Chapter 149: FIFA Virus

FIFA regulations stipulate that during designated international match windows, all football clubs must unconditionally release players to return to their home countries for national team matches.

Participating in international matches involves long-haul flights, matches, jet lag, and other factors that easily induce fatigue. More seriously, these players risk sustaining injuries during international fixtures. Consequently, these national team players often exhibit sluggish performances upon returning to their clubs after an international break. This phenomenon is known as being infected with the club "virus."

In recent years, many clubs have jointly petitioned FIFA, demanding that a player's national association compensate the club if the player is injured while on international duty, but the proposal ultimately failed to pass.

What direct impact did the "virus" have on Villarreal and Dai Zhiwei?

After drawing with the Iranian team away in Tehran, to minimize travel fatigue and time loss, Dai Zhiwei did not return home with the main contingent, but instead boarded a flight straight back to Spain.

Even so, Dai Zhiwei's form took a drastic hit during Villarreal's subsequent 29th round La Liga home match against Eibar.

In the 18th minute, Gaspar delivered a cross from the right wing, and Roberto Soriano headed it home from the edge of the small penalty area at the far post, making it 1:0!

Although Dai Zhiwei neither scored nor assisted on this goal, it was precisely because he drew three Eibar defenders away at the near post that Roberto Soriano was given the opportunity to score with a header.

Escribá nodded with a mixture of relief; although Dai Zhiwei's previous few shots had been rather wayward and his form average, judging by this run, his fighting spirit for the match remained quite strong.

However, the tide of the match turned dramatically thereafter, with Eibar scoring three unanswered goals to overturn the deficit.

In the 48th minute, González fouled Kike García inside the penalty area, and Pedro León converted the penalty kick, bringing the score to 1:1 and putting both teams back on level terms.

In the 54th minute, Arbilla sent in a cross from the right, and Kike García volleyed it into the near corner at the near post, making it 1:2 and putting Villarreal behind.

In the 77th minute, Takashi Inui intercepted the ball in the frontcourt and fired a shot into the far corner from the right side of the penalty area, making it 1:3!

The Yellow Submarine finally clawed one back in the 89th minute. Following Costa's through ball, Roberto Soriano shot low into the net from in front of the small penalty area to complete a brace, but it was not enough to help the team secure a single point.

Throughout the match, Dai Zhiwei attempted as many as 6 shots, but only one was on target. For a player who was always precise in front of goal, such a performance was thoroughly mediocre.

He was the player with the most shots in this fixture, tied with Roberto Soriano at 6 attempts each, yet Roberto Soriano had scored 2 goals.

Dai Zhiwei lost his shooting accuracy, and his dribbling lacked its past sharpness. In the 77th minute, Dai Zhiwei attempted to rely on his individual ability to make something happen. He embarked on a series of dribbles, but upon reaching the penalty area, he ran out of options against the swarming defense and was ultimately dispossessed by the Eibar defenders.

During stoppage time, Dai Zhiwei fell inside the penalty area after physical contact with an opponent, but the referee waved play on.

This indicated that Dai Zhiwei was truly exhausted. Compared to the former unstoppable Dai Zhiwei who refused to go down, the current Villarreal number 10 was showing signs of fatigue.

Dai Zhiwei had given too much for the national team. Three days before the match against Eibar, Dai Zhiwei flew back to China to participate in two World Cup Asian Qualifiers. In both matches, Dai Zhiwei served as both the offensive playmaker and the finisher. He played for over 170 minutes, helping the Chinese team achieve one win and one draw against the two strongest opponents in their group.

Dai Zhiwei had carried the Chinese team forward on his back, but now, exhausted as he was, he could not carry Villarreal.

In the other two matches of this round, Atlético Madrid secured a 2:0 away win against Málaga, while Sevilla played out a 0:0 draw with Sporting Gijón.

Following the 29th round of La Liga, Atlético Madrid climbed to third place in the standings with a 2-point lead, while Villarreal was tied on points with Sevilla, holding onto fourth place solely by virtue of goal difference.

"Only Matsuyama's stamina-related skill is a bit more affordable." Dai Zhiwei repeatedly searched the system for skills that could improve his stamina, but because the system did not allow hosts to directly enhance their physical attributes through skills, relevant abilities required high point values, which had kept Dai Zhiwei from ever considering redeeming them.

