Chapter 89: Tyne’s Chinese King is Omnipotent
After the ball flew into the goal, Kang Dong-hoon flew into a rage. He ran towards the referee and yelled at him, “This is a foul! He fouled! He pushed me from behind! The goal is invalid! Invalid!”

Other Hackney Knights players also gathered around and complained that Wang Lie committed a foul when he stole the ball from Jiang Dongxun.

They asked the referee to go to the sidelines to check the VAR footage.

The TV broadcast quickly cut to the slow-motion replay of Wang Lie’s steal.

And it’s from multiple angles.

Because from a certain angle it might not be clear whether Wang Lie kicked the ball first or pushed Jiang Dongxun down first.

If you change your angle, perhaps you can see it clearly.

This is also the image that the video referee team watched.

From the side shot of the two people, when Wang Lie came up, he first had a physical contact with Jiang Dongxun, but such physical contact was far from enough to make Jiang Dongxun fall to the ground.

This was indeed the case. When Wang Lie was approaching him, Jiang Dongxun was still maintaining his balance. Although his body leaned forward, he did not fall down.

Then Wang Lie kicked from behind, touched the football with his toes, and poked the football away.

Then, as he exerted force to knock the football away, he really pushed Jiang Dongxun hard.

In slow motion, everyone could clearly see that Kang Dong-hoon fell forward with a scream only after the football was out of his control.

According to the simplest “first touch principle”, Wang Lie touched the ball first and then knocked down Jiang Dongxun. This certainly cannot be considered a foul by Wang Lie.

Therefore, the referee who was surrounded did not support the appeal of the Hackney Knights players. After communicating with the video referee team, he did not even go to the sidelines to watch the video replay, but blew the whistle decisively and pointed to the center circle!

The goal is valid!

The cheers at Lize Park were fully unleashed.

Amidst thunderous cheers, Wang Lie did not run wildly to celebrate as usual after scoring the goal.

Instead, he just stood there and lifted up the left thigh leg of his shorts, revealing the bulging and angular muscle lines inside.

Vitini hugged his idol with one hand and pointed at Wang Lie’s left leg with the other, signaling to the audience, while constantly shouting:

“Look here! Look here! Look at the king’s left leg! Look! This! is! Power!”

Then, Wang Lie, who was pretending to be cool, was hugged by more teammates, and even his exposed left thigh was hugged…

McNeill and assistant coach Valo hugged each other in front of the coaching booth: “We did it, we did it!”

In the 79th minute of the game, Tyne led Hackney Knights by two goals at home. Although the game was not over yet, they had a very strong confidence in their hearts:
We can definitely beat League One Hackney Knights at home!
Wang Lie’s outstanding performance, coupled with the tactics they carefully designed for Wang Lie.

So what if we are first in the league?
Take it!

In the visiting team’s coaching booth next door, watching Wang Lie score a world-class goal outside the penalty area, Hackney Knights head coach Paul Neves knelt on one knee in anger and pounded the grass in front of the coaching booth.

“Fuck the hell!!”

Is this the performance a 38-year-old veteran should have? !
Is this the performance that a 38-year-old veteran who participated in a national team match should have? !
He must be fucking twenty-eight years old!
Paul Neves’s inner faith in science collapsed.

Because science cannot explain the man with his thigh muscles shining in front of him!
With just over ten minutes left in the game, can the Hackney Knights score three goals in a row?

Damn… it was good enough to score two goals in a row to tie the score! And they scored three goals in a row!

Neves’s defensive breakthrough was shown on TV. Connor Cowley saw the scene and said, “Hackney Knights are in the most dangerous moment. They are two goals behind away from home and they don’t have much time left. If they lose to Tyne in this game, it will be a big benefit for Clayton Athletic! At the critical moment of the championship, not only did the opponent’s core midfielder miss out due to injury, but they also lost to a mid-table team…”

Milne corrected him, “It wouldn’t be unfair if I lost to the king.”

Cowley laughed and said, “Indeed, facing a king like this, who dares to say that they can win away from home? The Scouse people have already fallen, and the Hackney Knights are also in danger now…”

※※※

Although the referee had already made a “valid goal” decision, the Korean commentator and guest commentator were still not satisfied. While the Tyne players were celebrating the goal, they were still discussing whether Wang Lie’s interception was a foul:
“I think it was a foul! The referee made a wrong call! He didn’t even bother to look at the video replay!”

