Chapter 130: An Arrow That Pierces the Clouds — Crossing Mountains and Seas to Present One's Fate
First, thanks again to everyone. I wish you all may your wishes come true — good luck and great fortune in the Year of the Dragon!
My uncle — last night just after midnight — was found in a mountain hollow.
The old man had fallen several times and had multiple external wounds. After a hospital check there's nothing major, but he certainly looks battered.
Finally! Thanks again for everyone's care and understanding! I should also save some drafts and not spend everything the same day.
…
…
The ball rolled through many legs and toward Xia Qi.
Borussia Dortmund's players were stunned — afraid of what actually came to pass:
how could it be Xia Qi?!
Neven Subotić's first thought was he must not allow Xia Qi to turn; if Xia Qi did turn, a volley could be enough to make the keeper drink a whole pot.
Of course, even without turning Xia Qi could shoot — an overhead kick, a backheel… though those are certainly harder.
When faced with two bad options, take the lesser evil!
Subotić pressed hard against Xia Qi's back to prevent him from turning.
His partner — Christian Schmelzer — rushed at Xia Qi from the front…
Xia Qi met the rolling ball and flicked it up with the tip of his left foot, but not over his head — instead he popped it vertically, like flicking a key, raising the ball high.
"Only,
this height is way too high!
An overhead kick at that height is hard to connect!"
That was, in an instant, the thought in everyone at Wembley; even Borussia Dortmund fans "naively" thought Xia Qi had messed up…
At that moment on the pitch,
the ball bounced vertically up — about three meters high.
Immediately, Xia Qi leapt forward high and executed a gymnast's 180-degree twist in the air, positioning himself at the lower edge of the ball.
In mid-air Xia Qi's body folded into a "shrimp" shape, hanging for a half-second of suspension. As the ball descended, this human prawn suddenly unfolded, using his forehead to deliver momentum — his brow smashed squarely into the front of the ball.
A plunging, violent header!
A golden bomber — Jürgen Klinsmann!
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller had expected an overhead kick and had his weight prepared for the upper-left or upper-right; now the ball struck low and rebounded from the ground, forcing him to rapidly adjust his balance — and bouncing shots are hard to save.
By the time Weidenfeller dived, the ball had already crossed the line a second earlier.
"Beep!"
The referee circled his finger to signal a valid goal.
"Beautiful!"
"Goal!"
"It's only 48 seconds in — Arsenal's first shot is a goal."
"Xia Qi turned like a gymnast in the air, then struck a bomber's header to score."
"Amazing. Subotić had pinned Xia Qi so he couldn't turn, so Xia Qi took another route and completed the turn in mid-air — like a basketball player spinning and slam-dunking in the air."
"Most basketballers spin 360 degrees, but Xia Qi did 180 degrees."
"I think the plunging bomber is the essence — since Klinsmann and Miroslav Klose we rarely see such violent headers."
"That's for sure. Zhang, you're a fake Xia fan — interview: which Xia Qi goal isn't spectacular?"
"Heh…"
"Data shows Xia Qi's goal was a lightning strike — from Luke Shaw's interception to Xia Qi's goal Arsenal needed only 10 seconds, meaning Dortmund's previous attack took 38 seconds."
"That efficiency is terrifying."
On the sideline,
Klopp, who had just clenched his fists preparing to strike the stands with the "farmer's three punches," stood dumbfounded — what should he do with the fist he'd raised to his chest, put it down or keep it up?
On the other side,
Arsène Wenger, though ecstatic, still restrained himself like usual; only the stubbornly stuck zipper on his jacket betrayed his mood.
On the pitch,
Xia Qi let himself go — he slid on his knees toward the stand where his parents sat.
He left three sliding tracks across the turf; at the south stand he put both hands above his head in a heart.
However, the broadcast director misunderstood and assumed the camera should search for Xia Qi's girlfriend in the stands, eventually panning a close-up on Alice.
After a brief celebration,
the match resumed.
Klopp gestured at his players from the sideline, telling them not to be affected by Arsenal's goal and to stick to the pre-match tactic: press high, keep up the high-intensity pressing.
That tactic paid off!
After all, this approach would soon lead the world.
