Chapter 20: The Stunning Debut of China's Young Prodigy Arrives! (Please Follow)

At the Veltins-Arena, the Schalke 04 fans, once roaring with excitement, were now deflated by the 0:2 scoreline. They couldn’t understand why, despite spending heavily during the summer transfer window, their team seemed weaker. Last season, Hamburg had been a team they could easily dominate.

“Magath is making a substitution! Number 23, is that the magical young Chinese player?”
“Yes! That’s him! God, I’ve watched his two goals countless times over the past few days—they were absolutely beautiful!”
“Indeed, the media is already saying those goals could win the Puskás Award!”
“Well then, let’s hope this Chinese player can quickly help us equalize like in the last match!”
“Forget the score for a moment—he’s just so handsome!”

...

A Supercup match, two sublime goals, and a model-like appearance and physique. Such an introduction naturally made the fans easily remember Lin Hao.

Of course, while the fans took note of Lin Hao, Hamburg’s head coach, Armin Fee, having studied the pre-match analysis, was well aware that Lin Hao possessed a formidable long-range shot that demanded close attention.

He didn’t hesitate.

After seeing number 23 replace Huntelaar from the start, and recalling his two-goal performance against Bayern in the previous Supercup, Armin immediately pointed at Lin Hao and urged his midfield warriors, including Yarolim, to keep a close watch on him.

However, his warnings barely registered with the Hamburg players.

After all, what threat could an 18-year-old youngster pose in such a dire situation?

“Whistle!”

The second half kicked off with the referee’s signal. Hamburg took possession first.

They stuck to their usual tactics; Van Nistelrooy confidently passed the ball to the flank. But with a two-goal lead, Hamburg’s offense was more restrained compared to the first half.

This eased the defensive pressure on Schalke, especially on Hao Junmin, who had been targeted relentlessly in the first half.

Elia, who had scored twice, planned to exploit his speed to outpace Hao Junmin again, but just as he accelerated, Baumjohann came in with a sliding tackle and intercepted the ball.

Quickly recovering, Baumjohann passed to Hao Junmin.

At the moment of receiving the ball, Hao Junmin fiercely propelled it forward along the flank into Hamburg’s half.

In 2010, Hao Junmin was only 23 years old, and even years later, when he was nearing retirement, his speed could still outmatch young players barely in their twenties. At this moment, there was no doubt about his pace.

In no time, Hao Junmin carried the ball deep into Hamburg’s territory.

“Brother Hao! Pass it here!”

Just like during practice, as soon as Hao Junmin reached Hamburg’s defensive third, Lin Hao immediately moved closer.

When Lin Hao asked for the ball, Hao Junmin didn’t hesitate and swiftly passed it to him while quickly evading Roberto’s close marking.

Thinking the two Chinese players were about to execute a one-two, Roberto promptly turned to follow Hao Junmin as he bypassed him.

But Lin Hao had no intention of passing the ball again.

With no opponent pressing him, Lin Hao gently tapped the ball and spun around.

At this moment, Lin Hao was still over thirty meters from the goal.

If he still had the 50% Supercup shooting buff, he would have taken a blind shot without hesitation.

But now, with only 82 shooting accuracy and 80 strength, Lin Hao knew he lacked real long-range shooting ability, so he lightly raised his right leg, intending to slip the ball to Raul, who was moving to support him.

However, Hamburg’s midfielder Yarolim, coached to mark Lin Hao carefully, instinctively believed the young Schalke star who had scored twice against Bayern was about to unleash a powerful shot as soon as he lifted his leg.

Reacting on instinct, Yarolim spread his legs wide, attempting to block Lin Hao’s shot.

Faced head-on with legs wide apart, Lin Hao was stunned.

Was this guy gifting him the ball? Was that even defending?

Without hesitation, Lin Hao slid the ball between Yarolim’s legs with his right foot and pushed off the turf with his left to glide past him—a nutmeg.

