You can view ZIZU's goal on my Patr3on on this specific chapter for free!!!
****
Claudio Ranieri realised he had underestimated Jürgen Klopp, and he had underestimated Jin Hayes. His 'pocket defence' tactic of strictly guarding the centre was easily dismantled by Jin Hayes's flexible movement.
Defend the centre to stop Jin Hayes from receiving the ball? Then Jin Hayes would return to his role from last season, shining on the wing and drawing everyone to the touchline.
Marco Reus and Jakub Błaszczykowski took turns supporting through the middle. With heavy forces guarding Jin Hayes, the centre was bound to be empty; underestimating Reus would lead to disaster just the same.
"Beautiful!! Jin Hayes suddenly stops on the left and sends a cross!"
"Reus!! A powerful long‑range shot! Gianluigi Buffon dives to parry the ball away! A world‑class save!"
That shot left Buffon with lingering fear.
If not for his excellent anticipation, another goalkeeper might not have reacted in time.
"Mark your men!!! Are you just letting people take long shots for free?"
"Hey!! What are you all doing!"
Climbing up from the grass, Buffon couldn't help but roar at his teammates. Allowing Reus to strike from distance at will in front of the penalty area with no one marking him within five metres was simply too sloppy.
The Juventus players felt aggrieved too.
We're all busy defending Jin Hayes!
Just now, two people had been cornering him at the goal line, and that kid still broke through. One person simply couldn't stop him. But positioning heavy troops on the touchline left the centre short‑handed.
Juventus entered a dilemma; once their tactical system was broken, they temporarily had no counter‑measures. The one who should be worried was head coach Ranieri.
"Brothers, again!!"
"Attack, attack, attack!"
Jin Hayes shouted loudly to inspire his teammates. He knew the principle of 'hitting them while they're down'; once Juventus stabilised, they would be very hard to deal with. He had to take advantage of this period of chaos, using a fast‑paced offensive to pull Juventus into an unfamiliar rhythm.
Nuri Şahin took the corner, and Mats Hummels's charging header was once again neutralised by Buffon.
"Buffon!! Another world‑class save!! He is simply an impenetrable wall in front of Juventus's goal!" Hummels's certain‑goal header was actually anticipated by Buffon, who tipped it over the crossbar.
"Holy shit??!!" This was the second phrase of Chinese Hummels had learned, pronounced perfectly. "Holy shit! Awesome!"
The rest of the Borussia Dortmund squad were filled with exclamations. Buffon was practically cheating; how could he even save that?
Jin Hayes was about to lose his composure. These guys don't learn the good stuff, but they sure pick up profanity quickly.
Borussia Dortmund's sixth corner of the first half; Şahin raised his right hand to signal their second tactical routine. The others helped pull the defence away while Jin Hayes lurked at the near post.
Whistle!
The sound rang out.
Neven Subotić, Hummels, Alexander Frei, and others all rushed toward the back post, dragging defensive stalwarts like Giorgio Chiellini along with them. Jin Hayes, who had been lurking at the penalty spot, suddenly burst forward. At the same time, Şahin took the corner, the ball spinning rapidly and dropping toward the near post.
"It's over!"
Claudio Marchisio was in despair; he had momentarily lost track of Jin Hayes and could only watch as the young star took flight at the near post. The shocking jumping ability and hang time sent chills down the spines of the Juventus players.
Jin Hayes focused his breath, watched the ball, and delivered a powerful 'lion's shake' header. He had practised headers a lot in extra training; this time it should—Holy shit?
It was Buffon again. At the near post, Buffon had already anticipated it, punching the ball out with both fists joined. The Wall of Sighs standing before the goal made the Dortmund players feel a moment of hopelessness.
"It's not over yet!"
The moment he landed, Jin Hayes had already pushed off with both feet. His physical enhancement gave his leg muscles powerful explosive force. Before Tiago Mendes could reach the drop point, Jin Hayes had already reached out and flicked the ball over his head. At the edge of the penalty area, Jin Hayes's back was to the goal as the ball spun in the air.
The flow of time suddenly slowed down; the fully focused Jin Hayes's mind was completely serene.
Here it comes! This is the feeling.
He held his breath, using his peripheral vision to judge his position relative to the defender, and reached out an arm to hold him off. Simultaneously, he completed his turn. With the support of absolute ball feel, he could clearly sense the ball's position without even looking at it.
