The First Pot of Gold
The match continued.
In the 53rd minute, Japan's Shinji Ono scored his second goal, bringing the score to 2:3. However, just 10 minutes later, Paraguay's Torres scored another goal, making it 4:2 and shattering Japan's hopes of equalizing.
On the other side, Portugal found themselves in a 10 vs 11 predicament. With one player down, Portugal conceded a goal in the 56th minute, making the score 3:2, with Portugal trailing.
Portugal's coach had to make adjustments, substituting Viana with Danny in the 60th minute, Borisov, who scored in the first half, with Meireles in the 63rd minute, and Melo with Martins in the 74th minute. However, Portugal still couldn't score.
In the 81st minute, Japan's Yoshito Okubo scored again, but Paraguay still led 4:3, which was the final score of the match. In the 83rd minute, in another match, Italy also equalized to 2:2. As for Costa Rica against Morocco, it was still 0:0.
With the game nearing its end, Iraq still led Portugal 3:2. How could the Portuguese accept this score? So, in the final moments, they launched a fierce counterattack.
"The Portuguese counterattack is fierce, but there are only five minutes left in the game. Even with five minutes of stoppage time, it's just ten minutes. This game will probably end with a score of 3:2 or 3:3. Anyway, the Portuguese cannot win. Perhaps for the Portuguese now, a draw is also a good result," Thomas said.
The referee indeed added five minutes of stoppage time, and Portugal launched into a final frenzy. Even the goalkeeper was eager to join the attack.
As time passed, after more than ninety minutes of running, the Iraqi players were exhausted. But there were three exceptions, the three athletes who came on in the second half.
In the 93rd minute, during injury time, the Iraqi team launched a rapid counterattack. Sadir, who came on in the 71st minute, quickly broke through Portugal's defense and scored a goal, making it 4:2. This goal completely shattered Portugal's hope. The main referee wisely blew the whistle to end the match after the kickoff.
Iraq defeated Portugal 4:2, and a major upset was born!
"A miracle! Even God is favoring the poor Iraqis!" Thomas couldn't believe he witnessed such a miraculous victory. The mighty Portugal lost to Iraq! Then he immediately thought that no one would bet on this score, and the company would make a small profit from this match.
At this moment, a data analyst next to him suddenly said, "Someone bet on Iraq to win 4:2 against Portugal, with a bet of 3,000 euros!"
...
For the betting companies, upsets mean few people can win, but it also means more profit. Especially for odd scores like Iraq winning 4:2 against Portugal, there are definitely not many buyers. The betting companies basically swept all the buyers.
However, not all betting companies welcome such upsets. Take the company that offered odds of 1:500 for example. Although Zhang Guan only bet 1,500 euros, according to this odds, the betting company also had to pay Zhang Guan 750,000 euros.
And other companies lost a lot of profit because of Zhang Guan's bet, ranging from a few hundred thousand to several million. Taking into account the cost of issuing lottery tickets and the agent fees paid to OPAP, only a few companies made a slight profit, while others barely balanced their income and expenditure, with almost no losses.
Greece's OPAP also suffered losses in this match. Their odds were relatively high, and they also received a bet of 4,000 euros, immediately needing to pay Zhang Guan 880,000.
Zhang Guan quietly calculated that in this match, the major betting companies would pay him a total of over 4 million euros. But if averaged out, each company would only pay him four or five hundred thousand.
...
Zhang Guan didn't rush to claim the prize because the opening ceremony was scheduled for the evening of August 13th. Athletes participating in the opening ceremony were busy until after two in the morning before returning to the Olympic Village. By then, it was already past three in the morning.
The next day, Zhang Guan slept until noon before getting up for lunch. During the meal, Zhang Guan learned from other athletes that in the morning match, Duli won the women's ten-meter air rifle event, securing the national team's first gold medal of this Olympics.
After the meal, Zhang Guan went to the team headquarters to apply to visit the Athens Olympic Sports Complex to familiarize himself with the competition venue. The main venue of the sports complex was mainly used for track and field events, and since the track and field events had not yet started, athletes were allowed to familiarize themselves with the venue. According to the team's discipline, leaving the Olympic Village required reporting, detailing the reasons and destination, and solo trips were generally not allowed.
The other athletes of the track and field team had not yet arrived in Athens, so although Zhang Guan could only go alone, familiarizing himself with the venue was allowed. Moreover, once the track and field events began, athletes would not have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the venue again. Also, there were special buses from the Olympic Village to the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, and athletes could ride for free without worrying about getting lost, so the team headquarters approved Zhang Guan's request.
Zhang Guan took the first bus in the afternoon to the Athens Olympic Sports Complex. Upon arrival, he went straight to the OPAP betting point to claim his prize.
As soon as he entered the betting station, Zhang Guan was about to ask how to claim the prize, but he was immediately recognized as someone who came to claim the prize. The person who recognized him was the clerk who had helped Zhang Guan place his bets a few days ago.
The clerk came out from behind the counter, saying, "Oh! Sir, it's really you! Oh my God! I watched the match the other day, and you actually won! It's incredible! You must be here to claim your prize, right?"
"Yes, I'm here to claim my prize." Zhang Guan straightforwardly took out 100 euros as a tip and handed it to the clerk, saying, "Thank you for bringing me good luck. But I want to know how to claim my prize."
