"OHHHHH- What a brilliant, marvelous, beautiful strike!! Fantastic finish!! What a goal!! Can you believe that? Jin Hayes RULED THIS PITCH!!! He is the MASTER OF North London!"
If one were to fly over North London with a bird's-eye view, the supporters would be divided into two distinct camps.
On one side, a stunned, library-like silence; on the other, an explosive nightclub party.
Arsenal fans in front of their TVs wore stunned expressions, staring blankly at the screen, where the passionate roars of Sky Sports' gold-medal commentator Martin Tyler could still be heard echoing.
"A brilliant, divine, and gorgeous goal! An unparalleled strike! An unbelievable opening goal! Jin Hayes has ruled this pitch; he is simply the Master of North London!"
How extraordinary must a player be for Tyler to be so lavish with his praise just 36 seconds into the match?
Just look at the bars of all sizes near the Emirates Stadium—even the bartenders pouring beer were stunned, letting the liquid overflow from the cups, their hearts trembling with shock.
On the other hand, the fans of their arch-rivals, Tottenham, were more than happy to see Arsenal suffer. Jin Hayes's opening statement had the Spurs supporters in North London cheering with joy, partly because the goal was indeed spectacular.
Starting from when he received the ball at the centre circle, Jin Hayes first turned to bypass Abou Diaby, then used a Rainbow Flick to leap over Alexandre Song. The moment he landed, he unleashed a volley from 28 metres outside the penalty area. It flew straight into the top corner of the net like a howitzer shell.
"The Blitzkrieg from Germany has worked! Borussia Dortmund takes a 1-0 lead at the start! Arsenal has suffered a head-on blow, conceding an away goal at the very beginning. The rest of the match will undoubtedly be even tougher for them." He Wei knew that today would be a brilliant match. He didn't expect Jin Hayes to shift into high gear from the very first minute.
"This is Jin Hayes's 5th goal in the Champions League! In the main stage of this year's Champions League, he has already completed a phenomenal performance of 5 goals and 7 assists!"
"Jin Hayes is currently tied with Bayern Munich forward Miroslav Klose, ranking at the top of the scoring charts with 5 goals! The Barcelona talisman is currently in second place with 4 goals!"
"In the assist charts, Jin Hayes is far ahead!" He Wei looked at the data on the statistics sheet; most players' assists were below 3. Jin Hayes's 7 assists were a massive, outlier lead. Holding the top spot in both the scoring and assist charts, Jin Hayes had already brought his dominant Bundesliga performance to the grandest European stage.
"Jin Hayes is leading these Bumblebees on a wild charge!"
....
Since Arsenal was his former club, Jin Hayes did not celebrate excitedly. After scoring, he simply walked back to his own half, high-fiving and hugging his ecstatic teammates.
"You're too damn good!!"
"Awesome! Jin!"
"Holy shit!!"
Chinese seemed to have become the 'official language' within the Borussia Dortmund team. The Bumblebees' players were all making surprised exclamations in Chinese with various accents, while the goalscorer Jin Hayes was actually calmer than them.
"Don't get too excited, it's just the beginning. Keep it up, brothers!"
"That's right, Arsenal is a team that excels at attacking; we can't let our guard down. We must hold the defence. We can't just give back the advantage Jin worked so hard to get!"
Captain Sebastian Kehl quickly called for the players to focus and prepare for Arsenal's upcoming torrential offensive.
How did he do it?
Cesc Fàbregas was starting to question his life. Before the match, he had been preparing intensely for nearly two months with the idea of competing against Jin Hayes. Every day, his imaginary enemy was Borussia Dortmund, which sparked a focused training attitude in Fàbregas that even Arsène Wenger found surprising.
Finally, the day had come, and Fàbregas intentionally avoided looking Jin Hayes in the eye during the handshake. He needed to maintain enough focus and strive to send Jin Hayes home in the first leg.
After the match, Fàbregas could then find Jin Hayes to exchange jerseys from the superior position of a winner. "I admit you are very strong, but—I, Fàbregas, am the absolute core of Arsenal! I am Wenger's most prized pupil! I am the strongest midfielder in the world!"
However, Jin Hayes's goal 36 seconds into the match shattered Fàbregas's fantasies. The 0-1 score on the scoreboard seemed to mock the Spaniard. Fàbregas couldn't help but fall into a bit of a daze, feeling muddled and unsure of what he was playing for on the pitch.
...
"Over here!!"
"Pass it to me!"
"Quick, quick! Get up there!"
"Come and support!!"
