123: Chapter 123 Little Rocket! Marco Reus!

The second half began at the Westfalenstadion.

Borussia Dortmund had clearly been fiercely "motivated" by Thomas Tuchel during halftime; upon emerging from the locker room, every player had a raging fire burning in their eyes.

Shaking off the lethargy of the latter half of the first period, they began implementing High Pressing and rapid attacks from the very first minute, intending to seize the initiative and quickly equalize or even overturn the score.

The yellow wave swept through the stadium once again, and the roar of the crowd at the Westfalenstadion was enough to nearly blow the roof off.

Tottenham's defense faced immense pressure within the first few minutes of the half.

The 49th minute.

Borussia Dortmund's relentless assault paid off!

Mkhitaryan received a pass from Julian Weigl on the right side of the midfield. Facing Ryan Mason's pressing, he executed a deft drag-back turn and immediately threaded a highly penetrative through ball! The ball skimmed across the turf, rolling rapidly behind the Tottenham defensive line.

At the very instant the pass was made, a bolt of yellow lightning took off!

Marco Reus! He read the play perfectly, bursting into the gap between Toby Alderweireld and Wimmer, successfully beating the offside trap!

"Danger! Marco Reus!" the commentator exclaimed.

Marco Reus's speed was displayed to the fullest in that moment. In just a few strides, he shook off all defenders and faced the rushing goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris!

Hugo Lloris had no choice but to abandon his goal and rush out, attempting to narrow the Shooting angle.

But Marco Reus's execution was calm and lethal.

He caught up to the ball near the edge of the penalty area. Facing Hugo Lloris's block, he didn't choose to dribble past the keeper. Instead, he used the outside of his right foot to lightly nudge the ball forward and to the right! The timing and force of this touch were exquisite, sliding just past Hugo Lloris's outstretched foot!

Hugo Lloris missed!

Marco Reus bypassed the grounded Hugo Lloris and, facing an empty net, easily slotted it in with his left foot!

2:2!

"Goooooooal! Marco Reus! Beautiful movement, calm execution! Borussia Dortmund has leveled the score!"

"The 'Little Rocket' has ignited the Westfalenstadion!"

After scoring, Marco Reus didn't celebrate excessively; he simply pumped his fist, ran to the goal, grabbed the ball, and raced back to the center circle. His gaze was firm, his intention clear: We want more than just a draw!

The Westfalenstadion erupted into a frenzy, with yellow flags waving wildly.

Thomas Tuchel clapped vigorously on the sidelines, his expression looking much better.

Mauricio Pochettino, however, furrowed his brow; this conceded goal exposed the defensive line's lack of concentration.

[Marco Reus! Too fast! What movement, what speed!]

[That Tottenham backline... their concentration slipped for just a second!]

Having leveled the score, Borussia Dortmund was riding high on momentum, continuing to apply pressure to the Tottenham goal.

Tottenham tried to stabilize, but the players seemed somewhat dazed, and Passing errors began to increase.

The 53rd minute.

Crisis struck again!

Yu Bai received the ball near the center circle, attempting to organize an attack. But Borussia Dortmund had clearly stepped up their defensive efforts against him.

Julian Weigl stuck to him closely, while Gonzalo Castro and Sven Bender lurked nearby, watching like tigers.

Yu Bai used rhythm changes and feints to bypass Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro in succession. However, when trying to break past Sven Bender, the opponent's physical challenge was very tough. Before losing his balance, Yu Bai caught a glimpse of a teammate pushing up through the middle and, using the last bit of his balance, managed to poke the ball across.

The ball rolled to the oncoming Ryan Mason.

Ryan Mason took possession, with some space in front of him. Perhaps inspired by Yu Bai's consecutive dribbles, or perhaps wanting to settle the tempo, he didn't immediately distribute the ball to Son Heung-min, who was pushing up on the flank, but instead chose to carry the ball forward himself, attempting to dribble past a defender as well.

However, he underestimated the speed and determination of the Borussia Dortmund players in tracking back.

