Chapter 1 The Match

Perhaps because they had just finished a crucial game against Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund's players were somewhat tired, both physically and mentally.

Dortmund didn't play well enough in this match.

Near the end of the first half, Reus scored the first goal for Dortmund, taking the lead.

But the first half was still unsatisfactory.

Because just one minute after Reus scored, Dortmund's main center-back, Subotić, fell from the air and landed on his knee during a challenge with Wolfsburg's forward, Olić. He was immediately substituted, and Klopp's face darkened.

Subotić's departure had an adverse effect on the stability of Dortmund's defense.

Wolfsburg scored two goals in the fifty-sixth and sixty-ninth minutes of the second half, reversing the score to 2:1!

Yan Min, who had performed miraculously in the match against Arsenal, did not play the role of the team's savior this time. Although he tried very hard, he always seemed to be out of luck.

By the time he was substituted off in the seventy-seventh minute, he had a total of four shots in the game, three of which hit the frame of the goal, but none went in. In addition, he contributed three crosses, but his teammates failed to capitalize on them.

In the seventy-seventh minute, he was replaced by Aubameyang.

As he was substituted, Duan Xin said with some regret: "Yan Min wasn't very lucky in this game. It seems he used up all his good luck in the match against Arsenal..."

In his opinion, if Yan Min could put on a convincing performance in two consecutive games, he could definitely keep Aubameyang on the bench for the time being.

It's just a pity that he seems to lack the protagonist's halo...

※※※

From the eighty-first minute to the eighty-fifth minute, in just four minutes, three Dortmund players received yellow cards, including Zhou Yi, Reus, and Mark.

They were basically booked for fouls committed during interceptions in the attacking third.

This shows that Dortmund was not willing to lose the game on the road.

They were originally only one point behind Bayern Munich, but if they lost to Wolfsburg on the road, the gap would widen to four points—in another game being played at the same time, Bayern Munich was already leading Augsburg 2:0 at home. Unless something unexpected happened, there was no doubt that they would take all three points at home.

But until the very end, Dortmund failed to score, and when the referee blew the whistle to end the game, they could only helplessly accept the result.

"The game is over, Dortmund lost to Wolfsburg 1:2 on the road! In this game, the performance of the entire Dortmund team was not good enough, perhaps the match with Arsenal exhausted their energy... But Dortmund still has a chance, the next round is their chance to directly face Bayern Munich, if they can defeat Bayern Munich at home, they can still narrow the gap between the two sides to one point..." Marcel Reif comforted the disappointed Dortmund fans in front of the TV.

But Dortmund fans had different opinions—if Dortmund had won this game, then in the next game, as long as Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich at home, wouldn't they be able to surpass Bayern in the standings? Why bother to chase back to a one-point difference?

The bad news was not just losing to Wolfsburg on the road.

News came after the game that Subotić, who was injured in the match, was diagnosed with a torn cruciate ligament in his knee after an MRI. He would need six months to recover, which also meant that Subotić's season was basically over in advance...

This was terrible, Dortmund had been frequently plagued by injuries this season, and now Subotić was out for the season, which made people even less optimistic about Dortmund's prospects for the season.

※※※

After the game against Wolfsburg, the European leagues ushered in the international break.

Dortmund's international players had to return to their respective national teams to participate in the matches.

Yan Min was also selected for the Chinese national team squad for this international break due to his outstanding performance in the Champions League match against Arsenal. He had to return to China from Germany with Zhou Yi and Yang Muge, and they would play two friendly matches with the team.

The opponents for the friendly matches were Slovenia from Europe and Venezuela from South America.

Both teams had been eliminated in the recently concluded World Cup qualifiers in Brazil, and they were both out of the World Cup. However, they were invited by the Chinese Football Association to play friendly matches with the Chinese team because they came from Europe and South America respectively. The Chinese team hoped to use the warm-up matches to increase their experience playing against European and American teams.

You know, in next year's World Cup group stage, the Chinese team will definitely be drawn into a group with at least one team from Europe or South America. Playing against European and American teams more often will help players become more familiar with the playing styles of European and American teams and accumulate experience. If they can also win, they can accumulate confidence against European and American teams, so that when they encounter similar teams again in the World Cup, the Chinese players will not be intimidated.

