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

Chapters 98 and 99 were written with a purpose. Many readers may find them difficult to read on their first reading. If these chapters affect your reading experience, you can skip them.

Alternatively, you can read the last part of Chapter 101 first, and then go back to these two chapters, and you'll understand why I wrote it this way.

Today, at the Bernabéu Stadium, the second leg of the Champions League semi-final is about to kick off.

Before the start of this match, Yan Yuan, who is usually "stingy" with himself, spent 2000 points to finally buy himself an "Injury Probability Reduction Card," giving his body an extra layer of insurance.

Although it's a bit pricey, the injury reduction card can reduce his chances of getting seriously injured by a full 50%.

While it's not as effective as immunity to injuries, it's definitely enough! The results are absolutely amazing!

Yan Yuan values ​​this match highly, more than any previous one.

As the cameras panned across the VIP section before the match, a familiar figure drew whispers from the crowd: Professor Arsène Wenger sat there, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

Professor Wenger came today specifically to scout Yan Yuan. Arsenal's recent league situation is quite good; they are already fifth in the Premier League, and the gap with Tottenham has narrowed to one point.

Just then, Yan Yuan, wearing Hoffenheim's away jersey, jogged over and waved vigorously in the direction of the professor, a pure, sunny smile on his face.

Wenger clearly noticed it as well, responding with a smile, a wave, and a nod.

Then, Yan Yuan turned to another stand and waved vigorously to the two middle-aged men in the front row of the audience who were waving their arms excitedly, his smile becoming even brighter.

Those were his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Yan had bought their tickets in advance and flew in from Birmingham today. Mr. Yan responded with a fist pump, and Mrs. Yan waved to her son with a smile.

They had already told Yan Yuan where they would be sitting before the match.

"Son, play well!!!" Dad Yan shouted at the top of his lungs.

Yan Yuan raised his right thumb in response to his parents.

With the referee's long whistle, the highly anticipated Champions League semi-final kicked off amidst a deafening roar from the Bernabéu crowd.

Zidane had already given everyone instructions before the match began.

"If we can contain number 17, Hoffenheim's attack will be greatly reduced."

This match was destined to be a battleground.

Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro – this renowned midfield trio firmly controlled the tempo of the midfield.

Their passes were like a knitting machine, methodically tearing apart Hoffenheim's defensive formation.

"Real Madrid started with great momentum! A typical Bernabéu-style high-pressure start! Modric is like a commander in midfield, elegantly and calmly directing the attack!" The commentator's voice drowned out the noise in the stadium.

Real Madrid created a huge threat just 7 minutes into the game.

Kroos made a slight adjustment in the middle of the attacking third, ignoring the approaching defenders.

Suddenly, he delivered a precise long diagonal pass with his left foot, finding Ronaldo, who was making a high-speed run into the left flank, with pinpoint accuracy.

Before the ball even hit the ground, Ronaldo flicked his left foot forward, bursting into the penalty area like an arrow.

Vogt tried desperately to catch up, but he was still a beat too late.

Cristiano Ronaldo delivered a low, triangular pass back into the center of the penalty area.

Benzema pounced like a cheetah, arriving at the near post a step ahead and unleashing a powerful shot! The angle was perfect!

"Ronaldo starts his run, a beautiful diagonal pass! Kroos' vision is amazing! Benzema!! Oh my god! A brilliant save! Baumann!!! Hoffenheim's goalkeeper Baumann reacted with lightning speed, diving to his side and using his fingertips to keep this seemingly certain goal out of the net!! Unbelievable!"

Hoffenheim was terrified.

The pace of the game is extremely fast, and Hoffenheim's attacking midfielder Grillitsch is still trying to adapt.

Yan Yuan tried to touch the ball on the right wing to find an opportunity, but as soon as he received the ball, he saw Casemiro's massive body directly charging towards him.

A vicious slam into his shoulder!

Yan Yuan was knocked off balance and stumbled. He staggered a few steps, swaying from side to side, but his powerful core strength allowed him to maintain his balance and not fall.

Yan Yuan quickly passed the ball back to his teammate, his gaze cold and stern.

"Casemiro's physical strength! Yan felt the toughness of Real Madrid's midfield right from the start! This confrontation was really tough, but the lad didn't fall, his balance is pretty good!" the commentator said.