"Thank you for your generosity." The clerk took the tip, with an excited smile on his face, and continued, "Please wait in the VIP lounge. I'll report your arrival to my supervisor right away."
Perhaps because of the tip, Zhang Guan waited for only three minutes before the clerk came in and said, "Sir, I have reported to the supervisor. Since the amount you won is relatively large, you need to go to our company headquarters to claim it."
"Where is your headquarters? Is it far from here? You know, I'm a tourist and not familiar with Athens." Zhang Guan asked.
"The headquarters is not far from here. I suggest you take a taxi. If you need help, I can call a taxi for you." The clerk said.
"That would be great. Thank you." Zhang Guan replied, and the clerk immediately called a taxi for him, telling the taxi the address and taking Zhang Guan to OPAP headquarters.
After arriving at OPAP headquarters, Zhang Guan explained his purpose and was immediately led to the VIP lounge.
Soon, a middle-aged man came to the VIP lounge. He introduced himself to Zhang Guan, saying, "Hello, sir, I'm Osadolys, pleased to serve you."
"Hello, I'm here to claim my prize." Zhang Guan got straight to the point.
"Sir, you are truly favored by God. Iraq's 4:2 victory over Portugal, and you even predicted that. It's truly miraculous." Osadolys continued, "We have calculated that if you redeem all the tickets you bet on, after deducting the personal income tax you should pay, you will receive a total of 3.373 million euros."
"Okay, when can I get the money?" Zhang Guan asked eagerly.
"Anytime." Osadolys showed a professional smile and continued, "However, our company has a small request."
"A request?"
"Yes, we hope to report your winning story. You know, it's not common to win over four million euros in one go, and you even predicted a major upset. Moreover, you're a tourist, and your story can certainly boost sales for our company's products." Osadolys said.
"Report it? That might not be a good idea. Actually, I don't want too much attention." Zhang Guan hesitated.
Osadolys immediately said, "Sir, I understand your concerns. I also know that Chinese people tend to be low-key. Even the winners usually cover their faces. But in the West, winning big prizes is not something to be deliberately concealed. And we only need to use a photo of you receiving the award, which won't trouble you much. And if you agree, our company can introduce you to a professional accountant."
"An accountant?" Zhang Guan was slightly surprised.
"With so much prize money won, you probably need to transfer this money back to China. If you go through normal channels, it will not only be troublesome but also require hefty fees. But with the help of an accountant, you can save a lot of trouble and fees." Osadolys said.
The conditions laid out by Osadolys tempted Zhang Guan. In developed Western countries, accountants not only serve businesses but also individuals. Loans, taxes, financial planning, and even divorce settlements are tasks that accountants can help clients with, saving them money. And if you want to transfer funds internationally, finding a local accountant is essential.
However, Zhang Guan still worried that publicity would bring him trouble. He wasn't concerned about media hype; in this world, the more hype, the more fame. This time, it was just a tax-free prize of over four million euros, not enough to cause a sensation. The European Millionaire Lottery draws millions of pounds in prizes every year, and there are many instances of making tens of millions of pounds in profit from betting on Premier League matches. So Zhang Guan was actually worried about whether there would be trouble from the national team. So he didn't immediately respond to Osadolys.
"Sir, please rest assured that we will protect your privacy. If anyone asks for your name, we will keep it confidential. In the report, we can refer to you as 'a tourist from China.' We only need to use a photo of you receiving the award." Osadolys immediately said.
Zhang Guan reconsidered. If only the award photo appeared without his name, the impact would be much smaller, almost negligible. In Europe, no one knew him at all. As for becoming famous after winning awards in the future, that would be something to worry about ten days later. Now it was during the Olympics, with new records and champions emerging every day, and news was released at a rapid pace. Ten days later, who would notice his winning news?
Moreover, Zhang Guan considered that he still had other bets to redeem from OPAP, so it was better to establish goodwill and get the money first. These Europeans often boasted of being on the side of justice, but in reality, their actions were unsightly. If the betting company found an excuse to swallow his money, it wouldn't be impossible.
"Make sure the money is in my hands first!" Thinking of this, Zhang Guan said, "Well, I can agree, but please make sure not to use my name."
...
Zhang Guan returned to the Olympic Village and happened to meet the basketball players having their meal in the cafeteria.
Ayi saw Zhang Guan and immediately came over with a plate, saying excitedly, "Zhang Guan, you're treating us."
"Treat us?" Zhang Guan looked puzzled.
Ayi smirked, "I only found out when I woke up today that Iraq won 4:2 against Portugal, and you actually predicted it, you must have earned tens of thousands of euros. We're in this together, so you have to treat me to a meal."
During the ride, Zhang Guan only showed one ticket, so Ayi thought Zhang Guan only won tens of thousands of euros.
Zhang Guan pointed to Ayi's plate, "Aren't you almost finished eating?"
"You can treat us to something else, snacks are fine too." Ayi smiled mysteriously.
"Alright, let's go to the supermarket later, and you can pick whatever you want." Zhang Guan readily agreed.
"Okay, Zhang Guan said we'll go to the supermarket later, and you can pick whatever you want!" Ayi shouted loudly behind Zhang Guan. Zhang Guan suddenly turned around and saw the other basketball players staring at him eagerly.
"Ayi, you're tricking me!" Zhang Guan exclaimed.
"No, I've already said that we're in this together, so everyone from our basketball team should get a share!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone