126: Chapter 126 Counterattack: Director, activate!

The 3-3 scoreline was undoubtedly an acceptable, even excellent, result for Tottenham Hotspur, who were playing away and had been on the back foot for a long time.

Mauricio Pochettino stood on the sidelines, hands in his pockets, his expression calm, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his inner satisfaction.

To secure a draw at one of the most terrifying, hellish home grounds in Europe—the Westfalenstadion—and walk away with three precious away goals was enough to make him leave Borussia Dortmund with a smile.

Therefore, in the 80th minute, Mauricio Pochettino made his final and most intentional substitution of the match.

He brought on defender Kieran Trippier for winger Son Heung-min, who was exhausted and not the strongest defensively.

The formation shifted to a 5-4-1 (or a defensive 5-3-2).

Kyle Walker tucked inside to form a back three with Toby Alderweireld and Wimmer, Kieran Trippier took the right wing-back position, and Ben Davies was on the left.

The midfield was set up with a trio of defensive midfielders: Carroll, Ryan Mason, and Mousa Dembélé.

Up front, only Yu Bai and Harry Kane remained.

Moreover, Mauricio Pochettino explicitly demanded that even these two had to track back to the edge of their own penalty area to participate in defense when the opposition had possession; Yu Bai even needed to drop back into his own half to assist in defending against the inward cuts of Marco Reus and Mkhitaryan.

The last ten minutes of the match completely turned into an attacking drill for Borussia Dortmund in the final third.

The Borussia Dortmund players turned Tottenham's half into a stage for an attacking drill, the ball Passing between the yellow figures as wave after wave of attacks crashed like a tide against Tottenham's crumbling yet incredibly resilient defensive line.

Marco Reus's inward cut and shot, Aubameyang's header, Mkhitaryan's long-range strike, Gonzalo Castro's late runs... Borussia Dortmund threw everything they had at them.

However, Tottenham's five-man defensive line, reinforced by the three defensive midfielders, formed an impenetrable wall.

Hugo Lloris was also in superb form, making save after save to ensure the goal remained intact amidst the storm.

On the sidelines, Thomas Tuchel could no longer remain calm.

He paced back and forth, his face flushed with anxiety, waving his hands incessantly, shouting for his players to press forward, cross, and shoot! But facing Tottenham's "iron bucket" formation with almost everyone defending, his team seemed to have no effective solution, forced to pass frequently on the perimeter, struggling to penetrate the truly dangerous zones.

Time ticked away second by second.

The cheers at the Westfalenstadion remained deafening, but a subtle hint of anxiety had begun to creep in.

[Tottenham parking the bus... it's truly impenetrable.]

[Borussia Dortmund has possession but no goals; they're in trouble.]

[Mauricio Pochettino is cunning; a draw plus three away goals is a huge win.]

The 88th minute.

The tide of the match suddenly turned!

Borussia Dortmund organized another attack. Marco Reus received a pass from Schmelzer on the left, facing Mousa Dembélé, who had tracked back, and Ben Davies, who had come over to assist.

The "Little Rocket" was in red-hot form. He first performed a nimble La Croqueta, shaking off Mousa Dembélé's challenge, and then, before Ben Davies could block him, suddenly changed tempo and cut inside to create an angle!

Near the corner of the penalty area, Marco Reus didn't hesitate for a second, lifted his left foot, and unleashed a powerful, curving shot!

The ball rocketed like a cannonball, whistling straight towards the far corner of the goal!

Hugo Lloris's vision was partially blocked by the dense crowd in the penalty area, and his reaction was slightly delayed!

At that critical moment!

A white figure suddenly lunged out from the side, throwing himself desperately to block it!

It was Yu Bai! He had tracked back into the penalty area without anyone noticing!

"Bang!" A dull thud.

The ball didn't hit Yu Bai's outstretched leg; instead, it slammed solidly into the area near his left hip and thigh!

"Urgh!" Yu Bai groaned in pain, his face contorting from the violent impact, and his body staggered.

But!

This goal-bound shot was blocked by his body! The ball deflected and bounced out of the penalty area.

Harry Kane was right near the spot where the ball bounced!

Harry Kane reacted extremely quickly, beating the Borussia Dortmund players to the ball and controlling it steadily with his chest!

"Chance! Counterattack!" The commentator's voice rose sharply.

