Chapter 219: Guard Against Fire, Theft, and Male Stans
"CCTV5, CCTV5!"
"Good evening, viewers. We are broadcasting live the opening match of Group D in the 2014 Brazil World Cup: the England team, featuring the Chinese-born youngster, versus Italy."
"I'm host Huang Jianxiang."
"I'm He Wei."
"This match is being played at the Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, Brazil."
"At this moment, the 60,000-capacity Arena da Amazônia is full. Around eight thousand Chinese fans traveled to the site to cheer for Xia Qi."
Although it's three in the morning back in distant China, many living rooms still show a sliver of light—those are fans watching the World Cup live.
"Viewers, to the theme music of the World Cup and led by the referee, both teams are entering the field."
"Now let's introduce the starting lineups."
"Italy are wearing their traditional blue shirts. Coach Prandelli has set up a 4-1-4-1."
"The goalkeeper is Salvatore Sirigu from Paris Saint-Germain. The veteran 'ageless' Gianluigi Buffon is not starting."
"Right back is Damian—he came through AC Milan's youth system and now plays for Torino."
"The center-back pairing is Juventus' Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini. The widely known Bonucci is not starting tonight."
"Barzagli, who replaces him in the starting XI, is no lightweight; in Serie A there's a saying that 'a copper wall and iron bulwark isn't as good as Barzagli'—that gives you an idea."
"These three are all Juventus defensive stalwarts who often play together under Conte's three-back system; they're the first choice for Juve's defense."
"Compared to Bonucci, Barzagli is fiercer in stepping forward and has strong defensive awareness. Prandelli starting Barzagli is targeted at preventing Xia Qi's through-balls, while also using Barzagli's quick forward bursts to guard against Xia Qi's shooter attributes."
"Xia Qi is a two-time European Golden Boot winner; wherever Roy Hodgson places him, opponents must guard his shooting."
"I'll lay my cards on the table: organization is my hobby, scoring is my job."
At this moment Huang's co-host He Wei chips in with that line, drawing laughter from countless viewers in front of their TVs.
Huang Jianxiang continues:
"Left back is Paletta, who can play left, center, or right on the back line."
"The lone defensive midfielder is Roma's Daniele De Rossi."
"The four midfielders are Antonio Candreva, Andrea Pirlo, Marco Verratti, and Claudio Marchisio."
"Pirlo sits a little deeper, essentially protecting Pirlo in the center—this is Juventus' playstyle."
"This lets 'sleepy Pirlo' have his strengths maximized."
"Tonight's outcome will hinge on organization and who can better orchestrate and tidy play—Pirlo versus Xia Qi will be the key battle."
"Italy's starting striker is the familiar face, Xia Qi's good friend Mario Balotelli."
"England's starting 4-2-3-1..."
"Goalkeeper: ..."
...
" ding-dong "
"Please host select 'Training' or 'Match' mode."
"Match."
"Please choose pitch position: A Forward, B Midfield..."
"B."
"Detected that host's team is currently in difficulty; matching host with attribute [Han Xin Leading Troops]."
"Han Xin leading troops: the more soldiers the better; they obey like extensions of your arms, move in sync and dance to the same beat."
"Please choose 'Autonomous Mode' or 'One-Click AFK Mode.'"
"Friendly reminder: during AFK mode, the system will automatically complete various indicator actions for the host."
"One-click AFK!"
"Relaxed AFK, one-click automatic completion, free your feet and bring the host a relaxed and joyful pitch experience! Match experience begins."
After that...
...
All the ceremonies concluded, both teams returned to their positions, awaiting kickoff.
England captain Steven Gerrard had lost the coin toss to Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini, and the crafty Chiellini took the choice to kick off.
It's four p.m. local Brazilian time, under blazing sun.
Xia Qi and his teammates will be playing facing the sun—somewhat disadvantageous.
With the referee's whistle,
the match began!
After receiving Wayne Rooney's pass back, Xia Qi didn't push the ball forward but turned and passed it to Gerrard, letting the team get used to attacking with the sun in their eyes.
Then the ball moved back and forth inside England's half; even goalkeeper Joe Hart became part of the passing rotation.
Until Italy simply couldn't stand their slow possession any longer and pushed up for high pressing!
