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

As soon as the opening whistle blew, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors went full throttle, charging towards Evergrande's half of the field with the roar of their 50,000 home fans.

The first direct confrontation occurred in the 3rd minute.

Wu Shi dropped back to midfield to receive Zheng Zhi's pass, and just as he turned around, Kim Min-jae crashed into him like a wall.

"Bang!"

The impact of shoulders against shoulders produced a dull thud.

A few months ago, Wu Shi would have been knocked back at least two steps, and would most likely have lost possession of the ball.

But this time

Wu Shi lowered his center of gravity, braced his left leg firmly against the grass, and pushed back with his right shoulder!

Both of them stumbled at the same time, but the ball at Wu Shi's feet protected them.

A clear look of surprise flashed across Kim Min-jae's eyes.

He clearly hadn't expected that the Chinese kid he had easily knocked aside in their last encounter had improved so much in terms of physical toughness.

The force that pushed him back was so solid that his arm went numb.

"Interesting." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately pressed closer again, this time subtly nudging Wu Shi's waist with his elbow.

Wu Shi deftly sidestepped to avoid a vital spot, and at the same time flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, skillfully turning and slicing past Kim Min-jae!

Clean and efficient!

"Good shot!" Zheng Zhi shouted from a short distance away.

Wu Shi dribbled forward, and Jeonbuk's defensive midfielder came to cover. Instead of forcing his way through, he passed the ball to Muriqui on the right wing and continued his own forward run.

[System: First confrontation successful. Power output met requirements, core stability is good. Kim Min-jae's surprise level +20%.]

[System: Combat data updated. Combat rating: 7.2/10. Core strength output met expectations, lower body stability was good.]

This is just the beginning.

For the next fifteen minutes, Kim Min-jae was practically a shadow of Moo-seok.

Whenever Wu Shi had the ball, he would closely mark him; when Wu Shi was running without the ball, he would use his body to block him.

Their petty tricks have become even more outrageous:

In the 8th minute, Wu Shi was about to jump to contest a header when Kim Min-jae's knee "just happened" to hit the back of his thigh.

In the 12th minute, Wu Shi accelerated his sprint, and Kim Min-jae's hand seemingly rested naturally on his waist, but in reality, he gave him a subtle push.

In the 17th minute, the two were battling for the ball on the sideline when Kim Min-jae's studs "accidentally" stepped on Moo-seok's foot.

Referee Ali Hassan kept his whistle in his mouth, but rarely blew it.

This is the standard for South Korea's home games.

Wu Shi felt sharp pains in his waist and thighs, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Gao Lin ran over during a dead ball situation and whispered, "That bastard went too far. We'll get our revenge, but we have to be smart."

21rd minute

Wu Shi received a pass from Sun Xiang on the right wing, facing Kim Min-jae's direct defense. He made a feint to cut inside, and as Kim Min-jae shifted his weight, Wu Shi suddenly poked the ball forward and to the right with the outside of his right foot!

Crotch puncture!

The ball passed between Kim Min-jae's legs!

But Kim Min-jae reacted extremely quickly. The moment he was groined, he lost his balance, but took the opportunity to deliver a vicious side tackle from behind!

The spikes were exposed, heading straight for Wu Shi's supporting leg ankle!

Wu Shi sensed the danger in advance and jumped up with all his might to dodge.

But when he landed, he was tripped by Kim Min-jae's leg and fell heavily onto the GG sign outside the sideline!

The referee finally blew the whistle, but only issued a regular foul, without even showing a yellow card.

Kim Min-jae reached out to pull Moo-seok up, but Moo-seok got up on his own and brushed the grass clippings off his basketball shorts.

"Beep—!"

The referee finally blew the whistle and ran over.

Wu Shi lay on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in his right ankle.

He lifted his sock, revealing that the side of his ankle was scraped and bleeding.

Kim Min-jae got up, walked to the referee, spread his hands, looked innocent, and said in English, "I touched the ball first."

