Champion’s Heart

Amid a wave of injuries, Dortmund ushered in their second game of the Champions League group stage, hosting Galatasaray.

Galatasaray lost to Arsenal 1:2 at home in the first round of the group stage.

It was a battle between two teams that both lost.

Therefore, neither team can afford to lose.

Whoever loses will have a much bleaker prospect of qualifying.

In this game, Dortmund also suffered from injuries and was unable to field its strongest lineup.

Mark was interviewed by reporters before the game. He talked about the team's current difficulties, but also showed confidence and fighting spirit.

We all know that the team has not been having a good time recently, but the more this happens, the more we need to unite. Only at this time can our fighting spirit be reflected. I am ready to dedicate everything to the team's victory.

While his teammates were missing games one after another due to injuries, Mark, a player who missed most of last season due to injury, was lucky enough not to be injured this season.

His recent form is indeed good, making people temporarily forget about the departure of Lewandowski.

When the team encounters difficulties, fans also hope that players like Mark can stand up bravely and take responsibility.

Facing the powerful enemy Galatasaray at home, Dortmund can be said to be a last-ditch battle.

For this game, Zhou Yi took his parents to Westminster Stadium to watch the game in a box and cheer for his teammates.

And this game,

The atmosphere in the stadium was also very lively and the Dortmund fans showed their support for the team in this difficult time.

In the 19th minute of the game, Mark, who had expressed a positive attitude before the game, kept his word and opened the scoring for the team!

After Mark scored, the entire West Coast Stadium was like an earthquake.

Assisting Mark was defender Doom, who started in place of the injured Schmelzer, and his performance was also very good.

In the 52nd minute, Royce expanded Dortmund's lead.

In the 80th minute, Dortmund received a penalty kick. Mark, who had already scored a goal in this game, took the penalty and calmly shot the football into the goal.

3:0!

Dortmund finally defeated their opponent at home and won this must-win game.

Ever since Zhou Yi was injured, Dortmund fans have never seemed so happy. Even the 5-0 victory over Freiburg did not make them feel relaxed.

After the game, Mark, who scored twice, was interviewed. He once again reiterated that the team must overcome difficulties together.

...We were able to win the league championship and the Champions League championship because we are a team and a whole!

※※※

After the game, everyone was talking excitedly about Dortmund's victory at home.

Many people even thought that this game might be a turning point, which means the recent bad luck is over.

But people who think this way are obviously too naive.

In the next eighth round of the league, Dortmund challenged Monchengladbach away.

In this game, Dortmund encountered stubborn resistance from their opponents.

And bad luck strikes again.

In the 39th minute, the main goalkeeper Weidenfeller sprained his foot while catching a high ball during the game. He was unable to continue the game and was replaced by Langerak.

Next, in the 80th minute, the two sides were in a stalemate. The main center back Hummels deliberately handballed in the penalty area. Not only was he sent off with a red card, but he also gave Monchengladbach a penalty kick.

Monchengladbach used this penalty to break the deadlock.

Dortmund, one goal behind, could only spend the last ten minutes bombarding Monchengladbach's goal in the hope of equalizing the score.

As a result, Monchengladbach seized the opportunity to counterattack. They conceded another goal in the 86th minute and the defeat was determined...

In the end, Dortmund lost to Monchengladbach 0:2 away from home.

This was not only their first league defeat of the new season, but also the end of their 37-game unbeaten league record...

Since Dortmund lost to Hamburg 2:3 in the fourth round of the league last season, they have never lost again in the next 37 league rounds.

Although the unbeaten record was ended by Monchengladbach, Klopp's Dortmund still set a Bundesliga unbeaten record.

The previous unbeaten record belonged to Hamburg in the 1981-1982 season. At that time, the Hamburg team created a record of 36 consecutive league games without defeat.

Dortmund set a new record when they defeated Freiburg 5-0 in their last game.

It is a pity that everyone feels that if Zhou Yi is here, Dortmund's unbeaten record can continue.

Klopp himself doesn't care about records, or in other words, the unbeaten record is nothing compared to the current injury problems.

Weidenfeller was injured during the game and will definitely miss the next round. Hummels was also suspended for receiving a red card.

