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

Meanwhile, in the South Korean team's locker room, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Kim Hak-beom slapped the tactical whiteboard, scattering several magnetic number plates all over the floor with a clatter.

"A disgrace! This is a disgrace to South Korean football!"

"You guys are a bunch of useless idiots! You let five of them get past you, and you still managed to curl the ball into the net from a zero-angle angle. What were your defense doing? The plastic human cones in the training base are more useful than you guys!"

"If you can't turn things around in the second half, you'd all better jump into Songkhla Bay and swim back to Seoul!"

The group of South Korean players sat on the benches in the locker room, not daring to utter a single word of argument, let alone let out a heavy breath.

Goalkeeper Ahn Joon-soo was deathly pale. Whenever he closed his eyes, the image of that razor-sharp, curved shot would flash through his mind.

The ball soared from an almost impossible angle, flew over his head, and nestled into the net. Even though he had blocked the near post, he could only watch helplessly as the ball went in.

Kim Hak-beom suddenly turned his head and his gaze fell on Jeong Woo-yeong.

"Damn it! You bastard, Youying!"

"What the hell did you learn in the six months you spent in Germany? Were you just there to enjoy the scenery on a paycheck? Listen up! Mark Sun Yang closely in the second half! Get on his body before he receives the ball, block his path when he turns, and tackle him when he dribbles!"

Kim Hak-beom raised three fingers.

"Remember, as soon as Sun Yang gets the ball, three people must move close to him within two seconds. I don't care what methods you use, you can't let him pass the ball so easily anymore!"

Zheng Youying gritted his teeth and nodded.

"I understand, Coach."

The halftime break ended quickly.

Both teams walked out of the player tunnel again.

The South Korean players looked grim, their eyes burning with suppressed anger. They were backed into a corner; one more step back would mean utter defeat.

The Chinese team calmly took their positions as instructed by Cannavaro.

Sun Yang looked down to adjust the captain's armband on his left arm, then looked up at the center circle.

Lee Dong-kyung's eyes were bloodshot as he prepared to kick off, and his breathing was even more rapid than in the first half.

The referee glanced at the timer and blew the whistle to start the second half.

The South Korean forward flicked the ball back, and in the next moment, the entire South Korean team pushed across the halfway line.

Just as Cannavaro predicted, the South Korean team adopted a high-pressing strategy from the start, hoping to score the first goal in the second half.

The Chinese team immediately contracted and retreated.

Huang Zhengyu intercepted the ball in the backfield, but before he could even look up, Meng Chengxiong and Kim Dong-hyun had already surrounded him from both sides.

Huang Zhengyu kept the tactical instructions in mind. He didn't hold onto the ball, and passed it back to center-back Zhu Chenjie.

Instead of blindly clearing the ball with a long kick, Zhu Chenjie passed it across to the right wing, finding full-back Feng Boxuan.

The South Korean forwards kept pressing forward, forcing the Chinese defenders to quickly pass the ball out.

The ball was passed around in the Chinese team's half.

Sun Yang was always able to get to the most suitable receiving position.

Each of his touches lasted no more than a second. Just as the South Korean team's double-team was about to close in, the ball had already been moved from his feet to the other side of the open space.

Zheng Youying ran alongside Sun Yang, his breathing becoming heavier and his chest heaving violently.

Sun Yang had only a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. The stamina brought by Kanté's perpetual motion machine-like lungs allowed him to maintain a steady pace even in such a high-intensity shuttle run.

When Sun Yang dropped back to receive the ball, he turned his head and whispered something in Jung Woo-yeong's ear in Korean.

"Hurry up, you young master from Seoul. With this kind of stamina, you think you can play high pressing all game?"

Zheng Youying was so angry that his teeth were grinding together, and he reached out to pull at Sun Yang's jersey.

Sun Yang first dribbled the ball half a step to the left, then lowered his left shoulder.

Zheng Youying thought he was going to turn to the left, so he immediately shifted his weight to follow.

But Sun Yang had already used the outside of his right foot to deflect the ball to the right.

Slump your shoulders and sway back and forth.

Zheng Youying grabbed nothing.

He couldn't stop himself; his foot slipped, and he slid two meters across the grass, his mouth full of grass clippings.

The empty stands were devoid of cheers.

A burst of laughter erupted from the Chinese team's bench.

Zheng Youying pushed himself up from the grass, his face flushed red.

The match has reached the 60th minute.

The South Korean team's stamina had reached its limit. Their high-pressing formation finally showed a fatal disconnect. The forwards couldn't get back, the midfielders couldn't keep up, and the defenders dared not push too far forward anymore.

Sun Yang had been waiting for this moment.

