Chapter 150: The Wasp Without a Sting

"There aren't many fans here!" Dai Zhiwei specifically observed the number of spectators inside the Westfalenstadion during the pre-match warm-up, and at a single glance, the stands appeared rather sparse.

Dortmund's home ground, the Westfalenstadion, is renowned as "Europe's Number One Home Ground."

This title can be analyzed from several aspects.

First, during matches, the Westfalenstadion can hold over 83,000 spectators at maximum capacity, with the famous South Stand alone accommodating 25,000 standing fans, making it the largest single-tier terrace in any European stadium.

Second, Dortmund's traditional team colors are yellow and black, which possess a striking visual impact, frequently turning the stands into a sea of yellow and black.

Third, located in Germany's Ruhr industrial region, a traditional mining area, the local people are naturally bold, unrestrained, and passionate, which undoubtedly makes the stadium atmosphere even more intimidating.

Finally, as a traditional powerhouse in the Bundesliga with an exceptional historical record, Dortmund has attracted a massive fan base. Even during their periods of the poorest historical form, home matches were virtually packed to capacity every single time!

However, in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Villarreal and Dortmund, the Westfalenstadion lost its terror under the shadow of the bombing attack that had occurred just the day before.

On one hand, many Dortmund fans worried that yesterday's bombing attack might happen again at the home ground; after all, football truly does not rank above life and death.

On the other hand, because the match was postponed, many fans who had prepared to watch the game yesterday might not necessarily have the time today.

These various reasons resulted in the Westfalenstadion losing its bustling popularity today!

For Villarreal, this was undoubtedly good news!

Dortmund's starting lineup was also affected by yesterday's bombing attack, as Bartra was injured and sent to the hospital, ruling him out of this match.

Dortmund Starting Lineup—
Goalkeeper: Bürki
Defenders: Ginter, Sokratis, Bender
Midfielders: Piszczek, Kagawa, Weigl, Schmelzer
Forwards: Dembélé, Aubameyang, Guerreiro

Villarreal Starting Lineup—
Goalkeeper: Fernández
Defenders: Gaspar, Musacchio, Ruiz, Jaume Costa
Midfielders: Dos Santos, Bruno, Rodrigo, Castillejo
Forwards: Bakambu, Dai Zhiwei

Because both the "Yellow Submarine" Villarreal and the "Yellow Wall" Dortmund wore light yellow home kits, and because Dortmund's goalkeeper wore a grey jersey that clashed with Villarreal's away kit, Villarreal opted for their flashy pink third kit as the away team for this match.

Dortmund's defensive strategy today was highly targeted: to tightly mark Dai Zhiwei and sever his connection with the rest of the Villarreal players on the pitch.

In Tuchel's view, as long as they could lock down Dai Zhiwei, Villarreal's scoring ability would cease to be a threat!

And that was indeed the case; nearly half of Villarreal's goals this season were directly related to Dai Zhiwei—either he scored them himself or assisted his teammates.

Many teams wanted to suppress Villarreal's offense by neutralizing Dai Zhiwei, but Dai Zhiwei was young, energetic, and sharp-minded. His frequent, sweeping movements up and down the pitch constantly forced the opposing defensive line to shift back and forth, thereby increasing the probability of defensive lapses.

Unless a team was dead set on parking the bus, relying on strong central defender pairings or extremely disciplined team-wide defense to restrict Dai Zhiwei's running space.

However, many teams lacked top-tier central defensive partnerships, and their collective defense could not achieve an impenetrable standard. Therefore, attempts to defend Dai Zhiwei often ended up clumsy and ineffective, shattered to pieces by a flash of brilliance from Dai Zhiwei.

Consequently, the tasks entrusted to Sokratis and Bender for Dortmund today were undeniably heavy.

After receiving the ball, Dai Zhiwei exchanged a few brief passes with Rodrigo, then broke diagonally from the right flank.

Shinji Kagawa immediately blocked Dai Zhiwei's direct route into the penalty area. Dai Zhiwei was in no rush to use his speed to break through; instead, he skillfully manipulated the ball with both feet, making it spin beneath his boots like an obedient pet.

Facing Kagawa, Dai Zhiwei tried using step-overs to confuse his opponent, but Kagawa held his ground firmly, fully aware of what he needed to do. He lowered his center of gravity and kept his eyes locked on Dai Zhiwei's feints.

Ever since being "returned" by Manchester United, although Shinji Kagawa no longer possessed his former overflowing talent, he had matured considerably.

Dai Zhiwei felt somewhat frustrated that the Japanese midfielder refused to bite on his feints, so he decided to break through purely with raw speed.

