His co-commentator Xu Yang sat beside him, a thick stack of documents in front of him, all pre-match analyses of Auxerre and Sedan.
"The main attraction of today's match is very clear-Auxerre's Chinese striker, Zhang Kuang," Liu Jianhong told the camera. "This is the first time we at CCTV-5 have broadcast one of Zhang Kuang's matches, and for many Chinese fans, it will also be their first chance to watch this young player's entire performance live."
"That's right." Xu Yang took over. "Zhang Kuang has played two league matches since joining Auxerre: a hat trick in the first and a brace in the second. Five goals in two games puts him first among Ligue 1 players over that period.
"Today, he faces Ligue 2 side Sedan in the France Cup. Can he keep his red-hot scoring form going? Let's wait and see."
The studio director cut to footage of Zhang Kuang warming up.
On screen, Zhang Kuang wore a white number 33 training vest as he stretched on the sidelines. Sunlight fell across him, the contours of his profile presented to every viewer through the high-definition camera.
Meanwhile, posts were already flooding the online forums.
"Holy shit, isn't he way too handsome?"
"With that face and that body, he could easily be a male model or a celebrity. I don't think there's even a male star in showbiz that handsome, is there?"
"Since when have Chinese footballers had looks like that?"
"Isn't that Kaká? When did he switch to striker?"
"Kaká, my ass. He's obviously even better-looking than Kaká. Besides, Kaká's Brazilian, and this guy's Chinese!"
"Stop arguing and watch the match!"
"..."
Of course, Liu Jianhong and Xu Yang couldn't see the comments on the online forums, but they could feel how much attention this match was receiving-the station had originally allotted a broadcast slot from four to six in the afternoon, only to push the end time back by half an hour at short notice because of the sheer volume of inquiries, leaving more time for the pre-match buildup.
"Xu Yang, what do you think of Zhang Kuang's technical attributes?" Liu Jianhong tossed out a standard question.
Xu Yang leafed through his documents and said seriously, "Based on analysis of footage from his previous two matches, Zhang Kuang's technical attributes can be summed up in three points:
"First, his physical attributes are exceptional. His ability in physical contests is top-tier in Ligue 1. Having that kind of physique at eighteen is extremely rare.
"Second, he has a very complete range of finishing techniques. Headers, long-range strikes, getting on the end of chances in the box-he can do all of them. Of his five goals in the first two matches, two were headers, two were long-range shots, and one came inside the box. That shows he isn't a 'specialist' striker with only one way to attack.
"Third-and this is what I personally find most precious-his mentality is excellent. Daring to do such a flamboyant 'Siu' celebration on his debut, daring to say 'I want the Golden Boot' and 'I want to win the title' in interviews-that isn't getting a swollen head. That's genuine confidence. This is exactly the mindset Chinese players lack most in Europe's top five leagues."
Liu Jianhong nodded. "Well said. Now, let's connect with our reporter at the ground and hear the latest news..."
At three in the afternoon, the match kicked off on time.
Sedan might have been a Ligue 2 team, but they were certainly no pushovers. They had still been a Ligue 1 team in 2006, reaching the semifinals of the UEFA Europa League Cup that same year-although that was four years ago, their foundations and tactical discipline remained considerably stronger than those of an average Ligue 2 side.
Their head coach had clearly done his homework on Zhang Kuang.
Just two minutes into the match, Sedan's defensive midfielders began marking Zhang Kuang tightly-not one man, but two.
One pressed him in front while the other provided cover behind, the double-team even tighter and more intense than against Nice in the previous match.
"Sedan's defending against Zhang Kuang is very specifically targeted," Xu Yang said in the studio. "Their two holding midfielders barely participate in attacks, devoting all their energy to restricting Zhang Kuang's opportunities to receive the ball. This kind of defending is rarely seen in Ligue 2, which shows how seriously Sedan's head coach takes the threat posed by Zhang Kuang."
But even the tightest defense had cracks.
The eleventh minute.
Pedretti launched a long pass from the back, sending the ball toward the left side of midfield. Zhang Kuang dropped back to receive it, with Sedan's holding midfielder Kani following close behind.
