[Super Mario Boosts Dortmund, Last-Minute Goal Against Marseille Secures Knockout Stage Spot!]
[Twists and Turns! Dortmund's Stoppage-Time Winner Sends Them to the Champions League Round of 16!]
[Player De Bruyne Announces: Here we go! Dortmund, I'm coming!]
[Post-Match Interview â Götze: Ye wasn't on the pitch, but his spirit was with us!]
[...]
Dortmund advancing to the Champions League knockout stage was the best Christmas gift for countless fans!
As the fans left the stadium, they sang and danced with joy.
Ye Chen didn't leave after the match; instead, he went straight to the locker room to celebrate with his teammates. Lina took a few girls back to school.
When Ye Chen entered the locker room, the players were already celebrating with champagne!
They were shirtless, dancing around excitedly.
The moment they saw Ye Chen, they sprayed him with champagne, covering him in foam!
Götze ran over to Ye Chen, draping his arm around his neck with a proud grin. "Ye, wasn't that last-minute goal of mine cool? And how about that celebration â way cooler than yours, right?"
"Cool, cool, you're the star tonight!" Ye Chen laughed. "So, what's the plan? Heading home to your girlfriend or hitting the bar?"
"Girlfriends can wait! Tonight's definitely a bar night!"
Ye Chen gave him a thumbs-up â this guy really knew how to live!
The European football scene can be wild.
In top clubs, if a player performs well on the pitch, there's no shortage of women off it.
Football and entertainment are closely linked. Many women seek proximity to players, hoping for more exposure.
In this era, exposure equals money.
Who wouldn't want more of it?
But what puzzled Ye Chen was why Götze frequented bars despite having a girlfriend. Was she not enough for him? Or was it just their mindset â as long as they weren't married, anything goes?
Ye Chen shrugged it off. He had no interest in going to bars.
At that moment, Klopp spoke up. "Bars are fine, but no getting drunk! Remember, we have a league match in four days. And..."
Everyone looked at Klopp, curious.
"Tonight's drinks are on me!"
"Got it, boss!"
"Wow!! Thanks, boss!!"
"Boss, you coming too?"
"Boss, I'm going to drink you dry tonight!"
The players erupted with excitement.
"I'll pass. Kehl will take you." Klopp smiled. "I'm taking Ye home."
"Boo..."
As a married man, Klopp avoided places like bars.
It's all about self-control.
Temptation is hard to resist when beautiful, willing women approach you.
Klopp called Ye Chen over. "Ye, come with me to the post-match press conference."
"Huh? I didn't play. Why am I going to the press conference?"
"Who says you need to play to attend?" Klopp replied casually.
Ye Chen shrugged. "Alright, I'll tag along."
When Ye Chen and Klopp entered the press conference hall, the journalists were stunned. A buzz filled the room.
"Why is Ye here?"
"Yeah, he didn't play tonight!"
"He didn't play, but it felt like he did!"
"Götze's goal looked just like Ye's style!"
The murmurs grew louder.
Klopp smiled, pleased by their reaction. "Here's the deal â the rest of the team is celebrating at the bar. This kid is only 17, so he can't join them. I brought him to the press conference instead. Alright, let's begin the Q&A."
The journalists chuckled, though none believed him.
That's how it is â tell a lie, and everyone believes it. Tell the truth, and no one does.
Klopp scanned the room and picked a strikingly beautiful female journalist.
She stood up, visibly excited, swaying slightly. "Ye, what were you feeling during this incredible comeback?"
"I was stunned â it was unbelievable!" Ye Chen grinned. "One minute I thought we were heading to the Europa League, and the next, Götze sent us into the Champions League knockout stage. Amazing!"
Thinking back still gave him chills â it was like heaven and hell in a split second.
"Who do you hope to face in the first knockout round?"
"If I could choose, definitely Manchester United!" Ye Chen replied without hesitation.
The journalists froze.
"Don't you know? United finished third in their group. They're in the Europa League," one journalist reminded him.
Ye Chen's expression turned to surprise. "Really? I had no idea!"
"How did you feel when you found out Manchester United dropped to the Europa League?" another reporter asked, capitalizing on the moment.
"I wish Götze hadn't scored that goal!" Ye Chen joked. "That way, we could face United in the Europa League!"
The room burst into laughter â this kid held grudges!
Seeing their shocked faces, Ye Chen smiled even wider. "Just kidding. I think Manchester United is a strong team. They belong in the Champions League, not the Europa League."
Ye Chen was well aware of United's group stage draw. After all, he was still part of the team at the time.
United had been placed in Group C with Benfica, Basel, and Galati Steel.
United fans were ecstatic when the draw was announced â it felt like UEFA had handed them a free pass.
But after six matches, United finished third with 2 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss.
If future United managers failed to escape such a group, they'd be trolled endlessly â "Ole out," "Rangnick out," and "Ten Hag out" would trend in no time.
But since it was Sir Alex Ferguson, fans quickly found excuses â "Focus on the league!"
To be fair, United was leading the Premier League, unbeaten after 15 matches with 8 wins and 7 draws, sitting on 31 points.
Chelsea and Arsenal were hot on their heels with 29 points each.
United's squad wasn't the strongest this season, so slipping up in the Champions League wasn't surprising.
All those draws highlighted their lack of firepower.
Aside from Rooney, neither Chicharito, Berbatov, nor Welbeck could deliver consistently.
That's why Ferguson was so eager to bring Ye Chen back.
But none of that would make the headlines. Instead, Ye Chen's "joke" quickly spread across Premier League news sites.
[Shocking! United's Former Player Ye: Dortmund Shouldn't Have Scored â We Could Have Faced United in the Europa League!]
Ah, those sensational headlines â the handiwork of a true clickbait master.