Chapter 230: Advancing to the Round of 16 to Face Greece
In football a 4–1 scoreline is a huge margin, and when that score is only the halftime result, it feels all the more terrifying.
"Friends in the audience, 32 minutes have passed in the first half, Xia Qi already has three goals and one assist — Xia Qi tonight is unstoppable!"
"England lead 4–1 and look set to secure two wins and progress early. This unstoppable England is unfamiliar — I kind of miss that old 'European China team,' eh, afraid a brother suffers but also afraid the brother buys a Range Rover… haha!"
"They feel stronger than that England with Uncle Pellegrini and Abou Diaby; maybe they really can buy a Range Rover…"
"..."
Huang Jianxiang and He Wei's conversational commentary left Chinese fans feeling mixed emotions — with Europe lacking a Chinese national team anymore, it was hard not to feel a pang of nostalgia. Thinking of the bunch who used to dine on sea cucumber only made the mood worse.
Uruguay fans, faced with such a huge score gap, fell into despair.
More and more people gave up restraint, joining the ranks of racial abuse, continuing to hurl insults like "yellow-skinned monkey" at Xia Qi.
However, to England supporters, such conduct only made Xia Qi look larger-than-life.
After seeing Xia Qi use the umbrella and slap back, they liked him even more, thinking that was the demeanor of a king.
The cultural differences between East and West manifested starkly here.
England fans enthusiastically chanted, "Xia Qi, the king!" "Xia Qi, His Majesty the King!"
Before the umbrella and the slap, Xia Qi had only been nicknamed the "Ice-Cream Prince"; now he had become the king of Great Britain.
When play resumed, Luis Suárez repeatedly dropped deep to act as a pivot and helped Lodeiro organize attacks.
But England, three goals up and led by Xia Qi, had no intention of easing off.
They pressed high, making Uruguay's midfield — which was not especially strong to begin with — look even weaker.
To avoid being robbed, Uruguay had to push more players inside. Even so, they still failed to organize effective combinations.
After Edinson Cavani's "venting" long-range shot ended a Uruguay attack, England's wave for a fifth goal arrived! Joe Hart launched the goal kick; after a couple of passes the ball reached Xia Qi.
After receiving it, Xia Qi quickly turned and passed to Raheem Sterling on the left, then sprinted forward like the wind.
Sterling carried the ball down the left. When intercepted by a Uruguay player, he and Xia Qi executed a quick one-two wall pass.
The pair were in perfect sync and in moments had advanced to the left side of Uruguay's penalty area.
At this point Uruguay had already dropped back en masse; Xia Qi faced the task of how to break down such dense defending.
Xia Qi reached out to Sterling for the ball and directed off-the-ball runs, cleverly probing Uruguay's defensive line with frequent short passes and movement.
The AI, leveraging massive data calculations, analyzed every frame of both the attack and defense, deducing how to create vulnerabilities in Uruguay's defense.
It was precisely through these short passing penetrations and off-the-ball runs that Uruguay was forced to defend; in their tracking and covering they left gaps.
On the pitch Xia Qi passed again to Sterling and signaled him to cut inside, while Wayne Rooney through the middle and Theo Walcott on the right performed overlapping runs to provide cover for Sterling.
Uruguay's backline naturally would not easily allow Sterling to cut into the box, so they decisively adopted a two-man double-team strategy.
Sterling immediately returned the ball to Xia Qi and then cut inside without the ball, driving into the penalty area.
At this moment Xia Qi was near the penalty-area line — a spot from which he could shoot from distance.
Facing a Xia Qi who had already completed a hat trick, Uruguay had no choice but to allocate two players to guard Xia Qi's long-range shot. That pulled four players out of Uruguay's right-side defense; Rooney in the middle and Walcott on the right had drawn away two more, leaving only two center-backs in Uruguay's penalty area.
On the field, Xia Qi received Sterling's pass directly and swung his right foot — ankle locked and steady.
Then, almost like a golf putt, he pushed the ball into the box.
The ball threaded past the foot of Uruguay center-back José Giménez and rolled behind the two center-backs.
In the scramble Giménez attempted to spoil Xia Qi's sudden pass, but being unprepared his motion was hasty.
Not only did he fail to disrupt the ball, he tumbled to the ground himself.
Sterling, having penetrated Uruguay's defense, successfully collected the ball Xia Qi had sent.
"No offside!"
"At the moment Xia Qi played the pass, Sterling was behind the offside line."
"That's a good ball."
Seeing the assistant referee keep the flag down, England fans erupted in deafening cheers.
This combination looked plain but demanded exquisite timing; any slight error and it would have been offside.
