Chen Tao's second start came to an end around the 67th minute.
His excessive activity on the wing infuriated the Hertha Berlin players.
In the 66th minute, Chen Tao continued to dribble down the right flank.
He intended to toy with Hertha Berlin's left-back Gilberto Melo for the umpteenth time.
The Brazilian, inherently hot-tempered and proud of his fancy footwork from the home of Samba football, was completely humiliated by Chen Tao's close-range dominance today.
Gilberto Melo was enraged. As Chen Tao performed a step-over to change direction and break through, he directly slid in and kicked Chen Tao's ankle.
"No!!!"
Anna, in the stands, stood up and gasped, covering her mouth.
If it weren't for the security guards in front, she would have rushed onto the field.
Team doctor Frank immediately rushed onto the field!
This wasn't the first or second time Chen Tao had been fouled and fallen to the ground, but this time it looked very serious.
Borussia Dortmund teammates gathered around, looking worriedly at the young man. The sight of the 15-year-old boy writhing in pain on the ground was truly heartbreaking.
Hummels wanted to confront Gilberto Melo, but Nuri Şahin stopped him.
"Don't do anything stupid, calm down!"
"He's bullying our brother! Damn it!"
"You already have a card!"
At the crucial moment, the team's mastermind, Nuri Şahin, remained calm enough.
Frank and his medical team colleagues knelt down, took off Chen Tao's sock, and carefully examined his ankle. They breathed a slight sigh of relief.
His bones and joints were fine; only his ankle was slightly swollen, likely a sprain.
"Chen, are you alright?"
Chen Tao, who had momentarily blacked out from the pain but was now recovering, gritted his teeth and managed a smile:
"I'm fine, I can still fight!"
Damn it!
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That Brazilian was really dirty with his tackles! As expected of a South American player, his play is absolutely filthy!
Chen Tao kept muttering to himself, the pain from his ankle still stimulating his cerebral cortex.
Fortunately, his focus was concentrated at the moment of the dribble.
Chen Tao was almost in a state where time seemed to slow down, and he saw the opponent's sinister gaze just before he went in for the tackle.
He instinctively avoided the vital spot and wasn't hit squarely; he merely twisted his ankle upon landing awkwardly.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been just a simple ankle sprain.
"Although there's no major issue, to be safe, don't play anymore. Go off and rest."
"Alright."
Chen Tao wasn't an idiot.
Borussia Dortmund was already leading Hertha Berlin 2-0, and it was just a regular League match; there was no need to risk his professional career.
The on-field captain, Kehl, made a substitution gesture upon hearing this, and a stretcher came to carry Chen Tao off.
This was the first time in Chen Tao's professional career that he lay on a stretcher, looking up at the clear blue Westfalen sky.
Unfortunately, it was an afternoon match, and the strong sunlight pierced his eyes, forcing him to cover them.
"Chen!!! He looks so pained! Is he going to be okay?"
"When he was carried off on the stretcher, Chen Tao was already crying. The sight of him covering his face and sobbing truly broke my heart!"
"I think the German Football Association needs to make referees enforce stricter rules to protect talented, technical players. We can't become a playground for muscular strongmen like the Premier League next door."
Commentator Berenberg was still passionately speaking, while Matthäus next to him was speechless.
Chen Tao was clearly shielding his eyes from the sun!
While all the fans in the stadium were holding their breath for Chen Tao, the head referee also strictly showed a direct red card to the offending Gilberto Melo.
His tackle was too malicious; it was clearly aimed at the person.
Chen Tao, at the cost of a temporary ankle sprain, gained a huge 11-on-10 advantage.
Lying on the stretcher and seeing this scene, Chen Tao temporarily breathed a sigh of relief.
"There shouldn't be any problems now, right?"
"It's stable! It's definitely stable today!"
Head coach Thomas Doll clenched his fist in celebration.
He didn't even care about Chen Tao's injury; his gaze was solely fixed on the field, his mind filled with calculating scores.
After winning this match, Borussia Dortmund should be able to return to 7th place, one step away from the Europa League.
Assistant coach Dick Fuhren secretly thought, "Oh no."
"Don't let him jinx it again, will he?"
