Free Web NovelChapter 504: Chapter 102: Consecutive Victories! Another Hat-trick! The Third Man in World Football! He Can Really Do Whatever He Wants
Dortmund were at home to face Bayern Munich!
Unlike Wang Shuo, who was unstoppable in the Bundesliga.
Meanwhile in La Liga, Barça and Real Madrid had both played five matches.
After missing two one-on-one chances in the first match, Ronaldo went on to score in three consecutive matches.
But in the fifth match, an away game against Levante, Ronaldo drew a blank again, resulting in a 0-0 draw for Real Madrid.
So, in the first five matches, Ronaldo had three goals and one assist.
Messi was in an even worse situation.
After scoring one goal in the first match, he was shut out by Hercules in the second.
In the third match, he had a goal and an assist, helping Barça defeat Atletico Madrid 2-1 away from home.
But for the next two matches, Messi was sidelined with a muscle strain.
So, in the first five matches, Messi only managed two goals and one assist, not even matching Ronaldo’s tally.
However, Messi put on a dazzling performance in the first round of the Champions League group stage, with two goals and two assists.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, had yet to score in the Champions League.
After every round of matches, the three players’ fanbases would spark fierce debates online.
Especially with Wang Shuo’s constant goal-scoring, the fans of Ronaldo and Messi had now united against a common enemy.
Their reasoning was simple: The defending in the Bundesliga was a joke!
Otherwise, how else could you explain Wang Shuo scoring so easily?
Wang Shuo’s fans were ecstatic; he was scoring in every single match.
They had a sharp retort for the doubts coming from Ronaldo and Messi’s fans.
"If they’re so good, let’s see Ronaldo and Messi come to the Bundesliga and try to score!"
"Yeah, bring ’em on!"
...
The Champions League draw has always had a certain penchant.
Pitting players and coaches against their old clubs.
Or arranging rematches between teams that have previously faced off.
Something similar happened to Dortmund in this season’s Champions League group stage draw.
They were drawn against Benfica.
A team Dortmund had faced in the UEFA Europa League the previous season.
Back then, Benfica had given Wang Shuo a considerable amount of trouble.
The summer transfer market proved Wang Shuo’s assessment of Benfica correct.
Di María was transferred to Real Madrid for 33 million euros.
Ramirez was transferred to Chelsea for 22 million euros.
Those two players alone earned Benfica 55 million euros.
Not to mention, Benfica currently had two very valuable defenders on their squad.
One was the Portuguese international left-back, Córdoba.
The other was the Brazilian international center-back, David Luis.
In the second match of the Champions League group stage at Westfalen Stadium, the renowned Portuguese manager Jesus opted for a 4-4-2 formation.
And it was a diamond in midfield.
The center-backs were still the all-Brazilian pairing of Luizo and David Luis.
The defensive midfielder was former Real Madrid player Harvey Garcia.
After leaving Real Madrid, he had been excelling in the Primeira Liga.
On the wings were Córdoba and the Argentine Gaitan, with Aimar in the number 10 role.
The forward pairing was Saviola and Cardoso.
Just like last season, Dortmund struggled to cope with this South American style of play.
It was a clash of styles; they were completely unfazed by Dortmund’s high-pressing game.
In fact, they welcomed Dortmund’s pressure.
So, the match kicked off with end-to-end action from both sides.
Dortmund pushed forward in numbers, and Benfica was not to be outdone.
The two teams went toe-to-toe.
But neither side managed to create a clear-cut opportunity.
The most threatening moment came in the 14th minute when Saviola took a right-footed shot from inside the box, aiming for the bottom left corner, but it went just wide of the post.
Dortmund had their own breakthrough in the 23rd minute. Wang Shuo drifted to the right flank to receive the ball, powered past Luizo, and sent a cross to the far post. Reus met it with a header from ten meters out, but the ball hit the side netting.
Then, in the 36th minute, Wang Shuo dropped deep to orchestrate play. After shaking off his marker, he sent a sublime pass through to Reus, who broke into the left side of the box. Reus laid it off across the face of the goal for Götze, whose shot was smothered by the onrushing goalkeeper, Roberto.
Dortmund’s attack was starting to show signs of life.
Especially Wang Shuo.
After receiving instructions from Klopp, he began dropping deep more frequently, which both drew a center-back out of position and allowed him to exploit the vulnerability of the lone defensive midfielder in Benfica’s 4-4-2 diamond.
In the 41st minute, as Wang Shuo dropped back to the left of Harvey Garcia, Götze appeared to Harvey Garcia’s right.
When Schmelzer passed the ball from the left to Wang Shuo’s feet, his first instinct was to control it and turn.
But Harvey Garcia closed him down.
Halfway through his turn, Wang Shuo stopped abruptly and laid the ball off sideways with his right foot.
The ball bypassed Harvey Garcia and found its way to Götze.
After making the pass, Wang Shuo immediately charged forward, raising his hand for the return ball. "Mario."
Just as Götze received the ball, David Luis moved in quickly to challenge him.
But Götze heard Wang Shuo’s shout and laid the ball back in time, completing a beautiful one-two in a tight space.
The entire Westfalen Stadium erupted.
The moment Wang Shuo received the return pass, he was surrounded by three defenders.
Harvey Garcia behind him, Luis in front of him, and David Luis to his right.
So, without taking a touch, Wang Shuo knocked the ball into the space behind David Luis. He exploded forward like a cheetah, bursting into the Arc Top District just before Luizo could get across to cover.
The hardest part was done.
The rest was simple.
Wang Shuo collected the ball, carried it into the penalty area, shielded it from Luizo with his body, and from the right of the penalty spot, he unleashed a furious right-footed shot that blasted through Benfica’s goal.
