Champion’s Heart

In stark contrast to the reveling Dortmund players were the Barcelona players. %し

When the game ended, many Barcelona players collapsed on the ground, covering their faces with their hands, unable to believe the result.

Before the game started, they never imagined that they would be eliminated at home.

When they tied with Dortmund 0:0 in the away game, they didn't feel that Dortmund would pose any threat to them at all.

But now that I think about it, if they could score a goal on the road, maybe the situation would be completely different... It is precisely because they did not score on the road that made Dortmund so unscrupulous at Camp Nou, because the Germans know very well that as long as they can A goal is an away goal!

Barcelona, ​​which was overconfident in its own strength, has now tasted the bitter pill.

Messi sat on the ground, covered his face with his hands and raised his head. He also tried his best in the game and scored two goals, but he failed to help the team win. These two goals suddenly became meaningless...

In the final stage of the game, even if he tried his best, it would be difficult to break through the iron wall set up by Dortmund. People often use single-handedly rewriting the results of the game to describe the ability of a star of Messi's level, but now it seems that this sentence is not absolutely correct. For example, in this case, he did not rewrite the results by himself. Match Results.

When a team like Barcelona begins to rely on the personal abilities of its stars in the end, it is basically at the end of its rope.

Captain Puyol consoles a crying Busquets.

Iniesta stood there with his hands on his hips, looking around in confusion. He was really surprised by this result.

Suddenly a hand put on his shoulder, and when he looked back, he saw it was his friend Harvey.

Unbelievable, isn't it? Harvey whispered beside him. We actually got eliminated at home.

Iniesta didn't know how to proceed. Xavi continued: But this is football. Everything that happens in the football world is normal, isn't it? The only reason why we were eliminated was because we were We didn’t do as well as our opponents in these ninety minutes.”

When he said this, his eyes kept looking forward. It seemed that there was no focus, but in fact the focus was on one person.

Zhouyi.

Dortmund's number 23 leaned on his teammates.

Raise your arms and join in the celebration.

He was smiling but couldn't hide his fatigue.

This is the price of victory.

But Harvey would rather pay the price and gain a victory.

Now...

Iniesta came to his senses and turned his attention to Zhou Yi. Without asking, he knew that Harvey must be looking at this kid.

Because they also discussed Zhouyi in private, especially after winning the lottery.

Iniesta believes that Zhou Yi's playing style is similar to Xavi's, and Xavi also feels that if he wants to retire one day, then Zhou Yi is his best successor in Barcelona.

But judging from this game, it may be difficult for Barcelona fans to like him.

The huge boos are still fresh in my memory. I wonder if Zhou Yi felt heart palpitations at that time...

Do you still want him to come to Barcelona, ​​Xavi? Iniesta asked.

Sure, why not? Harvey replied. Just because he was able to eliminate us, he is qualified to come to Barcelona.

After saying that, Xavi let go of Iniesta and walked towards Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi, who was celebrating his promotion to the semi-finals with his teammates, was suddenly stopped. He turned back and looked at Harvey in surprise.

Want to exchange jerseys, Zhou? Harvey asked in English.

Of course! Zhou Yi replied simply, turned around, took off his jersey, and handed it to Harvey.

Harvey also took off his jersey, and the two completed the exchange of jerseys.

Before leaving, Harvey said to Zhou Yi: I wish you good luck.

Thank you. Zhou Yi responded politely.

Although both sides fought fiercely in the game and did whatever it took to win, there was no need to go tit-for-tat after the game.

When Xavi came back with Zhou Yi's jersey, Iniesta asked him: What did you two talk about?

Nothing to talk about, just wish him good luck. Harvey lowered his head and put Zhou Yi's jersey on himself. He wore Zhouyi's jersey and it actually fit him quite well...

I thought you would persuade him to come to Barcelona... Iniesta was a little surprised.

I think he is a person with his own ideas, and what others say has little impact on him. Harvey said looking at Zhou Yi.

Yes, otherwise he wouldn't have rejected La Masia in the first place. Iniesta shrugged.

Harvey frowned at the thought. Now it seems that what Barcelona let go was not a rookie who might be successful in the future, but a genius.

