Robin van Persie scored twice to equalise the score. When the two sides were tied at 2-2, Jin Hayes felt it was quite exciting. This was the Arsenal in his heart; this was a Premier League powerhouse. This was the Champions League knockout stage he wanted.
But in the 71st minute of the match, Arsenal's storm-like offensive never stopped. No matter who had the ball, there were no options for sideways or back passes; almost everyone was passing forward. Cesc Fàbregas particularly loved playing balls behind the defence. If he could give a through ball, he would never pass to the feet. The philosophy was that fortune favours the bold.
An ordinary team playing like this would be wasting possession, but they were Arsenal. After the once-immature Dutch winger Robin van Persie was transformed into a centre-forward by Arsène Wenger, his finishing ability gradually awakened. At this stage, van Persie was already beginning to show the form of his peak years.
Facing Fàbregas's clever lofted pass behind the penalty area, van Persie accelerated to overtake Mats Hummels, successfully beat the offside trap, and without looking back to check the ball, unleashed another left-footed volley without stopping it. The distance was too close, and van Persie's shot was too sudden; Roman Weidenfeller could do nothing about it. The goal was breached for the third time.
3-2!
"Van Persie!! Arsenal has come back from 0-2 down to score 3 goals in a row! They lead 3-2! Wenger's team has shown extreme resilience. Today, the main striker van Persie's form is also unparalleled; a hat-trick has saved the team from the brink!"
He Wei maintained a professional and neutral attitude, also offering his passion for Arsenal's goal. At the same time, he felt regret for Borussia Dortmund. Despite having a 2-goal lead and one foot already in the quarter-finals, Dortmund's defence was not solid, allowing Arsenal to penetrate easily. Or rather, Dortmund was a bit too reckless; they didn't drop back to defend in time, but instead played an open attacking game against Arsenal.
"Arsenal's three consecutive goals were all through balls behind the defence, utilising van Persie as an effective scoring point. Dortmund always likes to rush forward to attack, lacking protection for the backline, which results in too much space. Van Persie can move in and out as he pleases. In a real slugfest, Dortmund's disadvantage becomes very obvious. The high-pressing defence in the first half consumed too much stamina, leading to their current inability to keep up—"
"In addition, Dortmund hasn't produced fluid passing combinations; their progression mainly relies on Jin Hayes's dribbling breakthroughs, which is relatively much less efficient than Arsenal's. Mario Götze's performance in the Champions League knockout stage is still a bit sluggish. Perhaps he's too young and can't let loose in such a big match."
After all, Gong Lei was a seasoned analyst; mispronouncing a player's name was a minor issue. His judgment of the situation on the pitch was precise and clear. The fans were watching in confusion, not knowing why Dortmund had collapsed and suddenly conceded three goals in a row. After Coach Gong's analysis, they finally understood the reason.
"Lord Jin should just come back to my Gunners; there's no future in staying at Dortmund."
"Forming a dual-core with Cesc Fàbregas, I can't imagine how beautiful the front line would look."
On the forum, many Arsenal fans were calling for Jin Hayes's return. Arsenal eliminating Dortmund with Jin Hayes still performing well was the scenario they most wanted to see.
Dortmund fans were not very happy about this.
"On what grounds? If my Dortmund buys two more stars next season, won't we be better than your 'Fighting for Fourth' Gunners?"
"Dortmund is at the top of the table, where is Arsenal?"
"The Bumblebees are the most suitable team for Lord Jin."
As fans from Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern, Real Madrid, and other parties joined in, a massive free-for-all soon broke out in the Jin Hayes Baidu Forum. Seeing Jin Hayes's outstanding performance in the Champions League, every fan hoped he could transfer to their home team next season. Having such a player in your home team was simply the happiest thing possible.
On the pitch, Hummels was extremely dejected. Before coming to the Champions League knockout stage, he was full of confidence. He had defeated Alessandro Del Piero, Miroslav Klose, Raúl, and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Many world-class strikers had been defeated by him. The 21-year-old felt he was the best in the world and didn't take the world's heroes seriously. Two of the goals in van Persie's hat-trick were scored right past Hummels. Strictly speaking, not stopping van Persie was indeed his fault.
