Chapter 196 Chatting

Unlike Dortmund's match against Schalke 04 at home, which promised much but delivered little, Bayern Munich in Berlin took a two-goal lead in the first half. They scored twice in the sixth and fourteenth minutes, establishing a comfortable lead.

Götze, after scoring the winning goal in the last match, also found the net in this game. The commentator noted that Götze had rediscovered his form after scoring in two consecutive matches.

But in reality, as the season neared its end, Götze didn't want to let things slip, so his fighting spirit was even more vigorous.

He was competing with Zhou Yi...

Although there was still half a game to play, no one doubted that Bayern Munich could take all three points from Hertha Berlin.

If Dortmund failed to defeat Schalke 04, even if they were held to a draw at home, the gap between them and Bayern Munich would widen to six points.

The most important thing was not even the point difference, but the devastating blow it would deal to the team's morale and confidence. Losing to a rival they absolutely couldn't afford to lose at the most critical moment, and then watching the gap between them and Bayern Munich grow larger and larger, with few league games remaining, would indeed be a fatal blow to the players’ spirits. It would inevitably lead to thoughts of giving up. Once that energy was gone, it would be almost impossible to rekindle it.

At that point, it was likely to trigger an avalanche. Dortmund's hard work and perseverance for most of the season would completely collapse.

And then they would no longer be able to threaten Bayern Munich's championship position.

※※※

During halftime, Klopp didn't make any adjustments to the team.

There were no tactical problems, as evidenced by Dortmund's dominance on the field.

The inability to score had nothing to do with tactics, but rather with the players' performance on the field, which Klopp couldn't control.

He could only continue to encourage his players.

On the other side, Schalke 04 coach Jens Keller praised the team's performance, saying they had been very tenacious in the first half.

"Dortmund wants to win more than we do, and this is their home. As long as we are more patient than them, they will lose their composure and become frantic as the game goes on. Then, when they throw everything into attack, that's our chance to counterattack!"

※※※

After the start of the second half, neither side made any substitutions.

Just two minutes into the second half, Dortmund created a dangerous opportunity.

Zhou Yi quickly passed the ball to Yan Min.

Yan Min, who had switched to the right, didn't dribble past his opponent. Instead, he sent in a cross at a forty-five-degree angle.

Mark and Aubameyang attracted Schalke 04's defensive attention in the penalty area, but Yan Min's cross accurately found Reus, who had cut diagonally from outside the box to the far post.

Reus unleashed a powerful shot with no one marking him!

Unfortunately, he didn't hit the ball cleanly, and it bounced high into the air before being caught by Schalke 04's goalkeeper Fährmann...

"Fährmann! He's made another save! With his excellent performance, Fährmann has pushed Hildebrand out of the starting lineup this season and firmly established himself as Schalke 04's first-choice goalkeeper... You can see his outstanding ability in this Revierderby..."

"Dortmund is now facing a similar problem - they control the game, have a higher possession rate than their opponents, but they can't finish their chances. Although they've created many scoring opportunities, their forwards are struggling to score goals," Duan Xin said.

On the Chinese internet, fans were also dissatisfied with Dortmund's attacking performance.

"Honestly, I think Dortmund's forwards are not worthy of Zhou Yi. How many chances has Zhou Yi created for them! They haven't taken any of them! If they could just seize one, the situation would be very different..."

"Exactly, look at Lewandowski, who's doing so well at Bayern Munich. Mark is good, but there's still a gap between him and Lewandowski..."

"If Dortmund had a forward who matched Zhou Yi's level, how could they have been chasing after Bayern Munich all season?"

"Exactly, I won't say anything else. If they could have kept Lewandowski, this season's league title would still be a foregone conclusion!"

※※※

Yang Muge noticed that Zhou Yi's position was further forward in the second half. He was consciously moving forward, closer to Schalke 04's goal and penalty area.

What did this mean? Was it to create more dangerous shots?

Under his defense, Zhou Yi could only operate in the thirty-meter zone most of the time, organizing attacks, but it was difficult to make the final pass.

So he wanted to get closer to the goal and then deliver more deadly passes to help his teammates score... A very reasonable choice.

Of course, Yang Muge couldn't let Zhou Yi get his way.

As the distance between Zhou Yi and the goal decreased, Yang Muge's pressure in defense also increased.

Later on, he followed Zhou Yi almost every step of the way, not only preventing him from passing the ball, but also doing everything possible to interfere with him even receiving the ball.

During this period, Dortmund's attacking quality didn't improve because of Zhou Yi's forward movement. Instead, Schalke 04's counterattacks became more and more effective.

Marcel Reif understood what was happening.

"Yang Muge's defense against Zhou Yi is successful. Under Yang Muge's close marking, Zhou Yi is almost useless... When Dortmund's attack is blocked, Schalke 04's counterattack becomes sharper. This is, of course, because Schalke 04 has solidified their defense, so their attacking players can concentrate on the attack without distraction..."

