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

On the first match day of the Bundesliga, the entire Hoffenheim team set off for their home stadium. Yan Yuan leaned back in his seat, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the team emblem on the cuff of his jersey.

Amiri, who was standing next to him, was wearing headphones and resting with her eyes closed. The tactics manual on her lap was being turned slightly by the wind.

A restrained excitement permeated the carriage; occasionally, people would whisper among themselves, but most remained silent, gazing out the window.

This is the first round of the Bundesliga, with Hoffenheim hosting Werder Bremen, and nobody wants to mess up this start.

"Hey, rookie." Captain Vogt suddenly turned around from the front row and tossed a piece of chocolate to me.

"Don't look so serious. I usually think of you as very relaxed. Why do you look so solemn today? Have our robots switched to combat mode?"

The mention of robot jokes caused another burst of laughter in the carriage.

Yan Yuan took the chocolate, and the corners of his mouth finally relaxed:

"Yes, Captain, 100% combat mode."

As the team bus entered the stadium perimeter, fans dressed in blue and white jerseys had already gathered on both sides of the road.

Someone was banging on the car window, shouting, "Kill the Yankees!"

Amiri took off his headphones and squinted at the crowd: "It seems that our fourth-place finish last season has made our fans' appetites bigger."

Yan Yuan followed his gaze and saw a little boy wearing a woolen hat holding up a crooked sign with "17 YAN" highlighted on it.

His heart skipped a beat. He actually had fans?

When the players arrived at the locker room, Nagelsmann was the last to enter. He tapped the whiteboard with his tactical board, a sound that abruptly silenced all the casual conversation.

The coach was wearing a fitted black suit today, but his tie was hanging loosely, as if he was ready to rip it off and throw it on the ground at any moment.

"Do you know what I heard before the game?" He walked to the center of the locker room.

"The media said we would be devastated after losing to Liverpool, and that a country team like us doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League qualifiers."

Kramaric suddenly threw the towel on the ground: "Fuck the media!"

"Yeah, screw it!" Nagelsmann suddenly raised his voice, veins bulging on his neck.

"But just cursing won't do any good. We need to let the score speak for itself. Werder Bremen finished tenth last year, and they'll be tearing us apart like mad dogs today because everyone wants to prove themselves by stepping on Hoffenheim!" He grabbed a bottle of mineral water and took two gulps, water droplets dripping from his chin onto his shirt.

"Listen, I want you to remember two things: First, our passing game on the flanks is sharper than most Bundesliga teams; second, there are 30,000 fans in the stadium today who are looking forward to your performance."

He pointed out the window, where the faint sounds of fans singing their team anthem could be heard.

Yan Yuan bent down to tie his shoelaces and found that his fingers were still trembling slightly.

Nagelsmann noticed him and brought him up again: "Yan, do you know why you were chosen to start?"

He looked up and met Nagelsmann's hawk-like eyes, remaining silent and waiting for the coach to add something.

"Because I want to show those old guys at Werder Bremen that Hoffenheim's 17-year-olds can outrun their defense."

"That's right! Our killing robots!"

"Kill them all! Yan!"

"It's a Terminator robot!!"

Whistles and cheers erupted in the locker room, and someone patted him hard on the back. Everyone was cheering for Yan Yuan, who was about to make his debut.

When the lights in the players' tunnel pierced his vision, Yan Yuan's eardrums ached from the loud noise.

This was the first time he had ever witnessed the grand spectacle of his team's home stadium.

The stands of the Rhein-Neckar Arena loomed over us like steep cliffs, with die-hard fans in the North Stand waving giant tifos, the roaring blue lion on the screen being Hoffenheim's team crest.

He took a deep breath, the smell of grass mixed with popcorn and beer filling his nostrils—for a football player, this was the "smell of gunpowder."

"Hey Yan, look over there, you have fans now." Amiri nudged him with his elbow.

Yan Yuan looked in that direction and saw a few number 17 support signs scattered around the southeast corner of the stands. A boy wearing glasses was even wearing a pirated version of his jersey.

Because the sponsor's logo on the number is printed crookedly, it's obvious at a glance that it's not genuine.

Gnabry joked from behind, "Looks like you have more fans than Kramaric."

Yan Yuan pretended not to hear, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

The two teams were close together when the referees checked the socks.