Yu Bai endured the searing pain in his hip. The moment he saw Harry Kane get the ball, a flash of light appeared in his eyes, and all pain seemed to be cast to the winds! Gritting his teeth like a cheetah spotting its prey, he turned abruptly, summoned all his Strength, and sprinted towards the Borussia Dortmund half!

[Holy crap! Blocking a bullet with his butt! The Young Master is a tough guy!]

[That must have hurt like hell, just watching it...]

[My heart aches for Yu Bao!]

Harry Kane didn't pass the ball immediately.

As a top striker, he knew the importance of this moment. With his back to the direction of attack, he used his strong body to hold off Sven Bender, who had rushed up to challenge him.

Textbook hold-up play!

Harry Kane dropped his left shoulder, feinting a turn to the left, which naturally shifted Sven Bender's center of gravity to the left. At that very instant, Harry Kane lightly dragged the ball backward with the sole of his right foot while simultaneously pivoting his body to the right, completing the turn!

The feint fooled his opponent and opened up space for a pass!

Only then did he look up to observe the front court.

Yu Bai was already sprinting towards the Borussia Dortmund half like an arrow released from a bow! Behind him, Łukasz Piszczek was chasing desperately, but the gap was gradually widening!

Neven Subotić, the substitute center-back with fresh legs, was the last line of defense, backpedaling while keeping a close eye on Yu Bai's movement.

Goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller had also expanded his defensive range, advancing to the edge of the penalty area, watching intently, ready to charge out and clear Harry Kane's long pass at any moment.

This kind of ball puts one's Passing ability to the test. If it's too long, it risks going out of bounds or being collected by the goalkeeper; if it's too short, it could be cleared by the tracking defender or the onrushing goalkeeper.

But Harry Kane didn't hesitate!

He locked onto Yu Bai's running line, stiffened the inside of his right foot, aimed for the lower middle of the ball, and struck it with force!

A long pass with strong inward spin soared from the backfield like a precision-guided missile, carving a beautiful arc through the air, flying straight into the space on the left side of the Borussia Dortmund half!

This ball was passed extremely intelligently! The trajectory was very close to the sideline, which at least ensured that Roman Weidenfeller couldn't come out to clear it, and Neven Subotić would struggle to reach the first ball due to the distance and positioning.

As for Łukasz Piszczek? That was up to Yu Bai to handle!

"Bang!"

The moment he struck the ball, Harry Kane knew—this was a good one! Yu Bai would definitely reach it! He had absolute confidence in his own Passing technique and his teammate's speed!

[Harry Kane's long pass! Beautiful!]

[Director, Activate!]

While sprinting at full speed, Yu Bai looked up to observe the ball's trajectory and landing spot in the air. At the same time, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Łukasz Piszczek, who was chasing desperately behind him.

In the split second before making contact with the ball, Yu Bai executed an extremely delicate move:

He consciously leaned his back against Łukasz Piszczek, blocking his potential path and positioning for a challenge. At the same time, his body posture and foot movements feigned that he was going to trap the ball, control it, and then look for the next move.

Łukasz Piszczek fell for it! Seeing that Yu Bai seemed to be stopping the ball, he felt a surge of joy, accelerated sharply, and reached out with his foot to poke the ball away!

Just as his foot was about to touch the ball!

Yu Bai's left foot, which should have been used to trap the ball, carved a strange arc through the air, tapping the ball lightly on the side and back with his heel!

Change of direction! Cut inside!

The ball obediently changed direction, rolling from the outside to the inside! Yu Bai quickly retracted his left foot, performed a sharp stop-and-turn with his body, and brushed past Łukasz Piszczek on the other side!

"Oh no!" Łukasz Piszczek cried out, realizing something was wrong; his center of gravity was completely gone, and he could only reach out in vain to grab Yu Bai's jersey.

However, Yu Bai seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; as Łukasz Piszczek reached out, Yu Bai leaned forward and accelerated, letting that hand just graze his jersey!

He anticipated the opponent's anticipation! The escape was successful!

"He's past him! Yu Bai! A brilliant heel-flick change of direction! Łukasz Piszczek has been beaten clean!" the commentator shouted excitedly.

[Holy crap! A heel-flick change of direction! That was incredibly cool!]

[Łukasz Piszczek was beaten without a chance to respond!]

Having shaken off Łukasz Piszczek, there was open space in front of Yu Bai! He dribbled the ball at high speed, charging straight towards the penalty area!

Neven Subotić was stunned! He couldn't understand it; was Łukasz Piszczek useless? How did he let the "Director" get past him so easily?

An iconic moment was born!

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