Chapter 13 The Decisive Victory at Allianz Arena

When the football was passed to Zhou Yi again, boos rang out from the stands, louder this time than at the start of the game. Bayern Munich fans were booing Zhou Yi, the "coward," who, in their opinion, only passed sideways and backward, a true "passing emperor."

After the last season, statistics showed that Zhou Yi had made a total of three thousand and eighty-nine passes, the most in the Bundesliga.

Bayern Munich fans believed that Zhou Yi's high number of passes was due to meaningless back passes and sideways passes.

Such a first place was meaningless.

Some even wrote technical articles analyzing and listing a large amount of data to prove that more than 60% of Zhou Yi's passes in a game were meaningless, useless, and aimless "three-no" passes.

This idea was also brought to China through the developed internet.

It caused some controversy on the Chinese internet as well.

However, the controversy was not significant, because most people were on Zhou Yi's side, believing that these German fans were talking nonsense—if all of Zhou Yi's passes in a game were threatening passes, he would be able to fly directly into the sky…

Back to the game.

Amid the boos from Bayern Munich fans, Zhou Yi, standing in front of the penalty area, received the ball and turned around, facing away from the direction of attack, while also blocking Bayern Munich's defensive midfielder, Gustavo, behind him.

Gustavo, tall and with long legs, still persistently tried to poke the ball away, even when blocked.

Under Gustavo's physical pressure, Zhou Yi couldn't control the ball for long.

So he passed the ball back to the overlapping full-back, Piszczek.

The boos from the stands increased, and some Bayern Munich fans waved their arms at Zhou Yi: "Pass forward if you have the guts!!"

They were complaining that Zhou Yi only knew how to pass back. He was already in Bayern Munich's defensive third, yet Zhou Yi was still passing back, so Bayern Munich fans certainly considered him a coward.

After passing the ball, Zhou Yi didn't stay in front but ran back.

While running, he also turned his head to observe the situation, finding that Gustavo hadn't followed, because Kagawa Shinji was in his original position, containing Gustavo.

So he decisively signaled to Piszczek, who understood and passed the ball back.

After Zhou Yi received the ball, he turned around again, this time facing the direction of attack.

He took a step forward, and Bayern Munich player Toni Kroos came up to press him.

If he didn't pass the ball again, it might be passed back again.

Facing Kroos's press, Zhou Yi adjusted the ball to the outside of his right foot, dribbling toward the sideline, while also looking at the right wing, where Großkreutz was actively moving forward, raising his hand to ask Zhou Yi for the ball.

Zhou Yi swung his right foot in that direction, as if he was about to pass.

Kroos, who was defending him, quickly slid out, hoping to use his body to block Zhou Yi's pass.

But Zhou Yi's move was just a feint. He used his right foot to hook the ball to the left, suddenly stopping and changing direction, turning towards the center.

Kroos, who was faked out, also stopped abruptly, trying to turn back and pounce on him again.

Zhou Yi didn't give him a chance to get close again. Just as he hooked the ball over, before he could adjust, he kicked the ball again with his right foot.

This time it wasn't a feint. The outside of his right foot solidly hit the ball, and the ball soared into the air, drawing an arc in the sky, flying towards the far end of Bayern Munich's defense, behind the back line.

There, Götze suddenly burst out from the crowd, reaching Bayern Munich's defense!

He received Zhou Yi's pass in Bayern Munich's penalty area, stopping it with his foot!

"Zhou Yi! Götze! Great ball!" Marcel Reif shouted excitedly.

After waiting for so long, they finally got a threatening attacking opportunity!

When Götze received the ball, Bayern Munich's center-back Badstuber turned and raised his arm, signaling that Götze was offside.

But neither the referee nor the distant linesman made any indication.

Neuer abandoned his goal and rushed out to meet Götze.

Götze had just stopped the ball with his left foot. As soon as the ball landed, his right foot arrived, and he shot!

The ball flew past the rushing Neuer, towards the goal behind him…

"Götze—goal!!!" Duan Xin shouted.

