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Chapter 48: Asian footballer
After the break, the head coach of Genk made a substitution, replacing Jason Aldridge with a center-back, intending to strengthen the midfield defense while still keeping Wang Feng on the field to keep the opponent under pressure. The team's formation also changed from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1.
On the Spanish side, they also made a substitution, replacing a defender with a tall forward, intending to challenge Genk's defense and potentially equalize the score.
The home team launched a fierce attack right from the kickoff, encouraged by their home fans' enthusiasm, and created several good opportunities. However, Genk's goalkeeper showed outstanding bravery, making incredible saves one after another to keep the goal safe.
In the 74th minute, Genk won the ball in their own half and launched a counterattack. Gareth Barry dribbled the ball into the midfield and sent a curving pass to Wang Feng on the right flank.
Wang Feng used his speed to evade the defending players and entered the penalty area. The Espanyol goalkeeper, Usabio Bornhardt, came out to block him, but Wang Feng cleverly feigned a shot with his right foot, causing the goalkeeper to dive prematurely. Then, with a deft touch, Wang Feng flicked the ball to the right, leaving the goalkeeper stranded. 𝙛𝙧𝒆𝒆𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝒆𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝓶
Facing an open goal, Wang Feng calmly slotted the ball into the net as the Espanyol defenders slid in desperation but couldn't reach the ball in time.
With this goal, Wang Feng scored again, almost sealing the victory for Genk!
The Espanyol players looked bewildered as they watched the visiting team celebrating the goal. Their confidence seemed shattered by this second goal, and they started thinking about the possibility of not winning the game.
As the game resumed, Espanyol's attacks slowed down, and Genk's defense breathed a sigh of relief, continuing to play solidly. In the 87th minute, Genk broke through the opponent's defense again with consecutive passes.
Carl Bess passed to Wang Feng on the right flank, who then crossed the ball into the box. Barry jumped up and headed towards the goal, but Bornhardt managed to touch the ball with his fingertips, deflecting it out of bounds.
After that, neither side created any threatening attacks. The referee blew the final whistle, and Genk defeated Espanyol away from home, securing the top spot in the group with three consecutive victories.
In the post-match press conference, Espanyol coach Wilbur Baumbach praised Wang Feng, acknowledging his exceptional skills and athleticism, expressing disbelief that Wang Feng was only seventeen years old. He admitted that their defense had no answer to Wang Feng's abilities and believed that Wang Feng was fully capable of playing in the top five leagues.
Genk coach Aimee Antonis also praised Wang Feng, acknowledging his crucial role in their attacking lineup.
CCTV, the national broadcaster, was delighted with Wang Feng's performance and decided to broadcast the match commentary by renowned commentators overnight and aired it on the sports channel the next day.
Fans praised Wang Feng's performance, comparing him favorably to previous overseas Chinese players. They expressed their hope that Wang Feng would become a flag bearer for Chinese football on the international stage.
With Wang Feng's impressive performances in the Belgian Pro League over the past seasons, he was selected as the 2000 Asian Footballer of the Year. AFC contacted Wang Feng's agent, Francisco Balmond, inviting him to attend the award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur at the end of November.
Balmond was excited and mentioned that Wang Feng was the youngest nominee, facing competition mainly from Saudi Arabia's Nawaf Al-Temyat. Despite Saudi Arabia's commendable performance in the Asian Cup that year, Wang Feng's consistent outstanding performances gave him a slight edge in winning the award.
Balmond revealed that the club had agreed to let Wang Feng attend the ceremony as they had already secured the top spot in their Europa League group, ensuring they would advance to the next stage.
Following Balmond's confirmation, Wang Feng agreed to attend the ceremony according to his arrangements.
In the 15th round of the Belgian Pro League, Genk hosted Sint-Truiden. Wang Feng remained active throughout the match. In the 31st minute, he received a pass from Barry on the right flank, evaded the defending players, and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper, scoring the only goal of the match.
Shortly after the start of the second half, Wang Feng was substituted off. Coach Antonis wanted him to rest more, considering his upcoming trip to Asia. The 1-0 scoreline remained until the final whistle, with Genk maintaining their lead over Anderlecht in the league standings.
After this match, Wang Feng flew to Kuala Lumpur, where Balmond was already waiting for him. Meanwhile, CCTV decided to broadcast the entire award ceremony live, as Wang Feng was a top contender for the Asian Footballer of the Year award, with several other Chinese players also nominated for awards.
The AFC award ceremony was relatively simple compared to the FIFA Ballon d'Or, without the red carpet and other extravagances. After everyone took their seats, the ceremony officially began.
Wang Feng was seated in the middle of the front row, flanked by Saudi Arabia's Al-Temyat and Japan's Nakamura Shunsuke, both also top contenders for the Asian Footballer of the Year award. Wang Feng wasn't familiar with either of them and could only exchange nods with them.
Though Wang Feng had shown no fear on the pitch in front of tens of thousands of fans, he felt quite awkward sitting here in a suit. It felt like a child trying to play grown-up. As each award was announced, he hoped for a quick end to the ceremony.
It's worth noting that, besides Wang Feng, China had two other players selected in the AFC's Best XI, namely Jiang Jin and Fan Zhiyi.