Just as Ryan Mason performed a Step-over, attempting to create an angle, Marco Reus—who had been in the front court just moments ago—tracked back like a ghost. Seizing the moment, he executed a clean sliding tackle, dispossessing Ryan Mason!

"Marco Reus! The tracking back! Brilliant!" the commentator shouted.

After winning the ball, Marco Reus launched a counterattack immediately! While still on the ground, he swept the ball to Schmelzer, who was pushing up on the left flank, and then sprang up like a coiled spring, sprinting forward at high speed!

Borussia Dortmund's counterattack formed in an instant!

Schmelzer took the ball and advanced at high speed along the left flank.

Because of the earlier offensive push, Tottenham's defensive line was now scrambling to track back in disarray.

Yu Bai realized the danger the moment he lost the ball. Without a second of hesitation, he turned immediately and sprinted back toward his own penalty area.

His gaze was locked firmly on that most dangerous yellow figure—Marco Reus.

Schmelzer carried the ball a few steps and observed the situation in the front court. Sure enough, he didn't choose to continue to the byline but instead sent an angled through ball behind the Tottenham defensive line, seeking none other than the sprinting Marco Reus!

Marco Reus once again unleashed his terrifying speed and acceleration, forcing his way past Toby Alderweireld to chase down the ball!

Yu Bai was also tracking back desperately, but his start was half a beat slower, and he was further away. Although his speed was not slow, he was still left two lengths behind by Marco Reus.

Toby Alderweireld retreated while defending, attempting to block Marco Reus's Shooting angle.

Marco Reus caught up to the ball near the edge of the penalty area. He didn't stop it; instead, he used the outside of his left foot to nudge the ball into the penalty area. It was a small touch, but it was enough to shift Toby Alderweireld's center of gravity!

The Belgian center-back was beaten cleanly!

Marco Reus charged into the penalty area! One-on-one!

Yu Bai had tracked back to a position just behind and to the side of Marco Reus, very close. For a split second, the thought of sliding in flashed through his mind. If he could tackle clean and succeed, he could ruin this excellent opportunity. But in a flash of lightning, he suppressed the impulse.

The risk was too great.

This was the penalty area.

If the tackle failed, even if he just brushed Marco Reus slightly, given the German's speed and tendency to go down, it was highly likely to result in a penalty and a red card.

Not only would he be sent off for this match, but he would also miss the second leg.

In the Europa League knockout stages, the team couldn't afford such a loss for their core player.

Reason triumphed over impulse in that moment.

In the fraction of a second that Yu Bai hesitated, Marco Reus had already adjusted his stride. Facing Hugo Lloris, who was rushing out to block the near post again, he calmly used his golden left foot to slide a ground ball through the keeper's legs!

The ball passed between Hugo Lloris's splayed legs and slowly rolled into the far corner of the goal.

3:2!

"Gooooooooooooooooooal!!! Marco Reus! A brace! In less than five minutes, he has scored two goals! Borussia Dortmund has overturned the score! An incredible turnaround! Westfalenstadion, roar to your heart's content!"

The entire stadium went completely insane! The yellow sea whipped up a monstrous wave! The roar of the crowd threatened to pierce the heavens!

Marco Reus sprinted to the corner flag, sliding on his knees to celebrate, receiving the worship-like cheers of over eighty thousand home fans!

[Marco Reus! It's Marco Reus again! A god descending to earth!]

[Ryan Mason's mistake was too fatal... why did he have to carry the ball!]

[Yu Bai tracked back, but he really didn't dare to slide in; in the penalty area, a tackle could easily mean a red card and a penalty.]

In front of the Tottenham goal, Hugo Lloris pounded the turf in frustration, then stood up and spread his hands toward Yu Bai, his face showing helplessness and a hint of reproach, as if saying: "Why didn't you stop him? Even a foul would have worked!"

Yu Bai was feeling extremely depressed and irritated by conceding the goal and the team's sudden shift from leading to trailing. Seeing Hugo Lloris's gesture, anger flared up in his heart. He flicked his hand forcefully, brow furrowed, and shouted back at Hugo Lloris in a huff:

"Don't bother me!"