Zhou Yi took a quick free kick, passing the ball to Mark, who had dropped back to support. Mark turned and distributed the ball to the flank, finding Yan Min on the wing.

Yan Min, upon receiving the ball, didn't make any adjustments. He immediately crossed the ball into the penalty area.

Because it was a quick free kick, Bayern Munich's defense hadn't had time to organize. Capitalizing on the moment could catch them off guard.

Yan Min's cross accurately found Aubameyang, and the Gabonese striker leaped up to meet the ball with a header!

"Aubameyang! A header on goal—!"

Marcel Reif's words were cut short as Lucas Rede made another seemingly impossible save. He dove across the goal, barely managing to deflect the ball, which was heading for the near post. He didn't even push it out for a corner; he merely deflected it.

The ball was still bouncing around in front of the goal!

Dante, who had tracked back, arrived just in time to clear the ball out of the penalty area!

"That was close! Borussia Dortmund almost scored again from a quick free kick... But the game continues!"

The ball cleared by Dante fell to Toni Kroos, who tried to pass it forward to Götze.

However, he regretted the pass as soon as he made it because he saw Zhou Yi suddenly appear in front of Götze, intercepting the ball—Zhou Yi had anticipated his pass!

Götze was retreating, ready to receive the ball, so he could turn and launch a counterattack without wasting time.

But the further he retreated, the further he got from the ball.

He could only watch as Zhou Yi appeared before him, heading the half-high ball from Toni Kroos out to the right flank, towards Yan Min.

"Zhou Yi intercepts! Possession returns to Dortmund!" Marcel Reif exclaimed.

The pace of the game, with the rapid transitions between attack and defense, was leaving him breathless.

Yan Min, who had just delivered a beautiful cross, saw Bayern Munich trying to counterattack and quickly fell back to defend. He then saw Zhou Yi pass the ball back to him, and he stopped to receive it.

Upon receiving the ball, Yan Min faced Bayern Munich's defender Alaba. He abruptly pushed the ball forward about ten meters, then accelerated from a standstill. In the blink of an eye, he was already alongside Alaba, who was just reacting and turning...

Alaba was also known for his speed, but the difference between being prepared and unprepared, between sprinting in a straight line and turning, was significant...

By the time Alaba had turned around, Yan Min was about to catch up with the ball. He frantically tried to chase Yan Min.

Seeing Alaba beaten so easily, Dante in the penalty area rushed to cover.

"What speed!" Marcel Reif exclaimed at Yan Min's breakthrough. "Even more impressive is that he still has such explosive speed at this stage of the game..."

Just as Yan Min caught up with the ball, Dante blocked his path for a cut inside.

So he paused, raised his right leg, feigning a cross.

He had just delivered a beautiful high cross that led to a dangerous header from Aubameyang.

Bayern Munich's defenders naturally couldn't underestimate Yan Min's crossing ability...

So Dante immediately put his hands behind his back and stretched his leg to block the cross.

Why keep his hands behind his back?

Because he was in the penalty area. If his hands were outstretched, even if it was a natural movement to maintain balance, there was a risk of being penalized for a handball if the ball struck his hand, potentially giving Dortmund a penalty.

As a center-back, he had to consider this risk and keep his hands behind his back as much as possible, using other parts of his body to block the ball.

But Yan Min wasn't really going to cross.

His right leg swung up but didn't hit the ball. Instead, it stopped behind the ball in a feint, while the ball continued to roll forward. He then used the outside of his left foot to flick the ball diagonally forward. He accelerated inside, trying to overtake Dante on the outside.

Dante quickly stepped forward to block Yan Min.

At the same time, he raised his hands above his head to signal to the referee that he wasn't using his hands during the upcoming physical contact. If Yan Min fell in the penalty area, it would definitely be a dive!

But Yan Min didn't try to break through. Instead, after catching up with the ball, he crossed it with his right foot!

This time, it was a real cross, not a fake!

However, under Dante's close pressure, he could only cross the ball towards the near post. But there were no Dortmund players there. Was this a rushed cross out of desperation?

No!

At the same moment the ball was flying in, Zhou Yi appeared in the empty space at the near post. He met the ball with a swing of his right leg, his stiff instep sending the ball towards the top near corner of the goal!

※※※

Lucas Rede, who had just made a series of brilliant saves, was full of confidence. He felt like there wasn't a ball in the world he couldn't save. He seemed to see a wonderful scene of himself being entrusted with a crucial task, saving the day, and becoming famous in one battle.

