Chapter 103: Everyone Has Their Own Stage

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Long Bisheng didn’t notice Fan Pengfei’s unusual mood; in truth, he had no time to pay attention. The players insisted on treating Ding Yu and Zhou Wei, as they had fought desperately to win the match, bringing honor to Ding Yu and sparing Zhou Wei from being blamed for the loss. Under the pressure of the group, Ding Yu agreed with a smile, and after hesitating and feeling the threat of Hu Gandan and Li Jie’s fists, Zhou Wei also reluctantly consented.

Thus, Long Bisheng had no time to chat with Fan Pengfei. He only managed a few words before leaving the field with his teammates, ready to feast in celebration of their victory—and to take advantage of Ding Yu and Zhou Wei.

Finding a restaurant large enough and cheap enough to accommodate nearly a hundred people—including the entire girls’ team and their chaperones—was no easy task. Big banquet halls were never cheap, and cheap restaurants rarely had enough space. In the end, Ding Yu gritted his teeth and settled on a medium-sized venue.

Everyone knew Ding Yu’s income was not modest—he was assistant coach of Yunjiatianyu’s first team, head coach of the reserves, and also coached the football school’s 1989 age group team. Collectively, he earned three salaries, putting him on par with some of the first team’s substitutes. Zhou Wei came from a wealthy family; otherwise, no one would have let these two foot the bill.

At the banquet, Ding Yu raised his glass several times to toast the girls’ team—who had cheered tirelessly during the match, many ending the game with hoarse voices. Ding Yu downed five cups of Wuliangye, drinking until his face flushed and his neck reddened.

Jian Ying, the girls’ football coach, smiled and said to Ding Yu, “Coach Ding, just a few drinks to thank us? Isn’t that a bit light?”

Ding Yu, tongue thick from the alcohol, replied, “What do you want me to do? As long as it’s within my power, I’d walk through fire and water.”

“Don’t worry, no need for fire or water,” Jian Ying laughed. “I’ve seen the schedule. By the time of our final, your team’s final will be over. How about bringing your squad to cheer us on?”

“Yeah, yeah! We cheer for you, so you should return the favor!” the girls chimed in.

“No problem!” Ding Yu waved his hand with the air of a general commanding troops. “Boys, any objections?”

Anyone who said yes now would surely be out of their mind. Long Bisheng and the others answered promptly, “We’ll definitely be there!”

“How about that?” Ding Yu turned to Jian Ying. “We’ll carry the championship trophy to cheer you on then!”

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Having boasted in front of the girls’ team, Ding Yu now found himself agonizing over how to approach the upcoming final.

Their opponent was their old rival—the 1989 age group team from Shanghai Chongming Island Football School, led by the renowned former Jia-A League ace coach Xu Genbao.

Shanghai Chongming Island had advanced to the final by defeating Shandong Taishan Football School’s 1989 team. Shandong was no pushover; last year, they had also reached the semifinals before being knocked out by Dalian Oriental Football School. Yunjiatianyu had barely edged Shandong out with a golden goal in the third-place match. Players like versatile right-winger Gao Zhifa, center-back Qin Han, defensive midfielder Sun Qing, and striker Shi Zhentao were all quite formidable. Their performance last year had caused Yunjiatianyu considerable trouble. Though their offense wasn’t particularly strong, their tenacious defense and excellent physicality made them a tough opponent. Yet, even such a team fell under the feet of Shanghai Chongming Island.

Shanghai football had long been a representative of southern-style football. Players from Shanghai possessed the unique subtlety characteristic of the “Shanghai small man” (a term used here without any derogatory intent). Technically, they were on par with Guangdong players. Yet their only league championship so far was achieved under Xu Genbao and his “pressing siege” tactics.

At the time, Xu’s “pressing siege” strategy was highly effective, but as Jia-A League players improved physically and technically, this tactic became outdated. This led to Xu’s quiet dismissal from Shanghai Shenhua. After his departure, the club decisively embraced a technical style, hiring successive coaches from Eastern Europe and Brazil who favored skillful play. After suffering defeat again with Dalian Oriental, Xu withdrew from frontline coaching. Following a year as head of a football school, he reflected deeply and began focusing on nurturing technically gifted players in his own academy.