In the 18th minute, Hoffenheim attempted to organize an attack in their own half, and De Jong appeared somewhat nervous under pressure from Real Madrid's midfield and the atmosphere at the Bernabéu.

His pass to Amiri was too weak, and the trajectory was completely predicted by the experienced Modric!

Modric dashed out in a flash, stealing the ball like a ghost!

Without any adjustment, Modric spotted the huge gap on the right flank and used his classic "outer foot" to deliver a surgical through ball.

The ball skimmed almost on the grass, traversing the entire half of the field!

"De Jong!!! Passing error! Danger! Modric intercepts! My God! That through ball was exquisite! Bale starts his run!!! Bale's speed is like a white lightning bolt!"

Bear Grylls! The Great Bear Grylls has already started!

He swung his legs and chased after the ball with incredible speed, leaving Hoffenheim's left-back Vogt in utter despair!

With just a few big strides, he left his opponent three body lengths behind!

Near the byline, Bale calmly swept the ball towards the center of the penalty area with his right foot.

Near the penalty spot, Ronaldo leaped high, completely dominating Hoffenheim's left-back Nordtveit, who was trying to jump for the header.

A powerful header!

The ball slammed into the net like a cannonball! 1-0!

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!! CRISTIANO RONALDO!!! The king of the Bernabéu stepped up when he was needed most! A merciless header! A perfect cross! Modric's through ball that traversed half the field found Bale's high-speed runway perfectly! After De Jong's mistake, Amiri had no time to track back and protect him. This gap in the half was like a highway for Real Madrid!" The commentator's voice almost pierced the ceiling.

The camera quickly panned across the coaching bench.

Nash was waving his arms angrily on the sidelines, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the lack of depth in the parallel positioning of the two defensive midfielders, which allowed Modric to easily find space behind them.

He immediately rushed to the sidelines, shouting instructions and making adjustments.

Zidane, on the other hand, wore his signature, somewhat somber smile, clapped lightly a few times, chewed gum, and appeared calm and confident.

Hoffenheim were jolted awake by the goal and began to try to organize effective counterattacks.

Between the 25th and 35th minutes of the match, Hoffenheim's few threatening attacks almost all came from Yan Yuan on the right wing.

In the 31st minute, Hoffenheim successfully intercepted the ball in their own half, and after several passes, the ball reached Yan Yuan on the right wing.

He received the ball near the midfield line, turned around, and faced Casemiro's pressing. Instead of going head-to-head, he used a change of pace, pretending to go to the outside and then suddenly made a light cut inside!

This immediately attracted the attention of two key Real Madrid midfielders.

Yan Yuan's dribbling speed wasn't amazing, but his footwork was extremely fast, and he controlled the distance of each step perfectly, making the ball seem glued to his feet.

He dribbled the ball resolutely towards the center of the penalty area.

Casemiro and Ramos, who had tracked back, immediately formed a pincer movement.

With the front and rear blocked, they were about to successfully close the door!

At that moment, Yan Yuan's keen insight was revealed.

He didn't try to break through these two world-class iron gates. Just a fraction of a second before the two formed a tight encirclement, in a tiny space, he deftly and skillfully flicked the outside of his right foot to the side!

The ball slipped through the gaps in the crowd and was accurately delivered to the feet of Kaderabek, the right-back who was completely unmarked and making a run from behind.

With no one interfering, Kaderabek immediately launched a low cross.

Ute cleverly moved forward from the center, feinting a shot and drawing Varane's defensive focus.

This feint created space for his teammates at the far post!

Grealish, like a torpedo from the rear, followed up at high speed with a sliding tackle shot.

The ball flew straight towards the near corner of the goal!

"Yan Yuan! Beautiful dribbling! Casemiro and Ramos are coming! Ouch! Outside of the foot! Beautiful pass! Kaderabek crosses, Uth feints! Grillitsch shoots!!! Navas!!! World-class save!! Navas!!!"

His reaction was astonishing! He turned sideways and blocked Grillitsch's close-range shot! Hoffenheim missed a golden opportunity! But where did the ball come from? The source is Yan Yuan! That outside-of-the-foot pass was too clever! It completely fooled Real Madrid's defensive focus!" The commentator exclaimed in disbelief.

