Chapter 60 We Are Really Strong

When Wang Lie scored, the match was not actually over.

The exact minute and second of his goal was the ninety-second minute and twenty-sixth second. Rounding it up, there were two minutes remaining until the end of the match.

Strictly speaking, the Scousers had not yet been defeated by Tyne, and it was still too early to talk about any "last-minute winner."

Yet nobody cared about this detail.

Everyone was talking about a "last-minute winner":

Wang Lie's hat-trick dramatically clinched victory over the Scousers in the dying seconds!

Wang Lie completed another heartbreaking winner!

The "King of Last-Minute Winners" lives up to his name!

...

Such sentiments were everywhere.

Because no one believed the Scousers could mount a comeback.

Facing Wang Lie's divine, descending-from-the-heavens performance, the Scousers had been utterly broken.

Although Tyne only led by a single goal, this one-goal margin felt like an unsurpassable chasm rather than "the most dangerous scoreline in the world."

And reality proved this to be true.

The Scouser players felt they could never cross this abyss—they did not even bother approaching the referee to complain or protest that Tyne's celebration was too frenzied and wasted too much time.

They simply let Tyne celebrate to their heart's content.

In any other circumstance, they would have surrounded the referee, pressuring him to urge the opponents to cut short their celebrations.

Instead, they stood there like wooden posts.

Any person with even a rudimentary understanding of football could see at a glance that Tyne had already won.

Vittini pointed at Wang Lie, continuously waving his arms toward the stands.

The Tyne fans understood completely, chanting in unison:

"China Wang! China Wang! China Wang!"

Having successfully whipped up the fans' emotions and created a fanatical atmosphere, Vittini turned around and made a "worship" gesture toward Wang Lie—raising both hands above his head, he bowed deeply and swept his arms downward.

Not only him, but the other Tyne players also followed suit, gathering around Wang Lie in the center and adopting poses of absolute reverence.

The players spurred on the fans in the stands, who mirrored the gesture.

The entire stadium was cheering and worshipping.

At that moment, to them, Wang Lie was truly no different from a god.

Standing by the sideline, Chi Zhen watched this scene, once again falling into a daze.

※※※

The Tyne players escorted Wang Lie back to their own half.

The Scouser players had been waiting for a long time, yet they still did not urge the Tyne players on.

Accompanied by the referee's whistle, the match restarted.

In truth, if the time spent on Tyne's celebrations were added to the stoppage time, there might still have been two minutes left.

To score a goal within two minutes and equalize the score... was it possible?

Of course it was possible.

There was no such thing as "impossible" on a football pitch.

But this Scouser side, whose fighting spirit had been utterly beaten out of them, could not do it. They probably wished the referee had blown the full-time whistle the exact moment Wang Lie scored...

Two minutes could pass very quickly, or very slowly.

At the final juncture of this match, it passed in a flash.

In fact, ever since Wang Lie's goal, the cheering, shouting, and singing of the Tyne fans in the stands had never stopped.

They had entered celebration mode ahead of time.

When the referee finally blew the full-time whistle, their cheers rose to an even higher level!

Connor Cawley said:

"It's over! It's over! After an unbelievable match, Tyne defeats the Scousers 3:2 at home! I think the vast majority of people did not expect this result before the match! Neither this scoreline nor the final outcome accurately reflects the true gap in strength between the two teams... But this is football! Ladies and gentlemen! This is football! Until the final whistle blows, you never know who will win and who will lose! The stronger Scousers have lost away from home! Tyne secures three consecutive victories!"

No matter how displeased Joe Westley felt toward Wang Lie in his heart, he still had to step up at this moment and speak a fair word: "Yes, Tyne showed tremendous resilience at home. And Wang's hat-trick was the key to their victory. I have to say... Wang played at his highest level of the past year in this match. Two of the three goals were masterpieces of absolute individual heroism, and the remaining one was also orchestrated, initiated, and ultimately finished by him..."

When Joe Westley spoke these words, he practically clenched his back teeth.

