The God of Football Starts With Passive Skills

Wang Shuo shot forward, sprinting after the ball.

He had headed it forward himself, so he had a general idea of the ball’s trajectory and where it would land.

’He actually knocked a header on to himself?’

Nesta was shocked. He was already the last defender back and had started to track back immediately.

At first, Nesta had the advantage.

But Wang Shuo got faster and faster, gradually closing the distance until he was level with Nesta.

Not only that, but just as he was about to reach the ball, Wang Shuo even deliberately used his right shoulder to bump Nesta’s left.

Nesta hadn’t expected Wang Shuo to actively seek a physical challenge and was knocked slightly off balance.

Wang Shuo won the ball.

But the Milan center-back was quick to react and incredibly experienced.

Having missed the chance to get the ball, he immediately fell back to defend without a second thought.

After catching up to the ball, Wang Shuo continued to dribble forward.

Nesta, meanwhile, tracked him along his inside.

"Block him!" Abbiati shouted to Nesta from the goal.

The meaning was clear: keep Wang Shuo confined to the left side of the penalty area.

Abate was already tracking back.

Van Bommel was tracking back from the center.

Antonini was also tracking back from the left flank.

And Thiago Silva, whom Wang Shuo had shaken off moments before, was also rushing back.

If Nesta could just slow him down, Dortmund’s attack would come to nothing!

Abbiati knew this, and of course, so did Nesta.

So, even though the muscles in his legs were screaming in protest, even though his stamina was nearly depleted, Nesta gritted his teeth and pushed on.

He was about to turn 35.

Others might not realize it, but he knew full well that his career in the European football scene was nearing its end.

He couldn’t play until he was 40, like Maldini or Costacurta.

He had joined Lazio’s first team at 17.

Ever since then, elegance and composure had become his trademarks.

Whether he was facing a once-in-a-generation striker like Ronaldo or going up against Ronaldo and Messi, he could always handle them with composure.

Tonight, he had been schooling Wang Shuo for the entire match.

The scoring machine who had netted 40 goals in the Bundesliga this season, the winner of last season’s European Golden Boot, hadn’t managed a single goal tonight at San Siro Stadium.

Just three minutes left!

If he could just hold on for these last three minutes, Nesta would have perfectly completed his mission!

At this thought, Nesta practically wanted to shatter his teeth from gritting them so hard as he relentlessly pursued Wang Shuo.

He could even feel a tearing sensation in his utterly exhausted leg muscles.

But he caught up.

He really caught up!

The two of them burst into the left side of the penalty area, almost shoulder to shoulder.

Nesta knew Wang Shuo was dangerous with both feet and was wary of him stopping suddenly to cut inside.

But in the next instant, Wang Shuo suddenly stopped the ball dead, his own momentum carrying him forward a couple of steps.

Faced with this sudden, completely untelegraphed stop, Nesta also overran by two steps.

Wang Shuo stopped on a dime, steadied himself, and quickly scrambled back, using his right foot to drag the ball sideways and cut inside.

Nesta felt a sharp pain in his legs but still persevered, trying to stick close to Wang Shuo and cut off his angle to the goal.

But Wang Shuo suddenly accelerated again, forcefully breaking past Nesta’s defense.

The AC Milan captain was already giving it his absolute all.

His stamina was completely gone; he was running on willpower alone.

’Who would have thought that Wang Shuo could still accelerate at a time like this?’

After creating a yard of space, Wang Shuo planted his left foot and, before Van Bommel and Antonini could close him down, unleashed a furious shot with his right.

This time, there was nothing between him and the right goalpost!

The ball rocketed off Wang Shuo’s foot.

The goalkeeper, Abbiati, had been adjusting his position based on Wang Shuo’s. When he saw Wang Shuo shoot, he decisively came off his line and dove for the ball.

The Milan goalkeeper covered most of the goal, but Wang Shuo’s shot flew just inside the right post and into the back of the net.

As he saw this happen, a single thought flashed through Abbiati’s mind.

’Damn it! It’s the 90th minute, and after a long sprint and all those sudden stops and turns, he can still shoot with that kind of accuracy!’

’Is he even human?’

In that instant, the deafening roar of San Siro Stadium fell completely silent.

It was so quiet you could almost hear the raindrops falling from the lip of the stadium roof.

After blasting that furious shot, Wang Shuo’s mind went blank with a buzzing sound. He couldn’t hear anything else; his entire world was just that single ball in the back of the net.

"AHHH!!!"

Wang Shuo spun around and took off running in celebration.

He didn’t know where he was going; he just ran.

He ended up by the sideline, dropping into a knee slide that carved two clear tracks into the wet, slippery grass.

He collapsed onto his back on the grass.

Only then did an astonishing noise erupt from San Siro Stadium.

There were the cheers of the Dortmund fans and the boos of the AC Milan supporters.

It even seemed like there were sounds of crying.

Wang Shuo laughed heartily, letting the rain wash over his face and drip into his mouth.

But he was quickly mobbed by his teammates, who sprinted over and piled on top of him.

They jumped on one after another.

On the sideline, in front of the away team’s bench, Klopp had rushed out the moment Wang Shuo scored, frantically pumping his fists.

He had completely lost control!

And not far in front of him, Allegri stared at the pitch, at the numbers on the scoreboard, with a look of utter disbelief on his face.