BVB 3-0 ARS (6-3)
Jin — 1'
Götze — 29'
Hummels — 68'
"Uh, am I dreaming? I feel like I haven't woken up yet."
"Maybe I turned on the TV the wrong way; I need to open it again."
"How do the Gooners evaluate this match?"
"Dead, don't bother."
"Everyone, give me a 'Lord Jin is Awesome'!"
"Did Lord Jin learn from the 'Little Mustache'? His blitzkrieg works every time."
"How many times has it been now?"
"If it weren't for that opening goal, Arsenal could have put up a fight. Lord Jin's goal just completely broke the Gooners' mentality."
"Really, everyone is sleepwalking; their mentality is definitely affected."
"I was looking forward to a clash of titans in the second leg, but suddenly it's a bit dull."
"Arsenal's best chance was playing at home in the first leg, but unfortunately, they didn't seize it."
"Robin van Persie was so fierce in the last game, but he's completely silent today."
"Don't blame Robin van Persie; the main issue is the Professor's starting lineup. With three defensive midfielders, who's organizing the attack?"
"He probably wanted to play the wings, relying on Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott to break through. Nasri can organize too."
"Don't trust Nasri in a tough battle."
"He's clearly very strong in the league, why did he vanish against Dortmund?"
"His mentality is weak. The French media hyped him up as Zidane's successor, and then he got an idol complex."
"Look at him carrying the ball today; he's such a ball hog. Van Persie was in a better position, but he insisted on taking the shot himself."
"Speaking of which, my Lord Jin is still the best, way stronger than Nasri."
After the match, a heated discussion broke out on the Chen Tao Baidu Forum match thread. Arsenal's collapse in the second leg of the knockout stage was staggering. How could a strong Premier League team fighting for the top four suddenly be beaten 3-0 by Borussia Dortmund? A complete victory? No resistance at all, just laying down their arms and surrendering?
Fans analyzed it for a long time and finally reached a unanimous conclusion. Jin Hayes's breakaway goal 30 seconds in truly killed the game. If Jin Hayes had just fluked a long shot from outside the box, it wouldn't have caused Arsenal's mentality to explode so quickly. But the way Jin Hayes scored was simply soul-crushing.
Surrounded by three players, Jin Hayes used a simple backheel nutmeg and turn to break through, making the three-man defensive midfield look non-existent. In the box, he flicked the ball over the charging goalkeeper like a circus act, then controlled it on the edge of the six-yard box to bypass Kolo Touré, literally walking the ball into the net. One person had destroyed Arsenal's entire defensive line.
In the subsequent match, Arsenal practically wanted all eleven players to defend against Jin Hayes. When Jin Hayes moved off the ball, at least two people followed him. Whenever he touched the ball, at least three people started closing in.
At most, they were desperate enough to expend five or six men to surround him. The whole team was practically jumpy. This led to Mario Götze and Jakub Błaszczykowski on the wings being completely unmarked, and striker Alexander Frei getting easy shooting opportunities in the box. If Frei had converted his two open shots, this match might have been a 5-0 slaughter.
In the first half, Dortmund attacked. Nuri Şahin feinted a pass to Jin Hayes, tricking Bacary Sagna into rushing over to defend, leaving Götze completely open. There was no one marking him within a five-meter radius. Şahin sent a through ball over, and Götze carried the ball into the box without interference, calmly chipping the ball into the far corner with a curved shot. 2-0.
In the second half, Arsène Wenger brought on Cesc Fàbregas, hoping to strengthen the attack. But the aggregate score had already become 5-3. Arsenal's morale was low, and their front and back lines were completely disjointed.
Van Persie, Walcott, and others were thinking only of attacking. Alexandre Song and Aaron Ramsey were thinking only of defending.
Fàbregas was being marked tightly by captain Sebastian Kehl. Arsenal's fluid, passing attack couldn't get going at all. Instead, Borussia Dortmund frequently waited for opportunities, exploiting Arsenal's desperation.
When Nasri had the ball at his feet, don't expect him to pass it out. Every time, he would carry it to the edge of the box, cut across, and try a long shot. It would either fly off or be blocked by a defender, leading to a counter-attack.
In the 68th minute, Nasri again carried the ball alone, hoping to use his technique to beat two men. He forced an angle to shoot, but Mats Hummels threw himself in front of it to block the shot. Borussia Dortmund launched a quick counter-attack to the front. Jin Hayes had just received the ball when he was tackled to the ground by the young Ramsey. Ramsey received a second yellow card and was sent off.
