Inside the gym, Chen Yu’s physical recovery training session was being watched by the entire Brazil Team.
Under Chen Yu’s guidance, Ronaldo performed various static stretching exercises.
In the crowd, Scolari nudged his assistant coach, Antonio Lopez, with his elbow and asked in a low voice, "Antonio, what do you think?"
Scolari had two assistant coaches. The other was Flavio Teixeira, who had been with him the longest.
And Lopez was the National Team’s technical advisor, fully responsible for the team’s training matters.
Lopez didn’t answer right away. With his arms crossed, he stared intently.
In his experience, pre-game warm-ups should focus on dynamic movements, while post-game recovery should focus on static stretching.
After a high-intensity match, physical contact, full-speed sprints, and various explosive movements inevitably cause microscopic tears and damage to different parts of the body, such as the muscles.
If nothing was done, fatigue and pain would usually set in within one to two days.
How to conduct scientific post-game recovery training was also key to maintaining athletic condition.
Static stretching, in particular, could maintain muscle relaxation, accelerate blood circulation, and promote the body’s self-healing process, thereby alleviating damage and fatigue.
"What we do isn’t as detailed as what he’s doing," Lopez said in a low voice.
The Brazil Team, of course, did these exercises, but just as he said, they weren’t detailed enough.
He watched for a long time. Chen Yu had already led Ronaldo through more than a dozen different, complex stretches, and he showed no signs of stopping.
From standing to sitting, in all sorts of postures and positions, it seemed like he was stretching every single muscle group in the entire body.
’This is incredible. It’s definitely a top-tier training method.’
Lopez continued, "Louis, you have to admit, even though people in the United States don’t care much about soccer, their sports industry is incredibly developed. It’s a true sporting superpower, and their training methods are the most advanced in the world."
Sports are more than just soccer. The United States might not have a great record in soccer, but in other fields, they’re top-tier.
You could tell just by looking at their Olympic results.
Being able to produce so many top-level athletes, the United States’ training methods and sports science were, without a doubt, the most advanced in the world.
Scolari nodded thoughtfully. He had read reports and knew that Chen Yu wasn’t just a doctor, but also understood training.
"Do you think we could poach him for the Brazil Team?" Scolari asked in a low voice.
’No wonder the United States Team players were in such good shape and had so much stamina. They almost beat Italy with their running alone. If it weren’t for the South Korea Team’s fixed refereeing, they would have been a lock for the quarterfinals, and might have even gone further.’
It was hard to say that those results had nothing to do with Chen Yu’s support.
Lopez didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Louis, what are you thinking? He’s the United States National Team’s doctor to begin with, and his main job is as a doctor for a basketball team. How could he possibly come to Brazil? Besides, think about it. He’s healed so many top stars. Are you sure clubs like Inter haven’t tried to poach him?"
Scolari fell silent.
He didn’t know that Moratti dreamed of poaching Chen Yu for Milan.
"Forget it," Scolari sighed. ’Anyway, the National Team will disband as soon as the World Cup is over, and I don’t even know if I’ll still be coaching next time.’
"Watch carefully and learn what you can," Scolari added. He previously thought Chen Yu’s price was a bit steep, but now he felt that twenty thousand US dollars a day was an absolute bargain.
The training session didn’t end until nearly eleven in the morning.
Ronaldo moved his body around and gave Chen Yu a direct thumbs-up.
The post-game fatigue, the numbness in his body, and the dull aches were all completely gone.
"Chen, I’m hungry. What do you want for lunch? My treat. Carlos said he found a really good ramen place. Let’s go." He had been training for nearly two hours, and even though it was low-intensity, he was starving.
Chen Yu smiled. "You can forget about ramen. I’ll be in charge of your diet for the next few days."
’He wants to load up on carbs while preparing for a match? What is he thinking?’
Ronaldo’s eye twitched, but he didn’t dare to object.
When Chen Yu had agreed yesterday, he had made it clear: he would help, but on the condition that Ronaldo had to listen to him, do whatever he was told, and not cut any corners.
Of course, Ronaldo was already quite obedient to Chen Yu anyway.
After lunch, Chen Yu had Ronaldo take a nap. When it was about time, he went with him to the hotel’s conference room.
Scolari had already announced that they would gather to watch the matches together that afternoon.
That afternoon, the other two quarterfinal matches were scheduled: Spain versus South Korea at 3:30, and Argentina versus Turkey at 8:30 in the evening.
"Chen, do you think we can beat Argentina? They even eliminated the France Team," Ronaldo asked, his confidence wavering.
Brazil’s opponent in the semifinals would be either Turkey or Argentina.
Without a doubt, it would most likely be Argentina.
After all, even the France Team had fallen to Argentina.
Mentioning France, Chen Yu sighed softly.
This year’s France Team was truly short on luck.
Before the group stage, Zidane was unexpectedly injured. Then, thanks to him, Zidane made a smooth recovery, and the team successfully advanced from their group.
But because they were without Zidane in the first match and were held to a draw by Senegal, they ended up advancing as second in their group.
If they had advanced as first in their group, they could have avoided Argentina and faced England instead.
As a result, England dodged a bullet, and the two title favorites clashed early in the knockout stage.
And in that match, the France Team also lost due to bad luck.
