Chapter 1 Despite All the Preparation

Despite all the meticulous preparations Klopp had made for this match, he probably couldn't prepare for every possible scenario that could occur during a game.

Not even Zhou Yi could.

For example, who could have imagined that Dortmund would concede a goal just two minutes into the match?

The goal was scored by Inter Milan's captain, Zanetti, assisted by Eto'o.

And that wasn't all. In the eighth minute, Dortmund's goalkeeper, Weidenfeller, fouled Inter Milan's forward, Biabiany, in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick for Inter Milan. Weidenfeller received a straight red card and was sent off!

"This is absolutely terrible!" Marcel Reif exclaimed, holding his head in his hands. "The match hasn't even been ten minutes old, and Dortmund are not only potentially two goals behind, but they're also down a man!"

"Dortmund seems to be stunned by that goal they conceded in the opening two minutes. Their performance in these past few minutes has been abnormal..." He Ping commented. "The lapses in the defense are too severe. Weidenfeller actually took the blame for Dortmund's defenders this time... This is bad..."

Because of the sudden turn of events, substitute goalkeeper Langerak was called up from the bench by assistant coach Buvac to prepare to enter the game without even having time to warm up.

At the same time, Kuba, who had just earned a starting position because of his outstanding performance in the league, was about to be substituted off after only eight minutes of Champions League play...

Whether Kuba was willing or not, this was not the time to consider his personal feelings.

Dortmund completed the substitution in two minutes.

Langerak hurriedly ran onto the field, putting on his gloves as he ran.

And coming on to face a penalty, no one believed that Langerak could be the hero to save the team.

Sure enough, Eto'o easily converted the penalty.

"2-0! Eto'o! Inter Milan are leading by two goals just eleven minutes into the match!"

A huge cheer erupted in the San Siro Stadium.

"Although Inter Milan were held to a draw by Twente in the first round of the group stage, they have gradually found their rhythm, previously defeating Valencia 4-0. It seems that the outcome of this match is also beyond doubt..." the Italian commentator said. "Benítez has finally overcome the settling-in period with his team!"

The television broadcast showed a close-up of Benítez, smiling and applauding his team's lead.

※※※

Not even Guo Nu, a supporter of Inter Milan, had expected this, let alone Klopp and Zhou Yi.

Sitting in the stands of the San Siro Stadium, surrounded by thunderous cheers, he held his phone and typed in the group chat with slightly trembling fingers: "Holy crap!!!"

The three exclamation marks fully expressed his surprise.

And Sun Pan, watching the game in front of the television, also asserted: "Well, this game is a foregone conclusion."

"This start is too..." Yang Muge didn't know what to say.

He Ying simply typed a string of ellipsis: "..."

The group of friends were all stunned.

After the game restarted, Sun Pan's television screen went black—the signal was lost.

"Damn it, no signal!" he shouted in the group chat.

Guo Nu: "It's okay, I'm at the scene, I'll give you a live text broadcast."

"Good thing it's a text broadcast. If you used voice, you wouldn't be able to broadcast the game..." Sun Pan couldn't help but tease Guo Nu's stutter.

"Damn it!"

Just as the two were bickering, Yang Muge suddenly interjected: "Inter Milan scored again! 3-0!"

Sun Pan was taken aback, then sent a rolling-eye emoji in the group chat: "Old Yang, lying isn't your forte. This isn't your style, it's too fake..."

Just as he sent the message, He Ying also chimed in: "Inter Milan is going crazy..."

Sun Pan: "Hehe, He Ying, you're joining in too? You're not the type. How could they score again so quickly?"

Just as he finished typing, he suddenly heard a high-pitched cheer from the television, and the picture came back on.

He looked up and saw Inter Milan player Stanković celebrating, surrounded by many excited Inter Milan players.

Looking again at the score in the upper left corner of the screen... 3-0! Inter Milan were in the lead!

They really scored!

"What the hell... is this witchcraft?" he muttered to himself, staring at the television screen.

In the group chat, messages were coming in one after another.

Yang Muge: "I lost..."

He Ying: "Did Inter Milan take some drugs today? They're so fierce?"

Guo Nu: "Hahaha! This is the strength of the defending champions! I'm already prepared to treat Zhou Yi to a meal!"

