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

On August 13, the area outside the Stedio Stadium in Erfurt was packed with fans.

Despite it being only the first round of the German Cup, Hoffenheim's arrival still made the small city buzz with excitement.

Local fans, holding beer mugs, gathered in twos and threes at the stadium entrance, discussing the upcoming match.

"I heard Hoffenheim fielded half a reserve team this time?" A middle-aged man in a red and white jersey scoffed.

"Did they think we were just here to give away points?"

"Don't get too excited," his friend next to him shook his head. "Even if they're not at full strength, Bundesliga teams aren't easy for us to beat."

Inside the stadium's media section, reporters were busy typing away on their keyboards.

The first round of the German Cup is always a breeding ground for upsets, and Hoffenheim's squad list this time has made it even more of a topic of discussion.

Kicker reporter Kluge stared at the starting lineup, his eyebrows raised high: "Has Nagelsmann gone mad? I know he's preparing for the Champions League qualifiers, but I didn't expect him to dare to field such a lineup, with more than half of the players being substitutes."

His colleague, Schneider from Bild, shrugged: "What's so special about that? Look at the right winger position, Yan Yuan? Hmm... 17 years old? An Englishman of Chinese descent? This kid has never even played a single official professional league game before, has he?"

Kruger quickly flipped through the data: "He scored in the preseason friendlies, but in an official match... this is his debut."

In the commentary booth, Sky Sports commentator Webb was adjusting his microphone.

The director handed him the latest starting lineup, and he glanced at it, his lips twitching slightly: "Hoffenheim's starting lineup tonight... well, let's just say it's very 'creative'."

Nagelsmann is clearly focused on next week's Champions League qualifiers, but the German Cup is not a competition where you can play with fire.

His partner, former German international Schneider, chimed in: "Yan Yuan? I have absolutely no recollection of that name. Did Nagelsmann just grab someone from the youth team to fill the roster?"

Weber smiled and said, "Don't jump to conclusions. Schneider, Nagelsmann's personnel decisions have always had their reasons. Although sometimes it may seem like he's gambling with his life, I think he must have his reasons for doing so."

In the locker room, Hoffenheim's players were making their final preparations.

Yan Yuan sat in front of his cabinet, head down, tying his shoelaces. Today, he tied them very tightly.

"Nervous?" Gnabry walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

Yan Yuan looked up, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"A little."

"That's normal," Gnabry grinned. "That's how it is for rookies when they first enter official matches. You'll get used to it after a few more times."

Ute, standing next to him, added, "Yes, Yan, you'll get used to it after a few more times. I feel the coach values ​​you a lot."

"The coach actually values ​​each and every one of us. We'll have to rely on everyone when we go on stage later," Yan Yuan replied, then continued to look down and concentrate on checking his shin guards.

The noise in the locker room seemed far away from him; all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, as clear as a drumbeat.

Nagelsmann pushed open the door and entered, and the locker room instantly fell silent. He held a tactical board in his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally lingering on Yan Yuan for a second.

"Listen," he began, his voice not loud but extremely penetrating.

"I can guess what people outside are saying even with my toes: Hoffenheim is underestimating the German Cup, Nagelsmann is playing with fire..."

He sneered, "Let them say whatever they want. Tonight we only have one goal: to win and advance to the next round with dignity."

He walked to the tactics board and tapped the right flank: "Yan, your task is simple: break through their left flank defense. Let me emphasize again, their left-back is slow to turn, but he has a lot of dirty tricks. Don't get angry with him. I know you're not an easily angered person."

"Understood, Coach." Yan Yuan nodded and stretched his ankle.

Nagelsmann then looked at the others: "Vogt, you're the captain, lead these kids to play more clearly. Gnabry, coordinate more with Yan Da, don't let him carry the team alone."

The atmosphere in the locker room gradually heated up. Vogt stood up and clapped his hands vigorously: "Come on, let them see that even with our rotations, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can take a bite out of us!"

In the players' tunnel, Yan Yuan stood in the middle of the team. He could hear the noise of the fans in the stands and smell the grass mixed with anti-slip spray.

The Erfurt players glanced at him from time to time, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of disdain.

"Is that the 17-year-old kid?" the opposing midfielder whispered to his teammate. "Asian? Can he even play football?"

"Hey kid, did Nagelsmann send you up here because they ran out of other options?"

Yan Yuan pretended not to hear them and did not argue with them. He just stared at the exit ahead. The light at the end of the passage was getting closer and closer, and his heartbeat was getting louder and louder.

In the press area on the sidelines, Kluge was speaking rapidly into a recorder: "Number 17, Yan Yuan, an Englishman of Chinese descent, has no prior professional match experience. Nagelsmann's bold choice of player this time will either be a stroke of genius or a disaster..."

Schneider interjected: "I lean towards the latter. The German Cup isn't for training kids. Nagelsmann's choice this time was too bold."

In the stands, Hoffenheim fans who had come with the team held up scarves and sang intermittently.

Most of them were also hearing the name Yan Yuan for the first time.

"Who are these? The youth team?" A middle-aged fan frowned as he looked at the starting lineup.

Clearly, this middle-aged fan hadn't been following Hoffenheim's preseason games.

"He's not from the youth team; he's a substitute for the first team."

"I've seen his performance in the friendly match; he played quite well."

His son, standing beside him, pulled out his phone and quickly searched: "His name is Yan Yuan. I think he scored a goal in the preseason, but in the official match..." The boy shook his head.

"There is absolutely no information."

Yan Yuan stood near the center circle, bowing his head and stomping on the grass. The referee's whistle was about to blow, and his professional debut was about to begin.

The whistle to start the match had just sounded when Hoffenheim's players surged across the halfway line like a tidal wave.

Nagelsmann stood on the sidelines, his hands in his suit pockets, his eyes fixed on the pressing formation in the attacking third.

To be honest, he was a little nervous today. He had never used so many players at once in the previous German Cup matches.

The scene returns to the football field, where Ute, Yan Yuan, Gnabry, and Oakes form a diamond-shaped defensive line in the attacking third.

Their consistent runs disrupted Erfurt's backfield passing lanes, leaving them in disarray.

This was the strategy Nagelsmann had set from the beginning.

In the 12th minute, Erfurt center-back Andre was forced to pass back to the goalkeeper under pressure, but the pass was slightly weak.

Grealich keenly sensed the opportunity, darted forward, and made a precise interception in the path of the rolling ball.

The moment he looked up to observe, Yan Yuan had already started.

Grillitsch didn't blindly rush forward; instead, he first moved two steps laterally to shake off the full-back Schmidt who was marking him, and then suddenly changed direction, cutting straight into the flank of the penalty area.

Grillitsch's through ball rolled perfectly into Yan Yuan's running path.

"A brilliant through ball! Erfurt's Andrei made a mistake with his back pass, which was intercepted by Grillitsch. Now the ball is at Yan Yuan's feet," the commentator said.

Before receiving the ball, Yan Yuan glanced at the goalkeeper's position out of the corner of his eye; it was slightly to the left.

Instead of using the conventional ball control to adjust, he gently flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, causing it to bounce inwards.

At the same time, he suddenly stopped and changed direction, shaking off another center-back, Merkel, who was rushing to tackle him.

This move was extremely clever, as it both avoided direct defense and created a shooting angle for himself.

Before Merkel could turn around and chase back, Yan Yuan had already swung his left foot and unleashed a powerful shot that went straight into the top right corner of the goal!

"GOOOOOOOOOAL! Hoffenheim leads 1-0! The goal scorer is Yan Yuan!!!" Commentator Weber's voice suddenly rose.

"I have to say, this 17-year-old has surprised me a bit; he scored in his professional debut in the German Cup!"

His partner, Schneider, practically jumped out of his chair: "Look at that goal! Grillitsch's tackle was beautiful, but Yan Yuan's positioning and finishing were like a seasoned pro! He deliberately moved laterally to create illusions, and his handling of the ball after receiving it was frighteningly calm!"

Nagelsmann, standing on the sidelines, finally pulled his hand out of his pocket, clapped vigorously, and wore a satisfied smile.

The Hoffenheim fans in the stands, who had been holding beer glasses and discussing amongst themselves, suddenly erupted into a frenzy.

Some fans who hadn't watched the preseason games turned to their companions in confusion and asked, "Who is that kid?"

But many more people were already belting out a hastily improvised cheer: "Yan-Yan-Yan! Our terminator!"

The Erfurt players looked at each other in bewilderment.

