Chapter 677: Happy to Exit in the Quarter-Finals, Depressed to Exit in the Semi-Finals

Dongqiu Di Match Report: Dortmund lost 1:2 at home to RB Leipzig; Haaland started in good form, while Tang Ye came on as a substitute and strolled around. (142,313 comments)

Okay, the 32nd league round has concluded.

What follows now is the life-or-death Champions League semi-final.

After this match ended, nearly every question from reporters focused on the next Champions League game.

"TY, since Bellingham is suspended due to a red card and cannot play in the next match, will you partner with Reus or Brandt?"

"Probably."

"Have you thought about how you're going to play?"

"Of course."

Tang Ye answered quickly, then looked the reporter up and down: "We have thought about it, but I can't say; you'll see when the time comes."

"Will you position yourself like in the last match for the second leg? 14 kilometers in 90 minutes?"

"I can't talk about that anymore, I really can't."

Tang Ye raised his hand to politely decline the reporter's questions, grabbed the Player of the Month trophy, and slipped away immediately.

Back in the locker room, Tang Ye skillfully placed the trophy in his cabinet, then sat down: "Sigh, they're all asking about the second leg."

"That's how it is; reaching the final is too hard for us, we're not Man United..."

Matthys placed both hands on his head, sitting right next to Tang Ye.

The squad strength isn't high, yet there's hope of reaching the final, so naturally, reporters and fans are excited.

Bayern Munich fans are especially agitated.

Watching a rival from the same league rise up is inevitably painful.

However, considering things from Dortmund's perspective, the Dortmund players aren't exactly happy right now.

Originally, making it to the quarter-finals was considered success; the quarter-finals alone were worth celebrating.

But the fact that Dortmund advanced to the semi-finals has raised expectations among the fans, who have unconsciously elevated their hopes for the home team.

Being happy to exit in the quarter-finals but falling into depression upon exiting in the semi-finals—that is the situation Dortmund currently faces.

"It's fine."

Tang Ye placed his hand on Matthys' shoulder: "Just give it your all!"

Reposted from a YouTube psychology blogger: Based on the interview footage, Guardiola is deeply mired in anguish.

For some reason, this YouTuber seems to hold a grudge against Guardiola, relentlessly analyzing the Mancheng head coach's micro-expressions.

According to this blogger's analysis, Guardiola's situation isn't good, so he favors Dortmund more for the second leg.

Of course, this is unavoidable; from Guardiola's perspective, starting from the 2018-19 season, Mancheng was constantly bullied by Man United in the Premier League, and in the 19-20 season, they helplessly watched Man United achieve the Quadruple.

In the 20-21 season, Tang Ye left.

Okay, by this point, the bloody marks gouged into Guardiola's head should be gradually fading.

Mancheng is about to rise!

Then, in the Champions League semi-finals, the mercenary Tom, who had moved far away to Germany, flew to Manchester with his new teammates and punched Mancheng in the face again.

What can you do about that?

Manchester Evening News — With only 36 hours remaining until the start of the semi-final second leg, Mancheng players are staying at a hotel in Dortmund.

"The hotel where Mancheng is staying is one of the Champions League partner hotels; it is 7.2 km in a straight line from Signal Iduna Park, has 34 floors, and can provide a good resting environment for the Mancheng players."

Slap!

The meeting room door shut, and Guardiola walked in with his assistant coach.

"Everyone sit down, and no talking."

"Keep quiet!"

Sterling, who had just prepared to stand up, sat back down in his seat.

You cannot oppose Guardiola at Mancheng; otherwise, the consequences are something the players cannot bear.

"Someone went out shopping tonight; I am very dissatisfied with this. It's not that I want to restrict your freedom, but I stated before the plane took off that this match is special and we needed to make some preparations tonight."

"Yet someone still went out, without even informing me in advance!"

"Why the f*** is this happening!"

Guardiola shouted, startling Cancelo, who was closest to him.

"Do you intend to play against Dortmund with this attitude? Or will it be like the first leg, losing 1:2, and then scrambling back to Manchester?"

He spread his hands, looking at Sterling and Mahrez: "Hmm? Is that how it is? You want to lose again? One Premier League title is enough for you, is it?"

