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

The night of the competition has finally arrived.

The area outside Anfield Stadium was already bustling with activity, and a wave of red was surging towards this football mecca from all directions.

Liverpool fans sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," the song penetrating the locker room walls and faintly reaching the ears of the Hoffenheim players.

Yan Yuan sat in front of his locker, head down, tying his shoelaces, his fingers trembling slightly uncontrollably.

My phone vibrated.

It was a message from my father:

"Son, we're here. Your mom is on the left side of the away team's stand, wearing a white jacket. Don't be nervous, just play well!"

The photo was attached, showing Yan's mother holding up a small handwritten flag with "Yan Yuan, keep going!" written in both Chinese and English, while Yan's father stood beside her giving a thumbs-up with a forced, calm smile.

Yan Yuan stared at the photo for a few seconds, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

He took a deep breath and put his phone back in his bag.

The atmosphere in the locker room was both tense and solemn.

Captain Vogt was speaking quietly with several veteran players, Gnabry was resting with his eyes closed, and Ute was repeatedly checking his shin guards.

Nagelsmann stood in front of the tactical board, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over each player.

"Young men," he finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it made everyone look up.

Nagelsmann patted the locker room wall and said,

"I know what's going on outside. Anfield, Champions League night, the chants of 60,000 people—all of that will put pressure on you."

But I want to tell you that the pressure is mutual. They are even less able to accept failure than we are, because this is their home turf!

The air in the locker room seemed to ignite with those words.

"Is Liverpool strong? Of course! Are they a powerhouse? Yes! But look around you." Nagelsmann suddenly raised his voice.

"Sitting beside you is a group of warriors underestimated by everyone! The team that gave even the Bundesliga giants headaches last season! A group of warriors who dare to run rampant at Anfield!"

Listening to the coach's words, Yan Yuan felt his heart racing with excitement.

"We were down 1-2 in the first leg? So what!" Nagelsmann slammed his fist on the tactical board.

"Remember, the most dangerous team on the football field is always a fearless one. Tonight, we will make all of Europe remember Hoffenheim's name!"

"Now." He held out his hand.

All the players immediately gathered around, their arms overlapping in a layered fashion.

"What are we fighting for?!" Nagelsmann roared.

"Victory!!!" The whole team erupted in a deafening roar.

"Who are we!"

"Hoffenheim!!!"

Yan Yuan's voice was drowned out by the sound waves, but his heartbeat was clearer than ever before.

A knocking sound came from the door.

It sounds like war drums, or a countdown.

A stadium staff member knocked on the locker room door: "Enter in five minutes."

Nagelsmann then looked around at his players and said, "My final words to you are: treat this game as if it were the game that would determine your market value. If you want better contracts and more endorsements, start by doing your best in this game!"

Inside the players' tunnel, Liverpool's stars were already lined up and waiting.

Salah was talking quietly with Henderson, Mane was stretching his ankles, Lovren was staring straight ahead expressionlessly, and Arnold was twisting his neck.

Standing in the middle of the Hoffenheim team's formation, Yan Yuan could clearly feel the earth-shaking atmosphere emanating from Anfield.

"Are you nervous?" Gnabry, who was standing in front of him, suddenly turned around and asked.

Yan Yuan swallowed hard and nodded honestly, "That's true to some extent."

Gnabry grinned and said, "Me too, but remember, those screaming fans." He pointed to the away stands.

"They paid for tickets and came here with us just to see our performance."

The broadcast began announcing the starting lineups for both teams.

"Number 19, Ute!"

"Number 11, Grillitsch!"

……

"Number 17, Yan Yuan!"

When his name was first heard in the Champions League, Yan Yuan suddenly looked up.

The light at the end of the passage stung his eyes.

One step, two steps, three steps…

He finally stepped onto the Anfield pitch for the first time, as a professional player.

In an instant, the sound waves rushed towards us like a tsunami.

"Come on, Redman!!"

"Salah, Mane, score a goal!"

"Who are you??"

The chants of 60,000 people included cheers for Liverpool and taunts for Hoffenheim, along with the focus of countless flashes and an overwhelming sea of ​​red.

Yan Yuan subconsciously squinted, but caught a glimpse of a familiar white coat in a corner of the away team's stands. Yan's mother was waving her slightly cute little flag frantically.

Game start.

The moment the referee blew the opening whistle, Anfield Stadium transformed into a sea of ​​red!