If he could, he would rather deliver a speech praising a Scouser victory than insincerely praise Wang Lie.

It was just unfortunate that his junior club peers were so spineless...

Therefore, changing his tone, he began to criticize the Scouser players:

"The Scousers had a start as wonderful as it could possibly be. Yet they failed to capitalize on this start to extend their lead. Instead, they were bogged down by Tyne's tenacity... I do not wish to criticize them, but I must speak the truth. Aside from the opening thirty minutes, this team's performance was mediocre. Before the match, they swore oaths of revenge against Wang, but I am sorry to say that I saw no evidence today of them being prepared for revenge—when facing pressure, they clearly cracked! If the Scousers continue with this performance and state of form, let alone fighting for the title this season... they will be doing well just to secure a Champions League spot!"

Luo Jin, acting as the Chinese commentator, went on at great length after Wang Lie's goal, but perhaps having spoken too much previously, his post-match summary was relatively brief:

"...I know there are many newer fans who never watched Wang Lie play in his youth, and cannot understand why so many people still love and support a Wang Lie whose performance has declined with age... If you are curious about this, just watch today's match. Three brilliant goals and a never-give-up spirit—this is Wang Lie! The 'China Wang' who once struck terror into the hearts of countless people across world football!"

Zhao Chuanfeng summarized the match more from a tactical perspective:

"In this match, Tyne's manager McNeil conducted a tactical experiment. He had Wang Lie, who has been a central striker for the past few years, drop deep—even deeper than Vittini and Dean, the two 'wingers'... This is counter-intuitive.

"Because everyone knows that as Wang Lie has aged and his athletic ability has declined, both his explosive power and stamina are far inferior to before. The number of times he runs back and forth on sprints should be minimized, which is why most of the time Wang Lie is deployed right at the front, using his heading ability and experience to help the team...

"In fact, in Wang Lie's first two matches for Tyne, he was deployed in this exact way. As a center-forward, he dropped back as little as possible, stayed right at the front to pin down opposing defenders, and then shot or passed the ball to teammates in need... But in this match, McNeil changed his approach, having Wang Lie frequently drop deep and then push forward. This does not suit Wang Lie's current physical condition, yet it conversely produced Wang Lie's best performance since transferring to Tyne.

"I do not know whether McNeil will continue to deploy Wang Lie in this position and use him this way... Nor do I know whether Wang Lie's physical condition can sustain this style of play; we need to observe more matches. But I hope Wang Lie can maintain the outstanding form of this match and treat us to more spectacular goals!"

The match had ended, but the carnival for Wang Lie's fans was only just beginning.

Back in China, despite it being the early hours of the morning, Wang Lie's fans felt no fatigue. They logged off from the live broadcasts, called upon friends online, and began to savor the afterglow of victory.

Especially to interact and exchange pleasantries with Chi Zhen's extreme fans.

Of course, at this moment, they probably wouldn't find many of Chi Zhen's extreme fans, since avoiding front-running when the tide turns is one of the behavioral codes of all blind fanboys—when Wang Lie performed poorly and was mocked across the internet, they knew how to play turtle.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Wang Lie's fans were similarly hunting down supporters of Helden, fans of the Scousers, fans of Arthur and Ronil... tracking down everyone who had previously mocked and insulted Wang Lie for some online settling of scores.

Vengeance may be delayed, but it always arrives.

Now was the hour!

The "weapon" for these online showdowns was naturally Wang Lie's hat-trick from this match.

armed with such divine weaponry, Wang Lie's fans could now be described as "slaying gods if gods appear, slaying Buddhas if Buddhas block."

No opponent could withstand a single round against them.

What? You say Wang is old? Yes, he is indeed old, but he just set the record for the oldest hat-trick in Premier League history!

You say Wang's previous brace was pure luck? Was this hat-trick against the Scousers pure luck too?

You say Wang only feasts on weak teams? Is last season's runner-up a weak team? Is it, is it, is it?

