Soccer: If they're using these kinds of cheats, what's the point of training?

February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Abe Deschamps Stadium

It was 2:30 p.m., half an hour before the match was scheduled to start. Outside the stadium, a sea of ​​white jerseys rippled in the winter sun.

Today is Valentine's Day, and there are many more flower vendors outside the stadium, with red roses standing out brightly in the cold wind. Some male fans are holding flowers, ready to give them to their girlfriends—or to give to a player on the field after a goal is scored.

In the away stands, about a thousand Rennes fans were already in place, waving red and black flags.

In the CCTV-5 studio, Liu Jianhong and Xu Yang were already in place.

"Dear viewers, Happy New Year! Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. On behalf of myself and the members of the program, I would like to extend my New Year greetings to all viewers. I wish you all a prosperous Year of the Tiger, great success, abundant wealth, and happiness for your families."

"Alright, next up, welcome to the 24th round of the 2009-2010 French Ligue 1 season! Auxerre hosts Rennes..." Liu Jianhong said to the camera.

"That's right, Happy New Year," Xu Yang replied. "And today is also Valentine's Day, wishing all lovers in the world a happy ending."

"Today's match has another special significance – this is Zhang Kuang's sixth league game since joining Auxerre. In the first five league games, he scored thirteen goals, averaging 2.6 goals per game, a figure that is the highest in the entire top five European leagues."

"Moreover, his goal-scoring methods are very comprehensive: headers, long-range shots, poaching in the penalty area, and breakthroughs on the wings—there are almost no attacking methods he can't use. Although Rennes' defense is solid, I personally think they will have a hard time containing his arrogance."

"That's right, Rennes' head coach Antonetti said before the match that they had special measures in place for the arrogant. We'll wait and see."

The competition started promptly at 3 PM.

Auxerre fielded a 4-4-2 formation, with Zhang Kuang and Yellen partnering up front.

Rennes fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Guinean striker Ismail Bangura as the lone striker and French attacker Sylvain Malvo as the attacking midfielder.

Just three minutes into the game, Zhang Kuang created a threat.

Pedretti received the ball in midfield, noticed Zhang Kuang dropping back to receive it, and passed it on the ground. Zhang Kuang received the ball with his back to goal, and Rennes' defensive midfielder Fabian Lemoyna closed in from behind.

Zhang Kuang didn't try to tough it out. Although he was physically strong, he didn't have the habit of enduring hardship head-on.

He flicked the ball sideways with his right foot, and his body turned to the left in the process—the ball and the player separated.

Lemoyna was momentarily stunned and reached out to grab Zhang Kuang's jersey, but missed. Zhang Kuang's explosive power was too great; his first step alone left him half a body length behind.

"Zhang Kuang gets the ball! Beautiful dribbling!" Liu Jianhong's voice rang out in the studio. "He's dribbling forward—Rennes' center-back is coming up!"

Rennes' center-back Kader Mangane rushed forward from the front, keeping his center of gravity low, ready to intercept.

His arrogance did not slow down.

He moved the ball to the right front, and Mangane followed suit. Then, with a wild left foot, he cut the ball back, causing Mangane to lose his balance and lean slightly to the left.

It was in that very moment.

With a wild right foot, he flicked the ball past Mangane from the outside, then overtook him from the outside.

Mangane reached out to grab it, but only grasped at thin air.

"Zhang Kuang has gotten past Mangane! He's broken into the penalty area!"

Rennes' other center-back, Peter Hansen, came to cover from the side, and goalkeeper Nicolai Duchez also rushed out of his goal to block the near post.

Zhang Kuang raised his right foot and made a feint to shoot.

Hansen's body weight was tricked, and he raised his foot to block.

But Zhang's arrogant foot pulled back before touching the ball, and then he passed it across to Yellen, who was unmarked on the left side of the penalty area.

Yellen met the ball and shot.

An empty door.

The ball flew towards the goal—

"when!"

It hit the outside of the goalpost and bounced out of bounds.

