Holy crap! Robben!
In the 61st minute of the second half, when Arjen Robben replaced Hamit Altıntop, Jin Hayes knew that this match would finally encounter some decent resistance. If the prophecy from his dream was correct, the combination of Robben and Franck Ribéry would become the cornerstone of Bayern's dominance in the Bundesliga for the next decade.
The current slump this season was only temporary; Bayern, after all, had the foundation of a giant club and would soon return to the Bundesliga throne. Jin Hayes couldn't guarantee whether he would still be with Borussia Dortmund next season, but at least for this match, he had the chance to compete against a stronger Bayern Munich.
"This is getting interesting!"
"Robben? The one from Chelsea?"
"He's already transferred from Real Madrid."
"How did I not know that?" Nuri Şahin really didn't have much impression of Robben during his time at Real Madrid. He only remembered the Dutchman earning the nickname "Flying Dutchman" during his Chelsea days.
"He's had too many injuries these past two years, so he hasn't played much. If he were healthy, he'd be truly threatening. Schmelzer, your pressure might be immense."
"Hmph—just a glass man. Watch how easily I defend him!" Young Marcel Schmelzer was full of confidence.
Jin Hayes wanted to remind him a few more times, but Schmelzer's expression clearly showed he wouldn't listen to any advice.
Alright, let him experience it for himself.
As expected, Bayern launched an attack. Bastian Schweinsteiger passed the ball to the right wing. Robben advanced along the touchline, taking his first touch of the match, going 1v1 against Schmelzer. Schmelzer talked a big game, but he was actually a bit cautious. He didn't rush to stick out his leg; instead, he took small, shuffling steps, staying sideways, trying to cut off the inside lane and force Robben wide.
As a left-footed player, Robben almost never went to the byline for a right-footed cross. Whether passing or cutting inside, he would always pull the ball back to his left foot. Schmelzer's judgment on these defensive details was correct, his gaze fixed firmly on Robben's left foot.
"Robben, advancing with the ball, not very fast—"
Seeing that he had already dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, Schmelzer had no more room to retreat and planned to step up and press tightly to put pressure on him. At that critical moment, Robben suddenly moved. A light tap with his right foot, a horizontal flick with his left—like a cheetah launching, a sports car stomping on the accelerator—his figure suddenly darted sideways a significant distance.
"Holy crap?!!!" Schmelzer exclaimed. He tried to pull back in horizontal defence but couldn't, watching helplessly as Robben shook him off.
Hiss—is he that strong?
"That damn guy!!" Mats Hummels cursed Schmelzer under his breath and quickly rushed forward to intercept Robben. Compared to Luca Toni behind him, Robben was clearly more threatening.
This guy is going to shoot!!
Hummels saw Robben wind up for a shot and quickly turned his back, launching himself to block. But Robben's was just a feint. A fake shot, a real cut—then past Hummels. He continued to dribble horizontally.
"Ah?!!"
In just two short seconds, Robben had already pulled the ball horizontally from the right side, advancing to the top of the arc. Neven Subotić and Sebastian Kehl simultaneously moved up to double-team him. Just before they could reach him, Robben swung his left leg, his calf like a whip quickly striking the football.
Bang!
A tricky low shot went straight for the bottom left corner.
"Damn it!!" Fortunately, goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller was focused and dived to save it immediately. He almost gave his life, his fingertips touching the ball, slightly changing its trajectory.
Clang!
The ball hit the post and bounced out.
Seeing Miroslav Klose about to pounce on the opportunity for a follow-up shot, right-back Patrick Owomoyela got there a step ahead and poked the ball out over the byline.
"Oh oh oh oh—" All the Bayern fans let out cries of regret. The Borussia Dortmund players, having escaped danger, were dripping with cold sweat. Bayern almost scored just now.
"Phew—" Robben, who almost scored, smacked his lips, regretfully holding his head and scratching his bald head. That shot—his execution had been perfect, it just lacked a bit of luck.
"A brilliant offensive and defensive sequence! Robben's first touch after coming on brought a huge threat to Borussia Dortmund! Before the summer transfer window closed, Bayern signed Robben at the last minute, and he faced much skepticism from fans at the start of the season. Now it seems Robben's arrival is definitely a huge reinforcement. Bayern Munich can create threats from both wings simultaneously, so Borussia Dortmund shouldn't have it as easy as in the first half!"
Hamit Altıntop certainly had some skill, but his threat was simply incomparable to Robben's. The attack that almost resulted in a goal was just an appetizer.
Next, Robben was virtually unopposed on the right wing, with continuous breakthroughs, cut-ins, and shots. Borussia Dortmund's defence was suddenly in a state of alarm. The busiest person became goalkeeper Weidenfeller.
"Arjen Robben!! Another long-range shot! Just wide of the goal!"
"…Here he comes again, Robben's attack from the right side!! This time, three players are double-teaming him!"