As Zhang Kuang chested the ball down, he cushioned it lightly with the inside of his left foot, transferring it straight out of the air onto his right-a move he had practiced no fewer than two hundred times in his extra training that week.
Before Kani could close him down, Zhang Kuang nudged the ball sideways with the outside of his right foot and turned with the motion.
Kani lunged at empty air.
Zhang Kuang drove forward with the ball as Sedan's back line retreated rapidly. He raised his head and glanced at the goal-
Thirty-odd meters.
Within long-shot range.
"Zhang Kuang has the ball in midfield-he hasn't passed-he's carrying it forward-still thirty meters out-he shoots!"
"Bang!"
Even through the television screen, the sound of that shot carried an impact.
The ball flew like a cannon shell, barely spinning, tracing a straight line toward the top-left corner of the goal. Before Sedan's goalkeeper could even attempt a save, it had already slammed into the net.
1-0.
"GOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
In the commentary booth at the ground, the local French television commentator's voice suddenly soared into an outright roar.
"A worldie! Another worldie! Zhang Kuang scores from long range! A thunderbolt from over thirty meters out! Sedan's goalkeeper didn't react at all-the ball was too fast! This is Zhang Kuang's first goal in the France Cup!"
"Siu!"
By the corner flag, Zhang Kuang performed his trademark celebration once again. As he landed, the camera clearly captured his roar, his young face brimming with an arrogance that bowed to no one.
The comments had gone crazy.
"What kind of shot was that? My God, that was insane!"
"Just winding up and smashing it from over thirty meters out-that isn't football, that's firing artillery!"
"Sedan's keeper was completely stunned, haha!"
"I hereby declare that from today onward, I'm Zhang Kuang's brainless fan."
"An eighteen-year veteran Zhang Kuang fan arrives uninvited!"
"Dude above, he'd only just been born eighteen years ago, and you were already his fan? You already knew he'd become a football star?"
"Then I'm a veteran fan from his embryo days!"
"..."
Seeing Zhang Kuang score, Sedan's head coach shook his head helplessly. He had taken him seriously enough, only to discover in the end that it still hadn't been enough!
All he could do was keep shouting from the sidelines for tighter marking on Zhang Kuang, yelling nervously whenever he saw Zhang Kuang receive the ball.
The twenty-ninth minute.
Pedretti won the ball in midfield and quickly played it to Oliech on the flank. Oliech drove forward, then squared the ball from the right side of the penalty area to Zhang Kuang at the top of the arc.
This time, Sedan's defense made no mistake-Kani and the other holding midfielder converged on him together. Kani even reached out a hand, trying to muscle Zhang Kuang aside.
But he couldn't budge him.
With his back to goal, Zhang Kuang held off both men, dragged the ball with his right foot, turned, and pushed it with the inside of his left-the ball passed between Kani's legs and rolled toward the left side of the six-yard box.
Jelen surged forward and smashed it first-time.
Sedan's goalkeeper parried the ball.
But it hadn't been cleared far.
Zhang Kuang's second burst from the top of the penalty arc was quicker than anyone else's. He charged into the box and raised his right foot the instant the ball bounced-not to shoot, but to control it.
The ball settled firmly in front of him as though glued to his foot. Then he used his body to shield it from the recovering defender, cut back with his left, and side-footed a shot with his right-
2-0.
"A second! Zhang Kuang has a brace!" Liu Jianhong's voice had already gone hoarse. "A cool side-footed finish after shaking off the defense inside the box!
"The way he handled that was so mature-control, shielding, cutback, shot. Four movements in one flowing sequence, without a single unnecessary adjustment!"
"I have to say something, guys," Xu Yang added beside him, his voice unusually excited. "Plenty of Chinese players have scored in Europe's top five leagues. Sun Jihai has, Shao Jiayi has, Yang Chen has.
"But doing what Zhang Kuang just did-forcibly turning under a double-team to thread a pass through someone's legs, then accelerating again into the box to score on the rebound-that level of individual ability and presence on the pitch is something I've never seen in a Chinese player."
"Never," Xu Yang emphasized again.