Chapter 87

For a while now, Borussia Dortmund had been besieging Paris Saint-Germain's goal, with numerous shots taken. However, despite being an attacking midfielder positioned close to the goal, Zhou Yi hadn't attempted a single shot.

He focused on passing and organizing the attack, calmly seeking opportunities. He wouldn't shoot unless he saw a very, very good chance with a high probability of scoring.

Shooting was easy, regardless of where the ball went, but for a player responsible for orchestrating the team's offense, Zhou Yi considered that an abdication of responsibility.

He preferred creating opportunities for his teammates.

Despite the tense, feverish atmosphere and the deafening roar from the stands, Zhou Yi's mind seemed to perceive the game in slow motion. He constantly turned his head, observing the situation, calculating the best routes and opportunities, while tirelessly demanding and distributing the ball.

However, Paris Saint-Germain's defense was watertight. Opportunities to genuinely threaten Sirigu's goal were scarce, even nonexistent.

No matter how Zhou Yi searched, he struggled to find a gap to deliver the ball.

Sometimes, even when a gap appeared, the ball wasn't at his feet. By the time it was, the opportunity had vanished.

The penalty area was small, and everyone was moving, making the situation constantly changing. Zhou Yi would have to keep the ball at his feet at all times, but that was impossible. No one could dribble in such a densely packed space for ten minutes straight; it was humanly impossible.

Therefore, relying on passing to create a fatal attack was virtually impossible in the current circumstances.

So, how to break the deadlock?

Zhou Yi continued to observe and think.

As time passed, Dortmund's attacks gradually became more frantic, not always going through Zhou Yi.

Like the current one.

Dortmund launched the ball from midfield, aiming for the penalty area.

A long pass from full-back Großkreutz.

He opted for a diagonal long pass shortly after crossing the halfway line, directly targeting his teammates in the box.

He didn't know what the outcome would be, but when he couldn't think of a better option, he resorted to this.

This was why Großkreutz, despite being an excellent utility player, couldn't fill Zhou Yi's position. The ball was sent into the Chelsea penalty area.

A group of players jumped to contest the header.

Mark jumped in the box, alongside Paris Saint-Germain's center-back, Alex.

Alex had a physical advantage. He overpowered Mark and headed the ball away—as expected, in a high ball contest where everyone was well-positioned, the taller, stronger player would usually win. Even with good positioning, the opponent could use sheer force and height to suppress you.

Everyone knew the chances of winning the first header were slim.

The key was the second ball.

Just like Yan Min's goal in the first half, the key was the second ball.

Although Mark didn't win the header, he still managed to disrupt Alex by leaning his entire body against him. Alex headed the ball, but the collision prevented him from putting his full power into it, and he lost his balance, stumbling.

The ball wasn't cleared far, so Dortmund's players successfully claimed the second ball—Reus was nearby, and the ball headed down by Alex landed right at his feet. He turned, controlled the ball, and immediately unleashed a shot!

Yalete dived in to block Reus's shot!

The ball hit Yalete's leg, deflected, and rolled outside the penalty area.

Outside the box, the third ball was also picked up by a Dortmund player!

Yan Min rushed towards the deflected ball!

At that moment, both Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain players were concentrated in the left side of the penalty area.

After all, two attacks had already happened there, and a third was possible, so Paris Saint-Germain naturally had a heavy defensive presence in that area.

Zhou Yi, who had been passively observing near the edge of the box, suddenly glanced at the far post and noticed a large open space.

No Paris Saint-Germain players had noticed it, and even goalkeeper Sirigu was covering the near post, blocking Dortmund's shooting angle.

Zhou Yi didn't know if the ball would bounce his way; Yan Min's shot might be saved or go wide.

But since there was an opening, he had to occupy it. That was Zhou Yi's football philosophy: seize opportunities. Who knew if that opening would lead to a chance?

So, after Yan Min charged forward, Zhou Yi followed, sprinting towards the open space he had spotted.

It was an unknown sprint; perhaps a wasted effort, consuming precious energy.

But perhaps not?

As Zhou Yi entered the penalty area, Yan Min struck the ball.

He didn't choose to control the ball first but shot directly!

It was in line with Yan Min's style, but it didn't seem like a good choice.

If such an impulsive shot went in, it would be a wonder goal. But unfortunately, the chances of a wonder goal were slim, so the most likely result was a wildly off-target shot.

It was the eighty-seventh minute of the game. If Yan Min missed, possession would return to Paris Saint-Germain, and Dortmund would have to spend a lot of time winning the ball back and reorganizing their attack...

But unexpectedly, Yan Min's powerful shot didn't go high; he locked his ankle and managed to keep the ball on the ground!

The ball flew towards the most crowded area of the box.

Full of legs, it seemed almost impossible for the ball to avoid contact, safely reach the goal, and then evade the goalkeeper Sirigu, who was already blocking the way.

So, predictably, the ball was touched by someone's leg in the crowd and changed direction.

Not towards the sideline, but towards... the far corner of the goal!

The ball bounced towards the open space at the far post.

Sirigu quickly turned and dived back.

The other Paris Saint-Germain players could only watch helplessly.

Only He Ying, who had tracked back into the penalty area, ran towards the ball, wanting to kick it away. He hadn't seen Zhou Yi, but with the keen instincts of a forward, he sensed the danger of that open space. Letting the ball develop there would definitely lead to trouble.

He was right. As he started his run, Zhou Yi sped past him, overtaking him.

When He Ying realized Zhou Yi's sudden appearance, Zhou Yi was already ahead of him, blocking his path.

※※※

"zhooooooooooooooooooooooo——!!!" Marcel Reif's voice trailed out.

Amidst his drawn-out roar, He Ying frantically slid in—at that moment, he completely disregarded whether sliding in at that position would cause a foul and give the opponent a penalty, or whether he would accidentally knock the ball into his own net...

These seemingly rational thoughts were irrelevant to his body's purely instinctual response.

He Ying slid towards the ball, but he didn't reach it.

Because before him, Zhou Yi had made the same sliding motion. He was half a body length ahead, and despite being disrupted by Yan Min, he still managed to connect with the ball, sending it towards the goal!

At the same time, Sirigu, having turned around, arrived at full speed. He dived horizontally to cover more ground, but his diving direction was exactly the opposite of where Zhou Yi had slid the ball...

So he watched the ball fly past him, over his outstretched body, then rise and fly into the goal behind him...

"...yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii——!!" Marcel Reif finally finished his breath.

But he quickly took another breath and shouted, "toooooooooooooooooooooooooooor!"

He dragged out the sound, screaming uncontrollably: "toooooooooooooooooooor!!! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!!! In the eighty-seventh minute of the game, he scored the second goal for Borussia Dortmund! With this goal, Dortmund leveled the aggregate score with Paris Saint-Germain and have an away goal advantage! They are only a few minutes away from advancing to the semi-finals! And Zhou Yi, once again, plays the role of Dortmund's key man! This role seems tailor-made for him! It fits perfectly! It's as if he was born to save the team!"