The second half of the match began quickly.
With the experience gained in the first half, Ye Chen's coordination with his teammates noticeably improved, and his movements became more agile.
Shinji Kagawa's brilliance lay in his ability to keenly observe his teammates' movements and anticipate their directions.
However, this posed a new challenge for Ye Chen, making it increasingly difficult for him to get the ball.
Of course, this didn't trouble Ye Chen for long.
The essence of off-the-ball movement is to find opportunities to receive the ball and create threats.
Instead of moving into the penalty area, Ye Chen hovered outside it.
His style was completely different from Lewandowski's, but as for who was better... only goals could settle that debate!
At 35:24, PeriÅ¡iÄ broke past Owomoyela on the left side and delivered a cutback pass to Ye Chen's feet.
Ye Chen received the ball and charged into the penalty area, with SubotiÄ rushing to block him decisively.
Facing SubotiÄ, Ye Chen feigned a shot but pulled the ball back, shifting it towards the center. SubotiÄ wasn't fooled and followed closely.
At the last moment, Ye Chen used his toe to nudge the ball back to the oncoming PeriÅ¡iÄ, who unleashed a powerful shot into the near corner.
The ball hit the net.
Yellow Team 2â1 Red Team!
The ecstatic PeriÅ¡iÄ jumped onto Ye Chen, shouting, "Great pass, brother!"
"It's your shot that was brilliant; the angle was so tight!"
After a brief celebration, the game resumed.
At 43:38, Ye Chen received a pass from Shinji Kagawa and, without hesitation, took a decisive shot.
Hummels heroically blocked it with a diving effort, earning the Yellow Team a corner kick.
Seeing such a spectacular long shot denied, Ye Chen displayed a hint of regret. But upon glancing at the progress bar for his skill [Long Shots 4/5], his disappointment vanished.
Four long shots â finally enough!
When Kagawa prepared to take the corner, Ye Chen raised his hand, signaling for the ball.
Kagawa didn't hesitate; after all, this training match was arranged for Ye Chen.
"Bang."
Kagawa sent the ball towards Ye Chen, who dribbled to the arc at the top of the penalty area.
The defenders inside the box quickly rushed out, with Owomoyela charging straight at Ye Chen.
As Owomoyela lunged to tackle, Ye Chen nudged the ball slightly forward, narrowly avoiding the challenge.
In the next instant, under everyone's watchful eyes, Ye Chen wound up and struck.
The ball turned into a lightning bolt, heading straight for the top-left corner of the goal.
Even with his sharp reflexes, Weidenfeller couldn't react in time.
"Swish!"
The ball hit the corner of the net, producing a crisp sound.
For a moment, everyone was stunned.
Then they rushed towards Ye Chen in celebration.
On the sidelines, Klopp didn't hesitate any longer. He turned to the bench and shouted, "Ragleff, substitute Ye!"
"Yes, boss!" Ragleff immediately got up.
Beside him, Buvac chuckled, "Can't wait, huh, old friend?"
"I'm going to find the manager. You take Ye for a shower first!" Klopp replied decisively, eager to get Ye registered for the seventh-round match.
"No problem!" Buvac's grin widened as he pulled out his phone to text Solskjær: "Thanks, Leo. Best of luck at Molde FC!"
Solskjær had resigned as Manchester United U18 coach to return to his hometown and manage Molde.
"Beep beep!"
"Ye, come over here!"
"What's up, boss?" Ye Chen ran off the field, realizing Klopp was no longer there.
"Time to sign your contract! But first, take a shower. Do you have a guardian or agent we should call?" Buvac asked warmly.
Ye Chen froze. Did this mean he was staying?
This was Borussia Dortmund, one of the world's top clubs!
"Yes!"
Even though he had lived two lives, Ye Chen couldn't help but cheer excitedly.
"Alright, go shower. Don't keep Jürgen waiting!" Buvac chuckled.
"Thank you, Mr. Buvac!"
Ye Chen dashed into the locker room.
Ten minutes later, in Klopp's office:
"A â¬20,000 weekly wage for a 17-year-old? This is a huge risk!" Watzke said incredulously to Klopp.
"Trust me, this kid is worth it!" Klopp replied firmly.
"But he's just 17! No matter how good he is, this is excessive," Watzke argued. "And don't forget, he's from China â a footballing backwater!"
"I didn't call you here to question my decision, but to finalize his registration and other paperwork," Klopp said, his tone unyielding.
"Only Götze gets this kind of treatment among our young players!" Watzke protested.
"Believe me, he'll surpass Götze!"
"Are you insane? You're talking about Mario Götze!"
Klopp's expression hardened. "Trust me, just as you trusted me when you brought me here."
Taking a deep breath, Watzke relented. "Alright, I hope he lives up to your expectations."
"He won't let us down. Remember this Chinese saying: A hero's origins don't matter."
This quote from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had stuck with Klopp.
"Knock, knock..."
The door opened, and Buvac entered with Ye Chen.
Watzke scrutinized the boy. Aside from his handsome looks, he seemed ordinary.
"Take a seat here!" Klopp gestured for Ye Chen to sit.
The four of them gathered around the desk. Klopp asked, "Do you need to contact your guardian or agent? This is a major decision in your life."
"No need. I can handle this myself!"
"Alright, take a look at the contract," Klopp said, handing it to Ye Chen. "If you have any concerns, feel free to raise them."
Ye Chen skimmed through the document and froze at the weekly wage: â¬20,000!
At a 1:9 exchange rate, that equaled 180,000 yuan!
This... was outrageous!
Still, Ye Chen continued reading.
The contract spanned four years, with appearance fees of â¬3,000, goal bonuses of â¬5,000, assist bonuses of â¬2,000, and win bonuses of â¬3,000.
Dortmund truly lived up to its reputation as a major club. Just this one match would earn him thousands of euros!
But one clause caught his attention: a â¬50 million release fee!
They were really placing high hopes on him.
Ye Chen had a few terms of his own to propose, though!