Slovenia was placed in Group E in the European qualifiers, along with Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Albania, and Cyprus. In the qualifiers, Slovenia eventually had five wins and five losses, accumulating fifteen points, ranking third in the group, and missing out on the play-off qualification. So they now had time to come to China for this warm-up match.

The South American team Venezuela ranked sixth in the final South American qualifiers, also missing out on the play-off qualification. They won five games, drew five games, and lost six games in sixteen matches, accumulating twenty points, five points less than Uruguay, who ranked fifth and qualified for the play-offs.

These two teams were not weak teams, and they had considerable strength. Although they did not qualify in their respective continental qualifiers, it was because the competition in their regions was too fierce. If they were to participate in the World Cup qualifiers in Asia, the chances of reaching the finals would be greatly increased.

But at the same time, their strength was not as ridiculously strong as those established European and American powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Spain. Moreover, facing the Chinese team with a large number of players playing in European clubs, these two teams would not underestimate their opponents. If they wanted to win, they would have to go all out.

Having just finished the World Cup qualifiers and lacking high-quality matches, they also cherished the opportunity to play against the Chinese team and would not send a second-tier team to China just to go through the motions.

The Chinese team's choice of them as warm-up opponents ensured the quality of the warm-up and also had a chance of winning, which was a smart choice.

Judging from the choice of warm-up opponents, today's Chinese football is indeed more professional than it was when it first entered the World Cup finals...

※※※

Because it was designed with the goal of reaching the World Cup finals next year, even though it was a warm-up match, all the Chinese national team players playing in Europe had to return to participate in the match.

There was no need to say more about Zhou Yi and Yan Min's situation.

Yang Muge is the main defensive midfielder at Schalke 04. No matter how the team's performance is, he is a solid starter.

After losing to Dortmund in the Revierderby, Schalke 04 ushered in a wave of two consecutive victories.

However, the team lost too many games in the early stages. After twelve rounds of league matches, Schalke 04 had six wins, two draws, and four losses, with twenty-three goals scored and twenty-three goals conceded, a goal difference of zero, and twenty points, ranking sixth in the Bundesliga standings.

Sun Pan has conquered almost everyone at Chelsea, and now there is no longer any discussion about who should start between him and Čech. There are rumors that Čech is considering leaving Chelsea to find another way out. It looks like Sun Pan has had the last laugh in the competition with Čech.

He Ying at Paris Saint-Germain formed a front trident with Ibrahimović and Cavani. Although he didn't score many goals, his all-around attributes were indispensable to Paris Saint-Germain's attack. He could score goals, break through and assist his teammates, and also connect the midfield and frontcourt. The all-around He Ying was deeply trusted and valued by Paris Saint-Germain's new coach, Blanc.

Although the French Ligue 1 where Paris Saint-Germain is located is not the highest level league in Europe, he can get stable playing time here, which helps him more than being a substitute at Barcelona. He has received comprehensive training at Paris Saint-Germain and also has more tactical flexibility, making him the kind of player that any coach wants to coach.

And Guo Nu, the worst of the Five Little Dragons, started playing for Inter Milan after Inter Milan regained his ownership this season. With his excellent physical fitness and tenacious fighting spirit, he also occupied a place in Inter Milan's starting lineup. Although he didn't have the Champions League to play in, he could also accumulate European experience in the Europa League, which was also very beneficial to his improvement.

They are all continuing to grow and improve in their respective clubs, and these improvements can be seen by everyone through the weekly broadcasts of the major European leagues.

Every Chinese fan has high hopes for them, hoping that they can seize this year's time, grow more in their respective clubs, and then bring what they have learned in European football to the Chinese team and show it in next year's World Cup, and win glory for the country.

※※※

ps, Friendly advertisement: Old friend Geng Xin's new book "Yu Song" has reached 140,000 words. The book of an old-brand historical author is definitely guaranteed in quality. Everyone can also have one more book to read in their spare time. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Book number 1009397265

Speaking of which, there are 1 billion books at Qidian, which is really scary...