How could their stamina hold up?
Therefore, in U19 youth team matches, each team has four substitution slots.
The German Football Association also has strict regulations ensuring that young players on every team get a guaranteed amount of playing time each season.
After the 40-minute mark of the first half, the pace of the match began to slow down for both teams.
But Badstuber was marking Wang Shuo very tightly.
Ever since Mainz equalized, the duel between the two had become a spectacle on the pitch.
This was because the referee kept blowing his whistle.
And it was almost always for a foul by Badstuber.
Of course, the fouls weren’t serious, or he would have been carded long ago.
Even the fans on the sidelines could see that a fiery rivalry had developed between the two young players.
Badstuber was the core of the Bayern Munich U19 defense, with excellent technique and passing ability.
However, after clashing with him a few times, Wang Shuo gradually figured out his weaknesses.
Badstuber, who stood 1.9 meters tall, was a left-footed player, and his right foot was weak.
His imposing frame gave him a significant physical advantage against his peers, and he was excellent at defending head-on.
But most importantly, his defensive awareness was also quite outstanding.
As for his shortcomings, they were the common weaknesses of all tall players.
Speed, acceleration, and turning.
Targeting Badstuber’s weaknesses, Wang Shuo quickly knew what he had to do.
In the 43rd minute, with the first half about to end.
After Mainz won the ball back near the center circle in their own half, Bayern didn’t press forward.
The home team made a series of passes and crossed the halfway line.
At first, Wang Shuo moved with the passes from his teammates in the backfield, constantly running left and right to pull at Bayern’s defensive line.
When he saw Kirschhoff receive the ball and take a heavy touch forward, he immediately sensed an opportunity and started running back toward his own goal to receive a pass.
As Wang Shuo ran, he shouted to Schürrle while pointing with his left hand, showing Kirschhoff where to pass.
He was making a diagonal run toward the right half-space.
Kirschhoff passed in the direction Wang Shuo was pointing.
Before receiving the ball, Wang Shuo didn’t forget to glance over his shoulder at Badstuber behind him.
The Bayern center-back’s defensive awareness was truly excellent. He knew he was slower and less agile than Wang Shuo, so even as he followed Wang Shuo’s run back to press him, he kept a slight distance.
He was afraid that Wang Shuo would use the momentum of receiving the ball to shake him off.
Once Wang Shuo turned and accelerated, Badstuber’s weaknesses would be completely exposed.
Although Wang Shuo had his back to the goal, he had glanced back twice to check Badstuber’s position and naturally guessed his opponent’s intentions.
So, when Kirschhoff’s pass arrived, he first controlled it with his foot, making it look as though he was about to turn.
Badstuber immediately closed in on him.
But in the next instant, Wang Shuo used the inside of his right foot to pass the ball to his own left front—in the direction of Schürrle on the right.
After making the pass, Wang Shuo pivoted on his right foot and spun to the right.
The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye.
Badstuber had closed the distance to prevent Wang Shuo from turning after controlling the ball.
But before he could get tight, Wang Shuo had already passed and turned in one fluid motion.
He was like an eel, slipping right past Badstuber’s side.
Badstuber snapped back to reality, his face pale with shock, and he reached out to grab him.
Even knowing that a grab would mean a yellow card, he still went for it.
But to his surprise, he didn’t even come close.
Having turned, Wang Shuo burst forward at top speed.
Schürrle dropped back to receive the pass, and without waiting for Konstantin to track back, he immediately sent a through ball into the space behind.
Wang Shuo sprinted at full tilt, and upon reaching the ball, he gave it a light touch to knock it past the covering Elbu and broke into the right side of the penalty area.
Once again facing the onrushing goalkeeper Oswald, Wang Shuo calmly slotted the ball into Bayern’s net.
After scoring, Wang Shuo leaped up excitedly in the Bayern penalty box.
"WOOHOO!"
As soon as he landed, he sprinted toward Schürrle in the distance.
The Mainz players all rushed over to Wang Shuo as well.
And this time, the fans from Lower Olm in the stands broke into enthusiastic applause.
"This Asian player is pretty good!"
"My God, he’s scored on Badstuber twice."
"Mainz has a player like this?"
The Bayern players, on the other hand, were a bit stunned.
They clearly hadn’t expected Mainz to turn the tables on them right before the end of the first half!
Attackers like Thomas Müller, Bopp, and Ekić were all national-level goalscorers, yet not only had they failed to break through Mainz’s goal, their opponent had scored on them repeatedly.
This was especially true for Badstuber.
He truly hadn’t expected Wang Shuo to be a man of his word and score on him again.
Schürrle excitedly grabbed Wang Shuo. "Wang, did you know? You’re the only forward so far this season to score a brace against Bayern!"
"That’s awesome!"
"Nonsense," Medinitz immediately retorted from the side. "He’s clearly the second."
Before Schürrle could argue, Medinitz explained, "In the 13th round of the Bundesliga, Stuttgart beat Bayern 3-1 at home, and Mario Gomez scored a brace."
Wang Shuo was taken aback for a moment.
’How did the Bundesliga get dragged into this?’
"I was talking about Bayern Munich U19," Schürrle said, exasperated.
Why was he including the Bundesliga?
"I’m talking about Bayern’s first team, second team, and U19 team," Medinitz said cheerfully.
"Haha, well that’s still impressive. Across all three Bayern teams, only two people have scored a brace, and no one managed it in the DFB-Pokal or the UEFA Cup?" Schürrle asked, a little curious.
"I’ve seen the data and reports. I’m not wrong. Wang is the second," Medinitz said with great certainty.
Wang Shuo was surprised that Medinitz knew so much.
Hearing this, Badstuber, Konstantin, and the others nearby looked particularly awkward.
"So what? You just scored with a sneak attack while we weren’t paying attention. What’s there to be so proud of?" Konstantin muttered unhappily.
Badstuber’s embarrassment instantly deepened.
Konstantin obviously didn’t know that Wang Shuo had warned him before scoring.
But in the end, he still scored!
"Scoring twice against Bayern? Of course we’re proud!" Medinitz grinned.
Schürrle also chuckled. "You just wait. Maybe he’ll even get a hat-trick in the second half."
"Oh, right, Robin, has anyone scored a hat-trick against Bayern this season?"
"No, it’s been a long time since anyone has managed that."
"Hehe, Wang, you better give it your all then. Robin and I will get you the ball."
"Yeah, yeah, Wang, go for the hat-trick!"
The two of them flanked Wang Shuo, deliberately speaking loudly enough for the Bayern players to hear.
Wang Shuo, however, felt a mix of emotions.
Especially when he recalled the looks on his teammates’ faces before the match, when they saw the "rich and handsome" Bayern players walk onto the pitch.
’Yeah, on the football pitch, strength is what earns respect.’
The myth had been shattered.