Volume One: Our Own League — Chapter 105: The Battle for No. 17 Middle School's Starting Goalkeeper

He lived up to everyone's expectations! Xu He sent the penalty kick into the goal of the Class 16 football team. Xu He had beaten Xu Donglai, the goalkeeper of the Class 16 football team.

After scoring, Xu He was naturally extremely excited, jumping straight into the air and letting out a long roar to the sky. He had helped his team preserve their chance at winning the league championship. Of course, Xu He was also a bit nervous. Because from this point on, the outcome was no longer in his hands—it was entirely up to his teammates. And after this, the match truly became subject to great unpredictability. Because many of the teammates coming up after him might not be reliable penalty takers.

That really made it hard to call. Zhu Ge and Mu Yang and the others were equally nervous, though fortunately they still had Li Jie and Zhong Haokun coming up later—at least those two were decent at penalty kicks and had some reliability. Compared to them, the Class 16 football team was in even worse shape. The Class 16 football team didn't have many players with the skill to take penalties in the first place, and now that the first five rounds with the most reliable takers had passed, starting from the sixth round, every single person after that was a question mark.

So, compared to the Class 16 football team, the Class 10 football team had a much greater chance of winning. Although Zhu Ge and the others were a bit nervous, they still had some confidence. At this moment, the ones even more nervous were Zhuo Jun and Song Xiang. However, Xu Donglai directly waved to the two of them, signaling that they shouldn't be nervous—with him around, everything would be fine.

It was clear that Xu Donglai was truly very confident. And it was precisely because they saw such a confident Xu Donglai that Zhu Ge and the others felt tense. Xu Donglai had been really impressive today. Just look—in the penalty shootout just now, Zhu Ge and Lin Xuefeng, two players with real strength who were very good at taking penalties, had also failed to score, their shots saved by Xu Donglai.

They were also worried about Li Jie and Zhong Haokun. Zhu Ge hadn't wanted to put pressure on those two teammates, but he felt uneasy at heart. He still walked over and said to them, "It's all up to you two now. I hope this match can end with you, because the teammates behind you won't be able to shake Xu Donglai." Li Jie and the other both nodded, understanding the logic. Zhu Ge didn't say much more—he was truly afraid of putting too much pressure on them. He patted the two of them, then immediately turned and walked back to his own team, though in the end he still added one more line: "We believe in you. We're with you!" Finally, Zhu Ge made a cheering gesture with his hand.

Li Jie and Zhong Haokun's expressions didn't change at all. They appeared extremely calm and composed, as if they felt no pressure whatsoever. Both of them were ready. Xu He also came over to Li Jie's side, but he didn't say a word. He knew that his best buddy would understand why he had come. Sure enough, Li Jie nodded to Xu He, gave a slight smile, and said to him, "Relax, it's fine. We'll definitely bring the championship back."

With that, Li Jie looked toward the championship trophy on the main platform. The championship trophy was golden and gleaming, and very large—somewhat resembling the World Cup trophy. It wasn't the one that their league committee had commissioned. The league committee had previously commissioned one, but it wasn't this big, nor this dazzling. This one had been custom-made by the school later, reportedly on Principal Wang's orders.

Looking at the championship trophy, Li Jie's eyes were filled with longing. He really wanted to help his team lift that championship trophy. Xu He gave Li Jie a hug. Zhong Haokun, as usual, said nothing and simply nodded to Xu He, letting him know that he would definitely put the ball in the net—this league championship definitely belonged to their Class 10 football team. Clearly, Li Jie and Zhong Haokun were also full of confidence.

Xu He had complete faith in them. He believed in his teammates—the league championship this season was definitely going to be theirs, the Class 10 football team's. Xu He watched the backs of the two as they walked away and shouted loudly, "Go, Class 10 football team!"

In the stands, the Class 10 students heard the shout and followed along with coordinated cheers, cheering for the Class 10 football team. Of course, the Class 16 students weren't lagging behind either, roaring loudly one after another, cheering for their own team. The atmosphere on the scene was incredibly heated, nearly reaching its peak.

In the stands, Principal Wang was also very nervous. There had really been so many surprises in today's match. The Class 10 football team that he favored had actually failed to secure a victory, and now they had been dragged to this point. He was no longer as confident as before. Still, he continued to believe in the Class 10 football team, thinking that they would definitely win in the end. After all, compared to the Class 10 football team, the Class 16 football team's situation was worse. The players coming up later for the Class 16 football team were all weak—they could barely even take penalties, could they? Didn't that mean they were destined to lose?

Principal Wang pulled himself together and turned to look at Song Yu, saying, "Coach Song, do you still insist that the Class 16 football team will win?"

Song Yu was also very nervous at this moment. At this stage of the match, either team could win. Of course, the Class 10 football team had the better odds. From the start of the match until now, the Class 10 football team's chances had always been greater. But the Class 16 football team had still held on until now without losing, which showed that their resilience was extremely strong. Perhaps they really could create a miracle? More importantly, they had Xu Donglai in their ranks. Maybe the Class 16 football team's penalty takers weren't up to par, but Xu Donglai's ability was. As long as Xu Donglai was in front of the goal, the Class 16 football team would have that much more of a chance. Compared to Wang Xu, Xu Donglai was more trustworthy.