However, just two minutes later in the 33rd minute, a thrilling and bloody scene shocked the entire stadium and completely changed the course of the first half.

Kroos hesitated slightly when trying to shake off Amiri in midfield, and Amiri decisively intercepted the ball.

After intercepting the ball, Amiri immediately sent a through pass forward.

Yan Yuan received the ball with his back to the goal in the opponent's territory, near the right side of the center line.

This is a dangerous area and needs immediate attention. He had just braced himself against Casemiro, who was chasing back, and was preparing to stop the ball and adjust.

Danger!

Just as Yan Yuan was about to control the ball, Real Madrid captain Ramos had already made a high-speed recovery from behind to cover!

He leaped high, attempting to head the ball away from Amiri's through ball.

But this header attempt was too aggressive!

His right elbow, swung in the air, slammed solidly and forcefully onto Yan Yuan's forehead, who had just ducked down to handle the ball at his feet!

"Beep—" The sharp whistle seemed to be a step too late!

Yan Yuan didn't even have time to make a sound before his vision went black, and a sharp pain accompanied by intense dizziness struck him instantly, as if he had been hit by an iron rod!

He fell straight forward onto the grass like a broken log.

"Oh my god!!! Ramos! This... his elbow went up during the header!!! It hit Yan Yuan in the face!! Yan Yuan fell down! He fell down directly! The referee didn't call it?! This ball..." The commentator's exclamation was filled with anger and astonishment.

The camera quickly zooms in.

A stream of bright red blood gushed out from the gash above Yan Yuan's brow bone.

The bright red liquid quickly stained the ends of his black hair, flowing freely down his forehead, cheeks, and bridge of his nose, mixing with the sweat that instantly welled up on his forehead.

The scene was shocking.

"Wait, the referee didn't penalize him!!! Not penalized at all!!!! Yan Mingming was elbowed and received a red card, but the opponent wasn't penalized!" the commentator exclaimed.

(This is not made up; there are matches to verify it. In the 18-19 Champions League group stage, Ramos elbowed a Viktoria Plzeň player, causing him to bleed from the nose, but was not punished. Also, in the 17 La Liga El Clásico, Marcelo and Messi were vying for a header when Messi was elbowed in the mouth, causing him to bleed, but Marcelo was not punished.)

At the same time, I want to reiterate that I am not a fan of either Messi or Ronaldo. This match was entirely for dramatic effect, and I have no subjective opinions about Messi, Ronaldo, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.

Hoffenheim's team doctor rushed onto the field with his medical kit as if he had heard a bugle call to arms.

The commotion at the Bernabéu instantly subsided, and everyone watched with concern as the young figure collapsed to the ground.

On the sidelines, Yan's mother only glanced at the close-up shot before letting out a scream and burying her face in her husband's arms. Her shoulders trembled violently, tears streaming down her face, and she dared not look up at the field again.

Mr. Yan's eyes were red, his teeth were clenched tightly, his jaw was tense, one hand was holding his wife, and the other hand was clenched into a fist, his knuckles turned white, as he tried his best to hold back his tears.

Professor Wenger's heart clenched instantly when he saw it, and his eyes were filled with worry.

The Hoffenheim team doctor quickly applied thick gauze to the wound to stop the bleeding, while his assistant carried an ice pack and a rinse bottle.

The blood soaked through the gauze, making it look even more gruesome.

"The team doctor is on the field! The wound is on the left side of the forehead, above the eyebrow! It's very deep! The bleeding looks significant! It's over, this kid definitely won't make it..." The commentator's voice was filled with sorrow.

Just when everyone thought Yan Yuan would have to leave the field due to injury, a shocking scene unfolded.

After a quick examination and initial pressure bandaging by the team doctor, with gauze wrapped around his forehead, the bleeding had been stopped.

While providing emergency treatment, the team doctor anxiously gestured to Nagelsmann on the sidelines, clearly indicating that a substitution should be made.

With the help of his teammate Amiri, Yan Yuan sat up, took three deep breaths, and then stood up unsteadily.

The blood that had obscured his left eye's vision was now cleaned away, and his jersey's left shoulder and chest were stained with a glaring dark red.

Yan Yuan didn't waste any more words and changed into a new jersey that wasn't stained with blood.