"Man United! Think about last season's Man United. The Quadruple, a Quadruple!"

"We only have two titles this season!"

Saying not to compare Mancheng with Man United is impossible.

The head coaches of the Manchester giants will instinctively compare themselves (especially when the two teams' results are close); this is engraved in Manchester's DNA.

And for Mancheng to catch up to Man United, the Champions League title is indispensable.

"Tomorrow we go to play the match, at Signal Iduna Park, and then what? We lose to TY again?"

"No, do you think that's good? Do you want to know how many times we've lost to TY in total?"

"..."

Actually, even if Sterling and Mahrez hadn't gone out shopping, Guardiola would still have yelled at the players today.

Guardiola sees it clearly: Mancheng has lived in luxury in the league for too long; this is why their hard strength exceeds Dortmund's, yet they still cannot beat Dortmund.

What is Dortmund's situation this season?

Although the starting lineup isn't perfect, you need to look back at Dortmund's Champions League knockout matches.

From the Round of 16 to the quarter-finals, and now to the semi-finals, every time Dortmund advanced, it was a narrow escape, defeating opponents in evenly matched 50-50 situations.

Dortmund has fought its way all the way to the semi-finals!

Looking at it this way, if Mancheng wants to defeat Dortmund, they must display the same momentum!

……

"China Media Group! China Media Group!"

"This is the live broadcast of the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals..."

"As you can see, players from both teams are entering the field in an orderly manner."

Holding the hand of the ball boy beside him, Tang Ye wore a serious expression, while the Champions League anthem, woven from various languages, filled his ears.

Feeling the grip coming from his left hand, Tang Ye looked down at the little ball boy beside him: "It's okay, don't be nervous."

The ball boy looked into Tang Ye's eyes and nodded gently.

"Haha, actually, I'm even more nervous than you."

Tang Ye reached out and patted the ball boy's golden hair.

"Heja BVB! Heja BVB! Heja BVB!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Standing in position on the pitch, they waited for the Champions League anthem to ring out once more.

Just then, a commotion arose from the South Stand of Westfalenstadion.

"Well, dear viewers, what you are seeing is the South Stand of Westfalenstadion, also known as the 'Yellow Wall' we often mention; this is the zone for Dortmund's die-hard fans, boasting a total of 25,000 standing seats. Yes, that's right, throughout the entire 90 minutes of the match, these fans will not sit down."

"Right now, the Dortmund fans in the South Stand are unveiling their tifo!"

Compared to previous structures, this tifo consists purely of people, with the silhouettes of roughly six or seven individuals slowly rising up.

However, the figures beside these silhouettes are rendered in shadow blocks, meaning this tifo actually contains far more than just these six or seven people.

The figures in the tifo are wearing team jerseys, with numbers like "10," "8," and "7" behind them, representing the entire Dortmund squad.

It is worth noting that every one of these players is depicted bleeding, and the player wearing number "10" has his right hand wrapped in a cast used for supporting a fracture.

Looking up ahead, there stands the Champions League Big Ears Trophy, representing the honor of the highest level of competition.

"Wow!!!!"

"Wow!!!!"

The entire scene evokes a sense of tragic heroism, yet it perfectly captures Dortmund's journey through the Champions League knockout stages this season.

"Yes... every step Dortmund has taken in the Champions League this season has been incredibly difficult..."

【Let's get started, let's get started!】

【This is the crucial match, brothers; this time I'm backing Mancheng because I'm a fan of Guardiola.】

【A fan of Guardiola? Your bald scalp is about to burst through the skin.】

【Can Tang Tang Qiuwang still perform? He didn't play well in the last match against Leipzig.】

【Laughing to death, you judged his form based on a 10-minute substitute appearance? Even a fool knows our Master was saving his strength for the Champions League.】

"Beep!!"

"Alright, the match has begun!"

"Now, let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams in this match! First, the home team, Borussia Dortmund!"

Dortmund (3-2-4-1)

Goalkeeper: Bürki

Defenders: Piszczek, Hummels, Akanji

Midfielders (Defensive): Guerrero, Pogba

Midfielders (Attacking): Reus, Tang Ye, Reyna, Sancho