“Oh wow! Beautiful!”
“Lin Hao’s dribble was brilliant!”
“A clever feint that threw off Yarolim’s balance!”
“Lin Hao!”
“Such speed!!!”

On the pitch, a powerful long shot can ignite the crowd, and a dazzling dribble can excite fans just as much.

To perform such a flashy move on his first touch revived the once silent Veltins-Arena instantly.

But the surprises for Schalke fans were far from over.

After nutmegging Hamburg’s midfield powerhouse Yarolim, Lin Hao now faced an open field.

35 meters!
34 meters!
33 meters!
...
28 meters!

Though his speed rating of 80 wasn’t exceptional, it was decent, and Yarolim’s sudden being outplayed left Hamburg’s other defenders scrambling and unable to catch up.

In moments, Lin Hao charged unchallenged into Hamburg’s penalty area.

Approaching 26 meters from goal, with Hamburg’s central defender Mattiesen recklessly charging at him, Lin Hao made his decision.

Having created this chance himself, surely the legendary Magath wouldn’t scold him for a shot from here.

At the Veltins-Arena, Lin Hao raised his right leg high for the first time before Mattiesen’s desperate tackle and struck fiercely!

“Bang!”

The ball instantly transformed into a white streak, hurtling toward Hamburg’s goal.

At the same moment, Hamburg’s goalkeeper Frank Rost, having been forewarned about Lin Hao’s long shots, kept his eyes fixed on him ever since Lin Hao dribbled past Yarolim.

Sure enough, Lin Hao unleashed a shot from just over twenty meters out.

Despite Rost’s readiness, the shot’s quality was exceptional.

With no defender to disrupt and the close range, Lin Hao’s 82 shooting accuracy was enough to leave the keeper helpless.

Rost could only watch helplessly as the ball zipped past his right hand, crashing against the post before nestling into the net.

“GGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!”
“GGGGOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!”
“GOAL!!!”

The Veltins-Arena erupted!

After being dominated by Hamburg for the entire half and mocked by their fans for 45 minutes, the stadium’s DJ finally announced the goal that sent the city trembling.

“Beautiful!”
“Beautiful!”
“The ball is in the net!”
“The ball is in the net!”
“46th minute of the match!”
“Lin Hao scores!”
“Unbelievable!”
“Receiving the ball from midfield!”
“Then a magical nutmeg past Hamburg’s midfield general Yarolim!”
“Followed by a thunderous strike from 26 meters out that electrified the entire stadium!”
“1:2!”
“Just under two minutes after coming on as a substitute, Lin Hao shocked Schalke 04 with a stunning world-class goal!”

- “Damn! Lin Hao is incredible! Scoring within two minutes of coming on? Is this really something a Chinese player can do?”
- “Amazing! That dribble alone was impressive, and that shot was unstoppable! Eighteen years old, scoring in his Bundesliga debut with such individual brilliance—Lin Hao is definitely going to be a star!”
- “No kidding, after those two Supercup goals, Lin Hao was already on fire! Haha, staying up late was totally worth it!”
- “Didn’t you guys notice? That was an assist from Hao Junmin!”
- “Haha, it really was! Hao Junmin assisting Lin Hao! What a fairy tale moment! Am I dreaming? This is the Bundesliga, after all!”
- “Awesome! I’ve believed since the AFC U-19 Championship that Lin Hao could make it. Look! At eighteen years old, scoring in the Bundesliga, and right after replacing Huntelaar in under two minutes! Just this goal alone guarantees him a starting spot at Schalke!”

The Veltins-Arena was buzzing; commentator He Wei, caught up in the DJ’s fervent shouting, was equally excited.

Not only He Wei.

As soon as the referee’s whistle confirmed the goal, Schalke’s head coach Magath, who had been holding back frustration all half, threw his hands up and roared to the heavens as if releasing pent-up energy.

