Chapter 675: Before the Champions League Second Leg, Haaland Recovers from German Cup Injury

【Unstoppable, brothers!】

【They can actually win...】

【Awesome! Dortmund's Champions League matches this season have all been hellish difficulty, yet they keep winning; this truly can't be denied.】

【Getting cocky again; isn't there still the second leg? Do you really think Guardiola is as mediocre as Ten Hag?】

【Dortmund's management really ought to kowtow to Tang Ye; damn, he's literally carrying the team on his back.】

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The match has ended.

The final score of the first leg was fixed at 1:2; Dortmund carried victory away from the Etihad Stadium.

"Boooo!!!"

"Beep-beep-beep!!!!"

The stands were filled with boos and fake whistles; Mancheng fans were expressing their dissatisfaction with Dortmund.

"Hiss... We can see that despite Haaland's absence, Dortmund's front line still displayed exceptionally outstanding attacking capability."

"Mm, actually, I feel Guardiola took things for granted in this match, thinking simple short passes would prevent Dortmund from playing out from the back, but the result clearly shows this was a mistake."

"..."

Thump-thump, thump-thump!

His heart pounding rapidly, Tang Ye squatted down on the grass.

"Tom!"

Reus ran over and immediately executed a sliding knee celebration.

Bang!

Whoosh!!!

Reus was clearly a veteran of the sliding knee; his control over distance was extremely precise.

Stopping exactly in front of Tang Ye, Reus spread his arms and pulled Tang Ye straight into an embrace.

Tang Ye was covered in sweat, soaking wet, with steam constantly rising from his body, but Reus didn't care about any of that.

Because they had won!

They had defeated Manchestercity, the Premier League's number one team, at the Etihad!

"Just win!"

Tang Ye raised both hands upward, then leaned his upper body back and collapsed directly onto the grass.

"Tom!!!"

Reus and Brandt were startled, but fortunately, Tang Ye had only fallen because he was exhausted.

Scared to death!

"Tom!"

"Viva Tom Tom!"

"Forever Tom Tom!"

A section of the East Stand suddenly erupted with the "Ode to Tom," prompting the director to immediately cut to that camera angle, revealing that a patch of the otherwise all-blue East Stand had turned red.

This was...

Long-undercover Manchester United spies!

Upon seeing Mancheng lose, this group of spies immediately jumped up to celebrate to their faces, responding to the mockery Mancheng fans had directed at them earlier.

Can't even beat Dortmund, the second-place Premier League team?

Hehe, can't even beat the first-place Premier League team either.

Champions League Official: Tang Ye named Man of the Match for the Mancheng vs. Dortmund fixture.

Check Dongqiu Di reposted from TheScored: Tang Ye played for a total of 94 minutes, ranking first with a running distance of 14.23 km.

Come to think of it, what helped Tang Ye most in this match wasn't his template, but his item.

Without the aid of 【Vardy Super Red Bull】, Tang Ye naturally couldn't have delivered such an exaggerated performance.

Facts prove that when stats are absurdly overpowered, stamina is exactly what Tang Ye needs most right now!

"Cough, cough!"

After two dry coughs, Tang Ye shifted his attention to the system.

【Champions League Chain Quest · Stage Four】

【Mission Objective: Special mission; no indicators need to be completed; rewards will be granted after the system evaluates the conclusion of this season's Champions League.】

Just like last season, Tang Ye had advanced the Champions League Chain Quest to its final stage this season as well.

But the difference was that the final stage's mission this season had no indicators.

In other words, regardless of the final outcome, Tang Ye would receive the reward for the final stage.

As for what the reward was...

That could only be known after the Champions League results were finalized.

Until then, all Tang Ye could do was push harder, seeing if he could lead the team to greater heights.

"Cough, cough!"

Two more coughs sounded; behind him, Mats followed Tang Ye closely, filled with guilt.

At twenty-two years old, carrying a Fan Fan Dejia powerhouse like Dortmund on his own—what's the difference between that and using a helicopter to lift a Pacific Rim mecha?...

However.

A helicopter really can lift a Pacific Rim mecha!

"Tom, do you want some water?"

"Oh, no need, thanks, Matty!"

"Oh, oh, then... do you want me to help you up?"

"No, no, I can manage."

After Tang Ye spoke, he quickened his pace, and Matty hurried to follow behind.

"So Tom, do you want a banana? These are from the Philippines; I think they're quite good!"

"Hey, TomTom!"

"..."

At the Etihad press conference site, Guardiola kept scratching his scalp with his hand, leaving behind streaks of pale red marks.

"Pep, was losing the first leg at home part of your plan? Or did you have a contingency plan for this situation?"

"..."

"I don't know, maybe. I know the fans are very dissatisfied with this result, but that's just how it is."

As Guardiola spoke, he slowly shook his head left and right, unclear whether his mind was foggy or if he was denying his own words.

"We saw that TY's defensive command in the backfield completely limited your passing and possession play; does this mean your philosophy of possession football is wrong?"

"... Who knows? Maybe it is wrong."

"?"

Guardiola's second answer truly baffled the reporters.

Good lord, after losing the match, his mind has gone completely foggy, hasn't it?

It feels like all the major top European clubs are recently playing this 'mind-flow' style.

The coaches have no idea what they're thinking; it's all up to the players on the pitch to show off.

Previously it was Manchester United and Dortmund, okay, now Mancheng has started too.

"Then... do you think Mancheng still has a chance to advance to the final? Defeating Dortmund at Westfalen will absolutely not be an easy task."

"That is certain."

At this point, Guardiola suddenly became decisive, yet he kept shaking his head vigorously as he spoke.

"We will advance to the final; Mancheng's mission this season is to win both the league title and the Champions League title."

Hmm...

Although his mind seems foggy, Mancheng's objectives remain quite clear.

Does it feel like Mancheng and Manchester United are becoming more and more alike?

Click-click!

The sound of camera shutters came from the scene, and several reporters below the stage frowned simultaneously.

It feels like...

Is Guardiola showing some signs of becoming 'Ten-like'?

Is this normal?

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Quarter-final first leg, Dortmund defeats Mancheng 2:1 away; Tang Ye contributes a goal and an assist plus tops the chart for total distance run. (Comment count: 239,238)

This match was indeed played in a shocking manner; CCTV-5 even launched a special program dedicated to analyzing Dortmund's tactics in the first leg.

Repost from CCTV-5: Crazy running of 14 kilometers, how did Tang Ye lead the team to crush Mancheng?

"Hey, this is the key point; we can see that compared to the Fan Fan Dejia league, when playing in the Champions League, Dortmund pulls Tang Ye's positioning further back. Many viewers, hehe, think Dortmund does this because they lack a Haaland at the striker position, missing an explosive point. But in my opinion... hehe, this actually has little to do with whether Haaland is on the pitch."

Zhang Lu laughed incessantly.

He had said in the pre-match program that if Dortmund could break through Mancheng's passing and possession, they would have a chance to secure a good result away from home.

Although he didn't predict the exact score, this counts as a half-successful prediction!

"Because we all know that this kid Tang Ye, although he plays as an attacking midfielder, plays a significant role in defense."