Football: He suffered a broken leg at the start of the game, but partnered with Haaland!

The two minutes of injury time in the first half quickly came to an end.

The referee glanced at his watch and blew the whistle twice (one short, one long) to end the first half.

The huge scoreboard displayed glaring red numbers, showing China leading 2-0.

The South Korean players didn't want to stay on the pitch for even a second longer. Heads down, they walked heavily towards the players' tunnel. Several key defenders looked numb, not daring to even glance in the direction of their own bench.

Head coach Kim Hak-beom walked at the head of the team. His old face was turning purple with frustration. As he walked quickly, he clenched his fists into the air and kept spewing out foul language.

On the other side, the young men of the national Olympic team strode confidently toward the tunnel, chatting and laughing.

In the broadcast booth, He Wei raised his voice to give a halftime summary.

"Perfect! A flawless forty-five minutes! The Chinese team displayed tactical dominance unseen in the past decade. This transformation is solely due to the supercomputer we now possess in midfield. Sun Yang's coverage on both ends of the pitch is simply too vast!"

Xu Yang followed up, his tone filled with undisguised excitement.

"With a two-goal lead, the South Korean team's mentality has been completely shattered by Son Yang. The second half will depend on how Kim Hak-bum adjusts, but I believe that as long as Son Yang is on the field and doesn't leave to rest, these young South Korean players will absolutely not be able to turn the tide."

The players' tunnel echoed with the chaotic sound of sneakers clattering on the hard pavement.

Pushing open the door to the Chinese team's locker room, a wave of heat hits you.

"Well done, guys!"

The young men took off their sweat-soaked jerseys, shirtless, and cheered loudly. Huang Zhengyu poured a bottle of mineral water directly over his head, eliciting a chorus of strange shouts from his teammates. Their past fear of South Korea was completely cured in this half of the game. They truly experienced the exhilarating feeling of toying with their opponents like monkeys on the court.

Zhang Yuning did not participate in the celebration. He pulled up a chair and sat in a corner, constantly wiping his sweat with a white towel, looking very flustered.

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As soon as Sun Yang entered the locker room, Zhang Yuning immediately stood up and quickly walked over to him.

"Captain, I'm so sorry everyone." Zhang Yuning's tone was full of regret, and his slightly round face was full of guilt. "Your last pass was perfect; it was a superb assist. I was the one who handled it too slowly."

Zhang Yuning punched his thigh hard.

"I had a brain fart. I should have just taken a shot. Otherwise, we would have been up 3-0 in the first half and completely killed the game. I'm so sorry for that surgical through ball you delivered."

The cheers in the locker room subsided. Huang Zhengyu, Chen Binbin, and several other key players turned to look in their direction. Everyone knew how demoralizing that missed one-on-one chance had been.

Sun Yang took off the shin guards and carefully wiped them with a towel. He didn't offer the cheap comfort Zhang Yuning suggested. That kind of child-rearing approach doesn't belong in a professional locker room.

"It's good that you know where you went wrong." Sun Yang looked up at Zhang Yuning. "That kind of through ball opportunity, in a top European match, might only happen once the whole game. You wasted it, and the opponent will launch a counter-attack and destroy the whole team."

Zhang Yuning lowered her head in shame, nervously rubbing the towel between her hands.

Sun Yang didn't continue criticizing. He reached out and slapped the tactics board hard, then raised his voice to address everyone.

"But today I have something to tell you, and something to tell all of you."

In a flash, all the national Olympic team players stood up straight.

"Make those tactical runs you made in the first half ingrained in your very being! The next time an opening appears, don't worry about where the goalkeeper is or whether the Korean defenders are double-teaming you!"

Sun Yang pointed at Zhang Yuning's chest. His words were concise, domineering, and left no room for argument.

"Just keep sprinting forward, whether you're on the sideline or in the penalty area. I guarantee the ball will find your foot perfectly. Just close your eyes and shoot! Don't hesitate, don't worry about missing! If you miss, I'll pass it back!"

