After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

When the whistle blew to start the second half, the Bologna players' eyes clearly changed.

They no longer organized their attacks methodically as they had in the first half, but instead displayed a fierce determination driven to the brink of defeat. The Italian players still showed great fighting spirit on the field.

Yan Yuan could feel that the opposing defenders were marking him much tighter. Every time he got the ball, De Maio would come right up to him and use his body to restrict his movement.

"Watch out! They're bringing on Verdi! This is a signal that they're strengthening their midfield!" Nagelsmann shouted from the sidelines, keenly noticing the Bologna coach preparing a substitution in the warm-up area.

Sure enough, in the 60th minute, Bologna brought on their star attacking midfielder Verdi in an attempt to strengthen their control of the midfield.

Nagelsmann reacted immediately.

He walked to the sidelines, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and made a tightening gesture, which was the signal for the 5-4-1 formation change.

Upon seeing this, Hoffenheim's captain, Vogt, raised his arm to give instructions, and the team's formation immediately tightened.

The two defensive midfielders, Grillitsch and Rupp, dropped even deeper, acting like two moving walls to protect the edge of the penalty area.

"Keep the formation compact and don't give them any space!" Nagelsmann's voice cut through the noise of the stadium. Yan Yuan also dropped deeper on the right wing, ready to provide cover at any moment.

But there are always unexpected events on the football field.

In the 75th minute, Bologna won a corner kick. Verdi's pass accurately found the head of center-back Helandel, and Kober couldn't block the corner kick. This goal was a bit tricky.

2-1, Bologna scored, narrowing the score gap.

Nagelsmann kicked the turf hard, but quickly regained his composure.

"This goal wasn't a tactical mistake! Keep going according to plan!" he shouted to the field, while making a downward hand gesture to signal the players to stay calm.

Yan Yuan wiped his sweat and glanced at the electronic display screen on the sidelines. There were still 15 minutes left.

He noticed that Bologna's two full-backs were starting to push forward frequently, leaving large gaps in the backfield. Yan Yuan began to think about how to break the deadlock.

The opportunity came in the 80th minute.

Goalkeeper Kober launched a long goal kick, the ball crossing the midfield and heading directly towards Yan Yuan's right flank, indicating Kober's intention to trust Yan Yuan.

Yan Yuan judged the landing point before the ball hit the ground. He gently cushioned the ball with his chest, and the ball obediently landed half a meter in front of him.

This was a wise move, as it both mitigated the impact of the long pass and bought time for the next action.

Bologna's De Maio immediately rushed forward, but Yan Yuan gently flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, sending it through the opponent's legs. At the same time, he took a quick step to overtake the ball from the outside!

His ball control was virtually flawless; the ball was like a toy at his feet, always going precisely where it should go.

"Kid, that's a genius move!" Nagelsmann couldn't help but shout from the sidelines, and his assistant coach next to him had also stood up.

Yan Yuan continued his rapid advance with the ball, and Naji came to cover from the side.

Yan Yuan's teammates were gesturing to him, indicating that if he couldn't handle the ball, he should pass it to him.

After looking around, Yan Yuan determined that the situation was not suitable for passing the ball. He had dribbled too deep and was surrounded by people. The only decision he could make was to continue his breakthrough.

Just as Naji and Yan Yuan were about to make contact, Yan Yuan suddenly stopped and pulled the ball back with his right foot, causing Naji's sliding tackle to miss.

Before the other party could even get up, Yan Yuan had already gently poked the ball between Najib's legs with the toe of his left foot!

"This kid knows how to give the ball commands?" Demirbay couldn't help but exclaim, as his teammates continued to box out Yan Yuan and watch his performance.

"Oh my god...look at number 17!!" Suddenly, a chorus of exclamations erupted from the Bologna fans in the stands.

Bologna's center-back, Mayeta, had to abandon his defensive position and rush over as well.

Yan Yuan caught a glimpse of his teammate's movement out of the corner of his eye, and he made a bold decision.

He pretended to pass the ball with his right foot, but at the moment of contact, he twisted his ankle, and the ball changed direction strangely, rolling past the outside of Mayeta's supporting foot.

At the same time, Yan Yuan took a quick step and circled around from the other side, completing this amazing "nutmeg + ball pass" double attack!

