114: Chapter 114 This is football, how can you not love it?

"Bang!"

A dull thud!

The ball slammed solidly and fiercely right into the center of the chest of the unsuspecting Per Mertesacker, who was sprinting at full speed!

"Ugh!"

Per Mertesacker let out a pained grunt. His sprint stopped abruptly, his massive frame staggered backward from the impact, and a wave of intense, suffocating pain washed over his chest!

Instinctively, he bent over and clutched his chest.

After hitting Per Mertesacker's chest, the ball rebounded with heavy spin, landing perfectly in front of Yu Bai, who had just finished his "Shooting" and was already moving!

A perfect, unbelievable "wall pass" using a person as the wall!

The only difference was that this "wall" was the painfully hunched-over Per Mertesacker.

"Oh no!"

Enduring the sharp pain, Per Mertesacker instantly realized something was wrong!

This kid Yu Bai was playing these "underhanded" tricks again!

However, it was too late!

Referee Lee Mason held both arms out, signaling "play on"!

He deemed Yu Bai's move as playing the ball (albeit in a strange way), the ball remained in Tottenham's control, and there was no reason to stop the game!

"Keep attacking!"

Cheers erupted from the Tottenham fans in the stands!

Yu Bai received the ball perfectly, like a streak of white lightning, bolting past the still-gasping Per Mertesacker and charging with the ball into Arsenal's defensive heartland!

This was his first time in the match truly carrying the ball into the final third!

"Stop him!"

Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina shouted.

Héctor Bellerín and Gabriel Paulista quickly closed in from both sides, attempting to block Yu Bai's path.

Francis Coquelin also chased back frantically from behind, reaching out to interfere.

However, Yu Bai's footwork was astonishingly fast; his 94 Dribbling was on full display!

The ball seemed glued to his feet. In the middle of the closing circle of three, he nimbly performed a step-over, his rhythm unpredictable, and executed a La Croqueta to slip through the gap between Héctor Bellerín and Gabriel Paulista!

Following that with a stylish Marseille turn, he evaded Gabriel Paulista, who had made a desperate, all-or-nothing lunge to stop both man and ball!

In the blink of an eye, he had carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area! Facing the goal directly! A one-on-one situation was set!

The last barrier remaining was Francis Coquelin, who had tracked back from the side.

Seeing that Yu Bai was about to get an absolute one-on-one chance, the French defensive midfielder, in his desperation, disregarded the severity of his actions and launched a vicious sliding tactical foul from behind, aiming for Yu Bai's standing leg!

"Bang!"

Yu Bai was cleanly tackled to the ground, rolling twice on the turf!

"Beep——!!!"

Lee Mason's whistle was sharper than ever!

He ran quickly to the scene, reached into his pocket, and without hesitation, pulled out a yellow card, flashing it at Francis Coquelin, who was climbing up from the ground! He then pointed to the spot of the foul—an excellent position for a direct Free kick, about 23 meters from the goal!

However, once the decision was made, the stadium was in an uproar!

Yu Bai and the Tottenham players immediately surrounded Lee Mason, protesting excitedly:

"Red card! That's definitely a red card!"

"Last defender! Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity!"

"He tackled from behind! Studs up!"

The Arsenal players were not to be outdone; they also swarmed up, pointing at the distant Per Mertesacker, who had just straightened his back and still looked unwell, protesting loudly:

"Referee! He intentionally kicked the ball at him!"

"Per Mertesacker is injured! You should have stopped the game first!"

"That was dangerous play! It was violent conduct!"

The pitch instantly descended into chaos! Players from both sides shoved each other, trading verbal jabs, the atmosphere reaching a boiling point!

On the sidelines, Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino rushed to the edge of the technical area almost simultaneously, complaining and gesturing loudly to the fourth official, both expressing strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decision.

Per Mertesacker seemed to have recovered by now; his face pale with rage, he pushed through the crowd and charged straight at Yu Bai, who had just stood up!

Under the gaze of tens of thousands in the stadium and in front of countless camera lenses, Per Mertesacker slammed his forehead against Yu Bai's! Their noses were almost touching! He glared with wide, angry eyes, roaring at Yu Bai:

"Is this how you play football, you motherfucker?!"

"Is this how you play?!"

"That was intentional! You wanted to kill me?!"

Yu Bai's head jerked back from the shove, and a surge of anger flared in his chest!

Looking at the Germany face twisted in rage before him, the famous image of Zidane headbutting Materazzi flashed through his mind... A strong urge to retaliate with a vicious headbutt surged within him.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the impulse.

He knew he couldn't fall for it.

Just then, Kyle Walker rushed over like a whirlwind, his body, full of Strength, unceremoniously wedging between Yu Bai and Per Mertesacker, shoving Per Mertesacker away with force!

Blocking in front of Yu Bai, he roared fearlessly at Per Mertesacker, who was a head taller than him:

"Hey! Big man!"

"Come at me if you have a problem!"

"I, Kyle Walker, will take it!"

"Yu Bai is under my protection!"

The atmosphere on the pitch was completely out of control.

Lee Mason's "lenient officiating" principle had completely lost its effectiveness in the face of this super derby, which combined centuries of North London grievances, personal feuds, tactical fouls, and controversial decisions.

He frantically separated the players, issuing verbal warnings to both Per Mertesacker and Kyle Walker, but the seeds of conflict had already been sown, and the fuse of the powder keg was sizzling away.

Back home, in the sports studio.

Commentator Zhang Lu watched the chaotic scene and chuckled, but there was worry in his laughter:

"Hehe, it's chaotic, completely chaotic."

"Referee Lee Mason, he has completely lost control of this match."

"For such an important derby, this is the worst-case scenario."

"I can say for sure," Commentator Zhang Lu said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious, "if it continues at this rate, a red card will definitely appear. And possibly more than one."

Commentator Zhan Jun's tone carried a fan-like excitement and anticipation:

"But Coach Zhang, don't you think this is exactly one of the charms of football?"

"This kind of physical collision, this refusal to yield an inch, this match full of gunpowder—this is the real North London Derby!"

"I just love watching a 'Demon of Dribbling' like Yu Bai, facing the layers of encirclement from Per Mertesacker, Héctor Bellerín, and Francis Coquelin, who don't even hesitate to foul him."

"Watching him dodge and weave through the crowd, watching him use skill and intelligence to defuse violence, watching that attitude of 'you can't stand me but you can't get rid of me'!"

"This confrontation between extreme individual skill and iron-blooded team defense, this talent that still shines under high pressure and malice..."

Commentator Zhan Jun paused, his voice rising:

"This is football!"

"How can you not love it?!"