Andy, who was bleeding profusely from his brow, was officially substituted off the pitch by the head coach.
He initially protested, wanting to play through the pain, but the team doctor strictly ordered him to go to the hospital immediately for stitches!
He was no longer just an ordinary youth prospect... he was now head coach Hans's absolute darling!
Under Hans's firm insistence, Andy had no choice but to head to the medical center to treat his wound.
As he walked off the pitch, the fans in the stadium spontaneously stood up and erupted into a massive standing ovation!
Andy's phenomenal, blood-and-thunder performance had completely won over the hardcore Dortmund supporters!
Meanwhile, the viewership for the regional match broadcast began trending rapidly upward.
Many professional scouts in the stands had promptly reported back to their clubs, urgently requesting that the broadcast be recorded and analyzed.
Without a doubt, nearly all of them had developed a profound interest in Andy!
When the game finally restarted, the 80-minute mark had already passed.
Schalke, having expended far too much physical and emotional energy earlier, began to show severe signs of fatigue.
Especially Sabah!
In today's game, he was undoubtedly the most miserable player on the pitch! There was no contest!
He had been utterly schooled by Andy countless times and hadn't won a single one-on-one duel.
Now, his face, which was usually quite handsome, was completely disfigured by the brutal loss of his two front teeth.
To make matters worse, he couldn't even be substituted off. Schalke 04 had completely run out of substitution windows.
Andy had contributed one goal and one assist throughout the match, while simultaneously injuring three opposing players!
The first two players had merely experienced intense physical pain.
But for Sabah, it was a devastating double blow, completely shattering him both physically and mentally.
As a matter of fact, the name "Sabah" would never again appear in the upper echelons of the future football world.
Deep into stoppage time, the player who had come on as Andy's substitute provided a timely assist.
Lars, the midfield maestro, unleashed a powerful shot to completely seal the victory!
Ultimately, this fiery Ruhr derby ended with Borussia Dortmund defeating Schalke 04 3-1.
Excited Dortmund fans rushed down to the railings to celebrate wildly with the players!
Up in the stands, Andy's landlord, Raymond, was completely surrounded by cheering fans treating him like a VIP.
His old friend Foster, who had been fiercely challenging him earlier, had mysteriously disappeared from the crowd.
At the post-match press conference, interim manager Hans highly praised the team's collective performance.
Then, he proceeded to recount the story of him and Andy with an incredibly dramatic tone.
In his heavily embellished version, Hans was the wise, discerning mentor who recognized a hidden gem, taking the injured, abandoned Andy under his wing to carefully nurture his talent.
Now, all the media knew that Andy had been mercilessly kicked out by Benfica.
Such an outstanding young talent was actually labeled with "ALS"! Was this reasonable in any universe?
What kind of ALS patient plays football with such terrifying, explosive power?
Not to mention Andy's absolute MVP-caliber performance in today's derby.
One of the pitch-side photographers chimed in during the presser: "According to my camera's frame rate estimates, Andy's free-kick reached a speed of roughly 105 kilometers per hour!"
The reporters all gasped in collective shock.
No wonder the player who blocked it was knocked completely unconscious.
Who wouldn't be sent to the shadow realm after getting hit in the face by a 105 km/h missile?
Looking at it from a logical angle: How could a player suffering from severe muscle atrophy deliver such a devastatingly powerful shot?
Benfica, you've clearly behaved appallingly!
Meanwhile, Teacher Tom, acting as Andy's unofficial spokesperson, posted Andy's pristine German medical test results on social media.
He vividly described the insulting, predatory contract that Benfica had offered the young star!
He also officially announced that they had hired a legal team to sue Benfica, demanding the return of all unlawfully withheld tournament bonuses and severe compensation for emotional distress.
The most ruthlessly effective thing Tom did was screenshot all of Andy's highlight moments—including the blistering stats—from the game and post them in the thread.
With this single move, Andy was firmly placed on the absolute moral high ground!
