Bundesliga Matchday 27: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
Thirty-seven minutes into the match, Dortmund was still trailing 0-1.
Chen Tao was running, breathless, looking back at his teammates' positions, trying to find an open space.
He didn't notice when he suddenly collided with Bayer Leverkusen's sturdy defensive midfielder.
"Fuck off, man?"
The opponent, his arms covered in tattoos and his hair styled into a sharp point, glared provocatively.
It was likely Bayer Leverkusen's defensive tactic; every time Chen Tao tried to create an opportunity on the wing, he would rush over immediately, cooperating with his teammates to disrupt Chen Tao's play.
If he only used his body, Chen Tao would try to avoid physical confrontations and use his technique to dribble past him.
However, this Chilean player was rough in his movements, aggressive in his tackles, and skilled in the dirty tricks common among South American players.
Pulling shoulders, tugging jerseys, discreet elbowing…
After being marked by him for 30 minutes, Chen Tao had a belly full of anger.
"Bite my ass, dickhead!"
Arturo Vidal was stunned; he hadn't expected Chen Tao, who looked like a Korean boy band idol, to be so tough.
Just then, the ball flew from Dortmund's backfield as Nuri Şahin attempted a long pass to find Chen Tao.
All other options were restricted by Bayer Leverkusen.
Chen Tao was the only player in the front who could actively hold the ball.
"No way!"
Vidal's eyes lit up, and he continued with his usual method, frantically pulling at Chen Tao's shoulders to gain position, constantly using his body to push his opponent.
The small frame of a 15-year-old Asian boy clearly couldn't withstand it, and he was pushed so hard he almost fell.
Vidal, having won the confrontation, was smug, like a victor, chest-trapping the ball to intercept Dortmund's attack.
As soon as he trapped the ball and brought it to his feet, he tried to dribble forward to create an opportunity.
Suddenly, a leg shot out, taking the ball away by surprise!
That kid!
The yellow and black number 24 on his back!
Damn it!
Chen Tao, even after being pushed out of position, didn't give up; using the defensive insights Gilberto Silva had taught him,
He successfully anticipated Vidal's move, chased back, and completed the tackle.
However, Vidal was still pressing from behind, not allowing him to turn, trying to win the ball back like a madman.
Bayer Leverkusen's left midfielder, Tranquillo Barnetta, simultaneously closed in from the other side with a fierce slide tackle!
Most people in this situation would either pass back or lose the ball.
Bayer Leverkusen's formation had collectively pushed up, and passing options were mostly marked, leaving Chen Tao almost in a dead end!
Seeing Chen Tao in a precarious situation, trapped between two players,
The Westfalen crowd couldn't help but gasp.
They're definitely going to lose the ball!
In the nick of time, Chen Tao, who was constantly being bumped by Vidal, remained incredibly calm.
Time seemed to slow down, and the opponent's tackle was slowly approaching.
Chen Tao, almost at the exact moment of the opponent's tackle,
Used a V-drag with his foot to narrowly avoid it!
As he dragged the ball back, he lightly chipped it over his head, turned, and slipped past Vidal!
"What the hell?!"
Vidal was still looking for the ball on the ground when his vision blurred, and he felt a dark shadow brush past him; that kid had also slipped past him!
"So fast!!"
The whole process took less than a second; how did he get past him?!
Vidal, secretly astonished, quickly turned back, tugged at Chen Tao's jersey to slow him down, and desperately chased after him, making a wild challenge from the side-rear.
By all accounts, most Bundesliga players would be pushed off balance by him, and those with weaker physiques would fall to the ground.
Never mind if it's a foul, the question is, did you stop him or not?!
But the next second, to Vidal's horror, the guy suddenly stopped short and spun around on one foot!
Vidal, like a wild bull in a Spanish bullfight, couldn't control his momentum, overshot, and fell face-first.
Chen Tao became a graceful bullfighter, dribbling the ball towards Bayer Leverkusen's penalty area!
"Fuck!!!!"
Vidal could only angrily grab a handful of grass to vent his frustration, watching helplessly as the damn Asian player toyed with his teammates.
