Chapter 35 - 22: Record-Breaking Goal (Part 2)

"This is his first match for the Mainz first team!"

"And he scored on his debut!"

Amidst the cheers of the entire stadium, Wang Shuo, after taking the shot, turned and sprinted toward the sideline, all the way to the corner flag.

He could hear the entire Bruch Road Stadium erupting.

Everyone was cheering.

The fans in the nearest stand, in particular, were so excited their faces were contorted, shouting, roaring, and unleashing their raw emotion at Wang Shuo.

Before Wang Shuo could even turn around, Balik was already charging at him, grabbing him in a hug from behind.

Kalhan was the second one, lifting Wang Shuo clean off his feet from behind.

The whole stadium was cheering!

Unseen by Wang Shuo, head coach Klopp had rushed to the sideline, so thrilled that he was repeatedly pumping his fists in the air.

Buvac and the others were reacting the same way.

...

Meanwhile, in faraway China, countless Chinese fans watching the match via a live stream leaped from their chairs the moment Wang Shuo scored.

"Holy shit!"

"He’s incredible!"

"I told you! I told you Wang Shuo would score!"

"Scoring on his debut... he’s on another level!"

"I’d like to see anyone still call Wang Shuo a ’re-import’ now!"

"God, he’s just so damn good!"

"I’m a fan! I’m a fan! From this moment on, I’m a Wang Shuo fan!"

In Lingshan State, in southeastern China, cheers also erupted in Wang Shuo’s home.

Although Wang Shuo’s parents, aunt, and uncle didn’t understand soccer, they understood one basic principle.

A goal is always a good thing!

His cousin, He Jianwei, was so excited he nearly broke a chair, constantly grabbing his mother’s arm and pointing at the sprinting Wang Shuo on the laptop screen.

"Mom, look! My cousin scored! He scored in his very first game!"

Just then, the host of the online stream spoke up, bringing even more surprising news.

"Right now, the TV commentators in Germany are explaining that Wang Shuo’s goal is incredibly significant."

"First off, Wang Shuo is currently only 17 years, 7 months, and 2 days old, making him the second-youngest player to ever appear for Mainz."

"Before him, the only younger player for Mainz was a forward named Kajic in 1984, who was 17 years, 5 months, and 22 days old."

"But Wang Shuo is the youngest goalscorer in Mainz’s history. The previous record was held by a forward named Nieren in 1960, who was 17 years, 10 months, and 8 days old, but Mainz was in a lower-division league at the time."

"Wang Shuo has now scored in the Second Bundesliga, which makes this a completely different matter."

"Therefore, Wang Shuo is now the youngest goalscorer in the history of Mainz, shattering a century-old club record!"

After the online host translated the German TV commentator’s introduction, it immediately sparked another heated discussion among netizens.

"Holy crap, he broke a club’s historical record just like that!"

"Amazing! Wang Shuo is just too amazing!"

Besides breaking the Mainz historical record, Wang Shuo’s goal also made him the 7th-youngest goalscorer in the history of the Second Bundesliga.

All the players ranked ahead of him were goalscorers from the 1980s.

In other words, over the past 20 years, Wang Shuo is the youngest goalscorer in the Second Bundesliga.

If you broaden the scope to the entire German professional league system, meaning the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga, Wang Shuo ranks 8th.

Just ahead of him is none other than Dortmund’s genius midfielder, Shahin.

"I can’t believe one goal made so much history!"

"I’m going crazy! Is he really one of our Chinese players?"

"Am I dreaming? Somebody pinch me!"

...

In a match like this, where there’s a significant gap in strength, the hardest part is often scoring the first goal.

After Wang Shuo broke through Paderborn’s defense, everything else fell into place.

But no one expected the team’s victory to be by such a large margin.

After Wang Shuo’s goal, Mainz continued their fierce assault on Paderborn.

But unlike their previous tight defense, Paderborn’s morale clearly plummeted after conceding a goal.

Just 10 minutes later, Hogland sent a diagonal pass from the right wing.

Wang Shuo dropped back, drawing away the center-back, and Foyelner made a late run, sending the ball into the net from the left side of the penalty area.

2-0!

Just before the end of the first half, Wang Shuo received the ball in space after dropping back, then quickly turned and charged forward.

Facing an interception from center-back Dorin, Wang Shuo moved with extreme speed, using a series of quick touches to change direction. After getting past Dorin, he drew in Duric as well before sending out a through pass.

Foyelner once again made a diagonal run behind the defense, received the ball, and scored with a right-footed shot to the far corner.

3-0!

During halftime, head coach Klopp praised the team’s outstanding performance in the first half.

At the same time, in front of everyone, he singled out Wang Shuo for praise.

Mainz used advanced statistics, which showed Wang Shuo’s activity level during the match was the highest of any player.

He was also the most threatening.

He had been fouled by Paderborn’s defenders 4 times in the first half alone.

Even with shin guards, his right calf was red from the kicks.

After swapping sides for the second half, just five minutes in, Wang Shuo dropped back to receive a pass and linked up with a surging Kalhan. The latter delivered a brilliant pass, and Balik finally broke through to score against Paderborn.

4-0!

The fans in the stadium were absolutely mesmerized.

For the past few months, Mainz hadn’t played with such a fluid and exhilarating offense.

However, under the relentless attack, Paderborn seized an opportunity. On a counter-attack, substitute forward Jovan Damjanovic scored a goal.

In the 65th minute, Wang Shuo was substituted off for Borja.

Later, Soto and Amri also entered the game.

In the 83rd minute, Soto assisted Borja for another goal.

As the match neared its end, Soto assisted Amri, who scored yet again.

In the end, Mainz won a stunning 6-1 victory over Paderborn at home!

Borja, Balik, Foyelner, Amri...

All of Mainz’s scorers broke their goal droughts at once.

With the team in a desperate situation, they had pulled off a massive, morale-boosting victory, reinvigorating the squad’s spirit.

This gave everyone a little more confidence in their push for promotion to the Bundesliga.

Wang Shuo actually hadn’t wanted to be protectively substituted. ’I’d rather stay on the field and keep grinding for some Passive Value.’

He had earned 6 points in this match.

He had now accumulated 38 points.

’At most, after three more games, I’ll be able to get a Passive Skill Card.’

But head coach Klopp had done it out of good intentions.

Sitting on the sideline, Wang Shuo saw that as soon as the match ended, the Ball God System immediately pushed a summary of the game.

It was indeed 6 points of Passive Value.

But aside from the match summary, the Ball God System also pushed another message.

"Congratulations, Wang Shuo! You scored on your debut and set a century-old club historical record. Reward: one Regional Level Passive Skill Card. Use now?"

Wang Shuo was stunned.

’Holy shit!’

’Regional Level?’

’Passive Skill Cards have levels?’