It was already 11:28 p.m. Beijing time on the other side of the ocean.
Click...
A soft sound of a door closing rang out. Wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts and bare-chested, Chen Shouqing crept out of the bedroom.
The moment he entered the living room, he saw Chen Xiaolong making the same sneaky movements, about to turn on the television.
"You brat! Don't you have school tomorrow?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Chen Xiaolong jumped and patted his chest. "Dad, do you walk without making any noise? You scared me to death!"
Chen Shouqing glanced back toward the bedroom, then shot his son a glare. "Tomorrow's Monday. It's so late—why aren't you asleep? You still want to watch TV?"
Chen Xiaolong immediately looked pleading. "Dad, just for a little while. It's my brother's first match today. I don't want to miss it."
"Your brother only made the squad. There's no telling whether he'll even get on the pitch!" Chen Shouqing turned on the TV and lowered the volume, afraid of waking his wife.
Duan Xuan's voice came through the television. Chen Shouqing sat down on the sofa. "Then watch for a bit. If your brother still hasn't come on by halftime, go back to bed. Otherwise, you won't be able to get up tomorrow again."
Chen Xiaolong immediately beamed and hurried to switch on the electric fan beside them. Then he even poured Chen Shouqing a glass of water.
It was August, and the weather in China was already scorching hot.
The faint glow of the TV flickered in the living room. Chen Shouqing and his son stared at the screen without blinking, trying to spot Chen Anno among the players.
Dortmund, Westfalenstadion.
With a whistle from referee Peter Sippel, the match officially began.
After their emphatic away win over FC Augsburg in the previous round, everyone believed Borussia Dortmund would have an easy time against a newly promoted side at home.
But once the match truly got underway, Eintracht Braunschweig's stubborn defense left Dortmund feeling as though they had nowhere to start.
Perhaps having learned from Markus Weinzierl's mistakes in the previous match, Eintracht Braunschweig's head coach had taken an extremely cautious approach.
They looked determined to defend their way to a point away from home, even if it killed them.
To be honest, Borussia Dortmund's strengths lay in defensive counterattacks and high pressing. They were not particularly good at breaking down packed defenses in positional battles.
So, despite controlling the ball for the vast majority of the match, they struggled to create any real threat against Eintracht Braunschweig's goal.
With no other options, Dortmund could only keep sending high balls into the box.
Unfortunately, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was tall enough for a center forward, his advantages were speed and dribbling. He was not especially dominant in aerial duels.
Klopp had been standing on the touchline since the twentieth minute and had not returned to the bench.
Clearly, he could not think of any particularly good solution to this frustrating situation either.
Chen Anno sat on the bench with his eyes fixed on the pitch. Watching the team sink into the mire, he was just as anxious, wishing he could immediately get on the field and fight alongside his teammates.
Still... Dortmund's bench seats really were quite comfortable. Apparently, they could even be heated in winter.
Chen Anno shifted in his seat as Marco Reus's pass was once again cleared back toward midfield. Eintracht Braunschweig's defense really was stubborn.
He turned to Kehl beside him. "Captain, do you think we can win today?"
Kehl frowned. "There shouldn't be much of a problem. Defending like this drains their stamina. As long as we maintain this pressure, we should have chances to score in the second half."
However, even Kehl did not sound particularly confident when he said it. Still, Chen Anno nodded. He believed in his teammates.
The cheers of more than eighty thousand fans in the stands never stopped. As the team became bogged down by the defense, they worked hard to build up the home atmosphere, hoping to use the momentum to pressure Eintracht Braunschweig.
The South Stand in particular made Chen Anno glance over from time to time. Those fans seemed as though they never got tired.
The high balls had not worked, so Dortmund began attempting long-range shots from outside the box.
If you encounter advertisements such as "Are you a real person?", simply ignore and close them. Do not scan any codes or send text messages!
In the 32nd minute of the match.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan received a layoff from Marco Reus in front of the box and unleashed a thunderous strike!
The ball flew toward Eintracht Braunschweig's goal like a cannonball blasted from its barrel.
Eintracht Braunschweig goalkeeper Daniel Davari reacted incredibly quickly and threw himself through the air to parry it away!
Henrikh Mkhitaryan clutched his head with both hands, disbelief written all over his face!
The instant he struck the ball, he had thought it was a certain goal. He never expected it to be saved.
Eintracht Braunschweig's defense was growing more confident with every passing minute, and even their goalkeeper was performing above his usual level.
The match continued, with Borussia Dortmund still firmly in control.
Even Mats Hummels had pushed up near midfield. The match had turned into a half-pitch attacking drill for Borussia Dortmund.
The clock quickly reached the 43rd minute.
At that point, Borussia Dortmund earned another corner.
Both sides understood that when they could not break the deadlock in open play, set pieces were an excellent way to score.
So Dortmund's taller players all surged into the penalty area, while Eintracht Braunschweig were equally on high alert.
The cramped penalty area was packed with people. From Chen Anno's seat, all he could see was a dense forest of legs.
Both sides shoved and jostled in the box, with little fouls constantly being committed. The referee even stopped play twice before things improved slightly.
With a whistle, Marco Reus took the corner. The ball dropped toward the far post, where Mats Hummels was positioned.
Mats Hummels leaped high into the air, overpowering his marker to meet the ball. His header carried tremendous power as it flew straight toward the top-left corner.
The moment they saw the header, Chen Anno and the other players on the bench all rose to their feet.
Duang!
A sharp clang rang out as the ball smashed hard against the crossbar.
But the danger was not over. The ball bounced back, and the penalty area instantly descended into chaos!
There were simply too many people. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's follow-up shot hit a defender, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan's subsequent attempt was blocked as well.
Only when an Eintracht Braunschweig player kicked the ball out for a throw-in did the attack finally come to an end.
A collective sigh erupted throughout Westfalenstadion.
"Damn it!" Klopp gritted his teeth in fury.
When the referee finally blew for halftime, the score was still 0-0. Neither side had managed to score.
Without saying a word, Klopp headed toward the locker room. Anyone could see that the passionate head coach was in no pleasant mood.
"Anno! Warm up. You're coming on at the start of the second half!" Klopp, who had already left, suddenly returned to the bench.
To Chen Anno, those words were nothing less than heavenly music!
"No problem, sir!" Chen Anno immediately sat up straight.
Kehl smiled and patted Chen Anno on the shoulder. "Come on, warm up with me!"
Having spent a full eleven seasons at Dortmund, the veteran thought very highly of Chen Anno.
He was exceptionally talented, hardworking, eager to learn, and humble. He never got into conflicts with anyone.
Most importantly, his personality was even smoother than that of many veteran players. He had only been at the club for half a month, yet from the coaching staff to his teammates, from the reception desk at the training ground to the security guards, he could exchange a few words with all of them and even call each person by name with familiarity.
Who wouldn't like a young man like that?
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