There is still a quarter of an hour. The electronic screens in the stadium have already played the names and scores of both teams. Jiang Yuan No. 1 Middle School, White, 0, 54 Middle School, Green, 0, the absolute average score flashes with countless possibilities. We finally reached the stage, which runs east-west, next to the magnificent main stadium of the Olympic Sports Center, where the turf is neatly kept, and the summer wind blows the greenery. The white lines that have been brushed up and the new nets have been replaced are waiting for the game to start silently on the sidelines.

But there are still too few people who come, basically our parents, teachers and classmates. The stands were divided into two pieces and divided between the spectators of the two teams, with the rostrum reserved for the guests in the middle. The visitors were basically dressed in civilian clothes, and they looked like they were going to chat and eat melon seeds with Erlang's legs crossed, which didn't seem to match the seriousness of the finals in my heart.

Maybe in their eyes, it's a small fight between children after all. "It's still important to learn." I'm sure I'll hear that later, at least yesterday my dad told me. Although he didn't object much to my hobbies, this perhaps somewhat unintentional remark was like a basin of cold water. I am greedy, and I not only want the support of my loved ones, but also the kind of support that is serious and empathetic.

"I thought there would be a lot of people. The full set of equipment was carried over, but the stands were still sparse. I couldn't help but complain.

"Look at you, you usually say that I am the second in secondary school, and you yourself are not so strong. Do you think it's really going to be the same as the finale of Japanese anime? When it came to the last game, there were gongs and drums, firecrackers, red flags, and crowds......"

"Pull it down! I think you'd better go back to talk about cross talk, don't join in the fun here! ”

"Hehe, Yue Yin, I dreamed of today's ending yesterday. Our two teams will fight to the last minute, and the second before the whistle blows, Li Bin pierced your captain's door with a brilliant shot that knocked your whole team to the ground. You look at the pitch dumbfounded, say 'ah, how is that possible,' and ......"

"You still say that you are not in the second grade! What the hell! Hmph, didn't anyone tell you that dreams are all reversed? You've already lost, be mentally prepared! Maybe Xiao Ye smashed your goalkeeper into the net with the ball! ”

But if you lose, I won't be the first to celebrate, but to comfort you. Xiaobai, if you want to cry then, just cry.

Although it is an outfield, and it is not a professional football stadium, the Olympic Sports Center is the most prestigious stadium in the city after all. Last year, I came here to watch the finals between the foreign school and Beichuan, and now I stand next to the living turf and say goodbye, and the excitement is still hard to suppress. It's really only one step away from the highest honor we can reach, it's like a dream, a dream that I didn't want to wake up from over and over again in my youth. The staff placed the trophy high in front of my eyes at the door of the players' tunnel, and the players would pass by it before they went on the pitch. I know that it is just a thin layer of gold leaf, and it doesn't cost much to buy the exact same thing online, but the "23rd Jiangyuan City Mayor's Cup Champion" engraved on the stele is irreplaceable, not to mention that this is the first time we have the opportunity to pocket it on our own.

It's time to go to the locker room. Everything is ready to stop, but there is one more thing to emphasise, albeit with some superstition – don't touch a trophy that isn't already your own before winning the title. Even if it's just a mixture of metal and plastic, it's a sacred championship trophy that people have to be in awe.

Especially you, you must control your claws, or I'll chop it off!" I told him several times, and I almost forced him to swear. Seeing his serious appearance, his confidence in everyone also spontaneously emerged. It was the last time I was ready to play in the dressing room, and everything was so normal that I had the illusion that it was just an inconsequential group game. While composing, everyone adjusted their condition to the best, their clothes were flattened, their shoelaces were fastened, and they were completely in combat mode. Last season's squad was more than worthy of the title, but luck put us at the last second. And this year, with the inevitable injuries and the calmness of the pre-tournament, every indication in my mind is that we will work hard to lift the trophy.

The world will definitely reward those who work hard. If only Evan had been there. Listening to the sonorous "Fair Play Song", we can go to the battlefield together. Cheap trophies, loose organization, few spectators, this is probably the current situation of school football in our country. But so what? The high-profile stage does not belong to ordinary students, we are always fighting for the people who love us in our own time.