Dick Fuhren quickly ran to check on Chen Tao's condition and only relaxed after confirming he was fine.
"Let's get an X-ray after the match, just to be safe."
Team doctor Frank looked at Chen Tao on the stretcher and smiled wryly.
Now his little sister would definitely be worried again.
In reality, the most worried person in the stands was Aunt Maria; she was almost in tears, leaning on Uncle Hans's shoulder.
"What do I do? What if he gets injured, how will I explain it to his parents, that I didn't take good care of their child? Woo woo woo woo…"
Aunt Maria had spoken with Chen Tao's parents, Chen Jianping and Ding Ru, over the phone, and the two families had chatted happily in broken English.
She had originally patted her chest, promising to take good care of Chen Tao, and now Aunt Maria was filled with self-reproach.
Anna, at this moment, looked as usual.
"Don't worry, he's fine."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Anna's gaze was always on Chen Tao; she saw with her own eyes that her brother and Chen Tao were talking and laughing, so there was definitely no problem.
She had prayed to God devoutly, never so devoutly before.
God would bless Chen Tao.
...
Good news: Chen Tao's X-ray results after the match came out, showing no fractures or joint issues.
It was just a simple soft tissue contusion; he could resume training within a week once the swelling subsided.
Bad news…
"What?!"
Chen Tao had just come out of the hospital after his X-ray, and when he checked the score on his phone, he wondered if he was still dreaming.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Hertha Berlin.
What the fuck?
Blaszczykowski, Gordon?
Could his two assists still not lead the team to victory?
It was 11 against 10!
Could they still be human if they conceded two goals consecutively?
What about the Champions League next season, was it going to fall through again?
Clicking on the detailed match news report, Chen Tao scrolled down with a frown.
..."In the 73rd minute of the match, Borussia Dortmund attacked in the opponent's half, and Jakub Błaszczykowski lost possession while dribbling down the right flank.
Hertha Berlin launched a quick counter-attack, Pantelic received the ball, rushed into the penalty area, and scored from a tight angle, Hertha Berlin stubbornly pulling one goal back.
In the 80th minute, head coach Thomas Doll made two consecutive substitutions, taking off Nuri Şahin and forward Alexander Frei;
Bringing on defensive midfielder Tinga and center-back Daniel Gordon, attempting to strengthen the defense.
In the 93rd minute of injury time, Hertha Berlin earned a corner kick.
Captain Friedrich scored with a header, equalizing at the last second.
Hertha Berlin, playing with one man down, managed to escape with a draw on the road thanks to their tenacious fighting spirit.
Borussia Dortmund also paid the price for their conservative play in the final 10 minutes.
Commentary guest Matthäus openly criticized head coach Thomas Doll during the live broadcast,
Stating that he had desecrated Borussia Dortmund's attacking tradition and the Black and Yellow spirit…"
"This…"
Frank, who accompanied Chen Tao for the X-ray, was also stunned. The two looked at each other, unsure what to say.
"The good news is, you can train normally next week. The team still needs you; you performed exceptionally well today, and Anna will definitely be happy for you."
"Anna?"
Chen Tao was curious, why would Frank mention Anna?
Frank quickly chuckled to cover up:
"I meant the whole family will be happy for you. You performed so well, Grandpa will definitely be overjoyed and drink two more cans of beer."
"Tell the old man to drink less."
Chen Tao chuckled wryly.
He could already imagine Fritz, the old man, sitting in his chair, raising a glass to him with a drunken haze.
Whenever the team won on match days, he would be very happy, looking 20 years younger.
On non-match days, 80-year-old Fritz would always sit alone in the courtyard, lost in thought.
"Are you okay?"
More than the old man, Frank was concerned about Chen Tao's state of mind.
"I'm fine, I'm perfectly fine."
Leading by two goals out of nowhere, Chen Tao had done almost everything he could, yet still couldn't win.
He wasn't distressed; he even felt like laughing a little.
This kind of team, it's time for a change, isn't it?
Chen Tao had a premonition before joining Borussia Dortmund:
The team's head coach shouldn't be Thomas Doll, but someone else.
When the team's overall temperament undergoes a profound transformation,
The Black and Yellow storm will rage across Europe!