Only then did England move the ball forward, but if the near post had no good attacking point they would still pass back.
They were playing nothing like the "China team"—even better than Spain at tiki-taka.
The reason for this dramatic change was Xia Qi's orchestration and deployment.
After a few minutes, Italy's Mario Balotelli at the front could no longer tolerate the "cold wind."
Pointing at Xia Qi, he stamped and yelled, "Xia! Xia! Xia!" (voice cracking)
He was saying: you must mark Xia Qi tightly.
But that's nonsense!
If you mark Xia Qi out of the game, England loses its head—who doesn't know that?
It's like China beating Thailand and suddenly being among the last 18—everyone knows the rule.
But reality limits them!
Xia Qi simply didn't give them a chance to defend. Before midfielders could step up and dance a 'close-quarters' duel with him,
Xia Qi lateral-passed, returned, and fed forward, sending the ball away before defenders could step up to tango with him.
There is no ball to bite down on Xia Qi's feet—how can you tightly mark him?
Putting one man to shadow him for the whole pitch is Italy's maximum defensive effort; any more would leave holes elsewhere.
Yet, is Xia Qi someone one man can contain?
Verratti was nearly in tears trying to guard Xia Qi; Balotelli's shout made him even more aggrieved.
Tactically, when Xia Qi gets the ball, Verratti must cling to him and dance, while teammates nearby "disrupt"...
But Xia Qi simply didn't "accept the invitation"!
How can one man watch the Ballon d'Or-level player alone?
"Heh, Balotelli is getting impatient!"
"England are playing very unfamiliar football tonight!"
"It feels like going from a straightforward northern bloke to a refined Shanghai gentleman..."
"Xia Qi is too complete. A forward who can organize midfield so smoothly makes the other midfielders hang their heads in shame!"
On the pitch,
Xia Qi kept circling with the Italian team for a while. After several lateral passes, he suddenly threaded a through-ball behind Chiellini.
Rooney immediately launched himself to attack, reached the ball before Chiellini could turn and chase back, and without controlling it hammered a shot.
Though Sirigu flew to make a save, he didn't touch the ball.
Just as he despaired, the ball kissed the crossbar and flew up into the stands.
Although the goal wasn't conceded, the Italy stands inhaled as one—some people reached for nitrates or heart pills, others wiped their foreheads, some shed tears of relief...
Rooney's shot truly shook them.
Huang Jianxiang's eyes were likewise moist—seeing Xia Qi's pass, he blurted: "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" (intonation reminiscent of his commentary for Grosso.)
At that moment, his brain shorted out and he couldn't find a more fitting expletive than "Holy shit!"
On a serious platform like CCTV5 crude language isn't allowed. Huang's tears weren't for Italy but for his wallet—
Others are working overtime to earn overtime pay; he's losing money for this.
Xia Qi's pass was really expensive!!!
...
Italy fans exhaled; Italian players relaxed.
It had not been easy—
they'd only regained control after the first five minutes!
Now it's our turn to perform!
Whether others think that or not, Balotelli didn't care—he acted as if that were his thought anyway.
Sirigu had not yet taken a goal kick when Balotelli in the distant front already lifted his hand for the ball.
However, Xia Qi waved his hand and England's style changed again, morphing into a 'mad dog' Dortmund- or Atlético-like press.
Pirlo's several passes couldn't get the ball out of his own half; there was a whiff of "youth fears the old fist."
Each of Pirlo's beats was precisely stepped on by Xia Qi. If Italy continued to play by the same tune, possession would be handed to the opponent, and Pirlo naturally refused. He changed tune, and quickly became, in Balotelli's mouth, "garbage."
Balotelli, fuming, cursed "garbage" and sulked back to his half for the ball.
Pirlo, after all a master of tempo, found that adding Balotelli as an outlet finally let him safely deliver the ball.
Once Balotelli received it he seemed to be on fire—he barely hesitated and left Theo Walcott in his wake,
bursting across the half with incredible speed.
Gerrard instantly adjusted his position and in a flash cut down the "overspeed" Balotelli.
Balotelli being stopped made him happy rather than angry.
Gerrard!
He loves this backdrop!
He slowed his pace slightly, leaned forward, and his feet circled like lightning just above the ball.
His dazzling "step-over" skill won applause from the crowd.