"Chen Tao—"
"A magnificent dance past another! No one can stop him, no one!"
Commentator Berenberg sounded more like a South American commentator, preferring drawn-out pronunciations and machine-gun-like passion to describe Chen Tao's artwork.
Berenberg had stated more than once:
"Chen doesn't play football; he plays art!"
The defense, originally as tight and precise as a German machine, was thrown into complete disarray by Chen Tao!
Center-back Hagui completely panicked, nervously lowering his center of gravity and maintaining distance, not daring to step forward to tackle, only waiting for teammates to double-team.
Seeing Chen Tao dribble to the edge of the box, he suddenly lifted his foot to shoot!
Hagui immediately rushed forward, throwing himself to block the shot!
But just as he was airborne, his back turned to block the ball, his peripheral vision despairingly caught the Asian player feinting and cutting past him.
Fake shot, real cut!
"Beautiful!! Chen Tao!! He's in! He's in!!!"
The continuous brilliant dribbles ignited the passion of all the fans.
Not only were the Dortmund fans at the stadium excited, but Chinese fans thousands of miles away were yelling and screaming in front of their screens.
Duan Xuan even broke his voice, shouting foolishly.
Every fan's heart was in their throat.
Dortmund teammates couldn't provide support in time; only Chen Tao himself was venturing into the dragon's den. Could he do it?
Bayer Leverkusen's only hope was their stalwart, Manuel Friedrich.
He stood in front of Chen Tao, becoming the final obstacle.
In a flash, Bayer Leverkusen's last hope was shattered!
Chen Tao's fake shot suddenly became a horizontal drag, fooling Friedrich, and he dribbled into the six-yard box!
German national goalkeeper Adler was still waiting for the opponent to shoot, rushing forward to block the shooting angle.
"Don't even think about shooting!!"
"I wasn't planning on shooting anyway!"
"What?!"
Chen Tao's leg-lifting motion for a shot fooled Adler's balance, and he completed an extreme Marseille turn within the incredibly narrow confines of the six-yard box!
Around Adler!!
Adler fell to the ground in despair, his outstretched hand not even touching the ball, watching helplessly as his opponent spun to the goal line!
You're insane!
Who doesn't shoot inside the six-yard box? Who does a Marseille turn inside the six-yard box?
Is this even human?
Vidal, who had chased all the way back to the goal, also watched with wide, trembling eyes as Chen Tao, with his back to the goal, poked the ball in with his heel on the goal line.
At that moment,
The Chilean player Vidal seemed to lose all faith, his legs giving out as he knelt in the penalty area.
As a South American player, he had seen countless football prodigies.
But no one had ever been so crazy on the field of a top League!
Of course, even crazier were the Westfalen fans.
The moment the yellow and black volcano erupted, the players on the field were almost collectively deafened, the enormous roar soaring into the sky!
Westfalen was trembling!
"Cheeeennnnnn Taaaaoooo!!!"
"God! This must be a miracle! Chen Tao used his most skilled method to directly penetrate and score!"
"Before the end of the first half, Dortmund equalized!"
"For other players, dribbling past multiple opponents might be as difficult as ascending to heaven!"
"But for the 15-year-old prodigy, it's simply commonplace!"
"Dortmund fans are blessed; they don't need to pray to God, because God is already on their team!"
As everyone was cheering for Chen Tao with all their might,
Chen Tao, standing on the goal line, looked back at the rolling ball inside the net and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It might sound shocking to say,
But Chen Tao genuinely wasn't showing off just now.
How could he dare to shoot inside the six-yard box? He had no choice but to use a Marseille turn to get past the goalkeeper.
He accidentally spun too wide, almost turning himself into the goal.
With his back to the goal, trapping the ball on the goal line, he was still cautious when shooting with his heel, afraid he wouldn't score even then.
Thankfully, even if his shooting technique was poor, it wasn't ridiculously bad, and the ball went in steadily.
Chen Tao could finally celebrate.
He ran towards his nearly frantic teammates, and as he passed Vidal, he glanced down at the Chilean.
Compared to his fierce expression earlier, Vidal's eyes were now empty.