Before Jin Hayes scored, the Borussia Dortmund players were still a bit unsure how to play. Their passing felt very awkward, not at all like a team that had been working together for a year.
After Jin Hayes broke through Bayern's goal with a solo run, Borussia Dortmund finally regained their confidence, and their passing and movement returned to normal.
Bayern, on the other hand, was left a bit dazed by Jin Hayes's goal. Facing Borussia Dortmund's fluid offensive coordination, they couldn't immediately recover their previous tight defensive state.
"Jin, Götze, Jin dribbles laterally, shakes off Schweinsteiger, beautiful!! He's inside again!"
Jin Hayes and Mario Götze's continuous wall-pass coordination on the left was gorgeous and fluid, sparking thunderous applause at the Westfalenstadion. Facing the defense of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Daniel Van Buyten, Jin Hayes flicked the ball laterally and accelerated to lose Schweinsteiger.
With an unexpected sudden stop and a Cruyff turn, he shook off Van Buyten as well, driving the ball into the heart of the penalty area.
Bayern goalkeeper Michael Rensing would rather face Lionel Messi, or Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.
He really didn't want to encounter Jin Hayes. Being scored on by other stars, at most, made him feel like his skills were inferior. Being scored on by Jin Hayes, Rensing had already begun to doubt if he was even human.
This guy always toyed with opponents in the most ruthless way, destroying a person both physically and mentally. Rensing was starting to feel dazed, with pea-sized beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, as he focused all his attention on defending against the approaching Jin Hayes.
Lúcio, Mark van Bommel, and other Bayern players also pounced frantically toward Jin Hayes to prevent him from scoring an identical goal.
The defensive formation Jupp Heynckes had instructed?
The defensive tactics they had practiced specifically for a week?
To hell with that.
The Bayern players had only one task in their minds: stop that player.
In the backline, perhaps only Philipp Lahm remained somewhat level-headed, sticking close to Götze to prevent him from starting his run. But the moment his attention shifted slightly toward Jin Hayes, Götze suddenly burst past him and slipped away.
"Not good!!"
By the time Lahm thought to give chase, he was already a step too slow. As Jin Hayes maneuvered through the crowd, he unexpectedly sent a cross to the far post. All the Bayern players on the right side were collectively frozen; there were no defenders near Götze as he received the ball on the far side.
Bang—
Götze faced a half-empty goal from a tight angle; no matter how nervous he was, he wouldn't miss this. With a powerful shot from his tightened instep, he blasted open Bayern's gates once more.
2-1!
"Goal! Great shot! Borussia Dortmund scores another in first-half stoppage time! Successfully taking the lead!"
In the CCTV5 studio, Duan Xuan was still using his not-so-passionate tone to celebrate Borussia Dortmund's goal, when the director's voice suddenly came through his earpiece.
"Mention Jin Hayes's record."
Duan Xuan then realized and quickly added, "This is Jin Hayes's 27th assist of the Bundesliga season, only one away from his 28 assists last season!
When he lifted the Assist King trophy last season, everyone said Jin Hayes's assist record was unprecedented and would never be broken by anyone. It turns out the only one who can break the record is himself!
The second half of the Bundesliga has only just begun; breaking the record is almost a foregone conclusion. The only suspense is how many assists Jin Hayes will reach this season—"
Even Duan Xuan felt a bit of a chill down his spine. Before 20 rounds were even finished, he had already racked up 27 assists, averaging over one per game, and was also leading the scorers' list far ahead of top-tier Bundesliga strikers like Luca Toni, Grafite, and Edin Džeko.
It was as if the Bundesliga could no longer contain this 16-year-old player. In the history of world football, nothing like this had ever happened; no young player had ever broken records in such an inconceivable manner. This had already exceeded everyone's understanding.
In any case, Duan Xuan was completely stunned. Fans far away in the East were also stunned; their thresholds were being constantly raised. Seeing Jin Hayes assist again and get infinitely close to his own record, they had long since lost their sense of excitement.
"Lord Jin assisted again."
"Can he reach 30 this season?"
"30 is for sure; I bet even 40 is no problem."
"Goals might also reach 20—"
"As expected of Lord Jin."
No matter how unreasonable it was, when applied to Jin Hayes, it didn't seem that strange.
