Chapter 1 Before the Match at Schalke 04's Home

Before Schalke 04's home game against Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund played against Borussia Mönchengladbach away. Dortmund didn't win; the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, defeated Werder Bremen 4-1 at home, taking the opportunity to narrow the score gap to one point.

In the evening, the last game of the round, Schalke 04 versus Augsburg at home, was about to begin.

Yang Muge sat in the locker room, listening to head coach Stevens' final instructions.

"Augsburg is last in the standings, but that's no reason for us to underestimate them. I expect you to stay focused during the game and not give the opponent any chances."

Yang Muge listened attentively, but his teammates didn't seem to care as much about what the coach was saying.

Hosting the weakest opponent in the league, was there any suspense in this game?

※※※

As Yang Muge followed his teammates out of the tunnel, Sun Pan shouted in the group chat, "Old Yang!"

"Yo, looks a bit serious," Zhou Yi said.

"Is he nervous?" He Ying asked.

"I think he's nervous!" Guo Nu said.

"Maybe he's just focused?" Zhou Yi didn't think so.

Amidst the group's discussion, Yang Muge stepped onto the field at Schalke 04's home stadium, Veltins-Arena. When it was first built, it was a world-renowned stadium, considered the most modern stadium in Europe at the time.

UEFA's management organization rated this multifunctional stadium as a five-star venue, commenting, "The configuration of this stadium far exceeds the necessary and basic level and could perhaps be defined as a six-star venue."

The stadium's roof could be retracted to close completely, so there was no need to worry about excessive water accumulation on the field when it rained.

Moreover, the stadium's turf had motorized tracks, allowing it to be moved electronically for convenient and efficient replacement.

Yang Muge was playing in such an outstanding stadium for the first time.

He had warmed up on this field before, but that feeling was completely different from a game.

He turned his head and glanced at the substitutes' bench, spotting his good friend Draxler, who wasn't starting in this game but was a substitute.

When Draxler saw Yang Muge looking over, he gave him a "go for it" gesture.

He was happy that his good friend was finally able to play for the first team.

※※※

The game was also being broadcast live in China. Chinese fans were much happier than before because they could watch Zhou Yi's games through the Bundesliga, Guo Nu's games through Serie A broadcasts, and Sun Pan's games through La Liga broadcasts. All three leagues were free, so fans didn't have to pay to watch them.

And now, in the Bundesliga, they had one more player's game to watch: Yang Muge.

"Yang Muge, one of the Five Little Dragons, plays as a defensive midfielder. Everyone should already be familiar with him. He's currently the main midfielder for the national Olympic team. However, this is his first time playing for Schalke 04, and he's starting," Duan Xin said.

The TV broadcast also gave Yang Muge a close-up. Since Zhou Yi performed well in the Bundesliga, German TV broadcasters had paid extra attention to Chinese players.

Would Yang Muge become the second Zhou Yi?

The Germans were also curious.

※※※

In the first half of the game, Augsburg didn't cause much trouble for Schalke 04. Huntelaar opened the scoring for Schalke 04 in the sixteenth minute. This was also his twelfth goal of the season. Not only was he the team's top scorer at Schalke 04, but he was also ranked first in the entire Bundesliga scorer rankings.

Huntelaar's goal ignited the atmosphere at the Veltins-Arena, and Schalke 04's fans cheered loudly.

This scene was a microcosm of the first half. In the first half, Schalke 04 firmly controlled the situation and took the lead, while Augsburg was completely suppressed by Schalke 04, unable to fight back and only able to parry desperately.

Anyone who watched Augsburg's performance wouldn't think they could threaten Schalke 04's goal.

The only regret in the first half was that Schalke 04 only scored one goal and couldn't score more. However, Schalke 04's fans didn't care or worry. After all, there were still forty-five minutes left, and they would always be able to score one or two more goals.

As for Yang Muge, whom the Chinese fans and commentators were concerned about, his performance in the first half was mediocre. It couldn't be said to be bad, but it couldn't be said to be good either. His ball handling was quite standard, and there was nothing that could make people's eyes light up and quickly remember his performance.

"Obviously, Yang Muge is different from Zhou Yi. He's not the kind of player who can decide the game. I think even if he develops well in the future, he'll just be an excellent role player..." Marcel Reif said.

Because of Zhou Yi, he also paid attention to Yang Muge. However, after watching half a game, he came to a conclusion about Yang Muge.

