"...Welcome to the highly anticipated match of the 38th round of the 2007-2008 Bundesliga season! Bayern Munich is hosting Borussia Dortmund at the Allianz Arena!"
In the CCTV5 studio, Duan Xuan and Director Tao Wei were responsible for commentating on this major event.
Thanks to Jin Hayes's outstanding performances throughout the season, CCTV's Bundesliga broadcasts had increasingly allocated more airtime to Borussia Dortmund matches. The original broadcast darling, Bayern Munich, saw their games become fewer and fewer, with many relegated to the Fengyun Football channel.
Regarding this, the vast majority of Bayern Munich fans in China stated:
"Fine by us! How can Bayern's matches be as exciting as Lord Jin's?"
Over the course of the season, the number of Borussia Dortmund fans in China had surged, almost catching up to Bayern's fanbase. More and more people began following this young player who was making a name for himself in the Bundesliga.
Many fans even treated him like the protagonist of a reality show—a classic underdog story. Watching him progress step by step, from a talent show contestant to the Bundesliga's assist king, and then to the league's Best Newcomer, the fans felt even more accomplished than Jin Hayes himself.
In online communities like Baidu Tieba's Chen Tao Forum, Bayern Munich Bar, Borussia Dortmund Bar, Arsenal Bar, as well as Tianya Forum, Xici Hutong, and Douban Groups, fans posted match discussion threads. The atmosphere before the game was already comparable to a Champions League knockout tie.
"Can Lord Jin make it to the Champions League today?"
"It's difficult. All final-round matches kick off at the same time. As long as Schalke 04 get a draw, it won't matter even if Lord Jin scores ten goals."
"What if? Werder Bremen are much stronger than Schalke. I think there's a chance."
"Either way, we have to beat Bayern first. Dortmund just lost to them in the cup final last week."
"That DFB-Pokal final went to extra time. Dortmund didn't play badly. Besides, Bayern have already won the league, so they don't need to go all out."
"Don't forget the first leg—Dortmund came back to beat Bayern! I think they can do the double over them this season."
"Playing at the Allianz this time… feels a bit uncertain…"
While the match had just started, neither side had fully unleashed their attacking play. The official broadcast on TV was still introducing the starting lineups.
"Bayern's goalkeeper, Michael Rensing. Defenders: Christian Lell, Lúcio, Martín Demichelis, Philipp Lahm. Midfielders: Zé Roberto, Hamit Altıntop, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribéry. Forwards: Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose…"
"Now let's look at Borussia Dortmund's starting eleven. Goalkeeper: Roman Weidenfeller. Defenders: Patrick Owomoyela, Robert Kovač, Mats Hummels, Dedê. Midfielders: Sebastian Kehl, Nuri Şahin, Marco Reus, Jin Hayes. Forwards: Mladen Petrić and Alexander Frei…"
Director Tao Wei immediately took over the conversation: "Both Bayern and Dortmund are playing 4-4-2 formations, with an emphasis on wide attacks. The battle between the two flanks should be the biggest highlight of this match. On Bayern's side, Ribéry's left-wing dribbling is razor-sharp, and he has excellent chemistry with Lahm. That happens to be Jin Hayes's direct matchup, so we can expect plenty of one-on-one duels between them. Dortmund, on the other hand, excel in youth. Both Jin Hayes and Reus possess strong creativity and attacking drive."
"Exactly. Let's look at this play first!" As Duan Xuan and Director Tao were chatting, Bayern Munich suddenly launched an attack. Lahm, Schweinsteiger, and Ribéry formed a triangle, quickly breaking through the midfield with a series of slick passes. Just as Ribéry was about to dribble past, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the side and tackled the Frenchman to the ground!
"Oh oh oh oh—" A gasp erupted from the stands of the Allianz Arena. That collision was fierce!
"Ah ah ah ah!" In the Guangfu Yiyuan residential compound, Chen Jianping let out a pig-like shriek.
"Why are you pinching me?" he yelped.
"Is Chen okay?! He collided so hard with that other player!" Ding Ru stared intently at the screen. The moment her child crashed into the foreigner, her heart clenched.
"Well, pinching me won't help. Don't worry, that kid is sturdy." Chen Jianping glanced at his arm, which had already bruised from that woman's grip. His injuries were worse than his son's!
On the TV screen, Jin Hayes stood up as if nothing had happened, grinning without any sign of injury.
"Too naive, Franck."
Looking down at the scar-faced man on the turf, Jin Hayes wasn't afraid of him at all. Having faced Bayern so many times already, he knew Ribéry's game well. Ribéry's feint was too obvious—easily read by Jin Hayes, who slid in to knock the ball out of bounds. He got to the ball first, so this tackle was clean, no foul.
Ribéry angrily grabbed a handful of grass and stood up, glaring at him. "You're a tough one!"