Shanghai players were inherently skilled, especially Xu’s 1989 team. Midfield core Xu Shaochuan grew up playing street football in Shanghai’s narrow alleys, developing superb ball control, awareness, and penetrating short and medium passes. Last year, had he not been sidelined by a tackle from Dalian’s Jiang Qi in the final, Dalian might never have won that championship. Hu Gandan had struggled to gain an advantage against him. Assisting Xu Shaochuan was another technically gifted midfielder, Gu Yu, whose style complemented Xu’s. While Xu excelled at dribbling, disrupting defenses, and delivering fatal passes, Gu was a master organizer and distributor from midfield with a powerful long-range shot. His vision allowed him to frequently send unexpected long passes.

Their two forwards were interesting as well—neither very tall. Striker Luo Li was elusive in movement, excellent at timing runs and lurking in the box for lethal strikes. The other forward, Wei Qing, was extremely fast, specializing in thirty-meter counterattacks and powerful shots. Though not physically imposing, the two forwards combined well.

As the main attacking force of Shanghai Chongming Island’s 1989 team, these four were classic technical players—great on the ball and tactical but weaker in physical duels. It was quite unusual that Xu Genbao, who built his reputation on “pressing siege,” had developed four players who neither pressed nor tackled aggressively.

Countering such an attack was not difficult—using Xu’s own “pressing siege” tactic was ideal, but it had to be executed ruthlessly. Two or three physically superior players would tightly mark the two midfield organizers, draining their stamina quickly, while a strong defensive line would prevent the two sharp forwards from making dangerous runs, minimizing the opponent’s offensive threat.

But now, it was impossible. Yunjiatianyu’s starters had fought fiercely in the semifinals, exhausting their energy. Although the three days of rest helped them recover somewhat, employing a high-energy pressing tactic would cause them to collapse before the opponent.

It seemed they had no choice but to compete technically in midfield.

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Although Zhou Wei would miss the final, Dai Guangming’s technical skill was unmatched, and Shanghai had no towering central defenders like those from Dalian or Shandong. Defending against Long Bisheng would be difficult—this year was not like last year. Then, Shanghai tried to limit Long Bisheng’s influence by controlling crosses, rendering him nearly invisible on the field. This year, with his newfound dribbling ability, Long Bisheng would surely bulldoze through Shanghai’s somewhat fragile backline with his tank-like physique.

It seemed he would have to focus on Long Bisheng during the match—though not his most favored player, he was the most reliable at this moment.

When two evenly matched forces confront each other, wearing each other down in a battle of elite troops, the fighting power of an ordinary non-core unit can often become the turning point of a campaign. The same applies in football. When stars and key players are evenly matched, an overlooked ordinary player like Long Bisheng becomes the focal point because of his unique traits.

Everyone has their grand stage in life; fate always sets such a stage in front of you—sometimes early, sometimes late, but always eventually. How well you perform on that stage determines if you’ll get another chance.

Long Bisheng had performed admirably on his previous stage, so naturally, he was granted a second opportunity.

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Before the final began, Ding Yu once again entrusted Long Bisheng with a crucial mission: center forward, tasked with scoring goals.

Ding Yu’s bold decision to start Long Bisheng paid off. He let Dai Guangming and others compete technically in midfield, assigning all scoring duties to Long Bisheng. On the field, Long Bisheng was like a roaring tank, smashing through Shanghai’s defensive lines one by one.

Xu Genbao tried to suppress Yunjiatianyu’s attack with his own offense, but Yunjiatianyu did not linger in midfield battles. The midfielders quickly advanced past half-field upon receiving the ball, then fed Long Bisheng in attack. Though his brute-force style was not highly efficient, it shattered Shanghai’s defense.

A clean and decisive 2-0 victory followed. After Long Bisheng had broken down Shanghai’s backline, Yunjiatianyu’s offense became easier. Zhang Yi scored a beautiful direct free kick, and then Long Bisheng headed home a cross from Dai Guangming on a counterattack. What was expected to be a tough final turned into an unexpectedly comfortable win.