October 3rd arrived quickly. It was the second round of the Europa League Group H stage: Wolfsburg at home against Lille.
As a perennial force in Ligue 1, Lille's overall strength was undeniable. While most pundits were certain Everton would clinch the top spot in the group, the consensus was that the second qualifying seed would be a dogfight between Wolfsburg and Lille. Furthermore, the French side had only dropped into the Europa League after a narrow aggregate loss to Porto in the Champions League play-offs.
"In the previous round of the Europa League, Lille was held to a draw by Krasnodar. However, while they stuttered in Europe, they have been imperious in their domestic league, currently sitting atop the Ligue 1 table with 11 points from three wins and two draws," He Wei noted during the pre-match buildup.
"Lille's manager, René Girard, stated before the match that his side has found their rhythm and intends to take all three points from the Volkswagen Arena. And we're off! The match has begun. After a grueling schedule, Wolfsburg has finally had enough time to rest and rotate."
"David Qin starts again as the left midfielder, but interestingly, Ivan Perišić has been deployed on the right. Is this a new tactical experiment from Dieter Hecking? It seems viable; Perišić is remarkably two-footed. Playing on the right shouldn't be an issue, though he might need a moment to adjust."
On the pitch, the tempo was measured. Wolfsburg dictated possession, while Lille refrained from high-pressing. The visitors' style was traditionally conservative, preferring to rely on a compact defensive block and clinical counter-attacks. The match drifted into a tense stalemate.
"Perišić carries the ball forward on the flank. As a kid, his nickname was 'Koka' because his father ran a chicken farm. He never minded the name; in fact, he was proud of his father's hard work," He Wei shared. "Later, fans dubbed him 'The Blade.' Looking at him now, you can see why—he truly is a sharp edge ready to slice through the defense. Beautiful! His physical coordination and explosive speed allow him to breeze past Pape Souaré."
As he moved, Perišić kept his head up, scanning for his teammates. Perhaps it was his background in beach volleyball—a sport in which he actually held an international ranking—that developed his knack for precision passing.
Whack! The ball spiraled in a tight arc, bypassing both of Lille's central defenders to find David Qin at the far post. Without letting it touch the ground, David met it with a thunderous volley!
Bang! The ball screamed toward the net, but the Lille keeper reacted with feline speed, parrying it away with a strong arm.
"Great ball, Ivan!" David clicked his tongue in regret, giving Perišić a thumbs-up. He suddenly realized that a midfield trident of himself, De Bruyne, and Perišić could create some incredible chemistry.
"My right foot is decent enough," Ivan Perišić replied, offering no false modesty. While shifting from the left to the right wing reduced his frequency of cutting inside, he wasn't naturally an inverted winger anyway. His style was distinct from someone like Adam Lallana or Son Heung-min; his hallmarks were crossing, defensive work-rate, and direct dribbling.
Kevin De Bruyne swung in the resulting corner from the left. David moved first to meet the drop point, but Simon Kjær—who, ironically, used to play for Wolfsburg—used his height advantage to head the ball clear.
My leaping ability still isn't strong enough, David noted internally. He thought of Cristiano Ronaldo. He wondered how the Portuguese star trained his verticality; if he ever got the chance, he'd have to ask and shore up that particular weakness.
Having missed a golden opportunity, Wolfsburg chose to steady the rhythm, wary of Lille's counter-attacking threat.
Tweet-tweet!
The first half ended scoreless, and the teams headed into the tunnel at 0-0.
In the dressing room, Dieter Hecking gave a brief review before pivoting to the second-half strategy. "Lille's defense is resolute, but they aren't impenetrable. Continue to control the midfield, then push rapidly through the wings. Look for the 'wing-to-center' combinations."
"David, Ivan has the speed and the frame. Try to look for the long diagonal switch from the left to the right. Lille tends to tilt their defensive block toward the ball, which leaves massive pockets of space on the weak side." Hecking drew a clear schematic on the tactical board.
"Like the pass Ivan gave me earlier?" David understood instantly.
"Exactly. But your left foot still needs work. If you have to, stop the ball and use your right, even if it slows the transition slightly. I'll leave the final decision to your judgment on the pitch." Hecking's tone was encouraging. He knew David was only seventeen; what he had achieved already was remarkable, and there was no need to be overly demanding.
"Got it," David replied. He made no grand promises; he knew his limitations and understood that at this level, there was no room for forced plays. A single minor error could negate the entire team's effort.
The second half commenced. De Bruyne sat at the heart of the formation, orchestrating play with surgical precision, stretching Lille's shape.
"The Belgian is looking more like a maestro with every game!" He Wei exclaimed. "Every touch and pass is economical. He prepares his next move before he even receives the ball; it's nearly impossible to dispossess him. In the heat of the game, he operates like an emotionless machine, finding the optimal solution every time!"
De Bruyne escaped David Rozehnal with a back-turned drag-back and slipped a vertical pass to David Qin on the flank. On the pitch, David held off Balmont with his back to goal. He feinted a pass back to Rodríguez, but instead snapped the ball behind his standing leg.
A Cruyff Turn!
Before Franck Béria could close him down, David poked the ball back to De Bruyne. A classic one-two. Receiving the ball again, David glanced up and saw the green-and-white silhouette on the far side. Adjusting to his right foot would take too long...
He slowed his stride for a fraction of a second and swung his left foot violently through the bottom of the ball.
Thump! The ball carved an arc from the left touchline all the way to the right.
"Oh! That pass looks a bit too long! It might go straight out of play!"
"Perišić!"
"Incredible! He used a flying-kick motion to hook the ball back from the touchline!"
After killing the ball, Perišić used his knee to knock it forward, bypassing the full-back in one fluid motion. He charged toward the byline at breakneck speed and whipped a cross toward Ivica Olić at the edge of the six-yard box.
No mistakes this time!
To the roar of the Wolfsburg fans, Olić side-footed the ball into the roof of the net, breaking the sixty-minute deadlock.
"Ole ole VfL Wolfsburg ole!"
The rhythmic chant soared, echoing into every corner of the stadium. David joined his teammates in celebration, though he looked a bit sheepish afterward. "Ivan, that pass of mine..."
"Forget it! I used to play beach volleyball—my first touch is elite, and your pass wasn't that far off." Perišić clapped David on the shoulder, feigning a stern face. "If you could dribble like a god and pass perfectly too, what would be left for the rest of us? You're only seventeen. Don't put too much pressure on yourself; you have a long road ahead."
"Sigh, having talent is its own kind of pressure," David joked. "People's expectations just keep getting higher."
"Listen to this kid! Get a few goals and suddenly you're the arrogant one, eh?" Gustavo joked, playfully punching David's arm.
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Hey guys,
I've been reading through the comments, and I see some of you aren't exactly fans of the "International Break." and I get it — some of you just aren't interested in the China scenes at all.
I hear you. My goal is to tell a full story, and for a kid from China, the National Team is a huge part of his journey. But I don't want the International games to feel like a chore for you to read.
So, here's the plan: When we hit the a China arc, I'm dropping all of those chapters at once.
This way, if you want, you can blitz through the National Team stuff in five minutes and get right back to the European games.
Thanks for the honest feedback—it helps me keep the story heading in the right direction!
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If you want to read ahead, head over to: p@treon .com/HappyCrow
As always, thank you for the support, the comments, and those precious power stones!