Chapter 53 Dortmund, Cursed?

“Oh oh oh oh oh!! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!!” Duan Xin shouted excitedly. “Beautiful arcing shot! This is Zhou Yi’s signature long shot! His long shots aren’t known for their power, but for their curve! This curve helps his shots bypass the defense and reach their target! This goal is not only beautiful, but also significant! He helped Dortmund equalize!”

Duan Xin was so excited, of course, because of the hype from those Korean media before the game. Son Heung-min scored a goal, but Zhou Yi didn't. If the game ended like this, who knows how those Korean media would brag. Just thinking about it made Duan Xin very upset.

“Zhou Yi—he equalized for the team!” Marcel Reif exclaimed. “After the second half started, everyone thought that Leverkusen had the advantage, and Dortmund had no chance, but that's football, you can't predict what will happen next!”

“Ah—Zhou Yi—goal! Dortmund equalized! What a pity!” The Korean commentator first exclaimed, then sighed. If this goal wasn't scored by Zhou Yi, he might not have sighed. Son Heung-min scored a goal, which was originally ahead of Zhou Yi. As a result, less than ten minutes into the second half, Zhou Yi also scored! The two sides are now tied, and Son Heung-min has no advantage over Zhou Yi.

This is the main reason why the Korean commentator felt frustrated.

※※※

Seeing the football enter the goal, Zhou Yi was a little surprised at first. He was stunned for a moment.

Because he didn't expect this shot to actually go in—before shooting, he just wanted to try and take his chances. No one can guarantee that such a long shot will definitely go in, because there are too many factors that can affect the final result.

After confirming that the football really flew into the goal, Zhou Yi began to celebrate—he didn't sprint somewhere to celebrate the goal, but instead crossed his arms and raised his head slightly, striking a pose in place.

His teammates ran up and followed Zhou Yi, forming a group statue.

Then everyone laughed and hugged again.

Commentator Marcel Reif said: “Actually, it’s no secret that Zhou Yi lurks outside the penalty area during corner kicks, waiting for a chance to shoot from long range. It’s just really hard to defend, because he can’t always kick such a beautiful shot. If Leverkusen sends more people to defend Zhou Yi, it will inevitably reduce the number of people defending in front of their own goal, which may give Dortmund an opportunity... In fact, after Yan Min's breakthrough in the first half, the defense against Zhou Yi wasn't as good as before... In fact, Leverkusen is now in a dilemma. How did this corner kick come about? Wasn't it Yan Min's breakthrough cross that gave Mark a chance to shoot? And how did Yan Min get the chance to cross? When he moved forward, Zhou Yi cleverly passed the football to him—look, it still comes down to Zhou Yi. Why did Zhou Yi have the opportunity to pass calmly outside Leverkusen's thirty-meter area? Because Leverkusen's defense against him wasn't as strict as before. Why wasn't it as strict as before? Because Yan Min was particularly active. Why did Yan Min become active? Because Zhou Yi tied down too much of Leverkusen's defensive strength...”

Marcel Reif almost made people dizzy, but his analysis was still very accurate.

This is Dortmund's wishful thinking, and also the problem that Leverkusen is facing.

While Dortmund players were celebrating the goal, Leverkusen coach Hyypiä stood on the sidelines in a suit and shoes, hands in his pockets, frowning.

Of course, he could see what the situation was now, but he had no solution.

Yes, no solution. The coach is not omnipotent, and he is not even a top coach. Even a top coach would probably find it difficult to deal with Leverkusen's current situation.

Zhou Yi is obviously someone who can't be suppressed by one person, but if more people are sent, what about the others? Now it's not just Yan Min, Aubameyang is also eager to try... They are all people with excellent personal abilities, good at breaking through and shooting.

※※※

Equalizing the score greatly boosted Dortmund's morale. After all, this is their home court, and the next plan is of course to take advantage of the momentum, take the lead, and then win the game.

Logically speaking, it should be like this. Any team will perform better and have an advantage after scoring a goal.

But football is round, and no one knows what will happen next...

Just as Dortmund regrouped and planned to completely crush Leverkusen, an accident suddenly occurred on the field.