“That’s right. When Wang Lie was trying to grab the ball, he made an obvious pushing motion with his hands. This is undoubtedly a foul!”

“Shouldn’t you at least go to the sidelines and watch the video replay? It’s really questionable to declare the goal valid without even watching it…”

“Maybe he doesn’t dare to watch it. It’s hard to judge the game after watching it… You know, this is Tyne’s home court. It’s understandable that he has the home advantage, haha…”

“Tain took advantage of this controversial goal to take a two-goal lead over Hackney Knights…”

“Wang Lie is still the same as always, he will do anything to score a goal!”

After the game, this clip of the commentary from a South Korean TV station was posted online, drawing ridicule from Chinese and many English fans:

“Maybe South Korea and other countries on our planet are not in the same dimension. In their dimension, the rules of football are very different from ours…”

“How dare the Koreans criticize Tyne’s ‘home advantage’? Where is their shamelessness?!”

Some Korean fans also repeatedly played the video of Wang Lie stealing the ball from Kang Dong-hoon, with the original intention of telling everyone that Wang Lie’s steal was definitely a foul.

But in fact, it made fans all over the world relive again and again the embarrassing scene of Kang Dongxun having the ball intercepted from behind by Wang Lie.

Regardless of whether Wang Lie really committed a foul, Jiang Dongxun, who was repeatedly whipped, was miserable enough.

Then some Korean fans stood up and said that those so-called “Korean fans” with IP addresses in Korea are not real Korean fans, they are Chinese fans in disguise!
Poor Koreans who stood up for Jiang Dongxun were expelled from their nationality just like that…

※※※

After the game restarted, McNeil made a substitution adjustment, replacing Dutch midfielder Van Ginkel, who was participating in the national team competition, with Tommy Biggins.

Ian Gray was used as defensive midfielder to replace Vitini.

Vitini also participated in the national team competition, and unlike the Dutch fringe international Van Ginkel who played as a substitute for more than 20 minutes in the two games combined, Vitini started in the two games for the Brazil national team consecutively because of his outstanding performance in the club recently, with an average playing time of more than 70 minutes in each game.

He needs more rest.

We didn’t dare to replace Vitini after he scored because we were only leading by one goal, which was not safe. Letting Vitini stay on the court could create some threats in counterattacks.

Now that we are leading by two goals, there is no need for Vitini to continue holding on on the field.

After replacing Vitini, Tyne changed to 442. Ramosa, Iain Gray and Joshua Parker moved back, and Tommy Biggins moved forward in the middle as an attacking midfielder.

Wang Lie and Sonny Dean played as forwards.

Dean has never participated in any national team competitions, so physical strength is not a problem.

Keeping Wang Lie on the court was, of course, to maximize his deterrent power…

“McNeill has to step up his defense. He wants to keep the score.”

“That’s the right idea. We’re already two goals ahead, so there’s no need to continue attacking. The Hackney Knights will do their best to attack next. If we attack them, Tyne may not be able to gain an advantage…”

As expected, the Hackney Knights launched a massive attack, ready to fight Tyne to the death.

When Tyne was defending, all players retreated to their own half, even Wang Lie had to go back to defend. No one could enjoy the privilege of not having to defend.

A two-goal lead seemed safe, but if Hackney Knights scored a goal within five minutes, the situation would take a turn for the worse.

This is how football games are. One goal can change the situation and tip the balance of victory or defeat.

When Jiang Dongxun was trying to break through Barnabas in the frontcourt, the ball was intercepted. He immediately turned back to steal the ball, but when he was trying to steal it back, he kicked Barnabas down, causing a foul…

Judging from his actions, he was not trying to regain the ball at all, but was just trying to kick the Tyne players.

So the referee not only blew the whistle to stop the game, but also gave the Korean a yellow card.

