The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 21: Debut and One-on-One Shot

In the 29th round of the German Second Division, Mainz will host Paderborn.

Perhaps due to the recent series of unfavorable factors, coupled with the increasingly pessimistic situation regarding promotion, the Bruchweg Stadium was not sold out tonight.

19500 people.

This is the number announced by the stadium announcer just moments before the match kicked off.

Normally, Bruchweg Stadium is always packed to capacity.

Besides the smaller number of fans in attendance, there was another significant change in Mainz's match tonight.

That's the starting lineup.

Klopp made a very big adjustment in this match.

Goalkeeper: Daniel Ischdonat;
Defense: Marko Rose, Nowitzki, Subotic and Hoglund;
Midfielders: Gunkel, Pekovic, and Calhanoglu;
Forwards: Feulner, Baljak and Wang Shuo.

This is the starting lineup announced during the pre-match broadcast.

Mainz's jersey numbers are all lined up.

The first team has a total of 4 goalkeepers, and Ischdonat, who started the game, was given the number 30 jersey.

As a player who came up from the youth team, Wang Shuo could only get jersey numbers that were mostly 35 or higher.

When it came time to choose, he picked number 36.

Why is it 36?

3 plus 6 equals 9!

According to Subotic, after Wang Shuo chose the number 36 jersey, the team's top scorer, Borja, who was relegated to the bench for this game, was very unhappy.

Because he was wearing the number 9 jersey for Mainz.

But this has nothing to do with Wang Shuo.

The nearly 20,000 Mainz fans at the stadium had already heard of Wang Shuo from the news before the match and knew that the club had pulled a lot of strings to get the young player on the field.

The youth team performed exceptionally well, and naturally, high hopes were placed on them.

When Wang Shuo appeared, the fans in the stadium applauded him enthusiastically.

This also greatly excited fans in China who watched the game live online.

"Come out! Come out!"

"It really is Wang Shuo!"

"He's in the starting lineup!"

"My God, he's only 17 years old, and he started in his debut. He's comparable to Dortmund's talented midfielder Sahin."

"Wang Shuo is awesome!"

"Go for it! Try to score in your debut!"

……

In a small mountain village in Lingshan County, southeastern China, Wang Shuo's parents and family members are all sitting around a laptop.

To watch this game, the broadband internet that was just connected today was expedited by Jiang Pengju through a friend.

I had just connected to the live stream on the online forum when I saw Wang Shuo coming out wearing a red jersey.

There was also applause from the Mainz fans in the stadium.

"It really is Ashuo."

When Wang Shuo's mother saw her son appear on the small screen of the laptop, she couldn't help but cry, her voice trembling.

When Wang Shuo played football in Shanghai, he only went home once every six months in order to save on travel expenses.

This time, he didn't even go home, but went straight to Germany, and I haven't seen him for several months.

Although we occasionally make phone calls, transoceanic calls are expensive, and we don't get to say more than a few words.

Now, hearing from Jiang Pengju that his son has made a name for himself in Germany and is doing well, they are all happy.

Even the father had red eyes, trying to hold back his tears, but his lips kept twitching.

"Xiaowei, could you zoom in a little closer? Let your uncle and aunt see your brother clearly." Wang Shuo's aunt looked at her son, He Jianwei.

Wang Wenjun and Xu Xiuying nodded repeatedly, looking expectantly at their nephew.

"Uncle, Aunt, this is a live TV broadcast, there's no way to change it," He Jianwei said regretfully.

He and Wang Shuo have been close since childhood, and he misses them quite a bit after not seeing each other for so long.

"Well, it's fine to look at it like this then." Wang Wenjun said with some disappointment.

“Xiaowei, your brother called me a few days ago and asked me to tell you that since you have good grades, you should study hard and get into high school first. When you go to university, your brother will pay for all your tuition and living expenses.”

Wang Shuo's aunt had already heard about this from her brother and sister-in-law. "Xiao Wei, you should thank your uncle and aunt, and your brother too. You must remember that."

"Yes, thank you, Uncle and Aunt."

"Auntie, there's no need for thanks since we're family. It's just you and your brother in our family now, and then there's Ashuo and Xiaowei. It's only right that we take care of each other. Besides, you've always been nicer to Ashuo than to Xiaowei."

As they were talking, they saw on the laptop screen that after the two teams lined up, the Mainz players went one by one to shake hands with the referee team and the Paderborn players.

At this moment, the live television broadcast also gave a close-up shot.

They could see Wang Shuo right then and there.

“He’s a bit darker, but he looks more energetic.” Father Wang Wenjun’s voice trembled slightly.

……

For Mainz, this is a match they cannot afford to lose.

It's crucial to their promotion to the top league, and it's also a home game.

Paderborn's head coach, Pavel Dochev, fielded a 4-4-2 formation, clearly indicating a defensive counter-attacking strategy.

Both the broadcasts at Bruchweg Stadium and the live broadcasts of the 2. Bundesliga match described Mainz's formation as 4-3-3.

Wang Shuo was placed in the right winger position.

But when the competition actually started, everyone was surprised to find that Wang Shuo was actually at the very front.

Barjak, on the other hand, leaned to the right.

Interestingly, Feulner is an ambidextrous player, with his dominant foot being his right, but he plays on the left wing.

Baljak is a left-footed player.

This detail quickly influenced the course of the game.

After the match started, Wang Shuo pressed Paderborn like a tiger descending a mountain.

This was also arranged by head coach Klopp.

Full power output!
But the team didn't press too far forward.

Wang Shuo's pressing area was both inside and outside Paderborn's 30-meter zone.

