I Have a Date with a Double Bloom

The two center-backs for Chaves were not tall, which left them extremely passive whenever Su Dong held the ball with his back to the goal.

There was no helping it; with their short stature and short legs, they were simply out of reach the moment Su Dong planted his long legs to control the ball.

However, they did have their own advantages: they were small, fast, and agile.

Whenever an opportunity arose, they would attempt to push their defensive line forward, partly to relieve pressure on the penalty area—especially the goal—and partly to provide timely support to the midfield and even the attack.

Whether it was the Chaves head coach on the sidelines or the players on the pitch, everyone was well aware that passive defending would only lead to them being overwhelmed and eventually conceding.

Under these circumstances, they would launch fierce counterattacks and push their line forward at every available opportunity.

Su Dong did not mind; he constantly adjusted his movement based on the shifting defensive line and the flow of the game, running incessantly.

Whether left or right, or dropping back to support the midfield, he never stopped for a moment.

This gave the two Chaves center-backs an illusion: was this kid some kind of solar-powered robot?

Otherwise, how could one explain his massive, six-foot-three frame running with such disregard for his own stamina?

But then they reconsidered—that didn't make sense either. It was evening, the sun was about to set, and solar power wouldn't last long.

Watching Su Dong run like that, the two Chaves center-backs couldn't keep up.

In their view, as long as Su Dong didn't get behind the defensive line, they were safe.

When it came to speed, how could they, standing at just over five-foot-eleven, possibly lose to a six-foot-three giant?

During a defensive transition, Sporting Lisbon successfully intercepted the ball.

Jose Fonte had just won possession when he immediately sent a diagonal pass to the right flank.

Rony controlled the ball and moved toward the center, shaking off his marker before dribbling diagonally toward the center circle.

The Chaves defensive line retreated continuously, with the two center-backs sandwiching Su Dong between them.

Su Dong waited patiently for his chance.

As Rony reached the center circle, he encountered a defensive midfielder, quickly pulled the ball back, turned to the right, and unleashed a long, lofted pass with his right foot.

The ball soared over the opposing defensive line, dropping toward the right side.

The moment Rony made the pass, Su Dong, having anticipated the play, pushed off with both legs and sprinted forward at top speed.

The two opposing center-backs started at the same time, charging forward rapidly.

The three of them were locked in a race, especially the left center-back, who was closest to Su Dong; both were charging toward the ball.

Right before the eyes of everyone in the stadium, and to the utter astonishment of the two center-backs, Su Dong—who had been trailing and deemed "safe" by the defenders—began to close the gap as he hit his stride.

By the time they reached the thirty-meter zone, the left center-back watched in disbelief as Su Dong pulled level and then began to edge past him.

This... how could this be?

It was completely unscientific!

The Chaves left center-back didn't even have time to shout or panic; realizing Su Dong was about to overtake him, he reached out with both hands, grabbed the back of Su Dong's jersey, and pulled hard.

The tug slowed Su Dong down slightly, and using the momentum from the pull, the Chaves left center-back lunged forward, swinging his right foot to clear the ball.

As long as he kicked it to a teammate, they would be safe.

But even with his jersey being pulled, Su Dong continued to surge forward.

For the past week, he had been undergoing running drills under the guidance of Pontes.

The training focused on issues he had previously shown while running, such as his tendency to stumble during high-speed sprints.

It seemed like a minor issue, but it had a significant impact; stumbling meant he couldn't perform other actions while sprinting, making it easy for his technique to fall apart.

Although a week of special training was short, it had produced results.

After stabilizing his frame, Su Dong reached out a foot during his high-speed sprint and gently nudged the ball forward.

The opponent's clearance struck the sole of his boot.

Getting kicked on the sole of the boot was not uncommon in football, and after the impact, Su Dong merely stumbled for a moment before quickly regaining his balance. The opponent, however, felt his body jar upon hitting Su Dong, lost his balance, and tumbled outside the penalty area.

Su Dong took another step and caught up to the ball on the edge of the penalty area.

By then, the other center-back had also closed in on Su Dong's left.

He couldn't stop; if he paused, the defender would block his shooting angle, and with the goalkeeper closing him down, the golden opportunity would be lost.

This judgment flashed through Su Dong's mind, and almost without thinking, before the opponent could react, he caught up to the ball, drew back his leg, and unleashed a thunderous strike.

Batty Goal!!!!!

This powerful, heavy shot from the right side of the penalty spot caught both the center-back and the goalkeeper completely off guard.

Although the goalkeeper dove to his right, he still couldn't prevent the ball from slamming into the right side of the net.

One-nil!

"Wahoo!!!!!"

Su Dong leaped into the air, clenching his fists and shouting.

The Sporting Lisbon B fans on the sidelines cheered along.

"Who is the player who scored? I haven't seen him before."

"Was he promoted from the youth team?"

"He looks so tall. I don't recall him, and he doesn't look like a youth team player."

