As the players from both teams followed head referee Helmut Fleischer out of the tunnel, Wang Shuo looked up from his place in line at the night sky over the Olympic Stadium Berlin, just as a bolt of lightning flashed across it.
A roar imdiately swept through the stadium.
The forecast said the rain wouldn’t let up.
At this mont, a short performance was underway inside the stadium.
The crests of the two teams were unfurled in the very center.
Led by the head referee, everyone lined up in front of the main stand.
Cheers imdiately erupted from the stands.
Wang Shuo stood tall, his head held high, and stared straight ahead. He could feel the live cara sweep past him.
This was a match being broadcast live in over 150 countries and regions around the world!
The very thought of it made the blood in his veins feel like it was on fire, about to boil.
The two captains, Nowitzki and Van Boml, went over to the head referee for the coin toss.
Speaking of which, Van Boml’s appointnt as Bayern’s captain was a very interesting story.
Back last year, when Klinsmann appointed Van Boml as Bayern’s captain, it sparked enormous controversy.
Never before in Bayern’s history had a foreign player served as captain.
You have to understand, it wasn’t as if the current Bayern team lacked dostic players.
There was Klose, vice-captain of the Germany National Team, and Lahm, a key international player and the longest-serving player on the Bayern squad.
All of them were very suitable candidates.
If that were all, it might not have been a big deal.
After all, it was a move ant to shake things up.
The real killer was that in early ’09, during a period when Bayern’s results were poor, Klinsmann was so dissatisfied with the team’s performance that he even benched Van Boml for a ti.
A team captain being benched while physically fit and with no major issues in form—that was so explosive news.
By April, the Bayern locker room was openly challenging Klinsmann, with Van Boml leading the charge.
This was all very dramatic.
It was truly a rare sight: a manager like Klinsmann who managed to alienate everyone to the point where even the captain he’d appointed against all opposition ended up turning on him.
But back to the present, Van Boml won the toss against Nowitzki, securing the kickoff for his team.
Seeing this from afar, Wang Shuo imdiately called over his nearby teammates.
Hainauer, Helle, Foyelner, Kalhan, Pekovic, and the others quickly gathered around.
"Stick to the gaffer’s plan. We press high right from the whistle."
"I’ve got the center-backs and Lahm."
"Tomasz, you need to help cover the middle."
Wang Shuo directed this last sentence to Hainauer.
"Got it. I’ll watch it closely."
Helle would be positioned a bit deeper.
But Lahm’s ability to receive and distribute the ball was exceptional, making him an outlet in Bayern’s backline that could not be underestimated.
Therefore, Wang Shuo needed to pay extra attention to him.
If he ran over to press Lahm, wouldn’t that leave the center open?
That’s why Hainauer needed to push up.
"Alright, let’s work together and win this opening battle!"
The others all nodded.
...
The two teams took up their formations.
Klose and Luca Tony stood in the center circle, ready to take the kickoff.
Wang Shuo stood to the right of the center circle, with Hainauer on the left.
The entire Mainz team looked ready for a fight.
Van Boml, wearing the Bayern captain’s armband, clapped his hands forcefully. "Everyone, focus up!"
"It’s ti to battle!"
The Bayern players all responded in unison.
Clearly, the Bayern players were also ntally prepared.
This match was going to be a knife fight from the very first whistle!
Lucio, Demichelis, Lahm, and even Van Boml kept glancing over at Wang Shuo.
The young forward was the player Klinsmann had specifically warned them about before the match.
As a legendary striker himself, the "Golden Bomber," Klinsmann held a very high opinion of Wang Shuo.
So when the Bayern players looked at Wang Shuo, their gazes were naturally filled with wariness.
Head referee Fleischer paced back and forth near the center circle, observing the teams’ formations.
He glanced at his watch from ti to ti.
As the ti struck 7:00 PM, he blew the whistle right on schedule, signaling the start of the match.
...
TWEET!
The instant the whistle blew, Wang Shuo exploded forward, charging into Bayern’s half.
He sprinted at top speed toward Van Boml’s position.
But Luca Tony, taking the kickoff from the center circle, passed the ball to Schweinsteiger.
As Hainauer pressed forward from the left of the center circle, Xiao Zhu passed the ball out to Oddo on the right flank.
The play didn’t shift to Wang Shuo’s side.
But Wang Shuo still quickly shifted to the middle, staying close to Van Boml and Schweinsteiger.
When he saw Oddo receive the ball on the right wing and co under pressure from Foyelner, he imdiately surged forward at top speed.
"I’ll go!"
Shouting that one phrase to Hainauer, Wang Shuo charged toward Lucio, who was playing deepest.
Sure enough, Oddo passed it back.
Wang Shuo was far away, but he had started his run early.
The mont Oddo made the back pass, the Italian must have broken out in a cold sweat.
Wang Shuo bore down on Lucio with incredible speed.
The entire stadium erupted in gasps.
But Lucio was no slouch. He rushed forward, beat Wang Shuo to the ball by a step, and simply blasted it upfield.
Realizing he wouldn’t make it in ti, Wang Shuo threw himself into the air, turning his body sideways in a desperate attempt to block the clearance.
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