Jin Hayes knew Agüero was strong. The 2007 Golden Boy winner would go on to become one of the Premier League's most dominant strikers—Manchester City's spearhead for their revival, their all-time leading scorer, and later ranked among the top three best Premier League strikers in history by FourFourTwo magazine, only behind Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer.
Regardless of how accurate those future predictions might be, just by watching him take the ball, accelerate, break free, and then shoot on the pitch, one could tell that this guy was a huge threat to the Dortmund defence.
What's more, Atlético Madrid had two more attacking spearheads. Diego Forlán, who hit his peak in the later part of his career, would become La Liga's top scorer in the 2008-09 season, scoring over thirty goals and surpassing the likes of Samuel Eto'o and David Villa. The moment Atlético Madrid passed the ball to the front, and Forlán and Agüero attacked the goal together, Jin Hayes couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
"Sergio Agüero!!!"
"A powerful shot inside the box hits the post! Within the first ten minutes, Atlético Madrid's three shots have all been incredibly dangerous! The backs of the Westfalen fans must be soaked with cold sweat by now, ah hahahaha!"
The La Liga commentator for Madrid TV was very happy. Dortmund's high press at the start had indeed been sharp, but Atlético Madrid's quick counter-attacks always managed to go straight for the kill. Agüero and Forlán frequently threatened the goal with their individual abilities; with a bit more luck, they would have been leading by three goals. Atlético Madrid, the commentator crowed, were sure to win this two-legged Champions League qualifier. La Liga was awesome.
"…Jin Hayes—this is Dortmund's most threatening player, the Bundesliga genius who emerged last season, the holder of the youngest appearance record in Europe's top five leagues. How to neutralise him is the key to Atlético Madrid's victory!"
Atlético Madrid's two divine strikers made Dortmund fans sweat profusely, and Jin Hayes also sent shivers down the spines of Atlético Madrid supporters. In the first minute of the match, Jin Hayes's breakthrough had almost created a goal. If Alexander Frei hadn't been in poor form and shot wide, Dortmund would have had a chance to score an early goal. Who would have thought that you could dribble directly into the penalty area from the centre-circle kick-off?
"According to France's L'Équipe, Jin Hayes, who just turned sixteen this year, has been nominated for the 2008 European Golden Boy award and has a chance to defeat Anderson to become the winner at the ceremony in November."
"First, let's look at this play! Dortmund win the ball in the final third—Jin receives the ball and turns!"
The Spanish commentator was still introducing Jin Hayes to La Liga fans, watching as Dortmund's high press completed the interception. Sebastian Kehl, after winning the ball, immediately found Jin Hayes, who had dropped back to receive it.
Facing Simão's defensive cover, Jin Hayes controlled and dribbled past him in one fluid motion, using the instep of his foot to chip the ball around Simão's left side, while he himself went around the right, completing a perfect body-feint separation. He received the ball, turned, and faced Atlético Madrid's penalty area directly.
"Maniche and Paulo Assunção, the two defensive midfielders, are closing in from both sides. Jin is taking on two opponents—!"
Atlético Madrid fans and Dortmund fans' hearts were simultaneously in their throats. The Spanish commentator was still reassuring his own fans: "Atlético Madrid's two defensive midfielders are solid. This ball should be easily intercepted… ¡Madre mía! Oh my God!"
"OHHHHH—"
Amid the cheers of tens of thousands at the Westfalenstadion, everyone once again witnessed Jin Hayes's brilliance. Atlético Madrid's two defensive midfielders closed in from left and right, simultaneously blocking Jin Hayes's angles for forward passes and breakthroughs.
Most players would have dribbled horizontally to create space, or turned to shield the ball and passed back to a teammate. Directly breaking through two experienced veterans—even Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would have found it difficult here.
But Jin Hayes displayed the sharp edge of his youth.
"I'm going to break through you directly!"
He hooked the ball with his right foot, changing direction to the left, feigning a shift to Paulo Assunção's right side. Assunção quickly stepped sideways to block the path, while Maniche simultaneously closed in further, guarding against Jin Hayes squeezing through the middle. At that very moment, Jin Hayes suddenly executed a 'Ronaldo Chop' with his left foot—pulling the ball back and breaking to the right while Assunção was off balance.
