Guangfu, Yiyuan Community.
"What's going on? Is it working or not?!"
"The cable network signal is bad, what does that have to do with me?"
"The wired connection was working fine, but you insisted on changing the set-top box, see?"
"Stop arguing!"
"You're mimicking me again. That's not how people from the Northeast talk."
Chen Jianping was about to retort when he slammed his fist on the set-top box, and it actually fixed it.
The blue screen returned to normal.
The image showed a green football field, and Duan Xuan's clumsy voice as a commentator just happened to come through.
"CCTV, CCTV!"
"We are now bringing you the 17th round of the 2007/08 Bundesliga season, the final match before the winter break."
"Borussia Dortmund is playing at home, facing the League leaders, Bayern Munich, who have already secured the winter championship!"
"Today, Tao and Duan Xuan will bring you the live commentary."
"The match has already begun. Borussia Dortmund, in yellow and black jerseys, are attacking from left to right, while Bayern Munich, in red jerseys, are attacking from right to left."
"Borussia Dortmund's starting players include:
Goalkeeper: Weidenfeller;
Defenders: Felipe Degen, Robert Kovač, Hummels, Dedê;
Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl, Tinga, Buckley, Błaszczykowski;
Strikers: Klimowicz, Alexander Frei;
On the bench are young midfielder Nuri Şahin, and the 15-year-old prodigy Chen Tao, whom Chinese fans have been anticipating and who has recently risen to prominence.
Chen Tao has come on as a substitute in all five recent Bundesliga matches, performing excellently and helping the team achieve a five-match unbeaten streak.
Hopefully, we will see him in today's crucial match as well."
"Now let's look at Bayern Munich's starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Thomas Kraft;
Defenders: Lahm, Lucio, Daniel Van Buyten, Lell;
Midfielders: Mark van Bommel, Schweinsteiger, Hamit Altıntop, Franck Ribéry;
Strikers: Klose, Luca Toni;
Mario Gomez and Podolski are on the bench.
Captain Mark van Bommel's return from injury strengthens Bayern's squad.
At the same time, Luca Toni and Ribéry are in excellent form, which may pose a certain threat to Borussia Dortmund…"
"That's right, Bayern and Dortmund both play a 4-4-2 formation, with strong attacking capabilities on both flanks…"
The match had just begun, with away team Bayern kicking off first. They didn't go all out on offense, playing rather steadily.
Both sides were temporarily battling for possession in the midfield, and CCTV took this opportunity to introduce the starting lineups and analyze both teams' formations.
While Tao was speaking eloquently, Ding Ru craned her neck, her gaze fixed on the TV screen.
"You're practically going to crawl into it."
"Why isn't Chen Tao playing yet? Is the coach giving him a hard time?"
"Just watch, you don't make substitutions at the start of the game."
There was too much to explain, and Chen Jianping was already numb.
If Chen Tao wasn't playing in Europe, Ding Ru would never watch a football match. Recently, he had been giving her Popular Science while watching, and there were still a ton of questions waiting.
Just offside, Chen Jianping had explained it no less than 10 times.
This match against Bayern was not easy to play.
Chen Jianping's brows were furrowed with worry, unsure if Chen Tao would get a chance to play today.
…
On the bench, Chen Tao and Nuri Şahin huddled together, wrapped tightly in thick coats.
"Sigh…"
"Why are you sighing?"
"I'm not starting again today."
In crucial battles, Thomas Doll preferred to trust the 30-year-old Brazilian midfielder, Tinga.
His ball control could help Borussia Dortmund relieve pressure when distributing the ball from midfield.
Facing the interceptions of Little Piggy and Mark van Bommel,
Tinga had a certain ability to deliver dangerous passes.
However, Tinga's passive defensive attitude was always criticized by the media and fans.
Later, coach Klopp publicly criticized Tinga for "lacking fighting spirit," and Tinga gradually faded out of the starting lineup.
In Thomas Doll's eyes, he was still a trustworthy veteran.
"What the hell? He can pass that?"
In the 8th minute of the match, Bayern Munich shed their harmless disguise and began to gradually exert pressure.
Tinga's midfield pass was too presumptuous and was easily intercepted by right-back Lahm with a stretch of his leg.
"No, big brother, Lahm was already defending in front, and you still passed?"
Chen Tao frowned as he watched.
Bayern immediately launched a blitz. Lahm passed the ball to Mark van Bommel, who turned and sent a long pass to Ribéry.
"Ribéry!! He has the ball on the left… Beautiful! He's dribbled past him, he's in! Oh oh oh!"
Amidst Duan Xuan's strange cries, Ribéry faked out right-back Degen, easily burst into the penalty area, and then unleashed a fierce curved shot with his right foot!
"Weidenfeller!! A world-class save! Oh no!"
Before Duan Xuan could finish speaking, the tall Italian arrived on the scene and, with his long strides, blocked the ball into the net.
"Goal!! Just 9 minutes into the match, away team Bayern Munich takes the lead!"
"The goal scorer is Luca Toni, who has already scored 12 goals in 17 rounds, making him Bayern Munich's top scorer!"
World Cup champion striker Toni was in his prime.
Chen Tao watched helplessly as the Italian excitedly ran to the sidelines, constantly twisting his right hand near his ear, performing his signature "screwing in a lightbulb" celebration.
When Luca Toni was young, he spent a long time in lower-tier Leagues and was evaluated by countless people as having no football talent and never being able to succeed.
He even gave up football at one point and obtained an accountant's certificate.
It wasn't until he was 27 that he entered the Serie A. From Palermo to Fiorentina, Luca Toni seized the opportunity, scoring 31 goals in a single season to become the Serie A top scorer.
Under the pressure of the "Calciopoli" scandal, Toni, as a starting striker, then lifted the World Cup with his team, standing at the pinnacle of the world.
Now, Luca Toni is 30 years old, and he also knows that this season might be the last peak of his career.
As he celebrated past the Borussia Dortmund technical area,
Toni inadvertently met the gaze of the young Asian man on the bench.
His performance during warm-ups had made Toni remember the Asian man at a glance, and he turned to inquire about him.
Upon learning that the other party was only 15 years old, had already made 5 appearances in the Bundesliga, and managed to create danger in every appearance…
Toni fell silent.
This damned talent!
At this moment, after scoring, Toni's gaze towards Chen Tao held a hint of challenge.
"What if you have talent? I must win this game!"
Nuri Şahin on the bench, however, was completely bewildered.
"No, why is the Italian staring at you? Did you provoke him?"
"How would I know?"
Chen Tao was equally bewildered,
"I haven't offended him."
"Sigh, it really looks like it's going to be a tough match today."
Nuri Şahin's ominous premonition was confirmed.
In the 27th minute of the first half, Borussia Dortmund's goal was breached again.
Bayern's midfield launched an attack, and Tinga, as a defensive midfielder, almost provided only "eyeball defense," allowing Schweinsteiger to comfortably deliver a through ball.
Klose made a timely run, backheeling the ball to a teammate.
Luca Toni appeared in a desperate position, curling a perfect arc with his right foot.
Goalkeeper Weidenfeller could only watch the ball go in with a sigh.
"Another goal!! 2-0! Bayern Munich further extends their lead!"
"Borussia Dortmund needs to figure something out; they seem to have returned to their state from a few rounds ago."
At this moment, the Bundesliga broadcast camera intentionally or unintentionally focused on the bench, specifically on Borussia Dortmund's young twin stars.
Nuri Şahin, and the handsome young man with an East Asian face, Chen Tao.
The camera's message couldn't be clearer.
If anyone could save Borussia Dortmund, it might be the two of them!