For a coach, nothing is more thrilling than a substitution that pays off instantly.

“Boss! This kid… this kid… is incredible! And your substitution was just… just brilliant!”

Magath was already ecstatic, and Milner, standing beside him, added fuel to the fire with his praise, prolonging Magath’s triumphant roar.

Joy mixed with anxiety.

While the entire Schalke faithful celebrated passionately, a few meters away on Hamburg’s bench, their coach Armin Fee was already losing his temper.

Just two minutes earlier, he had warned Yarolim to mark Lin Hao carefully.

Now, he was furious.

“Damn it! I told you to watch number 23!”
“Damn it!”
“Fuck! Yarolim, are you an idiot? Letting him slip past you so easily?”

In his rage, the already short-tempered Armin unleashed a verbal tirade against his midfield.

...

The entire Veltins-Arena was in a frenzy.

---

On the pitch, Lin Hao, who had just scored such a crucial goal, was far from jubilant.

Instead, when the referee’s whistle confirmed the goal, Lin Hao immediately rushed to Hamburg’s goalkeeper and grabbed the ball.

Celebrate?
He had just scored one goal, and the team was still behind. How could he afford to celebrate now?

This wasn’t arrogance—Lin Hao was simply focused on his main mission.

Compared to scoring goals, the task chest was far more important!

Thus, Lin Hao led his teammates swiftly back to their half.

What Lin Hao didn’t realize was that his composure only fueled the fans’ excitement further.

Indeed!
For a homegrown youth player to score on his top-flight debut and remain so calm for the team’s victory—how could Schalke 04’s fans not adore him?

How could they not love a player like this?

So, as the referee blew the whistle to resume the match, the fans in the stands spontaneously began chanting Lin Hao’s name.

“Lin Hao!”
“Lin Hao!”
“Lin Hao!!!”

Once!
Twice!
Thrice!!!

They chanted tirelessly.

But what Schalke fans didn’t expect was that just minutes after their cheers, Lin Hao would surprise them again.

In the 52nd minute, Hamburg launched an attack, still relying on their long-ball strategy.

But this time, Metzger finally rose to the occasion, leaping cleanly to head the ball clear of the penalty area.

The ball fortuitously landed at Lin Hao’s feet.

Sometimes, luck is the most crucial element on the football pitch.

Just like at this moment, after over two years of barren toil, fate seemed to open a door of fortune for Lin Hao.

He controlled the ball with his right foot and spun around.

At that instant, Lin Hao saw his captain already sprinting from the center circle.

A 75-rated pass might not be great, but it was enough for an over-the-top ball to a teammate with his back to goal.

After calculating Raul’s running line, Lin Hao lifted his right leg and powerfully sent the ball forward.

At the Veltins-Arena, as the player hailed as Schalke 04’s greatest star—the Ringmaster—dribbled past Hamburg’s defender Jansen and smoothly controlled Lin Hao’s pass, the stadium erupted once more.

All Schalke 04 fans clenched their fists, quietly awaiting their new king’s final blow.

In front of Hamburg’s goal, with Raul nearly inside the box, goalkeeper Frank Rost, who had just been beaten by Lin Hao’s earlier shot, scrambled out in desperation.

But before Rost could get close, the graceful Spanish swordsman wielded his blade.

With a delicate flick of his left foot, the ball arced like a perfect rainbow over Rost’s head.

No miracle could save the keeper.

Rost turned helplessly to watch the ball sail into the net.

At the same moment—

“Boom!”

The Veltins-Arena echoed with a deafening roar.

The elegant Ringmaster, rather than kissing his ring as usual after scoring, turned and pointed both hands toward his rushing teammate.

2:2!

The 18-year-old Chinese prodigy, just eight minutes after entering the field, had both assisted and scored to level the game.

Meanwhile, on the bench, the frustrated Huntelaar slammed his right fist onto the seat beside him.

...

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