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

The whistle for the second half sounded like the call to arms for a final assault.

Gamba Osaka's offensive was even more frantic and reckless than in the first half.

Long passes, crosses from the wings, penetrations through the middle... they used every means to try and break through Evergrande's seemingly crumbling defense.

In the 53rd minute, the pressure finally turned into a goal.

Osaka won a corner kick. The ball was delivered to the far post, and in the ensuing scramble, their tall striker outjumped Feng Xiaoting and headed the ball into the net!

1-0! The final score is now 2-2!

Gamba Osaka pushed Guangzhou Evergrande to the brink of elimination thanks to their away goals advantage!

"Roar—!!!" The Nagai Stadium was instantly ignited! The shouts of 50,000 people almost tore the night sky apart! The Osaka players celebrated wildly, and the bench erupted in cheers!

The players of Evergrande had expressions of resentment, anger, and a hint of barely concealed panic on their faces.

Time was ticking away, and if they conceded another goal or failed to score, their efforts this season and their first AFC Champions League campaign would come to an abrupt end on the island nation's pitch.

Wu Shi stood in the center circle, his physical strength already beginning to decline.

but,

Something has to be done!

After the kickoff, Osaka's morale reached its peak, and they continued their fierce attack.

But their formation loosened within minutes—they pushed higher and their defensive focus became scattered.

Opportunities often arise at such times.

In the 61st minute, Wu Shi saw an opportunity.

Under immense pressure in the backfield, Feng Xiaoting managed to deliver a long pass. The ball flew towards the center circle, but its landing point wasn't ideal.

But Wu Shi made a move.

He anticipated the landing point, started moving in advance, and used his body to firmly block Sakai Gotoku, who was trying to get ahead. This time, his opponent's close-range movement was a fatal beat too slow!

Stop the ball with your chest, absorb the force, turn around—all in one smooth motion!

In the instant he turned around, Wu Shi's gaze swept across the front field.

Osaka's left-back was still stuck in the attacking third, leaving a wide-open space on the right flank!

[System: Opportunity! Huge opening on the right flank! Suggestion: Drive straight ahead and then pass the ball!]

Muriqui has started his forward run! Elkeson is drawing the attention of the center-back!

Wu Shi lay the ball forward, his entire body's strength exploding instantly, and he started sprinting!

Sakai Takatoku tried desperately to catch up, but Takeshi's first step was explosive and instantly created a half-body gap!

He dribbled the ball at high speed past the halfway line, and Osaka's defensive midfielder hurriedly came to cover.

Wu Shi didn't slow down. Just as the opponent lunged forward, he gently flicked the ball to the right with his right foot, making a simple change of direction and accelerating!

It passed!

He's already reached the right edge of the penalty area! Osaka's center-back is forced to leave his marking on Elkeson.

Muriqui quickly lunged towards his left front – they believed Wu Shi would definitely pass the ball!

The passing lanes do exist.

Muriqui raised his hand to ask for the ball while running.

But at that very moment, a subtle divergence emerged between Wu Shi's intuition and the results of the system's high-speed analysis.

[System: Pass the ball to Muriqui (78% success rate). The opposing goalkeeper is positioned slightly to the left, resulting in a narrow shooting angle, but you are one-on-one with the goalkeeper.]

[Individual breakthrough and shot (success rate 32%), the opposing center-back covered some angles, but...]

Wu Shi's eyes caught the opposing center-back lunging at Muriqui, and another defender rushing in from the side to block the passing lane.

An almost instinctive thought overwhelmed everything:

They're all trying to stop me from passing the ball.

Therefore, Wu Shi made a choice that surprised everyone.

He didn't pass the ball.

While dribbling at high speed, he suddenly made a quick shoulder drop to the left, as if he was about to cut inside to find a passing or shooting angle.

The center-back who lunged forward was instinctively drawn to this side.

Just as the opponent shifted their weight, Wu Shi quickly flicked the ball to the right front with his left foot!

With a burst of instantaneous force, he activated his attack and forced his way through!

Messi's signature inside cut! He used it in that crucial moment on Asia's biggest stage!

Although the fluidity of the movement and the speed of the extreme change of direction are still far from the real Messi, at this moment, when the opponent completely anticipated that he would pass the ball, this simple and sudden vertical breakthrough produced a miraculous effect!

