The coach made me ready to play. Senior Yuan Yikong handed me the gloves, they belonged to the main goalkeeper Zeng Shuoshi, who was injured during the warm-up before the game. "Instructor Yuan" told me not to be nervous, he also made his debut in the first official game of the first year of junior high school.

"You see, Mu Zheng and He Mingming, who are at the same level as you, also started today. As a goalkeeper, you just have to be steady and leave the rest to our defenders. By the way, don't be shy, you have to shout when you need to, and you have to remind your teammates if there is someone behind you. ”

"Don't put too much pressure on your junior. Peve, you just play normally. Senior Kuang Hao, who wore the captain's armband, pushed away Yuan Yikong's huge body, "Come on, I'll take you to do a set of warm-ups." ”

"Wait a minute, okay?" As soon as I saw the captain nod, I immediately ran from the bench to the stands. Only one roommate came to Miller, and the game was on Sunday afternoon, and everyone hadn't returned to school yet - except for Zhang Taotao, who was also on the team, we stayed in school for three weekends.

Miller was talking to a tall girl in the stands, and when he saw me coming, he naturally got up and fell on the railing.

"Did you start today? Great, I've just heard that the substitute goalkeeper may not be able to play a game for a semester. "He's so much happier than I am.

"That's because the senior is injured." I frowned, "Can you make a run for me and go to the dorm and get my gloves?" ”

"Don't you have gloves?"

"That's the senior, I want to use my own."

"Don't you like what other people have used? Then our sheets and quilts ......."

"Where's that? I just want you to help me get it. I looked back and saw that the captain was still waiting for me on the bench, "the game is about to start......

He turned around and ran, and I wanted to tell him that it was the pair that Xianxian gave me, not the one used in the previous "trial". He can probably guess what I want, he probably would.

Time slows down so that I can put on the gloves my brother gave me and participate in the first game of junior high school.

At the end of the warm-up, my back was a little wet. I sweat so easily, I really don't like to exercise much, and it's the hardest thing to hang on to my body with moisture and stickiness. Fortunately, there was a little wind in the afternoon, and autumn is suitable for football games. In a few minutes, the referee enters the stadium and the game will officially begin. Although the spectators in the stands were scattered, there were thirty or forty people. A flag was tied to a railing with a purple school emblem and the words "Jiangyuan No. 1 Middle School Boys' Soccer Team" underneath. Several seniors got together to talk about the situation of the opponent - the middle school affiliated to Jiangyuan University of Technology, their strength is between us and us, but in the group stage of the mayor's cup last year, the first middle school lost both legs with a score of 1:2.

The Mayor's Cup is an eight-a-side competition, similar to the Champions League, with 16 schools competing in a group of four schools, with a round-robin home and away match. We'll play three games at our own school and we'll play one game at each of our opponents' schools. Last semester, he played the group stage, a total of 6 games, 3 points for wins, 1 point for draws, and no points for losses. After six games, the top two teams in the group will qualify for the knockout rounds of the next semester. If there are teams with the same number of points, the results of the two teams will be compared first, and then the goal difference and the number of goals scored will be compared, which is a very professional rule.

The knockout rounds in the second half of the semester are played over two legs, and the results are added up to allow the winner of the aggregate score to advance. If the two legs are tied, the team with more goals scored at the opponent's field will qualify. If the aggregate score and away goals are the same, a penalty shoot-out will be played at the end of the second game (no extra time). If you make it to the final, you play a single-game on a neutral ground. In other words, there will be a maximum of 5 games in the second half of the semester.

Of course, the knockout round is still far away, and No. 1 Middle School has never made it to the final. But wearing the white uniforms that represent the school, the boys still can't contain their inner excitement, even if they are just sitting on the bench. My roommate, Zhang Taotao, was touching the school badge printed on his chest, and I almost thought he was a little sick in his heart.

For those of us who are half the aged, this is a great honor.

"Teacher Wang, we are here to cheer you on today." I heard a familiar voice and hurriedly turned around. Teacher Zhou walked to the sidelines with a few classmates and was about to stand in the stands.

"Teacher Zhou, welcome! Are the students of the Literature Club also interested in football? ”

"Isn't it? You've poached people from our community. ”

Isn't that what I'm talking about? I went to the club class twice, and Mr. Zhou praised me twice, but I "defected" to the football club when I turned around. She must have been very disappointed, I didn't dare to see her when I changed clubs, and my sister helped me get all the processes.