The curtain begins. The starting team of the Hunters was No. 3 Mi Le, No. 4 Li Baichuan, No. 5 Ye Ruiyang, No. 6 He Mingming, No. 9 Yan Xi, No. 10 Luka Mihailovich, No. 22 He Honghui, and No. 23 Ke Peiwei. The substitutes are No. 1 Zhao Rui, No. 2 Suo Ming, No. 7 Mu Zheng, No. 8 Huang Minxue, No. 11 Le Ben, No. 12 Hu Yinqiu, No. 14 Li Wenqian, No. 21 Hong Yu, and No. 32 Xu Mu. There is also No. 17 Xiao Qi in the stands. All 18 of our players were on the pitch and ready to play in their respective positions. The starting lineup of the coyotes is No. 1 Zhen Ge, No. 2 Ge Xingxing, No. 3 Man Lin, No. 5 Chen Yanba, No. 7 Qiao Li, No. 8 Wang Rui, No. 20 Li Bin, and No. 32 Ye Junfang. In the applause and cheers that were not so loud but still exciting, Ke Ke and Chen Yanba walked in front of the three judges. The coin of fate turns brilliantly in the sun, deciding that we will attack today from left to right, that is, from west to east. From the standpoint, the 54 is the most classic 331 lineup in eight-a-side football, appearing on their left side, our right midfielder is the younger brother, and direct dialogue with Miller is inevitable. Li Bin will be operating in Lucca's defensive zone, and it will be Wang Rui who connects them in the middle. We were in a 421 formation and continued to defend and counter-attack. Ah Hui will continue his previous mission and pestering the opposition's midfield core Li Bin.

After a hundred battles, I am convinced of the will honed by the first middle school. Once we have the lead, our determination to hold on to it is unwavering. As long as we score first, the victory is in our pocket.

Come on, "the green clothes are white and the clouds are white, and the long arrows are raised to shoot the wolf"[1]. Without waving flags and earth-shattering shouts, or even the accompanying horses, our spears and arrows piercing through the wolves would still have streaked across the galaxy. Hunters fight wolves, as a matter of course. The whistle blows and the hunt will begin. Miller passes the ball to Yan Xi......

"I'm coming." Someone put their hand on my shoulder, and luckily I pressed the shutter in advance.

"Hey, how did you get here?"

"I said I was a videographer at No. 1 Middle School." She held up the camera hanging around her neck, "Usually you are busy taking pictures and announcing the curtain, but for the last time, I want to help too." ”

"You want to see your brother play up close." Knowing everything, I winked at her, "For my own sake, I won't demolish you." Come with me to comfort Xiaobai later. ”

"Is that the little girl who 'kidnapped' you? Don't worry, how can she be as difficult as my brother to deal with. ”

It was perfect. Not only our formation and state today, but also the most suitable weather for the game - the breeze gusts, the sun is not thin or strong, spread on the green field, as if nature is gently watching. My relatives were looking at my back from the stands, my favorite people were running around the field, and my best friends were rushing to my side. Maybe it's time to put down the camera and enjoy the short 60 minutes. Nervous? I asked, taking her hand. Not at all. She clenched tightly.

But the referee's whistle blew. Is it a corner? No, he was pointing to the twelve-yard point in front of the door! How so? Just three minutes into the game, we were awarded a penalty. Last year, the Colonel was awarded a penalty and lost the game, and history repeated itself without warning. The uncontroversial handball foul was nothing short of a flying disaster, a chance that wasn't a chance, as Laibin's cross was not played well and hit Luka's arm after repeated deflections.

"Don't be afraid, and my brother. He's pounced on several. Seeing that I was so angry that she stomped my feet, she patted me on the back, "Didn't you say, always trust the captain." ”

But your hands are shaking. I covered my face with my hands nervously, a little afraid to look at Li Bin, who walked to the penalty spot with the ball. She grabbed my shoulders as well, but she didn't choose to watch the penalty through her fingers like I did. At the same time, Xiaobai must have held his breath.

Is the outcome decided at the very beginning of the game?

No way! It was a save that ignited everyone in the white camp in an instant! The moment I jumped, I probably jumped out of a height that I had never jumped out of PE class, as if I was standing on the top of a rainbow, and my hair was gently lifted by the wind. The expressionless Ko Ke calmly lunged to the right as if he had received an oracle, and his powerful palm ruthlessly kept out the shot from the ground at a very tricky angle. The captain raised his clenched right hand high, and even the rays of the sun were firmly held in his palm.

"How? Wey's glove was very special. With it on, he was definitely not fighting alone. "Really, what else is she pretending to be calm? Celebrate when it's time to celebrate.

