At the request of the referee, Hulai, who was beaten with a nosebleed, went to the sidelines to stop the bleeding and change his jersey - his jersey has also been dripped with nosebleeds, although not much, but according to the requirements of the organizing committee of the competition, as long as the jersey has blood stains, it must be replaced.

When he went to the sidelines to receive treatment to stop the bleeding and change his jersey, Dongchuan Middle School was one less person on the field.

And Li Ziqiang has already made adjustments when the team celebrates the goal, and now he can let the team recover all the lines and hold on until the end of the game.

Like an enraged swarm, Huitang Middle School poured out of its nest and launched the most fierce attack on the goal of Dongchuan Middle School.

With little time left, it is no longer possible for them to be as patient in the midfield as before, looking for holes in the defense of Dongchuan Middle School. The players of Huitang Middle School are very anxious now, and when they get the ball, they can't wait to shoot directly through the goal of Dongchuan Middle School, and it is simply unrealistic to let them slowly fall according to the original established tactics.

However, Huitang Middle School has always insisted on this style of play, and now they are required to quickly change their tactics in the last few minutes, and start simple and rough long passes, wide crosses and direct long-range shots, and the offensive effect will be greatly reduced.

I believe that Lu Jianbai, the head coach of Huitang Middle School, must understand this very well, but he has no choice.

In fact, any team in this situation will make the same choice as Huitang Middle School, even those big professional teams.

Because this is the most suitable style of play in this situation, go for more attacks, and then hope that at least one of those attacks will hit the target...... To put it bluntly, it's a big luck.

Watching his team being bombarded in the half of the court by opponents, Hulai, who was receiving treatment on the sidelines, looked a little anxious.

He kept asking the doctors in the medical team, "Are you alright?" Is it okay? I didn't feel like my nose was bleeding......"

"Don't worry, lad. You're in a hurry to play, and if you bleed again, don't you have to come down? "The doctor in the medical team is an elderly doctor, with gray hair, and he has a calm confidence and leisurely demeanor. If you sit in the consultation room, it really makes the patient feel a sense of trust and security as soon as they see it.

But now on the sidelines of the fierce competition, his slowness can only make a teenager like Hulai feel impatient.

"Wouldn't that be better?" He replied.

"Better?" The old doctor couldn't understand how it would be better if his nose was bleeding again......

"Then I can come down for another treatment, and by the time I get off the pitch with so much blood loss, there's not many seconds left in the game." Hulay gave his explanation.

"......" The old doctor was speechless, what are the children thinking about all day long!

He patted Hulai on the shoulder hard: "Okay, let's go on the field!" ”

Hulai hurriedly stepped forward, stood on the sidelines, raised his arms high and waved at the referee, hoping that he would see it sooner.

At the same time as he raised his hand, the referee had already made a hook gesture to him, signaling that he was ready to play.

At this time, Huitang Middle School had almost turned this game into a half-court offensive and defensive battle.

By the time Hulai came onto the pitch, all the substitutes had left their positions on the bench behind him, standing shoulder to shoulder on the sidelines, looking forward to the whistle at the end of the game.

By Li Ziqiang's side, the team leader teacher was also standing there, with an expectant expression on his face, waiting for the game to end.

※※※

Li Qingqing raised his eyes and glanced at the game time, and the fourth official had already raised the sign of injury time, which was three minutes of stoppage time.

With three minutes left, the game will be over.

In other words, Dongchuan Middle School is only three minutes away from reaching the quarterfinals of the national competition.

To be able to reach the quarter-finals as a team that reached a national tournament for the first time is a great performance.

She was happy for her dad and was able to lead a high school soccer team to such a result immediately after coming out of Tho Shun, which fully proved his ability.

At the same time, she was happy for Hulai.

When I watched him clumsily train alone in that small clearing, I never imagined that one day, this clumsy boy would score three goals in the national competition and help the team reach the national quarterfinals.

