Champion’s Heart

Schalke 04U17 now has a top card, not only attracting attention in Schalke 04, but also a talented player in the whole of Germany, that is Julian Draxler.

The player born in September 1993 is only fifteen years old now, but he is already the backbone of Schalke 04U17, which shows how outstanding his ability is.

Generally speaking, in the youth football world, age is a gap, otherwise why should there be different age groups? Everyone can't finish playing together?

The reason why this is not done is because the strength of players of different ages varies greatly, which mainly comes from their bodies. It is easier for players who are one or two years older to play players one or two years younger than them, and they have an absolute advantage in terms of strength and speed.

Therefore, when the media describe how talented a certain young player is, they will always mention that he is often transferred to U19 at the age of sixteen. And those who can play in the first-team professional games at the age of sixteen or seventeen are basically defined as geniuses.

Draxler is such a genius who has crossed the age limit.

Schalke 04 currently ranks first in the Western Division, which is inseparable from Draxler's outstanding performance. To use the catchphrase of Chinese fans, Draxler is the thigh of Schalke 04U17.

On the other hand, Dortmund, after Gotze and Schneider left one after another, the team lost its core players, its performance declined, and its performance was not good. There are no star players in the current lineup, comparable to Draxler.

In terms of strength, Dortmund U17 is weaker than Schalke 04U17, but this is their home court, so everything is hard to say.

However, many people feel that this should be a close game. Who can win in the end depends on who plays better and who has better luck.

When the game started, the Schalke 04 youth team did not underestimate the opponent just because their ranking was not as good as them.

This is a derby, and it is impossible to underestimate the enemy.

Coupled with Zhou Yi's outstanding performance in the recent warm-up match, it naturally attracted the attention of Schalke 04.

So after the start of the game, Zhou Yi has already encountered strict marking. Beside him, followed by a Schalke 04 player.

Although Zhou Yi has not shown his ability to be the new core of Dortmund U17 in this game, the treatment he enjoys has begun to feel a bit like a core player...

When Rickon saw this scene,

Instead of frowning and worrying, he was a little happy.

He came to the game this time, on the one hand because of the Ruhr Derby, and on the other hand because he wanted to see Zhou Yi's performance. A series of Zhou Yi's performances in the warm-up match had reached his ears.

But the warm-up match is a warm-up match after all. Zhou Yi said that he is the king of the warm-up match is actually a kind of ridicule, not a great achievement.

Liken wanted to see Zhou Yi's performance in the official competition.

As a player Klopp personally went to Barcelona to dig back, Riken is also very concerned.

The current situation can just test Zhou Yi's ability.

A player who can only perform well in low-intensity warm-up matches, and is in a sluggish state once he arrives in high-intensity official games is definitely not what Dortmund needs, nor is it what Klopp wants to see.

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Zhou Yi thought Schalke 04 was weird, since he knew he was going to send someone to follow him, why didn't he follow him closely?

When he catches the ball, this person doesn't come up, and he comes up after he catches the ball... Do you really think you can't pass the ball?

Zhou Yi felt that the outstanding performance in the warm-up match might not really attract the attention of his opponents. Maybe their coaches still paid attention to it, but when it came to the players, the execution might have to be compromised.

To put it bluntly, I am still an unknown in the German youth football circle, so I don't really think that I have special treatment.

But Zhou Yi doesn't care whether others really treat him as the core. If the other party really despises himself, he won't be angry. Anyway, the one who suffers in the end is not himself, but the person who despises himself, so what's good for him angry?

What he cares more about now is how to help the team score goals.

After the start of the game, Schalke 04 took Julian Draxler as the core, and the football was basically handed over to him, and his personal ability beyond other Dortmund players also made him feel like a fish in water on the wing.

This is a player with fast speed and excellent breakthrough ability. He has repeatedly created crises in Dortmund's defense, making Dortmund's defense jittery.

Zhou Yi can play very little role in defense, what he can help the team is offense.

Offense is the best defense. If you want to reduce the pressure on your own defense, you have to make Schalke 04 realize that their own defense is not impenetrable.

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Schalke 04 player Auri Petrak, who was assigned to follow Zhou Yi before the game, had followed Zhou Yi for almost ten minutes, and he didn't see anything about this kid that his team deserved such a big fight.

And let yourself follow him specifically, the result?

He just knows how to pass the ball and pass the ball, and a lot of crosses and back passes.

As long as a child playing football can do such a pass, what's so great about it?

The coach also told me that this kid is the core of Dortmund. Yes, everyone seems to pass the ball to him, but he does not convert these passes into chances.

If this is the new core of Dortmund, how funny!

Without Gotze, the Dortmund youth team is simply weak.

When Zhou Yi received another pass from his teammate, he quickly passed the football back.

Petrarch grinned—look, why should he post it in the first place?

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When Zhou Yi took the ball again, Petrarch went up a little later than usual, but Zhou Yi did not surprise him and passed the football across.

Petrarch sneered, then leaned behind Zhou Yi and said, You only know how to pass back and cross, don't you?

Zhou Yi looked back at him with a confused expression on his face. Seeing Zhou Yi's expression, Petrarch remembered that the other party was a Chinese, and he must not understand the German he spoke, so he smiled and waved his hands: Forget it, it's nothing. Just treat it as my own. Talk to yourself. Dortmund actually found such a person to be the new core, really... confused!

Zhou Yi glanced at him, didn't reply, just ran away.

He ran to the next spot to catch the ball.

When teammates passed the football, it was more obvious this time, and Petrarch, who was facing him head-on, posted it more slowly.

So when he was slowly going up, Zhou Yi suddenly passed the football sideways, and then accelerated to go around from the inside of Petrarch.