"Koko!" Suddenly someone called my name, and I was scared. It was Miller who greeted me from the stands, and I slipped down to the stands almost cat-down to take the gloves he handed me, as if a soldier was walking through a hail of bullets. I didn't look at Miller, and paid attention to Mr. Zhou, who was still talking to the coach. If she had turned her head suddenly, she might have pinned me to the wall of the stands at a glance.

I'm really afraid that I'm letting other people's expectations fall short.

"Come on, Wei Wei, I came to the school in advance today to watch you compete." Another voice came from Miller's side, and when he looked up, he saw that it was his sister.

"Why are you here too? You won't tell my parents, will you? "I'm a little upset.

"You're talking like a spy! There's nothing to do all day, staring at you this question child, right? ”

Miller must be laughing.

The captain beckoned me back, but I didn't have time to say thank you. I saw the familiar verses on the glove, and Millet understood me.

"Art makes people warm, sports make people strong, and there is nothing wrong with our way of education."

"In fact, art can also make people strong, and sports can also teach people warmth. I have always believed that education is about learning how to discover oneself and express oneself. Whether it is literature, football, science, art, sports, they are all ways to explore and express. And it is these things that connect countless people who don't know each other. ”

"So, the effort we put in outside of teaching will not be in vain, these kids are very good, especially yours."

After the small talk between the two teachers, we went back to the locker room for final preparations. As the bell rang, the players of both teams lined up neatly in the passage outside the field. The majestic "Fair Play Song" was played, and we walked out of the central passage of the stadium led by three uniformed referees. I walked in second place, and in front of me was the captain Kuang Hao. Listening to the exciting drum beat, the elementary school competition in my memory seems to have become a slapstick among children. The pros who stand on the football pitch are unattainable, but at this moment, we are listening to the same music that will be played before every game. Lined up on the green field, everyone shook hands, and I found the smiling opponents in the ceremony just as excited as we did, the simple excitement of the game as a child.

After the handshake, there was a group photo on the sidelines, a memorable moment.

If only he were by my side, we would have stood shoulder to shoulder.

Everyone walked to the center circle and saw Kwong Hao choosing sides with the opposing captain and the three referees, a coin was tossed and uncovered, and the two captains inadvertently guessed its pros and cons, and inadvertently decided the field and ball ownership at the beginning of the game. This ritual has little to do with the process and outcome of the game, but it determines how the game should begin.

At the end of the selection, the captain brought the players to our half, and everyone formed a circle. It was the last speech before the game.

"Last year we lost to Polytechnic on our doorstep, but it's all in the past! Defeat them! I shouted 'One China', and you shouted 'Come on' three times! ”

We shouted together, but I didn't expect the words of eight people to be so loud that I could barely hear my own voice.

I walked towards the goal and looked down to see the gloves Miller had given me. "Heaven and earth have righteousness, and miscellaneous manifolds", this poem still appears firmly where it should appear.

Usually I'm easily distracted or in a daze, but on the pitch I'm always distracted. Even before the start of the game, I was staring blankly at the verses. I'm thinking about him.

Look at it.

The referee blew the whistle and I spread my arms.

After a brief exchange of probes, a quick attack from the opposition pushed to the edge of the box. I was ready for their shots, but the one-on-one marking of the opposition striker tripped the opposition in defence, and the whistle blew and a free-kick from the top of the box was the kind that suited a straight shot. [1]

"Junior brother, line up the wall!" Yuan Yikong shouted at me.

I didn't say a word, just swiped my fingers to indicate where the wall was standing.

"You're going to talk!" The senior called me again.

"Remind each other! It's time to jump! "Coach Wang was directing from the sidelines.

I still didn't say a word, and gave a thumbs up to Yuan Yikong, who looked back at me, and he shook his head helplessly, maybe he wanted to give me a middle finger.

The opposing No.16 and No.14 stood in front of the ball and waited for the referee's whistle. I saw them hunched up, as if in deep thought.

The referee's whistle blew, No. 14 faked to run around the ball, and No. 16 behind him bent his bow and shot with his feet. The wall jumped, and the ball almost wiped its hair past our barriers. I took a slight step to the right, leaping to the spotted position. The moment the ball crashed towards the gate, I slapped it steadily. There was a burst of applause from the stands. I heard it but didn't care, but quickly grabbed the ball and got up and set my eyes on the front.

Are you there? Do you have any people of your own?

I saw a white figure running forward from the left, and before I had time to think about it, I rushed to the edge of the box and almost pushed away the man who stood in my way, regardless of whether he was my own man or an opponent. I had a space to tee off and kicked the ball out with a pump. Everyone realized what was going on and began to disperse to the other end of the court.

