BVB (2 - 0) VFB – 15th Minute
Che scans the pitch, looking at his surroundings, and every single channel is closed down. Stuttgart gets the ball back, but the Dortmund defenders aren't retreating; they stay in position.
On the halfway line.
Che decides to drop deeper to get the ball, and Stuttgart manages to work it out from their defense with one-touch passing.
The ball goes to Che—this is his first touch of the ball in the game other than the kickoff. And his first touch is exceptional.
He avoids the midfielder with it by scooping the ball over his leg. Che starts his run; the Dortmund defenders begin retreating back to their half.
The defensive midfielder presses him, and Che does a feint to avoid him. Immediately after doing the feint, Che runs into a slide tackle.
He jumps over the tackle, but the defender gets the ball. Che rolls over on the grass. The defensive midfielder takes the ball and carries it back into midfield.
The center-back gets up and offers a hand to Che. "You won't go forward so easily, kid."
Che looks at him. "Just watch me." He gets up and looks at him. "And stop calling me 'kid.'"
He walks off.
Sebastian watches along. "It looks like the defense is also on top of their game today."
"The system you introduced to the team is definitely working," the assistant coach adds.
The right-back shouts instructions to his defensive partners, and the message is relayed to the left-back too.
Their defensive line starts pushing up, and now they're inside Stuttgart's half, suffocating them even more.
Che stands forward. "What are they doing? If we get the ball and they pass it to me, I won't be offside."
But the Dortmund players don't look concerned about that. They aren't even paying Che any mind and are focused on what's in front of them.
The Stuttgart players don't seem anywhere close to touching the ball. And it seems like if Che stays forward, it would be like Stuttgart is playing with nine players.
Che realizes the situation and decides to drop deeper to help with the defending. But Dortmund is still keeping the ball, passing it around carefully.
Dortmund finally attacks down the right-hand side, with the right-back on the overlap. The right-back crosses the ball, and the ball is probing.
But the center-backs clear it, although it wasn't a proper clearance, and the ball heads toward the left wing.
Both the Dortmund winger and the Stuttgart right-back chase the ball. The right-back reaches it first but is under pressure from the Dortmund player.
He's forced to pass the ball to the center-back, who looks up and clears it out of their half.
The Dortmund center-back calmly moves toward the ball's direction, then suddenly feels a gust of wind pass by him.
He only sees a shadow that startles him. The center-back decides to pick up his pace. They're both next to each other, trying to track where the ball will land.
Che runs with the center-back to his left, and the ball approaches from the right—it's just him and the defender.
The defender thinks he'll be able to handle Che since he has a smaller physique. But Che isn't focused on him; he's waiting for the ball to land.
The ball approaches, landing at an extremely fast pace, looking impossible to control. The defender expects the ball to bounce—then plans to shove Che away after it does.
The ball comes close to Che's body, and he extends his foot. Everything for him suddenly feels slower.
Everyone on the pitch is moving slow, including the ball. The only things not moving slowly are Che's heartbeat, eyes, and thoughts.
He knows because he feels them all. Those three things know what he's about to do and how it's going to end.
Che smiles.
The ball lands perfectly on his foot, and Che stops it dead. While still in control, he immediately changes direction by cutting in from the right.
The defender is surprised, stumbles trying to turn his body at full speed, and falls over.
Now Che is one-on-one with the goalkeeper and places a simple finish to the bottom-left corner—with that same smile still on his face.
Sebastian stands to his feet. Everyone on the Stuttgart team—even the fans—rises.
Goosebumps.
No one cheers. They're just in awe. Supporters from both teams stand and start clapping.
BVB (2 - 1) VFB – 21st MinuteScorer: Che Louw | Assist: Luc Holzwarth