The next morning, the training ground was buzzing.
Germany had qualified first in their group with dominant performances —but the real war was just beginning.
Next up:
Ecuador.
A team known for physical toughness, fast transitions, and fearless mentality.
Not flashy.Not famous.
But dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Tactical Meeting
Coach Schuster gathered the squad.
On the screen behind him, clips of Ecuador's games flashed by:
Fierce pressing in midfield.
Long diagonal balls toward their wingers.
Brutal aerial duels inside the box.
"This will not be beautiful football," Schuster warned.
"This will be a war of attrition.Win your battles.Outlast them.And Mateo..."— he turned his eyes specifically to him —"...they will be coming for you."
The entire team knew it.
Mateo wasn't just a player anymore.
He was the symbol.
The rising star.The top scorer.The assist leader.
Ecuador's coaching staff would surely design their entire defensive plan around stopping him.
Inside Mateo's mind, the System whispered:
[New Situation Detected: Star Target.]Effect:
Increased focus from enemy defenses.
Bonus XP gained for successful plays under heavy marking.
Private Moment
After training, Mateo sat on a bench overlooking the mountains near Santiago.
The sun was setting,painting the sky in violent streaks of orange and red.
He pulled out his phone.
A message from Klara:
"Remember who you are.Not just a star.Not just a player.You're Mateo."
He smiled.
Simple words.
But exactly what he needed.
Tensions in Camp
Not everything was perfect.
As the team pressure grew, so did small tensions.
Some of the older players —those who had once dreamed of being Germany's stars —now found themselves in Mateo's shadow.
A few snide comments.A few cold glances during training.
Nothing serious —yet.
But Mateo felt it.
"They think I'm just lucky," he realized."They don't see the years I bled for this."
He didn't care.
He would show them with actions,not words.
Matchday Eve
That night, the final preparation meeting was short but sharp.
Key Instructions:
Win midfield battles.
Exploit Ecuador's slow center-backs.
Mateo — move constantly, shake off the double-marking.
Germany's entire game plan would revolve around creating micro-spaces for Mateo to exploit.
In the final moments before curfew,Mateo stared at himself in the mirror.
His reflection looked calm.
But deep inside, the fire was roaring.
"This is just the first mountain," he thought.
"After this, come the giants."
He clenched his fists.
He was ready to fight,to bleed,to rise.