The referee glanced at Wu Shi, then at Kim Min-jae, hesitated for a moment, and only gave a verbal warning without even issuing a yellow card.

A huge chorus of boos erupted from the stands—a booing directed at Wu Shi, who had been accused of "diving."

Gao Lin and Zheng Zhi rushed over and pushed away Kim Min-jae, who was trying to get closer.

"Are you fucking trying to cripple me?!" Gao Lin roared.

Kim Min-jae shrugged and stepped back, but as he turned around, he glanced at Moo-seok with a provocative smile on his lips.

Wu Shi slowly got up.

The team doctor came onto the field to provide basic treatment, and Wu Shi indicated that the game could continue.

[System: Minor ankle contusion; it is recommended to reduce high-intensity changes of direction. Lower back bruising; core strength is affected.]

[Special Note: Kim Min-jae committed a malicious foul without penalty, increasing his desire for revenge by 50%. The referee's standards are confirmed to be lenient; please be aware of the subtlety of retaliatory behavior.]

Wu Shi took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

He walked into the restricted area.

Evergrande only has two tall players, Elkeson and himself, while Jeonbuk has three defenders over 185cm tall, and Kim Min-jae is keeping a close eye on him.

But Wu Shi saw an opening.

Positioning!

Conca unleashed a high-speed, low shot straight towards the near post!

Kim Min-jae realized something was wrong and hurriedly retreated, but he was too slow to start!

Ball here, player here!

On the edge of the penalty area, Wu Shi jumped with all his might!

Kim Min-jae also jumped up to compete for the ball, his elbow instinctively aimed at the spot where Wu Shi had just been injured!

A sharp pain shot through me!

But Wu Shi was prepared this time!

By using his back to withstand the elbow strike, and simultaneously using the force of the opponent's thrust, his airborne position actually rose a few centimeters higher!

A soccer ball falling straight down in the center of his forehead!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud!

A direct shot into the top left corner of the goal!

Jeonbuk's goalkeeper was completely caught off guard by the passing lane and Takeshi's run, and his save was a beat too slow!

Goal!

1-0!!!

"Wu Shi—!!! Header goal!!!" The hundreds of Evergrande fans who had traveled with the team erupted in cheers.

Wu Shi staggered a couple of steps when he landed, the sharp pain in his lower back causing him to break out in a cold sweat. Kim Min-jae's hand was still on his back.

In that aerial duel just now, he clearly elbowed the opponent in the injured area, and the opponent should have lost his balance. But this guy not only withstood it, but also used that force to finish with a header!

What kind of monstrous core power is this?!

Wu Shi turned around and glanced at Kim Min-jae with disdain, but didn't say anything more.

There wasn't a single trashy word, but it was far more humiliating.

Kim Min-jae's face flushed instantly.

[System: Goal! Victory in the aerial duel! Enduring pain to complete the technical maneuver, willpower rating increased.]

[Kim Min-jae's anger level increased by 50%, making retaliation highly probable. Recommendation: In the next round, proactively initiate physical contact to defuse the danger beforehand.]

In the remainder of the first half, Jeonbuk launched a furious counterattack.

Wu Shi became the focus of attention. In the 35th minute, he was dribbling the ball in midfield when Kim Min-jae rushed in from the side and launched another sliding tackle with his studs showing!

Wu Shi passed the ball ahead of time and jumped to avoid it, but Kim Min-jae's cleats still scraped against his shin guard, making a screeching sound.

The referee glanced at it but didn't call a foul.

Damn it, they're not even going to brag about this level of rigor?!

41rd minute

Jeonbuk launched a long pass from their own half, and Kim Min-jae, as a center-back, pushed up to midfield to receive the pass.

The ball was passed a little too high, and he jumped up to stop it with his chest.

Just as he jumped, Wu Shi rushed in from the side!

Wu Shi didn't watch the game and crashed hard into Kim Min-jae.