Chapter 397: Chapter 87: Record-Breaking! Four-Goal Haul! Upgrading Passive Skills! I’m No Tap-in Merchant! Possessed by the Spirit of Ronaldo

But in the 58th minute, Foyelner also went off injured.

He was stretchered straight off the field.

This scare prompted Klopp to make a quick substitution, taking Wang Shuo off.

It couldn’t be helped. He was Dortmund’s prized possession. ’If he gets injured, how are we supposed to take on Benfica?’

Then, in the 75th minute, Werder Bremen pulled a goal back.

In the final twenty-odd minutes, Schaff’s team even came close to equalizing.

In the end, Dortmund scraped by with a 2-1 home victory over Werder Bremen.

Fortunately, after the match, the injuries to both Sven Bender and Foyelner turned out to be just scares.

Sven Bender, in particular, would not be affected for next Thursday’s match.

Wang Shuo also used this match to break in his two upgraded Passive Skills.

This gave him even more confidence for the UEFA Europa League match next Thursday.

The German media was still in a heated debate.

Media outlets such as Ruhr News, the West German Newspaper, and the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung all backed Wang Shuo to score goals in the match against Benfica.

He had already scored 14 goals in the UEFA Europa League.

He was just a stone’s throw away from Klinsmann’s legendary record of 15 goals.

...

Before the match against Benfica, Klopp approached Wang Shuo, hoping he would agree to a media interview and say a few words to rally the team and boost morale.

After the away draw against Benfica, the team’s injury list had started to grow again.

This was actually quite normal.

It was April, after all.

But Dortmund’s squad was relatively thin, so the impact was more significant.

The day before the match, Wang Shuo gave a joint interview to Ruhr News and the West German Newspaper in a small press conference room at Westfalen Stadium.

The conversation naturally revolved around the team’s goals for the season, in both the Bundesliga and the UEFA Europa League.

Naturally, Wang Shuo said plenty to boost the team’s morale.

When the conversation turned to Klinsmann’s 15-goal UEFA Europa League record, Wang Shuo shared his expectations for the upcoming second-leg match.

"I actually went and looked up the stats from the 95/96 UEFA Cup season."

Wang Shuo said with a confident smile.

"Coincidentally, in that season, Bayern also faced Benfica in the knockout stage. They won the first leg 4-1 at home and the second leg 3-1 away, knocking Benfica out with a 7-2 aggregate score."

"Klinsmann scored four goals by himself in that first leg!"

After that, Wang Shuo added a few more words of praise for Klinsmann.

But he saved his main point for last.

"I hope I’ll have the opportunity, just like Klinsmann, to help the team secure its spot in the next round by scoring goals!"

"So, in this Thursday’s match, I don’t just hope to score—I hope to break the record."

After a pause, Wang Shuo added with a smile.

"Benfica is a remarkable team. If they get to witness the birth of two record-breaking moments across two generations, I believe it would be a fascinating story in the European football scene!"

Once Wang Shuo’s words got out, they quickly drew a reaction from both the German and Portuguese media.

The Portuguese media reacted with uniform criticism and doubt, while also reminding Benfica to be wary of Wang Shuo.

In Germany, meanwhile, a large portion of the media—at least the pro-Bayern outlets—did not want Wang Shuo to achieve this goal.

Some even mocked him for making such a bold claim.

Anyone with eyes could see that as long as Wang Shuo stayed injury-free, breaking Klinsmann’s historic record was a near certainty.

But some people still clung to a sliver of hope that he wouldn’t.

’What if, just like Klinsmann, he reaches the semifinals and then can’t score another goal?’

The reaction from the Dortmund fans was extremely enthusiastic.

The major fan clubs all sprang into action.

On the evening of April 8, as the Dortmund and Benfica players took the field, the stadium announcer began to introduce the starting lineups. The moment he called out Wang Shuo’s name, all 66,000 fans began to roar themselves hoarse, shouting the same chant.

"Wang Shuo! Score!"

"Wang Shuo!"

"Score!"

Due to UEFA regulations, the South Stand had been fitted with seats.

But the atmosphere was still incredibly electric.

Countless fans banged drums and chanted, cheering on the Dortmund players.

The match hadn’t even started, but the sheer intensity of the Dortmund fans’ support left the entire visiting Benfica squad stunned.

’This home atmosphere is fucking terrifying!’

...

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar (not the one from Inter);

Defenders: David Luis, Luisao, Sidinei, and Ruben Amorim;

Midfield: Carlos Martins and Harvey Garcia as a double pivot, with Di María, Aimar, and Ramirez in front of them;

Forward: Cardozo.

Because both of their full-backs had received yellow cards in the previous round, they were both suspended for this match.

Furthermore, if Benfica’s captain, Luisao, received a yellow card in this round, he would be suspended for the next match even if Benfica were to advance.

’Of course,’ Wang Shuo thought, ’they don’t have a chance of advancing anyway.’

Dortmund also had to make adjustments for this match due to injuries.

Goalkeeper: Weidenfeller;

Defenders: Schmelzer, Hummels, Subotic, and Owomoyela;

Midfield: Shahin and Sven Bender as a double pivot, with Reus, Götze, and Kuba in front of them;

Forward: Wang Shuo.

Both teams adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Wang Shuo noticed that David Luis, who normally played at center-back, had been moved to the left flank for this match.