His eyes were somewhat unfocused, but extremely resolute!

He suddenly waved his hand and forcefully pushed away the team doctor's assistant who was trying to help him off the field.

Ignoring the pain from his wound, he yelled at Nagelsmann and the fourth referee on the sidelines, his voice hoarse from the pain and excitement:

"It's okay! Coach! I'm fine! Don't take me off! It's just a minor injury! A little blood! It won't affect my playing!! Just have them give me a quick bandage!! Hurry! The game is important!"

"Absolutely not, Yan! You can't let this match..." Before Na Shuai could finish speaking, Yan Yuan interrupted him.

"Coach, this is the Champions League semi-final! This is the Bernabéu! We're just one step away from the Champions League trophy. Please forgive my first offense and disobedience. Please forgive me, coach, I beg you."

Yan Yuan practically shouted these words, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Yan...I...I can't..."

"Coach...no...I don't want to leave the field! Please, please..."

This was the first time Nagelsmann had been interrupted so directly by his beloved student; Yan Yuan had never spoken to him like this before.

Yan Yuan pointed to his bandaged forehead and said to the team doctor Marcus beside him:

"Mr. Marcus, please, please wrap the bandage tighter for me! It absolutely cannot be loose!!! This game cannot be without me."

Yan Yuan's tone was resolute and left no room for doubt.

At his insistence, the team doctor, after performing simple disinfection, had no choice but to use waterproof bandages and thick elastic tape to tightly wrap and fix the thick gauze on his forehead, layer upon layer, to ensure that there would be no more bleeding for the time being.

Throughout the entire process, Yan Yuan gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling slightly from the pain, but he didn't utter a single sound.

After the bandaging was completed, there were no more bloodstains on his body, which complied with UEFA regulations.

Then, Yan Yuan shook his head, tried blinking, waved to the referee and team doctor to indicate that he was OK, and then immediately stepped back onto the field!

The entire Bernabéu was moved.

Wenger leaned slightly forward in the stands, his eyes sharp, staring intently at the number 17 figure with a thick bandage wrapped around his forehead.

Zidane frowned on the sidelines, his expression turning serious.

"I was right. This kid is the absolute core of Hoffenheim. He even put on a captain's level performance."

Yan Yuan's performance confirmed Zidane's prediction.

Nagelsmann had already had the substitutes warm up on the sidelines, but his gesture froze in mid-air. He eventually put it down with a sigh, clapping loudly and shouting to encourage his players.

As Yan's father watched his son stubbornly stand on the field, refusing to leave, tears he had been holding back finally streamed down his face, and he quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

Aunt Yan buried her head even deeper, but her shoulders trembled even more violently.

"Waaah...husband...son...son...I can't bear to look...waaah..."

"Don't worry...daughter-in-law, our son will be fine...don't worry." Mr. Yan patted Mrs. Yan's back, his face also filled with worry.

"Yan refuses to leave the field!!!" The commentator's voice was filled with shock and admiration.

"Young Yan refused the team doctor's and coach's decision to substitute him! My God! He chose to play through the injury!"

You all saw it just now, his jersey! His face! It was stained red with blood! This young man…

The fighting spirit flowing in his veins is hotter than magma! Hoffenheim needs a fighter like him! But such persistence is too risky! Real Madrid won't hold back!

Hoffenheim currently have possession of the ball (it was previously dead).

Everyone, including the Real Madrid players, seemed to be stunned by Yan Yuan's bloody and persistent actions.

The whistle blew, and the dead ball ended.

The Hoffenheim center-back gently passed the ball back to Yan Yuan.

Ramos and Casemiro hesitated for a moment and did not immediately press the attack.

They may still be adjusting to this opponent who is bleeding profusely but still persists.

In the next match, Hoffenheim's players retaliated against Real Madrid's players.

Ramos, in particular, was "closely guarded" by Maguire and Vogt.

Maguire played a particularly important role, using his excellent "camera presence" honed in the Premier League to deliver several hard blows to Ramos, while Vogt helped Maguire gain better visibility from the referee.

A while later, Yan Yuan received the pass back from the center of the backcourt, slightly to the right.

He didn't hesitate, and didn't even look up to observe!