But our celebration lasted only a short time. The Coyotes' corner kick was kicked out, and it was clear that it was pushed out, and the 54th continued to organize attacks on the periphery of the penalty area. Li Bin shifted the ball to his brother's feet, and Miller marked it on the wing. The No.32 curled a cross with his less accustomed left foot, which should have flown towards the middle of the box. The captain was already ready to pick up the ball, and his brother and Ming Ming also made an air defense warning. However, something extremely strange happened, the high-speed flying ball turned sharply after entering the penalty area, and flew in the opposite direction in an incredible way.

That's our gate. The moment they fell into the net, everyone fell silent, even the goalscorer. He covered his mouth with his little hand in disbelief and hurried down to his teammates in celebration until they rushed towards him with a shout.

We stood there as if we were demented, and we didn't react until the captain fished the ball out of the net and threw it into the center circle. Blocked the penalty, but still couldn't prevent the opening time from behind. Is it fate? I know my brother, he usually kicks a hundred times and can't kick this kind of fairy ball that seems to pass and shoot. However, in the much-anticipated and earth-shattering final in our imagination, he may have kicked crookedly, but it became an earth-shattering blow. Fifty-four goals, the scorer No. 32 Ye Junfang, the score on the field was 1:0, and the magnetic voice of the announcer was as trance-like as shaking the sun.

"Don't be afraid, it's just the beginning, and there's still time."

I grabbed her arm. In times like these, we need to be united, and we can only be united. It was a lot of time, but when there was an unexpected breach in the reinforced concrete line, we had to take the initiative. This is too bad a start for a middle school in the knockout round, which is mainly based on defensive counterattacks. If we can't equalize as soon as possible, we are likely to be bitten by the sharp counterattack of the 54th Middle School like a colonel.

The thing in this world is always to worry about what comes. Unlike the previous game, the sharpest knives in the Coyotes front line are back. Qiao Li, who has scored 7 goals, took advantage of our big pressure to find the gap in the defensive line, and took advantage of the counterattack opportunity brought by a set-piece fast serve to single-handedly muddy our entire back line. He struck to the edge of our box and fired a long-range shot that was saved by the prodigious captain, but we couldn't control the second spot. Li Bin got the ball and gently pushed it to Wang Rui in the middle, and Wang Rui then distributed it to his younger brother. My brother has always been the kind of kid who can give his all with confidence and just a little encouragement, not to mention that he has just opened the scoring in the final. Bursting with confidence, he changed his usual style, and instead of sending a low cross, he cut inside in front of the penalty area and chose to shoot from a distance from the goal.

It was definitely not a good shot on goal, my brother was blocked in front of him, and it was completely on him. But it seems that Lady Luck favored my brother today, allowing him to transform into a miracle soldier who broke through all deployments on both sides in the final match of "Starlight Glimmer", and broke through our impenetrable defenses like a divine help. The younger brother's ball deflected off the outside of the elder brother's knee and bounced high at the near post, catching everyone off guard and flying towards the far end of our goal. It's the only word I can think of. Even if Ke Ke has made countless amazing saves, he is helpless in the face of this kind of flying fairy-like shot. This time, the younger brother didn't celebrate anymore, and he turned his head from his brother in embarrassment and simply slapped his hands with his excited teammates. However, no matter how calm he is, his brace in 10 minutes is enough to make us feel the chill of the abyss.

Why is this happening? I almost literally said "how could it be". But the tears fell uncontrollably because we won back a city. With two goals down, everyone knew they had to step up their attack, and Luka, who unexpectedly sent a point, pressed very high. Remembering that before, he was still the little boy who was a little shy and cried, but now he is so desperate to rush back and forth on the field. He must have wanted to make up for his mistakes, even if it was an unintentional mistake, no one blames him, and that conceded goal has little to do with him. In this master duel, the first to attack are the relatively inconspicuous junior team members in the starters. Luka's bravery on the offensive end caused the coyotes to be feared, and even if he was fouled by Wang Rui, he still got up and fought for the ball. With the referee's favourable attacking gesture, he took a cross with his left foot. The moment the ball left his feet, Luka fell to the turf. Equally indomitable was our lone striker, Yan Xi deceived Man Lin, who was closely watching him, with a brilliant counter-run, and deftly appeared in the gap between the centre-back and the goalkeeper. Before the attacking Zhen Ge touched the ball, he threw himself out of the body with the determination to go to the fire. The ball was slightly grazed by his little head and fell into the unobstructed goal.

