If you ignored the score on the big screen and just watched the action on the field, you'd never believe this was a match already at 4-0!
Dortmund looked more like the trailing side, with all their players fully committed to pressing and chasing down the ball.
The fans in the stadium played their role as the "twelfth man," waving flags and cheering relentlessly.
At this moment, Dortmund was a united front.
But Dortmund's relentless pressing in the final minutes had ignited Cologne's players.
A man's pride, like a tree's bark, must be defended!
If they gave up now, they'd become the laughingstock of the entire Bundesliga!
So, in this moment, they were fighting for the honor of their team and their own dignity.
All 22 players on the pitch were playing with everything they had.
The game was even more intense than at the start!
At 78:35, Ye Chen received the ball but was immediately brought down from behind.
Dortmund won a free kick 38 meters from goal.
Of course, without a guaranteed shot, Ye Chen didn't even consider attempting it.
At 79:12, Ye Chen dropped back to collect the ball again, but his turn was blocked. As he hesitated, Lanig suddenly darted in and stole the ball.
Fortunately, Sven Bender chased back hard and kicked the ball out of bounds.
However, Sven Bender, known for his physical endurance, began cramping.
At 81:24, Klopp made his final substitution.
Nineteen-year-old Moritz Leitner, recently promoted from the second team, replaced the cramping Bender.
Bender was renowned for his defensive skills, but his offensive ability could be described as barely second-tier at best. Replacing him with Leitner, a talented midfielder from Dortmund's reserves, was a bold move.
Leitner's technical skill and passing had earned Klopp's approval, which was why he'd been promoted to the first team.
Before Leitner took the field, Klopp gave him a clear directive: get the ball to Ye Chen.
What Ye Chen would do with it was up to him!
In the final ten minutes, Klopp wanted to conduct an experiment.
Without Shinji Kagawa on the field, could Ye Chen take on the role of tactical core?
In truth, Klopp preferred a 4-3-3 to the 4-2-3-1 formation they currently used.
Like Barcelona's tiki-taka, their 4-3-3 setup allowed for seamless transitions between attack and defense.
In a 4-2-3-1, the central attacking midfielder (CAM) often had limited defensive responsibilities. Without possession, this position effectively made the team one player short.
This was why traditional CAMs were later phased out in modern tactics.
Thus, Ye Chen's direct competition wasn't just Lewandowski or Barrios but also Shinji Kagawa, Perisic, and Götze!
Kevin De Bruyne's transformation into an all-round midfielder was a perfect example. He retained the playmaking skills of a CAM while adding defensive and off-ball movements to his arsenal. Such versatile midfielders became far more valuable than traditional CAMs who only posed a threat when on the ball.
But Ye Chen's passing was mediocre, so midfield wasn't an option. Klopp wanted to see if Ye Chen could handle being the lone striker. If not, how about playing as a winger?
At 17 years old, Ye Chen had unlimited potential!
After all, Dortmund's only current left winger was Perisic, and Grosskreutz and Löwe were far from being viable options.
Dortmund's current midfield trio was GündoÄan, Kehl, and Leitner.
Kehl was defensively focused, taking on Bender's role and mirroring Barcelona's Busquets.
GündoÄan was the central playmaker, Dortmund's version of Xavi.
Leitner served as the secondary playmaker, akin to Iniesta.
That left Ye Chen to model himself after Messi.
Although they were all "low-budget versions," it was a worthwhile experiment!
In the final minutes, Dortmund dominated possession, but their "low-budget Messi" struggled to even touch the ball.
Watching Ye Chen struggle to get involved, Klopp thought he must have been crazy to expect a 17-year-old to be a tactical centerpiece.
To be fair, Klopp knew this experiment was a spur-of-the-moment decision, unlikely to succeed.
But what if it did?
What if Ye Chen was truly one of a kind?
The intense battle raged on. Whenever Ye Chen got the ball, at least two defenders immediately closed inâone cutting off his route forward, the other ready to steal the ball.
Ye Chen couldn't even face the goal, let alone score.
On the sidelines, Solbakken grinned in excitement. "Great work, boys! Keep him locked down!"
Frustrated all match, Solbakken finally felt some satisfaction.
He should've figured this out sooner.
Ye Chen's speed was impressive, but if you denied him the chance to accelerate, he was neutralized!
And his physicality was a weaknessâwhile his height was decent, he couldn't hold off defenders with his back to goal.
If Dortmund passed the ball to Ye Chen, Cologne's defenders immediately closed in, preventing him from turning.
A player who couldn't even face the goalâhow could he score?
Time ticked away. On the sidelines, Solbakken grew animated, shouting at his players, "Stay on him! Don't let him near the goal!"
Ye Chen glanced at Solbakken, who resembled a clown in his antics, and frowned.
Was the real clown... himself?
These minutes were torturous for Ye Chen.
Particularly with Cologne's persistent fouls, even receiving the ball was a challenge!
But give up? Never!
As long as the match wasn't over, he wouldn't stop fighting!
On the sideline, Klopp watched the visibly slowing Ye Chen and sighed deeply.
He'd asked too much.
After all, Ye Chen was only 17, making his first Bundesliga start.
The fact that he'd lasted this long was already a miracle, yet Klopp had hoped for him to act as the team's core in the final minutes.
Still, Klopp didn't give up. He continued clapping from the sideline, urging the players to stay motivated.
Because Ye Chen hadn't given up either. He was still running, still searching for opportunities.
GündoÄan had the ball at his feet and glanced at Ye Chen's position, hesitating to pass.
Under the coach's instructions, Cologne's defense escalated. Two defenders turned into three.
One stayed behind Ye Chen, preventing him from turning, another cut off passing lanes, and a third was ready to provide support.
At this moment, Ye Chen was being treated like a superstar.
Just like Ronaldo at Real Madrid or Messi at Barcelona.
What would Messi do?
Suddenly, an image flashed in Ye Chen's mind!
Ye Chen looked at Leitner, who had the ball, and ran toward him.
"Pass it to me!"
"Ah, okay!" Leitner didn't hesitate and handed the ball to Ye Chen.
Facing the goal, Ye Chen immediately moved forward. Bucchi jumped in to intercept.
But Ye Chen had already started his run. To everyone's shock, he dribbled straight toward the referee!
The referee looked bewildered.
"Who am I? Where am I? What's happening?"
"My word! Ye Chen just used a basketball-style pick-and-roll move! The referee's become his unwitting shield!" the commentator exclaimed.
With a feint to the left, Ye Chen forced the referee to step back, colliding with Bucchi.
Ye Chen seized the chance, leaving the first defender behind.
But Matuschyk was closing in from the right, with Sereno ahead.
Ye Chen didn't slow down. As Matuschyk slid in for a tackle, Ye Chen deftly flicked the ball to his right, avoiding the challenge.
Matuschyk's cleats caught Ye Chen slightly, causing him to stumble but not lose control.
Sereno lunged forward just as Ye Chen reached out with his toe, poking the ball through Sereno's legs.
Chasing the ball, Ye Chen burst into the penalty area.
Goalkeeper Rensing hesitated, then charged out decisively.
"It's up to me now!" Rensing thought confidently as he closed the distance.
But Ye Chen chipped the ball at the last moment.
The ball arced beautifully over Rensing, who tried to stop but lost his balance and fell helplessly to the turf. He could only watch as the ball dropped into the net.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
And then, an eruption!
The Westfalenstadion roared to life.