After all, his stamina was considered decent, and getting through a normal club season was completely unproblematic. However, if international matches were interspersed throughout, coupled with the fact that Villarreal did not have a direct airport connection back to his home country, Dai Zhiwei would inevitably encounter the impact of this "virus" once in a while.

"Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst!" Looking at the substantial number of points he still lacked to acquire the desired skill, Dai Zhiwei could only shake his head and give up.

Every single match in April was a crucial battle for Villarreal, but the most important ones were undoubtedly the two Champions League quarter-final legs against Borussia Dortmund.

"Our performances in the past few league matches have not been brilliant, but we are well aware of where we made our mistakes, and that will not happen again in the match against Villarreal," Borussia Dortmund head coach Tuchel said at the press conference after the last round of the Bundesliga. "We will prove to people that we are not here just to make up the numbers; we will win the match and march into the semi-finals of the Champions Cup."

All news regarding Borussia Dortmund during this period received intense scrutiny from Villarreal. However, before the clash with Dortmund, the Yellow Submarine still had a 30th-round La Liga fixture to contest at the El Madrigal Stadium, where they would host Real Betis.

To prepare for the Champions League knockout tie against Borussia Dortmund, Escribá rested multiple key players, yet he did not dare to rotate Dai Zhiwei, fearing that the team might suffer two consecutive defeats.

As soon as the match began, the host Yellow Submarine pressed forward aggressively in an attempt to open up the game quickly and crush the opponent early with a barrage of goals. However, their hurried attacks did not cause Real Betis much trouble, as the visitors' fierce high-pressing systematically intercepted the Yellow Submarine's offensive buildup.

A studs-up flying tackle on Dai Zhiwei by a Real Betis defender failed to draw a whistle from the main referee. Fortunately, Dai Zhiwei, who could no longer be considered a newcomer, reacted with plenty of experience by leaping into the air to dodge the dangerous tackle, though he remained thoroughly dissatisfied that the referee did not even issue a yellow card.

"Is it not a foul just because he didn't catch me?" Dai Zhiwei stood on the spot and shouted in complaint. Perhaps realizing his own oversight, the referee did not entangle with him and simply jogged away.

However, Alfred N'Diaye, who had just returned from suspension, immediately displayed his iron-fisted side and avenged Dai Zhiwei. During a Real Betis attack, Rubén Castro performed a flashy series of step-overs against Alfred N'Diaye on the midfield flank.

One circle, another circle, and yet another!

Suddenly, Rubén Castro poked the ball forward and prepared to burst past, but he did not know that Alfred N'Diaye had long seen through his tricks and immediately slid in to tackle the ball away from his feet.

Alfred N'Diaye poked the ball away a fraction of a second earlier and then used the follow-through of his heel to trip Rubén Castro.

The Real Betis midfielder executed a 360-degree mid-air spinning side-roll and then collapsed to the turf, unable to get up, prompting the referee to immediately blow the whistle to halt the match.

"Alfred, did you have to go that hard?" Dai Zhiwei had also dropped back to his own half; Alfred N'Diaye's action made him feel immensely gratified, especially having just been fouled by a Real Betis player moments ago.

In terms of fantasy terminology, his mind instantly cleared and achieved total enlightenment.

However, looking at Rubén Castro, who was forced off injured, and then glancing at the remaining Real Betis players on the pitch, Dai Zhiwei could not help but click his tongue before remarking to Alfred N'Diaye with emotion, "You really are fierce!"

"It's not..." Just as Alfred N'Diaye wanted to say something, Dai Zhiwei patted him on the shoulder, nodded, and dropped a line: "I understand, no need to spell it out."

In reality, Dai Zhiwei had misunderstood Alfred N'Diaye. The latter had intended to say, "No, I didn't mean to do it."

Yet Dai Zhiwei interpreted it as, "They are no match for me."

Watching Dai Zhiwei, the mischievous younger brother within the team, scamper off toward the frontcourt with a sly look on his face, Alfred N'Diaye could only put his hands on his hips, half-laughing and half-crying.

This was merely a minor episode within the match. Villarreal, possessing an overwhelming advantage in overall strength and backed by the supporters at El Madrigal, controlled the game completely. Especially after Alfred N'Diaye "took" Rubén Castro out of the match, the actions of the Real Betis players on the field were no longer as uninhibited as they had been at the start of the game.

Even so, Dai Zhiwei's form was still affected by the "virus." His first two shots both flew off target, making him look somewhat lackluster.