Yan Xi scored a header, what else in the world could not happen? I slapped my palm on her palm, full and powerful, as if to tell each other that we were going to equalize soon. However, the medical staff who ran into the field froze the hands we both held together, colder than stones. In last year's semi-finals, Yan Xi was sad and blamed himself for a long time because he couldn't score the header that could kill the foreign school. We told him over and over again that we wanted him to be healthy rather than to make it to the finals, and that he was still the same mischievous little mischievous guy who spent his days playing tricks with his teammates. We don't want to see him hit the post for the team's victory, it's not worth it. And today, Yan Xi rushed to the ball with resolute courage and confidently pushed it into the goal, continuing our hope of lifting the trophy, but he collided with the opposing goalkeeper. He was the youngest of our sophomores, and several of our juniors were even older than him. This small body has been enduring the pain in his lower back, but he is still so resolute, as if there has never been a word of hesitation and hesitation in his brain, and he has never let us see the slightest pause.

Zhen Ge was fine, but Yan Xi was carried down. The medic also walked up to Luka and sprayed smoke-like medicine on his leg before he struggled to be pulled up. Looking at the field, the stretcher had already fallen to his side. We gathered around without saying anything, and were asked to retreat several times by the medical staff. It's seven or eight on the field again, but every move off the field makes us worry even more. Maybe one day when I grow up, I will have the maturity, sophistication and indifference to accept this fact, but it is too difficult for me to endure the injustice of this fate in just a few minutes. What exactly did we do wrong to be punished like this in the final? All the effort is not as good as others playing casually. The opponent's seemingly casual shot scored all of them, and putting together a goal actually injured two of our classmates. For the sake of the same thing, we have to pay close to everything, and the price is so great that I don't want to have it at all, but now I have no chance of regretting it. No, none of that was enough to make me sad enough to bury my head in Ranran's arms. He can't play anymore, let's make a substitution. The words of the medical staff became the final sentence. Yan Xi collapsed on the stretcher, covering his eyes and the relentless falling sunlight with his arms, but did not hide the tears that flowed from the sides of his cheeks. Crying is contagious, and as long as I see that unwilling tear once, I can't control it anymore.

It was Gakugaku who came off the bench. Before going on the field, he ran to the sidelines and put his forehead on Yan Xi's head, who sat up to receive treatment, as if he wanted to receive all the remaining energy from his partner. He passed by us with some sadness, patted the team badge on his chest, did not speak, and silently put on a black mask. I don't know if that's the case, but I told me, and I'm still shedding tears. The resolute figure and the powerless posture of falling down appeared in front of my eyes like ghosts, and it was the classmates and comrades-in-arms who got along with me day and night who held up such a tragic position.

Hard work doesn't always pay off, and things even get worse because of the enthusiasm for that effort. Just as Xuexue was waiting for a substitution on the sidelines, the Coyotes' counterattack once again tore through our defense. It was a corner kick before, and we didn't have a striker anymore, so we had to push two centre-backs into the box. The opponent seized on this loophole and launched a quick counterattack while completing the defense. With one man in hand, we were stretched thin when we retreated, and Li Bin sprinted and pushed mercilessly into midfield, where Luka chased after him desperately, trying to delay the wolves' gallop with a foul. But the injury not long ago dragged him down, the foul was not completed, and Luka himself fell to the ground again. Li Bin, who got rid of his worries, sent a scalpel-like straight stopper, and Qiao Li, who received the ball, formed a single knife. Facing Ke Ke, whose body was stretched to the extreme, Qiao Li blasted the ball into the top corner of the goal extremely calmly. A powerful shot close to a blast doesn't give the goalkeeper a chance at all. The No. 7 who broke the goal rushed to the stands of the 54th Middle School and raised his arms and shouted, announcing in the strongest voice that he was going to kill the suspense of the game in the first half early.

Lukka staggered to his feet after the fall, pushing away to support his opponent. But after only a few steps, he fell to his knees on the turf again. I heard the coach's sigh, very lightly, very lightly, she had never done anything like this. The eyes glittered under the wrinkled skin, and I couldn't tell if they were sad or heartbroken. We've lost a striker and we're about to lose one of the most positive players of the day. But the arena is brutal, and so are the wolves. After Luka was carried down, Chen Yanba's header in the crowd with his height advantage once again proved it. The ball hit the crossbar and was stabbed into the net by Qiao Li in the chaos.

1:4, again this score. This season, we were beaten at home by a foreign school in the half, and we panicked and made a lot of mistakes. And when the score appeared on the big screen today, all I felt was despair and sadness that I couldn't do anything. We really didn't flinch or cower, didn't collapse and panic, and always worked hard unyieldingly, even if we were all dead, we still moved forward bravely.

But nothing was gained. In what we think is the most important moment, fate has given us nothing but scarred black jokes among the countless possibilities.

[1] Qu Yuan, "Nine Songs, Xiangjun".