Chapter 197: I Like How You Were Defiant at First, and Now You're All Kneeling in Submission
…
…
Gabi (Gabriel Fernández) was sent off with a red card.
Arsenal won a penalty, and as the club's primary penalty taker, Xia Qi stepped up to the spot without hesitation.
The whistle sounded.
The run-up.
The strike.
Xia Qi chose to shoot down the middle.
Players usually pick left or right for penalties; choosing the middle like Xia Qi was playing mind games.
After a brief exchange of glances between the AI-controlled player and Thibaut Courtois, Xia Qi successfully deceived Courtois, who dived to his right.
"The ball's in. Xia Qi placed it down the middle. Arsenal lead 2–0. What a perfect start."
"Xia Qi has an iron heart. From twelve yards, technique is secondary — mentality is everything. Xia Qi stayed ice-cold and struck the ball decisively…"
"The aggregate is now 3–5. Arsenal lead by two, and they have an extra man on the pitch. You could say they already have one foot on the flight to Lisbon, Portugal."
On the touchline, Arsène Wenger, who usually kept his emotions hidden, hopped like a child and high-fived Patlès in celebration.
A two-goal lead with Gabi sent off was advantage enough to "open champagne at halftime." Arsenal fans turned their backs to the pitch, arms draped across each other's shoulders, and started a human wave…
Gabi's red card hit Atlético harder than anyone had expected.
Diego Simeone pounded the touchline, shouting slogans, but he couldn't rally Atlético to life.
After play resumed, Atlético did not record another shot, and Arsenal's two attempts failed to extend the lead.
At halftime, thanks to Xia Qi's goal and assist, Arsenal led Atlético 2–0.
After the break,
Atlético's players, who had drunk the chicken soup Simeone personally prepared during the interval, launched a furious counterattack.
After all, this was Vicente Calderón Stadium.
Amid the frantic roars of Atlético fans,
Atlético ignored being a man down and immediately pressed forward; after regaining possession, Koke dribbled straight into Arsenal's half.
At the same time, Atlético's whole team surged over the halfway line.
Seeing his team hit on the counter, Xia Qi and Theo Walcott retreated to their respective wings to help defend.
But Koke left Xia Qi no time to settle — he intercepted before Xia Qi could react and immediately slid a pass to David Villa.
The instant Villa received the ball, he took a touch and charged down the wing without a second wasted.
Gustavo tracked back quickly,
but before he could reach Villa, Villa had already threaded a pass into the penalty area from the right flank.
Inside the box, Diego Costa rose high and connected with a superb "lion's head" header — the ball had a tricky angle and high pace — but Martínez was in heroic form, stretching full length to divert the ball out for a corner.
"Atlético's attack is as straightforward as ever: wing breaks leading directly to their striker, Diego Costa…"
"This approach looks simple, but it's extremely efficient. Atlético have relied on this to hold off Real Madrid and Barcelona and sit atop La Liga."
"Actually, Atlético's style is simple but not simplistic. Diego Costa isn't a traditional poacher — he can dribble, pass, press, create chances and even help in defense…"
Atlético took a left-side corner; Martínez, in superb form, clutched the ball.
Atlético's players retreated en masse.
Martínez took a goal kick, and Atlético launched another crazed, dogged press.
Arsenal's possession game was good, but against the kind of pressure that could even disrupt Barcelona's passing, Arsenal's tiki-taka looked a little ragged.
After several passes, Koke and Mario Suárez combined to break up play.
Koke, having won the ball, didn't hesitate — he sent a long pass toward the head of the advanced Diego Costa.
Frankly, the pass was rushed; Costa stumbled and got tangled up in front of Per Mertesacker as he tried to control the ball.
But the danger wasn't cleared.
As he settled the ball, Samuel Umtiti surged toward him.
With Umtiti in front and Mertesacker behind,
Diego Costa was boxed in and couldn't pull a clean shot, so he played the ball out.
Villa, positioned on the left of the box, didn't take a touch and swept the ball toward goal.
Martínez was well-prepared; he dived along the goal line,
but suddenly someone surged in between Villa and Martínez.
Serge Aurier came in from an angle and stretched his leg to block the shot.
That clearance turned into a shot.
The ball changed direction and sailed away from Martínez's dive toward the opposite corner.
In mid-air, Martínez saw the ball coming and slapped at it with both hands, but his dive had sent him toward the lower-right corner; even fully extended, he couldn't reach. He let out a tortured cry.
