Chapter 554: Workers' Will vs. Brotherhood Football: The Westfalen Ball

【To be honest, this tifo is truly too imaginative.】

【I suggest the Football Association launch another Moon Project to naturalize all players from other leagues into China.】

【What level is Dortmund that they dare to attack the Pig? I think Dortmund is looking to die.】

【It seems Manchester United might throw this match; I heard it from friends who bet on games that there's no need for United to win this one.】

【No need to win? The opponent is already slaughtering the pig, and you still won't win? Are you really letting them finish the job? Everyone knows how expensive pork is right now.】

Time reached the 12th minute of the first half.

It must be said that Escrivá's tactic of playing Reus as a center forward was indeed effective; Reus's balance and agility caused considerable trouble for Manchester United's two defensive midfielders.

Additionally, eager to establish an advantage quickly, Manchester United played somewhat rashly in this match.

De Jong made a mistake, directly giving Reus an opportunity.

Reus passed to Solrgen, and Solrgen laid it back to Reus.

A very fast combination; De Jong's defense was practically non-existent.

Approaching the edge of the penalty area...

Solrgen wanted to drive straight into the box but was blocked by De Ligt, as the Manchester United center-back knew they could not allow the opponent into the penalty area.

Solrgen tried but failed, forced to pass the ball back to Reus, who had moved up to support.

Reus!

Slap!

The cross found Sancho in the center.

A brief pause.

Body adjustment connecting into a shot!

A shot struck from the top of the arc, with Sancho aiming directly for the dead corner at the bottom right of the goal.

De Gea!

They nearly conceded a goal, but fortunately, De Gea reacted incredibly quickly, poking the ball away with his foot.

"Oh!"

The fans let out a startled scream.

"Stay calm!"

After getting up from the grass, De Gea immediately sought out De Jong and Rodri: "Don't play so anxiously; you're leaving huge gaps!"

"You could have blocked him when he shot!"

De Gea was furious because that ball had nearly gone in!

"It's fine, it's fine."

Tang Ye patted both De Gea and Rodri, then joined his teammates to prepare for the corner kick.

"Dortmund has a corner kick opportunity. Hmm... I think Manchester United needs to pay more attention to corners, as we know their set-piece defense is relatively weak."

"Yes, due to the need for counter-attacks, Manchester United's wingers and attacking midfielders do not participate in corner defense. The risk is quite high, but risk also brings reward."

Manchester United's corner defense tactic is very unique, embodying an attitude of: if you don't kill me, I'm going to kill you.

One can only say this fits perfectly with the fans' impression of Manchester United.

For the corner kick, players from both sides got ready.

Slap!

Kicked out!

"Near post!"

Tang Ye shouted; Ashley Young reacted quickly, heading the ball away from the near post position.

"Beautiful!"

Dortmund earned their second corner kick!

"I'm here, I'm here!"

Tang Ye emphasized his positioning to his teammates in advance, seemingly already preparing for a counter-attack.

Hearing his voice, the Dortmund defenders also focused their attention on Tang Ye.

Of course, they couldn't devote too much effort to marking Tang Ye, as offense was the core objective of this corner kick.

Slap!

The corner kick was taken!

This time it was aimed at the far post, and Tang Ye's judgment was once again correct.

Brandt jumped up and headed the ball to Reus.

Reus!

Slap!

Reus took the shot, but it was simultaneously blocked by De Ligt and Wan-Bissaka.

"Oh!!!"

The Dortmund fans were still shouting, while Manchester United had already prepared for the counter-attack.

De Ligt first cleared the ball out to Dembélé, who was waiting outside to receive it.

Dembélé dribbled toward the flank, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the defenders.

When the timing was right, Dembélé played the ball forward to Martial.

Martial advanced with the ball, followed closely by Manchester United players.

"Manchester United is counter-attacking; Hakimi really wants to stop Martial!"

"But his positioning is far too distant!"

Ashraf chased after Martial, running nearly 20 meters before finally catching up.

Just as he was about to catch him, Ashraf gave up the pursuit.

The reason was that Martial had already passed the ball away.

To Rashford.

It was the Manchester United winger who successfully controlled the ball after accelerating!

This was a fine counter-attacking opportunity, and Rashford dared not be negligent.

Meanwhile, Tang Ye was sprinting desperately toward the central position.

Although he was still quite far from the spot, GGBond was trying hard!

Rashford... inching closer.

There was a chance.

Cut inside!

He cut inside preparing to shoot, but the defending player immediately blocked the angle.

