusen in the Europa League, he will remain their biggest headache!”

After Villarreal’s midweek victory over Reading to reach the fourth round of the League Cup, they faced another challenge in the eighth Premier League round, with Leverkusen the opposition and Marcelino intent on taking all three points.

The first leg’s 2–0 advantage gave Villarreal a cushion, but no one would underestimate Leverkusen’s resolve. Barely fifty seconds into the match, Dai Zhiwei received a cross from Gaspar at the edge of the box, turned, and surged toward goal. Leverkusen’s center-back Papadopoulos, knowing that Dai Zhiwei with a clear shot spelled grave danger, did not hesitate to commit a tactical foul, bringing Dai Zhiwei down just outside the box, almost in a judo-like maneuver. Yet there was nothing malicious in the challenge; after Papadopoulos helped him up, Dai Zhiwei merely patted his opponent on the back.

Trigueros took the free kick, opting for a layoff rather than a direct shot; Bruno received Gaspar’s diagonal pass and unleashed a powerful shot from twenty-five yards, but Leverkusen’s keeper Leno held firm.

Leno then launched a tremendous throw—though by hand, it cleared the halfway line, a testament to his strength. Bellarabi, receiving the ball in midfield, quickly surveyed the field and sent a long pass forward. Kiessling burst into the right side of the box and lashed a volley without taking a touch. The move was elegant, but the shot was too ambitious, flying well wide. On the other side, “Little Pea” Hernández threw up his hands in frustration; had Kiessling passed, Hernández would have faced an open goal.

In contrast to Leverkusen’s forwards, Villarreal’s front pair demonstrated far better understanding. Soldado drove into the box and, from a tight angle, cleverly squared the ball. Dai Zhiwei anticipated perfectly, unleashing a fierce shot from the right, but Leverkusen defender Tah flung himself in the way to block for a corner.

Dai Zhiwei was visibly frustrated at missing this golden chance, and soon after, he returned the favor, combining with Gaspar down the left before crossing for Soldado, whose first-time effort was blocked by defender Henrichs.

In the 28th minute, Soldado set up Dai Zhiwei, whose thunderous drive from the penalty spot was parried once again by Leno. Yet Dai Zhiwei’s shot was not so easily tamed; though Leno got a hand to it, the ball continued toward goal, only to skim just wide of the right post—a close call that left Leno sweating.

“So close, just too straight!” Dai Zhiwei shook his head. Had the shot been angled a little more, the keeper would never have had time to react.

Nonetheless, Villarreal, now in control, created further opportunities. When Brandt lost possession in midfield, Soldado promptly fed Dai Zhiwei, who simply outpaced Papadopoulos despite the narrowing angle. Dai Zhiwei, not one to force a shot, stopped abruptly to evade the defender, then deftly back-heeled the ball to Soldado, who had just caught up. The Spanish striker could hardly refuse such a gift, and with the inside of his right foot, he calmly rolled the ball into the net.

1–0! Dai Zhiwei assisted Soldado to break the deadlock.

After the break, Leverkusen, unwilling to accept defeat, ramped up their attack. Bellarabi crossed from the left, and this time Hernández seized his chance, poking the ball past Areola before Ruiz could intervene.

1–1, 3–1 on aggregate—the Yellow Submarine still held a commanding lead.

Leverkusen, buoyed by the goal, pressed forward relentlessly. Brandt carried the ball into the box and unleashed a fierce strike, forcing Areola into a brilliant save. Brandt then sent a long pass, and Kiessling, facing Areola, attempted an audacious volley with the outside of his boot, but the ball skimmed past the left post.

Seeing his team under pressure in the second half, Marcelino adjusted by bringing on Pina for Trigueros, injecting energy into the midfield. In the 77th minute, it was Pina’s incisive through ball that allowed Dai Zhiwei to weave past defenders in the box before firing a powerful shot into the net from the edge of the area.

2–1! Villarreal retook the lead, and with a 4–1 aggregate score, secured early passage to the next round.

Dai Zhiwei was soon substituted for Bakambu, clearly with an eye to saving his energy for the weekend’s La Liga match.

In the end, Villarreal completed the double over Leverkusen and advanced to the Europa League quarterfinals.

Their next match would be the 30th round of La Liga against Barcelona!

And the in-form Dai Zhiwei was ready to make a spectacular impact.