Chapter 48: A Crushing Defeat
Martin Rowlands had just gotten into space to receive the ball, but before he could make a pass, Lass Diarra was already charging in, leaving the Irish midfielder flustered.
Twenty minutes into the match, Rowlands had already experienced firsthand how tenacious Diarra could be in one-on-one duels.
The first goal had come from one of Rowlands' own turnovers.
Not wanting to risk another mistake, he immediately turned and played the ball backward.
He hit a long pass straight to center-back Georges Santos.
Only after confirming that Santos had received it did Rowlands finally breathe a little easier—though he was already panting heavily, completely winded.
He glanced up at the clock—just 21 minutes had passed.
But his legs already felt like they'd been drained of all energy.
In the first eight rounds of the Championship, Rowlands had played every single minute for QPR.
Aside from playing 63 minutes in Rounds 2 and 7, he'd gone the full 90 in every match.
Even in the League Cup against Swansea, he played the whole game—and scored.
And in early September, he had featured in two World Cup qualifiers for Ireland, one at home against Cyprus and another away in Switzerland.
He had played the majority of those games too.
The cumulative match load was crushing him.
If he were still at Bayswater Chinese, this wouldn't have happened.
Not physically, and not mentally.
At Bayswater Chinese, the coaching staff coordinated match time, performance reports, and medical assessments to decide if a player should play.
But at QPR?
He'd brought this concern up to manager Ian Holloway.
The response?
"Martin, you're the core of our midfield. The team has finally started to gel. You have to hold things together."
"Fatigue is normal. You've played a lot, just push through it a bit more!"
What could Rowlands say?
He was new to the club, drawing a hefty salary—he couldn't afford to not deliver.
If it were only fatigue, he could perhaps have managed.
But during matches, the contrast between QPR and Bayswater Chinese became painfully obvious.
So obvious he started to wonder if the quality he'd shown at Bayswater Chinese had even been real.
At QPR, every time he got the ball, there were no support options.
Teammates would pass and then just stand there, or jog slowly, with no awareness of creating space.
Even those who did try to support him ran the wrong lines—either overlapping with him or running right into defenders.
How were you supposed to pass in that mess?
Once or twice, sure. But every time?
He had spoken to Holloway about it. The coach simply said, "You have to understand—we're a completely different team from Bayswater Chinese. Our tactics are not the same."
Yes, tactics were different.
But this different?
Back at Bayswater Chinese, passing had felt effortless.
At QPR, it felt impossible.
And today, facing Bayswater Chinese directly, Rowlands was hit hard by another realization: even players he used to think were technically weak—like Kitson—were now seamlessly playing one-touch combinations with their teammates.
Everything was smooth. Natural.
And here he was, stuck and suffocating.
Only now did he finally understand something Yang Cheng had once said during summer training:
"If you run for others, they will run for you. We are one team."
That was the difference.
Here at QPR, he was completely on his own. No one ran for him.
And for the first time… he started to regret leaving Bayswater Chinese.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard teammate Matthew Rose calling.
"Martin!"
Rowlands turned—just as a pass came flying toward him.
At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red.
That bastard again!
Rowlands reflexively stuck out a foot to control the ball.
His technique had never been his strength. In his rush, the ball bounced too far away.
Shit!
He immediately lunged to recover it.
But Lass Diarra was faster.
The red blur darted past like a slippery eel, used his body to shield Rowlands off, and snatched the ball cleanly.
Just that brief body contact was enough for Rowlands to be stunned by Diarra's sheer physical strength.
After the interception, Diarra ignored him completely and stormed forward with the ball.
"Bayswater Chinese win the ball again in midfield!"
"Lass Diarra leads the counterattack!"
"He lays it off to Modrić—"
"There's space!"
"Pass to Ribéry!"
"Lovely first touch and move!"
"Ribéry controls it masterfully!"
"Cuts in from the left side of the box and squares it to the middle!"
"Kitson!!"
"Dave Kitson scores again!"
"This time he finishes with his right foot, beating Matthew Rose to the ball and smashing it home from point-blank range!"
"That pass from Ribéry was simply magnificent!"
"2–0!"
"Dave Kitson bags a brace!"
…
The entire stadium exploded.
Some fans roared in celebration for Bayswater Chinese. Others groaned in disbelief as QPR conceded again just seven minutes after the first goal.