"Yellen! The ball hit the post in front of the open goal!" Liu Jianhong's voice was filled with regret. "Zhang Kuang's breakthrough was too beautiful! He beat two players and sent the ball to the empty net! But Yellen didn't score!"

Yellen knelt on the grass, her hands covering her head, her face filled with disbelief.

Zhang Kuang stood with his hands on his hips, looking at him without blaming him, but simply shook his head and turned to run back.

French commentator Ribaud chuckled: "Yellen missed that shot, probably wasting a good assist."

Dugarry: "It's a pity for Yellen, but I'm more concerned about Zhang Kuang's dribbling ability. He's started making those runs again, and Rennes' defense was completely unprepared because the data they had showed that Zhang Kuang is a center forward who excels in headers and long-range shots, not a winger."

"Oh, I understand what you mean. Rennes' pre-match strategy was to defend against Zhang Kuang's headers and long-range shots, but Zhang Kuang broke through on the wing from the start, which made Rennes' defensive strategy fall apart..."

Dugarry: "Yes, it all depends on whether Rennes can adjust quickly."

In the 7th minute, Zhang Kuang received the ball again on the left wing.

This time, Rennes' right-back Rod Fany and midfielder Lemoyna rushed over at the same time, one in front and one behind, trying to limit Zhang Kuang's rampage by double-teaming him.

Zhang Kuang didn't resort to force.

He passed the ball back to left winger Contute, who had made a run down the wing, and then quickly moved forward himself.

Contout didn't stop the ball, but instead sent a through pass into the space on the left side of the penalty area.

Zhang Kuang received the ball at the corner of the penalty area, but Rennes' center-back Mangane had already come to cover and blocked the shooting angle.

Zhang Kuang did not take a shot.

He passed the ball back to Pedretti at the edge of the penalty area with his left foot, then made a lateral run, rounding Mangane and moving to the center of the six-yard box.

Without hesitation, Pedretti chipped the ball over the goalkeeper.

The ball flew through the air and landed in the center of the penalty area—over Zhang Kuang's head.

Zhang Kuang leaped while running, using his core strength to brace himself in the air, waiting for the ball to land at the perfect height—

A header.

The ball was slammed into the ground, bounced, and headed straight for the bottom right corner of the goal.

Duchez made a save attempt, but the ball was too fast and hit the net before his fingertips could reach it.

1: 0.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" Bart's furious roar rang out on France 1, full of passion.

"Goal! Zhang Kuang! Another Zhang Kuang! A header!" Liu Jianhong's voice boomed in the studio. "Seventh minute, Auxerre leads 1-0! This is Zhang Kuang's New Year's gift to fans across the country!"

"That was beautiful!" Xu Yang exclaimed from the sidelines. "This goal was a perfect combination from the wing to the central penetration, from the positioning to the header. The whole process was seamless!"

His aggressive positioning was brilliant—he first dropped back to receive the ball, then surged forward, then made a lateral run, each step landing precisely in a blind spot of the Rennes defense!

"This is Zhang Kuang's fourteenth league goal of the season!" Liu Jianhong's voice carried the solemnity of witnessing history. "Five league games, fourteen goals! He has now surpassed Lille's Moussa Sow, ranking second in the top scorer list! He's only one goal behind the leader, Mamadou Niane!"

"Just one goal away!" Xu Yang repeated. "If Zhang Kuang scores one more goal in this match, he will tie Niane's fifteen goals for first place on the top scorer list! If he scores two more, he will become the top scorer in Ligue 1!"

"Yes, we have to thank Mamadu for not scoring in these few rounds, otherwise Zhang Kuang wouldn't have been able to catch up so easily."

"This shows that Ligue 1 strikers are very inconsistent. Just look at Auxerre's star striker, Yelen; his goal-scoring is unreliable."

"Yes……"

The atmosphere in the studio was already electric.

At the scene, Zhang Kuang got up from the ground and ran towards the corner flag area.

Instead of making the "Siu" celebration gesture, he ran to the corner flag area, faced the camera lens, and lifted his jersey, revealing the words "Happy New Year!" written on the lining.

