Chapter 1 From Escape to Goal

The moment Zhou Yi shook off Song, a huge cheer erupted in the Westfalenstadion. It lasted all the way until Shinji Kagawa took his shot.

But when the football was blocked by Koscielny, the cheers died abruptly.

Replaced by disappointed sighs.

Everyone lamented Kagawa's missed opportunity to score.

Arsenal fans breathed a collective sigh of relief…

Zhou Yi's escape from Song had created such a dangerous situation!

At that moment, everyone's attention seemed to be focused on the "danger averted." After the football was deflected by Koscielny, it soared high into the sky, seemingly cleared.

But the football didn't actually travel far; it went high but not long, rising to its peak before plummeting back down.

Zhou Yi was the first to react, sprinting towards the ball's landing spot.

Song was the second, though he was merely chasing after Zhou Yi, not caring where the ball was. He charged from behind, intending to repay the earlier humiliation tenfold, even if it meant committing a foul. He had no qualms about fouling anyway…

Koscielny was the third to react, scrambling to his feet and rushing toward Zhou Yi, hoping to prevent him from getting the ball.

Even if he couldn't stop him from receiving it, he'd stick close as Zhou Yi tried to control it, then team up with Song to sandwich him, preventing him from delivering his signature deadly pass.

As Zhou Yi ran toward the landing spot, he kept his eyes fixed on the ball in the air, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around him.

Shinji Kagawa saw it all and quickly retreated, finding an angle to receive a pass from Zhou Yi. If Zhou Yi got trapped, he could step in, retrieve the ball, and restart the attack.

As everyone sprang into action, the football descended. Zhou Yi continued running towards the spot, but not at full speed, as he was nearly there, within that zone.

The football fell in front of Zhou Yi, but he simply jogged towards the spot, making no move to control the ball.

Koscielny, approaching head-on, was puzzled, unsure of Zhou Yi's intentions.

Song, coming from behind, saw it as a golden opportunity. Though he didn't know what Zhou Yi was up to, he knew that if Zhou Yi didn't control the ball immediately, it would be difficult to do so once he caught up!

He accelerated towards Zhou Yi.

The football continued to drop, now below Zhou Yi's waist, yet he still made no move to control it…

Just when everyone thought something was wrong with Zhou Yi, the football almost hit the ground. Normally, a football that hits the ground would bounce back up, and quite high. If it rose above the waist, it would be difficult to control, requiring frequent adjustments and giving the opponent time to close in.

But this time, the football defied physics, shooting forward in a straight line! It zipped past Koscielny, and the Arsenal center-back didn't react at all! Or rather, he didn't even realize what was happening…

When Koscielny came up to block Shinji Kagawa's shot, he had left a gap behind him.

That gap hadn't been filled immediately, as the Arsenal players had assumed the danger was over…

But the football was heading straight for that gap!

Everyone was shocked, not understanding how the ball had been passed…

In that gap, Robert Lewandowski easily received the ball!

"Lewandowski!!!" Marcel Reif shouted excitedly, as Lewandowski was completely unmarked!

Lewandowski was also a bit surprised, but luckily he had space around him, so he could afford a moment of surprise. After receiving the ball in the penalty area, he turned, adjusted, faced the goal, and fired a shot!

The football skimmed the grass, heading straight for the far corner of the goal!

Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny dove to make the save, but couldn't cover the entire goal. The football brushed past his fingertips and flew into the net…

"Toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooor!!!" Marcel Reif roared, pumping his fist. "Dortmund, playing at home, takes the lead!"

"Great goal! Lewandowski! Beautiful goal! Dortmund leads Arsenal 1-0!"

The entire Westfalenstadion erupted in deafening cheers!

After scoring, Lewandowski didn't forget who had provided such a brilliant pass. He turned and pointed at Zhou Yi, running towards him, singling him out to celebrate the goal together.

Zhou Yi rushed forward, and the two embraced.