Liverpool's players surged forward like a tidal wave, their high pressing displaying terrifying pressure from the very first minute.

The two full-backs, Arnold and Robertson, practically turned into wingers, making unrestrained forward runs in Hoffenheim's half.

Meanwhile, the midfield trio of Henderson, Emre Can, and Wijnaldum firmly controlled possession of the ball, constantly tearing apart Hoffenheim's defense through triangular passing.

Hoffenheim's start was not smooth.

Yan Yuan, who was on the right flank, could clearly feel the double pressure from Liverpool players and fans.

Every time he touched the ball, he was met with deafening boos and shouts, as if the entire stadium was trying to devour his confidence.

In the 3rd minute, Salah broke through from his side for the first time. Yan Yuan quickly chased back, but the Pharaoh's change of direction was incredibly fast, and his decision was swift.

In the end, Yan Yuan could only watch Salah cross the ball, but fortunately, defender Schulz cleared it in time.

In the domestic live stream, the voices of the Chinese commentators were transmitted through the live stream signal.

"Liverpool's attack at the start was too fierce, Hoffenheim was completely suppressed, and the pressure on the side of the young Chinese player Yan Yuan was very high. Liverpool's defensive line made frequent forward runs."

In the 8th minute, Liverpool broke the deadlock.

Emre Can received a pass from Henderson in midfield and suddenly played a through ball that pierced Hoffenheim's left flank.

Mane started like lightning, instantly shaking off Kaderabek, and then cut inside the penalty area before passing the ball back in a triangular fashion.

Firmino feinted a shot and then cut inside, shaking off the hastily pressing Vogt, before gently passing the ball to the unmarked Salah, who easily slotted it into the net!

1-0!

"Goal!!!! Salah breaks the deadlock!!! This is a sure goal!!!" the commentator shouted.

Anfield erupted in a deafening roar of cheers, while the Hoffenheim players exchanged bewildered glances.

This pace is indeed a bit too fast; how did it get scored on so quickly?

Yan Yuan stood near the center circle, biting his lip as he looked at his own goal. He wasn't in a daze; he was thinking.

This goal exposed the defensive weaknesses on Hoffenheim's left flank. Schulz and Vogt made serious mistakes in their defensive coordination, and the two defensive midfielders failed to drop back in time to protect the space in the flanks.

"Liverpool's passing was incredibly fluid, Hoffenheim's defense was completely breached. From Emre Can's through ball to Mane's breakthrough, then Firmino's feint, and finally Salah's goal, it was a textbook example of a fast break!" the commentator exclaimed.

On the sidelines, Klopp raised his arms in celebration, while Nagelsmann looked serious and immediately walked to the sidelines to signal to the players that he needed to calm down.

Hoffenheim did not collapse after conceding a goal. Their experience from previous matches against Bayern Munich prevented them from being overwhelmed by a single goal in the big Champions League game.

Nagelsmann quickly instructed his assistant coach to make tactical adjustments.

Kramaric dropped back to the center-back line to participate in passing the ball, while Amiri moved forward to act as a false 8.

Gnabry switched from the left wing to the right wing, forming a "double inverted foot cut-in pairing" with Yan Yuan, attempting to use their technical abilities to create threats on Liverpool's left wing.

Yan Yuan could sense that the rhythm of the match was gradually changing.

Although Liverpool still dominated possession, Hoffenheim's counter-attacks began to show a clearer strategy.

In the 15th minute, he received the ball on the right wing for the first time and faced Robertson. The Scottish full-back rushed up aggressively, trying to physically overpower him.

But Yan Yuan was not intimidated at all. He gently hooked the ball with his right foot and then flicked it with the outside of his left foot, instantly swatting it past Robertson's side!

A gasp came from the Anfield stands as Yan Yuan dribbled forward, only to be thwarted by Henderson who was chasing back.

Although the breakthrough was ultimately thwarted, it was a successful attempt.

"Beautiful dribble! Hoffenheim's 17-year-old is so confident with this breakthrough, he wasn't intimidated by the atmosphere at Anfield at all!" the commentator exclaimed.

In the 27th minute, Kramaric received a short pass from goalkeeper Baumann in the backfield, looked up to observe, and then delivered a precise long pass to Yan Yuan on the right wing.

This pass had a perfect arc and moderate speed, bypassing Liverpool's midfield defense.

