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

Stade Gerland, Lyon.

Fifteen minutes before the match started, the stands were already packed. The stadium, with a capacity of over 40,000, was divided into two camps by white and blue – Lyon's home ground in white, and Auxerre's away ground in blue.

But in the away team's stands, a red area stood out conspicuously.

That is the five-star red flag.

It's not just one or two sides, it's dozens of sides.

Chinese fans who flew in from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu waved national flags and held banners with slogans such as "Crazy and awesome," "Auxerre champions," and "Pride of China."

Some of them took a flight of more than ten hours, while others spent half a year's savings, just to witness this night with their own eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Stade Gerland in Lyon, France!" Liu Jianhong's voice echoed across China via CCTV-5. "In just a few minutes, the 36th round of the 2009-2010 Ligue 1 season, Lyon's home game against Auxerre, will begin!"

"This match is of great significance to Auxerre," Xu Yang said, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. "If Auxerre wins this match, they will clinch the Ligue 1 title two rounds early."

This is Auxerre's second league title in history, a full fourteen years since their last victory!

"For Zhang Kuang, this match is equally significant." Liu Jianhong flipped through the data in his hand. "Currently, Zhang Kuang ranks first in the Ligue 1 top scorer list with 30 league goals, leading second-placed Mamadou Niane by 10 goals. The Golden Boot is already in his grasp, but what he needs to do today is—help the team win the championship."

"Yes," Xu Yang nodded. "And don't forget, since Zhang Kuang joined Auxerre, the team hasn't lost a single game. Auxerre has won every league match he's played in. If that record continues to this day, Auxerre will be the champions."

In the live studio of France 1, Bat and Dugarry were also doing their final pre-match analysis.

"Dugarry, what do you think of this game?" Bart asked.

Dugarry thought for a moment: "Lyon will be a tough opponent. Although they have had a mediocre season and are currently only in fourth place, their squad strength is far superior to Auxerre's."

Lloris, Chris, Macon, Toulalan, Pjanic, Govou, Lisandro Lopez—these names are top-tier in Ligue 1.

"But Auxerre has an arrogance," Barthes said.

"That's right, Auxerre has a certain arrogance." Dugarry laughed. "A player who can solve a battle on his own is the biggest variable."

Lyon can defend against Auxerre's coordinated attacks, but they can't stop his arrogance. The first fourteen league matches have proven this; no team has truly been able to contain him.

"So what do you think the score will be?"

Dugarry shook his head: "I won't guess. But I know one thing—if Zhang Kuang had scored today, Auxerre wouldn't have lost."

---

In the players' tunnel, players from both teams are lined up and waiting to enter the game.

Zhang Kuang stood in the middle of the group, slightly towards the back, with Captain Pedretti in front of him and Grihidin behind him. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to slow his heartbeat.

It's not nervousness.

It's excitement.

He waited half a year for this day.

champion.

Golden Boots.

Upgrade card.

Everything is about to come to fruition.

His consciousness swept across the system panel—he had only accumulated 652 health points after half a season of hard work, and even after grinding away with needles every day from February 6th to May 5th, he only managed to get 609 points. He scored 18 goals and won MVP in ten games, which brought him a total of 647 health points. Adding the 5 points he had left over, he had a total of 652 points.

He was still 348 points short of the required health points to upgrade. Damn it, even if he won the championship today, he still wouldn't have enough health points to upgrade. He checked the upgrade rules again, and it was true that winning the championship only rewarded upgrade cards, not health points. This was too unreasonable!

Unless he wins the league's annual MVP award, he won't receive twice the health points based on the number of league matches played. He's only played half a season; winning the annual MVP award will be very difficult for him.

He still has to keep working on his punctures, damn it, I'll stop thinking about that now and focus on winning this match first.

-

"Ladies and gentlemen, the players from both sides are entering the field!" Liu Jianhong's voice rose a notch.

"Auxerre's starting lineup: goalkeeper Sorin, defense from left to right: Berto, Humbert, Grihidin, Minho, double pivot Pedretti and Ndinga, left winger Olic, right winger Birsa, free agent Zhang Kuang, and lone striker Yeren."

"This is a 4-4-1-1 formation. Zhang Kuang plays behind Yellen, but he has complete freedom. I heard that Fernandez's tactical instructions to him were just one sentence—'Play wherever you want.'"