Teammates swarmed around Zhou Yi.

But instead of celebrating the goal, they were… bombarding Zhou Yi with questions.

"How did you do that?"

"Yeah, that pass was so subtle! I didn't even see it. How did you pass the ball?"

※※※

Not only were the players unable to see it clearly, but many viewers in front of their televisions were also confused, not to mention the fans in the stadium. They only knew that after the football hit the ground, it should have bounced back up, but instead it suddenly changed direction and rolled towards the gap in Arsenal's defense, finding Lewandowski!

The Arsenal players were also dumbfounded after conceding the goal, unable to figure out how Zhou Yi had passed the ball to Lewandowski…

"Lewandowski's shot was beautiful, but even more beautiful was… Zhou Yi's pass! How did he do it?" Even the commentators were puzzled.

The television replay provided the answer.

In slow motion, viewers could clearly see the football falling, and just as it was about to touch the ground, Zhou Yi's right foot suddenly extended, his toe poking the ball away…

"That's so subtle!" Marcel Reif exclaimed. "What a brilliant pass!"

"It takes slow motion to see the move clearly. It's understandable that the Arsenal players on the field didn't react…"

Generally, any pass is preceded by a preparation, such as swinging the leg back to gather momentum before kicking the ball. The farther the pass, the bigger and more obvious the backswing, giving the opponent a chance to defend.

But Zhou Yi's pass had no warning whatsoever. Before the pass, there was no indication that he was going to pass. The extension of his right foot looked like an ordinary jogging motion. Everyone thought he was running, not passing…

Who would have thought that Zhou Yi would combine running and passing into one seamless motion, executing a pass with such suddenness and subtlety!

Of course, Zhou Yi wasn't the only player who could do this. Many players would perform similar tricks for show.

But most of the time, it was just for fun, a meaningless pass.

But Zhou Yi could combine this visually impressive move with an assist, creating a threat while showing off, accurately delivering a through ball that found the gap in Arsenal's defense!

Even a well-prepared through ball isn't guaranteed to be accurate, which is why forward through balls are riskier, as the failure rate is high.

But Zhou Yi simply poked the ball with his toe and it went straight into the gap, perfectly avoiding Koscielny and reaching Lewandowski.

The perfect combination of suddenness, subtlety, and accuracy. Marcel Reif was right, it was "a brilliant pass"!

※※※

When the football suddenly rolled from Zhou Yi towards Lewandowski, Alexandre Song was startled, causing him to stop and forget about fouling Zhou Yi. He just stood there, dumbfounded, question marks floating around his head.

He couldn't understand how Zhou Yi had passed the ball, as he hadn't seen any indication that he was going to pass…

He asked Koscielny in surprise, "Did you see that?"

Koscielny nodded. "He seemed to… poke it with his toe?"

"Just a casual poke?" Song asked.

"Yeah…"

"He must have gotten lucky!" Song finally concluded.

Koscielny didn't answer, as he didn't know the answer.

He didn't know if it was Zhou Yi's skill or a lucky pass…

※※※

The television screen repeatedly showed Zhou Yi's pass to Lewandowski. Even Lewandowski's goal became secondary to Zhou Yi's brilliant pass…

But no one watching would complain. They were captivated.

"That's so exquisite!"

"It's a work of art! Truly Zhou Yi!"

Mark and his mother marveled, while old Wagner was also excited, his face flushed red.

Only Cortana sat beside them, silent and expressionless.

But her impassive exterior was merely a mask to hide her inner shock.

She truly hadn't expected Zhou Yi to choose such a way to handle the attack. Unlike that black player who only knew how to rely on brute force, Zhou Yi seemed… more intelligent.

Though reluctant to admit it, it was a fact. Cortana had to acknowledge that Zhou Yi was different from the players she disliked. His physique wasn't strong, which perhaps led him to use his brain more when playing football.

And that made him so unique on the field…