The distance between himself and the goal, the ball's descending trajectory, the arc of his leg swing, the point of contact—all these detailed factors formed an instinctive judgment within a ten‑thousandth of a second.
Even though Buffon was the Wall of Sighs, an insurmountable barrier for Dortmund, how will you handle this ball?
[Causality Shot Enhancement] — 100% guaranteed hit.
Thump!
"Jin Hayes!! He wins it! He flicks it over the defender!"
"Ah—a turning volley!!" He Wei almost forgot his role as a commentator, completely transforming into an ordinary fan, holding his breath along with all the fans watching back home. With fists clenched, he witnessed the young star's magnificent manoeuvre.
In the 2002 Champions League final, Zinedine Zidane's left‑footed volley had shocked the world. In 2008, from a similar position, Jin Hayes completed an even more difficult turning volley. The naturally falling ball was struck precisely by Jin Hayes, like a calligrapher's wild strokes tracing a pleasing, aesthetic arc.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of shocked eyes at the Stadio Olimpico, the ball soared over the penalty area and plummeted rapidly into the corner of the net.
"Damn it!!" Buffon had already felt something was wrong the moment Jin Hayes turned. He quickly shifted his feet to dive, but he was still half a beat late when he jumped. His eyes were filled with despair in mid‑air, as no matter how far he reached, he couldn't touch it. He could only hear the crisp sound of the ball hitting the net behind him.
The whole world seemed to come to a brief standstill—and then, instant explosion.
"Gooooool!! This is a world‑class strike from Jin Hayes!! If the difficulty isn't high enough, he doesn't score! He is simply the master of the pitch! Oh my god! Jin has broken a Champions League record—he is the youngest scorer in the Champions League proper!"
The Italian commentator, who had previously been subtly mocking Dortmund, was now completely conquered by Jin Hayes's two brilliant performances, sincerely marveling at his opponent's display. Who could have imagined that after his header was saved, he could still charge to the edge of the box to fight for the ball, and then follow it up with a turning volleyed worldie?
It was simply unreasonable.
If it were a normal attack and defence, where passing penetration led to a long‑range shot, the Italian commentator would only complain about Juventus's defensive lapses. But for this goal, the commentator truly had no complaints.
Before the end of the first half, the Juventus fans could only watch as their lead, which hadn't even warmed up yet, was equalised and then overturned. Juventus was like an experienced veteran boxer constantly parrying to drain Dortmund's stamina, finding a moment to land a left hook on the opponent's chin. But that punch also left the veteran exposed.
A storm‑like combination of punches followed, many of them unreasonable and completely illogical, leaving the veteran boxer caught off guard, dizzy after taking two heavy blows.
The good news was, the referee rang the bell. The first half ended. Both sides could return to the dressing room to redeploy.
…
"Great job!! Guys!!" Back in the dressing room, Jürgen Klopp was already waiting at the door. He fist‑bumped each of the returning warriors in celebration.
"F***ing yeah!!"
The dressing room had turned into a zoo, with excited young men hooting like monkeys. Juventus had indeed put a lot of pressure on everyone at the start. The first Champions League match was even tougher than everyone had imagined.
Especially Juventus's solid defence and the Wall of Sighs in front of the goal, which almost drove Dortmund to despair. Their proud attacking coordination, which had been unstoppable in the Bundesliga, was completely neutralised. The players had almost started to doubt themselves.
Fortunately, Jin Hayes was the first to sound the horn for the counter‑attack. Two consecutive unreasonable breakthroughs on the wing forcibly tore a hole in the solid wall, equalising the score in less than a minute. Then it was Jin Hayes again—after consecutive shots were saved, an unreasonable volleyed worldie overturned the score.
Sure enough, in favourable times, adversity, or desperate situations, one must rely on Jin Hayes.
With the lead, the Dortmund players released their pressure, venting their emotions in the dressing room. Only after everyone had calmed down did Klopp pull back his expression and become serious again.
"There are still 45 minutes left, you must not slack off! Our opponents are very good at seizing opportunities; we must maintain a fast pace and give them no time to react! Guys, whether we can take this first Champions League match is up to you!"
....
In the home team's dressing room, the Juventus players' emotions were still fairly stable. After all, they were experienced veterans who had seen it all; it was just a Champions League group stage match, no need to make a scene.