"He arrogantly flashed his 'Happy New Year' greeting at the camera!" Liu Jianhong's voice was trembling with excitement. "This is his New Year's gift to fans across the country! It's so thoughtful!"

On the sidelines, Fernandez clapped his hands, his expression remaining calm, but his assistant coach, Stefano, had already rushed to the sidelines, waving his fist.

Rennes' head coach, Frederic Antonetti, stood on the other side of the field, hands on his hips, with a serious expression.

He spent three whole days devising defensive tactics before the match – limiting Zhang Kuang's headers, limiting Zhang Kuang's long-range shots, and limiting Zhang Kuang's attempts to get into the box.

But he didn't expect that Zhang Kuang would go down the wing at the very beginning of the game.

His defensive setup failed when Zhang Kuang made his first breakthrough down the wing.

The game continued, and Zhang Kuang's movements became increasingly agile, leaving the Rennes defenders who were guarding him bewildered and at a loss.

In the 12th minute, he switched from the left wing to the right wing.

In the 15th minute, he dropped back from the right wing to midfield.

In the 18th minute, he made a run from midfield into the center of the penalty area.

His range of movement covered the entire attacking third, like a constantly shifting net, making it impossible for Rennes' defenders to find his rhythm.

Rennes' defenders began to show signs of losing focus.

Fanny followed Zhang Kuang for fifteen minutes, being led from the left flank to the right flank and then back to the left flank, feeling like he was being led by the nose.

Mangane tried to restrain Zhang Kuang through physical confrontation, but every time he made physical contact with Zhang Kuang, it felt like hitting a wall.

That Chinese man's body density and bone strength were completely unlike those of a normal human.

21 minutes.

Auxerre intercepted the ball in their own half, and Grihidin launched a long pass directly to Zhang Kuang.

Zhang Kuang received the ball with his back to goal near the center circle, and two Rennes defenders—Lemoyna and Mangane—simultaneously double-teamed him from behind and the side.

Zhang Kuang controlled the ball with his chest, and the instant it hit the ground, he flicked it with his left foot, turning his body to the right in the process.

It wasn't a dribble past the opponent, it was a pass.

He passed the ball to Olic, who was making a run down the wing, and then quickly moved forward himself.

Olic received the ball on the right wing, but instead of crossing, he passed it across to Pedretti, who had dropped back to receive it in the middle.

Pedretti didn't stop the ball, but instead sent a through pass into the space on the right side of the penalty area.

Zhang Kuang sprinted at full speed and received the ball on the right side of the penalty area.

Rennes' left-back Elderson rushed in from the front, while center-back Hansen covered from the side. The two of them, one in front and one behind, blocked the wild shooting angle.

Zhang Kuang did not take a shot.

He flicked the ball sideways with his right foot, dodging Elderson's challenge, then cut the ball back with his left foot, shaking off Hansen's covering defense.

He faked out the two defenders, causing them to lose their balance.

Then he lifted his right foot—

"Bang!"

The ball was moving at extremely high speed, heading straight for the bottom left corner of the goal.

Duchess made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball—

But the ball was too powerful.

The ball slipped from his fingertips and hit the net.

2: 0.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" Bart's roar rang out again.

"The second one! Zhang Kuang scores twice!" Liu Jianhong's voice was already hoarse. "The fifteenth goal! He's tied with Mamadou Niane! Zhang Kuang is now the top scorer in Ligue 1!"

"Tie for first place!" Xu Yang shouted from the sidelines. "Five league games, fifteen goals! That's an average of three goals per game! This is extremely rare in the history of Ligue 1—no, in the history of Europe's top five leagues!"

"Unstoppable, absolutely unstoppable! Ligue 1 defenders simply can't stop Zhang from China. His movement is agile, he has a high degree of freedom, his shooting skills are superb, and he has strong physical strength. I wonder if teams like Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux can defend against him..." Dugarry excitedly commented.

Zhang ran wildly towards the corner flag area and gave a Siu celebration, igniting the atmosphere.