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T/N: Again Heavy Nationalism
"Ah, damn it!"
At Arena Corinthians, Hong Myung-bo's defensive strategy broke down.
The moment he saw Lance appear in the starting lineup, he had a bad feeling.
It wouldn't have mattered if it were other players from the Belgium national team—Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, or Nacer Chadli—on the field.
South Korea had researched them sufficiently.
Eden Hazard had just recovered from an injury not long ago, and instinctively, he was a bit hesitant to engage in physical confrontations.
Kevin De Bruyne was physically thin; intense tackling could make it difficult for him to deliver a decent pass.
Nacer Chadli was not to be feared; he couldn't even perform at Tottenham, let alone at the World Cup.
Romelu Lukaku didn't need South Korea's special attention; he could defend himself.
Only Lance's offense was unpredictable for South Korea's coaching staff and analysis team.
If you said he was good at poaching, he often performed long-distance runs and incredible breakthroughs.
If you said he was good at breakthroughs, he could also display god-tier handling in small spaces within the penalty area, finding the only scoring opportunity amidst a crowd.
If you said he wasn't good at passing, his brilliant pass to Eden Hazard in the last game definitely wasn't a fluke!
Every time they watched different footage, they came to conclusions about two completely different types of players!
This gave South Korea a massive headache.
Even more troublesome was that this guy could always lead his team to a strong offense at seemingly critical moments, turning the tide in one fell swoop.
He was a complete star-level player, a big-hearted player.
And he happened to be Chinese!
Kevin De Bruyne's pass was almost out of bounds, and Hong Myung-bo thought the ball was lost.
The ball floated in mid-air; even Ronaldinho would have found it difficult to handle.
Lance, in his black uniform, transformed into a black lightning bolt, suddenly soaring into the air.
With his back to the goal, he hooked the ball back with the tip of his foot at the last possible second!
In the slow-motion replay, it was clear that most of the ball had already crossed the sideline.
But as long as it hadn't fully crossed, it was still in play!
After an extreme save, he landed without any delay, turned, and volleyed!
A stunning shot from a zero-degree angle, piercing South Korea's net!
South Korean players were still frantically raising their hands, signaling that the ball had gone out of bounds before the shot.
But the Saudi referee had long grown tired of their petty tricks.
He unhesitatingly pointed to the center circle, signaling that the goal was valid!
"What a goal! It's in! It's in, it's in, it's in, it's in!"
Liu Jianhong almost jumped out of his seat, celebrating Lance's miraculous goal in his signature style.
Arena Corinthians also erupted.
Except for a few teary-eyed South Korean female fans with their artificial faces, other fans were enthusiastically applauding and cheering, giving a standing ovation for Lance's spectacular goal.
In the eyes of Brazilians, who love fancy plays and artistic football,
Lance, with his elegant and free-flowing style, was simply their idol.
One could vaguely see a hint of the five-star Brazil of the 3R era.
As the Brazilian national team developed, more and more workhorse players emerged, and fewer and fewer technical players.
Neymar was already the last samba dancer.
Unexpectedly, in the Belgium national team, they could still see the true samba spirit!
Even more enthusiastic than the Brazilian fans were, of course, the Chinese fans who had traveled far to the stands.
Many of them flew for dozens of hours and spent tens of thousands of yuan just to witness Lance play in the World Cup.
How he played wasn't important; having a Chinese person on the field was already a victory.
Chinese fans had become so humble.
On a field full of foreigners, as long as a Chinese person appeared, they would support them with all their might!
Lance did not let down their support!
In the last game, he came on as a substitute, with 1 assist and 1 goal, leading the team to a comeback.
In this game, he opened the scoring when the whole team was facing an uphill battle!
A crushing blow to South Korea!
Lance felt an inexplicable surge of emotion in his chest; the Chinese fans supported him so much.
Immediately after scoring, Lance rushed to the stands where the Chinese fans were gathered.
The fans excitedly waved the national flag, but their hands trembled, and the Five-Star Red Flag fluttered down.
Amidst gasps of surprise, Lance, before the national flag could touch the ground, firmly caught it in his hands and draped it over his shoulders.
Like an athlete winning a medal at the Olympics, he held up the Five-Star Red Flag and celebrated with the fans in attendance!
Thump-thump—
"Lance!"
Thump-thump—
"Go, go, go!"
Cheers, drums, applause,
Red flags, laughter, passionate celebrations…
It was such a moving scene that domestic and international reporters' camera shutters cramped up as they vigorously snapped photos.
At this moment, Son Heung-min could only stand with his hands on his hips, enviously watching his teammate Lance interact with his fans.
The South Korean fans behind Son Heung-min had the same blank expression as him.
South Korea had drawn their first match, and if they lost this one, they would essentially be out of the World Cup.
Most critically, Russia had scored a goal on the other side.
Russia 1-0 Algeria.
As a result, Russia was highly likely to advance as group runner-up, and South Korea and Algeria were facing the prospect of being eliminated together.
…
"Work harder, don't let your guard down!"
"Yeah, these guys are really disgusting."
"First time I've encountered such an annoying team."
The match continued.
South Korea intensified their efforts, with increasingly exaggerated petty fouls and dirtier challenges, making it very difficult for the Belgium national team players to adapt.
Kevin De Bruyne's calf was bruised.
When left-back Lee Yong defended him, he had a ferocious look on his face and kept kicking Kevin De Bruyne's leg.
Yet, when the referee blew his whistle and rushed over, Lee Yong looked innocent, turned the tables, and explained in broken English:
"I didn't foul! He kicked me!"
"Fucking bullshit!"
Kevin De Bruyne hadn't even had a chance to speak when Lance got angry first:
"Nonsense! Look, his calf is swollen from being kicked. That's the evidence!"
The referee looked at Kevin De Bruyne's leg; it did seem to be a bit problematic.
But Lee Yong had deliberately kicked him twice when the referee's view was obstructed, and in the confusion, it was hard to say whether a foul had occurred.
The referee could only award a free kick in the attacking half and did not issue a card.
"Be careful next time. If there's another malicious foul, you'll definitely get a card!"
"Of course, of course."
Lee Yong grinned maliciously and left, giving Kevin De Bruyne a provocative glance before he went.
Kevin De Bruyne was utterly enraged and turned to argue with the referee.
He was pulled back by Lance.
"Let me talk! Let me talk!"
Kevin De Bruyne's face was red.
"Calm down!"
Lance quickly held him back.
He was clearly older than himself, yet he acted like a child on the field.
It was obvious that the referee's judgment was being influenced.
Despite so many fouls throughout the game, only one yellow card had been issued to South Korea.
Just now, when Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen complained a few words, the referee immediately gave him a card.
More than foul play, the referee disliked people questioning his authority.
Arguing now would clearly just earn a pointless yellow card.
Only by calming down and scoring goals, striving to extend their lead, could they completely defeat South Korea.
"We're leading, they're the ones who should be anxious. We just need to focus on the game."
Lance was not backing down.
His eyes gleamed with vengeful anger.
He had just used up his Rage Value, dropping from 100% to 0%.
Yet, after a few clashes, his Rage Value had soared back to 100%!
Before the end of the first half, he had maxed out his Rage Value twice within 45 minutes.
Indeed, it had to be South Korea!