Football: He suffered a broken leg at the start of the game, but partnered with Haaland!

"Let go of me, you Norwegian bear, I can't breathe!" Sun Yang slapped Haaland's thick arm hard.

Haaland then laughed and let go, his face full of undisguised excitement: "Brother, when we get to Leverkusen's territory, you have to pass me those kinds of passes more often. Their center-back, Tata, is big but slow to turn. As long as you get the ball, I can turn their penalty area into a complete mess."

Favre, standing on the sidelines, let out a long breath, bent down to pick up the fallen tactical board, and wiped the grass clippings off it with his hand.

"Edin, this is definitely not a fluke." Favre stared at Sun Yang, who was high-fiving his teammates, and said to the assistant coach in a low voice.

Terčić nodded vigorously, pointing to Delaney not far away: "Delaney didn't hold back at all, that level of close marking and suffocation. Son not only used his left foot to pull the ball back, but he didn't even look down at the ball the whole time."

"He used to be most afraid of this kind of close marking." Favre opened the tactics board and picked up a marker to draw circles on it. "All the opponents saw through this. They assigned someone to mark his right foot and force him to lose his balance. But today, he actually managed to tuck the ball out in such a tight space with a Latin-style ball control rhythm."

Favre quickly rearranged the formation on the tactical board: "I was worried about the away game this weekend. Leverkusen likes to press high up the pitch. Now it seems Son is the key to breaking their high press. Blow the whistle, let the scrimmage continue, tell Delaney and Witsel to increase the defensive pressure on Son. I want to see where his limits are."

The sharp whistle pierced the training field once again.

For the next half hour, Sun Yang became a thorn in the side of the Red Team. Delaney and Witsel would pounce on him like two hungry wolves whenever they saw him with the ball.

Sun Yang can't always get away as perfectly as he did just now. After all, his physical strength rating is only 63 points, so he can still be knocked down occasionally and make mistakes that result in the ball being stolen.

But he no longer resorted to using only his right foot to protect the ball in a pathetic manner.

Once the right flank was blocked, his left foot could always pull the ball away at the most critical moment, or smoothly pass it back to a supporting teammate. That composure under pressure, that elegance that vaguely resembled Zidane, completely shocked the entire team.

Another outside-of-the-foot pass, the ball flew over the heads of three defenders and precisely found Reus making a run forward.

The captain easily slotted the ball into the net.

"Great shot!" Reus gave Sun Yang a thumbs up. "Buddy, your touches today made me feel like we were playing with those Spanish technical midfielders. It was so comfortable."

The locker room was steaming hot after training ended.

Sancho, shirtless and holding a tablet computer, loudly read the headline of today's authoritative German football media outlet, Kicker.

"Listen to this title, guys. The ultimate test of youthful energy: the BayArena will witness who will be the future of the Bundesliga."

Sancho cleared his throat and continued reading: "After the 20th round of matches last weekend, the Bundesliga title race has become extremely intense. Bayern Munich defeated Mainz away from home, regaining the top spot with 42 points. RB Leipzig, after two consecutive draws, dropped to second place with 41 points."

He deliberately drew out his words: "And we, Dortmund, are close behind with 39 points, in third place."

"Only three points behind," Haaland interjected while drying his hair. "Those old fogies at Bayern Munich won't last long. If we win this weekend, we might be able to close the gap."

"Don't be careless, Erling." Hummels sat in front of the cabinet, putting on his socks. "Our opponents this weekend are tough. Leverkusen are currently fifth with thirty-four points. Bosz is a madman too; he'll definitely fight tooth and nail against us at home to break into the top four and secure a Champions League spot."

"How does the media describe their youthful energy?" Royce asked as he walked in.

Sancho swiped the screen: "It says here. Leverkusen has Kai Havertz, currently the most valuable German young star, as well as speedsters like Leon Bailey and Diaby. They believe Leverkusen's attacking firepower is completely comparable to ours."

Haaland slammed a sweat-soaked training shirt into the laundry basket and scoffed, "Match them? How many of their players can score? Can that coward Havertz withstand the onslaught of our defenders? Or is Diaby only fast and can do something else? I bet I'll shut their entire defense up this game."

Haaland's words drew a burst of laughter from the locker room. The Norwegian behemoth's confidence was now off the charts.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in China, it was already late at night.

The online communities of major football forums and live streaming platforms have already been buzzing with discussion about this upcoming Bundesliga highlight match.

In the past, Bundesliga matches at this time of year would naturally generate a lot of buzz, especially Bayern Munich games. But this time, the posts promoting Borussia Dortmund's away game against Bayer Leverkusen broke the record for the most replies this season.

Domestic fans don't care who the Bayer Leverkusen players are; their focus is entirely on the Dortmund duo.

A meticulously crafted data comparison chart was featured on the forum's homepage.

The original poster's caption consisted of only one sentence: Bayern Munich's throne is about to collapse.

The image on the left shows the stats for Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski. Müller has played 20 Bundesliga matches and currently leads the assist charts with 13 assists. Lewandowski, on the other hand, boasts 19 goals, topping the scorers' charts.

On the right side of the image, the statistics for Sun Yang and Haaland are clearly displayed.

"My God, I look at this picture every day, and it's still insane!" A user on the second floor commented with a kneeling emoji. "Sun Dasheng has only played three Bundesliga games, and his total assists are already eight! He's only five behind Müller!"

The speed at which the comments are posted is dizzying.

"2.5 assists per game, what kind of godlike efficiency is that? As long as Dortmund gets the ball, just watch Sun Yang raise his left hand, close his eyes and charge forward."

"And then there's Haaland, that monster, scoring eight goals in three games. Lewandowski, on the other hand, has played almost half the season. Are these two Dortmund newcomers here to wreak havoc in the Bundesliga?"

"Don't get too excited, guys. Leverkusen won't be easy to beat." A veteran fan analyzed, "Bosz's tactics are very aggressive, and Leverkusen's midfield is full of tireless runners. They will definitely mark Sun Dasheng closely and not let him pass the ball comfortably."

"What's there to be afraid of? Our Great Sage has the pinpoint accuracy of a cross, and Batistuta has the powerful cannon. If Leverkusen dares to press, Great Sage will just launch a long pass from his own half to find Haaland."

"Exactly! Hasn't Sun Wukong been targeted enough in these last few matches? Every time, he's made the opponents cry for their daddies. I'm definitely staying up all night to watch this, hoping he'll score another world-class goal!"

Fanatical enthusiasm spread online. Fans across China eagerly awaited the emergence of this Chinese-American prodigy, hoping he would continue to write his legend on the stage of Europe's top leagues.