Blood and sweat seeped through the gauze, blurring Yan Yuan's left eye and obstructing part of his vision.

The intense pain in his forehead felt like a heavy hammer pounding against his nerves.

But his long-honed court awareness and ability to instantly read the game almost overwhelmed his sense of pain at that moment!

He clearly remembers the last moment before he was injured and fell to the ground.

Yan Yuan caught a glimpse of the opposing center-back Varane trying to mark Ute out of the corner of his eye.

In that instant, his body weight shifted extremely briefly to his left, to the left of the direction of Huo Cun's attack!

It was this step that made it possible for the narrow passage between Varane's knees and legs to be exposed at that moment!

The opposing center-back, Ramos, was still behind him.

In the blink of an eye! A life-or-death decision!

Yan Yuan had no time to think about the risks. Relying on his superb spatial memory and ball sense, he overcame immense pain and limited vision.

He made an incredibly audacious decision.

Yan Yuan did not attempt to dribble past anyone, nor did he pass to a teammate whose position was somewhat mediocre.

He met the incoming ball with the inside of his left foot, decisively pushing forward and delivering an extremely subtle low through ball!

It wasn't very powerful, but the angle was extremely tricky.

The ball, like the most cunning snake, skimmed the grass and headed straight for Varane's legs, which were slightly apart due to the shift in his center of gravity.

He squeezed through that brief, almost non-existent gap between his legs!

"Yan Yuan gets the ball! Heading straight forward? This is... a through ball! A through ball?! My God! How did he see that route?!" The commentator's voice instantly rose to its highest point!

Varane was preparing to start his run back to chase the ball that Yan Yuan might pass to his teammate on the wing when he suddenly felt a gust of air between his legs!

As he looked down in alarm and instinctively squeezed his legs together, the damn ball had already passed through his "small door".

It rolled straight towards the open area behind him.

That area is a deadly vacuum!

"A through ball!!! Varane!!! A through ball!!! A brilliant through pass!!" the commentator exclaimed.

The instant the ball passed through Varane's legs, Amiri, like a cheetah that has smelled blood, had already started at high speed from the diagonal rear!

A split second before Yan Yuan passed the ball, he had already understood and started to move forward.

At this moment, the offside trap was perfectly broken! He instantly shook off all the Real Madrid defenders!

He went to the meeting alone!

"Amiri! Offside trap!!!! One-on-one!!!! Chance!!! Hoffenheim!!!" the commentator shouted.

Amiri, like a bolt of lightning, caught up with the ball and surged into the left side of the penalty area.

Real Madrid's goalkeeper Navas decisively chose to rush out of his goal to block the angle.

The entire Bernabéu was suffocated!

Is it a shot? Or a pass?

Amiri glanced up at Navas as he rushed out, then quickly glanced at the far end of the goal out of the corner of his eye!

He made the most reasonable and team-oriented choice!

Amiri didn't force a shot from a tight angle!

With a gentle flick of his right foot, he calmly swept the ball horizontally towards the penalty spot in the middle! The speed and timing were perfect!

"Amiri's cross-court shot!! Beautiful! A selfless choice! Find the back point!!!!!"

at this time!

It's right in the middle, near the penalty spot!

A figure wrapped in white gauze is charging forward at breakneck speed, risking a collision with Casemiro!

It was Yan Yuan!

After delivering that deadly through ball, he didn't even have time to confirm the result; relying solely on his intuition for a goal and his absolute trust in his teammate Amiri's positioning, he pushed forward with all his might.

He arrived almost simultaneously with the cross pass!

With his left leg fully extended, his entire body glided across the grass!

Before Casemiro could make a vicious sliding tackle to block the shot, Yan Yuan barely managed to touch the ball that had been passed across the box with the inside of his foot.

A low-powered but extremely tricky sliding shot from a tight angle.

The ball changed direction and rolled lightly towards the far corner of the goal.

Navas rushed out to block Amiri, but it was too late for him to turn back! The ball crossed the goal line!

"Goal!!!" The commentator's voice went completely wild, almost cracking.

"GOOOOOOOOOOALLLL Hoffenheim!!!!!!!! 1-1!! Yan-Yuan-!!! My God, I can't believe my eyes!! This goal! Someone tell me what this is!!