Fortunately, his ability and tactical awareness remained intact. In the 42nd minute, Bruno's shot from outside the box was blocked, and Rodrigo squared the ball to the right. Dai Zhiwei powered through a tough breakthrough before crossing, assisting Bakambu to head it into the bottom-left corner from 7 yards out at the far post, making it 1:0.

During the halftime interval, holding the lead, Escribá began making personnel adjustments, replacing Dai Zhiwei with Bacca.

Seeing that Dai Zhiwei was still plagued by the "virus," Escribá grew even more cautious in utilizing his prized asset, terrified that the rough-playing Real Betis might injure Dai Zhiwei right before the Champions League fixtures.

However, Dai Zhiwei's substitution did not heavily impact the course of the match for Villarreal. Having found their rhythm and momentum, the Yellow Submarine continued to press their opponents after the start of the second half, eventually sealing the victory in the 69th minute.

Real Betis defender Cabrera slid down Giovani dos Santos inside the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick. Real Betis goalkeeper Adán received a yellow card for protesting the decision. Although Adán managed to get a hand on Bruno's penalty kick, the ball still spun into the net, making it 2:0!

Upon seeing Bruno convert the penalty smoothly, Trigueros on the bench nudged Dai Zhiwei beside him, pulling a face and twisting his mouth with a knowing look.

Had Dai Zhiwei not been substituted, as Villarreal's primary penalty taker this season, he undoubtedly would have taken the spot-kick. Moreover, given his record of never missing a penalty, he would have had a strong chance of breaking his two-match goal drought.

Dai Zhiwei retorted by playfully flashing his middle finger at Trigueros.

Regardless, neither Dai Zhiwei himself nor anyone within Villarreal worried that he would fall into a prolonged goal drought. Perhaps in the next match, or the one after that, Dai Zhiwei's goals would surely arrive!

In the end, Villarreal comfortably defeated Real Betis 2:0 at home, boosting their confidence ahead of the resumption of the Champions League schedule.

In the other two matches of this round that Villarreal cared about most, Atlético Madrid edged Real Sociedad 1:0 at home, while Sevilla was thoroughly dismantled 0:3 by Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Following the 30th round of La Liga, Atlético Madrid maintained their grip on third place with a 2-point lead, while Villarreal held a 3-point advantage over Sevilla, temporarily securing fourth place in the standings.

After defeating Real Betis, the entire Villarreal squad boarded a flight to Dortmund the very next day.

However, because they had not anticipated reaching the Champions League quarter-finals at the start of the season, Villarreal's away trips in the Champions League this season were all made via commercial flights. This made Dai Zhiwei, who was accustomed to private charter flights at Evergrande and the national team, feel profoundly unaccustomed to it.

Dai Zhiwei was already quite familiar with Germany. Whether it was last season's Europa League or this season's Champions League group stage, he had faced German teams and played in German stadiums on multiple occasions.

From the pre-match press conference to familiarizing himself with the stadium, Dai Zhiwei went through everything smoothly and methodically.

Yet on the night of the match on the 11th, just as Villarreal arrived at Dortmund's home ground, the Signal Iduna Park, and before Dai Zhiwei could even step off the bus, the team bus driver received new instructions and hurriedly closed the doors, driving the entire Villarreal contingent straight back to the hotel.

While everyone at Villarreal was left in a state of utter bewilderment, Escribá finally received the belated news.

Borussia Dortmund had seemingly suffered a terrorist attack!

Half an hour prior, the Borussia Dortmund players had boarded their team bus to head to the Signal Iduna Park for the Champions League quarter-final, but on the way to the stadium, they were targeted by three explosive device attacks. The bus windshield was shattered, and Dortmund player Bartra was injured and rushed to the hospital, leading to the postponement of the Champions League match.

According to German media reports, the explosives were planted along the route the Dortmund bus was bound to take and were detonated as they passed by.

Dortmund CEO Watzke stated after the explosion: "This bombing was an attack directed against the Borussia Dortmund team bus, and the team has suffered physical and psychological harm as a result of this assault, especially Dortmund player Bartra, who was injured in the blast. As a key defender for Dortmund, his injury deals a significant blow to the team. Currently, Bartra is being treated at the hospital."

The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal, originally scheduled to take place that night, was forced to be postponed to the night of the 12th.

Following the explosion, police evacuated the spectators inside the Signal Iduna Park and launched an investigation. At present, the cause of the explosion and the perpetrators' motives remain unclear.