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

The first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals has begun, and tonight the Rhein-Neckar Arena is undoubtedly the focus of all eyes in European football.

Hoffenheim's opponent is the invincible Manchester City.

Nagelsmann stood on the sidelines, his body taut and slightly leaning forward, his gaze fixed on the green field.

His meticulously constructed 433 fortress is now facing its most brutal test.

At the sound of a whistle, Manchester City's Blue Moon team instantly attacked.

De Bruyne and David Silva's passing in midfield was like a cold blade, while Aguero and Sterling were like two black lightning bolts repeatedly cutting through Hoffenheim's defensive flanks.

This is their classic ball possession tactic.

The Hoffenheim lads gritted their teeth, every nerve in their bodies stretched to the limit.

"Hold on! Maintain formation!" Nagelsmann's voice cut through the noise, brief and powerful.

Yan Yuan felt his heart beating faster.

Instead of attacking the opponent from his familiar right winger position, he positioned himself as a right midfielder.

Tonight, he was more like a tireless sapper.

As Manchester City's shells bombarded their left flank time and again, he and Amiri, like soldiers receiving orders, immediately retreated deeply.

De Jong quickly dropped between Vogt and Maguire, and a temporary three-man defense was quickly erected.

Yan Yuan held his ground tightly in the flank area, keeping a close eye on David Silva as he cut in from the side, or ready to block long-range shots at any time.

His teammates were equally focused: Vogt stuck to Aguero like a plaster, making it incredibly difficult for him to receive the ball; Maguire became a pillar of strength, roaring with every header, keeping Manchester City's probing crosses out of the net.

In the first 20 minutes, the away team, Manchester City, only had one decent cross!

The commentators were astonished: "Incredible! Hoffenheim opted for a low-block defense at home? Even more incredible is how solid they've made it! Especially the central defensive pairing—Vogt's close marking and Maguire's aerial dominance—a perfect combination!"

In the 17th minute, Manchester City found a gap in the defense, and De Bruyne unleashed a long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area, finding the top corner of the net.

Goalkeeper Baumann dived sideways, barely managing to stop the ball with his fingertips; it just missed going out of bounds.

However, the danger was not over, and he immediately jumped up and served again.

With almost all his strength, he launched a long ball across half of the midfield!

Grillitsch played as a right winger today.

He sprinted down the right flank like a cannonball, holding off the chasing Delph, advancing more than thirty meters before delivering a diagonal pass to Uth near the penalty spot!

Ute, with his back to the burly Otamendi, twisted his body and half-turned to shoot!

Ederson reacted quickly and saved the ball.

"Oh no! Just a little bit more!" The Hoffenheim fans in the stands erupted in a huge sigh of regret, followed by applause for the home team.

Nagelsmann clapped his hands twice. Although the counterattack failed, the route was clear and the efficiency was amazing, which was exactly what he wanted!

Yan Yuan, panting heavily, returned to defense, but his eyes lit up; the horn of counterattack had been sounded.

After more than 20 minutes of patient perseverance and probing, Hoffenheim began to extend their reach.

The commentator pointed out the key point: "Now we can see that Yan Yuan, number 17, is very active. He is not only active on the right wing, but Nagelsmann has given him a lot of freedom."

In the 27th minute, Manchester City's left-back Delph once again made a run forward, attempting to combine with Sterling.

But this time, the gap behind him was as glaring as a gaping wound.

Near the center circle, Yan Yuan, who was in the right midfield position, suddenly turned his head from left to right, observing the ball while taking in the entire field out of the corner of his eye.

A huge gap on the left!

Without hesitation, without even adjusting his body, he met the ball passed by De Jong and curled a long cross with the inside of his right foot!

Like a guided missile, the ball traversed the entire width of the field, flying at high speed toward the vacuum zone on the left flank of the opponent's half!

Gnabry understood immediately and cut inside at high speed!

His movement immediately drew Walker away from the sideline where he was supposed to cover.

Just as Walker shifted his center of gravity.

Schulz, the full-back who had been lurking on the left flank, made a timely run into the box.

Schulz received the ball and, without hesitation, swept a cross towards the goal.

Kompany made a hasty clearance, but the ball inexplicably hit his foot and bounced towards the goal, grazing the post and flying out of bounds!

The entire stadium erupted in cheers, followed by thunderous applause!

"That was brilliant! Yan Yuan's pass! It instantly tore apart Manchester City's defensive system! That vision, that footwork, it's like he's playing as a winger for the first time in midfield!" The commentator exclaimed in amazement at Yan Yuan's playmaking.

Yan Yuan's performance continued.

