Liu Meng’s sliding tackle, carrying the sound of wind, slid past Luo Xiaoxiang’s studs, missing the ball.
Grass clippings flew.
Luo Xiaoxiang, like an elegant bullfighter, deftly turned his body and glided past the fallen Liu Meng.
The entire process was smooth and seamless, without a hint of struggle.
A brief silence fell over the field.
Everyone was stunned.
“What… the heck?!”
Wang Lei, the right-back closest to the action, almost had his eyes pop out.
What did he just see?
Luo Xiaoxiang… the Luo Xiaoxiang whose fundamentals were terrible, actually used a drag-back turn to completely bypass Liu Meng, the core of their team’s defense?
Was this a movie?
Liu Meng, who had been beaten, was still lying on the grass in his sliding tackle posture, looking utterly bewildered.
Only one thought was in his mind: “Where’s the ball? I clearly tackled towards the ball! How did I miss?”
He completely failed to understand why Luo Xiaoxiang’s simple move could deceive him.
That feeling was too bizarre!
It was as if his eyes and brain had a delay of a few tenths of a second, causing his body to make a wrong judgment.
“Beautiful!”
On the substitute team’s side, someone shouted first, though no one knew who.
Immediately after, a chorus of cheers erupted.
They, too, were amazed by Luo Xiaoxiang’s move.
Was this still the perennial substitute they knew?
Coach Li Tiejun, who was on the sidelines, had already been about to turn away, but this sudden scene froze him in place.
He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes filled with disbelief.
“This… Is this a coincidence?” Li Tiejun muttered to himself.
It’s not strange for a player to occasionally have a moment of brilliance and make a spectacular move.
But Luo Xiaoxiang’s dribble just now was too abnormal!
It wasn’t about how fancy the move was, but rather the timing and rhythm, which were executed to perfection.
It was like an experienced veteran precisely seizing that split second when the defender’s center of gravity shifted.
But Luo Xiaoxiang… how old was he? Where did he get such experience?
Li Tiejun’s gaze was fixed intently on Luo Xiaoxiang.
He suddenly felt as if he had never truly known this quiet kid in the team.
At this moment, Luo Xiaoxiang, after beating Liu Meng, was also filled with wild joy.
“So that’s how it is! Misdirection can be used like this!”
He finally understood.
The key to this skill was not the action, but the “deception”!
It was about making the opponent’s attention highly concentrated on one point, thereby ignoring his other movements.
Just now, he had “sucked” all of Liu Meng’s attention to that fake outward push, which made the subsequent drag-back turn so effortless and smooth.
This was simply a divine skill!
“Damn it, the basketball system… it doesn’t seem completely useless after all!” Luo Xiaoxiang thought to himself, pleased.
After beating Liu Meng, there was an open space ahead.
The main team’s other center-back quickly covered, but Luo Xiaoxiang had already picked up speed.
Although his absolute speed wasn’t fast, at this moment, he was brimming with confidence.
“Don’t let him shoot!”
“Stop him!”
In front of the main team’s penalty area, there was a flurry of shouts and commotion.
Luo Xiaoxiang dribbled the ball, charging all the way to the edge of the penalty box.
The goalkeeper nervously adjusted his positioning, constantly shouting instructions to the defense.
The chance had come!
Luo Xiaoxiang looked at the goal, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
He took a deep breath and swung his right leg.
This was a standard shooting motion.
Everyone thought he was going to unleash a powerful shot.
The center-back defending him, without thinking, immediately extended his leg to block his shooting lane.
The goalkeeper also instantly lowered his center of gravity, ready to make a save.
However, Luo Xiaoxiang’s high-swinging right leg abruptly stopped just as it was about to touch the ball.
A fake shot!
Both the defender and the goalkeeper’s bodies momentarily froze due to this feint.
Now!
Luo Xiaoxiang’s right foot gently landed, and he smoothly pulled the ball to the left.
His body’s center of gravity also shifted to his left foot.
With a simple pull-back, he once again opened up the angle against the defender.
Left-footed shot!
His left foot was not his dominant foot; its power and accuracy were much weaker.
But now, the goal was within reach, and the angle was completely open.
“It’s in! This ball should be in!” The substitute teammates clenched their fists, one by one, with excitement.
Even Li Tiejun on the sidelines instinctively leaned forward.
From off-ball movement, to the drag-back dribble, and then the fake shot and pull-back… Luo Xiaoxiang’s series of actions was simply perfect.
If this ball could go in, it would definitely be the most spectacular goal of today’s training match.
Luo Xiaoxiang’s left foot struck the lower-middle part of the soccer ball solidly.
“Thump!”
A dull thud.
The soccer ball, like a white cannonball, whistled towards the goal.
Everyone’s eyes followed the trajectory of the ball.
However, the next second, the entire field erupted in an uproar.
The soccer ball… did not fly towards the goal.
Instead, at a bizarre angle, it flew high, soared over the crossbar, and directly slammed into the wire mesh behind the goal.
“Clang!”
A harsh crash, as if mercilessly mocking Luo Xiaoxiang.
A ridiculous sky-high shot.
“…”
The field once again fell into an eerie silence.
The substitute teammates’ excited expressions instantly froze, their mouths agape, unsure of what to say.
The main team’s players were first stunned, then burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! I thought he was going to be amazing! After all that, just this?”
“I’m dying of laughter, his dribbling was like Messi, but that final shot was more amateur than mine!”
“It’s Luo Xiaoxiang alright, cool for less than three seconds!”
The jeers, like needles, pricked Luo Xiaoxiang’s heart.
He looked at the high-flying soccer ball, completely dumbfounded.
“How… could this happen?”
He had clearly opened up the angle, and when he shot, it felt like he had hit the right spot, so why did it fly so ridiculously off target?
A huge sense of loss instantly engulfed him.
From heaven to hell, it only took one shot.
“Luo Xiaoxiang!”
The team’s ace, Zhang Hao, walked over, a look of undisguised sarcasm on his face.
“You think you’re so great just because you beat two people? Football speaks with goals. You, a weakling like you, are just a burden on the field!”
Zhang Hao’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone around heard it clearly.
Luo Xiaoxiang’s face instantly turned crimson.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails were almost digging into his flesh, yet he couldn’t utter a single word in rebuttal.
Because what Zhang Hao said was the truth.
No matter how spectacular the dribbling, if it couldn’t be converted into a goal, it was meaningless.
“Useless.”
Zhang Hao contemptuously spat out two words and turned to walk away.
Luo Xiaoxiang stood rooted to the spot, feeling all the strength drained from his body.
The confidence and joy brought by Misdirection just now were now completely gone.
Sure enough… I’m still not good enough?
Do I really have no talent for playing football?
Just as he was disheartened and self-doubting, the cold electronic voice in his mind rang out again.
“Host’s shooting error detected. Do you wish to activate the Formless Shot skill for auxiliary correction?”
Luo Xiaoxiang was suddenly startled.
Formless Shot?
That basketball skill?
Could this thing… also be used for shooting in soccer?