This time, the sudden advance surprised Petrarch, who froze for a moment.

And with Zhou Yi's sudden advance, Dortmund's team also suddenly speeded up!

Mark, who was still near the center line, suddenly ran forward. Of course, there was a Schalke 04 full-back following him, preventing him from easily getting rid of his defense.

The Dortmund youth team player who received Zhou Yi's pass from the wing saw that Zhou Yi had successfully penetrated behind Petrak, so he quickly passed the football over. Come here, there is a pass target.

It was only at this time that Petrarch realized that he hurriedly turned around and rushed towards Zhou Yi.

At the same time, because this place was already close to the 30-meter zone of Schalke 04, Dennis Riport, a central defender of Schalke 04, stepped up decisively, intending to attack Petrak back and forth.

In order to catch the ball, Zhou Yi turned half-turned, his back to the attacking direction.

In everyone's common sense, it is impossible for Zhou Yi to see the situation behind him. As long as he takes the ball slowly, he may be blocked by the opponent, and then Petrarch will attack again, and the ball will be broken.

But Yang Muge, who knows Zhouyi very well, doesn't think so. Although I don't know why, Zhou Yi seems to be very clear about everyone's position on the court.

He didn't think that Rippert's decisive move to grab Zhouyi would not be aware of it.

On the contrary, he felt that this might be Zhou Yi's opportunity.

And this opportunity stemmed from the fact that Petrarch didn't guard Zhou Yi closely enough... That stupefaction is so deadly!

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Rippert thought that he would definitely be able to block Zhou Yi's way, but at this moment, he found that Zhou Yi's right foot with his back turned to him suddenly swiped the football to the inside!

Immediately afterwards he turned around, changed direction, and then got out of front of him!

He avoided his frontal interception!

And what about Rippert himself?

Because of the inertia of grabbing up, he couldn't stop the car and rushed to the front.

The only consolation was his teammates. Petrarch followed Zhou Yi's butt and changed direction and rushed to the middle. At least there were people who could maintain the pressure behind him.

Just when he changed direction and turned into the middle, Mark, who was originally on the wing, suddenly advanced from behind the Schalke 04 winger who had been following him!

And Schalke 04's left midfielder was completely attracted by Zhou Yi's movement to the center. After all, the center was the most dangerous area. He cared about the fate of the team and didn't notice the movement of Mark behind him at all.

Zhou Yi's move to the center attracted almost all Schalke 04's defensive players. Petrak followed behind him, and another Schalke 04 midfielder Ozul Ozdemir also rushed towards Zhou Yi.

Another central defender of Schalke 04, Patrick Weimar, also took a step forward and blocked Zhou Yi. If Zhou Yi wanted to dribble the ball into the penalty area, he would directly face his interception. If Zhou Yi wants to shoot, he can also use his body to block and interfere with Zhou Yi's shooting.

At this time, Schalke 04's left back also moved to the middle, staring at Zhou Yi, closely watching everything that happened at the top of the free throw arc in his own penalty area.

The players of Schalke 04 moved quickly, and soon formed a circle of encirclement for Zhou Yi. It seemed that Zhou Yi could not escape!

But at this moment, Zhou Yi, who was dribbling the ball with his head down, suddenly pushed the football with the inside of his right foot and sent a through kick!

The football passed through the huge gap between Schalke 04 centre-back Weimar and their left-back who were blocking him!

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Hey! Good shot! Riken, who was watching the game from the stands, couldn't help standing up from his seat when he saw this scene.

Because of the viewing angle, he looked down from a high position in the stands, and he could clearly see a gap of about ten meters between Schalke 04's center back and left back.

But this doesn't mean that Zhou Yi, who is dribbling the ball with his head down on the court, will definitely be able to see this gap.

Not to mention seeing Mark ambushing behind!

But he just passed the football over like he really saw it all!

And Mark, who was going forward, accelerated and rushed out from behind Schalke 04's full-back, chasing the football!

Schalke 04's left back took a step forward when Zhou Yi passed the football. He obviously wanted to create an offside - no matter whether there is an opponent's player behind him or not, first create an offside.

While making offside, he looked back behind him, and sure enough, the Dortmund player received the ball behind him!

He raised his arm to signal offside.

But the lineman didn't think so, he didn't raise the flag, but ran with Mark! The signal is clear - Mark is not offside!

Damn it! The Schalke 04 full-back who raised his hand quickly turned around and ran back.

Not only him, the central defender Weimar who had stood in front of Zhou Yi before, and Ozdemir who formed the encirclement all rushed back to the penalty area.

But it's too late!

The ball passed by Zhou Yi was not fast and powerful, but it just made a group of Schalke 04 players unable to react. At the same time, it also makes it very easy for the player who catches the ball to stop the ball and do the next step.

Mark received the ball behind everyone and took it to the center. Facing the attacking goalkeeper, he calmly chose to shoot with his left foot!

The football drew an arc against the turf and went straight to the far corner of the goal!

The Schalke 04 goalkeeper who was attacking had no time to pounce with his hands, so he fell to the ground and tried to block the football with his feet, but he was still a little slower!

The football rolls past his feet!

In full view, rolled into the net...

In the thirteenth minute of the game, the Dortmund U17 youth team led the Schalke 04U17 youth team 1:0 at home!

There was a huge cheer from the stands.

And Zhou Yi turned his head amidst the cheers, and said in German to Petrarch who was standing blankly behind him: I will still make a direct pass! A direct pass!

After speaking, he dropped Petrarch and rushed to Mark who scored the goal to celebrate the goal.

Petrarch stared blankly at his back, speechless.