Amid the English fans' roaring, Sterling stroked the ball forward with his foot, shifted his feet, and faced Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. He then struck with his right foot — a driven shot.
The ball stayed low and skimmed the turf, striking the inside of the near post and rebounding into the net.
Muslera's dive was ultimately in vain.
"Low-driven finish!"
"Goal! 5–1! Uruguay's defeat is sealed!"
"After Sterling's goal, all three of England's front trident have goals to their names — this England's firepower is fierce. No wonder Hodgson put Xia Qi in midfield; England truly isn't short of forwards."
That score also stood as the halftime result.
After the break Luis Suárez did not return to the pitch.
There had been rumors of Suárez being injured before the match; it was only because this game was so crucial that Uruguay had risked bringing him back.
Now that the defeat was certain, Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez chose not to keep him on.
Seeing the situation, Hodgson substituted Xia Qi off in the 60th minute after Xia Qi assisted Walcott for a second goal to make it 6–1.
The remainder of the match slid into a dull phase.
6–1 was also the final score.
After the match, Xia Qi did not accept reporters' interviews; after receiving the Man of the Match award he walked straight into the players' tunnel.
Post-match press conference
Uruguay coach Óscar Tabárez sat at the podium looking despondent; his voice carried a trace of helplessness: "This match was very difficult. We gave it our all.
"Suárez's injury impacted our attack to some extent — that's a reality we must face. But I am proud of my players; they fought until the last moment."
England coach Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, appeared buoyant. He smiled and said, "That was a wonderful match; our players performed superbly.
"Xia Qi's combinations with the forwards were seamless and brought victory. Of course, it was the whole team's effort. We will maintain this level and prepare for the next match."
Then his expression turned serious and angry, his eyes flashing with determination.
"During the game there was an unpleasant episode that I must harshly condemn — the racist extremist fans!"
His voice was resonant and powerful, echoing throughout the hall.
"Football should be a sport of unity and inclusion, but these people's actions betray that spirit. Their racist remarks not only hurt Xia Qi but wound the whole football community."
He paused, took a deep breath, and continued: "Xia Qi is an outstanding player; his talent and hard work are obvious. He should not suffer such discrimination and attack. Our entire team will stand firmly behind him, giving him support and encouragement."
Hodgson's words were full of justice and strength, moving the journalists present.
"This behavior cannot be tolerated. We will file a complaint with FIFA.
"I hope all who love this sport will work together to eradicate racism from football stadiums."
Afterward reporters asked additional questions and Hodgson responded.
In the locker room Xia Qi first phoned his parents.
He worried that angry Uruguay fans might make trouble after the match, so he asked his parents to join him in the players' changing area to leave together.
As it turned out, Xia Qi had not been overly worried — when Uruguay fans departed they indeed committed acts of looting and vandalism.
Later Xia Qi called his friend Mario Balotelli. He did not tease Balotelli; he sincerely wished Mario luck in beating Costa Rica so the two brothers could advance together.
Twenty hours later the Italy vs Costa Rica match in Recife kicked off.
Balotelli missed a one-on-one chance in the first half and squandered an opportunity.
In the 43rd minute Costa Rica full-back Óscar Duarte (or Díaz — the text names Díaz) crossed from the left; captain Bryan Ruiz headed at the far post from about four meters at a tight angle, struck the underside of the bar and the ball crossed the line — 1–0.
Trailing, Italy launched a frantic second-half comeback. Balotelli and Lorenzo Insigne were repeatedly flagged for offside; the match produced 11 offside calls, a tournament single-game high, with Balotelli caught offside six times — the most of any player.
Used to the precise, split-second feeding from Xia Qi, Balotelli found himself trapped in offside in the national team.
In stoppage time Italy's Cerci swung in a corner from the right; Balotelli barely hooked a shot wide of the far post and could not rescue Italy.
The two teams advancing from Group D were England and Costa Rica, both two wins from two.
The final round of Group D matches became pointless.
Both coaches sensibly rotated their starting elevens.
Frank Lampard, starting for the match, scored the only goal.
England beat Costa Rica 1–0 and advanced as group winners.
On June 27 the group stage concluded.
The teams that qualified for the Round of 16 were:
Top half:
Brazil vs Chile,
Colombia vs Costa Rica,
France vs Nigeria,
Germany vs Algeria.
Bottom half:
Netherlands vs Mexico,
England vs Greece,
Argentina vs Switzerland,
Belgium vs the United States.
Algeria, Belgium, Russia, and South Korea were in Group H; against the odds Algeria progressed along with Belgium, becoming the biggest dark horse of the World Cup group stage.
