The match has reached a fever pitch!
Both head coaches have completed their substitutions.
Werder Bremen's coach, Allofs, made two changes: he brought on Prödl to replace André Wolf, who had been thoroughly exploited on defense, and Ekici came on for the fatigued Bargfrede.
A midfielder and a fullback were substituted to inject some vitality into Bremen's defense.
It seems Allofs is satisfied with his tactical setup for the day, as he hasn't changed his game plan even now.
On the pitch, Ye Chen had possession, and Ekici, freshly subbed in, immediately closed in on him to prevent a long shot.
But Ye Chen simply shifted the ball sideways and decisively took the shot before Ekici could extend his leg to intercept!
"Bang!"
The ball flew like a lightning bolt towards the goal. Bremen's goalkeeper Mielitz, fully alert, leapt into action.
Just as the ball was about to cross the goal line, Mielitz managed to tip it away with great difficulty.
After landing, Mielitz even executed two stylish rolls, clearly in excellent form today!
The commentator on-site shouted excitedly:
"Another long shot from Ye! Beautifully struck!"
"But Mielitz denies him with an excellent save!"
"Dortmund gets a corner!"
"Ye's long shots are so powerfulâI love this style!"
Unlike the finesse of curving long shots, Ye Chen's style was all about brute force.
Every strike was pure, raw powerâviolent aesthetics at its finest!
For fans, this kind of shooting was a thrilling spectacle.
However, just as the commentator's voice trailed off, the referee's whistle blew!
The camera turned to Ye Chen.
"Oh my goodness, Ekici fouled Ye Chen after the shot was already taken!"
"The referee has called the foulâDortmund gets a free kick!"
"But Ye doesn't look good!"
Right after taking the shot, Ye Chen had been fully focused on the ball, but the next second, he was sent flying to the ground without any warning!
Ekici appeared to go for the ball, but his studs landed squarely on Ye Chen's foot!
Ye Chen grimaced in pain, as the studs on the sole of Ekici's boots dug into him. Having just finished his shot, Ye Chen was relaxed and had no time to brace himself for the impact.
Ekici quickly got up, putting on a concerned facade as he said, "Are you okay? I couldn't stop in time!"
But his eyes betrayed coldness and disdain.
It was obviousâthis was deliberate!
Ye Chen, however, had no time to deal with him, clutching his foot and crying out in pain.
The replay on the big screen clearly showed this intentional foul.
The commentator became even more animated:
"This is clearly a premeditated foul! That's absolutely a red card offense!"
However, the referee showed leniency and only gave Ekici a yellow card after approaching him.
Now it was Ekici's turn to be unhappy. "Referee, I couldn't stop, and I even tried to pull back!"
The referee, with a stern expression, replied coldly, "One more time, and it's a straight red!"
The referee was not so easily deceived!
The team doctor sprayed some Yunnan Baiyao on Ye Chen's foot, and after confirming there was no damage to his ankle, Ye Chen got back on his feet.
Naturally, this prime free-kick position was no longer Ye Chen's to take.
Shinji Kagawa stepped up to take the kick, while Ye Chen, having gone off briefly, returned to the field with the referee's permission.
Unfortunately, the free kick didn't go in!
Ye Chen knew he had to be extra cautious now.
Bremen's players had clearly upped the intensity of their defensive efforts against him.
Sure enough, in the next five minutes, Ye Chen was surrounded by at least two defenders every time he touched the ball. Their challenges were also extremely rough, repeatedly sending Ye Chen crashing to the ground.
Many female fans back in China were brought to tears.
But Ye Chen stood up again and again!
He was like an indomitable cockroach!
Ye Chen understood their strategyâit was simple: to scare him, to make him afraid to dribble.
But would Ye Chen be intimidated?
Not with his "Iron Man" attributes!
At the 78th minute and 24 seconds, Naldo launched a long ball from the backfield aimed at Pizarro up front.
This time, Dortmund center-backs Hummels and SubotiÄ both went for the same drop point.
While they won the aerial duel, the ball wasn't cleared far, allowing Rosenberg to collect it immediately.
Pizarro made a decisive run.
Rosenberg sent a diagonal pass straight to him.
Vice-captain Weidenfeller rushed out of his goal, spreading his arms wide like a net, lunging at Pizarro.
But Pizarro stayed calm and deftly chipped the ball over the diving goalkeeper.
The ball arched into the net!
"Goooooooooooooal!"
"A disastrous mistake by Dortmund leads to a goal!"
"A beautiful chip shot from Pizarro!"
"Pizarro!!!"
"Pizarro!!!"
"Pizarro!!!"
The Bremen fans erupted in celebration.
Scoring at this moment could very well seal the game!
Up front, Ye Chen sighed. He had already attempted three long shots since coming on.
He had been hoping to pull off a clutch long-shot goal, but it seemed there was no chance now.
No matter. Focus on equalizing first!
Watching Bremen's players celebrate, Klopp made his final substitution.
Leitner came on for Lewandowski!
Pulling off a striker for a midfielder at this stage?
What kind of tactic was this?
In truth, Klopp was taking a gamble.
At the same time, he wanted to see if Ye Chen could step up in this critical moment!
Yes, with Lewandowski off, the team shifted to a 4-2-3-1 formation, and Ye Chen became the lone striker.
The game resumed.
Trailing Dortmund launched an all-out offensive.
Meanwhile, leading Bremen opted to sit back.
This scenario suited Ye Chen perfectly.
Why?
Simpleâif Bremen sat deep, Ye Chen could take long shots freely!
At the 84th minute and 24 seconds, Ye Chen received the ball at the edge of the penalty arc.
Naldo, one of the Bundesliga's top center-backs, blocked his path inside, while Papastathopoulos charged in from the right!
But Ye Chen used a narrow angle to unleash a shot.
"Thud!"
The ball deflected off Papastathopoulos' foot and went out of bounds!
Dortmund earned a corner!
"Chinese kid, I've analyzed your play style thoroughly. There's no way you're winning this match!" Naldo sneered at Ye Chen.
But while he spoke confidently, deep down he felt differently.
As one of the Bundesliga's best defenders, Naldo could handle most strikers one-on-one. Only a handful required double coverageâDutch international Huntelaar and Bayern's Mario Gomez among them.
But this 17-year-old kid?
Without double coverage, his speed and dribbling were a nightmare!
"Oh, is that so?" Ye Chen smirked, glancing at his stat tracker: Long Shots 4/5 (0/1). His smile grew even wider.
"Shinji, mind if I take this corner?"
Could a corner count as a long shot?