And when she saw it for the first time, she only thought that people were like dogs with frisbee in their mouths......

Thinking of the scene when he first saw him, Li Qingqing couldn't help but laugh again.

She never told Hulai what his image was in her mind - she was afraid that if Hulai was angry, surely no one would like to be felt like a dog by others, right?

She smiled as she looked at the tiny figure on the TV screen.

※※※

As time passed, the players of Huitang Middle School became more and more impatient, and Dongchuan Middle School's countermeasures were very simple, focusing on safety, and when they got the ball, they would directly kick the front court to the sideline to try to get the football out of bounds.

In this way, it takes time to re-serve the throw-in, and the game time is reasonably consumed.

Hulai panted and ran on the court, running wherever there was a ball, and at this time, he didn't care what position he was in, even if he could interfere with the opponent's attack.

He's not good at defending, so he can only make a small contribution to the team in this way.

In the process, he didn't have time to pay attention to how much time was left in the game.

It wasn't until he suddenly heard three whistles and the shouts in the stands a little louder that he realized - the game was over!

They became the quarter-finalists of the national competition!

Instead of chasing the football, he ran to his nearest teammate with open arms and hugged them in celebration.

"It's over! The game is over! Unbelievable! Dongchuan Middle School, which participated in the national competition for the first time, defeated Huitang Middle School, the fourth place in the last national competition, 3:2 in the second round! The commentator yelled excitedly that he didn't have a clear bias, but everyone likes to see upsets, and he is no exception.

"Before the game, Huitang Middle School was stronger than Dongchuan Middle School. But that's the beauty of a football game, you never know who's going to win or lose until the final whistle! Huitang Middle School had a great start, they once led Dongchuan Middle School by two goals in the first half, but then Dongchuan Middle School launched a Jedi counterattack and scored three goals in a row! Looking at it now, Luo Kai's goal in the first half was very crucial, narrowing the gap to one point, boosting the morale and confidence of the whole team of Dongchuan Middle School, and laying the foundation for the Jedi counterattack in the second half...... Of course, the No.14 Hulai, who came off the bench in the second half, also played an important role, his first goal directly helped the team equalize, and the second goal, although there was some element of luck, was always a goal......"

While the commentators were still talking, the players from Dongchuan Middle School on the sidelines couldn't wait to rush into the court, cheering, screaming, jumping, spinning, and some even burst into tears.

Chu Yifan's eyes turned red.

Yan Yan hugged him: "What's the matter, Team Chu?" Why is it red? ”

Chu Yifan rubbed his eyes: "There are grass clippings in my eyes." ”

Yan Yan laughed: "Understand, understand, understand." ”

Chu Yifan looked at Luo Kai and Hu Lai, who were hugging his teammates, and sighed deeply: "When I was in the Anton Cup, I felt content to be able to participate in a national competition once in my life. For me, the national competition is a very distant and sacred stage...... Anyone who can participate in the national competition is the best team, and I have been dreaming of this since I entered Dongchuan Middle School......"

Yan Yan didn't speak, just smiled and patted the captain's shoulder.

"I should thank Luo Kai and thank Hulai for helping me achieve my dream, but also far exceeding my expectations. I just wanted to compete in the national competition, but I didn't expect to make it to the quarterfinals...... When I heard others say that Jiaxiang High School won the top 16 and top 8 in the national competition, I thought it was really amazing......

"So now we're just like Jiaxiang!" Yan Yan said.

※※※

"Bang!"

There was a sudden crunch in the locked headmaster's office, as if something had been thrown to the ground.

This made the principal's secretary, who was sitting in the distance, stand up a little nervously and look at the door.

He knew what the old headmaster was doing behind closed doors at this time, because it was not the first time the headmaster had done this during this time.

Watching the ball, of course.

But when I watched the ball, I saw that something had fallen......

A thought popped into the secretary's head: Could it be that our Dongchuan Middle School lost? The old headmaster dropped something in a fit of rage?