Goalkeeper Lucas angrily punched the goalpost, while center-back Merkel stared at Yan Yuan's back with a gloomy expression.

Schmidt, the full-back who had just been easily beaten, spat and yelled at his teammates, "Don't let him turn around next time!"

But Yan Yuan had already slid to his knees at the edge of the field, leaving two clear marks on the grass.

As he stood up, Gnabry jumped onto his back laughing, and Ute almost piled on top of them.

Hoffenheim's offensive continued.

In the 31st minute, Bosch and Gnabry on the left wing executed a textbook overlapping combination.

Bosch first feigned a run down the wing, then suddenly cut back and passed to the overlapping Gnabry, while he himself made a run into the penalty area and drew away the defender.

Gnabry didn't try to score himself; instead, he delivered a low cross to the attacking midfielder Oakes near the penalty spot.

At this moment, Erfurt's center-back Merkel was already distracted by Oakes' running, completely missing Yan Yuan who was making a run from the back.

Oakes' pass wasn't particularly accurate, but fortunately Erford reacted too late and successfully passed it to the right wing.

Yan Yuan had already moved forward to receive the ball. He paused slightly before receiving it, deliberately letting the ball roll half a step longer. This change in rhythm caused Schmidt, who was chasing back, to miss completely.

He then deftly pushed the ball with the inside of his right foot, sending it skimming along the grass and into the far corner!

2-0!

"Another one! Yan Yuan scores twice!" Webber's voice was almost cracking. "I can't believe my eyes! This kid has destroyed Erford's defense in 25 minutes! His positioning is so smart, it's like he has eyes in the back of his head!"

We have to thank Yan Yuan for watching a lot of match videos recently; his ability to read the game has improved so much since he first joined Hoffenheim.

Schneider frantically flipped through the files: "We need to double-check, is this really his first professional match? This goal-scoring instinct is simply innate!"

The broadcast camera then focused on Nagelsmann on the sidelines.

The young coach walked directly to the sideline and gave a thumbs-up to the field.

Meanwhile, all the Hoffenheim players on the bench stood up, and some even jokingly imitated Yan Yuan's sliding knee motion when he scored his first goal.

The cheers from the stands grew even louder, and several young Hoffenheim fans wearing blue and white scarves frantically waved homemade signs that read "Yan Yuan, number 17" in crooked handwriting.

The little fan who took a photo with Yan Yuan last time also came. He held up a sign with Yan Yuan's number and shouted loudly.

"Yan!!! You kicked so well!!!!"

On the other side, the Erfurt players were completely dumbfounded.

Midfield maestro Menz spread his hands in frustration and yelled at the defense, "You guys mark him properly! Don't you have eyes? How come you keep leaving him out!"

But the one in an even worse state was Schmidt, the full-back who was matched up against Yan Yuan. He had just lost his balance due to Yan Yuan's feint and was now holding his knee and panting heavily.

He really wanted to use some underhanded tactics, but the kid wouldn't even give him a chance to get close, partly because Yan Yuan's speed wasn't up to par, and partly because Yan Yuan's positioning was too good.

On the sidelines, head coach Hoffmann looked ashen-faced, repeatedly gesturing to intensify the pressing; he was on the verge of swearing.

After the second goal, Yan Yuanchong rushed towards the away team's stands, opened his arms, and embraced the cheers of the fans.

His black hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

Gnabry grabbed him from behind and whispered in his ear, "Kid, you're definitely going to be on the front page tonight!"

Even the usually composed captain, Vogt, ran over and patted him hard on the back:

"Keep it up, kid, don't hold back!"

For the remainder of the first half, Hoffenheim continued to control the game.

Yan Yuan's performance became increasingly composed. In the 38th minute, he made a series of changes of direction on the right wing, breaking through two players before crossing the ball, but unfortunately Uth's header went slightly wide.

In stoppage time, he dropped back to midfield to intercept the ball, and after winning the ball, he made a precise long pass to Gnabry, which drew another exclamation from the commentators.

When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the score at halftime was 2-0.

As Yan Yuan walked toward the players' tunnel, the players at Erfurt couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

Center-back Merkel even whispered to him, "Your name is Yan, right? You've really never played professionally before?"

Yan Yuan simply smiled and shook his head, offering no reply.