In the fifty-ninth minute, Leverkusen midfielder Hegeler was fighting with Sven Bender, and as a result, stepped on Sven Bender's foot. Sven Bender immediately fell to the ground in pain and couldn't get up.

This behavior earned Hegeler a yellow card. But Dortmund paid an even greater price—Sven Bender couldn't continue the game and had to be replaced!

“Sven Bender is injured... For Dortmund, who are already plagued by injuries, this is simply adding insult to injury!” Marcel Reif lamented for Dortmund. “This game was originally said to be a ‘brother derby’ between Sven Bender and Lars Bender, but this brother derby ended prematurely...”

Watching Sven Bender limp off the field with the help of the team doctor, Klopp cursed on the sidelines.

He was in a very bad mood now—he finally saw hope of winning the game, but Sven Bender was injured. With the defense almost entirely on the injury list, is the midfield going to start getting infected with injuries?

※※※

Sven Bender's departure was indeed a heavy blow to Dortmund's soaring morale.

Because Sven Bender is responsible for defending the midfield. If Dortmund wants to be more efficient and threatening in attack, they must rely on Sven Bender's defense in the back.

Especially Klopp's adjustment at halftime, he encouraged the frontcourt players to play freely, and free play will of course bring a lot of mistakes and loss of possession.

What to do if you lose possession? On the one hand, rely on the players who lost the ball to actively counter-attack in the frontcourt, and on the other hand, of course, rely on the midfield's defensive interception, and Sven Bender shoulders a very important role in this place.

After Sven Bender left the field, it seems that it has a great impact on Dortmund's defense, but in fact it has a great impact on Dortmund's attack as well.

Klopp immediately made a substitution, replacing the injured Sven Bender with Kehl. This season, Kehl has been affected by injuries. He has started once and come on as a substitute twice. He has only played three games. His condition is definitely not as good as Sven Bender's, and he has been out of action for a long time. He has to face such a fierce situation as soon as he comes up. The test for him is also very big.

Affected by this, Dortmund's next offensive frenzy did not appear.

Hyypiä also breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines—God is on their side, this luck is really good.

※※※

Next, the two sides fell into a stalemate again. Leverkusen continued to use frequent fouls to interrupt Dortmund's attacking rhythm, making the game fragmented.

In the sixty-first minute, Emre Can was shown a yellow card by the referee for tripping Yan Min in defense.

However, this foul was not intended to make the game fragmented, but Emre Can had no choice but to make a move at the time—Yan Min had already picked up his speed. If it was a little later, Emre's kick would have turned from a side tackle into a back tackle, and then it might not have been settled with just a yellow card...

When Emre Can tackled Yan Min, there was a storm of boos in the stands. Dortmund fans were very dissatisfied that Emre Can only received a yellow card.

Later, Dortmund's center-back Papastathopoulos also received a yellow card in defense. He was defending Son Heung-min.

Dortmund's slow offense allowed Son Heung-min to see a chance to score.

Zhou Yi scored a goal, which was equivalent to a tie with him. Of course, Son Heung-min would not accept this result.

Seeing that Dortmund's attack was in a deadlock again, Klopp made another personnel adjustment, replacing Mark Wagner with Kuba, and pushing Aubameyang to the front to play as a striker.

Then Dortmund, led by Zhou Yi, also launched several offensives, but unfortunately they met Leno, who was in excellent condition, and all returned without success.

Watching the game time disappear little by little, but the score still hasn't changed. Dortmund supporters are worried.

The previous game against Bayern Munich ended in a draw at home. Are they going to draw against Leverkusen this time?

This is completely unacceptable to them!

In fact, it's not just Dortmund fans who can't accept it, but Dortmund players themselves can't accept it either.

It's just that no matter whether they accept it or not, reality probably won't change according to their wishes.

The game time passed minute by minute, but the score still couldn't be rewritten.

With only ten minutes left before the end of the game, Dortmund decided to launch an attack at all costs. But at this moment, an accident happened again!

In the seventy-ninth minute, midfielder Şahin sprained his ankle when landing during a header!

“My God…” Marcel Reif was stunned by Dortmund's terrible luck in this game. “Is Dortmund cursed?”

The previous national team game injured two of Dortmund's main defenders, and now in a league game, Dortmund has two more injuries...