I think the power is just right!

I kicked the ball before the white shadow was about to get past the last defender, and he gently stopped the ball that was falling from behind him and in the air, and spun it in front of him. The opposing defender tried to kick the ball away, but he took a step forward and passed the rampaging defenders, leaving only an open grassland in front of him. He cut into the penalty area from the left side, I saw Wang Xiaoliang playing forward and Xu Xiang playing on the right side, these two seniors are desperately rushing to the penalty area, as long as they are a little faster, receiving a pass from the left side, there will be a good chance to shoot.

"Inverted triangle! Inverted triangle! Yuan Yikong shouted from afar. [2]

He didn't pass the ball and, after entering the box, fired a powerful shot straight at the near post.

I saw the ball fly into the upper left of the net like a cannonball, and the net, which was carried up by the powerful impact force, swung like a wave in the wind. The Polytechnic goalkeeper was unresponsive and froze in place.

All his teammates cheered, and the scorer ran all the way, high-fived them, and finally stopped in front of the stands, straightened his waist and saluted the crowd. Perhaps because it hasn't been too long since the end of military training, his salute is extremely standard.

"Jiang Yuan scored a goal, and the scorer was, No. 23 ......" The home MC is broadcasting the goal information.

No. 23 ......

"Brother, although the two of us are far apart on the court, if we have the opportunity to launch a quick counterattack, we can complete the connection. Of course, you don't have to kick the ball around just to find me, and give the ball to the defender to push it slowly when you don't have a chance. As soon as you have the chance, you can send it forward, and I will definitely be able to catch it! ”

We've practiced a lot of quick counter-attacks when the goalkeeper finds a striker, and the string has a name, 233 Connection. At that time I was still number 3 and he was still number 23.

But neither of us ever succeeded in an official competition. Until today, I found the number 23, although my green goalkeeper jersey is already printed with the number 33, and the name of the number 23 is written after the word Poet, I looked it up, it seems to mean poet.

"No. 23, Mu Zheng! The score on the field, 1:0! ”

Mu Zheng finished saluting and walked back to his place, and he gave me a thumbs up from afar. I forgot to respond, or I wasn't too embarrassed to respond.

"This counterattack is so beautiful." Yuan Yikong turned his head and smiled at me, his huge body like a panda, "It's so good, world-class." ”

"Why did he go to the podium to salute?" I asked him at halftime.

"Don't you know? Teacher Zhou is Mu Zheng's mother, and his celebration must have been given to her. Yuan Yikong had an expression that the French didn't know Napoleon, "Didn't you stay in the literary club?" You think, only Teacher Zhou would give a child a name that pays tribute to the poet. ”

It seems that Mr. Zhou is not here to arrest me. It's good.

The midfielder is to rest in the locker room and drink water to replenish energy, the coach said not to drink too hard, and if you want to go to the toilet, go quickly. Everyone was a little tired and didn't talk much, only Yuan Yikong pulled him to talk non-stop, probably to teach him to deal with the details of defense.

"Thanks to you." Mu Zheng came over to talk to me, this should be the first time I have communicated with him alone.

"Good shot." I smiled at him, not knowing what to say again. He sat down at Huang Minxue's.

Aside from the shirt number and that goal, he really doesn't have the same chords.

In the second half of the game, Kwong Hao magically passed the opponent's three people, and passed the ball to Wang Xiaoliang at the edge of the penalty area, who went one-on-one with the goalkeeper of Polytechnic in the penalty area, and successfully scored the ball, 2:0, and we consolidated our lead. The opponent, who was two goals behind, gradually lost confidence and was calm in the final moments of the game. At the start of the second half, they had a couple of counter-attacks and I was mentally prepared. The Mayor's Cup game is 30 minutes in the half, 60 minutes in the whole game, it stands to reason that the first 10 minutes of the second half will be the period when the backward side will attack with all their might. Senior Wang Xiaoliang's goal was around the 40th minute, just the right time to extinguish the opponent's momentum.

Luck was good, they did have a good chance, it was a messy battle from a corner. Obviously he didn't take the ball far and landed at the feet of the players on the edge of the penalty area. It was a powerful shot that went straight through the crowd to the goal, but I subconsciously stretched out my left foot and blocked the ball.

It hurts. After the ball was cleared by Yuan Yikong, I eased up.

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, there was applause both inside and outside the stadium. Yuan Yikong patted me on the shoulder and said that my performance today is just one word, stable. Ming Ming came to apologize to me, saying that there were a few balls that I didn't handle well and caused me trouble. I clenched my gloves and bumped fists with him, saying that everyone looked out for each other.

