136: Chapter 136 Berlin Night! Yu Bai vs. Neuer, a peak battle between a divine striker and a divine gatekeeper!

Berlin Olympic Stadium, 6th minute.

The 0:1 scoreline weighed on every England National Football Team player's heart like a massive boulder.

Having their goal breached by Marco Reus with a world-class strike just 14 seconds into the game was undoubtedly a massive blow.

But for Yu Bai, this blow didn't stun him; instead, it completely ignited the unyielding fire within him.

This Germany National Football Team was certainly not the strongest version of the German machine.

They didn't even have a full lineup: Antonio Rüdiger was filling in at right-back, the central defensive partnership was actually a proper defensive midfielder, Sami Khedira, and there was only one orthodox center-forward up front, Mario Gómez.

Yet, it was this "hastily assembled" Germany National Football Team that made Yu Bai feel what might have been the greatest defensive pressure of his career.

It wasn't about how strong any single person's defense was, but the overall defensive system, tactical execution, and that kind of deep-seated discipline.

Every time he touched the ball, a local numerical advantage would quickly form around him, cutting off his Passing lanes and forcing him to the wings or to pass backward.

Even scarier was the efficiency of the Germany National Football Team when transitioning from defense to attack: Toni Kroos's long-range switches, Mesut Özil's lethal through balls, and the ghostly movement of Marco Reus and Müller made the England National Football Team's defense jittery.

Yu Bai had to track back deep.

Otherwise, Danny Rose alone could never withstand the successive assaults from Marco Reus and the overlapping Rüdiger on the right flank.

During one defensive retreat, he even had to cover the flank of his own penalty area, using his body to block a long-range shot from Emre Can.

"This intensity..."

Yu Bai panted, watching the white figure opposite him—Toni Kroos—calmly orchestrating Germany National Football Team's midfield.

He couldn't help but wonder, if this Germany National Football Team had Philipp Lahm, Joshua Kimmich, and a prime Bastian Schweinsteiger tonight... what would that look like?

Just imagining it sent a chill up Yu Bai's spine, but at the same time, an even hotter sense of excitement surged through his veins.

Only by facing the strong can one become stronger.

He craved to become stronger, craved to compete against such opponents, and craved to conquer such a stage!

His blood was boiling.

9th minute.

The England National Football Team finally waited for their first decent opportunity!

The Germany National Football Team's attack reached the frontcourt, where Gómez held the ball with his back to the goal, trying to lean on Chris Smalling to set up the overlapping Müller.

But this time, Eric Dier and Gary Cahill showed excellent defensive chemistry.

Eric Dier interfered from the side, while Gary Cahill held his position behind, and the two worked together to forcibly steal the ball from Gómez's feet!

Referee Gianluca Rocchi signaled with both hands for play to continue! No foul! Great tackle!

"Steal! A counter-attacking opportunity for England!" The commentator's voice rose sharply.

After stealing the ball, Eric Dier didn't hesitate and immediately passed it to Dele Alli near the center circle.

The Tottenham midfield core took the ball, dribbled forward two steps, and drew Khedira to press.

The moment the German defensive midfielder was about to close in, Dele Alli decisively sent a diagonal pass, splitting the ball to the vast open space on the left!

There, a red figure arrived like an arrow released from a bow!

Yu Bai!

Eric Dier -> Dele Alli -> Yu Bai!

The Tottenham connection!

Harry Kane in the middle had also started his run, menacingly cutting into the penalty area, drawing the defensive attention of Mats Hummels and Jonas Hector.

This The Three Lions squad had a very high "Tottenham content" in its frontcourt attack group—Yu Bai, Dele Alli, Harry Kane, Eric Dier, and Danny Rose were all Tottenham players.

Because of this, before the game, many England National Football Team legends had publicly expressed doubts in the media: Tottenham players weren't champions, they lacked a winner's temperament, and the England National Football Team couldn't rely on this bunch!

At this moment, Yu Bai didn't think about that noise.

In his eyes, there was only the goal ahead, and Antonio Rüdiger, who was waiting like a rabbit in a trap, confidently guarding the inside line.

Rüdiger lowered his center of gravity, his eyes fierce.

He had been temporarily pulled to the right-back position, facing Yu Bai, the "Director" who had been in the spotlight recently.

His teammates had bet on him, all believing he couldn't stop this damn Director.

Heh!

Rüdiger held his breath; he had to stop this Chinese man wearing the England National Football Team jersey!

However, Yu Bai's next move made Rüdiger, the entire stadium of fans, and even Roy Hodgson and Thomas Tuchel on the sidelines, widen their eyes in an instant!

Facing Rüdiger's frontal defense, Yu Bai, while dribbling at high speed, shifted his body significantly to the left, as if to overtake on the outside!