Trailing 3-2, Hummels's eyes showed a sense of bewilderment. When he wasn't smiling, his face naturally looked a bit hesitant; now he looked like he was almost about to cry.
"Mats, hey, Mats! Look at me!" Jin Hayes couldn't stand it anymore. The match wasn't over yet, why was he surrendering early? He hurried over to check on his good friend; the guy's eyes were already dazed.
"Mats?"
"Jin, I'm fine," Hummels forced himself to stay calm.
"You coward."
"What?" Hummels was stunned. Why was he being insulted?
"You get bypassed a few times and start whimpering? I suggest you transfer to the women's team for training."
"Damn it! Who said I'm whimpering?" Hummels was already unhappy, and a surge of anger flared up as he glared fiercely at Jin Hayes.
"What, you can only act tough toward your teammates?"
"I—Sorry, Jin."
"That fierceness you just showed was good; at least it proves you're still a man. If you're a man, don't give up. Crush them and win back our pride!"
The reason reverse psychology is a classic is precisely because it works. Distracted by Jin Hayes, Hummels's sadness had vanished, replaced entirely by anger. He clenched his fists, determined to shut down van Persie. How could he let himself be mocked by Jin Hayes?
Dortmund still needed to attack, so Jin Hayes quickly returned to his position, leaving Hummels to his own realisation. Captain Sebastian Kehl, who was nearby, saw it all. He gave a gratified smile, his eyes thoughtful.
The match entered the final white-hot stage. After half an hour of intense attacking, Arsenal's stamina was basically spent. With a 1-goal advantage, they actively sat back to play on the counter.
Dortmund's possession increased again as they organised attacks in the opponent's half.
Unfortunately, Dortmund had been worn down by the Premier League's fast pace. Everyone was exhausted, their legs feeling as heavy as lead. Nuri Şahin was almost forcing himself through the physical discomfort, carrying the ball near the centre circle to try and find an opening.
"Nuri!"
The passing lanes were all blocked by Arsenal; only Jin Hayes still had the stamina to drop back to the defensive midfield position to receive the ball. Nuri Şahin quickly passed the ball over. He was most at ease when Jin Hayes had the ball, not worrying at all about it being stolen.
If Arsenal wanted to stop his dribbling, they had to foul.
Currently, Abou Diaby and Bacary Sagna had already received yellow cards for fouls on Jin Hayes. Cesc Fàbregas had also received a verbal warning from the referee for a previous pushing foul.
Jin Hayes dropped back to receive the ball with his back to the goal. Fàbregas immediately stepped up to block him. Former teammates were now in a one-on-one duel on the Champions League knockout stage.
"Never..." Fàbregas was just about to pick a piece of trash talk, hoping to provoke Jin Hayes and make him lose his cool. Jin Hayes leaned back with his body. Fàbregas felt like he had been hit by a heavy truck. The massive force sent him stumbling back two steps to stabilise his balance, nearly falling on his backside.
Jin Hayes took the opportunity to turn and push the ball for a breakthrough. Fàbregas's centre of gravity was already unstable, and he hurriedly chased after him to intercept. But in the next second, Jin Hayes suddenly dropped his right shoulder, stepped on the ball with his right foot, and performed a one-footed pirouette around Fàbregas.
The waltz steps were staged once again at the Emirates Stadium.
Fàbregas was startled and subconsciously moved his left foot to follow, but in an instant, his legs split apart, and he did the splits on the spot. This was the second time Fàbregas experienced that stretching pain. The last time was a year ago at the Colney Training Base, when he was tricked into the same position by Jin Hayes. The surrounding Arsenal players suddenly had a sense of déjà vu—they had definitely seen this scene somewhere before.
"OHHHH—Jin! He's completely toyed with Fàbregas; the Spanish midfielder has been sent tumbling to the ground!"
"Jin carries the ball toward the penalty area. Song and Diaby are closing in to sandwich him—"
The entire Arsenal team was on edge. They knew that once Jin Hayes got moving, no one could stop him. He was simply a combination of long strides and delicate dribbling. The Arsenal stands gasped in unison. This young player, once overlooked by the fans, had grown into a lethal blade in another team, stabbing toward Arsenal's vitals.
