The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills-Chapter 221 - 62: Hat-trick! Cruyff Turn! The Future 4th Superstar! As the Anthem Plays, Mainz Are Champions

Chapter 221: Chapter 62: Hat-trick! Cruyff Turn! The Future 4th Superstar! As the Anthem Plays, Mainz Are Champions

The midfield and the defensive line also pushed up simultaneously.

This forced Mainz deep into their own half, where Hogland had no choice but to hoof the ball forward.

Needless to say.

Wang Shuo got into position in midfield to challenge Lucio for the header...

Yes, you read that right.

Wang Shuo went to challenge Lucio for a header!

The outcome was a foregone conclusion. Lucio overpowered Wang Shuo and headed the ball back.

Wang Shuo finally experienced firsthand what it was like to go head-to-head in a physical battle with a world-class center-back.

He couldn’t even manage to jump.

Once Lucio had him pinned, he leaped from behind. The man was built like a mountain of flesh, and the pressure as he came down felt like an avalanche. The sensation was truly intimidating.

When Wang Shuo turned to look at the brawny-faced Brazilian center-back, he couldn’t help but wonder.

’Why would Bayern be unwilling to renew the contract of such an excellent center-back? Why would they want to let him go?’

Surprisingly, being physically dominated had actually earned him some Passive Value.

Wang Shuo cracked a smile at Lucio, then turned and ran back.

At that very moment, Bayern was launching an attack.

But Wang Shuo made a mental note to have a word with Hogland after the match.

’Damn it, passing me a high ball to make me challenge Lucio for a header? He’s got some nerve!’

Based on what happened in the first half and in preparation for the second, Klopp also made new tactical arrangements.

For example, as the second half began, Mainz adopted a strategy of stabilizing their defense first.

Unlike the first half, after the second half started, Bayern focused more on initiating their attacks from the left flank.

Ribery became the most active player on the pitch.

Hogland couldn’t stop Ribery on his own.

Helle diligently tracked back, and Kalhan also consistently provided defensive cover on that side.

Almost every time Ribery got the ball and Lahm made an overlapping run, it sent a wave of alarm through Mainz’s right flank.

But recently, Klopp and the coaching staff had been focused on training the team’s defense.

Specifically, their defensive organization under high pressure.

It was precisely because of this recent preparation that Mainz withstood Bayern’s offensive pressure time and again.

In the 58th minute, Bayern once again launched an attack down Ribery and Lahm’s side.

But as Ribery cut inside, Kalhan and Hogland, who had tracked back in time, dispossessed him on the right side, just outside the penalty area.

Hogland passed the ball he had won to Kalhan, who then passed it to Helle.

Helle hit a straight pass toward Wang Shuo on the right side of the halfway line.

Wang Shuo received the ball with his back to the goal.

But the instant he received it, Demichelis was on his back, giving him no room to turn.

’If Helle had passed a high ball, Demichelis probably would have tried to get the better of me in the air, just like Lucio did.’

’Good thing it was a ground pass.’

Wang Shuo took up the best position and controlled the ball cleanly, but he had absolutely no opportunity to turn.

A center-forward with outstanding physical strength like Drogba could have simply overpowered Demichelis and calmly turned with the ball.

But Wang Shuo was clearly not that kind of physical beast.

’What now?’

But Wang Shuo was prepared.

He chose to dribble backward.

One step, two steps...

Demichelis followed, pressing him relentlessly.

This time, however, before the Argentinian center-back could get tight on him, Wang Shuo dipped his left shoulder toward the right touchline and took a quick step with his left foot.

The whole motion made it look as if Wang Shuo, while dribbling backward, had spotted an opening and was about to turn and break toward the outside.

How could Demichelis possibly give Wang Shuo an opening like that?

So he took a step sideways to cover.

But at that very moment, Wang Shuo’s right foot suddenly flicked the ball behind his standing leg and into the space behind Demichelis as he spun around.

’Crap!’

The Cruyff Turn!

Demichelis reacted, planted his left foot, and immediately spun to give chase.

But Wang Shuo had the element of surprise, plus his movements were quicker.

After turning, he pushed off hard with his legs, shot forward, caught up to the ball he had flicked ahead, and sprinted on with powerful strides.

At that moment, beneath the curtain of rain, gasps of astonishment echoed from the stands of the Olympic Stadium from fans of both teams.

Everyone had thought Demichelis had him contained.

But no one expected Wang Shuo to suddenly break through.

Most hadn’t even seen clearly how it happened.

Wang Shuo charged forward with the ball, cutting diagonally from the right half-space toward the penalty area.

Bayern had just been on the attack, leaving their defense exposed.

Van Bommel, the last man back, tried to close in, but he was a step too slow and couldn’t catch the sprinting Wang Shuo for the life of him.

Instead, it was Lucio, tracking back as the last defender, who angled his run to intercept Wang Shuo.

Just as they entered Bayern’s 30-meter zone, nearing the edge of the box, Lucio finally caught up to Wang Shuo.

But at that very moment, Wang Shuo suddenly decelerated. With a series of quick, tiny steps, he feinted as if to knock the ball to his left.

This startled Lucio. He hastily slowed down too, immediately shifting his center of gravity to try and stay tight on Wang Shuo. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

As long as he could get close and make it a physical contest, Lucio was absolutely confident he could overpower Wang Shuo.

But just then, Wang Shuo’s left foot abruptly chopped the ball back the other way. He rapidly rebalanced himself, pushed the ball forward with his right foot, and burst straight past Lucio’s right side.

Lucio was renowned for having the physique of a world-class center-back.

But he was indeed getting older, and his agility wasn’t what it once was.