Chapter 1 The "China Derby" Ends

After the "China Derby" concluded, Chinese fans were still enthusiastically discussing the showdown. He Ying and Sun Pan’s supporters even argued about who had actually won.

He Ying’s supporters believed that He Ying had breached Sun Pan’s goal, slapping Sun Pan in the face for his pre-match taunts with his actual performance. Furthermore, this away goal was worth its weight in gold, potentially laying the foundation for Paris Saint-Germain’s advancement. Such a performance certainly meant He Ying had won.

Meanwhile, Sun Pan’s supporters argued that Atletico Madrid was leading in terms of the team's score, so Sun Pan had won. As for whether He Ying’s away goal counted as an advantage or could help Paris Saint-Germain have the last laugh, those were uncertain things. One couldn’t declare He Ying’s victory based on a possibility.

However, such disputes weren’t a big deal domestically. The vast majority of people weren’t focusing on such odd angles. They believed that regardless of winning or losing, the winners of this match were Chinese players. The two Chinese players performed excellently, showcasing their skills on the top European stage and attracting more attention from European media and fans. Their outstanding performance was the best advertisement. Perhaps more talented Chinese players would find it easier to go abroad and play in Europe in the future.

The day after Atletico Madrid’s home game against Paris Saint-Germain, Chinese media and fans would welcome another Chinese player in the Champions League.

Zhou Yi’s Borussia Dortmund was heading to Ukraine to challenge Shakhtar Donetsk.

Unlike the previous match, this game held little suspense. In excellent form and with great strength, how could Borussia Dortmund not defeat Shakhtar Donetsk, even playing away?

Even the German media thought so.

When Borussia Dortmund was drawn with Shakhtar Donetsk, it was considered a very fortunate draw.

※※※

The two players, Sun Pan and He Ying, who had been fighting fiercely on the field the day before, logged onto QQ today and joined everyone in the group to watch the live broadcast on TV and discuss it in the group chat. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Like everyone else, they thought Borussia Dortmund would win easily.

But when the game began, things didn't go in the direction people expected.

In the swirling snow of Donetsk, Ukraine, Borussia Dortmund was embroiled in a difficult battle. Like the field itself, they struggled to move forward.

On the slippery grass, they found it difficult to control the ball, and passing errors increased significantly.

Although it snowed in Germany in winter, and the snow was heavy, all Bundesliga stadiums had highly efficient geothermal facilities, so there was no snow accumulation on the pitch, and the field could remain relatively dry.

But the geothermal facilities at Shakhtar Donetsk’s home stadium, Donbass Arena, didn’t seem to be working efficiently enough, or perhaps they weren't used at all. Some parts of the field even had snow, and the ground was muddy and slippery. Borussia Dortmund players were very uncomfortable on it.

In contrast, the Shakhtar Donetsk players were at ease. They used their aggressive running and fierce defense to make it difficult for the Borussia Dortmund players to play.

Thirty minutes into the match, neither side had been able to break the deadlock. The ball was mostly in the midfield.

But in the thirty-first minute, the deadlock was broken. The first goal wasn’t scored by the powerful Borussia Dortmund, but by the home team, Shakhtar Donetsk!

"Srna!! Beautiful free kick! He scored the first goal for Shakhtar Donetsk!"

Amidst the commentator's cheers, Shakhtar Donetsk captain Srna leaped and slid across the snow. His teammates also followed suit, sliding over to celebrate the goal with him.

Behind them were the dumbfounded Borussia Dortmund players—they had come to the away game thinking they could easily defeat their opponents, but they were caught in a tough fight and conceded a goal first!

At this moment, the bewildered Borussia Dortmund players heard Zhou Yi’s voice. He clapped his hands in the snow and shouted, "It’s not a big deal! This is an away game after all!"

After attracting everyone's attention, Zhou Yi continued to shout loudly: "Let’s set a small goal first, like trying to get an away goal. Stay calm, we have to allow them to score at home!"

Hearing him say this, many Borussia Dortmund players reacted—they had been too optimistic. This was Shakhtar Donetsk’s home ground after all, so what was wrong with them scoring a goal and taking the lead?

They should have been mentally prepared for this during the pre-match preparations.

Since they had conceded a goal, they should try to equalize. They could not only equalize but also get an away goal. A double win, why not?

※※※

So after the game restarted, the Borussia Dortmund players quickly adjusted their mindset and began to pay more attention to their opponents.

Zhou Yi also adjusted his offensive organization strategy on the slippery grass.

He tried to minimize those seemingly cool and creative passes that were harder for his teammates to receive. Those passes looked beautiful but risked his teammates losing their balance when receiving the ball.

He used some very ordinary passes, but they allowed his teammates to ensure they received the ball.

In such harsh field conditions, being able to receive the ball was the most important thing.