Dortmund had a free kick in the attacking half. Şahin lofted the ball into the box. Jin Hayes's diagonal run drew the attention of the Arsenal defense, leaving Hummels unmarked at the near post. He powered a header into the net.
3-0. Aggregate score 6-3.
With such a huge deficit and Arsenal down to 10 men, at this point, even the most supportive BBC commentator for Arsenal, Jim Beglin, sighed to the heavens: "The match is over here. Unless God descends to stop Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal will stop at the Round of 16."
In fact, Jin Hayes had already killed the game 30 seconds in. The following 90 minutes were just burying the opponent. The moment the referee blew the final whistle three times, the Arsenal players were almost all weak in the knees, collapsing to the ground. For some reason, Fàbregas covered his face and began to cry bitterly. The revenge he had looked forward to for nearly two weeks had turned into a complete humiliation.
"What a pussy..." A familiar voice came, and Fàbregas quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. Moving his hands away, he saw Jin Hayes's contemptuous gaze.
"Fuck off! Dickhead!" Fàbregas's curse had no bite.
Jin Hayes almost wanted to laugh. "It's okay, crying is normal."
"Who's crying?"
"Fine, fine, whatever you say." Jin Hayes didn't bother with him, turning around to celebrate with his teammates. But with Jin Hayes's interruption, the loss and sadness in Fàbregas's heart vanished, all transformed into anger towards Jin Hayes.
"Next season, you'd better pray we don't meet, otherwise I will definitely pay back today's humiliation!" Fàbregas clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the grass. As a result, he hit it too hard, feeling like his right hand was about to break, and he wailed in pain on the ground.
"Jin, you performed well today." Facing the outcome of defeat and elimination, Professor Wenger still maintained his gentle and elegant smile. He specifically walked over to congratulate Jin Hayes.
"Thank you, Mr. Wenger."
"The speed of your growth over these past two years has truly exceeded my imagination. If I had known, I would have been firmer back then and kept you in the team. Maybe it would be us, Arsenal, celebrating today." Wenger smiled, half-joking and half-serious.
"But on the football pitch, there are no 'ifs'. I'm doing quite well here right now."
"Good, keep it up. I believe you will go far. If—I mean if it's possible, Arsenal's doors are always open for you."
"Thank you, but that sort of thing is too far ahead. For now, I just want to play the matches in front of me well."
"Good luck, Jin."
"Good luck to you too, and good luck in the league."
Facing Wenger, Jin Hayes still maintained his respect. Back then, even if he had awakened his abilities, it would have been hard for any team to notice him. If it weren't for Wenger, Jin Hayes didn't know what team he would have ended up with. It most likely would have been a team in the Scottish Premiership, Russian Premier League, Belgian Pro League, Primeira Liga, or Ligue 1, or perhaps a lower-tier league like Serie B, 2. Bundesliga, or Segunda División.
Only by slowly emerging from a lower-level league could he truly be noticed by the top European leagues. With the national team's lack of presence on the global stage, it was hard for any coach to trust a young player from that region.
Wenger's trait of favoring young talents made him sign Jin Hayes without hesitation. And because of Arsenal's endorsement, Borussia Dortmund was willing to break precedent and give the 15-year-old Jin Hayes a chance. Otherwise, at 15, he'd still be playing in the youth academy; before 18, the first team would be out of the question.
Without Wenger, there wouldn't be the person standing here today. Jin Hayes always kept the Professor's kindness in his heart. But that was separate from returning to Arsenal. He was very happy at Borussia Dortmund and didn't want to consider a transfer for the time being.
What if one day in the future, they could win the Champions League? What if he could build a dynasty together with Borussia Dortmund? If Dortmund elevated their status to a powerhouse, they wouldn't be any different from teams like Chelsea. Moreover, this city had already become Jin Hayes's second home. He had family here and the person he loved; there was no reason to just up and leave.
After a brief conversation with Wenger, Jin Hayes was pulled aside by Jürgen Klopp before he could react. The coach looked a bit nervous: "What did Arsène just say to you? Was he poaching you in person? Dammit, that old fox."
"Oh! Jürgen, don't worry, we were just catching up."
"That's good, that's good." Klopp breathed a small sigh of relief. He was really afraid of Jin Hayes being poached. Seeing Jin Hayes's slightly distracted expression, Klopp quickly guessed the reason. "Go on, go on. Today's victory belongs to you. Celebrate to your heart's content."
