Awakening the Messi template, Florentino Pérez begs me to join Real Madrid

Chapter 29 A Perfect Start

The moment the referee blew the whistle, the Chinese youth team kicked off, passed the ball back, and then deployed their formation, while the Japanese team began to press forward—

At this moment, defensive midfielder Li Haoran received the ball and immediately sent a high pass behind the opponent's center-back!

Simple, brutal, completely skipping the midfield.

The football arced high through the air and crashed about 30 meters into the Japanese goal.

Wu Lei had already started his run between the two center-backs, getting a half-step ahead to block their position, and with a chest touch, he volleyed the ball with his left foot the moment it hit the ground!

"Bang--!"

The ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net!

Goal!

It only took 47 seconds to get going!

China's youth team leads 1-0!

The southeast corner stand erupted instantly, with red flags waving wildly. Wu Lei rushed towards the corner flag area, pointing his finger to the sky, his teammates surging towards him like a tidal wave.

The Japanese players stood frozen in place, while the goalkeeper knelt in front of the goal line, staring incredulously at the ball in the net.

too fast.

It was so fast that even the camera could barely keep up.

On the bench, Wu Shi suddenly stood up, and the blanket slipped off his legs.

Current score: 1-0

[Time: 00:47]

[Task Status: In Progress]

"Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" The assistant coaches and substitute players on the bench went wild, exclaiming "Holy crap, awesome!"

Start.

The tactics worked.

Meanwhile, Lao Li stood on the sidelines, hands in his pockets, looking as if he only needed to make a slight move to reach the limit of this skill level.

Actually, I was incredibly excited.

"It was a success; the tactics took effect immediately."

"I feel like taking off my clothes to celebrate, oh no, I need to stay calm, I need to act cool."

"Don't blink too fast, relax your expression, and act like you've seen it all."

For the next forty-four minutes, the game fell into the rhythm the Chinese youth team was most familiar with – defense, compression, and long-pass counter-attacks.

Japan's possession rate once reached 78%, but they struggled to create any threatening penetrations against the Chinese youth team's two tight defensive lines.

Shibasaki Gaku kept orchestrating the attack from midfield, attempting to play through balls behind the defense, but the Chinese youth team's center-backs remained highly focused, clearing the ball away time and again.

In the 23rd minute, Japan had their best chance. A cross from the right wing was headed towards goal by the striker near the penalty spot – the Chinese youth team goalkeeper made a diving save, tipping the ball out of play with his fingertips!

"That was close!" the commentator exclaimed.

One minute of added time in the first half saw the Japanese team launch another attack, with three consecutive shots blocked. The referee blew the whistle, ending the first half.

1: 0.

In the locker room, the atmosphere was not relaxed despite being in the lead.

"They'll be even crazier in the second half," Old Li said, tapping his tactical board.

"You're exhausted, pay attention to supporting defense. Wu Lei, you can drop back a bit more, give their center-backs the illusion that you're pushing forward, and then..."

"Attack from behind."

Wu Lei nodded, sweat dripping down his chin.

Old Li glanced at Wu Shi: "How's your leg?"

"No problem," Wu Shi said.

"Wait a little longer," Old Li said. "It's not your turn yet."

The second half begins.

As Lao Li predicted, the Japanese team's attack became even more ferocious. They no longer pursued absolute control, but instead increased their long-range shots and crosses from the wings.

In the 51st minute, Japan broke through on the left wing and passed the ball back in a triangular pattern. Gaku Shibasaki met the ball at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot – the ball grazed the post and went out of bounds!

In the 58th minute, Japan won a free kick in the attacking third. The initial shot hit the wall, bounced off, and the follow-up shot was caught by the goalkeeper.

The national youth team's defense is like a dam repeatedly eroded by the tide; they barely hold on each time, but cracks have begun to appear.

Wu Shi sat on the bench, his left leg muscles involuntarily tensing up.