The France Team had a star-studded lineup. With Zidane’s return, they were a completely different team, suddenly able to play their game.
On the other hand, Argentina’s line of Redondo, Belon, and Batty was also formidable.
Especially Batty. Having resolved his cartilage wear-and-tear issue, he was in scorching hot form. Scoring 3 goals in four matches was the best proof of that.
In that match, both teams displayed an extremely high level of offense and defense.
In the 37th minute of the first half, Henry opened the scoring for the France Team, putting them ahead 1-0.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Little Worm Lopez broke into the box and coolly slotted the ball home to equalize.
The 1-1 score held until the end of the match.
In extra time, both sides created constant threats but couldn’t score. Then, 17 minutes in, Batty unleashed a powerful 25-yard shot. The ball struck Lilian Thuram’s leg and took an unexpected deflection.
Goalkeeper Barthez couldn’t react in time and could only watch as the ball went into the net.
2-1. The Argentines, with Lady Luck on their side, had scraped by with a difficult win.
After the match, countless French media outlets lamented the defeat, claiming it had cost the France Team the FIFA World Cup.
Thuram, for his part, broke down in tears, calling himself the culprit of the France Team.
It was heartbreaking, but luck has always been a part of the game.
Just like the Brazil Team, apart from facing England, they had a smooth ride and hadn’t encountered any other strong contenders. Their luck was no worse than Argentina’s.
However, the Brazil Team’s luck was about to run out.
First facing Argentina, then Italy—that would be the Brazil Team’s greatest test.
Chen Yu clapped Ronaldo on the back. "I believe you guys can win, because you have the invincible Alien on your side."
Ronaldo, clearly pleased, nodded and walked into the conference room.
Many people had already arrived.
The players sat together, while Chen Yu sat with Scolari and his staff.
"Chen, Camacho really ought to thank you guys," Scolari said with a chuckle.
After the commotion caused by the United States Team, Moreno and Zheng Mengjun were arrested, FIFA was investigated, and most importantly, due to the United States Team’s retaliation, the South Korea Team lost four of their starting players.
Park Ji-sung, An Zhenhuan, Jin Taiying, and Ryu Hyang-tae—all of them were core starters.
And after all that, the South Korea Team wouldn’t dare pull any more tricks even if they had ten times the nerve.
They didn’t have the means to cheat anymore, either. For this match, FIFA, fearing more trouble, had replaced the referee at the last minute, pointedly choosing one from Africa just so the media couldn’t accuse them of bias afterward.
Short-handed as they were, it would be difficult for Spain to lose even if they tried.
Chen Yu grinned, showing a mouth full of white teeth, and laughed. "If Spain really wants to thank us, then they should play viciously—go for a landslide, a bloodbath, a massacre."
Scolari and Lopez exchanged a look, secretly alarmed.
’You really can’t mess with these Americans.’
At 3:30, the match kicked off on time.
The head referee, Vigara, clearly understood the importance of this match. His officiating was merciless, to the point of being overly strict.
At the 17-minute mark, Spain had a corner kick. Belelon sent it straight toward the front of the goal. Raul leaped for it but missed the header, then fell hard onto the grass.
The South Korean defender, Hong Myung-bo, perhaps used to playing dirty, pushed from behind during the challenge. He shoved Raul, preventing him from getting full power into his jump, which caused him to lose his balance and fall from the air.
The replay showed it clearly. Chen Yu frowned. ’This South Korea Team really is like a dog that can’t stop eating shit. Still so dirty.’
This time, however, they didn’t have the referee’s protection.
Vigara clearly intended to make an example of him to warn the South Korea Team not to try anything funny. He rushed over, pointed to the spot—penalty.
Then he pulled out a card. A red one.
Hong Myung-bo was stunned. Everyone on the South Korea Team had the same expression, completely shocked that Vigara’s punishment was so severe.
But this time, no one came up to argue.
The South Korea Team’s head coach, Hiddink, also stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, his face expressionless.
The last match had been a devastating blow for the South Korea Team. With Zheng Mengjun now in jail, Hiddink just wanted the World Cup to end quickly so he could return safely to the Netherlands, lest he be targeted by the Americans and end up like Moreno.
And so, just 17 minutes into the match, the South Korea Team’s captain, Hong Myung-bo, was sent off with a red card.
Raul converted the penalty, putting Spain ahead 1-0.
In the previous match, Jin Taiying had been kicked in a sensitive area and had been out of sight receiving treatment ever since.
He and Hong Myung-bo were the core of the South Korea Team’s defense.
Now playing 10 against 11, the South Korea Team not only had zero fighting spirit, but their defensive line was also full of holes.
Just eight minutes later, Spain seized another opportunity.
They pushed forward in numbers, passing the ball around outside the South Korea Team’s box. Raul made a quick turn and passed the ball. Last season’s La Liga Golden Boot winner, Diego Tristan, rushed forward and unleashed a furious shot, once again piercing the South Korea Team’s goal.
Just 25 minutes into the game, Spain was already leading 2-0.
In the stands, the countless South Korean fans were no longer cheering. A dead silence fell over them, their faces filled with confusion, despair, and even panic. It was as if they could already foresee the massacre that was about to unfold.

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