After the restart, Dortmund seized a period of overwhelming dominance, pressing the Premier League champions to the floor, grinding them down, grinding them again…
At Manchester United's Carrington training ground, Sir Alex Ferguson bellowed angrily: "Arsène is too soft — his team lacks backbone. If it were our Red Devils, Manchester United…"
"Boss, we didn't even get to the quarters…"
Fuck! Can we have a normal conversation?
Many were worried for Arsenal.
Alice watched clutching her heart the whole time.
On the pitch, Marco Reus tried to break on the left and was brought down by Mikel Arteta.
The referee blew, awarding Dortmund a free kick from just outside the top of the penalty area.
It was a bit far — over thirty meters — but the angle was perfect, about 45 degrees; at that angle, players in the box can comfortably receive and shoot without adjustment.
Reus took the free kick; the ball flew toward Arsenal's goal.
Jakub Błaszczykowski suddenly sprinted to the near post as Reus struck, drawing Arsenal defenders into the scramble.
At that instant, Arsenal's box descended into a chaotic scene.
Hidden in the shadows, Robert Lewandowski suddenly burst from a diagonal run.
When the ball entered the penalty area, Arsenal defenders realized belatedly that Reus and Lewandowski had worked in tandem, and Błaszczykowski had been a decoy.
At the sight of that moment, Arsenal fans were too tense to even call Lewandowski "stupid" — they invoked every curse to wish Lewandowski to get a cramp tonight.
Lewandowski reached four meters out and raised his leg for a cheeky flick!
So close, Arsenal supporters closed their eyes in despair, while Dortmund fans clenched fists, matching Klopp on the touchline in those fearsome "farmer three punches."
But at that crucial instant, Martínez on the goal line slapped the ball away with both hands.
"Wow!"
"A miraculous save!"
Although Martínez could only push the ball out of the box, Dortmund won the second ball and the attack continued.
Ilkay Gündoğan followed up with a long-range shot but failed to keep it down; it flew hopelessly wide, over the end line.
Only then was the alarm lifted.
Everyone in the stadium craned their necks to the big screen to watch how Martínez had turned a crisis into salvation in the blink of an eye.
Wenger stood at the sideline and shouted to his on-field captain Mikel Arteta: "Confirm defensive markers…" and made a spreading-hand gesture.
He meant to spread out defenders rather than crowd the ball — basic coaching, taught at U8: "Don't swarm the ball… you must…"
…
…
"That was really scary earlier!" Zhang Lu said a bit shaken. "Martínez is Arsenal's second signing of the season that's already paid off."
"This season Arsenal has produced multiple excellent youngsters besides Xia Qi…"
Although Lewandowski didn't score, his form reassured Dortmund fans.
They started chanting his name.
Arsenal fans didn't like it — they knew Dortmund fans could create atmosphere, but this was London; Arsenal might as well be half the home team.
How could they allow the visitors to drown out the home crowd?
Wembley's skies filled with the Arsenal anthem, and the Anglo-German contest briefly moved from the pitch to the surrounding stands…
Amid the singing contest, Martínez took a goal-kick.
Kevin De Bruyne received a pass from Arteta, took two strides forward and slipped a pass to the left to Xia Qi.
Xia Qi received and passed instantly; the ball slipped between Błaszczykowski's legs and rolled perfectly in front of Mario Balotelli.
Balotelli surged into the gap, reaching before Weidenfeller, pulling across and blasting a shot.
Like Gündoğan earlier, Balotelli's strike wasn't kept down and the ball brushed the post and went out.
A wave of regret rose over Wembley.
Dortmund fans everywhere were startled by Balotelli's power.
"Balotelli's shot packed massive power; if it had hit above the frame, Weidenfeller would have had a headache."
"This kind of shot is hard to save — not because it's powerful per se but because of the sheer speed."
"A pity!"
"Ten-odd minutes in and we can see each side's strengths — Dortmund plays more team combination, while Arsenal uses Xia Qi as the trigger to explode Dortmund's entire defensive seam."
"Dortmund must contain Xia Qi. He's a match-changer; if they don't limit him, one mistake and Arsenal's next goal won't be far off."
On the pitch,
Weidenfeller launched a long goal kick directly to Lewandowski.
