The Estadio Nacional de Santiago was a furnace of noise.
Flags of every color waved wildly.Trumpets blared.The roar of tens of thousands vibrated through the concrete stands.
It was time for the Round of 16.
Germany vs Ecuador.
One team would rise.The other would go home.
Mateo stood in the tunnel, jersey clinging to his body, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Across from him, the Ecuadorian players were warming up aggressively —pumping each other up, shouting.
He could see it in their eyes:
They had a plan for him.
He smiled grimly.
"Good," he thought."Come for me.I'll still break you."
Kickoff
From the very first minute, the game was war.
Every time Mateo touched the ball,he was swarmed by two — sometimes three — Ecuadorian players.
Hard tackles.Constant pulling.Subtle pushes when the referee wasn't looking.
They weren't trying to steal the ball neatly.
They were trying to grind him down.
Inside the System:
[High-Pressure Situation Detected.]Activating Passive:
+10% Stamina Preservation
+5% Stress Resistance
Germany struggled to find rhythm.
Every pass to Mateo turned into a battlefield.
Lukas tried switching sides.Jonas tried overlapping runs.
But Ecuador's defense was relentless.
They didn't want to play beautiful football.They wanted to suffocate Germany's star.
10th Minute
Mateo received a pass near midfield.
Instantly, he was crushed between two defenders.
The ball was knocked loose.
The referee waved play on.
Mateo hit the ground hard,feeling the roughness of the grass against his skin.
He got up slowly,body aching —but mind sharper than ever.
"They think pain will stop me?" he thought coldly.
"Pain is my fuel."
15th Minute
A brief spark.
Ritter intercepted a pass and launched a quick counterattack.
Mateo sprinted into space,but just as Ritter sent the ball toward him,a huge Ecuadorian center-back slid in with a brutal tackle.
Ball and man together.
Mateo was sent sprawling again.
The referee finally blew his whistle — foul.
The German fans booed.The Ecuadorian fans cheered wildly.
Free kick.No yellow card.
"They're letting them get away with it," Mateo realized grimly.
But he didn't complain.Didn't argue.
He simply picked himself up,dusted off his kit,and stared at the ball as it was placed.
Inside, a voice whispered:
[Challenge: Overcome Rough Defense — In Progress.]
25th Minute
Despite the abuse, Germany slowly began adjusting.
Shorter passes.More movement off the ball.
Mateo started drifting deeper,pulling defenders out of position.
Little by little, he was carving space.
Little by little, he was finding cracks.
Coach Schuster shouted from the sidelines:
"Patience, Mateo!The moment will come!"
Mateo nodded without looking.
He trusted his coach.
He trusted his instincts.
He would wait for the perfect moment —and then strike.
As the clock ticked toward halftime,the battle raged on.
Bruises blossomed across Mateo's arms and legs.
But his spirit only burned hotter.
"This is the World Cup," he reminded himself.