Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Sole Owner of a Bundesliga Record

As the second half kicked off, fans quickly noticed that Borussia Dortmund had made a substitution!

Meanwhile, live commentators Huang Jianxiang and Xu Yang were instantly invigorated.

Huang Jianxiang excitedly addressed the audience:

"Borussia Dortmund has made a midfield substitution! The 17-year-old prospect, Ye Chen, has stepped onto the pitch for Dortmund!"

"This makes him the fourth Chinese player to officially debut in the Bundesliga and the first to play for Borussia Dortmund!"

"He's also the youngest Chinese player ever to appear in one of Europe's top five leagues!"

"At 17 years and 5 days old, Ye Chen is now the second-youngest player in Dortmund's history to make his debut. The youngest record-holder remains Nuri Şahin, who debuted in 2005 at 16 years, 11 months, and 1 day!"

Huang Jianxiang had gathered all these stats in advance. If Ye Chen could score in his debut... he'd become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score on debut!

But Huang Jianxiang didn't dare to dream that far. Just getting playtime was already a significant achievement—no need to entertain wild fantasies.

Score on debut?

That'd only happen in his dreams!

"Ye Chen has just stepped onto the Bundesliga stage and already carved out his place in history!"

"What kind of performance will he deliver? Let's wait and see!"

On the other side, Mainz's coach Oliver Glasner was astonished that Klopp had actually sent a 17-year-old onto the field—especially at such a critical moment. This wasn't some garbage time at the end of the match!

Could this teenager really have that much ability?

Glasner was well-acquainted with Klopp's coaching style, having studied him extensively. Klopp's remarkable success stemmed from his relentless thirst for victory—a trait Glasner deeply admired and pursued himself.

The game was currently tilted in Mainz's favor, and Glasner was determined to solidify this advantage. He wanted to prove to the fans that he was every bit as competent as Klopp.

After some quick deliberation, Glasner immediately called over center-back Fathi:

"Pay close attention to that kid's movements. Don't give him a chance to shoot! Tell Riise to mark him tightly!"

"Got it, boss!" Fathi replied with a confident smile. "Don't worry, boss. He's just a 17-year-old kid."

Hearing Fathi's response, Glasner relaxed a little. Was he overthinking it? Was his focus slipping just because the opponent was Klopp?

Still, it was better to be cautious. Glasner had even done a bit of research on Ye Chen and had seen some online highlight reels of the youngster scoring goals. It was clear Ye Chen was a player with sharp decision-making and a knack for long-range shots.

The solution? Stick close to him and deny him the chance to shoot!

But how effective this approach would be depended on his players' on-the-spot execution.

The match resumed with Ye Chen passing the ball back to Shinji Kagawa before sprinting forward.

Kagawa slowed the pace, keeping the ball under control in Dortmund's half. The team's tactics in the second half were adjusted from the first; since their earlier strategies hadn't worked, they planned to focus on attacking down the left flank this time.

Kagawa passed the ball to Perišić, who began a determined drive forward!

Mainz's fullback Bungert moved in to challenge him, but Perišić didn't head for the byline. Instead, he cut inside. Perhaps it was because the game had just restarted, but Bungert seemed sluggish—like a wooden post—allowing Perišić to get past him.

Pospech immediately stepped up to confront him.

At the same time, Ye Chen made himself available for a pass.

Seeing Pospech closing in, Perišić realized further dribbling would be tough. He passed the ball to Ye Chen and quickly darted forward, betting that Ye Chen understood his usual positioning habits.

Perišić was known for his aggressive forward runs after passing!

But as the ball reached Ye Chen, Mainz's Fathi executed Glasner's instructions to the letter, charging in immediately to deny Ye Chen any chance to shoot. This time, Fathi wasn't just trying to block him—he intended to steal the ball outright. And if he couldn't? Then he'd stop Ye Chen by any means necessary!

After all, this was the Bundesliga, not an under-18 youth league. Fathi was determined to teach this young player a harsh lesson.

However, Ye Chen's mind remained remarkably calm. Before Fathi could act, Ye Chen deftly flicked the ball backward, simultaneously sidestepping the oncoming "collision" with a quick body feint.

The ball sliced through Mainz's defense like a scalpel, finding Perišić again.

Perišić didn't even have time to applaud Ye Chen's brilliant pass as he burst into the box. Mainz's center-back Pospech trailed behind him, unable to catch up.

Now it was Perišić one-on-one with goalkeeper Heinz Müller!

Müller rushed out decisively, but Perišić showed no hesitation. He aimed a low shot toward the far corner.

The ball skimmed along the ground, heading for the net. But just as it seemed destined to cross the line, Müller managed to get a toe on it, deflecting the ball's trajectory.

"Saved!"

Mainz's fans erupted, ready to cheer for Müller's heroic save.

But in the next instant, their joy turned into collective despair.

The deflected ball landed in front of Ye Chen, who had smartly positioned himself for the second ball.

A true striker knows that proximity to the goal is where the real danger lies!

"Boom!"

Faced with an open goal, Ye Chen wasn't about to miss. Unlike players prone to wild shots under pressure, Ye Chen calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net with a precise push.

"Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!!"

The stadium DJ's voice boomed across the arena.

"The scorer is Borussia Dortmund's 17-year-old sensation—Ye!!!"

"Ye!"

"Ye!"

"Ye!"

Dortmund fans who had traveled with the team chanted Ye Chen's name in unison.

Ye Chen instinctively sprinted toward the corner flag to celebrate but suddenly remembered that Lina was in the stands. Changing course, he ran over to her and shouted, "I scored!"

With a clenched fist and a roaring cheer, Ye Chen celebrated. But in his excitement, he forgot that Lina was sitting among Mainz's home supporters.

"****!"

"Get out of here, you **** Chinese monkey!"

"Go back to China! *****!"

Mainz fans hurled unprintable insults, along with bottles of water, aiming them at Ye Chen.

Quickly dodging, Ye Chen found himself surrounded by his teammates.

"You idiot! Do you want to make it out of Mainz alive?" Perišić teased while locking Ye Chen in a playful headlock. "But man, that follow-up shot was brilliant!"

On television, the commentators were shouting with unbridled excitement.

"He's done it! He's done it! He's done it!!!"

"Ye Chen has become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score on debut!"

"He now holds this incredible record alone!"

"And he's from China!"

"He's our pride!"