The ball glided past his fingertips and into the net.
1–2!
Aggregate 4–5!
What had looked like a very dark path to qualification suddenly showed a sliver of light,
and Vicente Calderón erupted in that moment!
The DJ went hysterical: "Goooooooaaaaaallllll!"
"Villa!!!!"
Atlético fans roared: "Atlético, fight!"
Diego Costa, who had set up the goal, was even more ecstatic than Villa. He hammered his chest and roared like a beast.
Atlético's new captain Diego Godín rallied his teammates: "One more and we knock Arsenal out."
"One more and we knock Arsenal out!"
"One more and we knock Arsenal out!"
Many Atlético players clapped and roared in unison,
their voices piercing the stadium and drawing even louder cheers from Atlético supporters.
Over twenty thousand Arsenal fans who had traveled heard the referee's whistle and felt their heads explode.
"Oh!"
"Own goal!"
"Aurier's clearance was at an Arsenal level of finishing."
In the Penguin live stream, commentator Zhan Jun said irritably: "Conceding a goal like this is infuriating, but Arsenal still have a one-goal advantage. Don't panic — adjust your mindset and play your game. The advantage is ours…"
Online, Arsenal supporters joked: "Don't say 'the advantage is ours' — I feel chills down my spine…"
Back on the pitch, Atlético players returned to their defensive positions; Simeone instructed Mario Suárez to mark Xia Qi tightly.
Standing beside Xia Qi, Mario Suárez spat trash talk: "Don't think you can score again. The next goal will be Diego's."
Xia Qi cast him a cold glance and said nothing.
…
…
"Beep!"
…Xia Qi charged forward in a blistering dribble, shadowed the whole time by one man — Atlético's defensive midfielder Mario Suárez.
He didn't try to jockey for position or trip Xia Qi; he followed like a bodyguard, staying tight.
That's because Mario Suárez knew he couldn't stop Xia Qi alone — he was waiting for support.
About twenty meters from Atlético's goal,
Mario Suárez finally got help.
Right-back Juanfran Torres surged up.
"Watch out, double-team!"
As Zhan Jun exclaimed, Mario Suárez moved when the moment was right.
He bumped into Xia Qi and probed with a right leg to try to take the ball.
The collision was like a wave smashing into a cliff — the cliff wouldn't budge.
Xia Qi was unfazed. His feet stayed calm; he effortlessly pulled the ball to his right with his right foot, avoiding Mario Suárez's poke.
Juanfran, coordinating with Mario Suárez's challenge, lunged toward Xia Qi's right side like a starving tiger.
Juanfran was positioned opposite Xia Qi, so he used his left foot to sweep at the ball.
Juanfran attacked Xia Qi's right, Mario Suárez attacked Xia Qi's left.
Xia Qi was in trouble!
A toe-pull through the middle might have been the only viable option,
but Xia Qi did not do that.
He tapped the ball with his right foot and planted it under his foot.
Juanfran's left foot swept the ball,
but the ball didn't budge — it seemed fused with the turf and Xia Qi's right foot.
Shielding and ball control like this happens often when kids play with adults; in grown-up football, this was a first.
Juanfran's sweeping left foot not only failed to dislodge the ball from Xia Qi's feet, it actually bounced back off the ball and jolted his foot.
The stadium erupted!
Is this a Chaplin comedy?
Is Juanfran a traitor? Or is Xia Qi the Hulk?
Everyone in the stands and their mates were stunned…
Hearing the collective gasp, Juanfran felt like dying.
In that moment of distraction, Xia Qi passed by like a whirlwind. Juanfran was left stunned and didn't immediately chase back.
Luckily Mario Suárez was diligent; he chased after Xia Qi.
At the edge of the box, Xia Qi didn't push on alone; he laid the ball off to Mario Balotelli, who was trapped in front of João Miranda.
Balotelli used Miranda as a pivot, back to goal, and with a backheel knocked the ball behind Miranda.
Mario Suárez next to Xia Qi felt the world blur — the man he was marking had vanished.
Anxious, he called out: "Vice-captain!"
Godín shifted rapidly. He couldn't get a leg in to intercept the ball and felt a gust of air; the world darkened and goosebumps rose.
Godín knew Xia Qi was lunging in.
He tried anything — a leg out in the hope he'd nick the ball before Xia Qi.
But luck wasn't on his side; AI calculations were.
The result was obvious.
Xia Qi reached the ball before Godín's leg and poked it!
