The match was somewhat dull; perhaps the enormous psychological pressure of qualifying made the national team unable to play freely, and Oman proved with their actions what they had said before the game: “We are not here to be mere extras at someone else’s banquet!” They were here to stir things up.

Thirty minutes into the match, the score was still 0:0. At this point, pessimism quietly crept back into the hearts of the fans watching. There had been too many instances of the Chinese team falling short at critical moments. Watching the national players make mistake after mistake and fail to score, the fans began to feel uneasy. Jason Bolton could already hear someone sighing and saying it was hopeless. He felt a sharp pain in his arm, turned his head, and saw that it was Sophie, who had been clutching his arm, now pinching it hard. She stared intently at the TV screen, her hand gripping Jason Bolton’s arm tightly, her lips bitten pale.

China missed another scoring opportunity. The fans in the stands at Wulihe Stadium had already started singing “My Motherland” to cheer for the Chinese team.

“The five-starred red flag flutters in the wind! How loud the song of victory! Singing of our beloved motherland! From now on, moving towards prosperity and strength! ...”

Paul Young was quite emotional; every time the Chinese team made a mistake, he would curse, while Jason Bolton, by comparison, just watched quietly, his hands clenched tightly.

Jason Bolton remembered that moment clearly. At the 35th minute, China took a throw-in from the left. Number 9, Thomas Mason, passed back to Ethan Thompson. Ethan Thompson kicked the ball across to Oman’s right side. Number 18, Peter Thompson, headed the ball on, and Hunter, lurking at the edge of Oman’s six-yard box, flicked it on with his head again. Numbers 11, William York, and 20, Gavin Young, both charged the goal, and William York got there first and shot the ball in!

1:0!

The ball was in!

At that moment, in Shenyang’s Wulihe, in a campus in Hefei, Anhui, in Beijing, in Shanghai... all across the country, it was like a long-dormant volcano erupting. Everyone jumped up, waving their arms and shouting loudly.

“It’s in!”

“We’ve qualified!”

“We won!”

“We’ve qualified! We’ve qualified!”

...

William York was the substitute for the suspended Holly Hall, playing as attacking midfielder. The goal he scored was his only one in the final round, and it was also the most important goal in the 44-year history of the Chinese team! This goal was also the most brilliant of China’s final round. Seven players participated in this attack, and the success rate of their passing was unprecedented! When he sent the ball into Oman’s net, Chinese football had never felt so proud!

In the remaining time, Oman launched an all-out counterattack, but the leading Chinese team remained very composed. Until the final whistle, they didn’t give Oman a single chance.

After the three whistles, Wulihe became a sea of celebration. Fans, reporters, players, coaches... all swarmed in. The team members raised the national flag high to salute the fans. The people in the cafeteria were also excited. Jason Bolton still didn’t scream like the others; he just sat in his chair, continuing to watch the TV broadcast. The joy of victory was something to savor slowly—it tasted even sweeter that way.

When Jason Bolton saw the national team’s veteran, center-back number 5, Charles Vaughn, draped in the national flag, squatting on the ground and covering his face in tears, his own eyes grew a little moist. A thirty-year-old man, crying like that in front of the camera, in front of the whole country—was it just pure tears of joy? The defeat in Abu Dhabi in 1993, the drizzling rain in Jinzhou in 1997, the missed penalty, the fatal mistakes... Eight years! How many eight years does a professional player have? Thirty years old! How many times can a person be thirty? From the league’s top scorer back then to a three-time veteran of the national team, he had experienced more than anyone else, felt more deeply, so perhaps that’s why he broke down in tears in public! What could be more moving than seeing a weathered man cry?

From childhood, football had brought him mostly joy, but today, on the day China finally qualified, Jason Bolton deeply felt the cruel side of football. Charles Vaughn was considered lucky; at the end of his career, he could still fulfill his dream of playing in the World Cup. But how many people on China’s road to qualification were as lucky as him? For the dream of the World Cup, how many went from wild youth to gray-haired old men to make today possible? But among those who first strove and witnessed the struggle, how many could actually live to see this day? To see Charles Vaughn’s tears?

And on this day, at this very moment, at the scene, in front of the TV, how many men like him were also sobbing uncontrollably?

Marshal He Long, who was in charge of sports when New China was just founded, once said: “If the three major ball games don’t break out of Asia, I will die with my eyes open!” Basketball and volleyball both made it out, but only football remained stuck. Today, he can finally rest in peace.

In another four years, who will be the ones standing on this green field, continuing this dream? As long as football keeps spinning, the dream will never end.

Life is finite, but dreams are infinite...

Chapter 005: A Triumphant First Battle

The National Day holiday had just ended, and Chinese football had qualified. Suddenly, there were more people playing football at school. Several times, the people from 701 went to the field to play, only to find there was no place left—even the tiniest patch of ground had two groups playing matches!

U University’s passion for football was at an all-time high!