This powerful declaration resonated deeply.

Zhang Yuning felt a chill run down his spine, a surge of adrenaline rushing to his head. He had never encountered a midfielder who dared to confidently guarantee that the pass would be accurate. Such confidence and undeniable skill!

"Understood, Captain! Even if he kicks me in the face in the second half, I'll still swing the ball!" Zhang Yuning shouted back.

Chen Binbin and Duan Liuyu, standing nearby, clapped enthusiastically. This was the backbone of the team. With such a midfield maestro providing the strongest support, they could focus solely on charging forward relentlessly.

Just then, the locker room door was pushed open.

Cannavaro burst in, his face flushed. The young Italian coach had taken off his suit jacket today, and his tie was hanging loosely around his neck.

He strode to the center of the locker room and slammed his hands on the tactical board.

boom!boom!

"Ragazzi! (Boys) Well done!" Cannavaro shouted in Italian.

The team translator stood beside them, relaying the head coach's words to all the players in the same enthusiastic and rapid-fire manner.

"Fantastic! Absolutely outstanding! This is the most perfect 45 minutes I've played since I took over this team! It even reminds me of a top Italian team! Your attacking runs and your disciplined defensive positioning are truly impressive. You weren't intimidated by their high press; you demonstrated both attacking sharpness and defensive resilience!"

Cannavaro strode up to Sun Yang and, without any hesitation, patted Sun Yang's shoulders heavily with both hands.

"Yang, your presence has completely revitalized these lads. You are the absolute master of the field today."

After praising him, Cannavaro's smile faded, and he picked up the marker again.

"Listen up! The South Korean team will definitely launch a crazy comeback in the second half. That's their tradition. They can't afford to lose now." Cannavaro drew two big circles on the tactical board for the second half of the game.

"In the first ten minutes of the second half, we'll push our overall formation back. Keep the two defensive lines within ten meters of each other. Don't try to catch up with them at the start. Let them waste their energy on pointless runs. We need to defend against their first wave of attacks."

Cannavaro pointed to several points in the attacking third and tapped them forcefully a few times.

"Once we hold off their first wave of attacks, everyone must follow the captain's instructions on the field. When it's time to counterattack, push forward decisively; nobody should hesitate!"

Cannavaro turned to look at Sun Yang.

Sun Yang stepped forward, took the marker, and drew two thick arrows pointing straight ahead.

"Counter-attacking doesn't mean we should park the bus and defend in our own half. Chen Binbin, Duan Liuyu, in the second half, when we counter-attack, you two wingers need to stretch yourselves as far as possible to the sidelines! The wider the better. Clear out both flanks of the Korean team completely."

Chen Binbin and Duan Liuyu immediately nodded and shouted that they understood.

Sun Yang turned to look at Zhang Yuning.

"Zhang Yuning, your task for the second half has changed."

Sun Yang drew a heavy cross on the top of the penalty area arc on the tactics board.

"You need to show the confidence of a starting center forward. Go to the edge of the South Korean penalty area to receive the ball and actively seek physical contact. Hold the ball with your back to goal and don't be afraid of them committing dirty fouls. They are down by two goals, so they will definitely be impatient in the second half. The more impatient they are, the dirtier they will be."

Sun Yang threw away the marker in his hand, letting it fall to the floor with a crisp sound.

"If you get brought down in this dangerous area, and we get a free kick, the game is over. I'll end the game with that free kick."

The air in the locker room seemed to ignite at those words.

Every player who follows Borussia Dortmund's matches knows just how terrifying Sun Yang's powerful free kicks, whether they're cannonballs or curved free kicks, are. They're the kind of weapon that can send even top Bundesliga center-backs crashing out of the game.

Giving Sun Yang a free kick in the attacking third against a young goalkeeper of this caliber in Asia would be tantamount to sentencing the South Korean team to death.

Everyone was shouting loudly, rubbing their hands together, and eagerly awaiting the opening whistle of the second half.