But Ribéry also found it very strange. Why did this kid seem to be getting stronger and stronger? In their first encounter, Ribéry could still rely on his physique and explosive acceleration to power past him. Jin Hayes simply couldn't stop him during those drives. But now, this Asian player could actually match him physically and time a tackle perfectly.
Terrifying.
Ribéry was still finding his way at 15; he couldn't even make it at Lille's youth academy in Ligue 1 and was let go from the training camp. Afterward, he had to move to the third tier, working odd jobs to make ends meet. It wasn't until he caught the attention of legendary coach Jean Fernandez that he truly entered the professional football world. The talent of the Asian player in front of him made Ribéry green with envy. Who knew what heights he would reach in the future?
"No, I need to teach him a lesson today!"
Ribéry was completely fixated on Jin Hayes.
But before Ribéry could teach him a lesson, Jin Hayes gave him a taste of his own medicine.
"Great play—Borussia Dortmund attacking down the right wing! Jin Hayes shakes off Bastian Schweinsteiger's marking and charges forward!"
In the 13th minute of the match, Borussia Dortmund worked the ball out from their own half. Jin Hayes received it in the center, and in the instant he controlled it, he played a quick one-two with a teammate, easily leaving Schweinsteiger behind with a sharp change of direction. He accelerated toward the touchline, where Ribéry stood waiting. Philipp Lahm was also lurking nearby, and the two Bayern players planned to double-team him.
"What are you going to do, kid... What?!"
Ribéry lowered his center of gravity, retreating while staying goalside, his eyes fixed on Jin Hayes's feet. Unexpectedly, Jin Hayes suddenly accelerated and burst forward, using a simple body feint to slip past both players in one fluid motion!
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. He didn't even need any fancy tricks.
Damn it!
Ribéry quickly turned and chased back, his scarred face twisted with frustration. In a way, not showing off was its own form of humiliation.
Breaking through to the edge of the penalty area, Jin Hayes found himself face-to-face with Martín Demichelis. A playful smile curled across his lips. Demichelis was his favorite defender to face.
In the DFB-Pokal final a few days ago, although Bayern won the match, Demichelis still received a poor rating from the media. The reason: he had been repeatedly beaten by Jin Hayes's individual breakthroughs, turned around like a training dummy. After that match, the Argentine center-back was heavily criticized by Bayern fans.
Now, Demichelis saw Jin Hayes's smile and shivered. He was already showing signs of PTSD.
"Left or right…"
Demichelis intently watched Jin Hayes's movements, trying to guess the direction of his dribble. Jin Hayes suddenly raised his right foot as if to shoot!
"Hmph, it must be a fake… Oh no!"
Demichelis froze, unable to react as Jin Hayes completed the striking motion.
He'd been tricked again.
Bang—
"Surely that's a goal this time, right?" Jin Hayes was confident in his shot. He'd been staying an extra hour after every training session to practice finishing, specifically for matches like this. He couldn't believe that from nearly the six-yard box he'd miss.
But to his disbelief, his instep drive turned into a soft, looping ball that curved past the goalkeeper toward the far post. Alexander Frei, already familiar with Jin Hayes's habits, had dutifully positioned himself there. As usual, he simply stuck out a foot and redirected it into the net.
"Goal!!! It's a goal!!! Jin Hayes's assist puts Borussia Dortmund in front!"
"That shot-like pass was truly ingenious—it fooled everyone in a Bayern shirt!" Director Tao couldn't help but praise Jin Hayes's decision-making, calling it masterful. "He must have spotted his teammate at the far post and deliberately shaped to shoot before sliding it across."
In the close-up replay, Alexander Frei ran excitedly to celebrate with Jin Hayes. He'd picked up at least ten goals the same way this season.
"Jin! What a ball!"
Jin Hayes could only force a smile.
I really wasn't trying to pass.
After the goal, the Borussia Dortmund coaching staff embraced in celebration. Only Dick Fuhren's assistant, Streich, wore headphones, listening intently to the broadcast from the other match with a serious expression.
"How is it? What's happening in the other game?"
Streich shook his head. "Schalke 04 have scored. They're leading Werder Bremen by a goal."
"Ah?"
Dick Fuhren's excitement was instantly doused with cold water. If Schalke 04 won, it wouldn't matter even if Dortmund beat Bayern Munich 10–0 today—they'd still be playing in the Europa League next season. He looked at the young players celebrating excitedly on the pitch and felt a pang of reluctance. He only hoped their joy could last a little longer.
"Never mind. Let's play our match well. The rest, we leave to fate."
As he sighed, he happened to look up at the away stands, where the hardcore fans had unfurled a huge banner.
"Jin Hayes is Borussia Dortmund's Heart and Soul."
Seeing that, Dick Fuhren inexplicably rekindled a small flame of hope.
What if?
What if a miracle happens?