Luo Jin praised the referee’s decision: “It was right to give him a yellow card. After Wang Lie intercepted the goal, Jiang Dongxun’s emotions were obviously out of control. This yellow card may help him calm down again…”

However, Hackney Knights head coach Paul Neves chose a way that could calm Kang Dong-hoon down more – just two minutes after Kang Dong-hoon was carded for the foul, Neves replaced him.

“Ah? Player Kang Dong-hoon was substituted?!” The Korean commentator and guest commentator were very shocked. They had been cheering for Kang Dong-hoon for more than 80 minutes, but the result was that Kang Dong-hoon was subbed off… However, Kang Dong-hoon in the TV broadcast did not seem surprised by this result. He looked up at the sidelines, and when he found that it was himself who was substituted, he did not express shock or any dissatisfaction, and he lowered his head and walked to the sidelines.

Robbie Dixie in the stands saw this and immediately shouted to his friends, “Come on! Let’s sing the song ‘Who is the Light of Asia? Who is the Light of Asia?'”

His companions responded enthusiastically, and the singing rang out in the stands where they were and quickly spread to the other stands.

Then the whole stadium was filled with the gloating songs of Tyne fans:

“Who is the light of Asia? Who is the light of Asia? Who? Who is it? Who is the light of Asia?”

The singing was loud and clear even through satellite transmission.

“Ahahahaha!” Su Ju posted an emoji of himself rolling on the floor with laughter on WeChat, “Tyne fans really understand! Haha! Well done!”

Chi Zhen also responded to him with a laughing and crying expression.

※※※

Watching the scene of Kang Dong-hoon walking to the sidelines in a daze, Kim Jae-young, the captain of the South Korean national team, received a message from his national team teammate Park Min-ho: “Are you watching the game?”

He didn’t say what game he was watching, but Jin Zai Rong knew what he was referring to, so he replied: “I’m watching it.”

The other side replied: “When you sent him that video, did you guess this result?”

Jin Zai Rong shook his head and typed a reply to his vice-captain partner in the national team on his phone: “How is it possible? I just want to remind Jiang Dongxun not to get too complacent. Wang Lie is not easy to deal with.”

“But looking at his performance in this game, I think he obviously didn’t take your reminder to heart… That interception was so amateurish. He didn’t even look back before receiving the ball. If he had turned around, he would have seen Wang Lie and would not have been so easily counter-robbed…” Park Min-ho complained.

Kim Jae-young: “Now I just hope that this defeat can make Kang Dong-hoon restrain himself a little. If he can learn a lesson from it, it can be regarded as a bad thing turning into a good thing. He has always been smooth sailing, and it is indeed time for him to encounter setbacks and blows. Otherwise, how can he truly become the leader of Korean football in the future?”

Twenty-five-year-old Kang Dong-hoon was born in Derbyshire, England. He has spent most of his life in the UK. It was also in the UK that he first came into contact with football and began to receive systematic football training.

Fluent English without any Korean accent, a personality that is completely uninfluenced by traditional Korean culture, and a Western-style eating habit…

It can be said that apart from having a Korean face, he actually looks more like a British person.

Kang Dong-hoon, who received football training in the UK, showed football talent since he was a child. He was even selected for the England U17 national team when he was a teenager.

Later, because of his father Kang Soo-cheol, he chose to become a player of the South Korean national team.

Whether in the national team or in the club, Jiang Dongxun’s development trajectory can be said to be smooth sailing.

In the national team, as a naturalized Korean, he received far more privileges and treatment than other Korean players. In the club, after he became famous at a young age in the Derby County team, he was valued by Hackney Knights and entered the world-famous Hackney Knights youth training camp, and then smoothly entered the Hackney Knights first team, and now he is an important player in the first team.

As for Wang Lie, he also has two Asian Cup victories to be proud of—although he counts the team’s victories as his personal victories…

Such successful experiences further deepened his arrogance.

In the Korean team, basically no seniors are taken seriously.

Perhaps only the legendary Korean star Liu Junpei could gain his respect, but unfortunately, when he entered the national team, Liu Junpei had already retired. No one in the national team could suppress him.

In the hearts of Korean fans, he also won the support of many people because of his performance in the Premier League. It can be said that whether at the official or folk level, Kang Dong-hoon is the “baby” of Korean football and has never known what “life’s beating” is.