"Lyon is fielding a 4-3-3 formation," Xu Yang continued. "The goalkeeper is French international Hugo Lloris, the defense consists of Sissoko, Chris, Boumsong, and Rewie. The three midfielders are Toulalan, Macon, and Pjanic. The three forwards are Govou, Lisandro Lopez, and Bastos."

"This lineup would be very competitive even in the Champions League," Liu Jianhong remarked. "Auxerre is facing one of the strongest teams in Ligue 1 in recent years."

"Yes……"

---

At 6:00 p.m. sharp, referee Olivier Thial blew the whistle to start the match.

Lyon kicks off.

Contrary to most people's pre-match predictions, Lyon did not choose to play defensively and counter-attack, but instead launched a high press from the start.

Lyon coach Claude Pierre stood on the sidelines, hands in his coat pockets, expressionless. His plan was simple—to get off to a strong start.

Lyon's players pounced on Auxerre's ball carrier like a pack of hungry wolves.

Pjanic, Toulalan, and Macon formed an impenetrable barrier in midfield. As soon as Auxerre's defenders got the ball, they found themselves being pressed by at least two Lyon players.

In the third minute, Lyon's first attack created a threat.

Pjanic received the ball in midfield and noticed that Auxerre's right-back Minho was positioned a bit too far forward. He then played a through ball behind the Auxerre defense.

Govou surged forward and received the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Instead of crossing, he laid the ball off to Lisandro Lopez at the edge of the box.

Lopez received the ball with his back to goal, and Humbert closed in from behind. Instead of trying to contest it, Lopez passed the ball back to Makon, who was making a run into the box.

Makon unleashed a powerful shot – but Grihidin blocked it with his body.

"Lyon's attack was fierce from the start!" Barthez shouted from the commentary box. "Their high pressing made Auxerre very uncomfortable! They couldn't get the ball into the attacking third at all!"

Dugarry frowned: "Auxerre's old problem has resurfaced—their lack of defensive concentration in the second half of the season was magnified against Lyon. If this continues, conceding goals is only a matter of time."

The fifth minute.

Lyon has scored.

Auxerre made a mistake in their own half, and under pressure, Pedretti passed the ball to Ndinga, but Ndinga's first touch was too heavy, and the ball was intercepted by Pjanic.

Without hesitation, Pjanic delivered a long diagonal pass to the right wing.

Govou received the ball near the sideline, and Auxerre's left-back Berto rushed towards him. Instead of dribbling past him, Govou flicked the ball sideways, and then—

The message is in progress.

The ball arced through the air and landed in the center of the penalty area.

Lisandro Lopez, with his back to the goal on the edge of the six-yard box, leaned against Grihidin and chested the ball down in front of him—

He turned around, leaped into the air, and shot out.

The ball slammed into the top left corner of the goal like a cannonball.

Sorin didn't even make a save.

1: 0.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!" Barthe's roar echoed throughout France 1. "Lisandro Lopez! A world-class goal! Lyon leads 1-0!"

The Gerland Stadium erupted in cheers.

The cheers of over 40,000 home fans swept across the stadium like a tsunami, and Lyon's players rushed to the corner flag, embracing each other in celebration. (A goal in just 5 minutes? Mbappé is delighted!)

Liu Jianhong's voice was filled with obvious anxiety: "Lyon scored in the fifth minute! Auxerre's defense has had problems again. Their defense has been problematic since the start of the second half of the season."

Pedretti's passing error, Ndinga's poor ball control, Grihidin's defensive lapse, Sorin's delayed save... from back to front, not a single link in the chain was functioning correctly!

"This is Auxerre's old problem in the second half of the season." Xu Yang shook his head. "Their defensive concentration is low. They can make up for it with their wild goals against weaker teams, but against an opponent of Lyon's caliber, their weaknesses will be exploited."

On the sidelines, Fernandez's face was ashen.

He didn't shout or make any gestures; he just stood on the sidelines, hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the field.

Zhang Kuang stood near the center circle, hands on his hips, watching Lyon's players celebrate.

His expression was calm. Although he had a lot of opinions about the team's defense and wanted to complain, what could he do as a player?

He didn't want to interfere excessively with the team's tactics or criticize the players; that would be extremely unprofessional.

They're only down by one goal, with 85 minutes left.

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