The captain told us to stand in a line and shake hands with our opponents and the referee. Regardless of whether you win or lose, the game is not really over until you shake hands. The Polytechnic classmates were a bit disappointed, but still friendly. After the game, the people who knew each other in the two teams walked together and talked, and there was indeed a bit of an opponent on the field and a friend off the field. Obviously, both Mu Zheng and Mu Zheng went to hug the No. 16 player opposite, and Mu Zheng also took him to the stand to greet Teacher Zhou, but left Huang, who hadn't been on for a minute, aside.

But I don't know anyone. When I got off the field and walked to the bench, the first-year substitutes came up to congratulate me. In their eyes, today was the perfect debut for me.

"Peve, you will continue the game after the National Day, don't forget to bring gloves." It was the first thing the coach said to me after the game, "I had a good day, keep up the good work." ”

The spectators in the stands came down, and Miller handed me a bottle of sports drink.

"Everyone did so well today, I want to play with you. It's a pity that we have to wait. ”

I didn't care about Miller's words, it wasn't that I didn't want to pay attention to him. When I took off my gloves, I noticed that it was soaking wet. It's terrible, more annoying than the sweat stains and grass smell on my clothes. No matter how dirty your clothes are, you can wash them, but this pair of gloves can't. I'm afraid I'll wash the marker out of the marker. But if you don't wash it, it will stink when you use it. No one wants the things he holds most dear to stink. I came to No. 1 Middle School and didn't bring anything with me except daily necessities and some books, just these gloves. For me, the most nostalgic of all my personal possessions may be the gloves that write poetry.

I told Millet to go back to the locker room and change clothes. I didn't actually go, I hid in the bathroom, looking at the gloves in a daze. When I felt like I was about to cry, I got a handful of water from the sink to wash my face.

What about debuts, clean sheets, assists? The person who gave me the gloves will never receive my pass again and will never see how I did today. I couldn't do anything to get him back in the time I had ever had.

"Peve-san, are you here? No wonder I can't find you. A not-so-unfamiliar voice sounded behind me, and I saw Mu Zheng standing at the door in the mirror. His face was also a little ugly, not like he had scored a goal, and his back was a little rickety, maybe he was too tired, or maybe he was hiding his strangeness like me.

"Huh?" I turned on the faucet again and pasted the water onto my face.

"Teacher Zhou is waiting for you at the stadium."

"What?" I looked up in surprise.

"She asked me to come to you, and if you still have the energy, you can sit on the grass on the pitch and talk. A few members came with me today. By the way, the teacher also said that you are still a member of the literary club. He seemed to be asking for my opinion, and his tone was very polite, but his teeth were clenched together, "Go?" If you're tired, don't force it. ”

"Change your clothes and go."

He nodded and ran into the bathroom.

[1] Free Kick: A free kick is a method of restarting the game after a foul has occurred in a soccer match. There are two types of free kicks: direct free kicks (the kicker can shoot the ball directly into the fouling team's goal to score) and indirect free kicks (the kicker cannot score a direct shot, the ball must be kicked or touched by another player before entering the goal). FIFA's latest rules are that a foam spray is used to delineate the position of the ball and the position of the human wall after a free kick is awarded, and the free kick is given by touching the ball with your hand and then kicking the ball after the referee's whistle.

[2] Inverted Triangle: An inverted triangle pass is an offensive method in which an attacking player receives the ball and goes straight to the baseline, and then passes the ball diagonally behind the ball and is shot by the follow-up player. This is an inverted triangle formed by the direction of the outflanking player (towards the goal) and the rolling path of the ball and the passer (parallel to the baseline line).

Compete in the same group

Beichuan Middle School 3:0 Experimental Middle School

Jiangyuan Mayor's Cup Football League (Junior High School Group) Group Stage Standings (Group C)

Beichuan Middle School 1 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses, score 3 goals conceded, win 3 goals and accumulate 3 points

Jiang Yuan No. 1 Middle School 1 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses, scored 2 goals, conceded 0 goals, won 2 goals, accumulated 3 points

Polytechnic High School 0 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss, 0 goals scored, 2 goals conceded, -2 goals difference, total 0 points

Experimental Middle School 0 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss, 0 goals scored, 3 goals conceded, -3 goals difference, total 0 points

(The top two teams qualified.) ）

Data within Jiang Yuan's No. 1 Squadron

Scorer charts

The number of goals scored by the player

Mu Zheng 1

Wang Xiaoliang 1

Assists

Player assists

Kopewe 1

Kwong H 1