Werder Bremen captain Moisander glanced at Yan Yuan sideways and whispered:

"Is Hoffenheim now starting kindergarteners?"

Yan Yuan was about to speak in rebuttal when Amiri blocked his way:

"Moisander, I suggest you memorize his handsome face now, he'll make you cry for your mother later."

Yan Yuan and Amiri bumped fists in tacit agreement.

The stadium announcer began broadcasting the starting lineup, as the awkward pronunciation of "YAN YUAN" echoed throughout the stadium.

He heard a few tentative cheers from the stands, which were quickly drowned out by a louder roar.

Actually, this is quite fair. Yan Yuan didn't expect to be remembered by all Hoffenheim fans because of his German Cup debut.

A Bundesliga debut is like running naked; you either win applause with your performance or get torn apart by boos—it's that simple.

The final moments before the match.

"Come here, everyone!" Nagelsmann spread his arms in front of the bench, as if trying to draw everyone into a shared heartbeat.

"Remember, we're not here to play football, we're here to..."

"We're here to fight!" the whole team roared out the second half of the sentence.

Amidst the roars of the crowd, Yan Yuan's voice was no quieter than anyone else's; he had made extensive preparations for this match.

He also had another expectation in his heart: if he performed well in this game, the coach would be very likely to let him start in the next Champions League qualifier.

The referee blew his whistle, and the match officially began.

Hoffenheim's 4-3-3 formation immediately began to press, and Werder Bremen's defense was forced to pass the ball back to goalkeeper Pavlenka shortly after the start of the game.

Yan Yuan made a high-speed forward run down the right flank, spreading his arms to signal his teammates to pass the ball, but the ball was switched to Gnabry on the left flank.

The German winger faked out the defender, cut inside, and unleashed a long-range shot, but the ball went just over the crossbar.

"Gnabry's shot was such a pity! So close!" The commentator's voice echoed through the stadium through the loudspeaker.

"Hoffenheim showed their attacking desire from the start, and their attacks down the flanks threw Werder Bremen's defense into disarray! This pace is a bit unfamiliar; I remember Hoffenheim's pace wasn't this fast last season," the commentator remarked.

Werder Bremen continued to try to maintain their rhythm, with Delaney organizing play in midfield, but Grillitsch immediately pressed him closely, forcing the Dane to hastily pass back.

However, Hoffenheim's high pressing made it difficult for Werder Bremen to pass the ball comfortably, and the first ten minutes of the match were almost entirely played in Werder Bremen's half.

Around the 11th minute, Yan Yuan touched the ball for the first time.

After getting rid of the defense in midfield, Amiri made a diagonal pass to find an opening on the right flank.

The moment Yan Yuan received the ball, Werder Bremen's left-back Augustinsson had already pounced on him.

He had already noticed the person coming from behind out of the corner of his eye, but instead of blindly breaking through, he used his right foot to cut back the ball to the overlapping Kaderabek and then quickly cut inside himself.

Kaderabek understood immediately and played a through ball into the penalty area. Yan Yuan pokes the ball from a tight angle before Moisander could block it, but Pavlenka dives and uses his leg to deflect the ball out of play.

"That was such a fucking brilliant decision!" Even Nagelsmann couldn't help but swear as he praised Yan Yuan.

Which coach wouldn't like Yan Yuan, a self-disciplined, unassuming, strategic, and promising young player?

"Yan! He almost replicated his magical performance in the German Cup!" the commentator exclaimed excitedly.

"Please allow me to reintroduce this 17-year-old Englishman of Chinese descent to the audience. He scored four goals in his debut in the German Cup."

That was an away game, and many Hoffenheim fans hadn't seen him before. Today is his first Bundesliga home debut! Hoffenheim fans, remember this name!

A round of applause erupted from the stands, mixed with a few cheers.

Yan Yuan didn't think much of it and returned to his seat.

He knew he needed to perform even better to conquer the stadium.

In the 17th minute, Hoffenheim broke the deadlock.

Gnabry received the ball on the left wing and, facing Werder Bremen's right-back Selassie, suddenly changed direction and cut inside, drawing the attention of center-back Veljkovic.

At the same time, left-back Schulz made a high-speed run down the flank, Gnabry flicked the ball with his heel, and Schulz crossed from the byline!

Inside the penalty area, Uth feinted at the near post, deliberately letting the ball slip towards the far post.