"toooooooooooooor!! Götze! Mario Götze! He scored! He opened the scoring for Borussia Dortmund!"

After scoring, Götze didn't celebrate wildly but turned back and pointed at Zhou Yi, signaling him to come up and celebrate with him.

The other players were much more excited than Götze.

They swarmed up and pounced on the two of them.

On the sidelines, Klopp was also very excited. He waved his fist vigorously, making a boxing gesture.

Bayern Munich had always been the leader in the Bundesliga, but now, his Borussia Dortmund was going to loudly tell Bayern Munich who the real leader of the Bundesliga was!

While Klopp was celebrating wildly, Bayern Munich's coach Heynckes on the sidelines looked helpless. He spread his hands and then clapped them down.

What could he say about this goal?

His players certainly had some lapses in concentration when defending, but that wasn't the main reason.

The main reason was Zhou Yi.

He pretended to pass to Großkreutz, faked out Kroos who had been following him, and then, after turning around, he directly chipped the ball without any adjustment. The speed and rhythm were so fast that Bayern Munich's defenders couldn't keep up.

While everyone's attention was still on Zhou Yi, who had suddenly hooked past Kroos, the ball had already flown to Götze…

That's why Badstuber thought Götze was offside after he got the ball—he hadn't paid any attention to how Götze was running at the time, his eyes were fixed on Zhou Yi.

※※※

Borussia Dortmund's goal broke the deadlock and also broke a subtle balance between the two sides.

Bayern Munich, trailing behind, would have to strengthen their attack, and more loopholes would appear behind them, while Borussia Dortmund could give full play to their ability to run more and counterattack Bayern Munich.

Although Bayern Munich had a strong attacking power, Borussia Dortmund's was not weak either, and due to the reversal of the situation and the difference in player morale, Borussia Dortmund's attack was actually more threatening.

If it hadn't been for Neuer, who Bayern Munich had poached from Schalke 04, playing so well, Bayern Munich might have conceded another goal.

However, although Borussia Dortmund's attack did not score again, it greatly affected Bayern Munich's attack, causing them to have too many concerns when attacking and preventing them from going all out.

So, although Borussia Dortmund was only leading Bayern Munich by one goal, Bayern Munich was unable to close this gap until the end of the game…

"The game is over! The game is over! Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich away from home! Although it was only a narrow victory by one goal, for Klopp's team, this may be a historic victory! The league has only started thirteen rounds, and we don't know what impact the result of this game will have on the entire league. But if Borussia Dortmund successfully defends their title, I think this game will definitely be highlighted!" Marcel Reif said excitedly, as if he felt he had witnessed the beginning of an era.

Perhaps Borussia Dortmund's title win last season would no longer be a flash in the pan, perhaps Borussia Dortmund's title win last season was really just the beginning.

※※※

After this game, the German media were all commenting on Borussia Dortmund's victory.

Many of them shared a view with Marcel Reif, which was that the victory in this game was of great significance to Borussia Dortmund.

Being able to defeat Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena for two consecutive seasons could greatly boost Borussia Dortmund's confidence and make them realize that even Bayern Munich was no longer their opponent in Germany today.

Last season, when Bayern Munich lost to Borussia Dortmund at home, some people would still think it was because Bayern Munich was in turmoil.

What about this season?

Bayern Munich, after Heynckes took over, had been performing very well. They and Borussia Dortmund should have been on equal footing.

As a result, they still lost to Borussia Dortmund. What reason was there now?

It must be admitted that Borussia Dortmund has grown into a team that can stand on an equal footing with Bayern Munich. Although Borussia Dortmund is very young, in the world of football, young is not necessarily a derogatory term. A young team will be more energetic, more combative, and more hungry for honor and victory.

And Bayern Munich must also seriously consider how to deal with this newly emerging opponent.

Borussia Dortmund has revived from a long period of decline. They will not only become a force that Bayern Munich cannot ignore in the Bundesliga, but also a force that cannot be ignored in the entire European football scene.

After all, many people have probably forgotten, or even don't know at all, that Borussia Dortmund was a member of the former G14.

And the former G14 were the real European giants.