Chapter 215 Quick Free Kick

Klopp's adjustments pleased Hamburg. In their view, Dortmund's approach, abandoning midfield defense, would allow Hamburg to easily seize the advantage and then convert it into a victory.

Klopp's adjustment was too rash.

But wasn't Hamburg hoping to see an opponent like this?

Just as Hamburg was dreaming, the second half began, and Dortmund gained the upper hand.

Only a minute into the second half, Yan Min was dribbling through the left side when Hamburg midfielder Rincon tackled him from behind just as he was about to break into the penalty area!

"Ah! Rincon's foul is too vicious!" Duan Xin exclaimed angrily.

Dortmund had two players who absolutely couldn't get injured: Zhou Yi and Yan Min. An injury to either would affect China's World Cup preparations.

So Duan Xin was particularly concerned about their condition.

Fortunately, although Rincon's tackle from behind looked scary, he only tripped Yan Min and didn't cause any serious injury.

Dortmund's players surrounded the referee, wanting him to card Rincon.

Hamburg's players also surrounded the referee, claiming Rincon had tackled the ball first and Yan Min had dived.

As the argument raged, Zhou Yi went over to Yan Min, who had just gotten up.

"Be ready to receive. We're taking a quick free kick!"

Zhou Yi said only this to him, then turned to place the ball.

Yan Min was stunned at first, but quickly understood. He quickly moved to the side. Why not run towards the center? Because the center was crowded, and a quick free kick would be meaningless if he went there.

Amid the players' squabble, the referee showed Rincon a yellow card.

Both Hamburg and Dortmund players were unhappy with the decision. Hamburg players thought there shouldn't have been a foul called at all, and giving a yellow card was absurd. Dortmund players thought a yellow card was too lenient and a red card should have been given directly.

Of course, both sides' demands were biased, unreasonable, and couldn't be considered right. But that's football. Everyone only considers their own interests. Right or wrong doesn't matter at such times.

Could this be considered a degree of "using any means necessary for victory"?

The referee waved them away.

The players reluctantly dispersed.

Hamburg's players prepared to form a wall, intending to stall for time...

But at that moment, after placing the ball, Zhou Yi suddenly kicked it!

"A quick free kick!"

Seeing this, the referee hesitated but ultimately didn't blow his whistle for Dortmund to retake it. He hadn't called a direct free kick, which meant this free kick could be taken without waiting for his whistle.

Hamburg's players didn't react at first. They realized what had happened when they saw Yan Min receive the ball on the wing—the referee hadn't signaled!

What were they waiting for?

So Hamburg's players swarmed towards Yan Min.

On the wing, facing the oncoming Hamburg players, Yan Min saw that Hamburg's penalty area was relatively empty, especially on... the edge of the box.

So he feigned a move to break inside, then used his left foot to pull the ball back, creating an angle, and crossed!

He used his right foot to send the ball towards the edge of the box!

At this time, Hamburg's players were either drawn to Yan Min or hastily retreated to defend the goal, completely forgetting to position defenders near the edge of the box.

After the quick free kick, Zhou Yi quickly moved horizontally to the central position in front of the box. Seeing Yan Min pass the ball, he rushed forward.

Then he chested the ball down and followed up with a volley!

"Zhou Yi—!!"

Amid Marcel Reif's drawn-out roar, the ball Zhou Yi kicked flew towards the goal.

Rincon, the Hamburg midfielder whose foul had caused the free kick, lunged forward, trying to block the ball.

He touched the ball, but didn't block it.

The ball swerved in a strange arc in the air and flew straight into the corner of the goal!

Hamburg goalkeeper Adler was caught off guard by Zhou Yi's volley, but he still managed to dive. If Zhou Yi's shot wasn't aimed at the corner, there was still a chance to save it.

But Rincon's deflection turned Zhou Yi's volley into a shot into the corner!

Adler could only watch the ball in despair, powerless.

The ball went into the corner and into the net!

"Zhou Yi! Ohhhhhh! A world-class goal! Zhou Yi! He's been in such great form lately! It's like everything he shoots goes in!" Duan Xin shouted excitedly. "He helped Dortmund equalize! Just one minute into the second half! Hamburg was caught completely off guard! Just look at the confused expressions on their players' faces!"

The TV broadcast showed Hamburg's players looking dazed.

The players who reacted first went back to protesting to the referee, arguing that Dortmund's free kick was irregular. They hadn't finished forming the wall, and they hadn't waited for the referee's whistle.

But the referee told them it was an indirect free kick, and they didn't need to wait for his whistle to kick the ball. Dortmund had simply taken advantage of the rules.

They could only blame the Hamburg players for focusing their energy on arguing with the referee about Rincon's foul and not staying focused on the game.

In high-level matches, even a second of distraction can lead to a big mistake.

How could Hamburg's players forget such a simple thing?

※※※

Zhou Yi, who had scored, embraced his teammates.

His goal was worth a thousand gold. When Dortmund was in trouble, he stepped up and helped the team overcome the difficulties.

Many people thought of what Zhou Yi had said to them in the locker room at the Brackel training ground.

With such a core player, what was there to worry about?

They excitedly patted Zhou Yi's shoulders and back, messing up his hair.

"Zhou Yi initiates, Zhou Yi finishes. It's a perfect closed loop," Marcel Reif said with emotion. "And Rincon? He caused Dortmund's free kick and helped Zhou Yi score the goal. He's also part of a perfect closed loop..."

The TV broadcast had just replayed Zhou Yi's goal. From the camera angle directly facing the goal, everyone could clearly see how the ball changed direction after hitting Rincon's foot...

It was as if it was fate—without Rincon's touch, Zhou Yi's shot might have been saved by Adler. After all, Zhou Yi's shot wasn't particularly skillful.

But Rincon's touch turned an ordinary volley into a world-class volley!

No matter how good Adler was, he couldn't do anything about it...

※※※

Dortmund's adjustments had shown initial results. They equalized at the start of the second half.

But it was only an equalizer, and Hamburg still had a chance to take the lead again.

To avoid this, Klopp had made adjustments, asking the team to use quick passing and receiving to bring the game into their familiar rhythm at the start of the second half.

This wouldn't change because of the goal.

After the goal, Dortmund's players were in high spirits and full of confidence, and they could play even better next.

So when the game restarted, Hamburg soon discovered that the situation was different from what they had imagined...

As long as the ball was at the feet of Dortmund's players, the rhythm would become very fast. The ball was passed back and forth between multiple Dortmund players, dazzling the Hamburg players. If they wanted to intercept the ball, they had to run with this rhythm, which disrupted their own game rhythm.

Once their own rhythm was disrupted, it wouldn't be so easy to get it back...

Three minutes after Dortmund's goal, Zhou Yi shot from long range again, forcibly shooting while being challenged by two Hamburg defenders.

After the ball was touched by Hamburg's center-back Rajkovic, it rebounded to the far post, suddenly turning the long shot into a cross.

As a result, Mark was half a step too slow and failed to touch the ball!

"Mark... oh! What a pity!" Duan Xin exclaimed. "If Mark could have touched that ball, it would have been a sure goal! Too bad, just a little bit short!"

"Zhou Yi has continued his excellent form from before and is playing very actively! This shot also created a threat!" Marcel Reif praised Zhou Yi's performance.

Kotana sat on the bench—she was now qualified to be on the bench—watching her boyfriend's performance in the game and thinking about what he had said to her.

Go all out and do your best.

He really did what he said...