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

In the locker room of Songkhla Stadium, icy mineral water mixed with orange energy drinks was splashed around in the air.

The national Olympic team players were completely in a frenzy, jumping and leaping shirtless in the narrow aisle. Zhang Yuning even stepped onto the physiotherapy bed in the middle, swung the white towel in his hand like a helicopter propeller, and shouted until his voice was hoarse.

Sun Yang sat in the corner near the door, his left leg resting on the edge of an ice bucket to relieve muscle fatigue. He held his phone in his hand, texting his good friend Haaland, who was far away in Europe, to brag. He still had games to play, while the Norwegian giant was stuck in his Dortmund apartment, getting moldy.

The wooden door to the locker room was suddenly pushed open, and head coach Fabio Cannavaro strode in.

The players who were just about to lift the roof off immediately shut up and quickly found a place to sit. Cannavaro's white shirt was already soaked with sweat. He pressed his hands down and had a smile he couldn't help but wear on his face.

"Well done, guys. That's a fucking team victory!" Cannavaro blurted out in his Italian-accented English, and the Chinese translator next to him quickly relayed it to everyone in plain language.

"I just got the match report from the game next door." Cannavaro paused deliberately, glancing around. "South Korea pulled away in the second half and beat Iran by two goals."

Upon hearing this news, several veteran players in the locker room exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up.

Cannavaro clapped his hands forcefully: "That means we've won both of our matches and got six points! South Korea has three points, Iran and Uzbekistan both have one. Kids, no matter how lousy we play in the last round, we've already secured our qualification! This damn group of death is now ours, China!"

This statement is like throwing a fire into a powder keg.

The locker room erupted in chaos. Zhu Chenjie yelled and rushed over, grabbing Sun Yang by the neck and shaking him violently. In the past few years, national teams of all age groups had only been getting beaten up on the Asian stage; they had never fought such a splendid battle! Advancing from the group stage early, and with two crushing victories at that, was like a dream come true for these young national team players.

Just as the roof of the national Olympic team's locker room was about to be blown off, thousands of miles away in China, the internet server was about to start smoking.

Due to strict controls, major cities across the country are in a state of home confinement. Hundreds of millions of people are stuck at home, offline entertainment activities have come to a complete standstill, and people spend their days either scrolling through their phones or watching TV. During this special period, the U23 Asian Cup, which originally received little attention, has unexpectedly become an outlet for venting among football fans and even casual observers nationwide.

This team, which was placed in the "group of death," was not favored by anyone before the match, after all, the Chinese national football team usually loses so badly that they have nothing left to lose.

But now they not only won, they also repeatedly rubbed the arrogant South Korean team and the physically strong Uzbekistan team against the grass!

The servers of Dongqiudi and Hupu crashed the moment the final whistle blew, leaving only 404 error codes on the screen.

For the first time ever, the top five trending topics on Sina Weibo were all dominated by football-related terms, pushing the usual celebrity gossip that usually buys its way into the top ten to outside the top ten.

The top trending topic was simple and straightforward: Sun Yang's abs.

Second on the trending topics: China's Olympic team crushes their opponents and qualifies for the next round.

The third trending topic was: Who will mention poached chicken again?

The scene at Songkhla Stadium became a viral sensation online. In the high-resolution broadcast, Sun Yang took off his torn jersey, and spotlights shone on his bare upper body. Without an ounce of excess fat, his perfectly defined eight-pack abs and sculpted pectoral muscles directly and violently assaulted the retinas of everyone watching on screen.

The comment sections of major sports forums were completely overwhelmed, with posts refreshing so fast that it was impossible to read the text.

"Holy crap, am I blind?! That body fat percentage, that muscle mass, you're telling me this is a Chinese national football player?!"

"His face is swollen from being slapped! Where are those trolls who used to post every day criticizing the national football team for eating sea cucumbers and getting beer bellies? Come out and show yourselves! Look at their core strength; that big guy from Uzbekistan couldn't even budge him!"

"This guy must be a genetic mutation! This mixed-race youngster, trained in Europe from a young age, has such self-discipline that he'd crush those pampered players back home!"

"When He Wei was commentating on the poetry recitation, I, a grown man, burst into tears on the sofa. We haven't seen a midfield genius who plays with his brain in far too long."

Zhou Qiming, a renowned reporter for Titan Sports based in Germany, wrote a lengthy article overnight, which was widely reposted online. He pointed out that what Sun Yang brought to this national Olympic team was not just a few world-class long passes, but rather a genuine top-level European football philosophy and attitude.

This kid is like a top-of-the-line CPU, carrying an old, beat-up computer to incredible speed. He's elevated a mediocre team to the top tier of Asian football.

The hearts of football fans across the country were completely won over by this 20-year-old Asian-American teenager on this night.

At 11 p.m. local time, the national Olympic team's bus slowly drove back to the hotel where they were staying.

The atmosphere on the bus was lively, with all the young players glued to their phones, scrolling through domestic news.

Zhu Chenjie sat behind Sun Yang, chuckling to himself as he held his phone. He reached out and tugged at the back of Sun Yang's seat. "Brother Yang, you've really gone viral in China this time. My cousins, who only follow their idols, just messaged me on WeChat, desperately wanting your WeChat ID. They're clamoring to have your babies!"

Sun Yang leaned back in his chair, sipping his sports drink, without even turning his head. "Tell them to stay home and focus on their online classes and practice exams, instead of wasting their time doing useless things."

Upon hearing this, everyone on the bus burst into laughter.

Zhang Yuning peeked out from the front, licked his lips, and tentatively said, "Brother Yang, South Korea beat Iran. We're now six points and have secured first place. The last match is against Iran the day after tomorrow, and Coach Kallner will definitely rotate the starters. Should we play a little more conservatively on the field? Let's save some energy for the knockout stage."

Upon hearing this, several key players perked up their ears. With qualification already secured, no one wanted to risk a broken leg in the final, insignificant match.

Sun Yang tightened the plastic bottle in his hand, turned to look at Zhang Yuning, and his expression became serious.

"Hold back? You've got a death wish, huh?" Sun Yang's voice wasn't loud, but the chaotic carriage immediately quieted down, and even the driver subconsciously eased off the accelerator.

"Iran only has one point now, and they're standing on the edge of a cliff for that last sliver of hope of qualifying. In their final match against us, those Persians will absolutely go berserk like rabid dogs! Don't they know how brutal the physical play is among West Asian teams? If you dare to play conservatively or avoid the ball on the field, I guarantee you'll be on a stretcher in the hospital within twenty minutes!"

The air inside the car grew cold, and the expressions on the faces of several veteran team members changed.

Sun Yang glanced around, his tone softening but still firm: "When playing against teams pushed to the brink, if you back down even half a step, they'll dare to press forward and stomp on your face. You have to be tougher than them on the court! Get the ball and pass it quickly, absolutely no holding onto it. If you don't want your legs broken, use your brain and positioning to wear them down."

Zhang Yuning swallowed hard and nodded emphatically. The others immediately straightened their backs as well.

No one thought this was just empty talk. In just two games, Sun Yang had already firmly established his authority within the team; his words carried more weight than the assistant coach's tactics board.