You say Wang only leeches off his teammates and sacrifices the whole team to create chances for himself? All three of these goals were chances Wang created himself and finished himself!

What? You say scoring goals harms the team? Hahaha! Then please let there be more such harm!

Apart from these rival fans, those media pundits who had written Wang Lie off were also prime targets for attack.

For example, Joe Westley's X (formerly Twitter) comment section had fallen.

Beneath the post he made before the match—"Remember this image, and look back at it after the match; you will understand its metaphor"—the comment section was, precisely as he wished, filled with people looking back after the match:

"Dean assisted Wang to score the equalizer. Yes, so Joe Westley accurately predicted beforehand that these two would decide the direction of the match, how magical!"

"As a Tyne fan, I sincerely thank Mr. Westley for his blessing! Originally Dean didn't play all that well in this match, but thanks to Mr. Westley's blessing, Dean delivered that crucial assist!"

"Quickly say 'Thank you, Mr. Westley' with me!"

"Thank you, Mr. Westley!"

"Thank you, Mr. Westley!"

...

Meanwhile, the comment section of Lawrence Daddomo—the prominent Wang Lie hater who had reposted Westley's tweet—turned into a "carnival square" for Wang Lie's fans.

"What kind of person is it that we love? A warrior who still does not abandon the team or give up on winning when two goals down! Yes, Wang Lie has flaws, and quite a few of them, of which we are well aware. But so what? A flawed warrior is still a warrior, while a flawless fly is still nothing more than a fly!"

"Has internal conflict ever happened? I'm not sure, because I have no evidence. But I am one hundred percent sure that Mr. Lawrence Daddomo's face has been beaten black and blue, and the evidence is conclusive!"

"What truth does the result of this match tell us? The truth is that Mr. Daddomo has once again spread rumors and lies! He tried to use such despicable means to influence Wang's match; didn't he know this would only ignite Wang's fighting spirit? Oh, my mistake, Mr. Daddomo is the biggest Wang fanboy in the world! He was motivating Wang in this exact way!"

"I feel sorrow for anyone who still believes Lawrence Daddomo—we can send people to the moon now, but some people's brains are still stuck in the ape stage. Human evolution is so uneven, it's truly pathetic!"

"May I ask how Mr. Daddomo views Wang scoring a hat-trick in this match?"

"Don't ask, Mr. Daddomo hasn't posted anything for seventy-five minutes. Exactly the time elapsed since Wang scored his first goal..."

"Lawrence Daddomo: Ask again and I'll commit suicide!"

"Let's guess, when will Daddomo delete this post?"

"Hahahahaha!"

The comment section was brimming with joy.

※※※

Right after the match, Wang Lie was hauled into the broadcasting interview zone by the Premier League official broadcast.

Holding the microphone, the presenter said: "Congratulations, Wang, you won this match and also earned the Man of the Match award voted by the journalists. How do you evaluate this victory and your own performance?"

Clutching the Man of the Match trophy—a bottle of champagne—Wang Lie spoke eloquently into the microphone:

"I am very glad we could win this match at home. I believe this victory is the result of our entire team's hard work and struggle, and is definitely not my sole credit. As you can see, everyone fought with all their might for the victory... I think that is what matters most: team spirit, teamwork, and team first."

The presenter pressed further: "What about your performance? Tell us about your performance. You just celebrated your thirty-eight birthday, and you score a hat-trick in the match..."

"Yes, completing a hat-trick is not easy at all. Let alone doing it at the age of thirty-eight; I am very proud of that. Just as I said before—'scoring goals keeps me young.' I feel that age will not be my trouble; I always maintain my hunger for goals."

"Do you know, Wang? This hat-trick of yours set a new record, making you the oldest player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick!"

"Is that so?" Wang Lie smiled upon hearing this. "I am glad to have set such a record. But I don't think this will be the last time I set this record."

The implication was that he might well score more hat-tricks in the future. Considering his age, every hat-trick he scored from then on would set a brand-new record.