Yan Yuan leaned against Robertson with his back to him, and just as the ball hit the ground, he gently tapped it with the outside of his right foot, and the ball stopped steadily as if it were glued to his foot.

Robertson immediately closed in, but Yan Yuan remained calm. He suddenly made a half-turn, feigning a breakthrough towards the baseline, but in the instant Robertson shifted his weight, he pulled the ball back with his left foot.

He instantly turned and cut inside!

"Yan Yuan! Extremely precise ball control, beautiful dribbling! I've only ever seen this kind of ball control in South American players!!" The commentator's voice suddenly rose.

At this moment, Amiri had already cleverly moved forward to provide support.

Yan Yuan didn't hesitate and immediately passed the ball across to him, while he continued to sprint towards the penalty area.

Amiri understood immediately and passed the ball back to Yan Yuan with a one-two pass.

Liverpool's center-back Lovren rushed to cover, but Yan Yuan had already observed goalkeeper Karius's position—he gently flicked his right foot to get past Lovren's blockade, and then curled a shot with his left foot.

The ball traced a beautiful trajectory and nestled into the far corner of the goal!

1-1!

"Goal!!! Yan Yuan!!! Hoffenheim equalizes!! The 17-year-old Hoffenheim youngster has scored his first Champions League goal at Anfield!!!" The commentator couldn't help but stand up.

Anfield fell into a brief silence, which was then followed by an incredible cacophony.

Liverpool fans looked at each other in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe that the 17-year-old could score such a brilliant goal at their home ground.

Meanwhile, in the away stands, Yan's father suddenly jumped up and hugged Yan's mother tightly. The two were so excited that they couldn't speak coherently.

Mother Yan waved her little flag wildly, while Father Yan shouted in heavily accented English to the stunned Hoffenheim fans around them:

"That's my son! That's my son!"

On the field, Yan Yuan and his teammates simply hugged and celebrated, without doing anything else. Instead, he quickly picked up the ball and ran back to the center circle.

Gnabry rushed over and ruffled his hair, while Kramaric gave him a thumbs-up from afar.

"That was a beautiful goal!" the commentator exclaimed, still savoring the moment. "From Kramaric's long pass to Yan Yuan's control, his dribbling, his passing, and finally his shot, every step was perfect! Yan Yuan displayed composure and skill beyond his years; this goal was a complete display of individual ability!"

On the sidelines, Nagelsmann celebrated with a rare fist pump.

Klopp, meanwhile, frowned as he spoke to his assistants, who had clearly underestimated the threat posed by this young Chinese-American player.

"Why isn't there a detailed report on this young man in the pre-match materials?" Klopp asked his assistant coach.

"Coach, he... has only one Bundesliga experience. Before coming to Hoffenheim, he hadn't even participated in many U-series leagues. He was ranked in the lower half of Paris Saint-Germain's youth academy."

"Okay..." Klopp said helplessly.

After equalizing, Hoffenheim's morale soared, but Liverpool's counterattack was even more ferocious.

Henderson moved forward and teamed up with Emre Can to block the passing lanes of Hoffenheim's two defensive midfielders, forcing Vogt to make several long pass errors.

In the 35th minute, Salah had another one-on-one opportunity, but Baumann made a brilliant save, pushing the ball out of bounds.

"Hoffenheim's goalkeeper has done it!" the commentator exclaimed. "Salah had run into space, but Baumann's comeback was very decisive."

Knowing that Liverpool would intensify their counter-attacks, Yan Yuan focused more on defense during this phase, demonstrating his strategic vision.

In the 39th minute, Mane attempted to break through from his side, but Yan Yuan retreated while fighting, and eventually cleared the ball with the help of Hübner.

"Look, this kid doesn't play like a rookie at all."

"Yes, he's acting too mature; he doesn't seem like a 17-year-old at all."

"Why did this kid go to the Bundesliga? He could have gone back to England to play football."...

A few applause and murmurs rippled through the Kop stands. Even the Liverpool home fans had to admit that the young man's performance and attitude on the field deserved respect.

Before the end of the first half, Liverpool launched wave after wave of attacks, but Hoffenheim's defense remained steadfast.

Hübner finally came to his senses and, in coordination with Vogt, made three precise interceptions of Mane's lateral breakthroughs, while Baumann once again made a brilliant save to deny Firmino's close-range shot.

When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the score was 1-1.

Yan Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked up at the scoreboard, and then glanced at his parents' seats.

The baptism at Anfield was quite stressful.