Dortmund's already tight first-team lineup is even more stretched.

※※※

Of course, it’s not all bad news during this time.

After losing to Monchengladbach, the biggest good news came that Zhouyi can finally start training with the ball.

Although ball training is still some way away from playing the game, this is always good news and means that Zhou Yi's injury is developing in a positive direction.

Zhou Yi is now the stabilizer that Dortmund needs most. Without him, Dortmund's performance is good and bad. When it is good, it can beat Galatasaray 3:0 at home, and when it is bad, it can be beaten 0:2 away from Borussia Monchengladbach. Gladbach was unable to fight back.

Zhou Yi started training with the ball, which was the focus of reports by Dortmund and Chinese media in the past two days.

It even diluted the depression and sadness that Dortmund felt when they lost the game and the unbeaten record ended.

On Dortmund's official Twitter account, a short video of Zhou Yi training with the ball was posted. In the video, Zhou Yi is wearing a training vest and dribbling the ball around the pile. The video is really short, only five seconds. But from these few seconds, everyone still saw something exciting.

That is, Zhou Yi's movements are not stiff and natural. This at least shows that the impact of his cervical spine injury is not significant.

Now he just needs to wait for him to find the feeling in training with the ball, and he will not be far away from returning to the game.

※※※

If Zhou Yi's comeback is good news, then there is endless bad news surrounding Gundogan.

Just after Dortmund lost to Monchengladbach, the Spanish media Penalty Point exclusively broke the news that Real Madrid had reached a preliminary agreement with Dortmund and would introduce Gundogan for a price of 2000 to 30 million euros.

However, Dortmund later refuted the rumors, saying that the two parties had not reached any agreement.

But this refutation of the rumor cannot be accepted because Dortmund and Gundogan have not yet reached an agreement on a contract extension. As long as the two parties fail to successfully renew the contract for one day, rumors about Gundogan's fate will probably not disappear for a day.

From this point of view, it is correct for Dortmund to finalize the contract extension with Zhou Yi no matter what in the summer. Otherwise, they will now have to face the issue of Zhou Yi's departure and retention, and the top management may be very worried.

Gundogan's future is uncertain, and it is also uncertain when Gundogan will return from injury.

It was originally said that he would be able to return in mid-October, but team doctor Dr. Braun did his latest examination and found that the situation is still not optimistic. I still don’t know when he will be able to return. Anyway, October is It's definitely impossible to get back on the court.

No one expected that an injury that didn't seem very serious at first would drag on longer and longer and become more serious. Now some people feel that if Gundogan can return after the winter break, it should be a good result...

※※※

Dortmund's first-team injury crisis is certainly a bad thing for the team, but it is not necessarily a bad thing for individual players.

For example, Shaheen, if not for Gundogan's injury, it would be difficult for him to get so many stable playing opportunities this season. And he himself performed well, partnering well with Svend in the defensive midfield position.

Another example is Yan Min.

In the ninth round of the league, Dortmund faced Hannover 96 at home. Because there were too few midfielders, Yan Min was selected into the team's roster.

This is his second appearance in Dortmund's league squad this season.

If it weren't for players getting injured one after another, Yan Min might not appear on the roster.

The current wave of injuries also makes everyone look forward to Yan Min's appearance in the game. Since we don’t have enough manpower, we have to give others a chance, right?

But no, Yan Min sat on the bench for ninety minutes and still didn't get a chance to play.

Reus scored a penalty kick for Dortmund in the fourth minute, helping Dortmund take the lead.

But in the next eighty-six long minutes, Dortmund failed to score another goal. Although he took as many as ten corner kicks in this game, none of them converted into goals.

In the 66th minute, Kuba was substituted, replacing Royce, the hero of the goal.

In the 80th minute, young player Jonas Hofmann came on as a substitute for Mkhitaryan.

In the 90th minute, forward Sibel came on the scene and replaced Aubameyang.

In the 94th minute, goalkeeper Langerak delayed the game at the last minute and was shown a yellow card by the referee.

Although a little embarrassed, Dortmund still won the game.

For Dortmund at this time, the result of three points is far more important than the hearty process...

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . Mobile version reading URL: