As Ye Chen stepped aside, Shinji Kagawa was ready to take the penalty.
But Klopp's instructions quickly reached the field.
Clearly, Klopp wanted Ye Chen to go for the top scorer title!
Currently, Ye Chen was tied at the top of the scoring chart with Huntelaar, both having ten goals. Schalke 04's match wasn't until 7 PM.
If Ye Chen could score another goal, he would claim the top spot as the sole leader of the scoring chart!
Since the coach insisted, Ye Chen stepped forward from the crowd.
Shinji Kagawa patted him on the back. "Go for it!"
Ye Chen nodded firmly.
A one-goal lead is the most dangerous score. If they could extend it to two goals while being one man up, their opponents' resistance would likely weaken further.
Dortmund's starting lineup already had several players playing three matches a week, and their stamina was stretched to the limit.
Yet Klopp had no choice but to field them.
This was the downside of not being a superclubâthe gap in quality between starters and substitutes was too wide.
Although Dortmund had won the Bundesliga title last season, the disparity between them and true powerhouses remained significant.
Think about itâhave you ever seen a superclub constantly selling their tactical cores for money?
Luckily, Dortmund's youth academy was exceptional; otherwise, the club might have fallen into decline long ago.
They were like Ajax in the Eredivisie, who often struggled for a while after selling their stars and key players.
Yet Dortmund managed to stay competitive despite selling their core players every year.
Back on the pitch.
As Ye Chen stood at the penalty spot, the entire stadium fell silent.
In the stands, the beautiful Lina looked worried. She clasped her hands tightly, nervously watching Ye Chen.
"God bless him!"
Meanwhile, in China, the live broadcast on Channel 5 was heating up.
"This penalty is crucial for Ye Chen and a historic moment for Chinese football!" commentator Huang Jianxiang said excitedly into the microphone.
"After Ye Chen's last match, with nine goals, he became the highest-scoring Chinese player in a single season in the top five European leagues!"
"And with his long-range goal, Ye Chen also became the first Chinese player to tie for first in a scoring chart in one of the top five leagues!"
"If... and I mean if he converts this penalty, he'll claim the Bundesliga Golden Boot outright! This is something we never dared to dream of!"
Huang Jianxiang's voice trembled with excitement, showing just how much this moment meant to him.
Zhan Jun added, "Ye Chen has placed the ball on the penalty spot. He's ready!"
Beep!
The referee blew the whistle, and Köln's goalkeeper Rensing stood calmly, watching Ye Chen.
As a former Bayern Munich goalkeeper, Rensing had seen plenty of high-pressure moments.
"Ye Chen starts his run-up. No hesitation. He goes for the bottom left corner!" Zhan Jun's voice rose to a crescendo.
"GOAL!!!"
"Congratulations to Ye Chen! He did it! He's the first man to claim the Bundesliga's Golden Boot outright!"
"Rensing guessed the wrong direction, but looking at the slow-motion replay, Ye Chen's subtle fake before the shot completely deceived the goalkeeper!"
"Even without the fake, the shot's speed and angle were incredible!"
"Let's congratulate Ye Chen!"
"He's done it!" Zhan Jun cheered, clenching his fists in celebration.
"At this very moment, the Westfalenstadion is once again echoing with the Ye Chen song!" Huang Jianxiang's eyes glistened with tears. "How can one not be moved? A former reject from Manchester United has quickly grown into the Bundesliga's top scorer. Sir Alex Ferguson, do you regret it now?"
This wasn't just Huang Jianxiang's questionâit was a question all Ye Chen fans wanted to ask!
By now, even Ferguson must be struggling to justify his decision.
With this goal, the Westfalenstadion erupted once more.
Ye Chen sprinted towards the corner flag, raising his hand and pointing one finger high into the air.
"One!"
This was the gesture for being number one in the scoring chart!
Ye Chen leapt high into the air, spun around mid-flight, and landed firmly.
"Siuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
Before Ye Chen could finish shouting, over 80,000 fans in unison erupted:
"GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!"
"With this penalty, Ye Chen becomes the Bundesliga's top scorer!"
"Let's sing the Ye Chen song together!"
The entire stadium spontaneously broke into song:
"Ha la ha la, Ye Chen, Ye Chen!"
"Ye Chen from China!"
"..."
Can you imagine the electrifying feeling of 80,000 people singing together?
Hearing the chorus behind him, Ye Chen felt goosebumps all over.
At this moment, he had a sudden thought: he wanted to keep winning for Dortmund.
Because here, he had the most passionate fans in the world! No matter what, he was determined to lead Dortmund to the pinnacle of Europe!
"Ding! Random mission activated: Lead Dortmund to the top of Europe within three years!"
"Mission success rewards: 2x diamond treasure chests, 1,000 points!"
"Mission failure penalty: Random deduction of one SS-level skill!"
Ye Chen froze for a moment... The rewards were incredible, but losing an SS-level skill if he failed?
The system was ruthless!
The players rushed over to hug Ye Chen.
Meanwhile, Masahiko Makino, who had been watching from the tunnel, left dejectedly.
At that moment, he realized his future in the Bundesliga looked grim.
Today, he had been like a mindless bull, making two costly mistakes that doomed his chances in the league.
The arrogant Europeans wouldn't give him another chance.
But this was football.
Survival of the fittest. Only the strong thrive.
Köln substituted midfielder Buchettmann for Polish forward Peszko.
Their midfield was already a mess. If they didn't replace a forward with a midfielder and continued to face Dortmund's attacking line with just two midfielders, they'd be utterly shredded.
Before the match, Köln manager Solbakken had been all smiles. Now, his face was stern, a raging fire of anger burning in his heart.
The match resumed. Down two goals, with one man sent off, Köln's confidence was being worn away as they struggled to mount an effective attack.
Eventually, they parked the bus in front of their goal, employing Mourinho-style ultra-defensive tactics.
The players had no desire to attack.
Köln's players on the pitch felt stifled, frustrated, utterly miserable.
"Time, please move faster. Stop torturing us..."
In the front line, only Podolski kept running tirelessly. Without support from his teammates, however, his efforts were in vain, unable to stir up any trouble.
Perhaps it was time for him to leave...
Watching Ye Chen sprinting across the pitch, Podolski saw a reflection of his younger self.
Back when he debuted for Köln, he scored 12 goals in his first season, becoming a household name in the Bundesliga and catching the eye of Bayern Munich, the league's top club.
But times had changed. Now he was back at the place where his dreams began, only to realize it no longer suited him.
Podolski suddenly envied Ye Chen.
This 17-year-old had debuted directly at the Bundesliga champions, Dortmund. No need to switch clubs or adapt to new environmentsâhe already had top-class teammates around him.
Shinji Kagawa, Götze, GündoÄan, and PeriÅ¡iÄâevery one of them was a master passer!
Combined with his own talent...
This year's Dortmund seemed even scarier than last year!
Suddenly, a frightening thought crossed Podolski's mind.
Could this kid win the Bundesliga Golden Boot in his rookie season?
In football history, no player had ever won the league's top scorer title in their debut season.
Especially not in one of the top five leagues like the Bundesliga!
If Ye Chen achieved this, it would truly be a "Ye Chen Legend"!