Yan delivered a deadly through ball, seemingly with divine insight, and then fearlessly charged into the penalty area. On the verge of collapsing from a sliding tackle, he delivered the selfless cross from his teammate into the Real Madrid goal.

18-year-old Yan left Bernabéu speechless!

This is fucking real football!

This is an indomitable fighting spirit! Yan is like a god of war!!! The commentator used every word he could think of to describe it.

The cameras were focused intently on the hero who scored the goal!

After completing the sliding shot, Yan Yuan slid towards the goalpost due to the immense momentum, his face, the gauze on his forehead, his black hair, his light blue jersey...

At this moment, it was covered in a glaring crimson color.

But something even more outrageous happened.

In the silence that was as loud as a mountain and as deep as the ocean, Yan Yuan did not celebrate, nor did he even try to stand up!

He lay beside the doorpost, panting heavily.

"Huff...huff..."

He simply raised his right arm with difficulty, gesturing forcefully and repeatedly to his teammates who were running towards him in celebration.

This gesture means: 【Return to your positions, don't come any closer.】

Yan Yuan propped himself up, his voice carrying clearly through the noise of the court to his teammates:

"Go back! All of you go back to your positions! Stop celebrating! Don't give Real Madrid any time!!! Hurry up!!! There's almost no time left in the first half!!! This game can't have any stoppage time! Absolutely no more stoppage time!!"

Yan Yuan waved for his teammates to go back quickly, and with the help of Grillitsch and Gnabry, he quickly stood up.

One hand covered the blood-soaked gauze on his forehead, while the other continued to swing forcefully towards the midfield. There was no ecstasy of scoring a goal in his eyes, only an extreme sensitivity to time and an infinite desire for victory!

The Hoffenheim players were intimidated by his powerful aura and instantly ran back to their own half to regroup.

"Did you see that?! Yan refused all of his teammates' hugs! He's urging them to hurry back onto the field to kick off!!! The camera zooms in! He's shouting—'Don't celebrate! Save time! Don't create extra time!'"

My God! What a terrifying player! After creating a miracle while bleeding profusely, all he could think about was racing against time, not giving his powerful opponent any chance to breathe or even stall for time!

Yan knew perfectly well that any extra time added in this match could become Real Madrid's weapon!

"That composure! That decisiveness! That strategic vision! Far surpasses most veterans! How old is he?! 18 years old! Unbelievable!!" The commentator's voice was filled with deep shock and respect.

Professor Wenger nodded repeatedly from the stands, his face full of worry, but he was still taking detailed notes in his notebook.

Nagelsmann was completely moved to tears; he covered his mouth, afraid to make a sound.

For a fleeting moment, Nagelsmann felt that he was dragging down his protégé, or rather, that the entire team was dragging down his protégé.

This stunning goal, and Yan Yuan's subsequent refusal to celebrate and his urging of his teammates, was like a heavy punch to Real Madrid's chest, further igniting the bloodthirsty instincts of this elite team.

The White Army's war machines roared to life once more, this time fueled by the flames of vengeance.

Suffocation! The real suffocating attack has begun!

Modric was like a sword, his feet seemingly glued together by Hoffenheim midfielders De Jong and Amiri.

The Croatian master used a seemingly ordinary fried dough ball to precisely find the only gap and break free from the encirclement of the two.

Without pausing, he quickly passed the ball to Marcelo, who was making a high-speed run down the left flank!

Marcelo is like a high-speed train, taking advantage of the width of the field to speed forward along the sideline.

Instead of immediately crossing from the byline, he suddenly stopped near the halfway line and passed the ball back to Modric, who was continuing to push forward in the middle!

A simple, straightforward two-on-one play.

But the pace was so fast that the Hoffenheim players couldn't keep up at all!

The moment Modric received Marcelo's pass back, he already saw the danger in the penalty area.

He didn't make any adjustments! No adjustments are needed!

Facing Hoffenheim's center-back Maguire, who rushed forward to cover, Modric, in his most comfortable position, used his best right foot to deliver an extremely tricky, slightly outward-spinning 45-degree cross.

The ball traced a beautiful arc, bypassing the defender at the first point, and fell precisely towards the edge of the six-yard box in the center of the penalty area.

Benzema showcased his top-level positioning and center-forward skills while being double-teamed by two center-backs.