"It's over! Wu Shi went in by himself!" the commentator exclaimed in surprise.

Takeshi squeezed into the penalty area! The angle was already very small, and Osaka's last defender to cover had already slid in to block him, and the goalkeeper also quickly covered the near post.

The shooting space was almost completely blocked.

There was no time to adjust, no angle to follow, and no way to pursue precision.

Relying on his instincts, Wu Shi, almost losing his balance, slammed his right instep hard into the lower part of the soccer ball!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud!

The ball flew like a cannonball straight toward the goal! But the shot was blocked by the outstretched leg of an Osaka defender who slid in to block it!

The ball struck that leg hard, making an even deeper thud, and then…

Refraction occurred!

The football changed direction, bounced upwards, drawing a short, rapid parabola over the head of the stunned goalkeeper who was already lying on the ground, and then fell...

It grazed the bottom edge of the crossbeam and fell into the net!

1-1!!!

Goal! !! The aggregate score is 3-2! Evergrande is in the lead again! And they have a valuable away goal!

The entire stadium fell into an eerie silence.

Immediately afterwards, the Evergrande bench erupted! Everyone rushed out in a frenzy!

The small patch of red in the away fans' stands erupted with a heart-wrenching roar that seemed to have suppressed the entire match!

The players and fans in Osaka were all stunned.

The goalkeeper lay prone on the ground, looking back at the ball in the net with disbelief. The defender blocking the shot stared at his own leg.

After taking the shot, Wu Shi was knocked down by the momentum of the covering player and fell in the penalty area. He struggled to sit up and just in time to see the ball deflect into the net.

He paused for a second.

They made it in?! They just made it in like that?!

His intention was to unleash a powerful shot, trying to create chaos or test the goalkeeper; he never expected it to go in directly from that angle. Haha, that deflection... luck! Incredible luck!

However, luck is also a part of skill on the football field, especially after you dare to take a shot in a desperate situation!

The referee hesitated briefly, then consulted with the linesman before pointing to the center circle – the goal is valid! It's credited to Wu Shi!

"Wu Shi! A bizarre deflected shot! Luck is on Evergrande's side! But more importantly, it's Wu Shi's courage to break through and shoot!" the commentator exclaimed excitedly. "When everyone thought he would pass the ball, he chose to believe in himself! He made a Messi-esque breakthrough, and then... luck favored the brave!"

Muriqui was the first to rush over, grabbing Wu Shi, who was still sitting on the ground, and pulling him up. He hugged him tightly and yelled in his ear, "Beautiful shot! Who cares how it went in!"

Wu Shi smiled, a smile that was both relieved to have survived a disaster and a smile that was both funny and sad.

[System: Goal (Deflection). Technical Action Rating: Dribbling Choice A-, Shooting Handling B-, Luck Bonus: SSS.]

[“Messi-style inside cut” proficiency test: Successful application in actual combat, proficiency +3%, currently 66%. Confidence greatly boosted.]

The remaining nearly thirty minutes became an ultimate ordeal of willpower, stamina, and discipline. Gamba Osaka launched a desperate and even fiercer counterattack, while Guangzhou Evergrande displayed an iron-like defensive tenacity. The entire team retreated to the ground, united in their resolve.

In the 88th minute, Osaka executed a brilliant combination play on the left flank, with the winger delivering a dangerous low cross that headed straight for the player making a run at the far post. At the last second, Takeshi burst in from the side, making a clean, sliding tackle to clear the ball out of play!

The injury time was 4 minutes long, with every second stretched out indefinitely.

In the final minute, Osaka won a free kick in the attacking third, and even the goalkeeper rushed into the Evergrande penalty area for a last-ditch effort.

The ball was kicked out, and chaos erupted in the penalty area, with players falling to the ground!

In the dense crowd, Wu Shi held off an opposing player, gritted his teeth, and jumped with all his might, heading the ball out of bounds with his forehead!

"Beep—beep—beep—!!!"

Three long whistles pierced the noise and echoed throughout the stadium!

The match is over!

1-1! 3-2 on aggregate! Guangzhou Evergrande narrowly advances to the AFC Champions League quarterfinals on away goals!