"Did we sign him during the Winter Break?"

"I've heard of him. I think he was signed from Sporting Portugal. He performed well in the Portuguese Second Division, but I don't know his name. He's wearing number 36."

"Goodness, he was so fast just now."

"Wasn't he? Neither of their center-backs could keep up with him. That was terrifying."

"I remember now, isn't he the Little God of War?"

"The Little God of War?"

"Yeah, his shooting is a lot like the Batty Goal of the God of War, Batistuta, so everyone calls him the Little God of War."

"Little God of War!"

"Little God of War!!!"

As Su Dong celebrated the goal with his teammates on the pitch, he was startled to hear the fans on the sidelines shouting "Little God of War." He couldn't help but offer a wry smile; he hadn't expected this nickname from his time at Sporting Portugal to follow him all the way to Sporting Lisbon.

"God, you've stolen all my thunder," Rony complained, his face twisted in mock misery as he leaned in to hug him.

Scoring on his first shot, and doing it in such spectacular fashion—how was Rony, the pride of the Sports Tower, or rather, the top dog of Correia, supposed to handle this?

"I don't mind the thunder, but the three weeks of cleaning duty still stand. It'll save me some housekeeping money."

Rony was speechless.

At this moment, he wanted to slap himself and give his own foot a hard stomp.

Why did he have to show off?

Now look at this: he'd missed three shots, Su Dong had scored on his first, and he was stuck cleaning for three weeks. This life was truly bleak.

"Can we get a discount? I had two shots on target earlier," Rony tried to bargain.

"Go talk to Jose about that."

Jose?

Rony felt despair.

That guy, who had vowed to pour all his energy into the greatest cause in human history—chasing girls—hated cleaning more than anything. Once he found out Rony had to clean for three weeks, he wouldn't let him off for a single day.

Su Dong's goal had Jean James grinning from ear to ear on the sidelines.

This goal not only broke the deadlock but also gave Sporting Lisbon B a fantastic start.

In a football match, the most feared scenario is attacking for a long time without scoring, only to be hit by an opponent's counterattack, as the rate of conceding is far too high.

But now, Su Dong's goal had come from a counterattack, which was like putting a tightening headband on Chaves, signaling to the opponent that if they dared to counter, he could counter their counter at any moment.

"This kid is truly fast, and just as Pontes said, he really can get faster and faster," Cardozo exclaimed in admiration.

When the 1.9-meter-tall Su Dong had surged forward just now, the opponent had grabbed his jersey with both hands, stretching the fabric until it looked like a taut bowstring. If not for the quality of the material, it would have surely torn.

Even so, it still couldn't stop Su Dong's charge.

"He can hold the ball and distribute in high positions, he has the speed to counter in low positions, his movement is excellent, he can play on the wing or in the middle, and he has the ability to break through..."

As Jean James spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Su Dong, his tone filled with wonder. "This kid is truly unscientific, but he is also quite promising."

Cardozo and Silva both nodded in agreement.

As coaches, their greatest wish was to cultivate outstanding players.

Quaresma and Rony belonged to this category, and Su Dong had just been added to the list.

With Su Dong breaking the deadlock, the situation on the pitch opened up significantly.

Chaves remained passive, but they were also desperately searching for opportunities to counter and attack, which led their players to lose focus on defense as they became distracted by their own offensive efforts.

Without a unified strategy on the pitch, it was easy for the players to fall into disagreement.

This became even more apparent in the second half.

In the fifty-third minute of the second half, Su Dong held the ball with his back to the goal once again. With Rony completely marked, he turned and passed to Marcelino, who had found space on the left. The latter drove the ball deep, shook off his defender on the left side of the penalty area, and forced a cross after reaching the byline.

Inside the box, Su Dong stood with his back to the defender, facing the left. He trapped the ball with his chest and then used his right foot to cushion it into the net.

This delicate, cushioned shot sent the ball easily into the Chaves goal once more.

Two-nil!

A brace!

Su Dong was so excited that he sprinted around the pitch.

He never could have imagined that he would score a brace in his debut for Sporting Portugal, and now, in his first match for Sporting Lisbon, he had scored another brace.

Could it be that his professional career was destined to be tied to scoring two goals in every debut?

Su Dong couldn't say what the future held, but the feeling of scoring was absolutely incredible!

The only regret was that there were so few spectators at the reserve team match—a mere one or two hundred people—so the cheering lacked any real impact.

If this had been at Alvalade Stadium, with fifty thousand people shouting in unison, it would have been magnificent!

But a goal was wonderful regardless, and Su Dong excitedly ran around the pitch, high-fiving Jose Semedo on the bench before wrapping his arms around Rony, who had run over, and lifting him off the ground.

"It seems you really are determined to challenge me for the top spot, you guy," Rony complained with a hint of jealousy.

My handsome and beautiful readers, what happened to the promised tips, follows, and recommendation votes? Don't leave me hanging...