"Dream on!" Maniche reached out, attempting to grab Jin Hayes's shoulder, intending to use his body to push the kid away. The coach had repeatedly emphasised before the match to exploit Jin Hayes's supposed weakness in physical confrontation.
Little did he know, that weakness was a thing of the past. A summer of gym training had made Jin Hayes much stronger, allowing him to withstand Maniche's charge. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. To stop Jin Hayes, Maniche's centre of gravity shifted slightly to the right, leaving a narrow gap in the middle.
Now!
The football, pulled back by Jin Hayes's 'Ronaldo Chop,' bounced off the ground. He quickly accelerated and stepped forward, leaving the ball behind him. In an instant, he flicked the ball up with his heel, and without any loss of speed, he darted through the gap between the two defenders.
Assunção and Maniche barely saw the ball; they just felt a shadow flash past. The football looped over the heads of all three. When they looked back, Dortmund's number 10 had, as if by magic, received the ball and was charging towards the penalty area.
The offensive and defensive duel between the three had happened in just one second. The Chinese teenager had effortlessly dribbled past two players.
"This is Jin! The young magician's brilliant performance!!" German commentator Mehmet Scholl's voice was hoarse with excitement. "Charge! Let the Spaniards witness true art!"
Jin Hayes's heel flick to get past two defenders was truly unexpected; Atlético Madrid's defence simply hadn't anticipated it. Seeing him take the ball to the edge of the penalty area—a perfect opportunity for a long-range shot—Dutch centre-back John Heitinga panicked. With eyes wide in terror, he rushed forward frantically to block Jin Hayes's shot—a normal defender's instinctive reaction.
Seeing this scene, Dortmund fans were overjoyed. Someone actually wants to defend Jin Hayes's long shot? Isn't that playing right into his hands!
Sure enough, Heitinga's desperate charge was easily faked out by Jin Hayes's feint-and-cut move. Jin Hayes, like Ballon d'Or winner Kaká tearing through Europe in 2007, strode into the penalty area with the ball. Centre-back Luis Perea was too late to close in and defend. Jin Hayes accelerated his dribble, leaning into his opponent's body as he continued his charge. His physical strengthening provided powerful explosive energy in his leg muscles.
Goalkeeper Grégory Coupet rushed out of his goal in a panic, only to be dribbled past by Jin Hayes's diagonal touch.
"Jin!!! He is unstoppable! Atlético Madrid's goal is wide open!!"
The cheers above the stadium had reached their peak. Atlético Madrid fans in front of their televisions were gasping in shock, almost having heart attacks. Any other striker, facing an open goal, who could resist taking a shot? The covering full-back, Antonio López, was already charging in, attempting a sliding tackle from an angle to block Jin Hayes's shot.
But he still didn't understand Jin Hayes.
"OHHHH—Jin!! He's still dribbling!!"
Almost at the edge of the six-yard box, Jin Hayes's pull-back to the right and feigned shot was just a decoy. He actually performed a single-foot step-over and turn, beating yet another defender.
Antonio López watched in despair as Jin Hayes turned and glided past him, not even giving him a chance to foul him. When Jin Hayes dribbled past the last defender and reached the goal line, German commentator Mehmet Scholl was so excited he had no words left, only hoarse shouts. The Madrid TV Spanish commentator and all Spanish fans watching the game were simultaneously stunned, completely dumbfounded.
Huh? He just dribbled through everyone on his own? Is it that simple?
"Gooooooal—Jin Hayes!!!"
"He single-handedly broke through and carried the ball into the goal in his signature style!"
"To ensure the goal, he even pushed the ball in only when he was on the goal line! It's both clinical and breathtaking!"
"In the 12th minute of the match, the young magician opened the scoring for Dortmund! 1-0!"
"This goal also means that Jin Hayes has created the youngest goal-scoring record in Champions League history! 16 years and 76 days old!"
"Of course, he is also the youngest player to appear in the Champions League, surpassing the record of Olympiacos's 17-year-old Ofri Quaye in the 97/98 season, who was 17 years and 194 days old!"