"My God! Is he about to explode again?" Nagelsmann's mouth dropped open. He even forgot to give instructions, completely stunned by Yan Yuan's performance.

The last defender, Helandl, panicked and made a reckless tackle.

Yan Yuan jumped lightly and flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, sending it obediently rolling into the penalty area.

Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Yan Yuan calmly chose to shoot low into the near corner.

3-1! Hoffenheim takes the lead again!!

"This kid is definitely a superstar prospect!" Nagelsmann shouted to the bench, waving his arms excitedly. "Did you see that? That whole series of dribbles, he made the judgment!"

This time, Yan Yuan didn't celebrate wildly. He just smiled and pointed to goalkeeper Kober, who had given him the "assist," and Kober gave Yan Yuan a thumbs up.

This gesture earned Nagelsmann's approval once again. After such a brilliant individual performance, he still thought of the team. This young man not only has amazing football intelligence, but also amazing emotional intelligence.

As the match entered stoppage time, Bologna's players were clearly running out of energy.

Kaderzabek seized the opportunity to overlap from the right flank, and Yan Yuan, understanding perfectly, moved inside to create space for him.

The Czech full-back's cross flew towards the penalty area with a strong spin.

Logically, this ball should have been headed away.

But Yan Yuan made an unexpected decision. He turned to the side to let the ball pass, and just as the ball was about to hit the ground, he gently flicked it with the instep of his right foot.

Cavani's shooting technique was enough to make the ball draw a beautiful arc, the ball bypassing the goalkeeper's fingertips and going straight into the top right corner of the goal!

4-1!

Nagelsmann jumped up this time, turned around and made an "incredulous" gesture towards the stands, his smile impossible to hide.

"Coach, did this kid take some steroids before the game today?" the assistant coach joked.

"Don't say that. Even if you take drugs, you can't instantly become better at football," Nagelsmann shook his head.

"Did you see his choice to chip the ball? He could have controlled the ball before shooting, but he saw the goalkeeper's shift in weight, so he opted for the chip shot."

When the final whistle blew, Nagelsmann was the first to walk onto the field. He once again made a point of finding Yan Yuan, put his arm around his shoulder and said a few words. Yan Yuan nodded, a tired but satisfied smile on his face.

"Yan played brilliantly today, even better than in the last game..." Nagelsmann said at the post-match press conference. He unusually used the adjective "brilliant" to describe Yan Yuan, but the admiration in his eyes was obvious to everyone.

"Every goal he scores is the result of careful thought. While flashes of brilliance are certainly necessary on the pitch, most victories depend on the player's correct thinking and decision-making. Fortunately, we signed such a promising young player this season."

……

In the locker room after the game, Yan Yuan's teammates jokingly suggested that he treat them to a meal.

"Yan, you're the MVP again! You have to treat us this time. You scored two goals in the last game and three in this one. Your efficiency is amazing!" Gnabry said, putting his arm around Yan Yuan's shoulder.

"Of course, guys! I have an announcement to make: when we get back to Hoffenheim, I'll treat you all to pork knuckle!!!" Yan Yuan agreed with a smile, while secretly glancing at Nagelsmann, who was scribbling on the tactics board.

The coach seemed to sense his gaze, looked up and winked at him. This small interaction made Yan Yuan happier than any public praise.

It was already late when everyone left the stadium, and the Hoffenheim players were preparing to return home.

Outside the stadium, several young Italian fans who had been waiting for a long time surrounded him, asking for autographs. One of the boys timidly asked, "Yan, how did you come up with those amazing dribbling skills on the field?"

Yan Yuan squatted down, signing autographs as he said, "When you understand football well enough, your brain will tell you what to do. Remember the most important thing: watch more games."

After saying that, Yan Yuan laughed at himself, because it sounded like something Nagelsmann would say.

The day after the match, Hoffenheim's training ground was unusually quiet.

Meanwhile, a traditional German restaurant near the training base was bustling with activity; the entire Hoffenheim team had booked the entire place for the day.

"Cheers!"

The clinking of beer glasses filled the air as Hoffenheim's players sat around a long table piled high with fragrant roasted pork knuckles and sausages.

Yan Yuan sat in the middle, with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice in front of him, and raised his glass amidst the cheers of his teammates.

"Hey, why isn't our MVP drinking?" Ute laughed and slapped the table.

