114: Space Hide and Seek and the Storm of Youth (Part 2)

They ran with all their might, tackled with all their might, but the ball always vanished a second before their feet reached it.

Comeback! The cheers at Victoria Park nearly blew the roof off.

The fans went from initial worry, to curiosity, then to excitement.

"What tactic is this?"

"I've never seen football like this before!"

"Are these kids crazy? But... it's beautiful!"

Ball possession began to reverse.

From 30-70 in the first half, to 40-60 now, and then to 70-30.

Hartlepool United firmly controlled the ball, while Rotherham players ran around like headless chickens.

In the 55th minute, the opportunity arrived.

Oliver Baker received the ball near the center circle, and Rotherham's center-back, Shapps, finally couldn't resist and went for the tackle.

This was the moment!

Baker didn't stop the ball, didn't observe, and didn't even look up.

He played a pass to the left wing instinctively, as if playing a passing game in training.

Anthony Sweeney's run was extremely aggressive; he unhesitatingly charged into the space behind Shapps, seizing that fleeting opportunity.

Tom Ince understood perfectly, delivering a precise through ball.

The ball rolled towards the penalty area, and Sweeney followed at high speed.

One-on-one!

Facing the rushing goalkeeper, the twenty-eight-year-old veteran displayed his seasoned shooting skills.

An easy push shot, and the ball went in!

One-one!

The moment the goal was scored, Vardy, Henderson, and the others in the locker room, who had been worrying about these kids, all jumped up.

"Holy crap! That was a beautiful goal!"

"What the hell kind of football is this? But it's really good to watch!"

The young players on the field were even more excited, going crazy.

They finally understood the joy of "Space Hide-and-Seek."

So football could be played like this!

So they could also toy with those experienced veteran players!

After the goal, they celebrated by forming a circle and jumping around like children.

Rotherham's players' faces were ashen.

They felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.

It wasn't the frustration of being crushed by strength, but the frustration of being outsmarted.

These kids were like playing a game whose rules only they knew, and they were just the supporting characters being toyed with.

"Refocus!"

Rotherham's captain shouted loudly.

"They are just a bunch of kids! We can't let them lead us by the nose!"

But it was already too late.

Hartlepool United's young players had completely found their rhythm.

These youngsters completely let loose, and the green field became their playground, toying with their opponents with passes.

The ball became alive at their feet; every pass was full of imagination.

Oliver Baker and Tom Ince, these two "little foxes," ran with increasing enthusiasm, their running trajectories becoming more and more unpredictable.

Sometimes the two would make overlapping runs, confusing the opposing center-backs about whom to follow.

Sometimes the two would simultaneously drop back, leaving a large open space for teammates to surge into.

Sometimes one would suddenly sprint forward, attracting all defensive attention, while the other would quietly slip into the most dangerous position.

Rotherham's defense was completely in disarray.

They didn't know whether to mark players or zones, whether to press high or drop back.

Every decision was wrong, because their opponents simply didn't play by conventional rules.

In the 82nd minute, the most spectacular scene unfolded.

Hartlepool United launched a dazzling passing and moving combination in the final third.

The ball started from Oliver Baker's feet, passed to Tom Ince, then to Anthony Sweeney, then to Mark Donaldson, then to Gary Liddle, then back to Baker, then to Ince, and finally found Liam Bridcutt.

Throughout the entire process, the ball touched the feet of eight players, but was never stopped for more than a second.

Their coordination was astonishingly tacit agreement, needing no observation; they knew purely by feel where their teammates would appear and where the ball should be passed.

Rotherham's players watched like they were in a 3D movie, seeing the ball fly back and forth before their eyes, yet they couldn't reach it.

With the final pass, Ince delivered a brilliant assist, finding Bridcutt who had surged forward.

Bridcutt shot fiercely from outside the penalty area!

The ball deflected off a defender, and the goalkeeper misjudged the direction!

Goal!

Two-one!

Comeback!

At this moment, Victoria Park completely erupted.

Fans witnessed a magical football performance, witnessing a group of kids overcoming experience and physicality with wisdom and creativity.

Old John on the sidelines was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears.

This was not just a victory; it was a victory for a football philosophy, a perfect embodiment of Lin Feng's "Space Philosophy."

In the locker room, Lin Feng watched all of this through the system.

["Original Tactic 'False Nine Piston Array' successfully implemented, tactical library richness increased"]

["Player Tom Ince's potential rating detected to have increased from B+ to A-"]

["Player Oliver Baker's potential rating detected to have increased from B to B+"]

But what pleased him more than the system prompts was the pure joy radiating from the young players' faces.

This is the most wonderful part of football—happiness.

When football returns to its purest joy, anything is possible.

In the final ten minutes, Rotherham was completely disorganized.

Their traditional style of play appeared clumsy and outdated in the face of this "unconventional football."

Hartlepool United's young players, however, played with increasing excitement, completely immersed in this game of "Space Hide-and-Seek."

The final whistle blew.

Two-one.

Hartlepool United, with a group of youngsters averaging less than twenty-two years old, defeated a full-strength Rotherham at home in a comeback, successfully advancing to the next round of the EFL Trophy.

After the match, the media was in an uproar.

A reporter from The Guardian watched the entire match in stunned silence and immediately published the following commentary:

"Lin Feng and his Hartlepool United have once again shown us the infinite possibilities of football. They are undertaking a profound tactical revolution."

A Sky Sports commentator excitedly said during the live broadcast:

"I've been in this profession for thirty years, and I've never seen football like this! These kids played with art, with joy, with the very essence of football!"

After the match, Lin Feng's phone received a text message.

The sender was Rawlings, Puma's director:

"Lin, congratulations. Now I'm starting to believe that your team can really change football."

Lin Feng smiled silently, locked his phone, and put it back in his pocket.

Change football?

Perhaps it really could.

But more importantly, these young players found the true meaning of football tonight—happiness.

And happy football is the most invincible football.