"How are you feeling? Nervous?" Ye Chen whispered as he followed closely behind Wang Chu.
"A little!" Wang Chu nodded. "I didn't expect the coach to let me play as the core midfielder! This is a huge test for me!"
"You earned it through your hard work. Keep pushing!"
Ye Chen had never mentioned to Klopp that Wang Chu should start the match, feeling he'd already done enough.
In his previous life, Wang Chu faded into obscurity, eventually ending up in the Chinese League Two.
Take noteânot the Chinese Super League, not even League OneâLeague Two!
A former prodigy falling to such a level was heartbreaking for anyone who witnessed it.
Especially when his former teammates were still transferring to Bayern at 30 for â¬40 million. Who could understand that kind of pain?
But Ye Chen had changed Wang Chu's fate. Regardless of how the future unfolded, he would at least have Borussia Dortmund on his resume.
Ye Chen had noticed during training that Wang Chu's ball control was excellentâafter all, even L'Ãquipe had once praised him as a talent.
However, injuries and unfair treatment from clubs had shattered his confidence.
Confidence makes all the difference for a player!
"Ding! Main mission issued: Special Bond Mission. Both the host and Wang Chu hail from the football desert of Chinaâa rare occurrence. If the host and Wang Chu assist each other to score one goal in this match, the host will receive a special system reward: Bond. Mission failure will result in a deduction of 100 points!"
"Bond? What does this skill do?" Ye Chen froze as he stepped onto the field.
"Friendly reminder: The Bond skill activates automatically when Wang Chu is on the field with you, boosting both players' attributes by 10%. The effect disappears once either of you leaves the pitch."
Hiss...
Ye Chen took a sharp breath!
What did a 10% boost mean?
If his explosiveness was at 90, it would skyrocket to 99!
But assisting each other for a goal was a tall order...
Sure, he could score with Wang Chu's pass, but could Wang Chu score with his assist?
It wasn't that Ye Chen doubted himâit was just that Wang Chu hadn't been in form for a long time. In his first match... No need to sugarcoat itâYe Chen simply didn't trust him!
But this synergy skill was tempting!
Even though it required Wang Chu to stay on the field, the benefits were undeniable!
Of course, the system wouldn't hand out such a generous reward without reason. Clearly, it was because the task was difficult!
Ye Chen clenched his fist. I have to get this skill!
On the pitch, players from both sides shook hands.
Holstein Kiel's players looked sharp and determined, ready to make history in front of their fans.
But Dortmund wasn't an easy opponent.
As soon as the match began, Klopp roared from the sidelines. "Stay sharp! Don't give them any chances!"
The home team's coach scowled, but what could he do?
Klopp was a title-winning coachâhe had to endure it.
Just wait until we win. Then we'll see who gets the last laugh!
3 minutes and 12 seconds.
The ball was passed back to Holstein Kiel's goalkeeper, Jensen.
Instead of kicking it long, Jensen passed to defender Bogenge.
Ye Chen immediately closed in.
Bogenge, confident in his skills, attempted a step-over, but Ye Chen quickly poked the ball away.
Ye Chen chased the ball down and, faced with the oncoming goalkeeper, curled it toward the far corner.
Just as Ye Chen thought the ball was going in, Jensen's toe managed to block the shot!
The ball deflected toward the goal.
Mane collected it but was blocked by center-back Jorgensen just as he was about to shoot. The ball didn't go out of boundsâit was cleared upfield instead!
Lindner took possession and sprinted down the wing, only to be fouled by midfielder Kehl.
Ye Chen held his head in frustrationâwhat a wasted chance!
Dortmund began pressing Holstein Kiel heavily.
In just ten minutes, they had already taken seven shots, though Ye Chen had only attempted one from outside the box.
Most passes went inside the box, and Ye Chen had to enter the area to receive them.
Seeing this, Ye Chen whispered to Wang Chu, who immediately understood.
Finally, at 16 minutes and 24 seconds, Ye Chen activated his long-range shot card!
Wang Chu passed the ball to Ye Chen, who was four or five meters outside the box. Wang Chu made a forward run right after the pass.
Before he even entered the penalty area, a sudden whoosh filled the air...
Turning his head, Wang Chu saw a white streak flying toward the top right corner!
It was Ye Chen's shot!
"Swoosh!"
Jensen didn't even reactâthe ball hit the back of the net.
The home crowd, once loudly cheering, fell into complete silence.
That shot could only be described as earth-shattering!
It was sudden, precise, and unstoppable!
Jensen's view had been blocked by his defenders, leaving him no chance.
Wang Chu quickly ran to Ye Chen, who gave him a big hug, pulling him toward the corner flag and pointing at him.
The message was clearâRemember Wang Chu. He made that pass!
Dortmund fans chanted Ye Chen's name, but Ye Chen turned to Wang Chu. "How about it? Want to hear the fans shout your name like this?"
"Of course I do!" Wang Chu grinned.
"Then move around more. I'll pass it to you!" Ye Chen said earnestly.
"Hey, I'm the playmaker. Scoring is your job!" Wang Chu replied hastily.
"Who says midfielders can't score? Look at Kakaâhe scores 10 to 20 goals a season!"
"But I'm not Kaka!" Wang Chu grimaced.
Ye Chen stopped. "Listen, Wang Chu. Our opponents are just a third-division team. If you can't seize this chance, no one can save you!"
Wang Chu nodded seriously, stirred by Ye Chen's determination.
Years later, in an interview after retiring, Wang Chu mentioned his first DFB-Pokal match with Dortmund. He admitted that without Ye Chen's encouragement and belief, he wouldn't have reached the heights he did.