Facing Simon JanÄ at the goal line, Ye Chen's mind went blank.
He was well aware that whether or not this penalty kick succeeded could determine his chances of taking another in the future.
This shot was crucial.
Ye Chen began his run-up.
As he approached the ball, he unleashed a powerful strike.
"Boom!"
The ball shot out like a tiger unleashed, transforming into a fiery comet streaking toward the goal.
Simon JanÄ's reaction was half a beat too slow. As he dove to make the save, the ball had already slipped past his fingertips.
It was too fast!
So fast that he had no time to react!
Simon instinctively turned his head to look at the ball, but it was already spinning inside the net.
"Gooooooooooooooooooooal!!!"
The stadium DJ roared.
With this roar, the atmosphere in Westfalenstadion ignited instantly!
The fans' cheers threatened to blow the roof off!
"The scorer is Chen~~~~~~~~~Ye~~~~~~~~~~"
The DJ stretched his voice dramatically, and the fans chanted Ye Chen's name in unison.
On the pitch, Ye Chen mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic celebration.
He leaped high into the air, turned mid-flight, and shouted loudly, "Siuuuuuuuuuu~!"
This goal set the crowd ablaze with passion!
Dortmund's players swarmed Ye Chen, celebrating together.
"Well done!"
"Great shot, Ye!"
"Leave the scoring to you from now on!"
They showered him with praise, though the deafening noise made it impossible for Ye Chen to hear them.
But it didn't matter. He was happy, and that was enough!
On the sidelines, Klopp pumped his fists in celebration. This goal was critical for Dortmund at this stage of the match!
With this momentum, the game ahead should be much smoother.
As the players walked back to the center circle, Ye Chen made a point of gesturing to his back, signaling everyone to remember his name.
Meanwhile, on Sports Channel 5, commentator Huang Jianxiang's passionate voice echoed across countless homes.
"It's in! It's in! It's in!"
His voice, carried through television sets, spread excitement to fans everywhere.
"Ye Chen scores his first career goal for Dortmund with a penalty kick!"
"And what a penalty it wasâperfect in both speed and precision. Although JanÄ guessed the right direction, he couldn't stop it!"
"Let's congratulate Ye Chen! I believe this goal will mark the beginning of a legend. He's about to write his own football story here!"
Huang's excitement was evident, and his voice trembled as he spoke.
Beside him, commentator Zhan Jun couldn't help but marvel, "Such incredible composure under pressure! Ye Chen showed no fear standing at the penalty spot, and that strike was flawless. He exudes confidence and poise beyond his years!"
Zhan Jun even blurted out the question weighing on his heart, "With this kind of skill, how can he not be worthy of the national team?"
In the stands, Lina's face flushed with excitement as she clenched her tiny fists.
"I knew you could do it! Keep it up, Ye!"
In the locker room, Lewandowski watched the screen with a heavy expression.
Although his injury wasn't serious and he'd be back in a few days, the team scored as soon as he went off...
Did this mean he wasn't as good as Ye Chen?
It was only natural for such thoughts to creep in. After all, Lewandowski wasn't yet the fully realized star he'd become. For now, he was just a substitute.
The game resumed.
With just over ten minutes left in the first half, Augsburg clearly didn't want to go into halftime trailing.
Their main tactic was wing crosses.
The ball often went to the flanks, but Dortmund's towering center-backs, Santana and Hummels, were impenetrable.
Several crosses were easily intercepted.
Santana, in particular, had impeccable positioning today, cutting off passes time and again.
His only weakness was his passing accuracy.
Ye Chen didn't just idle up front. Even though defending wasn't a forward's job, he pressed aggressively whenever the ball went to the backfield.
His goal was to disrupt the opponent's rhythm.
For now, it seemed futile.
Even Sankoh mocked him, "Kid, do you even know how to play? You'll just tire yourself out like this!"
Could Ye Chen play?
Time would tell if his efforts were worth it.
But his pressing did disrupt the opponent's passing, and soon the ball was back at Dortmund's feet!
In midfield, GündoÄan shielded the ball from Bellinghausen and passed it to Sven Bender.
Dortmund immediately launched a counterattack.
Bender had three options: PeriÅ¡iÄ was sprinting up the left flank, Götze was charging down the right, and both Kuba and Ye Chen were advancing in the middle.
Ye Chen, however, had Sankoh marking him tightly.
Without hesitation, Bender chose the right flank!
Passing to PeriÅ¡iÄ would slow the attack since Werner was shadowing him closely.
But Götze was free!
Despite Morell chasing him down, Götze maintained a slight lead.
At this moment, Götze's speed was breathtakingâhe seemed like he had a motor installed.
Ye Chen and Kuba both pushed forward, though Kuba was slower than Ye Chen.
Ye Chen positioned himself to the right of Sankoh, leaning toward Götze's direction.
"Bang!"
On the move, Götze crossed without looking.
The ball soared beautifully through the air toward the near post.
Ye Chen was already charging into the box, with Sankoh close behind.
As a physically strong player, Sankoh was fast, but Ye Chen had the positional advantage and explosive speed to claim the passing lane.
Realizing the danger, Sankoh grabbed at Ye Chen's jersey in desperation.
The pull was so obvious that Ye Chen's jersey stretched out of shape.
Ye Chen was brought to the groundâit was clearly a foul.
But he didn't care. Despite the tug, he stretched his leg out.
No, he launched his leg at the ball!
Before it hit the ground, Ye Chen smashed it with his foot.
The ball changed direction instantly, flying toward the near post!
JanÄ had anticipated this and moved early, focusing on the near post.
But the shot was too fast. Even as he extended his hand, the ball found the net!
Ye Chen's movement and speed delivered a resounding slap to Sankoh.
Who said pressing doesn't pay off for a striker?
This opportunity was one Ye Chen created with sheer effort!