Gorgeous Female Tenants

Chapter 312 Counterproductive

Zhao Liang faked a move, slipping past a defender and charging towards the edge of the penalty area.

Letting a highly skilled forward like him enter the penalty area and face the goalkeeper directly would mean a 99% chance of scoring.

Suddenly, the defender responsible for Zhao Liang, from the side, launched a sliding tackle. Although it was a bit dangerous, it was right on the penalty line, successfully clearing the ball.

Zhao Liang cleverly jumped over the defender’s body.

Seeing the defender’s sliding tackle nearly hitting forward Zhao Liang, Coach Martin and everyone else held their breath for a moment.

Although the defender managed to clear the ball in time, preventing Zhao Liang from entering the penalty area to shoot, the ball landed perfectly in the center of the field.

Lu Daquan exerted his strength like a hunting leopard, almost lifting off the ground, and snatched the ball just in time.

However, the tall, bulky Yang Li, a bit slow to turn, was left behind by him.

Lu Daquan glanced at Zhao Liang, who was being closely marked by the defenders, as he was the forward and the key target on the field.

Seeing no way to pass the ball, Lu Daquan decisively kicked it with all his might. The ball flew in a beautiful arc through the air, heading towards the goal.

The goalkeeper pounced forward, trying his best to save the ball, but the angle was too tricky, and the ball was too fast, grazing his fingertips and landing in the net.

The onlooking players burst into cheers, applauding Lu Daquan.

"Great shot."

"Perfect, absolutely perfect."

"What a Crescent Saber!"

However, David, who was watching, frowned. Xu Xiangbei noticed David’s expression and asked curiously, "What’s wrong? Didn’t he score?"

David explained helplessly, "Lu Daquan did everything perfectly, from dribbling past players, passing, to finally seizing the ball and scoring. But this also shows how poor our defense line is. Soccer is a team sport; everyone sees only his superior side, without considering our fragile defense line, which he broke through so easily. His excellent performance only made Coach Martin angrier."

Lu Daquan’s dribbling, accurate passing, and final goal demonstrated his superb personal skills.

Feeling good about himself, he smiled broadly and looked at Coach Martin with a smug expression, thinking Coach Martin would praise him.

However, Coach Martin shouted angrily, "Lu Daquan, who told you to shoot? I only told you to pass and cooperate with Zhao Liang to shoot. Did I ask you to shoot? Do you lack discipline?"

Lu Daquan’s face turned red quickly, feeling a bit wronged, he stared blankly at Coach Martin, embarrassed.

Xu Xiangbei understood David’s meaning. In training, it’s not about winning or losing by scoring goals, but about meeting the coach’s requirements.

Although Lu Daquan scored, he didn’t follow Coach Martin’s instructions. Strictly speaking, he failed the test.

Moreover, the poor defense line and the defenders’ clumsy actions made Coach Martin worry about tomorrow’s game against Celestial Light Sea, fearing their forwards would break through the defense as effortlessly as Lu Daquan did.

Coach Martin vented his concerns and anger on Lu Daquan, who hadn’t followed the instructions, and gave him a scolding.

Xu Xiangbei smirked, "Your coach is quite strict."

David looked helpless: "We’re playing against Celestial Light Sea tomorrow, but three of our main defenders are injured, leaving only Yang Li on the field. The defense has issues; the coach is naturally upset."

Xu Xiangbei saw three players sitting on the bench behind, looking listless. They were the ones whose warm-up running was stiff earlier; it was obvious they had leg injuries.

"Is it those three? They all seem to be injured."

David nodded affirmatively: "They are our main defenders. Without them, our defense is virtually non-existent. You saw how easily Lu Daquan broke through."

Coach Martin, stern-faced: "Lu Daquan, now it’s time for the physical test. Run 400 meters around the track at full speed and see how long it takes."

Lu Daquan, who had trained in martial arts since childhood, had excellent stamina. He ran like the wind, faster than ordinary players, completing a lap without changing his expression or panting.

Lu Daquan returned to Coach Martin, who checked the stopwatch and nodded: "Test complete, physical test is all excellent."

Excited to hear about his excellent physical test, Lu Daquan asked Coach Martin, "Coach, did I pass the test?"

Coach Martin’s face remained expressionless: "Sorry, you didn’t pass our test."

Lu Daquan was puzzled: "Didn’t you say my physical test was excellent? How did I not pass?"

Coach Martin smirked slightly: "Your footwork is excellent, you’re agile, and your stamina is superb—ideal qualities for a soccer player. However, what I, Martin, want is a cohesive team, not individualism. You violated my instructions by shooting in the first test, breaking discipline. No matter how excellent your personal skills or stamina, you didn’t pass the test, and we can’t use you, so please seek other opportunities."

Hearing Coach Martin, Lu Daquan felt helpless and reluctantly took off his jersey, handing it back to David: "Thank you for lending me the jersey."

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Xiangbei stopped him: "Wait a minute, let me talk to Coach Martin."

Xu Xiangbei smiled and spoke to Coach Martin: "Coach Martin, right? Give him a chance. He’s young and inexperienced; if you educate him a bit more, he’ll surely adhere to discipline. His soccer skills are exceptional, and you’re short on players. Wouldn’t not recruiting him be a waste of talent?"

Surprised someone dared to challenge his authority, especially a young guy of unassuming appearance, Coach Martin’s face turned cold, and he glared: "Who are you to interfere?"

Xu Xiangbei didn’t get angry, smiling: "I’m Xu Xiangbei, just a young doctor; you can call me Dr. Xu."

David quickly interjected: "Coach Martin, he’s the one I told you about, the one who fought the American Boxing Champion Jack. He’s the one who defeated the American Champion."

Coach Martin looked shocked: "It’s really you. You look slimmer than in the video."

Xu Xiangbei laughed: "So Coach Martin also bets on boxing?"

Excited to meet a participant from the boxing match, Coach Martin exclaimed: "I watched your match against Champion Jack. I actually bet on Jack to win and lost money, but I’m happy. You proved something important: our Huaxia Martial Arts aren’t afraid of American boxing. You’re a good kid."