Chapter 2860: Paying respects_1 As long as Xia ruofei participated in a game, he would definitely be ranked first in the free - kick category. This was without a doubt. Moreover, the players were convinced that no one would have any intention of competing with Xia ruofei for the free - kick after watching the free - kick match between Xia ruofei and markroka. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺 Before the match, Ruby had even made it clear that no matter who created the penalty kick in the match, Xia ruofei would be the one to take it. Besides, the ball was about thirty - three meters away from the goal. Any other player would have a very low success rate with a free kick from that position, except for Xia ruofei. After the free kick was made, Wu Lei immediately ran over and pulled Xia ruofei up from the grass. He asked with concern,""Brother Xia, are you alright?" Xia ruofei grinned."I’m fine. I just wasn’t prepared. I lost my balance when I was suddenly pulled. Otherwise, I could have gone in and shot directly!" "It’s almost the same now. Your success rate for free kicks in this position is still very high!" Wu Lei said with a smile. The team’s defensive midfielder, the old player, Victor Sanchez, picked up the ball and jogged to Xia ruofei. He grinned and said,"“boss! Good luck! Let’s try to get another one!" Xia ruofei smiled and nodded. The foul was so obvious that Xia ruofei’s Jersey was severely deformed, so the players of Herona had no dispute about the penalty of the free - kick and the yellow card. They quickly began to form a human wall under the command of the goalkeeper. The Spanish players also deployed their forces in front of the penalty area, ready to enter the penalty area at any time. The ball was further away from the goal. If it had been another player who took the ball, the Herona team would basically only symbolically arrange one or two players to form a human wall, and the focus would be on the defense in the penalty area because the ball would probably hang into the penalty area and let the local players grab the point to shoot. However, the head coach of Herona had obviously studied Xia ruofei’s game videos. He knew that thirty - three meters was not a safe distance. It was completely within Xia ruofei’s shooting range, so he had given instructions in advance. This time, there were four Herona players standing in a row on the line marked by the referee. They were constantly adjusting their positions according to the goalkeeper’s instructions. The goalkeeper was also on guard. Xia ruofei could shoot directly, but he could not rule out the possibility of the ball going into the penalty area. After all, the Spanish team had several high points and were not at a disadvantage in competing for a header. Therefore, the defense in the penalty area could not be ignored, but a team only had 11 players. After removing the four human walls, the remaining players in the penalty area were somewhat stretched out. Even though the ball was far away from the goal, the entire Herona team was very nervous. Xia ruofei, on the other hand, looked relaxed. He placed the football on the spot where the foul was committed, which the referee had drawn with a foam spray. Then, he began to slowly retreat and open up the running distance. Espanyol did not even arrange for other players to come over to fake a run to deliberately confuse the team. Xia ruofei was left alone in front of the football. Anyway, it was no secret that Xia ruofei was the team’s first free kick player. The referee confirmed the human wall and reminded the players near the penalty area not to make any moves. He would keep a close eye on everyone. Then, the main judge looked at Xia ruofei, put the whistle in his mouth, and blew the whistle. At the same time, he made a gesture of a free throw. Xia ruofei raised his head to look at the big screen on the scoreboard. It was about 20 minutes and 30 seconds into the first half of the game. Xia ruofei muttered to himself and made a gesture to the referee. He then walked forward and adjusted the ball again. Although the referee was a little surprised, he quickly came back to his senses. He did not say anything. After all, the Spanish team was in high spirits. Xia ruofei did not need to use such means to delay time. Moreover, it was only 21 minutes into the first half. There was still a long time before the end of the game! In addition, some players were more particular about the ball placement. Some would specifically find the position of the valve, which was the hardest place on the football. If they hit the valve during a free throw, they could propose a faster speed of the ball and make it easier for the elevator ball to be thrown. Once the grass was not flat and the position of the football rolled a little, many players would go over to place the football again. This was also allowed by the rules, so the main judge did not say anything. The players of the Herona team were a little upset. They had been nervous for a long time, and now Xia ruofei had suddenly repositioned the ball. It did not feel good to be so surprised. Xia ruofei slowly spent more than ten seconds to put the ball back in place and then stepped back. As he retreated, he looked at the big screen on the scoreboard. The time was now 20 minutes and 55 seconds. Xia ruofei stood still and looked up at Herona’s goal. He started to run. The Herona goalkeeper also lowered his center of gravity and stared at the football, ready to save it at any time. The human wall formed by the Herona players was even more nervous, afraid that the football would slip over their heads if they jumped too early or too late. Xia ruofei’s run - up took three seconds. minutes and 58 seconds later, Xia ruofei had reached the soccer ball. His left foot was stuck in the grass, but his right leg did not swing too far. Instead, he used the inertia of the run - up to kick the ball in the lower middle of the ball with his outer instep.