At this moment, with no Theo around to compete for his starting position, Binks was in a much better mood.
It seemed that using his influence to recommend Theo for the First Team as a substitute not only ensured the kid had no playing time, but also solidified his own starting spot while silencing most critics.
As Binks relaxed with a beautiful woman, he sneezed repeatedly.
“Things have been going so smoothly lately, who the hell is cursing me!” He was completely unaware that Theo had already managed to secure a starting position.
Looking at Theo’s insistent gaze, and with Captain Pelé out due to injury, Vice-Captain Sam Sodje, who was currently wearing the captain’s armband, finally yielded the spot for the set-piece.
“Fine, just boot it up the field.” He had already prepared himself for the scenario where his own goalkeeper would pass the ball straight to the opponent’s feet.
At this moment, the commentator on the sidelines began to jeer: “Oh, oh!
Let me see what’s happening!
The opposing goalkeeper and their captain are arguing!
I hope they don’t start a fight; that would be an unfair victory for us!” The home fans let out a massive roar of laughter.
Even the piercing sound of the horns grew louder.
“Oh!
It seems the Charlton Athletic captain has yielded the spot, and the goalkeeper is taking it!
From such a long distance, does the opponent intend to pass it into the penalty area for the forwards to contest?
That’s simply delusional!” At this point, seeing the goalkeeper taking the backcourt free kick, the Charlton Athletic players subconsciously pressed forward a few meters—just in case there was a good pass.
The opposing goalkeeper was an experienced French player known for his reactions and agility.
Theo had reviewed the opponent’s data before the match, and for this backcourt free kick, he planned to attempt a long-range shot.
He waved his hand, signaling the secret code for a back-post run.
However, just as he was preparing to take the free kick, he noticed the opposing goalkeeper suddenly run out of the small penalty area.
Clearly, the earlier hand signal had been spotted, and the opponent wanted to rush out early to defend against this free kick.
Theo’s heart stirred—he had given him an opportunity.
How to choose between one point and three points?
Even a fool would know.
Theo immediately activated Three-Point Domain (Level 1), using his one chance for the match.
The football, like a guided missile, followed the trajectory planned by Theo and dropped toward the top left corner of the opponent’s goal.
The opposing goalkeeper, who had run halfway out, saw that the ball’s trajectory was wrong and tried to rush back, but it was already too late.
The ball descended rapidly from high altitude, finding the dead corner to the left of the crossbar.
1-0.
Theo helped Charlton Athletic open the scoring.
The team took the lead.
The entire stadium fell into dead silence.
Seeing that the kick had actually gone in exactly along the trajectory he designed, Theo was overjoyed.
He sprinted out of the penalty area and performed a sliding knee celebration on the ground, leaving three long marks on the turf.
In front of their television sets, countless Charlton Athletic fans were deeply shocked.
Many female fans, while celebrating, also began to harbor some other thoughts.
Seeing the goal, the Charlton Athletic players reacted and rushed over to celebrate.
Captain Sam Sodje excitedly patted Theo’s shoulder hard.
“Oh, mate!
You really weren’t lying!
You truly have the ability to score from long range!” The coaches on the bench and the substitutes also stood up to celebrate.
Only the substitute goalkeeper for this match, Darren Randolph, felt a bit awkward; he had previously thought Theo was just a rookie who would need him to come on and save the day if any trouble arose.
Unfortunately, Theo didn’t give him that chance.
The commentator on the scene had just been teasing Theo, but he didn’t expect to be slapped in the face so quickly.
He could only sheepishly say: “Congratulations to the Charlton Athletic goalkeeper for scoring!
Come on, Milton Keynes Dons players, we still have time.
Score one goal first and bring the score back.” After Charlton Athletic finished celebrating, the match restarted.
Milton Keynes Dons made a substitution, taking off a defender and bringing on a tall center-forward.
Subsequently, amidst the cheers of the home crowd, they launched wave after wave of attacks.
Charlton Athletic was forced to tighten their formation, preparing to weather this period.
Within just five minutes, Theo saved two headers from the opposing center-forward.
Fortunately, they weren’t very threatening; under pressure from the defenders, the opponent couldn’t generate enough power, and Theo caught them quite easily.
In the 72nd minute, Charlton Athletic’s talented teenager, 18-year-old Shelvey, replaced Wagstaff.
In the 75th minute, the opponent pressed forward aggressively.
After catching a half-high ball in the penalty area, Theo quickly threw it to Shelvey in the midfield.
After receiving the ball, Shelvey didn’t dribble; he immediately delivered a diagonal pass with his left foot.
Forward Forster, who had been waiting in the opponent’s half, received the ball, quickly broke into the penalty area, and scored with a low shot, sealing the victory.
2-0.
This shattered the opponent’s last hope of equalizing.
In the final ten-plus minutes, facing a united and determined defensive effort from Charlton Athletic, the opponent failed to create any good chances.
In the end, Charlton Athletic defeated Milton Keynes Dons 2-0.
After four winless matches, they finally secured all three points, solidifying their fourth-place position.
Theo celebrated the victory with his teammates.
At the post-match press conference, Coach Phil Parkinson brought Theo to attend.
This was Theo’s first time participating in such an event.
Many reporters were present, all eager to interview this young goalkeeper who had performed so well.
“Coach Phil!
Charlton Athletic performed excellently today, especially the goalkeeper, Theo!
His debut was chosen for this critical match, and he made several brilliant saves!
What is your evaluation of his performance today?” asked a reporter from the London Sports News.
“Theo’s performance today was indeed outstanding,” Coach Phil Parkinson said.
“Of course, our other players were also excellent; they worked together to secure the victory in this match.
He stepped up at the critical moment of the game and made several brilliant saves!
Especially that free kick save—it was impressive!
His ultra-long-range lob shot opened the scoring for us and was the key to our victory today.
His performance today was excellent; he is a very promising young goalkeeper.” “Theo!
You completed your First Team debut today, and your performance was outstanding!
How do you evaluate your own performance today?” asked another reporter from Football Weekly.
“I just did what I was supposed to do,” Theo said.
“Of course, that goal also had some element of luck.” “Theo!
After you came on today, the team’s defense clearly improved!
What do you think is the reason for this?” asked another reporter from The Times.
Theo complained internally, ‘Is this trying to sow discord between me and my teammates?’ However, on the surface, Theo still said: “I think this is a team effort; my teammates’ defense was very tenacious!
I just did my job.
I will continue to work hard and strive for better performances.” After the press conference ended, Theo followed the head coach out of the venue and then took the team bus back to Charlton Athletic FC.
That evening, BBC London released the headline: “Talented Goalkeeper’s Debut: Ultra-Long-Range Lob Shot Helps Team Win!” Sky Sports, the Daily Mail, and the Yorkshire Evening Post all reported a summary of the match, highlighting Theo’s long-range lob shot.
As the mouthpiece for Charlton Athletic, the South London News reported on the match in extreme detail, praising 18-year-olds Theo and Shelvey—both products of the youth academy—as rare talents in the world.
They even recommended them for the squad for the 2012 London Olympics qualifiers to be held in the second half of the year.
These reports attracted the attention of many scouts and agents.
After all, a goalkeeper scoring an 80-meter lob shot is a huge gimmick—this was much further than the 60-yard (55-meter) lob shot by Beckham.
Moreover, he saved 3 shots, 4 headers, and 7 aerial balls throughout the match.
Although only three of the attacks were very threatening, he managed to keep a clean sheet.
Most importantly, he had just turned 18; he was definitely a prospect with huge potential.