"He's only 17, not even an adult yet!" Gnabry came to Yan Yuan's rescue, ruffling his hair as he did so. "Juice is more suitable for this kid."

Yan Yuan smiled sheepishly and raised his juice glass: "Then I'll use this to toast everyone, thank you for your care both on and off the field."

"You're too kind, kid." Captain Vogt led the applause. "But next time you score, you need to make your celebration cooler. Besides the knee slide, you can work on your core muscles so you can do a backflip celebration sometime."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the table.

Yan Yuan scratched his head, recalling his somewhat awkward celebration yesterday, and laughed along.

Amiri leaned over and poked at the pork knuckle on Yan Yuan's plate with her fork: "Eat more, Yan. You're still a bit too thin. Wingers need muscle too, otherwise how can you hold your own against those defenders?"

"That's right," Grillitsch chimed in, "that De Maio almost knocked you off your feet yesterday. If it weren't for your good skills..."

"By the way, speaking of technique," Gnabry suddenly put down his beer glass, his eyes lighting up, "how did you come up with that goal where you dribbled past four players? I watched the replay ten times in the locker room and still couldn't figure it out."

Just as Yan Yuan was about to answer, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind: [Ding! The interaction level between the host and Gnabry has reached 100%. The skill "Side Lane Dragon" can be copied. The current matching rate is 81%.]

He paused for a moment, then took a sip of juice as a cover-up.

After joining Hoffenheim, Yan Yuan had the most daily interactions with Gnabry, including training, matches, and daily life. He was the first to learn Gnabry's skills.

This unexpected good news made his heart race; Gnabry's ability to break through on the wing is among the best in the Bundesliga.

"Actually..." Yan Yuan carefully chose his words, "I noticed his hips moved, and then I felt that he would defend like that, so I made a move in advance, which can be considered as anticipating the situation. However, I was luckier than him, and I guessed correctly."

"You mean intuition?" Gnabry raised an eyebrow. "That's a talent not everyone has."

The dinner party continued into the afternoon, and the atmosphere became increasingly relaxed.

Yan Yuan noticed that his teammates started to communicate with him in a more casual way, and Lu Pu shared embarrassing stories from when he first debuted.

Kaderzabek even joked that he would teach him Czech swear words so he could use them on the field; even the usually serious captain Vogt recounted some funny stories from the locker room.

As everyone was preparing to leave, Yan Yuan mustered his courage and called out to Gnabry: "Sergi, I have a request..."

"Hmm? You said it?" Gnabry turned around, her face still flushed from the intoxication.

"I want to improve the speed and explosiveness of my breakthroughs on the flanks," Yan Yuan said, looking directly into Gnabry's eyes. "Could you please take a look for me when you have some free time? I mean... give me some pointers."

Gnabry blinked, then suddenly grinned: "Ha, finally you've asked? I was wondering when you'd finally say it."

He put his arm around Yan Yuan's shoulder. "Of course, see you at the training ground tomorrow morning. But I'm warning you in advance, learning to break through on the wing is not easy at all, the training volume is quite large."

"Thank you so much, Sergi." Yan Yuan felt a warm current flow through his heart.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, we're all teammates..." Gnabry waved his hand.

The system notification indicated that Gnabry's skills matched his by 81%, which filled Yan Yuan with anticipation for tomorrow's training.

On the way back to the apartment, Yan Yuan's phone kept vibrating.

His teammates posted photos of today's dinner in the group chat. There was a photo of him awkwardly holding a juice glass, a candid shot of Grillitsch sneaking food from his plate, and a close-up of Gnabry ruffling his hair.

Looking at these photos, Yan Yuan truly felt that he was integrating into the team. Although he was only 17 years old, he was doing better than many adult players in the club.

As night fell, Yan Yuan returned to his dormitory and began searching online for videos of Gnabry to watch, which was also a way of preparing for tomorrow's training.

Because of the adjustment to the training content, he will have to report to the coach tomorrow. Based on Yan Yuan's recent performance, Nagelsmann will most likely agree readily.

My phone vibrated again.

It was a message from Gnabry: 【Yan, tomorrow at 7 AM.】 (cool emoji)

Yan Yuan replied with a smile: 【Guaranteed to be on time, Sergi.】(Received emoji)