King Of World Football

Chapter 42: First Europa League match

After more than a dozen hours of traveling, Genk finally arrived in Israel. The players were all exhausted, but they had very little time to rest as the match was scheduled for the next day.

This was also a new experience for Wang Feng, and he felt very tired. So, he canceled additional training and focused on recovering his energy through rest.

The next day at HaMoshava Stadium, the atmosphere wasn't great as there were only scattered spectators in the stands. The match was scheduled for the afternoon, and the October weather in Israel was still very hot, making the Genk players appear lethargic.

Petah Tikva Maccabi took advantage of this opportunity to launch an aggressive attack from the start. Genk made a defensive error in the backline, allowing the home team's forward to intercept the ball and score.

The sudden goal served as a wake-up call for the Genk players. They quickly realized the importance of this match for their advancement and made adjustments to stabilize the situation.

In the 11th minute, Wang Feng made a forceful breakthrough on the right flank and delivered a cross. Gareth Barry headed the ball towards Jason Aldrich in the center, who struck a threatening low shot, but the Petah Tikva Maccabi goalkeeper made an excellent save, deflecting the ball out for a corner.

Wang Feng took the resulting corner kick and accurately found Christian Civu in the penalty area. Civu rose high for a header, but it narrowly missed the crossbar.

With two consecutive threatening attacks, Genk's play became more composed. They had a stronger overall strength than their opponents, and many players were confident. They believed that they could quickly equalize the score due to having Wang Feng, the top scorer in the Belgian Pro League.

In the 31st minute, Genk executed a wall pass. Barry passed to Wang Feng at the edge of the penalty area, who created a slight opening by obstructing a defender. Wang Feng noticed this opportunity and took a shot with his right foot.

"Wang Feng with the ball, let's see what he does... He shoots! Goooooooooooooal! In the 31st minute, Genk equalizes the score!"

"We're watching the slow-motion replay. Wang Feng's ground shot seemed harmless, but it had a lot of power. The ball bounced slightly up and down on the pitch."

"The Petah Tikva Maccabi goalkeeper was careless. He tried to save the ball with one hand, but it was already bouncing upward. After hitting his hand, the ball's momentum remained, and it went straight into the net."

After scoring, Wang Feng didn't celebrate but instead quickly retrieved the ball, intending to continue the attack. He didn't want to settle for a draw.

The second goal came quickly. Just five minutes later, Genk won the ball back in their own half. Civu passed to Bess in midfield, who saw Wang Feng near the edge of the arc. Bess sent a ground pass towards him.

Wang Feng received the ball with his back to the goal, drawing the attention of the defenders inside the penalty area. With a clever move, he flicked the ball with the tip of his right foot, lifting it over the defenders behind him.

At the same time, Wang Feng quickly turned around, evading the defender. The Petah Tikva Maccabi defender hesitated, wanting to reach out and pull Wang Feng, but considering that he had entered the penalty area, he hesitated for a moment.

In that moment of hesitation from the defender, Wang Feng had already chased down the ball, creating a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper. With ease, he placed his shot into the corner.

2-1! Genk reversed the score!

Wang Feng, who scored twice, excitedly ran off the field, circling around the stands with both hands pointing to the sky. Now he could celebrate his goals without any reservations. Other teammates followed closely, intercepting Wang Feng and embracing him in celebration.

This goal was truly spectacular, even some of the home team's fans in the stands applauded him.

In the second half, Genk didn't give the home team any chances. In the 73rd minute, Barry assisted Aldrich for another goal, securing a 3-1 victory, Genk's first win in the Europa League!

On the flight back to Genk, everyone discussed the just-ended match with smiles on their faces. Winning as expected was the first step towards success.

Wang Feng, however, didn't participate much in the conversation. He wasn't accustomed to such long travels, so he fell asleep.

Back in Genk late at night, Wang Feng, despite feeling tired, arrived at the training ground early the next morning for recovery training. He needed to adapt quickly to the demands of such long-distance travel and ensure it didn't affect his performance.

In the 10th round of the Belgian Pro League, Genk faced Standard Liege away. After discussions with the coaching staff, it was decided to forfeit the match, so most of the key players, including Wang Feng, were left behind. The team fielded many new and substitute players for the away game.

Wang Feng watched the entire match from the dormitory. Initially, Genk and Standard Liege were evenly matched, but due to the inexperience of the new players, Genk soon fell behind.

In the 33rd and 57th minutes of the match, Standard Liege's forward Davin Lisiki and defender Morlan Alfonso respectively scored goals, handing Genk their first defeat of the season.

At the same time, Anderlecht's 5-1 victory over Westerlo extended their lead over Genk. However, this was within the expectations of the coaching staff. With only one-third of the league played, the final outcome was still uncertain.

As the second Chinese player to appear in the Europa League, Wang Feng was interviewed by Zhao Haiyang, a reporter from Sports Weekly.

"This was your first appearance in the Europa League, and you scored two goals to help the team win. How do you feel?" Zhao Haiyang asked.

"We faced a relatively weak team in Petah Tikva Maccabi, so it was only natural for the team to win," Wang Feng replied. "This was just the group stage of the Europa League. For us, the real challenges will come from teams like Espanyol and Lokomotiv Moscow in the same group."

Zhao Haiyang then asked, "You've scored 12 goals in 10 league matches, leading the top scorer chart. What gives you such terrifying attacking power?"

Wang Feng smiled, "It's not that big of a deal, actually. This season, Genk has set up the tactics around me as the focal point of the attack, so I've had a lot of opportunities. I've managed to convert many of them into goals."

"My teammates and I have good chemistry, and I also put in extra practice on my basic skills," Wang Feng added.

Zhao Haiyang nodded and then asked about Chinese players playing abroad. Wang Feng believed that there were many benefits to playing abroad, such as exposure to advanced training methods and tactics, which could improve a player's ability to read the game.

"I think football should be played with the mind, not just relying on physical strength," Wang Feng concluded. "And this is what playing abroad can bring to Chinese football."

Finally, the 2000 AFC Asian Cup was also underway in Lebanon. China made it through the group stage smoothly. Zhao Haiyang asked Wang Feng to predict how far the Chinese team could go.

"I've been following the group stage matches of the Chinese team, and several overseas players have performed well," Wang Feng said. "But I'm not familiar with the level of Asian teams, so I'm not sure how far China can go."