Football: The strongest post-2000s Chapter 047

The duty referee quickly blew his whistle after signaling the goal was valid, which meant the first half of the 2016- 2017 FA Youth Cup Round of 32 match between Manchester City U 18 and Liverpool U 18 had concluded.

The live broadcaster aimed the camera at Li Qing, allowing fans watching the match on TV to recognize him. This person… was the player who, single-handedly, helped Liverpool U 18 equalize!

Neil Critchley, Gerrard, and Mike Garrity tightly embraced the goal-scorer, Li Qing, with other teammates following suit, demonstrating an excellent team atmosphere.

Adekanje, who had always been prejudiced against Li Qing, now had to admit Li Qing’s excellence. Not to mention his brace in this match, the eleven goals he contributed in the previous four games were an achievement he couldn’t hope to match in his entire season.

Surrounded by coaches and teammates, Li Qing was very excited. He had finally helped the team equalize through his personal effort, but he wasn’t satisfied. There were forty-five minutes left in the second half, and he hoped to single-handedly help the team defeat Manchester City U 18!

This match was categorized as a strong-versus-strong encounter, and there were certainly many scouts from various clubs paying attention. Perhaps… hidden among the fans watching the match live were scouts from major powerhouses.

As Li Qing guessed, there were indeed scouts among both sets of fans, and they were even from famous clubs.

Mendes, watching the live broadcast amidst his busy schedule, couldn’t help but smile. The cost of signing Li Qing earlier was a bit high, involving an element of gamble. Now it seemed Li Qing indeed had that talent. Based on his performance, he was even better than Messi, who had shone brightly at La Masia back in the day.

Perhaps, Li Qing really had a high chance of growing into a superstar of the caliber of Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi!

In that case, his investment would yield huge returns!

…

Youth FA Cup matches did not have spectator stands. The fans who attended stood around the pitch, and thus players naturally didn’t have so-called changing rooms.

Of course, the home team was an exception.

Led by Li Qing, the Liverpool U 18 players sat by the sidelines, allowing media reporters to continuously press the shutter button. The first half, which had just ended, had been exhausting, and a lot of water had been lost. They had to seize the time to rest well and rehydrate, otherwise, the second half would be worrying.

Only two players performed outstandingly in the first half, one on each side: Sancho and Li Qing.

Sancho contributed a goal and an assist, while Li Qing scored twice. The attending reporters and self-media knew that no matter how the second half played out, Sancho and Li Qing’s excellent performance in the first half could make headlines.

As dusk gradually fell, the high-powered floodlights around the pitch lit up, but they did not raise the dropping temperature. A gentle breeze blew, and Tong Shenbing, standing by the sidelines, couldn’t help but shiver. The warm breath from her mouth blew onto her clasped hands, and she muttered softly, “I should have brought an extra down jacket. I’m freezing to death.”

Just then, a familiar figure appeared before her eyes. She looked up to see Li Qing standing in front of her with a thick down jacket, his handsome face covered in sweat: “Cousin Tong, you look so cold, take this and wear it.”

Tong Shenbing was one of the few female fans at the Manchester City Academy Stadium. It was especially cold as it was almost six in the evening, even though she was already wearing a lot.

Beautiful girls were particularly endearing. Liverpool fans, seeing Li Qing put the down jacket on Tong Shenbing, all raised their hands and applauded Li Qing’s thoughtful gesture.

Tong Shenbing was about to say no, but Li Qing had already shrugged his shoulders and retreated back to the team. She could only helplessly put on Li Qing’s thick down jacket.

Besides keeping her warm, she also caught a faint masculine scent. Her gaze turned forward, Li Qing was listening intently to the coach, his focused expression, illuminated by the lights, seemed… even more handsome.

…

The fifteen-minute halftime break quickly passed, and players from both sides successively returned to the pitch. Perhaps their respective coaches were very satisfied with the players’ performance in the first half, as neither side made any substitutions first.

Liverpool U 18, with the kickoff advantage, did not rush to organize an attack. After multiple passes, the ball came to Li Qing’s feet on the attacking right wing.

The spectacular goal just before the end of the first half was still vivid in memory, and Manchester City U 18 defenders dared not be negligent, all holding their breath in concentration.

Seeing the grave expressions of his opponents, Li Qing couldn’t help but grin. He lifted his right foot, making a feint as if to pass to the overlapping Coyle, tricking Diaz into a motion of lifting his leg to intercept the ball.

He quickly put his right foot down, shifted his weight between his feet, and with the inside of his left instep, sharply pushed the ball forward and to the right. His right foot quickly stepped on the ball, pulling it to the left. The passively shifted wide full-back, Latibeaudiere, had to stop abruptly and then move back in response to Li Qing’s dribbling change.

Unexpectedly, Li Qing pulled the ball halfway to the left and then pulled it back again, then smoothly poked the ball forward with his toe. The ball rolled along the ground and went through the legs of Latibeaudiere, who had just started to move inwards.

Latibeaudiere’s pupils constricted, his legs quickly closing were clearly too late. Li Qing accelerated from a standstill, his powerful explosive force demonstrated vividly at that instant. Diaz, who wanted to foul, didn’t even touch a single hair on Li Qing’s leg, and could only watch helplessly as Li Qing chased after the ball.

Originally, Li Qing just wanted to casually test Manchester City U 18’s defensive layers, but the result was much weaker than he had imagined.

The beginning stages of the first and second halves were indeed the easiest times to score!

Li Qing had fully accelerated; it was too late to catch him now.

At this moment, he was completely like an unbridled wild horse, charging at full speed towards the empty space in front of him.

“So fast!”

“Oh My God! Is this guy driving a Ferrari in the game?”

“Incredible speed!”

…

Accompanied by the exclamations of fans by the sidelines, the bald middle-aged man in the northeast corner softly said, “Taking the lead?”

Facing the direct defense of T. Wilson, Li Qing, while dribbling at high speed, made a feint of moving from right to left towards the top of the penalty arc, tricking T. Wilson into moving inwards. However, with the inside of his left instep, he sharply pushed the ball straight into the penalty area.

T. Wilson turning to follow was clearly too late. His partner, E. Francis, happened to cut in from an angle, seized the opportunity, and bumped Li Qing’s left shoulder with his right shoulder just as Li Qing entered the box.

Li Qing’s strength was clearly insufficient, and their weights were not in the same league. He was immediately knocked to the ground, and control of the ball naturally came to an abrupt halt.

Just as he thought the attack was over, he suddenly heard a whistle: “Beep~”

His eyes lit up, and he saw the referee pointing to the penalty spot.

This…

A penalty!

Holy cow!

The diving talent is showing its might!