Chen Wei jumped up inside the penalty area to catch the high ball, but instead of kicking it long, he used his hand to throw the ball towards the edge of the penalty area.

Sun Yang retreats to receive the ball.

This time, he did not choose to pass the ball sideways.

Sun Yang stabilized the ball with his right foot and then took a step forward.

The Chinese team's previously retreating formation suddenly sprang forward like a fully charged spring.

Chen Binbin sprinted along the left flank. Duan Liuyu cut forward along the right flank.

The two players stretched the side lanes as far as they could go.

The South Korean team's defense was already loose, and now, with the movement of the two flanks, the central protection area was even more open.

Zhang Yuning stayed in the middle lane. He pushed forward against Li Xiangmin, using his broad body to block the opponent's lane-covering routes.

Sun Yang dribbled the ball and strode directly across the center line.

Only South Korean defensive midfielder Meng Chengxiong attempted to come up and intercept.

Sun Yang didn't pass the ball; instead, his footwork suddenly quickened. He gently flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, while his left shoulder dropped sharply.

The deceptive weight-shifting maneuver personally taught by Zidane is reproduced.

Meng Chengxiong's center of gravity was completely fooled by this realistic feint. He lost his balance in a sorry state and could only watch helplessly as Sun Yang whizzed past him on his right like a gust of wind.

Another solo adventure!

Sun Yang dribbled the ball toward the South Korean team's 30-meter zone.

This is the most dangerous area on the football field.

The two South Korean center-backs broke out in a cold sweat and turned to pounce on Sun Yang.

Sun Yang doesn't even need to look up at people; his skill, which allows him to hit exactly where he points, is activated instantly.

He gently pushed with the arch of his right foot.

The ball skimmed along the grass, cleverly piercing through the gap left by three defenders, and rolled precisely to Zhang Yuning's feet.

Zhang Yuning received the ball with his back to the goal.

The South Korean team thought he was going to turn and charge into the penalty area again.

This time, however, Zhang Yuning did not rush to kick.

He used his back to shield Lee Sang-min, protecting the ball, and took a step towards the edge of the penalty area.

Lee Sang-min's stamina was already depleted. After being bumped by Zhang Yuning, he became unsteady on his feet and completely lost his defensive position.

Using the force of the physical confrontation, Zhang Yuning was about to turn around.

In a fit of rage, Lee Sang-min kicked out from behind. The move was swift and brutal, bringing Zhang Yuning and the ball crashing to the ground.

Beep—!

The referee's whistle blew sharply. It was an uncontroversial foul from behind.

The referee quickly ran forward and, without hesitation, showed Lee Sang-min a yellow card for the foul.

Immediately afterwards, the referee pointed firmly toward the goal.

This is a penalty spot some distance from the goal, a direct free kick.

The position is directly opposite the goal, approximately 33 meters away.

Zhang Yuning rubbed his calf as he got up from the grass, without complaining to the referee or looking at Li Xiangmin.

He grinned at Sun Yang, who was walking towards him, revealing a set of big white teeth.

"Captain, do I think I've done the job properly?"

Sun Yang smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done. Now it's my turn."

Kim Hak-beom was jumping up and down in frustration on the sidelines. He yelled at the fourth official, insisting that Zhang Yuning was faking a foul and falling, but the fourth official just raised his hand to signal him to go back to the coaching area.

Kim Hak-beom angrily flung his hand away and turned to look at the arena.

Substitute goalkeeper Ahn Joon-soo was on high alert. He nervously directed the wall of players, and even his voice trembled.

"Six people in a human wall! Move half a step to the right! Don't leave any gaps!"

Six South Korean players lined up in front of the goal.

Ahn Joon-soo kept adjusting the position of the human wall, but his gaze remained fixed on Sun Yang.

He knows better than anyone.

Just how dangerous was that powerful shot from the Chinese team's number 10?

The stands were empty, with no spectators.

Only the shouts from the coach's bench, the players' panting, and the sound of cleats rubbing against the turf echoed across the field.

All eyes were on the edge of the penalty area.

Sun Yang bent down, scooped up the ball, and carefully wiped away the grass clippings from its surface.

He then positioned the ball upright at the spot of the foul, with the valve stem pointing towards himself.

He took ten large steps back.

Keep moving back to the outer edge of the center circle arc.

Sun Yang stood still, legs apart.

Everyone on the Chinese team's bench stood up.

He Wei and Xu Yang also stopped explaining.

This standing posture.

This running distance.

It reminds one of the man who once shocked the world with a powerful kick.

Roberto Carlos.

The referee put the whistle in his mouth.

The whistle blew.

Sun Yang tensed his right leg and took his first step in his running start...