Traditional powers Italy and France crashed out and boarded planes home.
This World Cup was the worst for Asian teams — all Asian teams were eliminated.
After returning home, Balotelli called Xia Qi: "Xia, at Arsenal I'm used to the bread you feed me; my explosive edge is fading, so…"
On the other end Balotelli hesitated and couldn't quite finish a sentence.
"Do you mean that fat bastard, or you?" Xia Qi asked.
"Mino, but I think what he said makes sense," Balotelli answered.
"Is this a well-thought decision?"
"Um…"
"Where are you headed? Any clubs lined up?"
"Maybe Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Manchester United."
In another timeline Balotelli's off-field troubles had caused a cliff-like decline in his playing, forcing a straight transfer from Manchester City to AC Milan.
But in this timeline things were different: he maintained a high level and had no such off-field issues.
In this reality Mino Raiola would not sell Balotelli cheaply; AC Milan could not be the buyer.
Manchester City didn't exactly lack a striker, but in this timeline Balotelli was certainly stronger than Edin Džeko; if manager Pellegrini wanted Champions League and Premier League success he needed to strengthen his forward line.
Balotelli was indeed a decent option.
Bayern were looking for a striker because Pep Guardiola's relationship with the big forward Mario Mandžukić had soured; the club wanted a replacement.
They had two targets: Balotelli and Robert Lewandowski.
At this time Guardiola wasn't adept at using a big center-forward; whether Balotelli or Lewandowski would fit, they'd both be leading men, but unless Guardiola changed his approach in the Champions League there wouldn't be success.
Manchester United needs no further mention: post-Ferguson chaos, they still had Robin van Persie around — not exactly short of forwards. Maybe United would show interest as a power move.
Xia Qi ran the three clubs through his mind.
"You can prioritize Manchester City. Good luck, Mario."
"Thanks. And you?"
"Real Madrid or stay… I'll decide after the World Cup."
"Bring the World Cup back — I'll cheer for you on TV."
"All right."
The sadness Balotelli brought was brief; it vanished in a single breath.
In the early hours of June 29 the top-half Round of 16 matches began.
Host nation Brazil faced Chile in Belo Horizonte and, after 120 minutes, the match was tied 1–1.
In the subsequent penalty shootout Brazil edged it 3–2 and advanced 4–3 on penalties.
Chile had been knocked out of the knockout phase by Brazil four times — the irony ran deep.
Four hours later Colombia vs Costa Rica kicked off in Rio de Janeiro.
James Rodríguez scored twice and helped his team reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time.
He also rose to second place on the tournament's top-scorer list with five goals, only behind Xia Qi's six.
Costa Rica — the dark horse — had virtually no clear chances in this game, being tightly marked by Colombia's classic attacking midfield playmaker James Rodríguez.
After the match the media declared "Cristiano is the past, the future belongs to James Rodríguez!" and lauded him as a star of both skill and looks, briefly overshadowing Xia Qi's six goals and six assists.
Colombia would face host Brazil in the quarterfinals — the two teams were meeting at the World Cup for the first time.
…
The next dawn the bottom-half's first Round of 16 match, Netherlands vs Mexico, took place in Fortaleza.
The Netherlands had performed excellently at this World Cup, especially Robin van Persie…
In their last four meetings the Dutch had won three and drawn one — they had absolute psychological advantage.
But the match process scared the Dutch half to death.
Neither side scored in the first half. Just 165 seconds into the second half Mexico took the lead.
Robben, Sneijder, and van Persie all failed to break down Mexico's door; the team fortune was poor.
Coach Louis van Gaal brought on prodigy Memphis Depay to try his luck, but superstition proved unreliable.
Robben hit the post with a near-range shot — one of those "harder to miss than to score" chances.
The veteran coach, taught a lesson, stopped believing in magic and got down to business. He substituted his biggest star van Persie for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
It was Huntelaar who headed back at the near post in the 88th minute; Sneijder volleyed from about 14 meters, reviving the ailing Dutch. In the second minute of stoppage, Robben was fouled in the box and Huntelaar converted the penalty for the winner.
The Netherlands barely advanced to the quarterfinals and their opponent would be the winner of England vs Greece.
Because England's strength was so superior, the media couldn't wait to hype a showdown of Xia Qi vs Robin van Persie.
These two were Arsenal's old and new captains — Xia Qi, the rising star, had shattered van Persie's Premier League title ambitions.
Now could he also shatter van Persie's World Cup champion dream?
The media were excited and eager!
But for Xia Qi and England, the immediate priority was to get past Greece…
(END CHAPTER)
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