"Pass back to the middle! Bastian Schweinsteiger!!! Long shot just over the crossbar!"
"Still Bayern's offence! They've found a way to break through the dense defence! It's Robben!"
"Dribbling on the right, continuing to cut inside, past Schmelzer!"
"This one's in!!!"
Finally, after multiple attempts at cutting inside within less than fifteen minutes of Robben coming on, in the 76th minute of the match, Bayern Munich pulled a goal back. 1–4.
Schmelzer, who had been talking big earlier, was now drenched in sweat. He received a yellow card for defending Robben, paying the price for his youth.
To prevent Schmelzer from getting a red card, Klopp sent in veteran Dedê. Then he made two more consecutive substitutions, taking off Marco Reus, who had lost too much stamina, and Alexander Frei, who had missed three consecutive scoring chances.
He brought on defensive midfielder İlkay Gündoğan and right-back Antonio Rukavina. Kehl, Şahin, and Gündoğan lined up as three defensive midfielders. Utility player Jakub Błaszczykowski moved to the left wing, playing as a left winger to assist in defending Robben. Rukavina and Owomoyela—two right-backs—were simultaneously on the field defending Ribéry.
"Jin, the coach wants you to temporarily play up front, as a striker."
"Hmm… Alright."
Jin Hayes had no objections. Playing as a centre-forward was fine; anyway, he now had Physical Talent – Jumping Enhancement, so he could totally compete for headers. He also had a certain ability to hold the ball and advance on counter-attacks in the final third. Borussia Dortmund's high press was broken, and they switched to a 4-5-1 formation, playing defensive counter-attacking football.
Gündoğan and Şahin supplied the passes, and the offence was entirely entrusted to Jin Hayes alone.
In the final ten minutes of the match, Bayern, with Robben and Ribéry exploding on both wings, launched a full-scale counter-attack against Borussia Dortmund. The Bayern Munich fans, who had been silent for eighty minutes, finally saw some hope.
"Klopp's formation change is very clever!" On the field, Bayern had the advantage, seemingly about to score continuously and gain momentum. However, Oliver Kahn, in the commentary box, pointed out the problem incisively: "The defensive players Klopp brought on compressed the space for wing breakthroughs, making it very difficult for both Robben and Ribéry to dribble on the flanks. At the same time, allowing Bayern to push forward gave Jin Hayes the depth to counterattack. I think Borussia Dortmund isn't just passively taking a beating…"
Robben often faced three players double-teaming him on the wing, without enough distance for him to sprint. The power of his cut-in shots was greatly neutralised. It was the same on Ribéry's side; after a couple of dribbles, he would easily get caught in a sea of opponents. Bayern seemed to be passing the ball back and forth in front of the penalty area, but in reality, they didn't have Barcelona's intricate passing—only formulaic ball transfers. Klose and Toni, the two strikers, were almost useless in the box, unable to receive the ball at all.
Bayern's possession rate in the final ten minutes had climbed back to 72%, but their threat on goal was much smaller. Weidenfeller even had room to breathe. Trailing 1–4, it wasn't Borussia Dortmund who were anxious, but the Bayern players. They couldn't accept a heavy home defeat.
Klinsmann waved his hand, and both full-backs—Philipp Lahm and Massimo Oddo—pushed forward, piling players into the attack. Even centre-back Lúcio was trying to dribble past opponents; he had almost become a centre-forward. Bayern Munich's backline was wide open, subtly revealing a dangerous channel. But all of Bayern's players were seeing red and didn't even notice.
"Are they not going to cover and defend?" Jin Hayes, playing as a makeshift centre-forward, roamed the edge of Bayern's defensive line, looking for opportunities. Utilising his game-reading ability, he had long since identified the opponent's weakness. Now, all he needed was possession.
On the Kicker forum, extremist Bayern fans had already started running their mouths, mockingly saying:
"Don't think leading means anything; just wait, our Bayern counterattack is coming!"
"Only three goals, that's easy!"
"It's our turn to counterattack now—tremble!"
Borussia Dortmund fans were a bit on edge. Every time Robben got the ball, it made them incredibly nervous. He was about to cut inside and shoot again.
"Robben's cut inside!!"
"The whole world knows he's going to cut inside, but they just can't stop him!!"
Bang!
Another long-range shot from Robben. It was just a pity that Robben was a bit anxious, and his shot didn't curl enough. The angle was too central, and Weidenfeller held it steadily.
Weidenfeller originally wanted to kick it long to the front, trying to waste as much time as possible. Then he suddenly noticed that Jin Hayes had actually dropped back to receive the ball.
"Jin?" Weidenfeller didn't hesitate. He didn't know what Jin Hayes was going to do, only that he could trust him. This 16-year-old was always trustworthy.
"Borussia Dortmund possession, the goalkeeper has the ball—Suddenly, a hand throw finds Jin Hayes at the edge of the penalty area!"
"Jin Hayes actually dropped back to this position?" Scholl was stunned.
