[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back":3,"chapter-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-874":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Football: At 16, Let Me Retire and Come Back?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2300844,4499,"Chapter 874: The Shine of Life Cannot Be Seen Without Holding On to the End","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-874",874,"\u003Cp>Dongqiu Di pinned: China vs Netherlands penalty shootout in progress, current score 1:1, Fan Daike and Tang Ye have both scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both teams’ captains have stepped forward, and both performed exceptionally well—they both kept the goalkeeper guessing about their shooting direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sets of fans are under immense pressure, but the home team Netherlands are under slightly greater pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Netherlands hold advantages in every aspect, yet now they must rely on a highly uncertain penalty shootout to decide the winner—this is simply terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The purpose of a penalty shootout is solely to determine a winner in elimination matches; whether the outcome truly reflects the relative strength of the two teams is not the shootout’s concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The penalty shootout only cares about ending the match!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Van Gaal and Escrivá exchanged a glance, then quickly turned their heads away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, neither side had any confidence about winning the penalty shootout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Netherlands had not studied China’s penalty tactics, and China had not studied theirs either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because before the penalty shootout actually arrived, no one imagined the match would unfold this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone’s to blame, it’s Tang Ye—he’s the one who scored two goals in five minutes and threw the game into chaos!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Netherlands’ second penalty taker, Frenkie de Jong!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“De Jong, run-up…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shoot left!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dalei dives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He guessed the direction correctly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wang Dalei’s outstretched hand didn’t reach the ball—De Jong’s penalty rolled along the post’s edge and went out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dutch fans in the stands looked utterly incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“De Jong! You overthought the angle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Netherlands missed their second penalty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, it’s not really the player’s fault—I feel Van Gaal’s decision here is questionable. De Jong started and played the full match; we could already see in extra time that he was exhausted…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both are midfielders from Manchester United, but De Jong clearly lacks Tang Ye’s extraordinary stamina and recovery speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Netherlands are falling behind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Really?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Holy shit, my heart rate must be 200 right now—please don’t mess up, Wu Ball King, stay calm! Don’t overaim!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【De Jong today was just… hard to describe, but I love it. Go China!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【What’s Wu Lei’s penalty conversion rate this season in La Liga? Anyone watching La Liga, speak up!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quick check of the data—within seconds, a box popped up in the lower-left corner of CCTV-5.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, Wu Lei has taken two penalties, with a 50% success rate: two last season, zero this season—so we don’t know his current form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Lei…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shoot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beautiful! So steady! Wu Lei read Nopert’s body movement perfectly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After two rounds, trailing by one goal, the Dutch goalkeeper is now drenched in sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t practiced penalties at all during this World Cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Chinese team…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many don’t know that during their preparation for Spain, the Chinese team had trained penalties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t use it against Spain because Spain performed so poorly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now against the Netherlands, Escrivá was astonished to find: this penalty training came at the perfect time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gakpo was also sent off in extra time—so for the Netherlands, the next penalty taker will have to be Kupmenas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kupmenas bent down, placed the ball steadily on the penalty spot, stared at Wang Dalei, then stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dalei clapped his hands, as if fully prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kupmenas takes his run-up…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shot strikes Wang Dalei’s chest—the Chinese goalkeeper, ecstatic, curls his body to secure the ball and prevent any mishap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow!!!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams erupt from the away fans in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Netherlands have missed two penalties in a row!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>China now holds a major advantage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t panic, don’t panic, breathe deep, take it slow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Van Gaal’s shouts, Fan Daike hugs Kupmenas’s head, patting his teammate’s back to comfort him: “Don’t worry, we still have a great chance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On China’s side, the third taker is Zhang Yuning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, Ning Ge!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep-beep-beep-beep!!!!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Netherlands’ consecutive misses, Zhang Yuning directly mirrored his opponent—a powerful strike that rocketed into the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t keep it down!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The penalty state of both teams’ players today…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Apart from Tang Ye, Fan Daike, and Wu Lei, every other player on the field is struggling!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides are now extremely tense—only those who can hold their composure will stand at the end!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine, it’s fine!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye and Feng Xiaoting embrace Zhang Yuning: “We’re leading! We’re leading!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Netherlands’ side, the fourth taker is Wegerhorst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dalei guessed Wegerhorst’s shooting direction—but didn’t expect such a ferocious strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Netherlands showed their status as a top European side, pulling the game back despite being down by two goals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Netherlands: √××√\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>China: √√×\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both teams now have two goals each. China’s next taker is Feng Xiaoting. If Feng scores, China will guarantee at least a tie in this round of penalties!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sss… China must seize this chance—if we go to the next round, the Netherlands likely won’t make such a big mistake as in the first round.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoting, the fourth taker, became a pivotal figure in the penalty shootout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dutch players are rapidly adjusting to penalties—if China ties this round, they may not get such a good opportunity again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feng Xiaoting embraces Tang Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushes hard, looks Tang Ye in the eye: “I’ll take you to the semifinals. We won’t hold you back—I promise!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take you to the semifinals!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Feng Xiaoting first bumps fists with Tang Ye, then punches his own chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grits his teeth and walks forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Feng Xiaoting!!! You’ve got to do it!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【My hands are shaking, guys, shaking】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【The Netherlands’ mistakes—I can’t believe it. Was De Jong thanking his big brother for the lesson?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Holy shit, we’re still ahead? Did the Netherlands run out of steam?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“China’s fourth penalty taker is Feng Xiaoting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beep!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here he comes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commentator nearly fainted seeing the ball hit the post—thankfully, it bounced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beautiful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three goals!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now the Chinese team has secured that they won’t be eliminated in this round.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the Netherlands’ fifth player misses their penalty, or China’s fifth player scores, China will win the penalty shootout outright!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera showed Feng Xiaoting screaming toward the home stand, the Chinese national team defender pointing his thumb at his head, as if emphasizing to viewers at home that he had scored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chinese players waiting near the center circle also shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Lei could now clearly feel Wei Shihao trembling beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Escrivá’s original lineup, Wei Shihao was scheduled to be the fifth penalty taker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You okay, Hao Ge?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghh… I’m not okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The score is now 2:3; Wei Shihao appears to decide whether the entire team advances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hao Ge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Ye and Chi Zhongguo placed their hands on Wei Shihao: “If you can’t do it, just say so—it’s fine. We can still substitute. Guang Tai can take it; he’s not bad either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1159,"2026-06-20T06:50:12.695Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d755100dec873c8241b5ff4623f69aeb4ea29f19b5e8d5a8e70d0a7e490d1d5f","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-875","football-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-chapter-873",918,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffootball-at-16-let-me-retire-and-come-back-cover.jpg"]