Don't be naive.
A frog at the bottom of a well only ever sees a tiny patch of sky.
This match was just like that.
Mainz gathered all their strength, gave it their all, thinking they could stop Bayern's attack.
Little did they know, it only took Bayern a few minutes to crush Mainz.
"Let's call it here. We still have to travel to Romania mid-week to play the Bucharest Star Team. Let's let our players conserve some energy. Make the substitutions!"
...
Following Klinsmann's order, Bayern made two substitutions within a short span of three minutes.
Italian international Oddo came on for Lair.
Tim Borowski replaced Schweinsteiger.
The match was only in its 70th minute, yet Bayern had already made two substitutions, using up all their slots early.
Even though Bayern was controlling the game on the pitch, and even though Mainz was trailing 0-3, this was still hard to accept.
But the difference in strength between the two sides was just too vast!
Sometimes, statistics can't truly reflect the gap, but they at least serve as a reference.
The nine-fold difference in their squads' market value and the three-goal deficit represented a nearly insurmountable chasm.
They were up against Bayern, after all!
The Mainz players seemed to have accepted their fate.
In Germany, losing to Bayern is no disgrace!
Moreover, as their stamina drained, the Mainz players could no longer sustain the team's high press.
They chose to defend.
They had no other choice.
Almost all of their energy had been spent in the first 60 minutes of the match.
'Let's just get this match over with.'
Even Klopp on the sidelines no longer demanded his players to push forward.
He chose silence.
The Mainz fans in the stands were just as accepting.
'When you're outmatched, you have to admit it!'
When you're being slaughtered by Bayern, if you can't fight back, you just have to accept it.
At least it's easier on the heart.
This was the consensus in the German Football Scene.
Everyone accepted Bayern's unique status—lofty and untouchable!
The live broadcast camera even cut to the VIP box, where Bayern's General Manager Hennes was cheerfully chatting and laughing with the Mainz executives, clearly satisfied with the result.
But there was still one person!
Only one.
He was still running, running without stopping.
On a football pitch with 22 players, everyone's attention, including the broadcast cameras, is limited. They mostly just follow the ball.
No one would notice the one person who was still running, the one who hadn't given up.
No one knew that he ran from the 70th minute to the 75th, and then into the 80th. He just kept running.
Wang Shuo hated this feeling!
There was no reason.
He just hated it.
So, he wanted to fight back.
He didn't care what others thought; he was going to fight to the bitter end.
Throughout the match, Bayern's three center-backs and their holding midfielder, Van Bommel, had been marking him, making it impossible for him to move.
He could barely even get the ball.
But he decided to take a gamble.
During a break in play, he entered the Ball God System, walked straight up to the giant football, used a Passive Skill Card, and selected: Draw!
Soon, the system immediately pushed a message to him.
"Congratulations, you have used a Passive Skill Card and drawn a Professional Level Passive Skill: [Spiritual Light]."
"[Spiritual Light]: Increases creativity, making it easier to spot and seize fleeting opportunities."
Wang Shuo was a little disappointed.
He had hoped to draw something that would enhance his physical strength, or some other, more badass passive skill.
'Spiritual Light?'
'This doesn't seem very strong.'
'Can't be helped. Just have to keep running!'
In the 84th minute, Oddo received the ball on the right flank near the halfway line and was cornered by Mainz.
Foyelner blocked Oddo from the front.
And Wang Shuo, who had been running the whole time, appeared silently behind Oddo like a phantom.
One in front and one behind, they successfully trapped Oddo.
Foyelner successfully poked the ball to Wang Shuo.