From kickoff, the game had been completely dominated by Bayswater Chinese.
Yang Cheng raced to the sideline, celebrating with Ribéry and the others who had sprinted out toward the touchline.
"There he is—that's the head coach of Bayswater Chinese—err, sorry, assistant coach—Yang Cheng."
"Funny enough, he still hasn't gotten his coaching license yet."
"But the team he's built is playing absolutely brilliant football."
As the players jogged back, Yang Cheng shouted instructions again.
He urged them to stay focused, stay sharp, and keep pushing.
A 2–0 lead wasn't enough.
Ian Holloway, on the other hand, was rattled.
One goal conceded at 16 minutes, another at 23.
He immediately adjusted the tactics, signaling the team to settle down and defend first.
He was genuinely worried.
If Bayswater Chinese kept this up, who knew how ugly the scoreline could get?
"Ian Holloway calls over Martin Rowlands."
"He's been disappointing today, no doubt about it."
"Yang Cheng clearly knows this player well—Rowlands was a key figure in Bayswater Chinese's resurgence last season."
"And today, Lass Diarra has completely shut him down."
"Both goals started from Diarra dispossessing Martin Rowlands."
…
In the VIP seats at Loftus Road, Gianni Paladini's face grew darker by the second.
Rowlands' overall performance after joining QPR had been solid—core midfielder, one goal, one assist in the league, plus another in the cup.
Pretty respectable for a midfielder.
But today, compared to Bayswater Chinese?
Paladini couldn't be satisfied.
He had thought that spending £3 million to steal Rowlands away would be a heavy blow to his former club.
After all, Championship-level talent wasn't easy to find.
But instead of weakening Bayswater Chinese, it looked like they had gotten stronger.
Suddenly, he was at a loss.
Watching his team getting hammered on their own turf, outplayed in every area, Paladini started to feel something more than frustration.
He felt fear.
Bayswater Chinese played beautiful football. Flashy. Dominant.
And they were doing it here, in his stadium.
Would fans switch allegiances?
…
With QPR dropping back defensively, Bayswater Chinese took full control of the match.
The players executed Yang Cheng's tactical plan to perfection, launching wave after wave of attacks.
In the 44th minute, they struck again.
It started with Modrić spreading the ball wide.
Capaldi overlapped down the left, received it, and curled a diagonal cross into the box.
Ribéry charged in, collected the ball just inside the area, came to a sudden stop, and cut inside past Georges Santos.
Then, with his right foot, he curled a beautiful shot straight into the top right corner.
3–0!
That goal all but sealed the victory.
Neither team made any changes at halftime.
So the second half picked up right where the first had left off.
In the 71st minute, Holloway finally cracked.
He made two changes at once.
He subbed on left-winger Kevin McLeod for Martin Rowlands—who was clearly gassed and outplayed.
Lass Diarra had shut him down completely.
He also brought on center-back Richard Edghill for the struggling Padula, hoping to shore up the defense.
But just three minutes after those changes, disaster struck again.
Ribéry found a gap in the left half-space, latched onto a precise through ball from Modrić, and carried it across the edge of the box.
He played a diagonal pass to the right side of the penalty area.
Aaron Lennon sprinted in from deep, beat everyone to it, and slammed a low shot into the net.
It was his first goal for Bayswater Chinese!
The young winger from Leeds erupted in joy, dancing along the sideline, completely losing himself in celebration.
4–0!
All 18,600 fans in the stadium could clearly see:
Bayswater Chinese were miles ahead of QPR.
Yang Cheng then made multiple substitutions to rest his key players.
But in stoppage time, QPR won a free kick near the left corner of Bayswater's box.
Matthew Rose rose highest to head it home—consolation at best.
Final score: 4–1. A devastating defeat.
Bayswater Chinese blew away QPR with Kitson's brace, Ribéry's wonder strike, and Lennon's first-ever goal.
After the match, Sky Sports pundits praised Bayswater Chinese's performance:
"This team has shown they're capable of beating any side in the Championship."
"If Yang Cheng and his players can maintain this form, they'll be serious contenders for promotion."
After nine rounds, Bayswater Chinese had 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses—17 points, placing them 4th in the league.
They were level on points with Watford, just behind on goal difference.
Ahead of them were Stoke City with 18 points and Wigan Athletic with 19.
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