The ball skidded past Godín and sped toward goal.
Godín, already off-balance, could do nothing but turn and look to the goalkeeper.
He pinned the village's hopes on Thibaut Courtois.
As it turned out, relying on people can fail…
Courtois's sightline had been blocked; by the time the ball darted past Godín and he could react, it was a pure instinctive dive.
Courtois caught nothing but air.
The ball struck the inside of the post, made a pleasing sound, and rebounded into the net.
Over twenty thousand Arsenal fans leapt from their seats.
A second earlier they had worried Atlético would press on and turn Arsenal's halftime champagne into disaster; a second later they were going crazy for Xia Qi, tearing their throats out shouting:
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
Meanwhile Atlético fans screamed boos and abuse at the top of their lungs.
"Damn…"
"You dirty bastards…"
The angrier they were, the more it proved Xia Qi's lethal impact!!!
…
…
"Shoot!"
"Goal!"
"Xia Qi's brace couldn't have come at a better time. Just as Atlético's morale surged, Xia Qi poured cold water over them."
"First Xia Qi assisted Balotelli; now Balotelli assists Xia Qi. Balotelli's backheel was filthy — the Arsenal twins are telepathic…"
"Listen — the furious boos from Atlético fans tell you how crucial this goal is. The score is now 1–3 in this match; Atlético trail by two, and the aggregate is 4–6. For Atlético to qualify, they need to score three times in regular time.
That's undoubtedly a tall order.
If they only level the tie, with away goals equal, the match will go to extra time."
After scoring, Xia Qi was calm as if he'd done something insignificant; he walked back toward the center circle expressionless.
Balotelli caught up from behind and put an arm around Xia Qi's neck: "Why aren't you happy? Didn't you say the opponents' insults are the greatest compliment to us?"
Even if Xia Qi was an emotionless AI, a warm feeling rose in him at being cared for. The corner of his mouth twitched up: "Mario, Madrid's nightlife is bustling. Let's clock out."
"Haha! You thirsty lone wolf — but I like it. Let Balotelli take you flying!"
Atlético kicked off.
Mario Suárez resumed marking Xia Qi; he liked chatting while defending.
"Xia, why didn't you celebrate after scoring?"
Xia Qi ignored him and watched Koke prepare to kick.
"Xia, that goal was beautiful. How did you get so much power? Juanfran couldn't stop it…"
Beep!
Atlético really wasn't playing around.
Almost with nothing to lose, they threw everything into breaking Arsenal's back line.
Villa ripped down the wing and crossed.
Diego Costa's run to the far post glanced a shot into an open net — his toe just missed the ball. It was Atlético's best chance of the game.
Six minutes later Atlético struck again.
Koke struck a thunderbolt from the edge of the box that hit the post. Filipe Luís reacted quickest and chested a rebound into the net past Martínez's ten fingers.
But before he could score, the linesman had already raised his flag.
The slow-motion replay showed the referee was correct — Filipe was offside.
But Simeone and Atlético fans didn't accept that.
Simeone complained incessantly to the fourth official on the sideline…
Atlético fans used every lung to shout: "Rigged ref!"
That whistle took away the goal and Atlético's fighting spirit.
In the 72nd minute, Arsenal attacked. Theo Walcott drove down the right, cutting inside while eyeing his teammates' runs.
After tricking past Filipe's challenge, Walcott floated the ball into the box.
In the area, Balotelli and Xia Qi ran to the near and far posts respectively.
Up front, Balotelli accelerated and leapt for the ball, but both he and João Miranda missed in a clash.
At the back post, under the watchful Mario Suárez, Xia Qi timed his jump early!
Mario Suárez marked the man but not the ball. When Xia Qi leapt, he leapt too,
but gravity seemed to apply to Mario Suárez while failing Xia Qi.
In the air,
Mario Suárez fell, while Xia Qi hung in the air for nearly a second.
That hang freed him from Mario Suárez's marking. In mid-air, he swung his leg and struck a volley!
"Boom!"
A thunderous sound — all Atlético fans closed their eyes in despair.
Images of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo Nazário, Ronaldinho and other invincible players flashed through their minds, one by one merging with the youth on the pitch.
When the referee's whistle sounded to signal the goal,
they stood and applauded.
On the pitch, Xia Qi's mouth lifted in a slight smile.
Narrator:
"I like how you were defiant at first, and now you're all kneeling in submission."
(END CHAPTER)
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