"Cover the position!! Block him!!"
On the pitch of the Emirates Stadium, players from both sides were shouting loudly. Diaby nervously controlled the ball to avoid Jin Hayes's pressing, then played a lateral pass to Song. Nuri Şahin and Mario Götze closed in on him simultaneously. Song quickly gave the ball to Fàbregas ahead of him.
Fàbregas was in a decent position. As long as he could take the ball and turn, he would surely threaten the Dortmund goal. As it turned out, when the ball was passed over, Fàbregas was in a daze for some reason, and his first touch sent the ball two metres away. Before he could recover, Kehl had already passed by him and completed the interception.
"WTF?!!"
Song cursed under his breath and immediately lunged toward Kehl. Kehl, however, played a through ball to Jin Hayes up front. Seeing the penalty area about to be threatened again, Diaby rushed over and pushed Jin Hayes to the ground just before he could receive the ball.
Tweet— The referee arrived on the scene and gave a stern verbal warning.
"This is the Champions League, not your Premier League. Watch your intensity, or I'll pull out a card next time!"
Diaby didn't dare talk back and nodded repeatedly. The Borussia Dortmund players gathered around to pull Jin Hayes up, glaring fiercely at Diaby. Diaby didn't dare to provoke them and instead directed his anger at Fàbregas.
"Cesc? What are you doing?"
"Buckle up! Cesc! Focus! Focus!"
As the captain and playmaker, Fàbregas's absent-mindedness directly affected the state of the entire team. Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri, and others couldn't help but step forward to remind him.
"Sorry, I'll focus." Fàbregas sheepishly returned to the front of the penalty area to participate in the defence. He finally snapped out of his sleepwalking state; if his teammates hadn't covered for him just now, they might have conceded another goal.
Every away goal is worth its weight in gold; if they conceded two away goals in a row, Arsenal would be at a massive disadvantage. Fàbregas quickly gathered his thoughts and threw himself into the game.
"Due to Fàbregas's mistake, this Borussia Dortmund counter-attack almost became a threat."
"A free kick in the final third, to be taken by Nuri Şahin."
Şahin lofted the free kick into the box. Jin Hayes alone drew the defensive attention of both Alexandre Song and William Gallas. As a result, Mats Hummels rose above the rest at the far post to head the ball, which narrowly grazed the upright as it flew out.
"That shot went wide!! An extremely threatening attack, they almost extended their lead within the first five minutes!"
He Wei broke a sweat for Arsenal; Borussia Dortmund's opening onslaught had clearly left the Gunners dazed. Fortunately, Arsenal was no weak team; they had strong adjustment capabilities, and they soon returned to their normal state.
Under the midfield control of Cesc Fàbregas, Abou Diaby, and Song, Arsenal gradually gained opportunities to push forward, using their smooth and intricate passing in the final third to create threats. Wenger's team finally unleashed their true strength at home.
....
"Alexandre Song, gives it to Fàbregas. Fàbregas with the ball, a beautiful turn to break free!"
"This ball!! A chipped pass into the box!"
"Robin van Persie's shot!!"
Bang—
Robin van Persie held off the defender and unleashed a direct volley with his left foot. The goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller made an almost instinctive reaction, flying to tip the ball over the crossbar.
After landing, Weidenfeller gasped for breath, his heart still pounding with fear. The Borussia Dortmund fans were equally terrified, and the away stand let out a collective gasp. The Arsenal home fans were about to raise their hands in celebration but then placed them behind their heads in regret.
"Arsenal's first shot on target of the match, a shot from van Persie, very threatening!"
"Corner! Arsenal's first corner."
Samir Nasri took the corner, Gallas flicked it on with his head in front of the goal, and van Persie met it with the arch of his foot—another shot!
"Robin van Persie—OHHHH!! Incredibly close!! Saved by Weidenfeller again!"
"It's not over yet! Cesc Fàbregas!!"
"This shot—just a little bit off! The powerful long-range effort goes over the crossbar!"
"This is the Arsenal we're familiar with; they've found themselves again, rediscovering the powerful firepower of the Gunners!"
...
Recovering from the early setback, Arsenal also displayed their unique Premier League characteristics, with fluid short-passing combinations moving across the front line. In their shorthanded state, Borussia Dortmund simply couldn't execute their high press; they were easily bypassed like a sieve by Arsenal.
They had no choice but to retreat to the thirty‑metre zone, with the entire team working to withstand the Gunners' barrage. Even Jin Hayes had to return to his own half to coordinate with his teammates in double‑teaming.