Rüdiger's center of gravity instinctively shifted to the left!

At that very instant, Yu Bai's right foot magically flicked the ball behind him to the right, while his entire center of gravity was forcefully pulled back with incredible core Strength, breaking through from Rüdiger's right side!

The Pendulum Dribble!

"Wow!!!"

"Ronaldo's Pendulum Dribble!!!"

"Yu Bai! He copied Ronaldo's classic move!"

The commentator's voice went out of tune with excitement.

Rüdiger's pupils shook!

The deception of this move was too strong; his defensive balance was completely dismantled in an instant!

He tried to force his body to turn and intercept, but his feet couldn't keep up with his brain's reaction, and with a stumble, he fell onto the turf in a sorry state!

"He's past him! Yu Bai easily shook off Rüdiger! He's into the penalty area!"

Gasps erupted in the Berlin Olympic Stadium! The England National Football Team fan section burst into deafening cheers!

However, the real test was still to come.

Mats Hummels, this world-class center-back, had long since foreseen everything.

He didn't blindly rush up like a young defender; instead, he firmly occupied the space in front of Yu Bai, maintaining the optimal distance and angle from the goal.

He lowered his center of gravity, his eyes locked on the ball at Yu Bai's feet, like a moving city wall, blocking the angle for a direct shot.

Mats Hummels knew very well that stopping Yu Bai one-on-one was an almost impossible task.

All he could do was make it difficult for Yu Bai, force him to make a less comfortable choice, and cooperate with the goalkeeper Neuer to block off one side's angle as much as possible.

It turned out that Mats Hummels's experience and judgment were top-tier.

No matter how Yu Bai feinted or changed speed, he stuck to Yu Bai like glue, giving him no space to shoot.

Helpless, after stepping into the penalty area, Yu Bai tapped the ball horizontally to the left with his left foot, flashing a fleeting angle!

A left-footed strike!

Yu Bai put immense power into his left foot, and the ball, like a cannonball leaving the chamber, whistled through the air, Heading straight for the top left corner of the goal!

However, standing on the goal line was Manuel Neuer—the "Best Goalkeeper in the World"!

The moment Yu Bai tapped the ball, Neuer had already perceived Mats Hummels's defensive intent.

He decisively gave up the defensive space for the far post and focused all his attention on blocking the near post!

He bet that under Mats Hummels's interference, Yu Bai could only choose to hit the near post!

He won the bet!

The moment Yu Bai shot, Neuer lunged off the ground like a cheetah, his long wingspan fully stretched in the air, and his single palm accurately touched the high-speed flying ball!

"Pop!" A crisp sound.

The ball was tipped by Neuer's fingers, slightly changing direction, grazing the top of the crossbar and flying out of the baseline!

"Wow—!!!"

A huge gasp and groan erupted from the whole stadium.

"A divine save! Neuer! A world-class save! He denied Yu Bai's certain goal!"

Yu Bai covered his face with both hands, his body rushing out of the baseline due to momentum.

He lay on the turf, looking at the night sky of the Berlin Olympic Stadium, his heart filled with extreme regret and unwillingness.

Just that little bit!

He was just a fingertip of Neuer away from his first England National Football Team goal!

He climbed up from the ground, looking at the "sweeper-keeper" who was high-fiving his teammates and roaring loudly while directing the defense; there was no hatred in his heart, only full respect.

He turned his head and looked at Mats Hummels, who was also looking at him.

Yu Bai didn't say anything, just gave Mats Hummels a thumbs-up.

That was heartfelt appreciation.

Textbook defense, top-tier anticipation and execution.

It had been a long time since he had encountered a center-back who made him feel this "tricky."

Seeing Yu Bai's thumbs-up, Mats Hummels was slightly taken aback, then a somewhat helpless yet appreciative smile appeared on his face.

He didn't speak, but the mutual appreciation in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

Yu Bai was the kind of opponent he respected—gifted, yet knowing how to appreciate an opponent's efforts.

Neuer high-fived his teammates one by one and let out a roar himself, as if declaring: With me here, don't think about scoring easily!

Yu Bai's gaze, however, was locked firmly on Neuer.

That look was like a lovestruck teenager seeing his beloved girl, full of longing and a desire to conquer.

Neuer felt a bit creeped out by this look and whispered a curse: "Crazy..."

[Holy crap! Pendulum Dribble! Young Master paying tribute to Ronaldo!]

[Neuer's save... absurd!]

[Mats Hummels and Yu Bao, heroes cherishing heroes!]

[Yu Bao's look, he wants to eat Neuer!]

Corner kick. Taken by Henderson.

Since Yu Bai's static talent (height) had reached 185cm, Roy Hodgson had instructed him before the game to participate in the corner kick scramble in the penalty area instead of taking the corner kicks.