Such a domineering remark did not catch the presenter off guard; in fact, this was simply Wang Lie's style, and Premier League presenters were long used to it...

Therefore, he congratulated Wang Lie once more and concluded the interview.

Wang Lie, holding the champagne in one hand and the match ball in his arms, turned and left, unable even to wave to the fans.

Yet no one thought Wang Lie lacked manners.

The fans in the stands had been cheering for him throughout his interview, and continued to do so now.

Merely gazing at Wang Lie's departing figure left these Tyne fans utterly content—knowing that such a formidable star was currently wearing Tyne's blue jersey, what more could they possibly ask for?

※※※

When Wang Lie walked into the locker room hugging the football and champagne, he was greeted by cheers and applause from his teammates.

"Look who's back?"

Hugo GonduZ answered his own question.

"Ah, our hero!"

Then, placing a hand over his chest, he bowed deeply, as if welcoming an extremely distinguished guest.

His exaggerated performance sent everyone in the locker room into fits of laughter.

Wang Lie was smiling too. Once the laughter subsided, he handed the football to GonduZ: "Help me sign this, Hugo."

Generally, players who completed a hat-trick would choose to keep a match ball as a souvenir, and some would have all their teammates sign it.

Thus, GonduZ understood what it meant.

He took the football, ran over to the tactical board to grab a permanent marker, and signed his name.

Without returning it to Wang Lie, he handed the ball and marker together to Matej Katić beside him: "Here!"

Katić took it, scribbled his signature rapidly, and passed it to the next person.

Like a game of hot potato, every member of the locker room signed their name on the football.

When it came to Dean's turn, he looked at the football and marker handed over by his teammate, hesitated for a moment, but took it.

Then he looked around, finally found a blank spot, and simply wrote his name:

Sunny

Afterward, he passed the football to the next person.

When everyone had finished signing, the little fanboy Vittini returned the football to Wang Lie.

"Thank you, everyone!" Wang Lie supported the unmarked portions of the football with his fingers and said to the group, "I had you all sign this ball because I want you to know that the victory in this match belongs to all of us! My three goals in this match were also thanks to every single one of you."

Gotz said: "Wang, you're being too modest. The first goal was a free kick you won and scored yourself, and the third goal was your long-range shot as well. If not for you, let alone winning this match, we might have struggled with all our might just to keep the scoreline respectable..."

Wang Lie shook his head: "No, that's not true. Without everyone's united defense and tackles, the score gap might have widened even further before I won that free kick. Elliott, you also made many brilliant saves during the match—I still remember how you tipped away Chi Zhen's curled shot. If you hadn't pulled that off, we would have fallen behind by two goals again. And if you hadn't made that save, how could our subsequent counter-attacking goal have ever happened?"

Elliott Gotz said no more, a smile on his face; Wang Lie's words were very comforting to him.

That's right, he too had played a crucial role in this victory!

In truth, he already knew it, but hearing those words spoken by Wang Lie made him feel exceptionally good...

"And Dean."

Dean did not expect Wang Lie to call his name. He raised his head in surprise, and the surrounding teammates turned their gazes toward him.

Looking at Dean, Wang Lie said: "Your penetration and cross were gorgeous and precise. Without you, my second goal wouldn't have happened either. Did I tell you? That cross of yours was just right—neither too high nor too low, neither too fast nor too slow, allowing me to head it home with immense power without any effort at all."

He gave Dean another thumbs-up.

Facing such direct praise from Wang Lie under the gaze of his teammates, Dean felt a bit self-conscious, awkwardly saying: "You already said so..."

Wang Lie laughed heartily: "Doesn't matter, I'll say it again! Great cross!"

Then he began calling out names one by one:

"Not just Elliott Gotz and Sunny Dean, but also Clayton Vittini, Matej Katić, Hugo GonduZ, Gianfranco Ramosa, Joshua Parker, Mathijs van Ginkel, Charlie Cohen, ⁠Barnabas, Tommy Biggins, Gabriel Barreto, Archie Noble, Ryan Graham, Leo Sparks, Jamie Nicholson, Vado Gogolo."