Indeed, Yang Muge wasn't outstanding at all in the first half. He diligently completed the task given to him by the coach – defending in midfield.

However, because Augsburg's strength was too weak, they didn't pose any threat to Schalke 04's goal in the first half, so Yang Muge naturally didn't have any opportunity to perform.

During the halftime break, the commentators and guest commentators were commenting on the game. They all believed that it was a certainty that Schalke 04 would win this game at home. Being able to win this game was indeed very timely for Schalke 04, who had just lost the Revierderby. They needed a victory to rebuild their confidence.

In the group chat excluding Lao Guo (Old Guo), everyone was also discussing the first half, but the focus of their discussion was all on Yang Muge.

"I also think Lao Yang's performance in the first half was too mediocre. It would be great if he could score a goal in the second half..." Sun Pan said.

"Yeah, scoring a goal would make him instantly famous!" Guo Nu said excitedly.

But Zhou Yi had a different opinion: "I think Lao Yang still needs to contribute to the defense. Goals are what the media and fans like to see, but they're not necessarily what the coach likes. Stevens must be very clear about Schalke 04's current problems. His starting Lao Yang definitely hopes that he can strengthen the team's defense in midfield..."

"That's true, Zhou Yi. But Augsburg is too weak now. It's impossible for them to pose any threat to Schalke 04 in attack. It's too difficult for Lao Yang to have any performance in defense..." He Ying felt that Zhou Yi's statement was a bit unrealistic.

"Yeah, with Augsburg's attack, it won't even reach Lao Yang's front, and it's estimated that there will be no threat..."

Guo Nu and Sun Pan also agreed.

Zhou Yi insisted on his opinion: "Even so, I don't think Lao Yang can think about scoring goals. Instead, he has to complete his defensive tasks. Even if he's not outstanding, it's not a problem. For his position and task, the most important thing is not to be outstanding, but not to make mistakes."

※※※

In Schalke 04's locker room, the atmosphere was relaxed. Although the team was only leading their opponent by one goal, judging from the performance in the first half, who would doubt that they would lose to Augsburg?

The outcome of this game was without suspense. The only suspense was how many goals they would win by.

Head coach Stevens also had the same idea. He praised the team's control in the first half and asked the team to continue attacking in the second half and strive to expand their lead as soon as possible.

When the second half of the game began, Stevens didn't make any substitutions. There was indeed no need for a leading team to do so.

Augsburg, who were trailing by one goal, used up a substitution spot at the beginning of the second half. They replaced midfielder Davids with forward Oehrl.

When they made the substitution, Zhou Yi said in the group chat, "This substitution at least shows that Augsburg doesn't intend to admit defeat in this away game."

"It's just a substitution, no need to be too sensitive, Zhou Yi..." Sun Pan said.

"This isn't being sensitive, Panpan. If Augsburg's coach believes that his team is weak and will definitely lose to Schalke 04 away, he wouldn't use up a substitution spot so early. Think about when a team will make a substitution at the very beginning of the second half?" Zhou Yi asked.

Sun Pan didn't say anything.

He Ying and Guo Nu in the group also fell silent.

Because they realized that Zhou Yi was right. That was indeed the case. Only when they were unwilling to fail would a team make substitution adjustments at halftime, and it was replacing a midfielder with a forward. Augsburg's intention to strengthen their attack was very obvious...

However, the Schalke 04 players on the field didn't seem to think so. After the start of the second half, they continued to launch fierce attacks on Augsburg's goal, wanting to expand their lead as quickly as possible.

It seemed that the halftime break hadn't cooled their attacking enthusiasm at all.

However, it was Augsburg who scored first in the second half, not Schalke 04!

"Sasha Mölders!! Oh, my God! Augsburg equalized! Just as Schalke 04 was preparing to extend their lead, they were dealt a heavy blow!"

In the Veltins-Arena, Augsburg's players were celebrating their goal wildly.

As the team ranked last, being able to force a draw with Schalke 04 at their home was indeed a very good result.

Compared to the excited Augsburg players, the Schalke 04 players seemed a little dazed – not quite understanding how they had conceded a goal, how the score had been tied. The previous game had gone so smoothly that some players even had the illusion that they were leading Augsburg by more than one goal, so when they found out that Augsburg had only scored one goal to equalize, they didn't react.

"What did I say?" Zhou Yi sent a hand-wringing and shaking-head emoji in the group.