Kramaric leaped high at the far post, outjumping Moisander to head the ball back into the middle.

The experienced Uth had already adjusted his footing and, before the ball even hit the ground, unleashed a powerful volley! Pavlenka couldn't make the save, and the ball soared into the net!

"Uh yeah!!! Hoffenheim leads 1-0! Perfect teamwork!" The commentator almost jumped out of his seat.

"Gnabry cut inside to draw the defense, Schulz's cross found the far post perfectly, Kramaric's header was brilliant, and Uth's shot was clean and decisive!"

Werder Bremen's two holding midfielders completely neglected to protect the edge of the penalty area, and Moisander's marking error cost them their defense!

The Rhine-Neckar Arena erupted in cheers, with blue and white flags waving wildly in the stands.

Nagelsmann clenched his fist and roared on the sidelines, then turned and gave his assistant coach a hard high five.

Yan Yuan ran towards Ute to celebrate, and the latter laughed and ruffled his hair:

"You're next, kid!"

After taking the lead, Hoffenheim played with more composure.

Werder Bremen attempted a counterattack, but their attack lacked sharpness, and Yuya Osako was isolated in the attacking third, with several attempts to break through easily thwarted by Vogt and Hübner.

In the 35th minute, Yan Yuan scored his first Bundesliga goal.

Delaney attempted to dribble forward in midfield, but Grillitsch suddenly pressed forward and cleanly dispossessed the ball! Without hesitation, the Austrian midfielder launched a through ball that pierced Werder Bremen's defense!

Yan Yuan launched an attack on the right flank in an instant, tearing through Werder Bremen's defense like a blue lightning bolt.

It's not that Yan Yuan runs fast; his speed isn't particularly outstanding. However, his timing in positioning is excellent.

For the first time, Werder Bremen's defenders experienced the kid's positioning awareness.

"Augustin, catch up with him!!!" Captain Moisander shouted.

Augustinson tried desperately to catch up, but Yan Yuan's advantage was more obvious because he started earlier.

He dribbled into the right side of the penalty area, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vogt making a run from midfield.

"Yan Yuan! A one-on-one opportunity!" The commentator's voice suddenly rose. "Will he shoot directly? No! He chose to pass back in a triangular pattern!"

Just as Augustinsson thought he was going to cross, Yan Yuan cut inside with his right foot, suddenly changing direction and creating space, then swept the ball across to the penalty spot with his left foot.

Vogt unleashed a powerful shot, which Pavlenka dived to save, but the ball landed right in front of Yan Yuan!

In a flash, Yan Yuan didn't hesitate at all. He pushed with the instep of his right foot, and the ball rolled into the net from under Pavlenka's arm!

"Yan Yuan!!! 2-0! Hoffenheim extends their lead! This 17-year-old youngster has scored his first Bundesliga goal!" The commentator's voice almost cracked.

"Grillic's steal was crucial; Yan Yuan's speed and decision-making were perfectly combined! He first used his explosiveness to shake off Augustinsson, then calmly observed his teammates' positioning and made a triangular back pass to Vogt."

Although Pavlenka saved the first shot, Yan Yuan's follow-up shot showed his killer instinct!

The entire stadium erupted instantly, with fans in the stands waving scarves wildly, and several young men wearing number 17 jerseys excitedly hugging each other.

Nagelsmann raised his arms on the sidelines, then turned and shouted to the substitutes' bench:

"See? That's why I chose him to start!"

Yan Yuan rushed towards the corner flag area and celebrated with a sliding knee, sending grass clippings flying.

His teammates rushed over to hug him, and Amiri laughed, putting his arm around his shoulder: "Kid! Your first Bundesliga goal!!"

Ute patted him on the back:

Welcome to the Bundesliga!

The Werder Bremen players exchanged glances, their expressions turning grim as they looked at Moisander.

They never expected that this 17-year-old boy could so calmly and easily tear through their defenses.

He just ran a bit, and he scored?

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

Yan Yuan became increasingly confident on the right wing, attempting several cut-in shots and crosses. Although his teammates failed to score again, the cheers from the fans grew louder and louder.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the Rhein-Neckar Arena erupted in thunderous applause.

Yan Yuan walked towards the players' tunnel, looked up at the scoreboard and saw it was 2-0. His Bundesliga debut was not bad so far.