Chapter 856: Scoring Just One Goal in a Minute is Enough to Advance to the Knockout Stage

"This fucking referee, I'm so pissed—isn't this clearly a penalty?"

"Fine, fine, so you won't give me, Tang Tang Qiuwang, a penalty? Haters, stop criticizing my Tang Qiuwang status over missed penalties."

"What the hell???? 66666."

"Why wasn't this given as a penalty!"

Fans far away in China were dying of anxiety.

Leaving aside whether this was actually a penalty, when controversy arises, you should at least check VAR, right?

What's the point of not even checking VAR?

Fans are highly sensitive; pulling a stunt like this will definitely make Chinese fans feel targeted by FIFA, and FIFA will inevitably get roasted online.

The trouble is, FIFA is already so accustomed to being cursed that this little stir doesn't warrant any concern.

"This is a controversial call... the referee ultimately awarded China a direct free kick."

"Mm, both Tang Ye and Wei Wei Shihao possess relatively strong direct free-kick skills, but there's still a huge difference between a direct free kick and a penalty..."

The difference between a free kick and a penalty is indeed substantial.

As for just how substantial, one only needs to look at Tang Ye's expression on the field to know.

With such an unhappy look on his face, Tang Ye gave the impression he wanted to rush up and kick the referee at any moment.

"Go for it!"

"Tang Ye, go for it!"

"Beep beep beep beep!!!"

Wei Wei Shihao and Tang Ye stood side by side, left and right, covering their mouths as they whispered to each other.

It appeared as though they were mutually seeking opinions, but in reality, Wei Wei Shihao was unilaterally asking for Tang Ye's thoughts.

"What's the plan?"

"..."

"I'll just take it directly."

"Then I'll make a fake run first."

Observing the shifting defensive wall before him, Tang Ye said, "No need for a fake run; I'll take it directly."

Hearing this, Wei Wei Shihao cast a serious glance at the German players inside the penalty area and softly whispered "Go for it" to Tang Ye.

"... Let's see, Germany's defensive tactics against free kicks are quite mature."

"Mm, but we should say that this current 1-2 scoreline is actually perfectly acceptable for China, since their goal difference is unlikely to be overtaken by Germany."

"Indeed, they should start wasting time now."

"Beep!"

"China's handling of this free kick!"

"Tang Ye, running up..."

Tang Ye's run had a distinct rhythm, giving Neuer the illusion that China's number 10 intended to shoot directly.

Tang Ye lifted his left leg.

Slap!

At the moment of contact, he locked his knee; the ball soared upward, showing no obvious spin in the frame.

Fuck!

It wasn't an illusion; this was indeed a direct shot!

Neuer shuffled right and leaped out fiercely.

Just then, Tang Ye's knuckleball began to dip, its trajectory somewhat erratic.

"Oh!!!"

As expected of a veteran goalkeeper, Neuer actually guessed the ball's final approximate range; his outstretched fingers even touched the ball.

But Neuer's fingers were just a bit too short!

Bang!

After deflecting off Neuer's fingertips, the free kick struck the left post, rebounded, and rolled into the goal.

"Gooo——aaaaa——llll!!!"

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Tang Ye!!!"

"Tang Ye again!!!"

"Tang Ye's brace!"

"2-2!!!"

"In the 81st minute of the second half, China has equalized the score!!!"

"Ah——! (voice cracked)"

As CCTV's commentator, Zhan Jun was truly unprofessional.

He actually cracked his voice at this moment!

Having completed the shot, Tang Ye hopped twice on the grass; after confirming the goal, he suddenly spread his arms wide and sprinted outward at his fastest speed.

"Holy shit!"

"Tang Ye! Holy shit, awesome!"

The Chinese fans in the stands were already in chaos; Tang Ye slid on his knees, stood up, took a few steps forward, and planted his feet one ahead of the other.

Emperor Armor!

Merge!!!

"Ahhh!!!"

Escrivá rushed over from the side, took a running start, and leaped directly onto Tang Ye: "Vamos!"

"Vamos!!!"

The head coach wasn't heavy; Tang Ye carried Escrivá on his back straight to the bottom of the stands, roaring with all his might.

"Roar—!!!!"

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: Controversial referee call, Tang Ye scores directly from a free kick, China ties the score in the 82nd minute of the second half!

Too, too, too strong!

The instant the goal was scored, Check Dongqiu Di's homepage was flooded with danmu comments of "666."

It seemed the fans knew nothing else to say besides "666" and "awesome."

But you can't blame them for that.

"666" and "awesome" were the most genuine expressions of the situation!

"Awesome!!!"

Near the corner flag, things were chaotic; Wu Lei shoved Feng Feng Xiaoting aside with all his strength before finally reaching Tang Ye's side.

Grabbing Tang Ye's head with both hands, Wu Lei shouted: "Tang Ye, you f***ing are the world's number one midfielder!!!!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting squeezed back in, successfully pushing Wu Lei away: "Idiot, did we need you to say that!"

"Make some space, damn it!"

Bang bang bang!

Bang bang bang bang!

Quickly leaving the celebration huddle, Escrivá began preparing for the upcoming substitution.

The Chinese team players hadn't fully finished celebrating when they quickly faced complaints from the German players.

"Referee, take a look at them."

Gündoğan spread his hands, reminding the referee that China's celebration had taken too long.

In truth, Tang Ye hadn't wasted much time on this celebration; it was just that the German players were anxious to restart play, making them feel time had passed quickly.

With less than ten minutes remaining, Germany still needed to score four goals to have a chance of entering the qualification zone; how could they not be nervous?

"Referee, hurry up, kick off!"

Flick, along with the players on the bench, was also shouting.

The referee approached Tang Ye to discuss the matter. Honestly, Tang Ye felt somewhat unjustly accused, but he showed understanding: "We'll kick off immediately, right away, okay? I have no intention of delaying; I guarantee they will have their chance."

After speaking, Tang Ye waved his hand, and the Chinese national team players began slowly retreating toward their own half.

Before being substituted off, Wei Wei Shihao wrapped an arm around Tang Ye's shoulder and gave it a sharp pat: "Awesome."

"Haha."

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up.

He was naturally very excited right now as well.

Because of that goal just now, the Chinese team no longer needed to worry about the situation between Argentina and Wales.

As long as they held this 2-2 draw, even if Argentina scored ten more goals against Wales, they couldn't stop the Chinese team!

Because the Chinese team's total points would be seven!

【Group C Standings (if the score holds until the end of the match)】

1. China, 7 points.

2. Argentina, 6 points.

3. Germany, 4 points.

4. Wales, 0 points.

"Oh..."

Taking a deep breath, the commentator felt he needed to drink some water and breathe deeply to steady his heartbeat.

"... If things continue like this, the Chinese team might take first place in Group C. Since Argentina lost their first match, their total points cannot exceed six."

"The match isn't over yet; the German team still has their final chance."