Chapter Three: A Goal Made by Seven

The second came in the seventeenth minute. Qingzhou chased the ball like their namesake hounds, but one-touch combinations drew the press toward the sideline. Luo, the seventh player, crossed. Qiu Ning slid and shot over. [Complete attacks: 2/3. Goals: 0/1.] Qingzhou's coach finally understood and ordered two midfielders to sever Zhou's routes into the defense. They stole the ball in the twenty-first minute and scored with a header. One-nil. Forty thousand people shook the turf. Aurum's adviser applauded, answered his phone, and kept his eyes on Shen. Qingzhou scored again in the twenty-ninth. Their winger beat two men and drove the ball inside the near post. Two-nil. Coach Han asked, “Still build from the back? One more and we collapse.”