I Just Wanted to Play Soccer, But I Became a Hollywood Heartthrob

As Gu Ran stepped onto the field, the morale of the main squad had already hit rock bottom.

"F*ck, our left flank was already a disaster, and now the coach is sending in Gu Ran, someone who has never trained with us before. Isn't this basically throwing the game away?"

"I think the coach is just messing with us, completely giving up on our main squad."

"Yeah, he just wants to see us make fools of ourselves!"

"Those reserve brats already got a taste of our weakness on the left side. Now that a rookie Chinese player is coming in, they're definitely going to exploit that side even harder!"

"No doubt, our left flank is about to get completely obliterated…"

Rust, however, grunted, "I think Gu has some skill. Otherwise, how could he have beaten me?"

Captain Bread looked worried. "Seame, you and I need to shift toward the left flank to provide support."

Seame, full of arrogance, scoffed. "Defense? Sorry, I don't do defense. I change the game by scoring goals."

Flower Luo muttered under his breath, "Idiot."

Seame snapped, "What the hell did you just say?!"

Bread quickly stepped in, "Alright, enough arguing! Let's focus on winning this game first. Even if we can't win, we must at least hold them to a draw! Otherwise, where will we put our main squad's dignity? And knowing the coach's temper, if we lose, he might really bench us for the group stage."

Watergate took a deep breath. "Then we have no choice. Forget about that Chinese kid. If he can't hold the left flank, that's his problem. Just focus on getting the ball to me, I'll push forward. Glider and Pretty Boy, stay alert for second chances."

"Got it…"

With their new "strategy" in place, the main squad spread out into position.

This "strategy" also completely excluded Gu Ran.

The whistle blew.

As the temporary referee Drummer signaled for the match to resume, Pretty Boy took the kickoff, passing the ball to Blind, the right midfielder. Blind immediately advanced along the right wing while Watergate moved into the center.

The reserve squad wisely fell back into a defensive stance. They could already see a real chance to play in the national tournament, so there was no way they would let up in these final minutes.

The main squad pushed forward aggressively.

Despite being just a high school team, their formation and positioning were fundamentally solid.

As the left-back, Gu Ran advanced with the formation but didn't rush forward recklessly.

He was well aware that if this attack failed, the reserve squad would definitely launch a counterattack down the left wing.

Gu Ran smartly positioned himself in a defensive triangle with center-back Rust and defensive midfielder Bread.

What took some getting used to, however, was the constant running. To maintain this defensive shape, he couldn't just stand still—he had to constantly shift, track, and reposition.

This was completely different from playing casual street football in his past life.

Still, with his recent stamina boosts, these off-the-ball movements were something he could easily handle.

After several quick passes in the right-front area, the ball finally broke through the reserve team's defense and reached Watergate's feet.

The main squad's offense had arrived!

Watergate forced his way into the penalty box, taking on two defenders at once.

The reserve team immediately recognized his intent and collapsed on him, forming a tight defensive blockade.

Pretty Boy called for the ball from the left side of the box, but Watergate couldn't find a clear passing lane.

With his path completely blocked, Watergate struggled to hold onto possession.

Desperately, he attempted a threaded through ball—

But the ball was intercepted by a reserve defender's outstretched foot!

The penalty area descended into chaos.

A moment later, a reserve midfielder booted the ball into a high clearance, launching it down the left wing!

The reserve striker had been waiting for this exact opportunity!

The reserve squad's counterattack would once again target the main squad's weak left flank.

The long ball was perfect, dropping just five or six meters ahead of the sprinting reserve striker.

The striker exploded into a full sprint!

At the same time, the right midfielder and right-back of the reserve squad also surged forward, preparing to support the attack once possession was secured.

Right now, in the entire left half of the main squad's field—

Gu Ran was the only one left.

If the reserve striker got to the ball first, they would quickly turn this into a 3v1 situation—a disaster for the main squad!

At this moment, every main squad player felt a deep chill.

Their attack plan had completely ignored Gu Ran, and now there was no time to recover and support him.

Seame didn't even bother running back, while Bread decided to retreat deeper into the penalty area.

Not only that, Bread yelled at Gu Ran, "Gu! Get back! Fall back now!"

But Gu Ran acted like he didn't hear him at all.

Instead—he sprinted at full speed toward the ball's drop point!

Gu Ran's starting position was three to four strides behind the reserve striker.

But—his acceleration was explosive! His sprint was decisive!

To everyone watching, all they saw was a black-haired player in a red bib, with golden cleats flashing under the floodlights—a streak of movement faster than anyone expected!

Even Coach Carter, the sharp-tongued drill sergeant on the sideline, narrowed his eyes—

This speed… it's not inferior to that bastard Olin's!

Gu Ran didn't hesitate for a second—before the reserve striker could even touch the ball, he crashed into him shoulder-first!

BAM!

The reserve striker staggered violently, completely thrown off his line.

"F*ck!" The striker stumbled, barely keeping his balance.

He never expected this level of impact!

And it wasn't just him—the entire main squad was stunned!

This one interception was a game-changer.

After knocking the striker aside, Gu Ran planted his foot on the rolling ball, stopping it cleanly.

At the exact same moment, he scanned the field—analyzing the positions of every player.

The reserve striker, furious at losing possession, immediately lunged forward to press and reclaim the ball.

Meanwhile, the right midfielder and right-back of the reserve squad surged forward, pushing high to trap Gu Ran in a three-man press!

From the penalty area, Bread shouted desperately, "Pass it back! Pass it back!"

But Gu Ran didn't hesitate at all.

Instead, he pivoted on one foot, shielding the ball from the onrushing striker—then, he launched a pinpoint through ball straight up the center!

It was a rocket pass.

With the Golden Right Foot: Precision Long Pass skill combined with years of street football experience, the accuracy was impeccable.

The ball landed perfectly at Watergate's feet.

Watergate froze for a second.

He never expected Gu Ran to execute such a flawless pass—while being triple-teamed!

This wasn't just a good pass.

This was a pass worthy of a professional club midfielder.

The timing, vision, and precision—absolutely perfect.

Even more insane—it completely flipped the reserve squad's positioning.

They had just shifted to the left to press Gu Ran—

Now their entire defensive structure was exposed.

On the sidelines, Coach Carter's eyes gleamed for a moment—then he immediately shouted,

"F*cking hell, Watergate! Are you waiting for your damn father to show up?! MOVE!"

Watergate shook himself back to reality and charged toward the penalty box.

The counterattack was on.

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