Without any feint as a prelude, Dai Zhiwei suddenly pushed the ball forward with the outside of his boot, his long legs bursting into rapid motion as he crossed Kagawa's side in just two strides.

A jolt of alarm went through Kagawa's heart. This was his first time directly matching up against Dai Zhiwei, and he had lacked a visceral impression of Dai Zhiwei's speed beforehand. With this sudden burst of acceleration, he immediately realized his initial judgment had been slightly flawed.

Unable to match the pace, the experienced Kagawa deliberately threw his body into Dai Zhiwei to slow him down.

Sure enough, Kagawa's collision from the side and rear caused Dai Zhiwei's stride to stutter. However, the young defender Ginter, tracking back promptly from the frontcourt, overtook Kagawa from behind and used his body to forcefully block Dai Zhiwei's path.

Ginter's defending was exceptionally fierce, allowing Dai Zhiwei to experience firsthand what a bruising defense felt like.

After securing his position, Ginter followed through with an arm motion that slammed into Dai Zhiwei's chest, delivering a numbing pain that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

This forceful positioning had blocked Dai Zhiwei's path to continue his breakthrough, but Dai Zhiwei was not one to admit defeat easily. Using his hands and elbows to push back against Ginter in a continuous tussle, he waited until Ginter's footwork lost its rhythm before suddenly stretching out a leg and hooking the ball back.

The Bundesliga played with wild roughness, but the Chinese Super League was truly the home of martial arts football!

Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, Dai Zhiwei moved his feet fast and his eyes even faster. Spotting Dos Santos's run after pulling the ball back, he played an immediate through ball straight to the flank.

Dos Santos and Dortmund's right-back Schmelzer engaged in a tug-of-war, forcefully bursting past on the outside into the penalty area. Schmelzer showed no weakness either, sliding in to tackle and bringing down both Dos Santos and the ball together.

Dai Zhiwei immediately raised both arms to signal the referee for a penalty kick, but the referee merely glanced twice and ignored the appeal. Schmelzer seized the opportunity to clear the ball upfield, finally neutralizing Villarreal's fierce wave of attack.

Leveraging their home advantage, Dortmund subsequently seized the initiative on the pitch for a period, stringing together several good combinations down the right flank. It was a pity that their final shot lacked precision, failing to breach Fernández's defenses.

Villarreal's passive position on the field forced Dai Zhiwei to helplessly continue dropping deep, though the match had been relatively easy for him so far; Sokratis, responsible for marking him, remained active exclusively near the edge of the penalty area and seemed unconcerned with his movements in midfield.

In the 26th minute, Dortmund nearly took the lead. After a one-two with Piszczek, Ginter surged into the right side of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot that was parried by Fernández. Before Aubameyang could tap in the rebound from five yards out, Musacchio managed to hoof the ball clear.

Villarreal launched a rapid counterattack. Castillejo feinted a breakthrough, his nimble dribbling causing Shinji Kagawa to inwardly groan. Pretending it was accidental, Castillejo passed the ball to Rodrigo, who feinted to drop back before immediately returning the ball to Castillejo, then sprinting at full speed toward the byline.

This was the familiar routine between Castillejo and Rodrigo in this match, and Dortmund players instinctively shifted toward the left corner flag.

Although it was only mid-April, Castillejo had already been pre-signed by AC Milan; next season, Villarreal fans would hardly get to see him play at the El Madrigal.

Right at that moment, instead of playing an immediate through ball, Castillejo swung his right foot to strike the lower middle of the ball, executing a swift and flat cross-field switch to the feet of Dos Santos on the left side of the penalty area.

Concentrated and alert, Dos Santos cleanly trapped Castillejo's pass and surged directly into Dortmund's box.

Facing right-back Schmelzer, Dos Santos showed no fear, his feints becoming increasingly nimble as he constantly tested both sides of Schmelzer. The moment Schmelzer shifted his weight in anticipation, Dos Santos would immediately break in the opposite direction.

Yet Schmelzer held his ground firmly, giving Dos Santos no opening whatsoever.

As the saying goes: The enemy does not move, and I shall not move.

Just as the stalemate persisted, Castillejo drifted over from the right flank, and Rodrigo advanced from behind to support.

Dos Santos hurriedly passed the ball back to Rodrigo, who easily trapped it, scanned the positions of his teammates, and suddenly pushed the ball with the instep of his right foot toward the left.

Shinji Kagawa instinctively raised his leg to block, only to realize it was merely a feint by Rodrigo. Dragging the sole of his left foot across the ball, Rodrigo miraculously changed its trajectory, sending it sliding right through Kagawa's legs.

