After a brief rest, both sides returned to the field and began extra time.

In the first half of extra time, the Japanese team basically besieged the Chinese team's goal. All the Chinese players retreated, and even the center forward became a center back.

Gao Hongbo no longer expected his team to score a sudden-death goal against Japan in extra time. Sudden death had happened once in the semi-final, and it was unlikely to happen again in the final.

He would win as long as he could drag the game into a penalty shootout.

In the first half of extra time, the Chinese team did not concede a goal, and the score was still 0:0.

The two sides switched venues directly and started the second half.

Unfortunately, only two minutes into the second half, Japan scored. And the person who scored for Japan was Zhou Yi's teammate at Dortmund, Shinji Kagawa!

When Shinji Kagawa scored, a deafening cheer erupted in the Khalifa Stadium. The game, which had been slightly suppressed and dull, finally had its first highlight...

When Shinji Kagawa was celebrating the goal frantically, the TV broadcast switched the camera to Zhou Yi in the box.

Zhou Yi leaned on the back of his chair, looking up at the ceiling. The TV camera could not capture his expression. But from this action, it could be seen that Zhou Yi was still quite regretful.

He was indeed regretful. The game had reached this point, and in the end, Japan had scored...

And the Japanese team finally defeated the Chinese team with this goal and won the Asian Cup.

What should have been a game without much suspense, unexpectedly, Japan won so hard in the end, which really surprised many people.

The Chinese team, in the absence of core player Zhou Yi, showed tenacity that really impressed everyone.

※※※

After the game, the entire Chinese team received silver medals, and Zhou Yi also received one. In addition, wearing a suit, he also received the trophy symbolizing the best player of this Asian Cup.

Although the Chinese team failed to win the championship, Zhou Yi's performance in the Asian Cup was obvious to all. Without him, the Chinese team would not have been able to reach the final. It can be said that he alone improved the Chinese team's strength by two levels. Such a performance deserved the best player award.

So even if Japan won the championship, the best player would not be selected from their team.

On this point, the Japanese media and commentators had no objection.

Japan's victory can be said to be a reflection of the overall strength of Japanese football, and it was a natural result.

And the Chinese team's ability to reach the final really exceeded everyone's expectations. It can be said that Zhou Yi did it on his own.

Because Shinji Kagawa plays for Dortmund, the Japanese media often reports on Dortmund's games. They are very clear about Zhou Yi's level, and it is only right that Zhou Yi receives this award.

After the game, Shinji Kagawa, as the biggest contributor to Japan's victory, was surrounded by reporters. A Japanese reporter excitedly said to Shinji Kagawa: "Congratulations, Kagawa! Your performance in this game was really outstanding, and it is well deserved to be named the best player! Do you think this victory has established the Japanese football's king status in Asia? Has Asian football ushered in the Japanese era?"

This Japanese reporter was also so excited that he asked such a question, which attracted the attention of reporters from South Korea, Iran, and other countries. The Chinese reporters were particularly unhappy, glaring at the Japanese reporter, thinking that he was a petty person who was pleased with himself.

However, this Japanese reporter did not seem to think there was anything wrong with his question. He looked at Shinji Kagawa, waiting for Shinji Kagawa's answer.

Unexpectedly, Shinji Kagawa shook his head and said, "No, I don't think so. Just talking about this Asian Cup, I don't think our victory can explain anything. Because the team we defeated in the final was a Chinese team without Zhou Yi. If Zhou Yi could have participated in the final, the result would not have been easy to say. I don't think the Japanese team has any absolute advantage in front of a Chinese team with Zhou Yi."

Shinji Kagawa's expression was serious, and he didn't sound like he was joking at all when he said this.

His serious expression and words startled the proud Japanese reporter, who was stunned there, not knowing how to respond to Shinji Kagawa.

The Chinese reporters, who had been glaring at the Japanese reporter, were very surprised. They didn't expect Shinji Kagawa to say such an answer!

From his words, he... had a very high evaluation of Zhou Yi!

Of course, it was not surprising that Shinji Kagawa had a high evaluation of Zhou Yi. Everyone was interviewing and reporting on Dortmund's games, and they knew what the relationship between Zhou Yi and Shinji Kagawa was like.

What surprised the Chinese reporters was that when the Japanese reporter showed his complacency, it was not a Chinese who came out to remind him not to be like this, but a Japanese person, a Japanese player, a Japanese star player!

This was not a big deal. At most, it was an interlude in this interview, but this interlude could more or less show Shinji Kagawa's attitude towards Zhou Yi...