Mainz, a strong team aiming for promotion to the Bundesliga, took control of the game from the start against the bottom-ranked team.

The fans at the scene were constantly cheering for the players.

But Paderborn is no pushover either.

Their defense is quite good for the bottom half of the 1. Bundesliga. Both center-backs, Dorin and Duric, are over 9 meters tall, typical tall and strong center-backs.

Dorin is a left-footed center-back playing on the left, while Montenegrin player Duric is a right-footed center-back.

Of the two players in the central midfield, the local midfielder Fisher is responsible for the deep defense. His passing is relatively solid, but his technique is average.

Sven Linteljens, 31, has average footwork but loves to make runs from behind.

Klopp's pre-match intelligence was very detailed, including not only the players' strengths and weaknesses, but also much more.

For example, Lintejens.

He was signed by Paderborn in January of this year from Petar, a team in the northern division of the German third division.

In the first half of the season, he scored 5 goals and provided 4 assists in 18 matches, performing exceptionally well.

His specialty is making late runs into the box.

He joined Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga during the winter break and has been highly valued ever since.

Unexpectedly, before he could integrate into the team, he missed a month in early March due to a minor tear in his cruciate ligament.

In the last round, Paderborn drew 2-2 with Cologne at home, and he watched the whole game from the bench.

He's back in the starting lineup for this game, and he's definitely giving it his all to prove himself.

After learning about this situation, Wang Shuo also paid close attention to Linteyans.

In the 13th minute, when he pressed towards Fisher, the latter immediately passed the ball to Lintjens.

But Lintejens didn't pass the ball again immediately; instead, he dribbled forward, trying to carry the ball himself.

Just then, Wang Shuo suddenly accelerated and pressed his entire body against it.

The two are about the same height, but Lin Tejens is stronger and better at physical confrontation than Wang Shuo.

But Lintejens has the ball now.

Pressed by Wang Shuo, Lintejens' dribbling became disordered.

He hastily tried to pass the ball, but Gunkel intercepted it and then passed it to Feulner.

After controlling the ball with his body to the side, Feulner dribbled forward and entered Paderborn's 30-meter zone before choosing to pass it across to the center.

After intercepting the ball, Wang Shuo made a rapid forward run, which allowed him to equalize with Feulner.

But his passing angle was better; once he controlled the ball, he delivered a through pass with his right foot to the right side of the penalty area.

Baljak arrived on horseback.

"good chance!"

"Mainz, you can shoot directly!"

If this ball had been taken by a right-footed player, it would have been a sure thing.

However, Baljak is entirely left-footed, and his right foot is essentially crippled.

Therefore, when he caught up with Wang Shuo's pass, he was not confident in handling the ball with his right foot, but instead chose to stop the ball with his left foot before shooting.

As a result, the left center-back Dorin arrived in time to block the shooting angle.

This tiny detail, this brief moment, influenced the course of the game.

This is what professional leagues are all about!
A gasp of surprise erupted throughout the stadium.

Everyone thought a goal was about to be scored.

But in the end, Baljak missed the last shot!
"What a pity!"

"This was a very good one-on-one opportunity, a quick counter-attack from Mainz."

"But Baljak didn't shoot directly, and Mainz missed a golden opportunity to score."

The live broadcast also expressed deep regret.

Although no goal was scored and the fans in the stadium were very disappointed, they still gave him a round of applause.

This quick counterattack was executed quite well.

At almost the same time, hundreds of replies appeared in the live broadcast post on domestic sports forums.

"Holy crap! What's this guy doing? He missed such a great opportunity?"

"Wang Shuo's pass during the counter-attack was good, but his teammates held him back."

"Is this Serbian striker a fake Chinese national team player?"

"At this moment, I felt as if the spirit of the national football team's striker had possessed me."

"I was dragged down by my teammates."

……

Baljak is a pretty good person.

Having failed to capitalize on the one-on-one opportunity, he raised his hand apologetically towards Wang Shuo.

Wang Shuo was actually feeling quite uncomfortable.

After all, this was his first one-on-one assist in a professional match, which was quite a rare achievement.

More importantly, if this ball goes in, the game will be much easier.

But he didn't show it. Instead, he went over, shook hands with Baljak, and comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay, we still have a chance."

This made the Serbians feel a little better.

My impression of Wang Shuo improved even more.

At the very least, his personality is much better than Borja's.

But after this threat, Paderborn began to play more conservatively.

Mainz tried to launch several attacks in the remainder of the match, but failed to capitalize on their opportunities.

Wang Shuo has been focusing more on pressing and covering, and supporting his teammates, and hasn't yet had a chance to perform well on his own.

They didn't even manage a single shot on goal.

For a striker, this performance, at least in the eyes of the fans, is not considered good.

Of course, head coach Klopp and Buvac on the sidelines praised Wang Shuo's performance.

Despite Mainz not scoring, Paderborn were completely shut down and had no chances whatsoever.

Wang Shuo's pressure in the midfield and forward positions was indispensable.

As time went by, the fans at the scene began to get nervous.

Especially as the game approached half an hour, Mainz failed to create any good shooting opportunities.

This made the fans at the scene somewhat restless.

After stabilizing their position, Paderborn began looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

Moreover, it was Lintejens who first conceived of this idea and put it into practice.

In the 29th minute, just as Wang Shuo was about to return to defense, he saw Pekovic decisively press forward and head straight for Lintjeans.

He immediately recognized the opportunity, decisively turned around and sprinted forward, heading towards center-back Duric.

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(End of this chapter)