"I bet on a win yesterday; looks like a guaranteed profit. Trusting Lord Jin has given me quite a bit of extra pocket money out of thin air."
"Damn it! I shouldn't have hesitated! I didn't bet; they lost the last one, and I didn't have much confidence against Bayern today."
"It seems that no matter what Dortmund's form is, as long as Lord Jin is there, he can carry them."
Fans who bet on a Dortmund victory were jubilant, while those who didn't were filled with regret. Of course, this was limited to an exceptional talent like Jin Hayes. For other teams, betting was still a high-risk activity; it's best not to touch it at all.
....
Leading 2-1, Borussia Dortmund played very proactively in the second half, taking advantage of their home ground and their restored morale. Fans found that the Bumblebees' frantic attacking youth storm was back.
"Jin receives the ball in the middle, brilliant! A clever knee-juggling move to beat his man, then switches it to the left!"
"Mario—Götze!!!"
"Oh, a bit of bad luck there, it hit the post!"
Another rain-like attack from Borussia Dortmund.
"Şahin gives it to Jin Hayes again, a Marseille turn! Will he take a shot himself? No, he passes to the right!"
"Jakub Błaszczykowski is incredibly fast!! A low shot inside the box!! Deflected out for a corner by Van Buyten. A corner kick for Borussia Dortmund."
"Şahin takes the corner—Mats Hummels!!! A powerful header!"
"Another corner, that's Borussia Dortmund's 10th corner of the match. The pressure is quite immense!"
"Taken again, at the near post, Jin!!"
Jin Hayes suddenly accelerated forward, jumping for a powerful header, which was once again tipped over the bar by Rensing.
Another corner.
Bayern Munich was already starting to break a sweat.
...
"What a pity!!"
After landing, Jin Hayes clicked his tongue in regret. After observing Bayern's corner defense just now, he noticed a weakness on Lahm's side. After communicating with his teammates, they temporarily adjusted to the 4th set-piece tactic.
This was also a set-piece tactic Klopp had custom-made for Jin Hayes's superb jumping ability. Jin Hayes would first lurk near the penalty spot, while aerial threats like Hummels and Neven Subotić stood at the far post to apply pressure and draw defenders. Frei, Götze, and others stood at the near post as secondary attackers.
When the corner was taken, Götze and Frei would first move at the near post to cause a distraction, then Subotić and Hummels would rush toward the far post. The opponents would mistakenly think the near post was a feint and the far post was the actual target.
However, at this moment, Jin Hayes would arrive late but fast, turning the feint into reality by rushing to the near post. With the defensive formation stretched, Błaszczykowski would disrupt near Jin Hayes, using his body to screen off defenders. Jin Hayes could then rush to the near post and jump for the header without any pressure.
At this point, the only ones competing with Jin Hayes for the header would be players like Philipp Lahm or Arjen Robben, who were not skilled at headers. Jin Hayes could get a completely uncontested header opportunity. It was just a shame the luck was a bit poor on that one; the header was too central and was parried away by Michael Rensing.
"My bad, my bad."
Jin Hayes gave Nuri Şahin a thumbs up, and his teammates all came over to comfort him.
"It's okay, that was already great."
"No worries, let's go for another!"
"That was a beautiful play! It's fine!"
Jin Hayes's heading ability could only be described as average; he mostly relied on the height advantage provided by his Enhanced Jump physical talent. Through diligent practice, he could basically guarantee hitting the target within the frame of the goal. As for whether the angle was central or not, it entirely depended on his performance at that moment.
Borussia Dortmund earned their 12th corner of the match, and Şahin again took the ball to the corner flag to prepare for the delivery. Having defended two consecutive corners, the Bayern Munich players had regained some confidence.
Main centre‑back Lúcio personally came to mark Jin Hayes to prevent him from winning another header. Lúcio gave Jin Hayes a fierce glare. As a result, Jin Hayes completely ignored him and dropped his shoulder to the right, preparing to run to the far post.
Damn it!
Lúcio didn't dare to be careless and quickly rushed over to block Jin Hayes. Halfway through his run, Jin Hayes's sudden stop and reverse run almost left Lúcio behind. Fortunately, Lúcio's turning speed was fast and his physical fitness was extremely strong; he used his explosiveness to catch up with Jin Hayes. It was the near post again.
"Don't even think about shooting this time, kid."