Alexandre Song and Diaby closed in from both sides, attempting to use their bodies to stop Jin Hayes. Even if he was magical and his technical skills were superb, what use was it if the person couldn't get through?
A wall of muscle stood before Jin Hayes.
Going around it would slow down his pace and allow him to be surrounded by Arsenal players. The narrow gap in the middle was quickly closing, giving him almost no chance to squeeze through. Had it been last year, Jin Hayes might have tried to slow down and circle around them. Now that his physical strength was increasing, Jin Hayes intended to challenge himself. He disregarded everything and accelerated, driving the ball straight ahead.
If you're a man, face it head-on.
"Is he crazy?"
"What is he doing?"
"Eh?"
The Arsenal bench cried out in surprise, and even Arsène Wenger frowned as he watched. This was definitely not Jin Hayes's usual style. Could it be that after being praised to the skies by the media recently, this kid had become arrogant?
Before Wenger could think further, Jin Hayes, like a speeding supercar, was about to crash into a solid cliff, destined for a wreck.
Bang!
Song and Diaby converged simultaneously.
The powerful defensive midfielders held Jin Hayes tight, the veins in their arms nearly popping. Any other thin young player would have likely suffered internal injuries from being squeezed by the two. But at the moment of impact, both felt a shock through their bodies, as if they had run into a wall. Using the counter-force, the gap opened slightly, and with a grunt, Jin Hayes forced his way through. His left foot even found the time to nutmeg Song.
When something can be solved with physicality, there's no longer a need for technique. Jin Hayes didn't think this breakthrough was particularly amazing, but from a spectator's perspective, it was simply shocking.
If Jin Hayes's previous dribbling had a bit of artistic flair and a softer style, this time, it was a pure, violent breakthrough of power. Arsenal's two powerful midfielders had closed the door on him, yet he forcibly squeezed through them.
"Phenomenal! Absolutely phenomenal!!" Many veteran fans vaguely saw the shadow of a certain Brazilian legend who used to make impossible dribbles look routine—a perfect combination of speed, power, and skill.
"Jin!! Arsenal simply can't stop him! They can't stop this relentless force!"
"Gallas steps up to press and is bypassed again! He accelerates to overtake him!"
I can't outrun a world-class winger, but I can definitely outrun an ageing centre-back.
Jin Hayes knocked the ball far ahead and simply outpaced William Gallas to charge into the penalty area. Compared to Arsenal's multiple passes and reliance on fluid attacking cooperation to tear open the defence, Jin Hayes simply stopped pretending. His speed didn't slow down at all, like a high-speed train crushing everything in its path. He smashed Arsenal's defence right through the middle.
Kolo Touré was already trembling in the box, and his attempt to intercept was easily bypassed by a Marseille Turn. Jin Hayes was face-to-face with goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
"Fuck this!" Almunia cursed and abandoned his line to rush at Jin Hayes. Whether it was a shot or a dribble, he had concentrated his attention and was ready to dive at any moment. Jin Hayes instead accelerated diagonally to the left with the ball, pulling Almunia out of position.
"It's over."
"It's finished."
The spectators in the Emirates Stadium stands were completely in despair. The goal was wide open, and a striker was already lying in wait. Jin Hayes feinted a shot to trick Almunia into diving, then gently flicked the ball with the outside of his foot. In front of the goal, Alexander Frei was standing almost on the six-yard line, and he easily tapped it into the wide-open net. All the attention had been drawn away by Jin Hayes; no one could spare a thought for him.
Is scoring hard? Frei had once gone more than a dozen matches without a goal. But to say scoring isn't hard—Jin Hayes had completely spoon-fed him the ball; even if he didn't want to score, it would have been hard to miss.
Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler described it this way: "Even my grandmother could have scored that. Jin almost single-handedly destroyed Arsenal, taking the play to the absolute limit! It's truly an unreasonable goal—Jin Hayes's brand of extreme individual heroism! Dortmund has equalised the score again before the end of the match, 3-3! With three away goals in hand, their advantage is immense. The morale Arsenal worked so hard to build has been shattered by this player!"