Song Yu immediately looked at Principal Wang and said, "Although the Class 16 football team is at a disadvantage now and their chances of winning are slim, I still support them. They've moved me. I think they have tremendous resilience, and in this match, they might just create a miracle! I still support them—they're going to win!"

Principal Wang stared hard at Song Yu. He could tell that Song Yu wasn't joking. He immediately said, "All because of one Xu Donglai?" Song Yu nodded firmly and said, "Yes, because of this one Xu Donglai, I support them!"

Principal Wang gave a slight nod and turned his gaze to the pitch, his eyes fixed tightly on Xu Donglai. Principal Wang's expression kept shifting. He also felt that Xu Donglai was very impressive—in this match, Xu Donglai had already put on a great many splendid performances, and perhaps in the rounds to come, he really could pull off a miracle. Principal Wang's heart wavered a little, feeling that the outcome was uncertain. He was very nervous, but he still supported the Class 10 football team. Principal Wang stared at the pitch, thinking to himself: "Come on, Class 10 football team. Whether the school can recruit an excellent coach now depends on you. I hope you don't let me down!" Principal Wang had placed all his bets on the Class 10 football team.

The sixth round of the penalty shootout was about to begin. Wang Xu stood in front of the goal, twisting his body constantly to disrupt the Class 16 football team's penalty taker. From the Class 16 football team, the player who stepped forward was their number 17, their team's wide midfielder. But this guy had hardly attacked at all during the earlier part of the match—he was purely defending. So no one really knew what kind of skill this guy had.

Wang Xu, while distracting the player, was also guessing what kind of ability this guy actually had, and which direction he would send the ball. Still, Wang Xu was quite confident. He firmly believed that he could save the ball. None of the Class 16 football team's players had managed to breach the goal he guarded. Obviously, he had conveniently filtered out Xu Donglai, Zhuo Jun, and Song Xiang. Wang Xu shouted at the player standing before the penalty spot: "Kid, use every ounce of strength you have, or you won't stand a chance. I know you're going to shoot for the upper right corner of the goal, hahaha!"

Well now, Wang Xu even knew how to play mind games. But the player at the penalty spot didn't even rise to the bait, as if he hadn't seen Wang Xu at all, completely unaffected. At least on the surface, that was how it appeared—extremely calm. Wang Xu raised an eyebrow. Was this guy genuinely confident, or just putting on a show?

Just then, the referee for this match blew the whistle for the penalty kick. Xu He immediately clenched his fists, shouting inwardly: "Wang Xu, go! The whole team is counting on you now. You've got to save that ball!" Zhu Ge and the others had the same expressions as Xu He—gazing intently, bodies taut, leaning forward. Everyone was hoping that Wang Xu could pull off a miraculous save and keep the ball out of the goal. Zhuo Jun and the others had their fists clenched tightly, staring hard at their number 17 teammate, cheering him on in their hearts while filled with anticipation. They hoped this teammate could put the ball into the opponent's net and help the team secure the league championship.

Go for it! The number 17 player before the goal sprinted forward rapidly and struck the ball with a powerful kick. The ball flew swiftly toward the lower right corner of the goal—just as Wang Xu had guessed earlier. And now Wang Xu was already diving in that direction. Zhuo Jun and the others closed their eyes in despair. Song Yu also let out a heavy breath, a feeling of hopelessness rising in his heart. Meanwhile, Principal Wang's heart was racing—he was extremely excited.

Smack! A crisp sound rang out. Wang Xu had saved the ball over the end line. "Beautiful! Wang Xu, you're amazing! Wang Xu, you're the strongest goalkeeper!" Xu He jumped straight up, excitedly doing a flip and throwing a combination of punches. He was so thrilled he was hopping and leaping all over the place. That save was just too beautiful, too incredible.

The players of the Class 10 football team were extremely excited, turning around one after another to embrace their teammates. Some were already shouting: "We're the champions! We're the league champions! We're the champions!" The Class 10 football team players were already unable to wait.

Meanwhile, the Class 16 football team players' faces darkened, their spirits sinking low. However, Zhuo Jun still immediately clapped his hands, encouraging his teammates not to lose heart—the Class 16 football team still had hope; they hadn't lost yet. Instantly, all the Class 16 football team players turned to look at Xu Donglai. Yes, they had placed all their hopes on him.

Song Yu up in the stands was the same. Even now, he still had faith in Xu Donglai. He was extremely confident in him. He firmly believed that Xu Donglai could save the ball, that he could become the hero of the Class 16 football team, and also the hero of Song Yu.

The confident Xu Donglai waved to Zhuo Jun, signaling that they shouldn't worry—he was there. Xu Donglai had taken all the responsibility onto his own shoulders alone. A true man!

As for Wang Xu, he jumped up excitedly, waving to the air, as if saying: "I, Wang Xu, am no worse than anyone! Whatever you, Xu Donglai, can do, I, Wang Xu, can do too. I, Wang Xu, am the number one goalkeeper of Chengdu No. 17 Middle School!" The players of the Class 10 football team all rushed over and gave Wang Xu a big hug, giving him thumbs up and declaring in unison that Wang Xu was indeed the number one goalkeeper of Chengdu No. 17 Middle School.