Santi Cazorla tried to mark Lewandowski, but Lewandowski muscled him off and headed the ball back to Mario Götze.
Götze took it and threaded a perfect through ball past Cazorla; Lewandowski sprinted onto it, poised to finish comfortably.
But at that moment,
Luke Shaw, who had been very active, suddenly appeared to Lewandowski's side.
Smartly, he poked the ball with his toe and Lewandowski's raised right leg connected with air.
"Wow, Luke Shaw's defensive sense was brilliant. He knows he's not as big as Lewandowski, so instead of fighting for position he took a quick poke while Lewandowski was focused on shooting."
"Luke Shaw takes the ball and starts a counter!"
"Arsenal break forward."
Xia Qi saw Shaw win the ball and immediately turned and sprinted.
Shaw, reading Xia Qi's run, slipped the ball ahead before the defenders closed.
"Ding — detected opponent goalkeeper positioned high. [Quick Shooter] attribute activated: attack speed +5%, accuracy +3%, execution speed +3%."
The pass landed in front of Xia Qi perhaps because the activation sped his release.
As Götze stretched a half-step from the ball, Xia Qi's right foot had already struck the underside of the ball.
"Boom!"
At the sight of Xia Qi's stance and the explosive sound, Götze flinched — whoa? A halfway-field lob??? He instinctively looked back at his own goal.
The ball, like a meteor, crashed toward the Dortmund net as if Mars had struck Earth.
To the human eye it was a white streak.
Weidenfeller, shouting in alarm, realized something was wrong.
Positioned a bit high, he scrambled back toward his line but his movement was a shade too slow compared to the bullet of a shot.
Desperately, Weidenfeller leapt on the spot as if a last-ditch measure.
But his fingertips missed the ball by a full two inches — despair and regret flooded him; if only he'd been back on the goal line, maybe…
Alas, there is no "maybe" in this world.
The ball sailed over Weidenfeller's head and fell into the net behind him.
Arsenal fans on the stands erupted in joy; even before the net bulged the cheering had become deafening…
Al's calculations don't allow accidents.
The ball thudded into the net as if a heavy object had struck it; after landing it bounced up a full person's height — a testament to the power of Xia Qi's strike.
"Beep!"
A whistle sounded; the referee pointed to the center circle.
In the 27th minute, Xia Qi completed a brace, two highly spectacular goals.
"Goal!"
"Xia Qi duplicated David Beckham's halfway-line lob!"
"An arrow that pierces the clouds, crossing mountains and seas to present one's fate!"
"Xia Qi doubles up — Arsenal lead Borussia Dortmund 2–0."
…
…
"Holy shit! That shot is insane! Looks handsome like Beckham, strikes like Beckham, and his girlfriend is Emma Watson — Xia Qi stole my life!"
"Facing a striker like Xia Qi, Weidenfeller's positioning was rookie-level."
"Weidenfeller lacks Manuel Neuer's luck but has Neuer's bug —" (i.e., the problem of being off the line)
On the sideline, Klopp watched Xia Qi with a face of surprise and delight; his high-press system made him favor players with wide attacking range — like Bayern's Manuel Neuer or, in this case, Xia Qi.
Klopp turned to his assistant: "Is that boy Arsenal's vice-captain?"
The captain's armband sits on Mertzen? — wait — actually Arteta wears it on his arm, so Klopp meant the vice-captain.
"No — Arsenal's captain is Thomas Vermaelen; vice-captains are Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla."
Klopp sighed lightly and said: "What a pity."
"Boss, if you really want him, you could have Liverpool contact them. Arsenal's owners care more about revenue than honor — maybe…"
"…"
On the other side, Wenger could no longer hold himself back. To hell with being a gentleman — when the referee's whistle sounded he stormed out of the technical area and, with the substitutes, unleashed his emotions in loud celebration.
On the pitch, Xia Qi slid again toward the south stand where his parents sat and left another set of the "eternal mystery" — three sliding tracks. He sat cross-legged under the stands to meditate facing the crowd…
Then Mario Balotelli and the others ran over and sat by Xia Qi, all joining in meditation…
The scene felt surreal; fans had the sense they'd walked onto the wrong set…
(END CHAPTER)
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