The reason Jin Hayes was in a hurry was that he had spotted a figure by the stands at a glance. No matter how dense the crowd, she was always the most dazzling person. Jin Hayes ran quickly to the sidelines, leaped lightly onto the advertising board, and grabbed the railing. The soles of his feet were slightly wet with rain, causing his boots to slip, and Jin Hayes lost his footing for a moment. He was quickly encircled by a pair of slender arms.
"Got you!"
"You smell so good."
"Hey, everyone is watching! Don't!"
Anna was both embarrassed and anxious. Jin Hayes was really getting more and more bold, wanting to do something naughty in front of the entire Westfalenstadion.
Uncle Hans nearby watched with wide eyes. He had been the first to open his arms, wanting to hug today's hero. Jin Hayes had simply ignored him and headed straight for his daughter.
"That brat! Since when did he get so close to Anna?" Maria almost tripped nearby. They're already like this, and you haven't noticed anything? Your own little cabbage is about to be carried off, and you're still jealous of your daughter? Maria estimated that the slow-witted Hans probably wouldn't realize something was wrong until the day the two of them held their wedding.
The more Maria looked at Jin Hayes, the more satisfied she became, and she couldn't suppress the knowing smile on her face. Jin Hayes was a hardworking kid and very self-disciplined in private. There was no need to worry about him playing around everywhere like other professional players.
Maria almost wanted to call Chen Jianping and Ding Ru in China right away. To settle this marriage early, lest long nights bring many dreams. Jin Hayes was so outstanding; he would definitely attract girls' attention in the future. She wasn't sure if Anna could hold onto Jin Hayes's heart.
Her daughter was very good, but she felt a bit indifferent towards everything. If the two of them spent a long time together, Jin Hayes might eventually find Anna a bit boring and have a change of heart, which would be a huge loss. But Aunt Maria could never have imagined what state Anna was in in private.
"So many people are watching, let go first. I'll reward you properly tonight." Hmm? Seeing Anna's coy and shy expression, Jin Hayes immediately began to let his imagination run wild. What would the reward Anna mentioned be? Could it be...
After the match, Jin Hayes warmly embraced the Borussia Dortmund fans. It was hard to imagine a player being so popular. He had clearly become the hero of this city—" Surrounding fans were all frantically rushing towards Jin Hayes, huddling together with the hero in their hearts. Under the TV cameras, Jin Hayes rushing into the stands was just seen as celebrating the victory with the Borussia Dortmund fans. Originally, the two were a bit worried that such bold intimate gestures would be exposed.
The next day, reports from media in various countries were published. Except for a few gossip tabloids, the rest of the media were focusing on the match itself, analyzing and discussing the game and the subsequent trend of the Champions League quarter-finals.
Jin Hayes finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was relatively common for players to have girlfriends, and it didn't cause any interference for Jin Hayes. But with Jin Hayes's current popularity, his girlfriend would definitely be put under the spotlight and become a public figure. It would inevitably affect Anna's normal life.
As for the reward Anna mentioned, it wasn't what Jin Hayes had imagined. That night, Jin Hayes didn't stay at the hotel with the team, nor did he go to a nightclub with everyone to celebrate the quarter-finals. Instead, he rushed back to the Heinrich home immediately. While the couple was away, Jin Hayes and Anna sat on their exclusive swing.
"You should say it now, what reward were you referring to?"
"What reward?" Anna still intended to play dumb.
"You're going to back out, aren't you?" Jin Hayes extended his 'devil's claws', pretending to look fierce as he prepared to reach out and tickle her. Anna repeatedly begged for mercy:
"Wait, I remember. Close your eyes first." Jin Hayes closed his eyes as told. He only felt a slightly cool touch on the corner of his mouth, a fleeting kiss.
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"No, that's not enough."
"Ah, they'll be back soon." Anna started to panic again.
"Then we should make even better use of our time."
"Ah! Wait—"
Before Anna could finish her sentence, she was silenced, her defenses instantly crumbling as she let Jin Hayes take his reward.
On the other side, Hans and Maria had just finished their routine celebratory drinks with friends. They didn't see their daughter when they returned home. Uncle Hans was about to go to the backyard to look for her. The sharp-eyed Maria noticed something and quickly pushed Hans aside.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't worry about Anna for now. I bought a set of nice things yesterday. Shall we go to the room and I'll show you?"
"Oh?"
Uncle Hans raised an eyebrow and excitedly pulled Maria upstairs. Maria finally breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to glance at the activity in the backyard.
"Kid, you'd better treat Anna well."