And his words also made the Chinese reporters a little sad—yes, if Zhou Yi could have played in this game, the result might not have been a victory for the Japanese team!

What did Zhou Yi think of this result?

Outside the stadium, Zhou Yi held the best player trophy, with a silver medal hanging around his neck, and smiled at the reporters and said: "Congratulations to Kagawa for winning the Asian Cup. Now I have to ask him to keep it for me for four years, and I will ask him for it again after four years!"

Before the final, he only said that he could still reach the final in four years, but after the final, he had directly locked his target on the championship.

It seems that this final still brought him some stimulation. Was there really no regret? Of course, that was a lie!

※※※

The day after the final, both the Chinese team and the Japanese team were going home, but the players playing in European leagues would not travel with their teams.

They would return to Europe directly from here.

Hao Junmin, Zhou Yi, and Shinji Kagawa took the same flight to Dusseldorf Airport, and then each returned to their respective teams from Dusseldorf.

Klopp also gave the two players who participated in the Asian Cup a day off. After arriving in Dortmund, they did not have to participate in the team's training immediately, but could rest completely at home for a day before going to training.

In this Asian Cup, Shinji Kagawa won the Asian Cup, and Zhou Yi won the best player award, which meant that Dortmund was a bit unlucky.

During their absence, Dortmund played three league games, drawing two and losing one. In the most recent league game, they drew 1:1 with Wolfsburg away from home.

Although Dortmund is still ranked first, they are only three points ahead of second-placed Leverkusen.

From a ten-point lead to three points, it felt like falling from heaven to hell all of a sudden.

This shows how much Zhou Yi and Shinji Kagawa's departure has affected Dortmund. Especially Zhou Yi, as Dortmund's only core player, his departure seemed to make Dortmund's offense unable to find its direction.

And in the next twenty-first round of the league, Dortmund will host Schalke 04, their Ruhr derby opponent.

In this situation, Schalke 04 certainly wouldn't mind letting Dortmund lose another game and directly pulling them down from the top of the league.

At this time, Dortmund urgently needed Zhou Yi and Shinji Kagawa to return to the team.

However, although they have both returned to the team, after fighting continuously in the Asian Cup for almost a month, the players are definitely very tired both physically and mentally, and it is difficult to say how much form they will still have.

So it is not that everything will be fine when the two of them come back, and the alarm has not been lifted.

※※※

In fact, for Zhou Yi, even if Klopp gave him a day off, he would not be able to rest at all.

Because he had not been back to live in his apartment for more than a month, the locked room would definitely be dirtier than when people lived there for a long time, and the things on the bed had to be changed, so he could not rest at all, and he had to spend time and energy cleaning.

Early in the morning, he got up and started changing the sheets and quilt covers.

While he was busy in his room, Kotana appeared at the door and very rarely asked: "Need any help?"

Zhou Yi was very surprised and turned his head to look at her blankly.

"Looks like you don't need it." Kotana turned around to leave, but Zhou Yi, who had reacted, stopped her.

"Yes, yes, yes! I need help, I really need help!"

Kotana turned around and walked in, then frowned: "It smells."

"I haven't lived here for more than a month..." Zhou Yi explained a little embarrassedly.

"It's a good thing you haven't lived here for more than a month, otherwise the smell would be even stronger." Kotana waved her hand.

"Hey!" Zhou Yi protested. "That's the smell of a man, just like your women's rooms have a smell, too, right?"

"But our smell is better." Kotana said with disgust while starting to help Zhou Yi disassemble the bedding.

Her movements were very neat and skilled, and Zhou Yi couldn't get involved even if he wanted to. In the end, Kotana kicked him out on the grounds that he was getting in the way.

Kotana said she was here to help, but she actually did everything by herself...

Zhou Yi sat on the sofa in the living room watching Kotana busy in and out, and couldn't help but sigh: "She cooks delicious food and cleans up so neatly... Is this the independent living ability developed by often quarreling with her mother and then moving out to live alone?"

Kotana rolled her eyes at him.

"But thanks to you, I can have a good rest..." Saying that, Zhou Yi stretched and leaned back on the sofa.

Then he stopped moving.

And when Kotana put everything that needed to be washed into the washing machine and cleaned up the mess, she came back and saw that Zhou Yi had already... fallen asleep!

She was just here to help him, but he was good, he didn't care about anything and fell asleep!

For a moment, Kotana wanted to rush over and pull Zhou Yi up.

But when she thought that he had just finished playing in the Asian Cup, only returned last night, and would have to play a Ruhr derby in three days...

She let him go and let him continue sleeping on the sofa.

And she turned around and returned to her room.