In the 35th minute, he and De Jong played a brilliant one-two pass on the right side of the edge of Manchester City's penalty area.

Amiri skillfully made a run behind De Jong, received a through pass from De Jong, broke into the penalty area, and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner!

The entire Rhein-Neckar Arena was instantly ignited!

The guys from Hockville excitedly rushed to the corner flag area to celebrate.

However, the linesman calmly raised his flag.

The brief commotion was extinguished by cold water.

(VAR was introduced in the 2017-2018 Champions League season)

VAR ultimately ruled decisively: at the moment De Jong passed the ball, Amiri was half a body length ahead of Delph.

"Offside! By the narrowest of margins!" the commentator exclaimed in dismay. "Excellent tactical coordination, but unfortunately, they were just a fraction of a second too quick to react!"

The goal is disallowed.

Yan Yuan rubbed his face hard, his eyes not showing much frustration, but only a stronger fighting spirit.

Nagelsmann waved vigorously from the sidelines, signaling to his players to stay focused.

Three minutes later, the real test began.

David Silva crossed the ball from the left flank at a 45-degree angle, looking for Aguero and Sterling who were making runs into the box.

The two of them were practically like two ghosts knocking on the door!

But a colossal figure rose from the ground like a mountain.

Phnom Penh Khue!

Surrounded by two defenders, Maguire leaped up as if springs were in his feet, using his terrifying jumping ability and height to get ahead of everyone and head the ball towards the center circle with a powerful header!

"My God!" the commentator exclaimed, "Harry Maguire! Absolute aerial dominance! He single-handedly dealt with the attacks of two of Manchester City's top strikers! He's Hoffenheim's anchor today!"

In the 42nd minute, Vogt, in front of the center circle, made a fierce and precise sliding tackle to steal the ball from Sterling as he attempted to cut inside.

He immediately stood up, glanced ahead, and made a straight pass to De Jong, who had retreated to receive the pass.

The counterattack switch was pressed instantly!

Frenkie de Jong, this composed midfield maestro, can only be described with the word "composure."

The moment De Jong received the ball, his body was already facing Manchester City's half.

He saw the middle lane, and two figures, one on the left and one on the right, stabbing towards the opponent's ribs.

Amiri is advancing along the middle, drawing the defense's attention, while on the right flank, Yan Yuan is launching a high-speed attack.

Yan Yuan began his move; instead of directly cutting behind the opposing right-back Walker, he made a highly deceptive run:

He first made a move to move inwards towards the center, seemingly to receive a pass from De Jong or to combine with Amiri.

This action prompted Walker to think, and Yan Yuan was engaging in a mental battle with Walker.

In a flash, just as Walker instinctively shifted his center of gravity a small step toward the middle, preparing to cut off any possible through lanes,

Yan Yuan slammed his right foot down and exerted force.

The whole person shot off like an arrow, suddenly changing direction from the feint of inward movement.

He made a decisive and sharp diagonal cut into the open space behind Walker on the outside!

This feint and dash took advantage of Walker's fraction of a second of hesitation in judgment!

De Jong's observation and decision-making are equally top-notch.

He saw Yan Yuan's starting direction and Walker's momentary hesitation.

More importantly, he saw the long and deadly passage left on the right flank by Manchester City's entire defense, which had been stretched out by Amiri's movement on the left wing before Delph had fully settled into position after his attacking run.

The opportunity will come in the blink of an eye.

Even before Amiri could run in front of him and potentially block the passing lane, De Jong had already used the outside of his right foot to curl a precise, highly spinning long over-the-top pass!

The ball seemed to have eyes, spinning rapidly, covering a distance of more than forty meters, and passing Delph, who was desperately chasing back but could only sigh in despair.

Finally, the ball landed precisely on the right flank of the open space behind Manchester City's defense!

That was exactly where Yan Yuan had reached, thanks to his anticipation and speed!

Yan Yuan didn't even turn his head completely; he just relied on the corner of his eye and his prediction of the ball's trajectory to firmly lock onto the landing point.

"De Jong's move! The target is... Yan Yuan! This gives him a one-on-one opportunity?!" The commentator's voice suddenly rose.

Walker then realized that he had been completely deceived.

Guardiola, standing on the sidelines, patted Walker's bald head in frustration and yelled at him to get back on defense.

Walker abruptly stopped, turned around, and chased after him at top speed!

This English swift horse was indeed fast, like lightning, and the distance between the two was visibly decreasing.

During his sprint, Yan Yuan accurately judged the ball's landing point.

He gently tapped the ball forward with the outside of his right foot, a brilliant touch that not only absorbed some of the spin and downward force but also allowed the ball to roll a small step in the direction he was moving.

