Deadly Arc

Su Dong carefully wiped the football in his hands with his jersey, then gently placed it in the free-kick area. He slowly backed away three steps before taking his position.

He raised his head and slowly looked ahead.

Chelsea had clearly realized how dangerous the free-kick position was. Twenty-five meters from the goal in the center—that was an extremely dangerous area. Čech had therefore specifically set up a four-man wall, all of them tall players from the team. Even Drogba had been dragged in to make up the numbers. Clearly, they intended to increase the difficulty of Su Dong's free kick.

As everyone knew, the taller the wall, the harder it was to keep the free kick's arc low after clearing it.

But Su Dong's most terrifying weapon was precisely his free-kick arc.

France Football Magazine had previously published a special article discussing Su Dong's free-kick skills. It claimed that after Juninho, his free kicks were the most lethal in European football—not only did they come from tricky angles, but their trajectories were especially bizarre.

Su Dong did not take that many free kicks, but whenever he struck the ball, his conversion rate was exceptionally high.

Because Su Dong was so renowned, Čech was especially tense.

His legs were slightly spread, his body bent forward, like a powerful cheetah ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.

Su Dong, meanwhile, was doing his best to calm his breathing and adjust his physical condition.

When the referee blew his whistle, he took his familiar steps and charged toward the ball. Once his left foot was planted firmly, his right foot struck out swiftly.

After completing the entire free-kick motion, his body was twisted into an extremely awkward posture. Yet the ball he sent flying shot off the grass like a