Despite Benfica's cruel treatment, Andy had supposedly shown immense loyalty and righteousness by not making a public fuss against his former employer.
Instead, he quietly traveled to Germany to seek a new path.
Finally, an "outraged bystander" (Tom) simply couldn't take the injustice anymore and stood up for him!
Combined with his explosive performance proving his perfect health, the media was absolutely salivating.
They would never miss such a golden opportunity to violently drag Benfica through the mud!
One could only imagine the absolute media firestorm that would circulate the next day. But none of this concerned Andy right now!
After getting his brow stitched up at the local hospital, he was greeted by two very special guests.
Borussia Dortmund's Sporting Director, Michael Zorc, and his father, Michael Foster (the old man from the stands!), appeared in the hospital room.
"Andy, I'm going to be completely frank with you," Zorc said, waving his phone. "The top leadership values you highly. Besides immediately restarting negotiations for a much better contract, some adjustments need to be made to your lifestyle."
"Ah?" Andy blinked, confused.
Zorc fully understood Andy's hesitation. "You know Dortmund is never stingy with truly talented players. If you can keep up this level of performance, I guarantee you'll sign a massive new first-team contract within three months. And starting tomorrow, you will be moving out of the youth dormitory."
At this moment, old Foster excitedly interjected: "We have prepared a luxurious villa for you in the Phoenix Lake area! Of course, I will also be living on the property, but all of your daily needs will be handled by a dedicated specialist."
After saying that, the old man looked at Andy with wide, hopeful eyes.
Andy was completely bewildered. Are the benefits for Dortmund's youth team really this insane? I've never heard Teacher Tom mention anything like this before.
Believing firmly that there was no such thing as a free lunch, Andy politely declined their offer.
I have a brilliantly bright future ahead of me with the system, he reasoned inwardly, and I will definitely earn a massive contract on my own merits soon. There's no need to be tempted by small, suspicious immediate gains. Moreover, I spend less time in my room than I do on the training pitch anyway. My residence is literally just a place to sleep.
But ultimately, Zorc was the Sporting Director of the club, so Andy couldn't be too disrespectful.
"Sir, thank you so much for your incredible kindness, but my head is feeling really dizzy right now from the collision. Can we perhaps talk about this tomorrow?"
"Of course! You must get some rest. I'll come pick you up myself tomorrow!" Old Foster agreed immediately, then, without paying the slightest attention to his son's exasperated expression, dragged the Sporting Director out of the room.
Andy couldn't figure out what the hell was going on.
He quickly texted Tom an update, lay his head back on the hospital pillow, and instantly fell asleep. He had expended far too much energy in today's brutal match.
But the harvest from this game was incredibly fruitful.
While Dortmund's die-hard fans partied all night in the local pubs, things were very different in Portugal.
The explosive post by former youth coach Tom was being shared like wildfire.
The media's accusations and vicious criticisms descended upon Lisbon in droves!
Inside Benfica's headquarters, the youth training director, the sporting manager, the reserve team coach, and the head of the club's medical center were all lined up and being severely berated by CEO De Oliveira!
"Can someone please explain to me what the hell ALS is?!" Oliveira roared, his face purple with rage. "The club spends millions of euros a year on state-of-the-art medical equipment, just for you imbeciles to completely misdiagnose a perfectly healthy prodigy?!"
"You all blindly agreed to kick Andy out just because of one test?!"
"Did you blind fools not see what kind of generational talent he is?!"
"And WHY, for the love of God, did you withhold his youth tournament prize money?!"
"A bunch of useless trash! Utterly useless trash!" he screamed, slamming his hands on his desk. "I am submitting a proposal to the board of directors to completely restructure the medical center first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Now, get out of my sight and figure out how to resolve this massive public relations crisis!"
"IMMEDIATELY! RIGHT NOW!"
No outsider knew exactly what happened behind closed doors that night.
All anyone knew was that the lights in the Benfica club's executive office building stayed glaringly bright all night long.
And the very next morning, many high-ranking officials received swift, cold termination emails.