Kim Jae-young never thought that such a smooth journey was a good thing for Kang Dong-hoon.

He always reminds Kang Dong-hoon in various ways not to be too arrogant and to learn to be humble.

But Kang Dong-hoon just turned a deaf ear to what he said and never took it to heart.

This time when he provoked Wang Lie, Jin Zairong did think that this might be an opportunity to teach Jiang Dongxun a lesson.

That’s why he retweeted the video.

But to be honest, he didn’t expect Kang Dong-hoon to lose so badly – he had almost no decent performance in the entire game, and the only threat he created was his shot after cutting inside, which was saved.

At the same time, both of Hackney Knights’ goals were directly or indirectly related to him.

Both are top Asian players in the 25-year-old age group, and both are facing Wang Lie. However, Kang Dong-hoon’s performance is not as good as Chi Zhen of Scout.

In the match between Scouse and Tyne, Chi Zhen at least indirectly assisted the first goal and scored the second goal himself.

Jiang Dongxun always targets Wang Lie, but he can’t even beat Chi Zhen!
I hope that after being beaten up by Wang Lie, Jiang Dongxun will learn his lesson, but I am also worried that this future leader of Korean football will be beaten to death by Wang Lie…

Watching Kang Dong-hoon stumbling off the court like a zombie, South Korean team captain Kim Jae-young felt very complicated.

※※※

Neves replaced Kang Dong-hoon with the main rotating central defender Lucas Costa.

But he did not let Costa play as a central defender, but instead pushed the Brazilian international to the forward line.

This is a complete gamble.

But in fact, if it weren’t for the fact that Kang Dongxun’s mentality was not right, Neves originally planned to keep the South Korean international on the field. After all, he only brought so many offensive players to the away game, and replacing an attacker would be fatal when the team needed to score.

But he had no choice. If he didn’t replace Jiang Dongxun, he was afraid that it would affect his team’s momentum in the final moments…

Seeing Kang Dong-hoon so depressed when he walked past him, Neves still gave him some comfort and encouragement, despite the harsh words he spoke during the halftime break, considering that he watched this young man grow up when he played for the Cavaliers.

He stopped Jiang Dongxun, gave him a hug, and then rubbed his hair vigorously: “Don’t think too much, take a rest, you have tried your best.”

Kang Dong-hoon did not give any response. He has not yet recovered from the great disappointment and pain.

When Neves let him go, he returned to his seat woodenly and sat down, staring blankly at the court.

※※※

Even though Neves pushed all the central defenders to the front line, he still couldn’t save the team from failure.

Including injury time, in the last ten minutes of the game, Hackney Knights bombarded Tyne’s goal but failed to break through.

This mercenary group always gives people the impression of being “not good at playing against the wind” and “poor ability to withstand pressure”, but now they have managed to withstand the crazy counterattack of the Hackney Knights.

After the game entered injury time, McNeill replaced Wang Lie with Angolan international Vado Gogolo, who can play as both left back and left center back.

We used the opportunity of substitution to delay some time.

When Wang Lie left the field, Tayne fans sang the song they sang when Kang Dong-hoon left the field again. The tune was exactly the same, but the lyrics were changed:

“He is the light of Asia! He is the light of Asia! He! He is the light of Asia!”

As the song was being sung, Wang Lie walked to the sidelines and applauded the Tyne fans in the stands.

The Tyne fans responded with even louder applause.

Amid the applause, Wang Lie hugged McNeil, then went to the bench and high-fived each of his substitute teammates one by one.

With four minutes left in the game, Tyne was leading by two goals and there was almost no suspense about winning the game.

Now they can celebrate.

When Wang Lie finally sat down on the bench, the stadium was filled with uniform singing:
“China Wang! China Wang! He is our China Wang!!!

“China Wang! China Wang! The almighty China Wang!!!”

When he was in Sofia, “FIGHTING! FIGHTING! CHINA WANG!” was the exclusive character song composed for Wang Lie by Sofia fans. But now with Wang Lie leaving Sofia, this song has almost become a swan song, and is only sung when Sofia fans are dissatisfied with head coach Helden.

“Fight, King of China” is a thing of the past.

Now the “King of China” in Tyne is omnipotent!

(End of this chapter)