Forcing a shot would not yield a good result, so Rashford could only stop and lay the ball off to Allé, who was making a run from behind.

Bang!

Allé played a straight through-ball; by this time, Rashford had already made a forward run into the penalty area.

Slap-slap!

While transferring the ball from his left foot to his right, he was tripped slightly by a defender, but Rashford did not fall.

A one-versus-two dribble from Rashford; the Manchester United striker threaded his way between two defenders!

Shoot!

Goal!

The stadium stands fell silent for a moment, then erupted in boos and fake whistles.

Rashford waved his hands and accelerated toward the stands on the left.

"Oh my god, haha, Rashford, a complete display of individual ability!"

Roar!!!

Letting out a furious roar, Rashford stood firm on the wing, pressing his right index finger against his temple.

"Marcus!"

Teammates rushed up from behind to surround Rashford completely, while Tang Ye jumped directly onto his teammates: "Awesome, Marcus!"

Live match report: Rashford dribbled past two defenders in the box and scored with a push-shot; Manchester United leads 1:0 away from home!

"Haha, I really didn't expect this goal, because I thought Rashford would pass back again."

The replay showed an image of Rashford that reminded Premier League fans of one person.

Chelsea's Eden Hazard!

Cutting through the middle to beat two defenders was Hazard's signature move.

For Rashford, this goal had a hint of luck, as his ball control and dribbling were not as outstanding as imagined.

But you have to admit, the ball went in!

Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep!

Amidst the discontent of the Dortmund fans, Manchester United completed their celebration.

Rashford's spectacular goal caused some concern for Escrivá, who was standing before the substitutes' bench.

Judging by the standings, Manchester United probably wouldn't play too desperately in this match, which meant Dortmund had a chance to take all three points from them.

But with Rashford showing off like this, Manchester United would likely go all out in this game.

So frustrating!

Mr. Ferran's luck was very bad.

Today was Dortmund's home game, yet ironically at this moment, Rashford hit his peak form.

Actually, if Rashford were merely technically skilled, Escrivá wouldn't be this worried, after all, there are ways to counter technical prowess.

But what made Rashford dangerous was not his technique but his speed; he and Dembélé were both top-class wingers known for their pace.

Manchester United had a Mercedes-AMG on the left wing and an Audi RS on the right; just ask yourself, aren't you scared?

Time reached the 25th minute of the first half.

Rashford's goal did not crush the morale of the Dortmund fans; on the contrary, they were shouting even louder than at the start of the match.

Sancho took on Ashley Young one-on-one on the wing!

For Ashley Young, marking Sancho alone was slightly difficult; knowing this, Tang Ye slowly moved over.

As a result, Ashley Young capitalized on Sancho's mistake and poked the ball away.

Now things were perfect; Tang Ye directly got lucky and gained possession of the ball. "Damn!"

Tang Ye received the ball right in front of Escrivá, leaving the Dortmund coach utterly anxious.

But a coach is still a coach; they cannot go onto the field to play.

Dragging the ball and turning, Tang Ye adjusted his body under the gaze of the Dortmund fans.

Is it coming?

It's coming!

Slap!

【Kevin De Bruyne Standard Long Pass Lv6: Not Ashamed to Ask and Learn】

Proficiency: 0

The standard long pass was launched directly to the right wing.

There was a small arc, one Tang Ye had deliberately added so that Dembélé could receive the ball more easily.

Dembélé rushed forward quickly, extending his right foot to control the ball with ease.

Dribbling forward!

The performance car on the left flank had just started its run, and now the one on the right flank also surged forward, sending the defenders scrambling back in panic.

Dembélé showed no hesitation either, carrying the ball straight toward the byline.

Dembélé's decisiveness created an opportunity for Manchester United; when this Manchester United striker received the ball near the byline, there wasn't even a defender beside him.

This was very comfortable; Dembélé thought for a moment and cut inside directly.

A one-on-one individual attempt, but it failed.

No matter; first keep possession, and once his teammates arrived, Dembélé passed straight back.

Martial!

Martial controlled the ball, adjusted himself!

Slap!

Martial's shot was blocked by Bürki, but fortunately Dembélé was right beside the penalty area and could rush in immediately to contest the ball.

Bang!

Dembélé collided with a Dortmund player and fell to the ground.

"Hey!"

Ten Hag shouted loudly at the referee demanding a penalty, but since Manchester United's attack had not yet ended, the referee did not rush to make a call.

Before hitting the ground, Dembélé passed the ball again to Martial, who then dribbled forward.

Slap!

The shot was taken!

