Chapter 1 Dortmund's Sudden Stroke of Luck

Dortmund was fortunate to win against Leverkusen, and the road ahead suddenly seemed much smoother.

The next two league games were against opponents with nothing to play for, making everything seem easier.

That was the general consensus.

But Klopp didn't see it that way.

On the way back to Dortmund from Leverkusen, he eagerly called a meeting. The sole purpose was to get the players on the same page, to prevent them from thinking that winning against Leverkusen meant they could take the championship for granted.

There are three possible outcomes in a soccer match: victory, a draw, and defeat.

This meant that the odds of winning any given match were only one in three, while the chances of not winning were a staggering two in three.

Klopp used last season as an example, telling the players that now was not the time to relax.

Last season, Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich in their direct encounter, taking the lead in the league standings.

But then, against Wolfsburg, they were almost unseated.

In that game, Dortmund scored first, taking the lead.

But Wolfsburg then scored three consecutive goals, changing the score to 3-1.

If Dortmund had lost the match, they would have been overtaken by Bayern Munich again.

In the second half, Dortmund woke up as if from a dream and fought hard to catch up. Finally, in the eighty-fourth minute, Mark helped Dortmund take a 4-3 lead.

Dortmund ultimately defeated their opponent.

So, nothing is impossible, and you must always respect the game.

※※※

After the match against Leverkusen, Dortmund faced Atlético Madrid.

This was the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.

In the first leg, Dortmund beat Atlético Madrid 3-0 and already had one foot in the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal.

They had the advantage.

Atlético Madrid, playing at home, were fighting a desperate battle.

According to Madrid media reports, Simeone issued a call to arms, demanding that the players give their all in the game, treating it like a Champions League final.

Atlético Madrid fans also said they would support their team at all costs, turning the entire Calderón stadium into a veritable "hell."

Dortmund's media were relatively more optimistic.

They believed that as long as Dortmund didn't make mistakes, everything Atlético Madrid did would be in vain.

Although the match between Dortmund and Atlético Madrid was the first of the semi-final first legs, they became the second match in the second leg.

The first match day featured Real Madrid against Bayern Munich.

In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, Bayern Munich only lost 0-1 away.

Many people favored them to advance.

One reason was the first-leg match, another was that the schedule favored teams playing away first and then at home, and a third reason was that Real Madrid often didn't gain any advantage playing against German teams away.

Before then, Real Madrid had played twenty-six away games against German teams, winning only a pitiful two times. The losses included humiliating defeats such as 0-5 to Kaiserslautern, 1-5 to Borussia Mönchengladbach, and 1-5 to Hamburg.

Of course, Real Madrid's most recent away win was this season when they beat Schalke 04 6-1 in the round of sixteen.

Although this victory was glorious.

But winning only two out of twenty-six away games was still a very poor record.

Moreover, many people believed that Schalke 04's loss to Real Madrid only showed that Schalke 04 was too weak and didn't mean that Real Madrid had broken the curse.

Bayern Munich and Schalke 04 were not in the same league at all. Schalke 04 could be defeated 1-6 by Real Madrid at home, but that didn't mean Bayern Munich could be.

So, people were still more optimistic about Bayern Munich advancing to the final.

It seemed that a repeat of the Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Dortmund for the second consecutive season was about to become a reality.

※※※

Dortmund was also very concerned about the match between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. They wanted to see which team they would face in the final and gather information in advance.

Guardiola's team was overtaken by Dortmund in the league, and the hope of winning the league was getting slimmer and slimmer. The only thing that could save the season was the Champions League. Bayern Munich would definitely strive to win the Champions League trophy, otherwise, the season would be a complete failure for Guardiola.

Dortmund's coaches and players watched the broadcast of the match from their hotel in Madrid.

Before the game, everyone felt that Bayern Munich would have more advantage playing Real Madrid at home, and it would not be easy for Real Madrid to win.

But the situation deviated from everyone's expectations not long after the match started.

Only sixteen minutes into the game, Real Madrid won a corner kick. Modrić took the kick, and Cristiano Ronaldo jumped high in the center, almost as high as the crossbar, but he still didn't manage to head the ball.

Although he didn't hear the ball, he attracted the attention of almost all Bayern Munich players. Everyone looked up at the towering Cristiano Ronaldo, but ignored the more terrible danger behind him: Real Madrid center-back Sergio Ramos moved forward at high speed from behind, then jumped high, appearing from behind Cristiano Ronaldo, and headed the flying ball! With such speed and power, goalkeeper Neuer was already doing well to make a save attempt, let alone catch the ball…

The ball flew into the goal! The deadlock was broken, the aggregate score became 2-0, and Real Madrid further extended their lead!

Dortmund players in front of the TV were stunned. They didn't expect Real Madrid to score so quickly…

Although they were rivals, they admitted that Bayern Munich was very strong. So, they were surprised that Bayern Munich conceded a goal so quickly.

But even more surprising things were yet to come.

Just four minutes after Bayern Munich conceded a goal, they conceded another!

In the twentieth minute, Real Madrid won a free kick on the right, almost at a forty-five-degree angle to the goal.

Di María took the right-wing free kick, using his left foot to kick an inward curve. The ball went straight to the far corner of the goal.

In the middle, Pepe jumped up and headed the ball back, followed by Ramos again, who headed the ball that Pepe had touched!

This was a header almost on the edge of the penalty area. Neuer didn't even have time to make a save… The ball smashed into Bayern Munich's goal like a cannonball!

"2-0!! Oh my God! Real Madrid are leading Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Allianz Arena! Can you imagine that? This is Bayern Munich's home ground!" Even the Spanish commentator was somewhat incredulous.

Not to mention the Dortmund coaches and players in front of the TV—everyone watching the match was stunned and speechless.

Real Madrid not only took a 2-1 lead over Bayern Munich on aggregate, but they also had two away goals. Even if Bayern Munich tied the aggregate score, they would be eliminated due to the disadvantage of away goals.

“…Sergio Ramos! He is the first defender to score twice in a Champions League semi-final! He is truly a great weapon for Real Madrid!” The Spanish commentator was praising Ramos. “In the history of Real Madrid, there have been three defenders who have scored twice in a single Champions League match: Panucci in 1998, Roberto Carlos, and the third is Ramos. However, the first two were not able to complete the feat of scoring twice in such an important match as the Champions League semi-final! Ramos is even the second Spaniard in history to score twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The previous one was Raúl González…”

Zhou Yi sighed in front of the TV: "Bayern Munich is done for."

Although the match had only just started for twenty minutes, Zhou Yi could already draw such a conclusion.

Who would have thought that a year ago, this team would have swept "the universe team" Barcelona 4-0 in this stadium to advance to the final?

Reversed by Dortmund in the league, facing a collapse in the Champions League semi-final.

Even as a mortal enemy, Zhou Yi couldn't help but feel a little emotional when he saw his opponent, who had been entangled with them for several seasons and fought fiercely, in such a mess.