Ye Chen didn't yawn on purpose.
The main reason was that the substitute bench had a windscreen, making the temperature inside incredibly comfortable. Combined with Hamburg's leather seats that perfectly fit the contours of the human body, Ye Chen couldn't help but let out a yawn...
And it just so happened that Son Heung-min saw it!
Even though Dortmund had conceded a goal, they were still in the lead, so Ye Chen wasn't worried at all.
Besides, there was no point in him being anxiousâit was up to Klopp to make the calls.
If the coach didn't substitute him in, being anxious wouldn't change anything.
The match quickly resumed.
After scoring, Hamburg's momentum surged.
With about seven minutes left, including stoppage time, Hamburg pressed Dortmund hard.
Klopp was visibly displeased by what he saw on the field.
"Why are you all falling back? Push forward!" Klopp shouted at the players. "Press them hard!"
Dortmund's formation was being compressed by the opposition. If they kept defending passively, Hamburg might capitalize on the momentum and score again.
If Hamburg equalized and kept pressing, the match could become unpredictable!
This was the time to take risks!
The players needed to quickly move the ball past midfield and take the battle to the opponent's half!
In the critical moment, Shinji Kagawa stepped up. He dribbled forward, and LÃnkÅng, Hamburg's defensive midfielder, was fooled by a feint and forced to foul him.
This gave Dortmund a much-needed breather.
After the free kick, GroÃkreutz drove down the wing but was blocked by Lin Zhijian, so he passed it back to Kagawa.
Kagawa surged forward and quickly changed direction to dodge Diekmeier.
Just as he prepared to shoot, Bruma arrived with a sliding tackle, sending Kagawa flying.
For this, the center-back earned himself a yellow card.
Dortmund, however, won a free kick in a prime position.
Kagawa glanced at the spot, then looked toward the sidelines.
If only Ye was here...
This position was perfect for his signature curling shot.
Unfortunately, Kagawa's free kick sailed over the goal.
But by then, the first half was nearly over.
At halftime, Dortmund led Hamburg 2-1.
Klopp was the first to head to the locker room, followed by the players and substitutes.
As they walked, Kagawa suddenly called out to Son Heung-min.
"Son!"
"What's up?" Son stopped and turned to look at Kagawa.
"I'd advise you not to make Ye angry," Kagawa said coldly. "You can't handle his wrath."
Son smirked and shrugged. "Oh yeah? I might just try."
If Ye Chen were fully fit, Son would admit he wasn't a match for him.
But Ye Chen was injured today.
If he could beat him once, his confidence would return. He could finally step out from under Ye Chen's shadow...
In the locker room during halftime, Klopp seemed relatively satisfied with the team.
However, he noticed Hamburg gaining momentum, so he subbed out Kuba for De Bruyne.
Kuba had been performing well, assisting Lewandowski for the second goal.
His defense had been solid, too.
But now Dortmund needed someone to control the ball in the attacking third.
De Bruyne was the perfect fit.
He warmed up quickly and listened intently to Klopp's instructions.
Wang Chu, watching, admired De Bruyne. "I can't believe Kevin's starting so soon. I'm jealous!"
Ma Yide nodded heavily. "Me too!"
Ye Chen chuckled. "Keep training hard. Your chances will come soon."
There were plenty of matches in the second half of the season. Opportunities to play wouldn't be scarce.
The only thing that could hold a player back was their ability.
After all, Klopp was a pragmatist at heart.
He needed wins, and wins required skill.
The second half began.
Hamburg started with the ball.
At 45:07, Guerrero booted the ball back to center-back Westermann.
Lewandowski immediately pressed him.
Unfazed, Westermann passed to Diekmeier.
Diekmeier was quickly pressed by Lewandowski and De Bruyne.
De Bruyne, now playing as an attacking midfielder, pushed forward while Kagawa shifted to the left and GroÃkreutz took the right flank.
GroÃkreutz was truly Dortmund's utility player.
He could play anywhere except center-back and goalkeeperâand he played well.
Under pressure, Diekmeier passed to Kacar in the middle.
Before Kacar could turn, Sven Bender bumped him hard.
Despite the pain, Kacar passed the ball to LÃnkÅng, who drove it forward past midfield.
He passed decisively to Guerrero.
As a South American player, Guerrero's footwork was delicate.
He performed a step-over, baiting SubotiÄ.
But SubotiÄ stood his ground.
Suddenly, Guerrero sent a diagonal through-ball down the left.
Son Heung-min burst forward like an unleashed stallion.
Piszczeck reached out to tug him back, but Son preemptively shook him off.
Piszczeck's attempt slowed him instead.
Son charged into the box, one-on-one with Langerak!
Langerak rushed out, lowering his body to close the angle.
But Son flicked the ball with the tip of his boot...
The ball slipped through Langerak's legs!
Thud!
The ball hit the net and rolled up.
Instead of celebrating with the crowd, Son sprinted toward Dortmund's bench.
Under the gaze of the fans, Son raised a finger and beckoned silently.
Ye Chen froze for a moment.
Why did that gesture seem to come with sound effects?
"Come on over!"
Ye Chen had seen Son's training videos on Instagram.
He knew it was a challenge from his father, Son Woong-jung.
But he hadn't expected Son to make such a gesture toward the bench...
Even the top drama school graduates would applaud this act!
"Ye, warm up!" Klopp's voice broke Ye Chen's thoughts.
"Got it!"
Ye Chen stood up slowly, stretched, and stepped onto the sideline.
Suddenly, chants erupted from the crowd.
"Ye Chen, rise up!"
The foreign fans might not understand the words, but the red flags waving said enough.
If they were cheering, the fans joined in!
Seeing Ye Chen warm up, Hamburg's coach Thorsten Fink's face turned pale.
His legs nearly gave out.
"Damn it, Son! What are you doing?"
Thorsten's mind flashed back to a line from an old martial arts movie...
"The path to heaven left untaken, the gate to hell rushed through!"
Son Heung-min was asking for trouble!