This time, Bürki failed to block the ball.

"Goal!"

"Martial!"

"2:0!"

"Beautiful!"

The referee did not award a penalty, but Manchester United still scored the goal.

This was Anthony Martial's first Champions League goal of the season!

The score reached 2:0!

"Xuuu!!!!"

The Manchester United players celebrated below the stands, while Dembélé was quickly subjected to abuse from the Dortmund fans.

"Fuck you!"

"Dembélé, you idiot!"

Dembélé rose to fame at Borussia Dortmund, so whenever he performed well in a match against Dortmund, he would be cursed by their fans.

Why are you so effective when playing against your former club?

Answer me!

Escrivá covered his eyes with his right hand.

He needed to calm down now; not just him, the Dortmund players also needed to calm down.

Taking advantage of the opponents' celebration time, Escrivá called all his players over.

"Do you know why we conceded a goal? Their counter-attacks are strong, yes, of course. But that is not the reason we conceded, okay?"

Escrivá placed his hand on Pogba's shoulder; the latter felt some resistance but did not show it.

"Their counter-attacks are strong, very strong, but we only need to secure the penalty area—oh, not just the penalty area, but the positions around it as well. If we just defend these areas properly, then no matter how strong their counter-attacks are, there will be no problem."

"Paul (Pogba), I positioned you deeper so you would defend, not so you could run forward to attack again!"

"But that was a corner kick; I couldn't get back."

Pogba looked somewhat helpless.

"I'm not talking about that corner kick just now; I'm talking about the entire first half, the entire first half, okay?"

Escrivá's words were somewhat harsh, but he knew that to deal with a player like Pogba, one had to speak loudly, otherwise it would have no effect.

"I know your passing is excellent, and your attacking is very strong. But you are a defensive midfielder; your job is to defend."

Escrivá gave a heavy pinch on Pogba's shoulder: "Stop always thinking about yourself; consider the team!"

"..."

Pogba stopped speaking.

Clearly, Escrivá's words had taken effect.

The fact is, when playing against relatively average teams, the outstanding performance of one or two players can allow you to dominate the opponent.

But in clashes between strong teams, it is useless for just one person to show off.

After all, Pogba is Paul Pogba, not TY.

"Alright, alright, let's go, let's go!"

After briefly outlining some tactical arrangements, Escrivá pushed the players back onto the field.

"Heja BVB! (Go Dortmund!)"

"Heja BVB!"

With only the final 10 minutes of the first half remaining, the match had now entered a white-hot phase.

Because of those few shouts from Escrivá, Pogba became much more well-behaved in the subsequent period; the biggest difference was that the French defensive midfielder was now defending much more actively.

Tang Ye moved forward proactively to provide support...

Preparing to take the ball.

Bang!

He flicked the ball behind him with his heel, using the moment of control to shake off Pogba.

The next second, Tang Ye was brought down by Pogba.

"Damn!"

Sitting on the ground, Tang Ye punched the grass once with his fist.

He had already found the passing lane, only for this to happen!

"Beep!!!"

Yellow card: Pogba

It wasn't really a loss, after all, Pogba had received a yellow card.

A yellow card for the attacking midfielder didn't matter much, but for the defensive midfielder, it was quite uncomfortable; for the rest of the match, Pogba would basically be unable to make big tackles.

Pogba said nothing, helping Tang Ye up from the grass.

The 38th minute.

"Reus, adjust and pass to the left foot, shoot!"

"Oh, a feint!"

Reus's feint sent De Ligt crashing to the ground.

Adjusting, he passed to Thorgan Hazard nearby!

A low shot!

It was a low drive; Thorgan took the shot.

De Gea had already reacted, but the distance was far too great; he simply couldn't reach the ball.

"Rooooooar!"

The commentator shouted loudly.

The German commentary naturally supported the German team.

Facing the dominant Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund finally scored.

"Goal! From Thorgan Hazard!"

Dortmund's attack was indeed clever, and the key lay in Reus's feint and shot.

The score became 2:1!

Bang bang!

Bang bang bang!

"Heja BVB!"

"Heja BVB!"

The fans in the West Stand jumped in rhythm, tens of thousands of people leaping up and down at the same frequency.

The director cut to a camera at the very top of the stand.

It was a bit far, but they could focus, switch to a higher zoom.

Okay, now it's clear.

The reason the director cut the camera over was mainly to let the fans watching the TV broadcast see.

See what?

The West Stand of Signal Iduna Park was shaking, looking as if it were about to collapse!

(End of this chapter)