Having swiftly bypassed Kagawa, Rodrigo sprinted through the central area up to the edge of the box, feinting as if to unleash a long-range shot. Ginter panicked and turned his back to block with his torso.

However, Rodrigo suddenly executed a short pass, feeding the ball directly to Dai Zhiwei, who had shaken off Sokratis and surged straight into the penalty area.

As the ball flew into the box, Bender and goalkeeper Bürki both rushed out to block it, but Dai Zhiwei was the first to reach the ball between them.

With a gentle flick of his long leg, Dai Zhiwei directed the ball up and over the back of Bürki's head.

Dortmund goalkeeper Bürki was somewhat similar to Arsenal forward Giroud: you praise his quality, and he immediately slaps you in the face; you call him a liability, and he turns around and slaps you again.

He belonged to the rare breed of face-slapping goalkeepers.

This time, Bürki showcased his divine side. With a courageous leap and a backward tilt, he managed to poke the ball with his fingertips. The ball's speed was drastically reduced as it struck the crossbar and rebounded back into the penalty area.

What a miraculous reflex!

Just as Dortmund fans felt a moment of relief, a white figure suddenly rushed out from the goalmouth toward the rebounding ball.

As it turned out, Bakambu, positioned near the goal, had made a rapid forward run the moment Dai Zhiwei attempted his chip. Anticipating the rebound, the Congolese forward reacted sharply and flicked a header.

The ball sailed over the grounded Bürki and flew straight into the exact center of the empty net.

Bakambu broke the deadlock for Villarreal first, making it 1:0!

With a wide grin, Bakambu ran and laughed, and Dai Zhiwei almost failed to restrain the jubilant black powerhouse.

Following Bakambu's opening goal, the dynamic on the pitch instantly shifted. It was clear that Dortmund would not easily accept defeat at home, nor would they settle for a draw. They quickly altered their tactics, frequently engaging in fierce pressing in the frontcourt and launching attacks right from where they won the ball.

Rodrigo intercepted the ball in the backcourt and played a direct pass to Dai Zhiwei in the frontcourt.

Before Dai Zhiwei could even receive the ball, Sokratis slammed into his back from behind. Caught off guard, Dai Zhiwei staggered, but fortunately quickly regained his footing and claimed the ball first.

Yet no sooner had he turned with the ball than another Dortmund player charged forward.

Bender rushed in ferociously to contest the ball with Dai Zhiwei, the two colliding heavily.

Dai Zhiwei gritted his teeth, brushed past Bender, shielded the ball, and prepared to change direction for a breakthrough, only for the persistent Bender to execute a scissor tackle, tripping him to the ground.

Through gym training, Dai Zhiwei had made his physique look considerably sturdier, though he was still only slightly better than lightweights like Messi and Neymar, far from the monstrous level of a Drogba. Dortmund's continuous fouls had consumed a significant amount of his stamina. Lying on the turf and panting heavily, he silently protested to the referee.

Sure enough, the protest was effective.

The referee brandished a yellow card at Bender, ignored Bender's protests, called him over, and delivered a stern verbal warning.

Dortmund's incessant fouling in the frontcourt had reached a point where even the referee could no longer tolerate it, let alone players with fiery tempers.

Earlier, a player altercation had already broken out following a malicious foul by Schmelzer on Castillejo—Schmelzer had executed an overly aggressive sliding tackle that carried both Castillejo and himself straight across the sideline.

Dai Zhiwei and Musacchio, the two Villarreal players least afraid of escalating tensions, immediately surrounded Schmelzer and let loose a barrage of verbal abuse. A pack of German lads showed no fear whatsoever, locking horns with the Yellow Submarine players.

The referee hurriedly separated the players of both teams, handed Schmelzer a yellow card, and once again summoned the captains of both sides for repeated warnings!

Up to this point in the first half, the referee had roughly tallied Dortmund's fouls against Villarreal. Taking Dai Zhiwei, Villarreal's active attacking spearhead, as an example, in less than a half of play, Dai Zhiwei had already been fouled no less than 10 times.

While the Dortmund players were still protesting and casually jogging back to defend, Rodrigo seized the opportunity of the opponents not being set and immediately took a quick restart.

The Dortmund players were strolling lazily, not expecting the Yellow Submarine to execute a quick free kick. Scrambling to track back in a desperate panic, they once again directed a flurry of protests toward the referee.

However, the referee refused to blow the whistle to stop play, chasing after the ball as it headed toward the frontcourt.

A prime counterattacking opportunity for Villarreal!