Moreover, only after receiving the ball could they talk about offensive opportunities. If they couldn't even get the ball, even the best opportunity was just a possibility.

Borussia Dortmund changed their mindset and played steadily, gradually reversing their disadvantage.

And in the forty-first minute, ten minutes after conceding the goal, Borussia Dortmund launched a series of passes to reach the wing, where Götze crossed the ball. Then Lewandowski headed the ball into Shakhtar Donetsk’s goal from the center!

"Lewandowski! He equalized for Borussia Dortmund! 1:1! Borussia Dortmund got a valuable away goal!"

※※※

Not long after Borussia Dortmund equalized, the first half ended.

Although they conceded a goal, they also scored one. For Borussia Dortmund, the final result of this first half was acceptable.

After a fifteen-minute half-time break, the two sides switched sides and fought again.

The two sides continued to fight in the midfield, unable to break the deadlock for a long time.

For Borussia Dortmund, facing such harsh weather and field conditions away from home, the final 1:1 score was entirely acceptable. During the half-time break, Klopp warned his players to be patient. A draw away from home was a completely acceptable result, and there was no need to rush.

Under such circumstances, Shakhtar Donetsk took the lead in making adjustments.

In the sixty-second minute, their coach, Lucescu, replaced Taison Barcellos Freda, also from Brazil, with Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa.

Bringing on a midfielder and taking off a forward was intended to consolidate the defense while strengthening control of the midfield. Because the two sides had basically been entangled in the midfield before, controlling the midfield would create more opportunities.

This substitution by Shakhtar Donetsk had an immediate effect.

In the sixty-eighth minute, Shakhtar Donetsk defender Yaroslav Rakitsky assisted Douglas Costa, who had just come on, and the latter put Shakhtar Donetsk ahead!

"Douglas Costa! Douglas Costa!!" The Ukrainian commentator was very excited, repeatedly shouting the name of the goal scorer. "We’ve taken the lead again!"

The cheers of Shakhtar Donetsk fans echoed in the sky above Donbass Arena.

Amidst the huge cheers, Klopp shook his head helplessly.

This goal shouldn't have been conceded if the field and weather conditions had been good, because Hummels slipped at a critical moment while defending…

His fall left the advancing Douglas Costa unmarked, and he could easily put the ball into Weidenfeller's goal.

Regarding this goal, Klopp could only lament that God was on Shakhtar Donetsk’s side.

※※※

After Shakhtar Donetsk took a 2:1 lead, everyone in the Lao Guo group sighed at Shakhtar Donetsk’s tenacity.

"It would be a big embarrassment if Borussia Dortmund lost to Shakhtar Donetsk away!" Sun Pan said.

"Before the match, everyone thought Borussia Dortmund could win easily, but after watching nearly seventy minutes of the match, I think it’s completely acceptable if Borussia Dortmund can get a 1:2 result in the end…" Guo Nu said.

※※※

But Klopp didn't think 1:2 was acceptable. He could accept 1:1, and he could also accept 2:2, but not 1:2.

So in the seventieth minute, he replaced captain Kehl with Marco.

This was a signal to strengthen the attack.

Since recovering from his injury, Marco hadn't been a permanent starter for Borussia Dortmund. Before his injury, he was the undisputed choice on the front line. Lewandowski hadn't fully emerged at that time.

During his year-long injury, Lewandowski exploded and became the team’s top scorer. It was difficult for Marco to regain his starting position from him. In addition, with the introduction of Reus, Marco became a rotation player in the team.

However, Marco didn’t complain. He was a die-hard Borussia Dortmund fan. He was actually very similar to Großkreutz. As long as he could play for his beloved team, he didn’t care whether he started or what position he played.

As long as he was allowed to play, he would play seriously and faithfully carry out the tasks assigned to him by the coach.

Coaches actually liked this kind of player very much because he didn’t cause trouble and had strength. This kind of player was indispensable to any team.

After coming on the field, Marco ran hard, creating opportunities for the team. He wasn’t greedy for possession and didn’t have to control the ball in the muddy and slippery field.

After more than seventy minutes of running and trampling by both sides, the pitch of this stadium was actually overwhelmed.

The movement of the ball on the ground became increasingly irregular, and the difficulty of controlling the ball naturally increased for the players.

The reason why Shakhtar Donetsk was able to take the lead was because they played very simply. After getting the ball, they kicked it forward. If they could get the ball, they had a chance to shoot. If they couldn't get the ball, it was just a wasted run.

This kind of attack wasn’t very good to look at, and the efficiency wasn’t necessarily high, but it was very practical in this weather and field conditions.

In contrast, Borussia Dortmund’s attacks were slightly more complicated.

Seeing that the game time was getting shorter and shorter, Zhou Yi realized that he had to make some changes.

Many people could accept a score of 1:2, but Zhou Yi was definitely not among those who could accept it.