He called out every single player who had made the matchday squad, and then said:

"'We are a collective'—that is not an empty platitude, it is a fact. Everyone I just called out, whether you played or not, made a contribution to this victory, big or small. It's just that because I was the one who scored the goals, I hogged a bit of the spotlight.

"Remember what I said before the match? 'I believe you are strong.' Don't think I was just making polite conversation. If you know me, you should know I'm not the type to flatter others. So when I say you are strong, you are truly strong. Today's match is the proof!"

Hearing his idol say this, Vittini couldn't help but lift his head proudly, looking very much like a child praised by a teacher.

Not just him, but many others wore expressions of both exhilaration and joy.

Winning the match and being praised by a superstar like Wang Lie—who wouldn't be happy?

Wang was right; he wasn't good at flattering people, so he wasn't buttering them up—he was telling the truth!

They really were strong!

※※※

Inside the Scousers' locker room, the atmosphere was not nearly as oppressive and agonizing as the outside world imagined.

No one likes losing, but if you always lose to the same person, you eventually grow somewhat accustomed to it psychologically.

"Fine, at least it's better than last season..."

Chi Zhen even overheard such a remark inside the locker room.

Last season, they had lost to Brother Wang in the thirty-fifth round of the league; after that defeat, the team lost first place and failed to reclaim it in the remaining three rounds.

This time, losing to Brother Wang at least wouldn't directly impact their title-chasing prospects.

From this perspective, it really did seem better than last season...

Chi Zhen silently kicked off his boots, picked them up, untied the laces, and used a stud removal tool to unscrew the studs.

While removing the studs, one of them—perhaps slightly deformed—proved a bit stubborn and didn't want to come out.

He tried several times without success.

Listening to the commotion in the locker room and recalling the remark he had just heard, a sudden wave of nameless anger flared up within him:

Sure, losing now might be better than losing in the thirty-fifth round, but why do we have to lose?!

Did we come here to lose?

Weren't we here for revenge?

How could they find losing acceptable?

Actually, Chi Zhen knew these were just words people used to comfort themselves after a defeat.

Yet he truly would have preferred everyone coming back cursing, smashing things, and leaving the away locker room in utter chaos, rather than the current silence or those lighthearted off-hand remarks...

Because at the very least, that would prove they were unwilling to accept defeat.

Thinking of this, Chi Zhen could no longer control his emotions, and slammed the boot in his hand heavily onto the locker room floor, producing a crisp, harsh sound.

This movement was extremely conspicuous in the locker room, and everyone turned to look at him.

Under the collective gaze, Chi Zhen instantly lost his dissatisfaction toward his teammates and the courage to vent his frustrations.

He awkwardly tried to cover up his impulse: "Uh... the stud wouldn't come out, I was just tapping it..."

To prove his words, after finishing his explanation, he tapped the boot against the floor a couple more times, though using far less force and producing a much fainter sound.

※※※

Sven Helden's door was knocked upon. Opening it, he saw assistant manager Danilo Lindsay.

Instead of entering, Lindsay asked him from the doorway: "Did you watch the match between Tyne and the Scousers?"

Helden shook his head: "I asked the technical team to record it. We'll analyze the tape after tomorrow's match."

Lindsay told him: "The match is over."

"I know." Helden found it rather inexplicable, not understanding why Lindsay had made a special trip to knock on his door just to tell him that.

Still, he explained to his assistant manager: "Our opponents tomorrow are Leicester Fortress, our next-round opponents are the Scousers..."

Lindsay interrupted his explanation: "Tyne beat the Scousers 3:2, and Wang completed a hat-trick in the match."

Helden froze.

※※※

P.S., Starting today, I'm returning to a daily single-chapter release schedule. I will work hard and write furiously, hoping to stockpile enough drafts before the next important match.

Thank you all for your support and understanding!