※※※

Having conceded two goals in the first ten minutes and being a man down, the entire Dortmund team was stunned by the extremely unfavorable situation, as if they didn't know how to play anymore.

All their pre-match preparations were now useless.

What to do next?

Had they already lost this match?

What should they fight for then?

In the time that followed, should they tighten their defense or counterattack?

Being a man down, they would have to do everything they could to prevent the opponent from scoring again. How could they possibly have the energy to attack?

Many players fell directly into confusion, lacking confidence, afraid to make moves, wanting to attack but afraid of conceding goals, so they didn't dare to go up and could only shrink back in their own half.

In such an environment, Zhou Yi's performance was also limited. He could only try to control the situation by passing and controlling the ball as much as possible, preventing the ball from falling into the feet of Inter Milan players too quickly, and trying to delay a little longer in the midfield.

It was difficult to organize an attack.

However, doing so still had some effect, which was that at least Dortmund did not concede any more goals in quick succession.

The score was frozen.

In the group chat, the four friends were also exchanging their opinions on the game.

"Zhou Yi's performance is pretty good. I think he's the only one on Dortmund playing normally. His passing and ball control have been very steady, and he's not panicking," Yang Muge said, feeling that Zhou Yi's performance was commendable.

"What's the use? The whole team is playing poorly, and he can't do anything by himself..." He Ying was a little frustrated. He was supporting Zhou Yi to win, but in his opinion, Dortmund was like mud that couldn't be plastered on the wall. Zhou Yi insisted on choosing to go to Dortmund in order to be able to play in the first team as soon as possible. But he should have seen by now what Dortmund's true strength was. This team couldn't achieve anything in the Champions League.

If Zhou Yi wanted to take his career further, then he should consider transferring after making a name for himself at Dortmund. His style of play is really suitable for Barcelona. If he came to Barcelona, and with me... it wouldn't be a problem for Barcelona to continue dominating Europe...

As he thought about it, He Ying became a little distracted.

"At least he can help Dortmund concede fewer goals," Sun Pan said. "Or rather, he won't be the one to take the blame for the loss."

Guo Nu was slightly silent in the group chat, because his position was complicated and he didn't know what to say. As an Inter Milan supporter, he of course supported Inter Milan to win. He felt that the 3-0 score was enough to guarantee victory, and if they continued to score, he would be a little unable to watch. After all, the other side was his friend, and if his friend's side lost too badly, he might not dare to see Zhou Yi...

He was at the scene and couldn't see close-up shots, so he couldn't see the faces of the players on the field and didn't know what kind of expression Zhou Yi had at this moment...

※※※

Zhou Yi didn't actually have much of an expression on his face. He was focusing all his energy on the game, doing his best to help the team control the ball, hoping that they wouldn't concede any more goals before the end of the first half.

But things just didn't go as planned.

In the thirty-fifth minute, Eto'o scored his second goal, assisted by Coutinho.

"4-0! My God!" Even the Italian commentator was incredulous. "Inter Milan have completely killed the suspense of this match in just thirty-five minutes!"

"As expected of the defending champions, Inter Milan are stronger than Dortmund in terms of both individual player ability and experience..." He Ping also had to say this to show the impartial stance of a Chinese commentator. But in fact, he was also very annoyed. He thought it was acceptable to lose to Inter Milan away from home, after all, they were the defending champions and had the advantage of playing at home. But he couldn't accept losing so badly.

"I don't think this score is a true reflection of the difference in strength between the two teams. Conceding two goals at the start and being a man down must have been completely unexpected by Klopp..." Marcel Reif began to defend Dortmund, because losing so badly was really unbearable. Moreover, in the Champions League, any German team represents German football, and as a German, no one can bear to see a German team lose so badly.

Klopp, who had been standing to watch the game on the sidelines, grabbed the hat he was wearing and threw it forcefully on the ground when Eto'o scored his second goal. The anger in his emotions was evident.

"This isn't right!" After throwing his hat, he turned and roared at his assistants. "It shouldn't be like this!"

No one on the coaching bench spoke, because they didn't know what to say.

It was indeed wrong, it really shouldn't be like this, but it had happened, and who could they complain to?

Football always has many surprises...

These surprises cannot be changed by human will.