It turned out that Old Man Hodgson was a bit wishful.

Yu Bai stood in the middle of the penalty area, trying to help Harry Kane block players according to the tactical arrangement.

However, as soon as he moved, he was immediately sandwiched by Rüdiger and Hector.

Rüdiger's strong body leaned unceremoniously against Yu Bai, his arm hiddenly propped against his ribs, while Hector blocked his position on the other side.

"Ugh..." Yu Bai gritted his teeth, feeling like his ribs were about to be smashed by the "reasonable collision" of these two.

Rüdiger had finally found a chance.

Damn it, you used the Pendulum Dribble to make me a background prop just now, right? Fine, now that you've fallen into my hands, watch me mess you up!

Yu Bai had grievances he couldn't speak of.

He felt it was necessary to have a chat with Old Man Hodgson after the game.

Sometimes height is just for show; it looks intimidating, but in this muscle jungle of corner kick defense, his weight and experience were simply not enough.

Just let me take the corner kicks in peace; otherwise, he couldn't take many more of these unprovoked disasters.

Chris Smalling reached the landing point at the near post, a powerful header!

But Neuer's form today was too divine!

His reaction was extremely fast; with a side lunge, he steadily gathered Chris Smalling's close-range header into his arms! He didn't even give a chance for a follow-up shot!

"Neuer! It's Neuer again! His form today can simply be described as 'terrifying'!"

15th minute.

The The Three Lions came back!

Henderson took the ball near the center circle and observed that the Germany National Football Team's defense had loosened slightly due to the previous attack.

He didn't hesitate and sent a highly penetrating through ball, looking for Yu Bai, who had wandered into the open space on the left side of the Germany National Football Team's penalty area front!

A brief defensive vacuum!

Yu Bai received the ball at the left side of the penalty arc, with only the tracking back Emre Can nearby!

Opportunity!

Yu Bai didn't stop the ball, but directly flicked the ball to the right with the outside of his right foot, flashing a bit of Shooting space!

His movement connection was extremely fast, as if he had planned the next step long ago!

Immediately after, he pulled a low-arc, high-speed ground shot with the inside of his right foot!

The ball hugged the turf, as if it had navigation installed, spinning violently, and sped toward the bottom right corner of the goal! And in front of the goal, the ball even had a deadly bounce!

This was a certain goal! The angle was tricky, the speed was fast, and there was a bounce!

The England National Football Team fans in the stands were already preparing to stand up and cheer!

Yu Bai himself also felt great; after Shooting, his body even turned slightly toward the corner flag, ready to start celebrating!

However, Neuer stood out once again!

This world's number one goalkeeper's ground-diving speed was shockingly fast!

He seemed to have anticipated that Yu Bai would hit the far post; the moment Yu Bai shot, he had already lowered his center of gravity and lunged to his left like a spring!

His left hand stretched to the limit, his fingertips barely touching the ball that was changing direction after the bounce!

It was this slight bit of force that changed the ball's trajectory!

"Bang!" The ball grazed the outside of the right post and rolled quickly out of the baseline!

"Wow—!!! It's Neuer again! He saved Yu Bai's certain goal again! Unbelievable!"

Yu Bai was stunned.

He stood on the spot, holding his head with both hands, looking at the German goalkeeping god who was climbing up from the ground, expressionless, clapping his gloves, his eyes full of disbelief and a trace of... despair?

Damn, who understands?

National team debut, finally created two excellent opportunities, only to encounter a Neuer in peak form, as if divinely assisted!

Is this script wrong?

[Neuer must be on drugs today?!]

[Must take a urine test!]

[Yu Bao: I'm having such a hard time!]

[He can save this ball? Best goalkeeper in the world!]

[England National Football Team in danger! Return quickly!]

Yu Bai took a deep breath and rubbed his face hard.

He looked at the man standing in front of the Germany National Football Team's goal like a wall of sighs, no discouragement in his eyes, but rather a more vigorous flame burning.

"Again."

He whispered to himself.

The game had just begun.

He didn't believe he couldn't break through this damn world's number one wall of sighs!

.

.

[Very upset, really very upset. Today's daily income dropped to single digits. I actually went to ask customer service if there was a problem with the recommendation status. Unexpectedly, there really was. This book can no longer be recommended in book shortage lists or similar things. There are no recommendation slots; it's been soft-banned. When I asked for the reason, they didn't give a clear answer. I checked the forum; it's highly likely that it was reported, saying I was writing low-quality water content... Damn it! I have already appealed, and it will take 1-3 days to get a result. If the appeal fails, this book might really be gone. I really don't understand. Sigh, I will never argue in the comment section again! Crying to death!]