This ball was too sudden, and the Bayern Munich players didn't notice it immediately. It wasn't until they clearly saw it was Jin Hayes that Bayern completely panicked.
"Stop him!!"
"Quick, double-team him!"
Whenever Jin Hayes got the ball, opponents' hearts would skip a beat. Robben, the closest player, was the first to attack, attempting a diagonal slide tackle, which Jin Hayes elegantly evaded with a Marseille turn. A pull and a step with his foot, and he suddenly accelerated.
"Jin!! Past Robben in the backfield—Mark van Bommel and Bastian Schweinsteiger are coming in for a pincer attack!"
Facing a two-man double-team, Jin Hayes didn't slow down at all. The leg muscle enhancement from his max-level physical talent made his V12 legendary engine roar.
Nitrous acceleration.
Most crucially, his ball control while running at high speed was simply perfect. Facing van Bommel and Schweinsteiger, Jin Hayes used only the most basic 'roulette' move. He passed two more players with ease, turning into a blur and breaking through the halfway line.
"Jin!!! He's still dribbling and sprinting!!"
The entire stadium instantly erupted. The most thrilling sight on a football pitch was definitely a long-distance dribbling run. Jin Hayes alone was an army.
Philipp Lahm gritted his teeth and kept up, almost throwing himself out to try and foul Jin Hayes tactically. He admired the young player, but this was war.
"Sorry, my friend—what?!!" Lahm's desperate side-on flying tackle, risking a red card, was anticipated by his opponent. Jin Hayes lightly flicked the ball with his foot, completing a rainbow flick to get past him. He jumped over Lahm and continued to surge forward.
"OHHHHH—" "Jin's showtime is not over yet!!"
Ahead, only Lúcio and Martín Demichelis remained. Demichelis still wanted to stick close and hold Jin Hayes, but the teenager used a backheel flick along the touchline—from left to right—to glide past him. The tall Argentine centre-back was practically a training dummy.
Lúcio dared not be negligent, retreating while fighting, attempting to collide with Jin Hayes from the side. His speed was very fast, barely able to keep up with the youngster's pace. Just as he was about to displace Jin Hayes's centre of gravity, at the critical moment, Jin Hayes's physical training allowed him to withstand Lúcio's body check. At the same time, taking advantage of Lúcio's inattention, he completed a nutmeg with a rabona, slipping past the Brazilian from behind.
"What?!!" Lúcio was greatly alarmed. By the time he turned and extended his leg to intercept, it was too late. He lost his balance and did a split on the spot—he had been faked to the ground.
Amid the cheers of the crowd, only goalkeeper Michael Rensing rushed out, coming to the edge of the penalty area. The young Bayern goalkeeper's legs trembled, his whole body shook, and his heart rate soared to almost 180. In his eyes, Jin Hayes was no longer a player but a charging beast—a nightmare from hell.
At the Allianz Arena, Bayern fans in the stands had already begun to make the sign of the cross and pray. The older ones nearly had heart attacks. Borussia Dortmund fans in front of their televisions, and domestic fans thousands of miles away, simultaneously held their breath, watching Jin Hayes's performance with both tension and anticipation.
Facing Rensing, Jin Hayes adjusted his breathing, his gaze as still as an ancient well, extremely focused and calm. He deliberately looked to the right and lifted his foot to make a shooting gesture.
Under pressure, Rensing had forgotten whether Jin Hayes would actually shoot. He immediately shifted his weight to dive to the right, but Jin Hayes merely used the inside of his right foot to lift the ball, then lightly flicked it to the left with his toe. He pivoted on his left foot, turning to bypass the keeper.
The 16-year-old, facing a one-on-one opportunity in Bayern Munich's penalty area, still had the composure to perform a magnificent dance. Rensing didn't even have a chance to save the ball, watching as Jin Hayes elegantly chipped and turned, dribbling towards the goal.
"No one can stop Jin Hayes—no one!"
"Let us witness Jin Hayes's four goals in one match! Let's witness this great goal together!"
Amid Scholl's passionate commentary, Jin Hayes had already dribbled past Rensing and was now alone with the ball at the Bayern goal line. To ensure the goal, he carefully pushed the ball in. Only then did he turn to celebrate. So powerful, yet so cautious.
Jin Hayes's 80-metre long-distance solo run, where he successively dribbled past Robben, Schweinsteiger, van Bommel, Lahm, Demichelis, Lúcio, and Rensing, was like a charging knight sweeping everything before him. His long, thick lance pierced Bayern Munich straight through.
5–1.
"The match is over! Jin Hayes's solo goal has completely ended the remaining suspense!"
Under the camera, Jin Hayes, who had sprinted to the corner flag in front of the away fans, could not suppress his excitement and emotion. He wildly ripped off his jersey, displaying the black number 10 to everyone. Photographers on the sideline clicked their shutters, faithfully capturing this iconic image that would be cited countless times in the years to come.
****
I tried.