"Balotelli's technique is delicate."
"World-class below the shoulders!"
Gerrard saw Balotelli's left foot land to the left of the ball while his shoulder tilted right and sank—
Was he going to push the ball to the right?
On the pitch you can't overthink—
Gerrard lunged to his left.
He'd been fooled!
Balotelli with the speed of lightning pushed the ball the other way, cut inside, accelerated!
Gerrard found himself behind him.
After the dribble Balotelli floored the gas, ready to head straight for goal.
But then, out of the blue, a familiar figure burst into sight.
Holy shit!
Ruthless!
Balotelli's football IQ wasn't low—
In an instant,
he resolutely plunged forward!
"Ah—"
The air above the pitch filled with high-pitched screams.
One was at Xia Qi's sudden appearance; another at Balotelli's deliberate crash into him.
On the field, Xia Qi didn't hurriedly pass the ball away; he cushioned it, steadied his body, and used his back to firmly block Balotelli's charge.
With a bang!
Balotelli felt like he'd slammed into a wall—a "south wall" that made him turn back.
Smack—he landed on his back with all fours in the air!
None of that would enrage Balotelli; what drove him mad was the way Xia Qi turned to look at him—the same look Xia Qi gives Lionel Messi when he's diving.
Ugh!
Annoying!
Guard against fire, theft, and male stans!
Not far away, Joe Hart in front of the goal couldn't help but whistle.
Those three had once been the "three idiots" of Manchester City and were very close friends; before the match Balotelli had even boasted he'd kick Joe Hart's backside.
Now, seeing Balotelli wrap himself in a cocoon, how could Joe Hart bear it?
...
The whole stadium erupted!
It was Balotelli,
big and burly Balotelli,
who lay on the ground—
this,
this,
gave everyone a clearer understanding of Xia Qi's "inhuman" abilities.
Huang Jianxiang once again lost control and fired three expletives in a row!
After Xia Qi "stunned" Balotelli, he leisurely passed the ball away, not even giving Verratti a chance to cover.
Walcott received Xia Qi's pass and immediately burst forward; Rooney in the middle and Sterling on the left also surged ahead like lightning!
By the time Italy reorganized their second defensive line, England's front three had already pushed up to the edge of the box.
On the right, Walcott and Xia Qi played a wall pass to get past the defender.
Walcott received Xia Qi's cut-back at the right flank of the box.
That short threaded pass was very well-weighted; Walcott didn't need to adjust and easily placed the ball onto Rooney's head.
This cross was of high quality; though Rooney was in a double-mark, he still rose first to head the ball.
At the moment of his header, Rooney thought he'd scored.
But the relatively unknown Salvatore Sirigu produced a goalkeeper's miraculous save.
Rooney headed the ball hard; it thudded on the goal line. Sirigu's first reach didn't get there,
the ball rebounded high toward the goal,
Sirigu pushed off the ground with his right hand, launched up, his left hand raised high, and at the last possible moment he parried the ball out of the box.
"Wow! Double save!"
"Italy has an in-form keeper!"
At the right corner of the box, Xia Qi sprinted toward the ball's first bounce,
Verratti also surged for it.
The air on the pitch froze.
Spectators widened their eyes to catch every frame...
The ball descended,
Xia Qi used his chest to place it in front of him,
Seeing Xia Qi act so casually...
Verratti's heart raced; he quickly stretched his leg to claim the "gift."
But at that moment, Xia Qi suddenly accelerated forward and nudged the ball with his foot.
As a result,
Verratti's sweeping leg struck Xia Qi's lower leg,
but the one who went down was not Xia Qi but Verratti.
His thigh was essentially hooked by a passing vehicle and so he was brought down by Xia Qi.
The crowd gasped again—but this time, given that Balotelli was felled after colliding with someone, Verratti being sent over made a kind of twisted sense.
Italian fans muttered "monster" in unison and accepted Xia Qi's "superhuman" fact.
"Xia Qi is so solid! His lower-body strength completely crushes opponents."
The referee quickly signaled play on, awarding advantage when Xia Qi sent Verratti flying.
Xia Qi sprinted a few more steps, body leaning, arms outstretched, leg poised...
Italian defenders threw themselves at him desperately..
(END CHAPTER)
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