With the substitution completed, Ye Chen's first-ever derby match had officially come to an end.
But the match between Dortmund and Schalke wasn't over yet!
Sitting on the bench, Ye Chen's attention was glued to the game.
This match was different from the last one.
The previous game was a goal fest, but this one was a full-on physical battle.
No matter who had the ball, it was impossible to make a comfortable pass...
Ye Chen finally understood why he had such a hard time playing!
With how fiercely Schalke 04's players were charging, he was lucky to walk away without an injury...
Since Schalke 04 was trailing, they went all-in during the final moments.
But Dortmund's players defended with determination. It was clear they were exhausted, their movements slowing down noticeably. Yet, no matter how dangerous the shot, they threw their bodies in front of it to block!
87:12.
Huntelaar fired a rocket from outside the box.
But Santana, disregarding injury, blocked the shot with his chest!
89:34.
Höjbjerg crossed from the wing.
Raul and Hummels collided heads in the middle.
Both lay on the ground for half a minute before getting up. Hummels had a bandage wrapped around his head.
At that moment, they weren't just players â they were warriors defending their territory!
The crowd sang the team anthem, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the players.
On the sidelines, the substitutes couldn't stay seated â they all stood nervously watching the pitch.
Klopp and Stevens shouted instructions at the top of their lungs.
"Forget everything, just charge forward!"
"Hold the line, cover the gaps... press up, don't let them get a clean shot!"
Their voices grew hoarse...
Watching the fierce battle unfold, Ye Chen realized why he was subbed off.
Schalke 04's players were too rough and aggressive!
Several scuffles had broken out between players.
If not for the referee's intervention, the Ruhr derby could have turned into a boxing match!
Time ticked by, and every Dortmund fan clenched their fists.
Finally, the match approached its climax.
95:24.
Schalke 04's last attack.
The newly-subbed 21-year-old Pukki sent a diagonal pass to Huntelaar.
Huntelaar drifted left into space to receive the ball, with Owomoyela quickly closing in.
But Huntelaar's quick footwork and a feint created just enough space for a shot!
Boom!
The ball curled around Owomoyela, flying towards the goal.
Weidenfeller, fully focused, instinctively closed his legs the moment he saw the ball.
At the critical moment, his heel deflected the ball!
Reacting swiftly, Weidenfeller turned and scooped up the slowing ball!
"Whew..."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the stadium.
On the sidelines, Ye Chen clenched his fists in excitement. "Well done, Vice-Captain!"
"Oh my god! It's Weidenfeller again!" the commentator shouted.
"His miraculous heel save keeps Dortmund alive!"
Just then, the referee blew the final whistle.
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
"There's no more time â Dortmund will win the 139th Ruhr Derby!"
"Congratulations to Dortmund!"
"They secure three valuable points at home!"
"And if I were to pick the MVP, I'd give it to our young star Ye without hesitation!"
"It was his goal that equalized the match â he's the hero of Dortmund!"
The crowd erupted in celebration.
Yet Schalke 04's traveling fans didn't leave. Instead, they applauded.
Despite the loss, their players had given everything.
On the pitch, Huntelaar â who missed the final shot â sank to his knees, burying his face in the grass, crying.
"Damn it... I was so close! Just a little more!"
Exhausted, Raul approached and patted his head. "Jan, you did great."
Huntelaar looked up, his vision blurred by tears. "But..."
"Don't blame Ye â he's incredible! We defended him tightly, and he still scored a crucial goal!" Raul sighed.
"If that goal hadn't gone in, we'd have at least taken a point."
Huntelaar gritted his teeth. Because of Ye Chen, he had been training harder than ever â he hadn't been to a bar in weeks.
He gave his all in every match, but compared to Ye, he still fell short!
I've worked so hard already!
Huntelaar glared at Dortmund's bench.
But Ye wasn't there. The moment the whistle blew, Dortmund's substitutes stormed the pitch to celebrate.
Watching Ye's beaming smile, Huntelaar clenched his fist...
Next time, I'll win.
They say great rivals push each other to greatness.
Like Messi and Ronaldo.
Huntelaar had been unstoppable at the start of the season.
Though Gomez and Podolski weren't far behind, he led the scoring charts by a few goals.
He thought the Golden Boot was his.
But Ye Chen changed everything...
To stay ahead, Huntelaar simplified his life.
It was all training and matches now â nothing else.
He craved more goals, eager to reclaim the top spot!
But after sharing the pitch with Ye today, he felt the gap.
As a Schalke 04 player, he knew how rigorously they defended Ye.
Wherever Ye was, at least two defenders followed. Even if Ye broke through, someone else filled in.
Man-marking plus zonal defense.
Schalke 04's goal was to lock Ye down.
Yet despite this, Ye scored the equalizer â and assisted the winning goal!
He distracted Hoogland just long enough for Kagawa to score from a cross.
That's why the commentator called him the MVP!
Soon, the screen confirmed it â the match's MVP was Ye Chen!
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
"MVP!"
The crowd roared.
Ye Chen glanced at the screen, stunned.
Me? The MVP?
Did the organizers make a mistake?
All he remembered was getting fouled repeatedly and scoring one long-range goal...
How did that make him MVP?
Even as the towering presenter pulled him in for an interview, he hadn't fully processed it.
"Congratulations on winning MVP in your first Ruhr Derby for Dortmund. Any thoughts?"
Ye Chen, slightly bewildered, replied, "Honestly, I didn't think I played that well... I just scored one goal... Are you sure there's no mistake?"
The interviewer froze.
"Are you serious? If that's an average performance, what counts as exceptional?"