He skillfully moved one step back, locked himself in position, and then leaped backward with all his might, his body almost parallel to the ground!

An extremely difficult "looking back at the moon" maneuver!

His head struck the ball squarely! The angle was extremely tricky! It went straight into the top right corner of the goal!

"Modric!!! Get away! Exquisite! Marcelo! One-two! Modric crosses!!! Benzema!!! Header!!! OMG!! The post!!" The commentator exclaimed.

A crisp, loud bang made all Hoffenheim fans' hearts stop.

The ball slammed into the inside of the right post of the goal and bounced back into the penalty area.

A huge, surviving gasp of regret erupted from the Bernabéu.

Just as Nordtveit instinctively tried to clear the rebounding ball that was within reach.

A white phantom reappears! Cristiano Ronaldo bursts forth from the crowd like a ghost!

He was in the most dangerous position, and met the ball with a right-footed shot.

The ball speed wasn't fast, but the angle was perfect!

Hoffenheim goalkeeper Baumann was still focused on preparing to save Benzema, his body was completely off balance, and it was too late for him to make a move!

He could only watch in despair as the ball slowly rolled into the empty net from two meters in front of him!

2-1!

"Goal! Ronaldo scores on the rebound!!! A deadly rebound!!!! 40th minute! Less than seven minutes after Hoffenheim equalized!"

Real Madrid immediately used their most effective tactics, employing wave after wave of terrifying pressure, relying on a shot hitting the post and a ghostly finish to take the lead again! 2-1! Bernardeschi has awakened! They are showing the young dark horse what it takes to go all the way in the Champions League semi-finals! The commentator's voice was filled with Real Madrid's characteristic passion and pride.

Zidane clenched his fist and swung it hard into the air, but there was little smile on his face. His eyes were sharp as he stared at the field, clearly dissatisfied with the momentary lapse in positioning of the defense.

Nagelsmann covered his face in frustration, then immediately turned around and loudly gave instructions to the substitutes' bench.

In the stands, Professor Wenger shook his head slightly, seemingly regretting Hoffenheim's momentary lapse in defense, but then quickly jotted down notes in his notebook.

Yan Yuan stood near the center circle, his left hand constantly pressing on the wound on his forehead. A little blood seeped through the white gauze, but because the gauze was thick, it couldn't be seen from the outside.

Anyone who has been injured knows that sweat flowing into a wound feels like salt being rubbed into it—it stings and hurts terribly.

Yan Yuan gasped for breath, his chest heaving powerfully. He saw his teammates arguing for him, even seeking revenge for him, his mentor's heartache on the sidelines, and the support of the fans who had traveled with the team.

They also saw Professor Wenger in the stands, along with his parents.

All of this gave him the strength to keep running; he couldn't stop, at least not here.

Yan Yuan's gaze remained unwavering, only displaying an even colder focus.

He licked his chapped lips and clapped vigorously at his nearby midfield partners Grillitsch and Amiri:

"Stay calm! Stay calm! We're not done yet! There's still time!"

The referee finally blew the whistle to end the first half.

After 45 minutes of intense play, Real Madrid took a 2-1 lead thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's brace (a header and a rebound).

But the most breathtaking scene in the entire first half for the world of football was undoubtedly that of the young man named Yan Yuan.

That blue figure, fighting valiantly, fearless in the face of death, delivering a fatal assist and scoring the goal while his face was covered in blood and his vision blurred, then roaring after scoring to urge his teammates to save time and not celebrate.

The gruesome wound on his forehead and the blood-stained battle robe, like a totem of his burning indomitable fighting spirit, are deeply imprinted in the hearts of every spectator who watched the match.

Nobody knows what will happen in the second half.

But everyone knows that as long as Yan Yuan is on the field fighting with that wound, Hoffenheim will never give up.

Nagelsmann patted his disciples anxiously as they walked off the field, his gaze lingering longest on Yan Yuan.

With the team doctor carrying a medical kit, Yan Yuan, supported by Amiri and Gnabry, walked unsteadily but with a determined look in his eyes as he headed toward the players' tunnel.

This moment.

The Bernabéu stadium erupted in applause.

This applause is for Real Madrid, and even more so for Yan Yuan, who is like a god of war.