Claudio Marchisio was listening to music with headphones, Giorgio Chiellini picked up his phone to chat with his girlfriend Carolina, Alessandro Del Piero was lying on a bench resting, while Gianluigi Buffon stood against the wall, recalling Jin Hayes's volleyed dipping shot, constantly replaying in his mind how he could have saved it.
Head coach Claudio Ranieri stood by the tactics board, constantly moving magnets to plan their formation. Now he needed to solve the problem of Dortmund's attacking players switching positions; Jin Hayes was always the point they couldn't handle. He could only rely on stacking numbers in specific areas and increasing player movement, using numbers and effort to make up for the technical disadvantage.
"Is there anyone in the world who can mark him one‑on‑one?" Ranieri felt a hint of despair. A player like Jin Hayes was too 'overpowered,' and the most terrifying thing was that he wasn't even in his final form yet. Ranieri's judgment was accurate; this kid was still growing rapidly.
Before long, a true phenomenon would appear in the football world.
…
In the second half, Dortmund's pace was very fast, giving Juventus no breathing room. The 'Old Lady' was forced into the rhythm of the young men. Transitions between attack and defence quickened, and possession constantly changed hands. The good news was that Dortmund would also make mistakes at this pace, and Juventus could find some opportunities.
"A misplaced cross from Nuri Şahin!! The intention was too obvious!"
"Interception by Marchisio, Juventus on the counter!"
"A long ball finds Amauri directly! A header back to Del Piero—who takes a shot!!"
"An attempt from outside the box, parried by Roman Weidenfeller!"
"Both goalkeepers have performed exceptionally well today!"
The quickening pace of attack and defence most excited the fans. Especially for the Chinese fans, who had climbed out of bed at 2:45 AM to watch the game—it was now past 4 AM. If it were a typical Serie A rhythm, they would surely be drowsy. But now everyone was alert and excited.
"Go Lord Jin!!"
"Charge! Lord Jin!"
"Juventus's counter‑attacks are very threatening; can Dortmund's teammates please not let Lord Jin down."
"Şahin seems out of form; that cross was too ridiculous."
There were quite a few knowledgeable football fans back home. They could see that Borussia Dortmund's midfield engine was not performing well today. Nuri Şahin should be the hub for the midfield and defence, identifying the opponent's weak points and connecting with Jin Hayes.
In the first half, Şahin had been somewhat neutralised. If he had performed well, Jin Hayes wouldn't have gone so long without touching the ball. Now he had made an unforced error, nearly leading to a conceded goal.
"What are you doing?!!" Weidenfeller roared at Şahin.
"It's fine, it's fine, we're leading anyway, just score another one." Jin Hayes quickly calmed his teammate, while also comforting his good friend. "Nuri, you scrub."
To Jin Hayes's kind comfort, Şahin responded gratefully. "Screw you, just wait for my assist."
"Not bad, you've got spirit, scrub!"
Fortunately, Şahin adjusted his form. In the 72nd minute of the second half, he keenly spotted a great opportunity. He sent a long pass of over fifty metres from the backfield, precisely finding Jin Hayes's head.
"Good ball!! A sudden long pass from Şahin!"
"Jin Hayes takes the ball in front of the box!"
Facing this long pass, most people would have controlled it with their back to the goal using their chest, or headed it to a teammate. But Jin Hayes unusually faced the goal and used a move he had used before, giving the Italians a little shock.
"OHHH—Dio! Mio!" Amidst the Italian commentator's exclamations and the shocked eyes of the Juventus players, Jin Hayes actually controlled the ball with his back and turned around Marchisio. With such an unexpected move, the Juventus players simply couldn't react in time.
Before the ball hit the ground, Jin Hayes's right instep struck a perfect outside‑foot curve. [Heartfelt Pass] . The ball, in an unbelievable manner, bypassed the Juventus defenders and sliced through the box toward the far post. Alexander Frei, who had been invisible the whole game, was completely unmarked.
The Swiss international didn't need to adjust; he just needed a gentle header. The distance was too close; Buffon was powerless and could only watch as Frei nodded the ball in.
"The German media call Jin Hayes the young magician, and today at the Stadio Olimpico, he has completed a magical performance that borders on sorcery! 3 to 1! Borussia Dortmund secures the victory away from home!" He Wei's tone couldn't have been more proud.
"In a single match, Jin Hayes has broken the records for the youngest appearance, the youngest scorer, and the youngest assist‑provider in the Champions League proper! Under the spotlights of the Stadio Olimpico, the boy from China shines over Europe!"