Just then, Yan Min crossed the ball, flying straight to the near post, where he was perfectly positioned to block the angle. It was perfect.

Then Zhou Yi suddenly appeared before his eyes, and a shadow flashed past him. He only subconsciously waved his arms upward but didn't touch anything...

At the same time, his body froze in place, kneeling on one knee, maintaining the gesture of raising his hands, looking like he was surrendering.

The ball was already in the goal behind him.

Confident that no ball could get past his gloves, he had been blown away this time...

"Zhou Yi!! Zhou Yi!! Zhou Yi!! Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!!! Zhou Yi—!!" Marcel Reif shouted hoarsely, without restraint.

"For the third time! The ball flies into Bayern Munich's goal for the third time! Zhou Yi has sent the ball into Bayern Munich's goal for the third time! Incredible! Unbelievable! Zhou Yi has completed a hat-trick against Bayern Munich! This is the first hat-trick of his career!" Marcel Reif exclaimed repeatedly.

※※※

After scoring the goal, Zhou Yi glanced at the ball, confirmed that it was indeed in the goal, and turned to run away.

However, he didn't run towards the corner flag, nor did he run towards Yan Min, who had assisted him. Instead, he ran from the front of the goal, diagonally across the field, straight towards the Dortmund bench.

Klopp was very excited when Zhou Yi scored, jumping up from the ground.

Now seeing Zhou Yi running towards the bench, he was even happier, opening his arms, ready to hug Zhou Yi.

But when Zhou Yi ran up to him, he suddenly dodged past Klopp, then... hugged... Katharina, who was not far behind Klopp!

He cupped Katharina's face and, catching her off guard, kissed her hard!

Everyone nearby, who had been cheering, was stunned.

But they soon understood what was happening—Zhou Yi and Katharina's relationship wasn't a secret. Although the public display of affection was a bit "over the top," it was understandable...

So they laughed and applauded, cheering for Zhou Yi.

Katharina was caught completely off guard by Zhou Yi.

When she saw Zhou Yi running towards the bench, she thought that Zhou Yi might be coming for her.

But at most, she thought he would just hug her. She never expected Zhou Yi to do something so wild as to kiss her in public.

From what she knew of Zhou Yi, a Chinese man, he would never do something like that!

But Zhou Yi actually did it. To outsiders, it looked like he was cupping her face with both hands, but what Katharina felt was not "cupping" but "grabbing." He firmly grabbed her face, not giving her a chance to retreat or avoid him, and kissed her passionately in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Allianz Arena and countless television viewers!

And...

Katharina also felt Zhou Yi's tongue enter her mouth!

"Mmm..." Katharina wanted to protest but could only let out a moan, as if she was enjoying it.

※※※

"Wow!!" Marcel Reif was also stunned. "Zhou Yi's celebration is really... so creative!"

Duan Xin didn't know what to say either. "This... Zhou Yi and Katharina are boyfriend and girlfriend, so... they... ha... but this is too bold, ha!"

Players using kisses to celebrate goals isn't unprecedented, but even then, they usually kiss their teammates. Kissing on the cheek is normal, but sometimes, in the heat of the moment, there are mouth-to-mouth kisses, and there are even French kisses.

But kissing a member of the opposite sex is very, very rare.

Because generally, there are no women on the bench or in the coaching area in football.

Back when Chelsea's female doctor appeared on the bench, and when Katharina appeared on Dortmund's bench, it caused a lot of media discussion and debate.

The very presence of a woman on the bench already broke the taboo of men's football. After all, this sport had been dominated by men for over a hundred years. For a long time, there were even superstitious beliefs, such as not allowing women on the team bus, as it would lead to defeat. If they weren't allowed on the bus, then they certainly weren't allowed on the bench or in the coaching area.

But in recent years, these superstitious views have begun to loosen, and with the rise of the feminist movement, there have been situations like Katharina appearing on the Dortmund bench and Eva appearing on the Chelsea bench.

But even with these women present, no player would ever kiss such a woman in excitement after scoring a goal.

A man kissing a man can be praised, tolerated, understood, and supported, but if a man dared to kiss a woman in public who wasn't his girlfriend, he would be drowned in spit, and he certainly wouldn't escape a charge of "sexual harassment."

Therefore, such a situation had never occurred on the sidelines.

But Zhou Yi didn't have to worry about accusations of "sexual harassment" or "taking advantage," because Katharina wasn't just Dortmund's team doctor, but also his girlfriend! He could kiss Katharina openly in this situation...

This was truly enviable...