He could feel that his teammates on the field were running harder and harder, and the defensive pressure was increasing.

In the 69th minute, the collapse occurred.

Japan strung together passes in midfield, and Gaku Shibasaki suddenly delivered a penetrating diagonal through ball. Yoshinori Muto surged forward from behind the Chinese youth team's right-back, received the ball, and crossed from the byline—

At the far post, Yuya Kubo arrived just in time and easily slotted the ball into the empty net!

1: 1.

"Goal! Japan has tied the score."

The commentator's voice was tinged with regret.

"The prolonged siege finally paid off. The national youth team's physical strength was at its limit, and their defense made a fatal mistake by leaving a gap in their man."

The Japanese players celebrated wildly, while Gaku Shibasaki stood still and calmly clapped his hands.

The national youth team players stood with their hands on their hips, heads bowed, panting. Wu Lei wiped the sweat from his face.

Old Li turned and looked at the substitutes' bench.

"Takeshi."

Wu Shi suddenly stood up.

"Warm up," Old Li said. "We'll be up in five minutes."

Wu Shi took off his jacket and walked to the sidelines to start stretching.

The physical therapist, Zhou, followed and whispered, "Remember, no collisions, no changing direction. Pass the ball and then move."

"clear."

On the field, the game restarted. The Japanese team, having equalized, were greatly encouraged and launched an even more aggressive attack.

In the 75th minute, Wu Shi stood on the sidelines, and the fourth official raised the substitution board: number 9 on, number 26 off.

Chen Liang walked off the field, panting, and gave Wu Shi a high five: "It's all up to you, Shi Tou."

Wu Shi nodded and stepped onto the court.

The system started prompting.

[Task completed to gain appearance time; 0.1% template integration gained; current integration level 3.1%]

[Recommendation: Enable Safety Mode to reduce sudden stops and lane changes]

Wu Shi ran to his position – slightly to the right of midfield, avoiding the densely contested central area.

The Japanese team had done their homework on the Chinese youth team. As soon as Takeshi came on, their defensive midfielders closed in, maintaining a distance of about one meter, their eyes alert.

Wu Shi first touched the ball in the 78th minute.

Wu Shi judged the landing point, started in advance, and used his chest to unload the ball.

The Japanese defensive midfielder immediately pressed forward, but Takeshi did not try to get rid of him and instead passed the ball with the outside of his foot to Wang Zhuofeng, who was on the left side to receive it.

"The passing is very steady," the commentator said. "After Wu Shi came on, the national youth team's midfield passing seemed to be smoother."

But Japan's defense quickly adjusted. Whenever Takeshi got the ball, at least two players would surround him, preventing him from turning or passing forward.

Time passed by, second by second.

The turning point came in the 81st minute.

Wu Lei received the ball with his back to goal on the left flank of the attacking third. Facing the close marking of the Japanese right-back, he suddenly turned and accelerated – using up his last bit of energy, he managed to overtake the Japanese player from the outside!

In a moment of panic, the Japanese right-back reached out and pulled!

Wu Lei fell outside the penalty area line!

"Foul! Free kick in the attacking third!" the commentator shouted.

The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the location of the foul.

It is about 25 meters from the goal, slightly to the left.

The Japanese team immediately formed a wall. All four players were over 1.75 meters tall. The goalkeeper nervously directed their positioning, covering the near post.

The national youth team players surrounded the ball.

Wu Shi walks towards the penalty spot.

[Set Piece Analysis: Distance 25.3 meters, 18 degrees to the left]

[Height of the human wall: Average 1.77 meters]

[Goalkeeper positioning: slightly to the right, leaving space on the left]

[Suggestion: Use the inside of your right foot to curl a shot, aiming for the top left corner of the goal]

Success rate: 49%

[Warning: Loading the left leg may affect the accuracy of force application]

49%? A direct shot is possible.

Wu Shi took five steps back and measured the step points.

The whole place fell silent.

Wu Shi took a deep breath and looked at the goal.