The God of Football starts with passive skills

Chapter 34 Saving Mainz

Mainz has a small population of only a few hundred thousand.

The city is not large; the straight-line distance from the Rhine River in the east to the ring road in the west is less than 5 kilometers.

The core old town area is even smaller.

But it is in this small old town that many people haile it as an organic combination of traditional German culture and modernity.

Just like the iconic Mainz State Opera.

The exterior walls are in the traditional German red brick style, and the design is also typical of German architecture.

However, the dome features a very modern glass curtain wall design.

The two are combined very harmoniously.

Centered around the opera house, the Mainz State Museum is located not far to the north.

The cathedral, known as the Mainz Cathedral, is located at the southeast corner of the opera house. It is considered the most magnificent cathedral in Germany.

To the east of the cathedral is another landmark of the city, the Gutenberg Museum.

The square between the opera house, cathedral, and museum is called Gutenberg Square, and is also known by the locals as Market Square.

As the name suggests, this entire area is the heart of Mainz and its most bustling commercial district.

It is also a gathering place for Mainz fans to celebrate.

On weekdays, a string quartet plays Mozart by the roadside in the market square.

But on match days, the repertoire they play changes from Mozart to Mainz's team anthem and the fans' songs.

For some important away games, the city government will even set up a large screen in the market square so that all citizens and fans can come to the stadium to watch the game together.

Merchants also set up stalls around the market square.

Among them, the most popular is the cylindrical beer barrel, which is very characteristic of Mainz.

A very large cylinder that can hold 5 liters of beer.

A water tap is provided below.

A few fans gathered together, ordered a bucket of drinks, and watched the game and drank in a lively atmosphere, sometimes cheering, sometimes sighing, sometimes dancing with joy, and sometimes cursing loudly, making quite a scene.

But when Cologne midfielder Antar smashed a powerful header into the goal guarded by Ischdonat, the thousands of Mainz fans gathered in the bustling market square fell silent in an instant!

Marco Rose was injured and had to leave the field.

Cologne scored a goal just 3 minutes later.

Even Mainz fans, who are used to the underdog status of their team, found it hard to accept this double blow.

Just like in the last round of last season, when Bayern scored consecutive goals.

Finished!

A sense of despair spread to more and more people in an instant, eventually permeating the entire Gutenberg Square.

Daum is a renowned German coach who has been famous for many years.

Call him a drug addict or say he has moral failings, but it's undeniable that his coaching ability is truly outstanding.

Especially tactical flexibility.

They immediately spotted the problems exposed in Mainz's defense after Marco Rose was injured and substituted.

On the other hand, Mainz struggled to find any effective attacking opportunities.

That young Chinese player, who had performed exceptionally well for several consecutive rounds, simply couldn't get the ball in the attacking third.

Are we going to lose again?

I don't know who asked that question.

The entire square was eerily quiet.

No one could answer.

Mainz were riding high in the first half of the season, with almost everyone convinced that the team would return to the Bundesliga.

Last season's relegation and defeat were nothing more than an accident.

But the second half of the season seemed to be a repeat of last season's relegation nightmare.

In Mainz, no one questions Jürgen Klopp!
He has been in this city for 18 years, and he has dedicated his entire professional and coaching career to this city and this team.

However, if he fails to advance to the top league, he will have to leave.

The current Mainz team is no longer worthy of Klopp!

The live television broadcast switched to the sidelines, where everyone saw Klopp covering his face with his hands, his expression one of disappointment.

If he were still a player, he would definitely step forward at this moment!

But he is no longer.

Even Friedrich has left.

Does Mainz still have anyone willing to step forward?
there is none left!
A sense of despair was spreading rapidly and uncontrollably.

On the pitch, the Mainz players' panic and helplessness were just like when they faced Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena a year ago.

Cologne, on the other hand, wanted to take advantage of the chaos to continue their attack on Mainz and expand their gains.

Are we going to concede another goal?
"It's another Cologne attack."

"We still want to attack Mainz's left flank."

"Noveski tackled and made a sliding tackle, successfully intercepting the ball."

"The ball fell to Mainz's feet, but Cologne players immediately counter-pressed."

"Gunkel has the ball but can't find a good passing option."

"Pass to Pekovic, then pass back to Subotic..."

Cologne played very aggressively. Mainz got the ball in their own half, but were surrounded and blocked by the opponent, and could not find a way to pass the ball.

The fans in the square were very uneasy.

Are we really going to concede another goal?

Just then, in the live television broadcast, Subotic delivered a mid-range pass that bypassed the midfield and went directly to the left side of the center circle.

This looks more like a forced clearance after failing to find a way to pass the ball.

Wang Shuo ran over quickly, stopped the ball with his chest, and brought it back.

Cologne midfielder Suazo immediately tracked back and rushed towards Wang Shuo.