※※※

Guardiola also had the same worries as Xavi. At the post-match press conference, reporters asked him questions about Zhou Yi.

Everyone basically agrees that Barcelona's elimination is directly related to Zhouyi's outstanding performance. Then Barcelona's move to abandon Zhouyi will naturally be considered as the root of today's failure. People can't help but wonder - if La Masia kept Zhou Yi at all costs, would this scene now not happen?

So many questions revolve around Zhou Yi. Some people want to hear how Guardiola evaluates Zhou Yi. Some people want to hear whether Guardiola regrets that the club failed to keep Zhou Yi. Some people want to ask Guardiola. Are there any plans to introduce Zhouyi...

Faced with these questions, Guardiola could only refuse to answer - not because he wanted to show off his temper, but because he really didn't know how to answer.

But the questions did embarrass him.

It's already unpleasant to lose, but who would be happy to be questioned like this?

On the other hand, Klopp smiled happily and made no secret of his praise and praise for the team and Zhou Yi when being interviewed by reporters.

And he didn’t forget to rub salt into Barcelona’s wounds:

Our players performed great and I'm happy and proud of them. Zhou Yi? I'm very happy now that we got him.

Isn't this an irony that Barcelona didn't get him in the first place?

However, Zhou Yi himself did not mean to deliberately embarrass Barcelona. When interviewed by reporters after the game, he denied that he originally rejected Barcelona because of conflicts with Barcelona: There is no problem between me and Barcelona, ​​and I am not Real Madrid fans. I did not join La Masia purely because I had already reached an agreement with Dortmund at that time. Although it was a verbal agreement, I was willing to abide by the agreement between me and Dortmund, so I could no longer agree to other teams. Not only Barcelona, ​​if other teams come to me, I will refuse.

So it's just that Barcelona came late? a reporter asked.

Yes, they are late. Zhou Yi nodded. It's not about right or wrong.

A reporter still refused to give up and asked: Then will you join Barcelona in the future?

Zhou Yi smiled: That's another story.

※※※

The duel between Dortmund and Barcelona ended, and the result was unexpected. Dortmund, playing away from home, eliminated Barcelona. The defending champion's road to defending the title came to an abrupt end when eight advanced to four.

This result can be said to be an upset.

Before the game, no one thought that Dortmund, playing away from home, would have the last laugh.

Sports media across Europe are covering the game.

Many of the photos distributed by the media in prime locations showed Barcelona players looking dejected.

Especially the shot of Messi sitting on the ground and covering his face with his hands after the game was widely circulated.

“…Dortmund puts Barcelona to shame!”

Unpopular! The defending champion failed in the quarterfinals!

The battle to defend the Earth ends with Dortmund's victory!

Messi scored two goals, it's hard to save the defeat!

At the same time, this photo appears almost as frequently as the photo of Zhou Yi waving his arms to the stands of the Camp Nou after scoring a goal.

This is also an iconic scene from that game.

The Book of Changes determines the outcome of the game!

Commander-in-Chief of Earth Defense—Zhou Yi!

The well-deserved core of Dortmund! The messenger of victory!

Zhou Yi alone makes the Barcelona superstar eclipse!

...This is the battle that will establish Zhou Yi's status in world football!

Chinese football now has a real superstar!

Of course, most of these sensational headlines were used by Chinese domestic media... The European media used relatively calmer statements, but they still praised Zhou Yi and believed that his performance far exceeded his age and experience.

This is what surprised the experts the most. He is obviously only 21 years old, and even in today's football environment where fame is getting earlier and earlier, he is still a young player, but all his performances on the court make it difficult to compare him with the young boy. The definitions of lack of experience and newcomer are related.

This is also the reason why Dortmund can still perform well with such a young player as its core.

Zhou Yi's age and appearance are both deceptions. If you despise him because of this, you will be unlucky.

※※※

The team returned to Dortmund and enjoyed the welcome from the fans at the airport. This battle shocked the players. Grosskreutz's words during the interview represented the thoughts of the entire team. : I thought we won the championship!

The reporters who interviewed him laughed.

The victory was achieved and everyone was in a good mood. (To be continued.)