Replacing Zaniolo with Messi, Gao Nuo was ecstatic on Challenge Road.
Passing the level wasn't important; he was simply observing Messi's every move on the field.
Both were left-footed, both incredibly fast; the only difference was that Gao Nuo relied on his physique, while Messi relied on everything but his physique.
Now, a Virtual Messi was placed right beside Gao Nuo, and how much he could learn depended on his comprehension.
In the following days, Gao Nuo was like he had just obtained the system, immersed in Challenge Road every day, tirelessly enjoying himself.
He could see Wang Xiaochuan during the day and Virtual Messi at night.
These 'happy' days didn't last long before the new Premier League season was about to begin.
"System, check my attributes.
After this holiday, I should be much stronger."
"Alright, host: Gao Nuo, 20 years old.
Height: 192cm, Weight: 90kg.
Ball Control: 14
Passing: 13
Shooting: 15
Positioning: 14
First Touch: 14
Strength: 14
Stamina: 14
Speed: 18
Explosiveness: 19
Willpower: 18
Comprehension: 13
Decision Making: 14
Concentration: 17
Teamwork: 16
Maximum attribute value is 20.
Other attributes are currently hidden attributes."
From the data, it was easy to see that Gao Nuo had made comprehensive improvements, with the most prominent being teamwork, which increased by a full 5 points.
This was all thanks to the experience accumulated from Challenge Road.
On August 3, 2024, the FA Community Shield took place at Wembley Stadium, featuring Manchester United against Chelsea.
The clash between last season's League champions and FA Cup winners filled Wembley Stadium to capacity, with 90,000 spectators creating an incredibly passionate atmosphere.
Chelsea's consecutive seasons of poor performance did not deter the owner's penchant for buying players.
As of today, Chelsea's starting lineup was as follows:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy
Defense: Ben Chilwell, Fofana, Škriniar, Reece James
Midfield: Enzo Fernández, Kante, Mason Mount
Forwards: Sterling, Kai Havertz, Francisco Trincão
Manchester United only made minor moves in the transfer market, acquiring Brazilian right-back Vanderson for 33.5 million euros, keeping their starting lineup relatively intact.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Nübel
Defense: Luke Shaw, Pau Torres, Varane, Vanderson
Midfield: Rice, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes
Forwards: Rashford, Gao Nuo, Neymar
The final was no stranger to these two Premier League giants, and as the match began, the players quickly got into their rhythm.
In the 25th minute, Manchester United had their first clear scoring opportunity.
Enzo Fernández's pass was overly aggressive, a sudden through ball from the front that split Manchester United's central defensive pairing, but Kai Havertz's habitual lapse in concentration caused him to miss the chance to shoot, and Nübel decisively rushed out, clearing the ball with a big kick.
In the same center-forward position, Gao Nuo was the complete opposite of Kai Havertz; he was extremely focused on the field.
Nübel's clearance went to the right side of the pitch.
Before Neymar could react, Gao Nuo rushed towards the landing spot, his tall body blocking Ben Chilwell, and he smoothly chested the ball down.
After passing back to Neymar, Gao Nuo turned and ran.
Ben Chilwell was only a beat slow and immediately gave chase.
Neymar's skill was beyond doubt; he delivered a powerful and exquisite through ball immediately.
The pass was about 30 meters from the goal, making it risky for the goalkeeper to rush out and allowing Gao Nuo to fully utilize his speed advantage.
The young Chelsea center-back Fofana, seeing his teammate out of position, naturally blocked Gao Nuo's path, attempting to stop him with his body.
Two big men over 190cm tall, one black and one yellow, both unafraid of physical confrontation, continuously collided while chasing the ball, yet their actions were exceptionally clean, leaving the referee with no fault to find.
In their final collision, Gao Nuo's strength was still somewhat lacking, his direction of advance changed, and Fofana snatched possession first.
After gaining possession, Fofana was a bit nervous; with someone behind him, he didn't dare to turn, so he decided to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.
As the ball just rolled from his feet, a red figure flashed past him.
Edouard Mendy looked at the incoming ball and Gao Nuo chasing it, secretly groaning, "This Fofana, if you're going to pass back, put some power into it.
Did you go to a nightclub yesterday? The ball speed is so slow, and look at that yellow-skinned kid's speed.
He's practically handed me a poisoned chalice.
No choice, I have to go for it."
Gao Nuo still couldn't outrun the ball.
Edouard Mendy got there first, gathered all his strength, and kicked the ball far forward.
Seeing the ball take flight, Gao Nuo instinctively leaped into the air, forcefully raising his right leg, not forgetting to protect his groin with both hands.
This was a standard move to block a clearance; typically, a forward facing a big kick from the defense would try to block it.
If lucky, it could win possession for the team.
Lady Luck descended; the ball struck Gao Nuo's foot and, following the direction of his raised leg, flew towards the goal.
Gao Nuo was also hit by a powerful force, lost his balance in the air, and fell heavily to the ground.
From the live broadcast, it looked as if Gao Nuo had performed a volley shot.
The ball, with a strong dip and extreme speed, flew over Edouard Mendy and into the goal.
A miraculous goal sent the Manchester United fans in the stadium into a frenzy.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines incredulously touched his bald head, while the Chelsea players on the field were stunned, watching Gao Nuo being helped up by his teammates, the entire stadium in shock.
Gao Nuo himself didn't know what had happened; he had instinctively stuck out his foot to intercept, only feeling a force on his foot, and then his body uncontrollably lunged forward.
He hadn't even noticed where the ball went.
His shoulder hit the ground upon landing, and it still hurt a bit.
After celebrating foolishly with his teammates for a while, Gao Nuo finally realized he had scored, and couldn't help but find it a bit amusing.
Conceding such a miraculous goal severely dampened Chelsea's morale.
In the 36th minute, Chelsea capitalized on a Manchester United passing error.
Mount intercepted the ball in the attacking third, decisively ignored Kai Havertz, and passed the ball to the left.
Sterling received the ball, twisting his hips, swaying left and right, and charged into the penalty area.
A fake shot, Varane remained unmoved.
Another fake shot, Varane slid to block.
He dribbled right, directly facing the goalkeeper.
A third fake shot, Nübel was faked out and fell.
Looking at the empty net in front of him, Sterling was about to shoot when a large foot extended between his legs.
Pau Torres arrived, narrowly clearing the ball out for a goal kick.
Although Sterling was happy, his sportsmanship was quite good; he didn't try to feign a foul, just looked down at the grass.
Pochettino on the sidelines wasn't concerned with Sterling's frustration.
He truly couldn't understand why a player valued at 60 million euros would perform endless fake shots in front of goal.
Did he not have Messi's fate but still suffer from Messi's ailment?
Neither side scored again, and Manchester United led Chelsea 1-0 at halftime.
