Chapter 1 A Clutch Reception, Aubameyang Levels the Score

Before Yan Min even touched the ball, everyone noticed him sprinting towards it. Many doubted he could reach it; Zhou Yi's pass seemed too long.

The Chinese team players in front of their TVs couldn't help but cheer for Yan Min.

"Go! Yan Min! Go!!"

"Sprint! You can do it! You can reach it!"

"Faster, faster, even faster!!"

"Go, run!"

Coach Lippi and his staff sat at the back of the meeting room. They understood the significance of this moment.

Lippi smiled.

This unconscious detail revealed the team's internal unity.

He said to his Italian assistant, "I must thank Gao. Despite the criticism he faced, he left us the most valuable asset – a united team."

His assistant nodded. "Indeed, united like a family. Yan Min is a complete newcomer to the national team, yet he's so well-liked..."

※※※

Fueled by his teammates' cheers, Yan Min pushed himself to his limits. He practically threw his body forward, lifting his foot to meet the airborne soccer ball.

If he missed, Dortmund would not only lose a golden counter-attack opportunity, but would also alert Real Madrid, making future chances even harder to come by.

For Dortmund, a counter-attack was more valuable than gold.

This was a counter-attack that couldn't fail. He had to reach the ball, and control it. Merely touching it, only to send it out of bounds, would be no different from missing it entirely.

The inside of his left foot made contact with the ball, or rather, the ball slammed into the inside of his outstretched foot, then rebounded back into the field. He did it!

He received the ball!

But the force of the stop, combined with the ball's impact, caused Yan Min to lose his balance upon landing, staggering slightly.

Falling here would undo everything.

Yan Min gritted his teeth, using his hands to brace his forward momentum, and dug his cleats into the grass, preventing himself from sliding.

He regained his balance, and chased after the ball!

"Yan Min!! He kept the ball in play! A fantastic counter-attack opportunity for Dortmund!!" Marcel Reif roared excitedly.

The cheers from Dortmund fans in the stands grew even louder.

※※※

After regaining his balance and stride, Yan Min caught up with the ball, only to be confronted by Real Madrid center-back Varane.

Without hesitation, Yan Min pushed the ball forward and accelerated, attempting to outpace him.

But he underestimated Varane's speed.

Despite his height of over 1.9 meters, the young French center-back was surprisingly fast.

Seeing Yan Min try to force a breakthrough with speed, Varane immediately turned and, with long strides, chased after the ball, determined to intercept it before Yan Min.

Ancelotti, who had been tense, relaxed slightly.

The opposing player chose to rely on speed against Varane... He had picked the wrong opponent for a speed contest.

If Ramos had been in his place, Yan Min might have been able to outrun him.

But now...

Varane had the advantage of longer legs. Even if he wasn't ahead, he could use his leg to poke the ball away from behind.

That was exactly his plan. Despite being slightly behind, he intended to use his leg to make a sliding tackle.

He was confident he could dispossess the Chinese kid.

He took one last step, then lunged forward, sliding with his right foot aimed at the ball.

But just as he was about to connect, something unexpected happened!

Yan Min swung his right foot and used his heel to flick the ball behind him! Instead of continuing forward, he executed a sudden stop!

Varane's tackle missed...

He refused to believe Yan Min could stop and turn so quickly without losing his balance... Even if he didn't fall, he would lose precious time, allowing Varane's teammates to steal the ball.

Varane, sprawled on the ground, craned his neck to look at Yan Min.

He saw Yan Min freeze momentarily during the stop, his left leg digging deep into the turf, creating furrows in the grass as if plowing the field… His thigh muscles bulged, displaying distinct muscle definition – he was using every ounce of strength to fight inertia!

The rigid posture didn't last long – perhaps a second, maybe less. Then Yan Min exploded forward like a cannonball!

Leaving a cloud of grass clippings that nearly blinded Varane...

But he forgot to close his eyes, his widened gaze fixated. He watched in astonishment as Yan Min surged back, then, before the recovering Real Madrid player Di Maria could reach him, used the inside of his right foot to push the ball toward the center, narrowly avoiding Di Maria's tackle.

At the same time, he made another incredible turn, cutting inside toward the middle!

Two consecutive changes of direction – a 180-degree hairpin turn followed by a 90-degree right angle. He executed them so swiftly, as if inertia didn't exist.

The "scholar" Varane began to question his knowledge of physics...

※※※

"Great play! Change of pace! Well done, Yan Min!" He Ping, the commentator at the stadium, shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

Having bypassed Di Maria, Yan Min completed his cut inside. He had charged into Real Madrid's thirty-meter zone, and the Real Madrid defense was in chaos because of him…

With Varane easily bypassed and Di Maria unable to stop him, Khedira and Ramos naturally had to step up to cover.

But instead of continuing to showcase his dribbling skills, Yan Min looked up and passed the ball laterally, sending it through the gap between Ramos and Khedira.

The two were caught off guard by Yan Min's sudden pass. Neither managed to touch the ball...

They could only watch helplessly as it rolled towards the center.

There, Aubameyang, the equally speedy Gabonese forward, caught up with Yan Min and the ball.

As he received the pass, Casillas charged out of his goal.

With no other Real Madrid defenders in the box, he had to come out to narrow the angle.

Aubameyang focused on controlling the ball, seemingly oblivious to Casillas's advance.

Dortmund fans held their breath.

It was a race against time. If Casillas reached Aubameyang first, Aubameyang would have no angle to shoot.

But if Aubameyang got his shot off first, Casillas might not be able to stop it...

Ultimately, Aubameyang outran Casillas. Before he could fully regain his balance, he relied on his instincts as a former Ligue 1's second-highest scorer to kick the ball toward the goal!

Casillas dived to make the save, but unlike four years ago in the World Cup final against Robben, he was four years older… He couldn't reach the ball!

The ball easily passed his defenses. The bullet Zhou Yi fired traveled across the field, hitting its target, piercing Casillas, and flying into the net behind him!

"Aubameyang!!! He helps Dortmund equalize! 1:1!!"

"A textbook counter-attack! Who says only Real Madrid can execute a deadly counter-attack? Dortmund's fast break is just as impressive!"

"Dortmund taught Real Madrid a lesson using their own methods! Now both sides are back to square one! The suspense in this match isn't over yet! What a fantastic Champions League final! I've noticed that every Champions League final Dortmund participates in delivers a unique, exciting, and classic battle!"

The commentators collectively went wild…