Thinking of this, he walked quickly to the door, but stopped just as his hand was about to touch the doorknob - the old headmaster locked it and couldn't open it himself......

He raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Principal Zhai?" Principal Zhai? ”

He could also faintly hear the roar coming from the TV behind the door, but he couldn't hear exactly what was said......

Just as he was about to knock on the door again, the door was opened from the inside, and Principal Zhai stood in front of him and said to him with a smile: "Xiao Wang, ask Aunt Cleaning to clean my room." ”

The secretary looked at Principal Zhai in front of him, there were water marks in his hair, and there were some unwiped water marks on his shoulders and chest on his clothes.

"Principal Zhai, what are you ......?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I was so excited that I accidentally knocked over the teacup." As soon as Principal Zhai leaned sideways, his secretary saw the ceramic teacups that had broken into several petals on the floor behind him, and the tea that was spraying from the desk to the floor......

"This, Principal Zhai, are we...... Lost? The secretary asked cautiously.

"Lose? How could it be ......"

Before Principal Zhai finished speaking, the secretary heard the excited voice of the narrator coming from the TV in the room: "Dongchuan Middle School, which participated in the national competition for the first time, has created great results!" They eliminated Huitang Middle School, the fourth place in the last competition, 3:2 and reached the quarterfinals of the competition! ”

The secretary who heard these words showed a surprised expression, but the smile on the face of Principal Zhai, who was standing in front of him, became brighter and brighter, like a blooming flower.

※※※

While the players of Dongchuan Middle School were frantically celebrating their promotion, their opponents, Huitang Middle School, were all slumped on the ground.

Including captain Wang Chaolin and vice captain Ke Yan, many people looked up at the sky and couldn't stop their tears from flowing down.

Last year, they were fourth in the country, but they stopped in the second round of this competition.

Such a huge gap makes many people unacceptable.

Especially a senior player like Wang Chaolin. The defeat in this game meant the end of their high school football career.

When they return to school, they will all retire from the team and devote themselves wholeheartedly to preparing for the college entrance examination.

Unless any of them will choose to go in the direction of professional football......

After shaking hands with Li Ziqiang, Lu Jianbai, the head coach of Huitang Middle School, walked onto the court.

He walked up to the dejected players, looked at the crying players, and pursed his lips for a long time without speaking.

He quietly gave the children time to cry.

As boys, this may be one of the few times they can cry without being ridiculed.

He didn't bother them.

It wasn't until a moment later that he said, "Get up, and shake hands with your opponents." ”

He didn't yell at them, scold them, criticize them like he had done before.

After the players gathered, he looked at the sad and fearful players and said, "Don't worry, I won't scold you." I don't scold you, it's not because you did your best in this game, so you have no regrets. You still have a lot of problems in this game, some of them are even more serious, otherwise we wouldn't have lost the game. I don't scold you because I've already lost the game, and it's useless to scold you as turtle grandchildren now. If we have the next game, I'm going to scold you for not being able to eat and sleep at night, and I promise, you all know what kind of coach I am. ”

The players pursed their lips and looked at the vicious manager to which they had become accustomed.

As the captain, Wang Chaolin choked up a little: "Coach, we ......"

Lu Jianbai waved his hand: "Don't be in a hurry to apologize." You made mistakes in the game, I made mistakes in the game – I shouldn't have ignored the number fourteen who was brought in. I ignored him, so you ignored him...... But that doesn't matter anymore. Students, youth is like this, like a football game, you will always make mistakes, either here or there, and you may even make mistakes again in the same place. ”

Speaking of this, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Remember these mistakes, and don't deceive yourself with those self-deceptive excuses. Remember, because you make a mistake, you lose the game, and if you make a mistake, you will pay a price, and that's the price. If you're sad about being knocked out, you have to remember it, and then remember it for me later in life – not just football but everything else – and don't take it to chance and think that if you make a mistake and it's okay if you don't get caught. I tell you, as long as you make a mistake, there will be a price waiting for you, either at the time or at a time when you don't know when in the future. I hope my words can be of some help to you, now go and shake hands with your opponent, be generous, others will play better than you! ”

※※※

The players of Jiaxiang High School did not turn off the projection and leave after the game, and when they saw that the opponent they defeated in the third and fourth finals last year was now on the way to 16 to 8, they were inevitably a little embarrassed.