...
From the 5th minute of the match, the game gradually entered Arsenal's possession rhythm, forming a period of half‑court siege. Jin Hayes ran from side to side, using his improved physical attributes to jostle for position with muscle‑bound giants like Diaby and Song.
"Fàbregas has the ball; he has repeatedly created threats and is now attacking the goal again."
"The right side is open, Cesc!"
Just as Fàbregas was about to lift his foot to pass, a figure in black blocked his path. The number 10 in the black jersey had a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
A one‑on‑one duel.
In front of the penalty area, the ball‑carrying Fàbregas suddenly recalled a year ago, at the Colney Training Base, where the scene was exactly the same. Fàbregas with the ball, Jin Hayes intercepting in front of him, the two of them in a one‑on‑one showdown. In the end, Jin Hayes had defeated Fàbregas with his superior skills. Fàbregas's moves were always anticipated by Jin Hayes.
"I'm different this time!!"
Fàbregas had originally intended to pass, but his special training over the past year had yielded significant results. With a rare chance for a one‑on‑one, he was determined to beat this guy.
Cut‑backs, step‑overs—Jin Hayes remained unmoved.
Fàbregas intentionally turned his body toward Theo Walcott, lifting his foot as if to pass, while carefully observing Jin Hayes's movements out of the corner of his eye. When Jin Hayes shifted his feet, Fàbregas felt a surge of joy.
"You fell for it!"
He suddenly cut the ball back with his right foot, attempting a sharp turn to the left. He waited for Jin Hayes to hurriedly lunge forward and stretch out a leg, then planned to suddenly flick the ball with his outside laces through the legs to complete the nutmeg. Jin Hayes had used this exact move to beat him back then, and Fàbregas decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.
Fàbregas's first step was perfect, cutting back sharply to force Jin Hayes to come to a sudden halt and hurriedly stretch out a leg to intercept.
"Now!"
Fàbregas used the outside of his right foot to change direction for the second time, seeing that he was about to complete the nutmeg. He had already begun to fantasize about how he would celebrate wildly in front of Jin Hayes after breaking through and scoring. However, as he brushed past Jin Hayes, Fàbregas caught a glimpse of that familiar smile in his peripheral vision.
"What?!!"
Looking down again, the ball at his feet had already vanished. Turning around in panic, he saw Jin Hayes already charging toward Arsenal's half with the ball.
"Beautiful!! Jin Hayes's anticipatory interception!! A chance for a Borussia Dortmund counter‑attack!!"
The Arsenal players were almost ready to curse; they had just rushed to the front to join the attack and were now forced to sprint back. Fortunately, Song was always on guard against Jin Hayes. The moment he broke out with the ball, Song slammed into him.
Bang—the two collided, and both felt as if they had hit a wall.
"Damn, he's so solid!"
Jin Hayes grimaced, barely stabilising himself, and quickly played a through ball to Jakub Błaszczykowski on the right. Song was even more shocked; his eyes widened in disbelief.
He could actually withstand a full‑force collision? How was that possible?
Jin Hayes's physical strength exceeded everyone's expectations at Arsenal.
Błaszczykowski took the lead, charging toward the Arsenal penalty area with the ball. The "Polish Figo" took his speed and technical advantages to the extreme, feinting past Gaël Clichy and forcing an overtake on the outside to break into the box. He swept a right‑footed cross to the other side of the penalty area.
"Kuba's cross!! Cleared by Kolo Touré!!"
Touré hurriedly stretched out a leg to intercept, but the ball went high rather than far, flying to the edge of the penalty area. As Diaby and Song both rushed toward the ball to contest the header, a foot reached out and hooked the ball away from between the two of them. An elegant and brilliant flick and turn, bypassing both of them at once.
"Jin Hayes!! He's past them!! A through ball into the box!"
Gallas rushed toward Jin Hayes in a panic, but the space behind him was completely empty. A figure in black suddenly burst out, meeting Jin Hayes's pass perfectly.
"He's not offside!! A perfect combination!!" W
ith Bacary Sagna trailing at the back, there was no issue with Mario Götze receiving the ball in the box. The connection between the two sixteen‑year‑old players became the decisive strike that broke Arsenal.
Mario Götze never thought he would be able to calmly slot a right‑footed shot past Manuel Almunia in a Champions League knockout match to break Arsenal's goal.
"He scores!!! Götze!!"
"Jin Hayes assists Götze, a 2‑0 lead for the visitors!!"
"The youth storm is ravaging North London!"