"Jin Hayes has brought the record forward by a full year! He is simply a record-breaking machine!"
Insane! Westfalen was in complete delirium. Fans loved watching Jin Hayes dribble through the entire defence to score, and each time it made all Dortmund fans' blood boil. Unexpectedly, in such an important and difficult Champions League qualifier, Jin Hayes used his signature solo dribble to open the scoring. It had to be him, after all.
"Look at the excited fans on site—80,000 people are uniformly making a gesture of worship. Jin Hayes has clearly conquered Westfalen with his artistic football, becoming the king of this stadium!" Scholl said with a smile, visibly moved. The camera shot provided by the director was truly shocking: a 16-year-old being worshipped by an entire stadium. He had already become a symbol of faith.
Lion King Oliver Kahn was also stunned by this scene. "I never enjoyed such treatment back then. It's hard to imagine a foreign player being so loved by German fans."
The only slight imperfection was Jin Hayes himself. He clearly hadn't planned a celebration, seemingly not expecting to score. It was another world-class goal with a neighbourhood-level celebration.
In his excitement, he couldn't do anything—just stood there foolishly—and was promptly tackled to the ground by his ecstatic teammates. A group of Dortmund players started piling on top of each other right in front of Atlético Madrid's goal, in full view of the entire visiting team.
"Damn it!" John Heitinga was extremely frustrated. He kicked the ball into his own net to vent his anger. Allowing Jin Hayes to dribble through the entire team was a failure of the whole Atlético Madrid side.
Sergio Agüero also put his hands on his hips and sighed. He still couldn't understand how Jin Hayes had done it. It was difficult enough for him to break through his own team's defence in training, let alone in an official match.
Is he really that strong? Stronger than Leo?
Agüero, the genius praised in Argentina and hailed as Maradona's successor, for the first time in his life doubted himself. It turned out that his own talent was not the limit—there was still higher ceiling above him.
"It's okay, Agüero." It was the veteran Diego Forlán who adjusted his mentality faster. He smiled and comforted his young teammate. "Don't be discouraged. You are also one of the best strikers in the world. Work harder, and we'll get back into this!"
"Okay!" Agüero clenched his fists, his fighting spirit rekindled. Football was about surpassing oneself and challenging limits. Jin Hayes had clearly become the most important mountain in Agüero's heart, and he vowed to conquer it.
Jin Hayes, who had given his team the lead with a goal, did not relax his vigilance. A one-goal advantage was not enough to secure victory. Atlético Madrid would inevitably launch a furious counter-attack, and they had to withstand it.
After the restart, Jin Hayes focused on pressing with his teammates. Using the defensive secrets Gilberto Silva had taught him, Jin Hayes ran frantically in the front, intercepting and forming an impenetrable net with his teammates.
Fortunately, the opponent was a La Liga team.
Atlético Madrid's footwork was not as delicate as Barcelona's, but their overall level far surpassed the rough and tumble of the English league, placing them in a leading position in Europe. They were bold and meticulous in their passing from the back, seemingly unaffected by conceding the goal. Dortmund's high press was temporarily unable to trouble their opponents.
The biggest mistake in high-press defence is for a player to be too eager and disconnect from his teammates. Simão had the ball on the right wing, appearing to miscontrol it. Dortmund's left-back Dedê rushed up, intending to steal the ball and launch a counter-attack. But he underestimated Simão's exquisite footwork. A step-over, a pull-back, and a turn—Dedê was easily bypassed.
"Oh? A chance!! Atlético Madrid's chance!!"
"It's over!!"
Jin Hayes's heart tightened. He gritted his teeth and frantically tracked back. But Atlético Madrid's counter-attack speed was even faster than he had anticipated. Simão decisively played a through ball down the right wing—a penetrating pass into the space behind the defence. A young face in red and white stripes accelerated from the crowd, bursting forward. Breaking through the wind. Cutting through the sky.
"Sergio Agüero!!!!"
"Gooooooal!!!!"
"Atlético Madrid equalise with a quick counter-attack!"