The single-elimination national tournament is too cruel, and a team has been preparing carefully for a year, but I didn't expect to have to go home after only one or two games.

In fact, since the birth of the national competition, there has been a controversial voice, that the national competition should adopt the World Cup-like group stage plus knockout game format, so that the team can play more games and have more sense of participation.

However, this will lengthen the time of the event, and there are concerns about delaying students' preparation for the college entrance examination. It is possible that the senior players will be withdrawn from the national competition.

Therefore, the national competition has always adhered to the current single-elimination system.

Although it is cruel, although there are shortcomings, as long as it is a competitive sport, how can there be no cruelty and regret?

Chongwen Middle School, the champion of the last national competition, was eliminated in the first round of the last competition, which is even more cruel and regrettable than today's Huitang Middle School.

Everyone always has to get used to and accept this kind of cruelty and regret, after all, there are more cruel and regrettable things waiting for them in society than the national competition.

Seeing that everyone's emotions were affected, captain Wu Yue stood up and slapped his face: "Hey, everyone should correct their positions, we are the team of Andong Province, Dongchuan Middle School represents our Andong Province, everyone should be happy for their outstanding performance!" ”

At this moment, the live broadcast on the projection screen continued, and Hulai appeared in the frame, being interviewed.

The Jiaxiang High School players who saw this scene were a little surprised: "I'm going, I actually interviewed Hu Lai after the game today?!" This kid ......"

"It's normal, people scored two goals in the game, and if you look at the goals alone, he is the biggest contributor to Dongchuan Middle School's ability to advance to the quarterfinals......"

"It's really unbelievable, when I was dealing with us, I actually used my hand to pull the captain's hair on the field, and I was completely an unreliable little brat...... As a result, he is now a player who can score three goals in a national tournament......"

The voice of the live interview came from the speaker: "Hu Lai, first of all, congratulations to your team on advancing to the quarterfinals. Before the game, many people felt that Dongchuan Middle School was participating in the national competition for the first time, and it would be difficult to continue to move forward when they met the fourth place in the last session. But the fighting spirit and level you showed in the competition was unforgettable, how do you feel about reaching the quarter-finals in your first national competition? ”

Hearing this question, the players of Jiaxiang High School, who were talking about it, closed their mouths and turned their heads to look at the person on the big screen.

I saw Hu Lai show a puzzled expression: "Is it an incredible thing to beat the fourth in the last session?" I hadn't thought about it at all...... After all, we eliminated the third national competition in the province. ”

Seeing that the reporter's expression was a little strange, he thought that the other party didn't believe it, so he hurriedly said: "It's Jiaxiang High School, isn't it the third place in the last national competition?" We all won them. So you see, winning a fourth place in the last national competition is not a big deal, right? ”

He spread his hands.

Reporter: "Uh......"

The players of Jiaxiang High School in the audio-visual room were collectively stunned for a few seconds, and then collectively blew up.

"I take back what I just said! This is still an unreliable little brat! ”

"Wow! It's too much of a deception! Don't bring such a whip! ”

"! It's only the top eight, so it's dragged like this! You're a fart! ”

"Boy, wait and see, the next Anton Cup will let you know who is the boss of Anton High School football!"

"Wu Yue, it's not that I don't give you face! Let such a little kid represent us Anton, I won't do it! ”

Wu Yue covered his face and said in his heart, what do you like......

Feng Yuanchang, who was sitting in the last row of the classroom, saw this scene, but a smile appeared on his face.

In the next Anton Cup, he, as a coach, doesn't have to worry about mobilization at all......