"Yang Muge is truly an unassuming player, but you only realize his importance when he's not there. In the first leg of the Revierderby this season, Jens Keller had the whimsical idea of having Neustädter defend Zhou Yi, and as a result, Schalke 04's defense was almost blown apart by Dortmund. It seems he has fully learned the lessons from the previous Revierderby. Currently, it seems that only a player like Yang Muge can deal with Zhou Yi. He has better physical strength than Zhou Yi, but he is also as flexible as Zhou Yi. In addition, he is very tenacious and has a very strong will... Once he gets entangled with you, few opponents can easily get rid of him. He's like chewing gum..."

"I even think Yang Muge is the most underrated player in Schalke 04. Once more and more people realize his importance, I don't know how Schalke 04 will be able to keep this excellent midfielder..."

※※※

"I bet the commentator is praising you in every possible way right now, Old Yang." When he wasn't on the ball, Yang Muge stuck close to Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi simply started chatting with him. "Praising how difficult you are to deal with, like chewed gum..."

Yang Muge smiled lightly: "Don't try to distract me with trash talk, Zhou Yi."

"How can this be trash talk?" Zhou Yi looked around while chatting with Yang Muge. He was like this when he wasn't on the ball.

Then he ran to a spot, received a pass from his teammate, and quickly passed the ball out. He paused his conversation while doing this.

Until he had finished passing the ball, he naturally switched back to chat mode and continued to say to Yang Muge:

"I'm really praising you. And I'm very glad that although you're not in the same club as me, we're in the same national team. With you as my midfield partner, I can feel much more at ease..."

Yang Muge was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Zhou Yi to be so talkative, even digressing to the World Cup. The game going on now was a club competition... What did it have to do with the World Cup?

"Speaking of this summer's World Cup, I also have ambitions. The domestic media is saying that we have a chance to break through and qualify from the group stage. But I think they're too conservative. How can simply qualifying from the group stage satisfy us? We worked so hard to beat so many opponents to go all the way to Brazil, we’re not just going to make it to the round of sixteen..."

Zhou Yi seemed to be seriously discussing the World Cup with Yang Muge, which made Yang Muge even more confused. He couldn't figure out what Zhou Yi was up to.

Zhou Yi didn't cover his mouth when he spoke, because he had to keep turning his head to observe the situation. It wouldn't be convenient to cover his mouth with his hand.

However, he was speaking in Chinese. Even if the German media hired a lip-reading expert, interpreting it with German in mind would yield nothing.

The television broadcast also captured the interaction between Zhou Yi and Yang Muge. Through the high-definition camera, Zhou Yi's mouth could be seen moving non-stop, clearly indicating he was speaking.

But no one knew what he was saying.

"Zhou Yi... uh, seems to be chatting with Yang Muge?" Duan Xin was surprised. This scene looked too incongruous. The Revierderby was fiercely contested, full of gunpowder, but Zhou Yi and Yang Muge were chatting. "I'm very curious about what they're talking about..."

In the process, Zhou Yi passed the ball twice more, but they weren't the kind of dangerous passes, let alone deadly passes. They were just ordinary receptions and passes, basically without any technical content. He didn't even have to think about the passes, just passing the ball to the teammate closest to him.

"Ambitions?" Yang Muge inadvertently asked, he was actually interested in what Zhou Yi was saying.

Because the question Zhou Yi raised was something he had never heard before. Zhou Yi had never mentioned any expectations or goals for the World Cup, whether in reality or in the group chat that excluded Lao Guo.

Zhou Yi shook his head left and right, and then said: "Of course, we'll go all out and go as far as we can. If possible..."

Zhou Yi paused here and suddenly ran out - his teammate was passing the ball to him.

Yang Muge followed closely. Dortmund sent in a cross, and Zhou Yi ran towards the ball.

Yang Muge, who was chasing behind, suddenly heard Zhou Yi's voice in front: "I also want to try for the championship!"

These words stunned Yang Muge. Did he know what he was saying!

As a result, in that moment of stunned silence, Zhou Yi shook off Yang Muge's close marking, met the ball, and swung his leg, not to pass, but to shoot directly!

Zhou Yi shot directly from around the arc of the penalty area!

Yang Muge was only stunned for a moment, but quickly chased up again, but he had already missed the best opportunity.

In that brief moment of less than a second, Zhou Yi completed his shot.

The ball drew an arc and flew directly towards the upper right corner of the goal.

Goalkeeper Fährmann stretched his body out as much as possible in the air and extended his arm. Zhou Yi's shot was very sudden, and he was somewhat unprepared.

So although he did everything he could, he still couldn't stop the ball from flying into the goal he was guarding...

The deadlock was broken just like that!

Somewhat unexpected, and even startling.