King Of World Football

Chapter 36: A good start to the new season

Wang Feng is sitting in the locker room at the Henkrominus Arena, sorting out his sneakers for the last time. Tonight they will usher in the first round of the League One against Lokeren.

In the few warm-up games that have ended, a series of problems of Genk have also been fully exposed, such as the lack of running-in of the players, the disconnection of the midfield and the front court, etc. The time for the formation of the new lineup was still too short.

"The players of the two teams, led by the referee, are slowly entering the stadium. The fans of the home team immediately gave warm applause. Genk's performance in the second half of last season was so good that many fans placed high hopes on them."

"The fans held up the sign with Wang Feng's name on it, cheering for him. It's unimaginable that a 17-year-old boy has become the number one star of the League One. I wonder if he can continue the miraculous performance of last season? "

With the whistle of the referee, the game officially began.

Karl Bess quickly kicked the ball to Gareth Barry, who then passed back to the defense. Genk did not rush to attack at the beginning of the game, but waited for an opportunity in the backcourt.

Lokeren pressed forward as a whole, trying to take advantage of Genk's unstable foothold to launch a wave of offensive.

After several passes, Christian Chivu made a precise through pass from the backcourt and found Wang Feng in the midfield.

Bess and Wang Feng had a very good understanding. Seeing this, he directly lobbed the ball, crossed Lokeren's defense line, and fell behind him.

After Wang Feng caught up with the ball, Lokeren's defenders followed him one position behind. So Wang Feng made a pass to the back point, followed by Barry and hit the ball directly, and the ball flew out against the crossbar.

"This shot is extremely threatening, but it's a pity that Barry didn't stop his foot and hit it high in the end. It would be better if he could stop the ball and adjust it." This shot also made Lokeren's players and coaches break out in a cold sweat.

Genk's sharp counterattack also made Lokeren's defense gradually shrink, and Wang Feng's defense became tighter. With the experience of last season, Wang Feng was firm in his mind, constantly interspersed and moved, waiting for space.

In the 29th minute, with a long pass from the backcourt, Barry headed the ball to Wang Feng who was in the front. Facing the incoming ball, Wang Feng dunked with his left foot, dodging the defensive player who was pressing forward.

Wang Feng then dribbled the ball into the penalty area, faced the goalkeeper, and calmly volleyed from the far corner.

"goooooooooooal! Wang Feng from Genk broke through the opponent's gate first."

"This is also Genk's first goal of the season. The 17-year-old has continued his fiery performance last season and has become the most threatening striker in the league."

After Wang Feng scored a goal, he quickly turned around and rushed out of the field, came to the stands, celebrated with his hands pointing at the sky, and accepted the cheers of the Genk fans. The other team members who arrived afterward also rushed forward and surrounded him.

"Before the game, there were still many media speculations that Genk let go of the strikers Caspar Blanche and Adrian Gale this summer. It is difficult for Wang Feng to control the overall situation. Now this kind of doubt can be stopped. Only 29 minutes, Wang Feng created two good chances to score goals and seized one of them."

After leading 1:0, Wang Feng was obviously not satisfied. He clearly felt that Genk still had the ability to score goals again, and Lokeren's defensive concentration also dropped a lot after breaking the deadlock.

Only 6 minutes later, Genk made a comeback. After receiving a through ball from Bess on the right, Wang Feng shook off the defender and quickly dribbled the ball into the penalty area. Rolling to the back point, the follow-up teenager Jason Aldridge pushed the ball from close range and sent the ball into the goal of Lokeren.

After scoring the goal, Aldridge looked very excited. This was his first start on behalf of Genk, and he scored a goal. It can be said that it was a perfect start.

Genk, who was leading by two goals, played more and more smoothly. At the end of the first half, Barry suddenly dribbled the ball and broke through after taking the ball in midfield, attracting the attention of the defenders, and then returned the follow-up Bess near the top of the arc. After receiving the ball, Bess quickly crossed the penalty area diagonally at 45 degree angles.

A figure sprang out from the defensive team. It was Wang Feng. After he got the ball in the penalty area, he made a slight adjustment and hit the ball directly. The ball went straight to the near corner of the goal, 3:0! Wang Feng scored twice!

In the end, the score was maintained until the end. On the second day after the first round of the match, major Belgian media reported on the results of the teams in the Ligue 1. Among them, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Standard Liege, and Genk naturally became the focus of attention.

These teams lived up to the name of the strong teams, and all won. Among them, Anderlecht swept Zult-Waregem 5-0, and Jan Koller scored three goals alone, showing his strength to the world.

Genk lost its championship team this summer. Although it has been strengthened, its strength will definitely decline. Many people predicted that its first game will be very difficult, but they did not expect that they would be able to beat their oponents so easily.

"Wang Feng continued his crazy performance from last year in this game. He scored twice to help Genk beat the opponent. He was also named the best player in the game."

"This year's competition for the Golden Boot should be fierce."

"The surprise is that Genk's defense seems to have become very stable. After the summer, they gambled on a loan from Ajax for Christian Chivu, the defense that was criticized last season has been greatly improved."

"Genk, who is both good in offense and defense, will be a strong contender for the League Championship this season. I also look forward to their success in the European arena."

After the first round, Genk breathed a sigh of relief, and the team gave everyone a two-day holiday. Renee invited Wang Feng to go back to Virton together and have a meal with his former friends, Wang Feng readily accepted.

Virton manager Theron Hodum had called Wang Feng before, hoping to use his name for publicity. Wang Feng naturally agreed to this request. After all, he also came out of Virton's youth training. How can he not help?

Hodum's mood can only be described as regret, he shouldn't have sold Wang Feng for cheap, who would have thought that his current value would soar like a rocket. Especially after Paris Saint-Germain offered 8 million euros, he regretted it even more.

According to Renee, since Virton established Wang Feng as a model, they have attracted many young players to join, and there are also some people with outstanding talents. The head coach Mette Magritte is bold. Using newcomers, from the end of last season to the beginning of this season, the team's performance is not bad. Although there is still a certain distance from the top, but after a few years of accumulation, there is a good chance that they will go up to League One.

When Wang Feng came to Virton's training ground, many players from the youth training gathered around him, wanting to take a group photo with this hot star in the league. Wang Feng smiled and fulfilled their requests one by one.

The head coach Magritte came over: "Wang, thanks to you, Virton has become more lively." After that, he looked Wang Feng up and down, "Your progress has been leaps and bounds, and it seems like a change in less than a year. I can't even recognize you any more."

Wang Feng smiled and said a few words modestly, and went to the dining place with everyone, a small local bar in Virton, where food and drinks were provided. Almost all of Virton's team members were present for this dinner, even Paul Chuck was here.

He took the initiative to walk to Wang Feng's side and apologized for his previous discriminatory words and deeds. Wang Feng accepted his apology, and the two smiled to end their grievances. Chuck sighed in his heart that he and Wang Feng might not have any intersections in this life, and Wang Feng would only go higher and higher. The gap between him and himself would become wider and wider.

After Wang Feng communicated with his former teammates, he was also full of embarrassment.

'Once upon a time, I just wanted to be the main player in Virton and earn a little money to subsidize my family, but who would have thought that I would be able to play in the League One and get money that many people would never earn in their lifetime.'

He is very thankful that he has been working hard and never slackened, and he will never slack in the future, because he knows that once something is given up, it will never be found again.

Early the next morning, the two returned to Genk, and Wang Feng also started his own training plan.