But before he could get close, Wang Shuo passed the ball to Feulner on the left and turned to run.

Feulner is a left- and right-footed player. As soon as he received the ball and saw Wang Shuo turn and start running, he immediately understood and sent a diagonal pass to Wang Shuo's front.

That is, behind Suazo.

"A one-two pass from Mainz on the left wing."

"Wang Shuo's forward run is very fast. Let's see if we can launch a counterattack this time."

Ozart made a deep forward run, and after Wang Shuo passed the ball, Suazo turned and lunged at Feulner on the left wing.

Therefore, when Wang Shuo caught up with the ball, there wasn't a single defender beside him.

But center-back Mohammed quickly moved in and blocked Wang Shuo's path. Another center-back, McKenna, was also making a run.

Opportunities are fleeting!
When Wang Shuo received the ball, his eyes were fixed on Mohammed.

His regional-level ball control allows him to dribble skillfully with both feet without ever looking down at the ball, while also sensing its position and condition at any time, controlling it with effortless ease.

All his attention was focused on Muhammad, watching his every move.

Getting closer and closer...

As a Lebanese international, Mohammed joined the national team in 99 and has only played one match against the Chinese national team so far.

It happened exactly in January 2008.

In that friendly match, Muhammad perfectly helped his country freeze China's attack.

0 is better than 0!

He always felt that if Antar could participate, they would definitely win the match.

A Chinese striker?
Not strong at all!

Therefore, Muhammad showed no fear of the 17-year-old Chinese player in front of him.

But he remained sufficiently vigilant.

He guessed that Wang Shuo wanted to get past him.

But when you're dribbling past someone, isn't that also the best time to steal the ball?
When Wang Shuo rushed into Mohammed's defensive zone, the Lebanese national team player did not rush to shoot, but waited.

But he soon realized that things had not gone as he had expected.

After Wang Shuo got close, every movement he made looked like a feint, yet also like a real one.

This surprised him, so he immediately took a step back, creating some distance, and shifted his focus from marking the player to marking the ball.

But just as he lowered his head, Wang Shuo, who had been waiting for an opportunity, suddenly accelerated. After taking a step with his left foot, his left shoulder slumped slightly, and his whole body tilted to the left.

Really!

It's absolutely true!
Muhammad was absolutely certain that if he didn't stop him, Wang Shuo would have gotten past him directly.

So he immediately shifted his focus and tried to get closer.

But the next moment, after Wang Shuo's left foot landed firmly, his whole body turned to the right, and his right foot also pushed the ball to the right.

Cycling!!!
Simple, but very practical!
The key is speed!
There wasn't even any physical contact between them; Wang Shuo simply passed Muhammad.

The Lebanese center-back didn't even have a chance to turn around and chase back.

After getting past Muhammad, Wang Shuo took a step towards the center, then pushed the ball forward with the inside of his right foot, changing his attack from a diagonal run towards the center to a straight run towards the left flank.

Cologne's other center-back, McKenna, who had originally rushed over to help defend, could only do his best to catch up with Wang Shuo.

It wasn't until this moment that the 5 Cologne fans in the stadium finally managed to let out their first gasp.

The Mainz fans in Gutenberg Square stood up excitedly, their breath quickening as they stared intently at the big screen.

The next moment, Wang Shuo caught up with the ball first and strode forward.

McKenna chased back desperately, but was only half a body length behind.

But Wang Shuo is a right-footed player.

Cologne goalkeeper Mondragón immediately rushed out of his own goal, cutting off Wang Shuo's shooting angle.

The goalkeeper and center-backs were trying to shut down Wang Shuo.

Having anticipated this situation, Wang Shuo glanced at the middle of the field while dribbling the ball forward.

After rushing into the left side of the penalty area, he seized an opportunity and sent the ball sideways with the inside of his left foot.

The timing of this pass was excellent; it was delivered just as Mondragón and McKenna were about to close in, passing through the gap between the two players.

The quality may not be high, but the ball speed is not very fast either.

On the other side, Baljak made a high-speed forward run and, on the right edge of the six-yard box, caught up with Wang Shuo's pass and sent the ball into the unmarked Cologne goal.

Goal!!!!

"In the 29th minute, just 7 minutes after conceding a goal, Mainz successfully equalized the score!"

"Wang Shuo, a 17-year-old player from China, assisted Baljak to score into an empty net!"

"1-1!!"

"The race is back to square one!"

The moment Baljak scored, the entire RheinEnergieStadion erupted in gasps.

At almost the same time, in Gutenberg Square in Mainz, thousands of Mainz fans cheered wildly.

“Wuhu!!!”

"We've tied it!"

"Well done, Mainz!"

"It's 1-1, we still have a chance!"

"Kill Cologne!"