Shaking the Mountain to Frighten the Tiger!
Go big or go home. If you're going to play, make sure your performance is convincing!
Son Heung-min's expression was complicated.
On the sidelines, Son Woong-jung's face was grim as he watched the match.
Since Ye Chen entered the Bundesliga, Son Woong-jung had been keeping an eye on him. He knew Ye Chen would become the biggest obstacle in his son's career path.
But he had underestimated Ye Chen.
That seamless series of movementsâthere weren't many players in Asia, or even Europe, who could pull that off.
This goal was a testament to sheer individual skill!
The spectators were stunned, and so were the viewers watching at home.
It felt like over the winter break, this young player had leveled up again.
His actions were simple but lethal.
Especially his decisiveness when finishingâa quality every top striker must possess.
Why does Balotelli sometimes ponder life during one-on-ones?
Because his decisiveness falters!
But Ye Chen? He's a model of decisiveness.
The match resumed, but Hamburg's players were visibly shaken.
On the sidelines, Thorsten Fink was furious.
Damn it, Son! Why did you provoke Ye Chen for no reason?
Klopp had made it clear in the pre-match press conferenceâYe Chen wouldn't play unless absolutely necessary.
But special circumstances did arise.
When Ye Chen was provoked, the first to react wasn't Ye Chenâit was Klopp!
Some random player dares to provoke Ye Chen?
Fine!
Let them experience the gap between Ye Chen and the rest firsthand.
"Stay sharp! We're only down by one goal!" Thorsten shouted to his players. "Aogo, control the tempo!"
Dennis Aogo, Hamburg's solid midfielder, had exceptional ball control and vision.
Aogo held the ball at his feet.
But on the opposite side, Ye Chen roared, "Let's press high, guys!"
Ye Chen was like a commanding general, and with his signal, the entire team surged forward.
To execute total football, everyone must commit!
If only one player presses, it's easy to get toyed with, like Ronaldo in isolated situations.
Ye Chen had faced similar scenarios before, but he forced errors that turned into goals.
That goal forced Bundesliga teams to stop casually passing around the backline.
One mistake could be fatal!
Seeing Ye Chen charge forward, Aogo quickly passed the ball to his midfield partner, Tomas Rincon.
But Lewandowski was already closing in.
Rincon didn't expect Lewandowski to arrive so fast and flicked the ball to Lin Zhijian on the right flank.
Constantly passing backward leads to even greater pressure. Forward play is the only solution.
Lin Zhijian, positioned as a right wing-back, mirrored Son Heung-min's movement on the left.
He chose not to pass back but instead charged forward with the ball!
However, Marcel Schmelzer was already pressing, preventing him from accelerating.
Without support from another fullback, Lin Zhijian had two optionsâ
1. Pass back to Rincon.
2. Return the ball to center-back Westermann.
He chose neither.
He opted to mimic Ye Chen's approach...
As Schmelzer approached, Lin Zhijian performed a flashy stepover.
If Ye Chen can do it, so can I!
Lin Zhijian knew Germany's national team had their eyes on Ye Chen, with Joachim Löw publicly praising him multiple timesâstirring jealousy within.
Lin Zhijian, also of Chinese descent, had long expressed his desire to join the German national team.
But Löw never acknowledged him.
Fine. I'll prove myself through performance!
But Schmelzer wasn't Salah, and Lin Zhijian wasn't Ye Chen.
Schmelzer immediately closed in, blocking the inside lane and forcing Lin Zhijian to the sideline.
Fullbacks focus on positioning during defense and avoid rash tackles...
Sure enough, as Lin Zhijian accelerated down the sideline, Schmelzer was ready. He swiftly shifted laterally and used his shoulder to block Lin Zhijian.
The Bundesliga is known for its physicalityâsecond only to the Premier League.
Unless... your speed is like Ye Chen's, allowing you to breeze past defenders.
The two collided shoulder-to-shoulder!
Schmelzer's strength stopped Lin Zhijian cold. In that brief halt, Schmelzer muscled ahead and took possession.
As he claimed the ball, Schmelzer swiftly passed inside with his instepâsmooth and efficient.
This is what fast counterattacks are about.
Mats Hummels immediately passed to Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne anticipated the pass and positioned himself to receive it.
Hamburg's Rincon rushed forward, but Dortmund had already switched from defense to attack.
Dortmund's attacking trio was already sprinting forward, while Ye Chen dropped back to receive.
De Bruyne glanced at Rincon and feinted right.
As Rincon lunged, De Bruyne deftly cut the ball left.
A sharp turn, effortlessly evading the interception.
Bang!
Without hesitation, De Bruyne passed the ball to Ye Chen.
Ye Chen took possession as Sala approached, but Ye Chen was faster.
Bang!
A diagonal pass found Kevin GroÃkreutz on the right wing.
The ball curved perfectly into GroÃkreutz's running path, drawing gasps from the crowd.
What a pass!
After the pass, Ye Chen sprinted down the right.
This movement opened space for De Bruyne's forward run and supported GroÃkreutz.
Every movement from professional players is deliberate and strategic.
Ye Chen's run dragged Sala along, forcing Bruma to cover.
After all, Ye Chen was the nuclear weapon on the fieldâunguarded at their peril.
GroÃkreutz dashed to the byline.
His mission was clearâcross the ball!
Bang!
Without slowing, GroÃkreutz whipped in a driven cross.
Son Heung-min stretched to block it, but the ball curved past his toes into the box.
A fast, low crossâdefenders hesitated to intercept.
At that moment, Lewandowski stormed in like a low-flying bomber...
Thud!
The ball rocketed into the net, and Hamburg's keeper Drobny froze.
Boom!
Lewandowski's goal erupted like an atomic blast, igniting 5,000 Dortmund fans in the stands!
Lewandowski rose, kissed the badge, and ran to the crowd.
"GOOOOOOOAL!!"
"Robert~~~~"
"Lewandowski~~~~~~"
A perfect counterattack by Dortmund!
Hamburg had been beaten at their own game.
From Schmelzer's tackle to Hummels and De Bruyne's setup, Ye Chen's pass, GroÃkreutz's cross, and Lewandowski's finishâ
Five players functioning like a precision machine.
"OMG!!! 10 seconds!!!"
"Dortmund's counterattack took only ten seconds!"
An unbelievable goal for the history books!