Most importantly, there was absolutely no deceleration or adjustment process; the entire process took less than a second!

Yan Yuan didn't have time to see how close Walker was to him, nor did he need to.

Because behind him, the oppressive aura belonging to Walker was already emanating from him!

One-step adjustment?

Do not!

Yan Yuan didn't even want to give his opponent time to adjust!

Just as Walker was about to close in from the side and behind.

When the ball lands in the most suitable position to exert force in front of his body.

Yan Yuan's right instep straightened instantly like a whip, and his calf muscles burst out with all their power!

He didn't even try to find the right angle; Ederson, who was right there, had already instinctively blocked the near post.

But Yan Yuan saw it, he saw that tiny, fleeting "top corner" where the goal and the post meet!

This wasn't a blind, explosive shot driven by brute force, but rather a precise strike based on calm observation.

Bang! The ball turned into a white flash, carrying Hoffenheim's anger, and almost grazed Ederson's left fingertips as he was halfway through his save, before smashing into the top of the net near the goal!

A blind spot! A perfect theoretical blind spot!

"Hoffenheim's nuclear weapon!!! Yan Yuan!!! Control the ball and shoot! Goooooooooooal!!!!! Hoffenheim!! 1-0!!!" The commentator's hoarse shouts almost lifted the roof off the live broadcast room.

"A genius move! One attack, just three passes! Just seven seconds! From Vogt's interception to the ball going into the net! De Jong's deadly through ball split the defense! Yan Yuan's perfect off-the-ball movement deceived Walker, and more importantly, this finishing touch! Handling the ball while sprinting at high speed, controlling the ball and shooting in one smooth motion."

Facing Walker's pursuit, he didn't hesitate for a moment, choosing the most direct and lethal method: a powerful shot! A perfect combination of power, angle, and timing! This was a world-class goal! Who would have thought this was Yan's first time playing in midfield? He had previously always played as a right winger!

The moment the ball went into the net, Yan Yuan didn't even hear the thunderous shouts.

He only felt a tremendous force coming from behind him.

Because Walker's momentum was too great during his high-speed chase, he crashed heavily into him, who had already finished his shot and relaxed his momentum.

Yan Yuan was knocked forward and staggered a few steps, but his core strength allowed him to regain his balance, though he only staggered for a short while.

He quickly got up, ignoring Walker who had bumped into him, spread his arms, and roared as he charged toward the sidelines.

He let his teammates overwhelm him with ecstasy!

The Rhine-Neckar Arena was completely transformed into a sea of ​​exhilarating excitement!

Nagelsmann punched the turf hard on the sidelines, finally letting out a breath he had been holding for over forty minutes!

"Yes!!!" All the assistant coaches around Nash jumped up.

In the second half, Manchester City's attack was like a tidal wave crashing against the shore.

Guardiola replaced Fernandinho with the more attacking Gundogan, and the formation became a crazy 3-1-6. Delphne moved to the defensive midfield position, while Walker and Sane spread out and pressed forward to attack.

Hoffenheim's defense is under immense pressure.

In the second half, Yan Yuan clearly dropped back, almost parallel to Kaderzabek, and on his side, Sterling's attacking power was suffocating.

This time, Yan Yuan displayed an unexpected level of defensive toughness.

"We see Yan Yuan actively assisting in defense; he's even chasing Sterling back one-on-one!" the commentator exclaimed in surprise.

Around the 60th minute, Sterling used his speed to get half a body length away from Kaderabek and break into the penalty area.

But just as he was about to adjust the ball to his left foot, Yan Yuan clung to him like a persistent leech, blocking his position with his body and forcing Sterling to make a hasty cross that was cleared.

Although Yan Yuan's speed and explosiveness were slightly inferior to Manchester City's winger, his physical strength and good positioning made Sterling fail to score on many occasions.

He and Gnabry both became regular help defenders alongside the two full-backs.

A solid 5-4-1 defensive formation was deployed layer by layer inside the penalty area.

Air defense in the backfield remains crucial.

Manchester City's attacks almost always ended with a cross, but an insurmountable tower stood before their goal.

That's Maguire.

His heading ability remains terrifyingly solid, like precision guidance, always managing to head the ball into a safe area.

Vogt was responsible for clearing the danger at the back, while De Jong protected the second landing spot.

In the 58th minute, a psychological battle unfolded when Aguero went down in the penalty area after contact with Maguire, demanding a penalty.

Maguire immediately raised his hands, looking innocent as if to suggest that the other person was faking a fall.

Slow-motion replays show that Maguire's positioning was extremely precise, maintaining a distance of approximately 0.5 meters from Aguero throughout, without making any additional forward movements.