Just as Lúcio was about to jump for the header, Şahin unexpectedly delivered a waist‑high ball this time. It was incredibly fast, coming like a lightning bolt at chest height. Jin Hayes had already established his position, firmly resisting Lúcio's charge. The Brazilian had absolutely no way to deal with this kid, only a deep sense of powerlessness. The good news was, it would be hard for him to turn—
Ah?!!
Lúcio just thought he had blocked any possibility of Jin Hayes turning, only to find that Jin Hayes had no intention of turning at all.
Here it comes!! Now!!
Jin Hayes had originally intended to control the ball with his chest and try to turn, but facing the incoming ball, he actually triggered a familiar state. Without any hesitation, almost instinctively, he completed a scorpion kick from a tight angle.
Before goalkeeper Michael Rensing could react, he saw a dark shadow getting larger and larger. His head buzzed, and half of his face went a bit numb. Looking back at the goal, the football was already rolling inside. The crowd's celebration only began after a delay of nearly a second.
"Gooooooal!! Jin Hayes's remarkable goal is here again!! Can you believe a scorpion kick from almost a zero‑degree angle? In the Champions League match against Real Madrid, he scored a divine goal with a zero‑degree scorpion kick! It was selected as the best goal of the Champions League group stage! Now Jin Hayes has replicated his former self, only this time on the left side! Just as brilliant! 3‑1, Borussia Dortmund extend their lead!"
The German TV commentator Mehmet Scholl was incredibly excited. He loved Jin Hayes's individual heroism the most; he always helped the team in the most impossible situations. Including the assist just now and this remarkable goal—Bayern Munich's defence was already very tight, and Lúcio had almost blocked all of Jin Hayes's paths. But he still managed to score.
"The veteran coach Jupp Heynckes, his face has habitually turned a heated red again. This match isn't his fault. To play like this in his first game taking over Bayern, Bayern has already done their best. But what they encountered was a Borussia Dortmund that cannot be explained by common sense, a player who cannot be restricted by conventional tactics!
With only the last 10 minutes of the match remaining, Borussia Dortmund has almost secured the victory! They are about to complete a four‑game sweep of Bayern Munich within two seasons—"
3‑1.
The powerful Bayern Munich had collapsed.
The Robben and Ribéry duo had no chance to exert their influence at all; the focus of the entire stadium was entirely on the 16‑year‑old player. This match was completely dominated by him. In addition to 'young magician', 'coach killer', and 'King of Westfalen', Jin Hayes now had a new nickname: "Bayern Killer."
...
In the end, the 3‑1 score held until the final whistle. The veteran Heynckes lost his return debut. With his white hair, he stood up and walked helplessly toward the adjacent coaching bench. Jürgen Klopp could no longer suppress the corners of his mouth.
"Congratulations, Jürgen. You have a group of very special kids in your team."
"Thank you, they are indeed all very outstanding."
"Name a price. Bayern will likely be very interested in Jin; the price will definitely be very attractive."
"No, I wouldn't sell him even for €100 million." Klopp's attitude was firm.
"Don't be nervous, just a joke. I know Jin is your non‑sale item." Heynckes squeezed out a helpless smile and turned to comfort the disappointed Bayern players.
"That joke isn't funny."
The more Jin Hayes shone, the more Klopp panicked. He knew that Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City were all eyeing Jin Hayes, especially those wealthy owners who weren't short of money.
What did a monster with 15 goals and 27 assists in 20 Bundesliga matches at 16 years old mean?
Maybe the €100 million Heynckes mentioned wasn't nonsense—Karl‑Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß might actually be able to cough up that sum. Real Madrid was even more out of the question; it was no longer a secret that they had signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for €100 million. Spending another €100 million for Jin Hayes should be no big deal.
"Tell me, what if we really can't keep him?"
His assistant Željko Buvač looked at the head coach with a strange expression.
"Wait, you really thought you could keep him? I wasted my breath last time."
"You bastard."
"Don't think too much about it. Let's just play these two seasons well. At least bring in one or two trophies before he leaves."
Trophies?
Klopp's brow furrowed. The Bundesliga title shouldn't be much of a problem, but for the Champions League title… could this Dortmund team, with its very obvious strengths and weaknesses, really do it?
The Champions League match in a week would be the ultimate test.