VAR confirms: No foul!

"This can only be described as a world-class defensive formation!" the commentator exclaimed.

In the 68th minute, Manchester City used a series of passes to penetrate into Hoffenheim's 30-meter zone.

De Bruyne, like a magician, delivered a precise through ball amidst a swarm of defenders, finding Sterling who had slipped into the flank.

Sterling, without stopping the ball, cut it back to the penalty spot in a triangular fashion!

This is Manchester City's most effective weapon!

Just as Gündoğan was about to complete his encirclement, a huge figure appeared like a giant axe, and it was Maguire!

He made a precise sliding tackle, clearing the ball 0.1 seconds before Gundogan could touch it.

The rebounding ball landed at Vogt's feet, and without hesitation, he cleared it with a long kick into the attacking third.

A sure-fire scoring opportunity was completely nipped in the bud!

"Great interception! Maguire! He's everywhere! He's omnipotent!!!!" The commentator's voice trembled.

Hoffenheim's defense withstood Manchester City's fiercest counterattack.

With the game entering its final fifteen minutes, it was the decisive moment.

Nagelsmann also used up his last substitution, bringing on fresh players to strengthen the defense.

Hoffenheim's overall formation became more compact, transforming into three parallel deep walls.

Yan Yuan even dropped back to the corner of his own penalty area, while Uth dropped back to De Jong's side to act as a defensive midfielder.

There was no one in the forward position, and a solid 5-5-0 formation stood in front of the goal.

Now, Yan Yuan's position is more like a sweeper on the side of the defensive midfield and the first point of support for counterattacks.

85% of the time his touches were in his own half.

But every time he gains possession, he doesn't blindly launch long balls. Instead, he tries to find a receiving point, attempting to relieve the pressure through concise passing or to find even the slightest possible counter-attack opportunity.

He used his body and vision to try his best to protect the ball, even if it was just to buy a few seconds of time.

Time passed by second by second, and each second felt incredibly long.

Manchester City players are finally starting to get impatient.

In the 87th minute, Baumann gained possession of the ball inside the six-yard box.

He strolled leisurely to one side of the goal, then leisurely walked back to the other side, until the referee blew his whistle to warn him, before slowly launching a long kick.

Every successful clearance from the stands drew thunderous cheers.

Every time the referee awarded Manchester City a free kick, it was accompanied by deafening boos.

The injury time board is raised; 4 minutes have passed!

The final test came in the second minute of stoppage time.

Manchester City are awarded a corner kick on the left.

De Bruyne's pass was a tricky curve, finding Otamendi at the near post.

Otamendi outjumped the player marking him closely, and flicked a header towards the center of the six-yard box!

Amidst the chaotic crowd, a blue figure turned sideways and volleyed the ball into the air.

Aguero.

The ball was just inches away from the goal line!

At the critical moment, a blue figure bravely blocked the goal line – Kaderzabek!

He practically used his entire chest to block Aguero's powerful shot that was right in front of him!

Behind the crowd, Maguire and Vogt's massive bodies firmly blocked Aguero and the subsequent Manchester City players' shooting lines and some of their vision.

They created a precious half-second for Kaderzabek to complete the crucial block!

At that moment, the air in the entire stadium seemed to freeze for 0.1 seconds, and then erupted into the wildest, most triumphant cheers since the start of the game!

"Goal-line clearance! Kaderabek! He saved Hoffenheim!" the commentator shouted hoarsely.

On the sidelines, Nagelsmann's body, which had been tense all game, finally swayed slightly. He covered his face with his hands, and when he put them down again, he looked much more relaxed.

"Beep—beep—beep—!"

The final whistle has finally sounded!

The first half of the battle, which felt both incredibly long and incredibly short, has come to an end.

Hoffenheim defeated Manchester City 1-0 at home.

The Rhine-Neckar Arena erupted in cheers, applause, shouts, and team anthems, creating a sea of ​​red!

The players raised their arms and rushed towards their teammates, embracing each other, sweat mixed with tears of excitement streaming down their faces.

Kaderzabek was surrounded by his teammates, who patted his head and back.

Yan Yuan, along with De Jong, Maguire, Gnabry, and others, embraced and celebrated, patting each other on the back.

Nagelsmann stood still, took a deep breath, and a relieved yet fighting spirit appeared on his face.

He walked onto the field and hugged and high-fived each of the players who were coming off the field.

Ninety minutes of bloody battle, ninety minutes of iron-fisted defense, and that decisive, precise, and fatal strike.

Hoffenheim created an incredible night, orchestrated by a midfield star transformed from a striker.

They narrowly won the first round of battle, but an even tougher test awaits them at Ittihad.