As the iconic Champions League anthem faded away, the south stand of the stadium erupted with Dortmund's club anthem.

(Translation: "We stand united and loyal together. Cheer for football! Dortmund! No matter the opponent, we will not lose courage or confidence. Cheer for football! Dortmund!")

The thunderous singing reverberated across the Westfalenstadion, shaking eardrums and threatening to lift the roof off.

At that moment, the south stand commenced their grand display.

Every fan in the section raised a pre-prepared yellow sheet, which together formed a massive image of the Champions League trophy.

Amid the chants, a playful image of a Dortmund figure with binoculars appeared, peering mischievously onto the pitch. Below it, a line of German text read:

"Auf den Spuren des verlorenen Henkelpotts."

(Translation: On the trail of the lost Champions League trophy.)

The knockout stages of the Champions League had arrived, and Dortmund's passionate ultras were showing their unwavering support for their beloved team.

To pull off this impressive display, they had entered the stadium four hours early for rehearsals. The entire effort, including costs, was organized and funded by the die-hard fans of the south stand.

Later, one of the fan leaders revealed that the project had cost a total of €6,000.

However, seeing the shocked expressions on the faces of Inter Milan's players made it all worth it.

It wasn't just the Inter players who were stunned—millions of fans watching the Champions League broadcast were equally astonished.

Standing on the pitch, Ye Chen exhaled deeply.

With fans this fervent, how could you bear to let them down?

A sudden system notification interrupted his thoughts:

"Ding! Main quest issued: Lead Dortmund to victory over Inter Milan. Task reward: 200 points!"

The stakes had been raised!

200 points—it was a mark of respect for Inter Milan's strength.

Ye Chen glanced at the familiar faces of legendary players he had once only seen on TV:

Javier Zanetti, the eternal Inter captain; Júlio César, Brazil's goalkeeping icon; Diego Forlán, Uruguay's legendary striker.

To compete against them in the same match felt like a fire igniting within him.

Ye Chen was positioned as the left winger, directly up against none other than Maicon, the world's top right-back.

As the whistle blew, Lewandowski kicked off, passing the ball back to Shinji Kagawa. The game was officially underway.

Dortmund's home crowd, despite their earlier fervor, finally quieted—except for the south stand. Their fans remained on their feet, too proud to sit, even though seats were available.

Klopp's pre-match instructions echoed in Ye Chen's mind:

"Although they're Inter Milan, and their players are superstars, they've aged! They can't keep up physically. Your job is to relentlessly exploit their weaknesses, especially you, Ye. Maicon is already 30—use your speed to blast past him!"

00:04

Shinji Kagawa passed the ball to Ye Chen on the left wing.

Closing in on him was Zanetti, and Maicon rushed in from behind.

It was clear Ye Chen was receiving special attention from Ranieri's tactics.

Initially, Ranieri had assumed Ye Chen would play as a striker and planned to double-mark him with Stanković and Zanetti, supported by Samuel and Lucio.

However, when the starting lineup revealed Ye Chen as a winger, Ranieri had to make adjustments. Zanetti was tasked with shadowing him as the first line of defense, working with Maicon to shut him down.

Even so, their meetings had concluded one key point: a single defender was not enough to contain Ye Chen.

This was Ranieri's last stand. Losing this match, especially in a humiliating fashion, might cost him the second leg—and possibly his job.

Before the game, Inter's management had already had stern talks with him.

On the pitch, Ye Chen didn't rush his play. Instead, he waited for Dortmund players to position themselves.

Spotting Marcel Schmelzer advancing, Ye Chen passed the ball back.

Zanetti, instead of marking Schmelzer, shifted closer to Ye Chen, cutting off his passing lane.

Ye Chen smiled faintly—he had anticipated this.

This situation had occurred frequently in recent Bundesliga matches, where teams had focused on isolating him.

But the result? Ye Chen's ability to draw multiple defenders created opportunities for his teammates.

Dortmund had been scoring freely, winning 18 of their last 19 matches. The lone draw was during Ye Chen's injury absence.

Lewandowski, in particular, had thrived, scoring eight goals in recent matches—nearly matching his total from the previous season.

Lewandowski knew who deserved the credit. With defenders fixated on Ye Chen, he faced far less pressure, making scoring much easier.

Schmelzer, seeing Ye Chen closely marked, passed the ball to Kehl, who relayed it to Shinji Kagawa.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen sprinted down the left flank, signaling for an overhead pass.

Kagawa, understanding his intent instantly, deftly lobbed the ball into open space near Inter's right-hand side.

Zanetti had positioned himself to block Ye Chen's path but couldn't keep up as Ye Chen surged forward.

Maicon, alert to the danger, tried to grab Ye Chen's jersey, only for Ye Chen to nimbly sidestep him, a move reminiscent of Gareth Bale at his peak.

Even Maicon's desperate sprint couldn't catch him.

Kagawa's pass was pinpoint, landing perfectly in Ye Chen's stride.

Without stopping, Ye Chen used his instep to push the ball forward, heading directly into Inter's penalty area.

Lewandowski, now at the edge of the box, raised his hand, calling for a pass.

But Ye Chen had no intention of passing.

Lewandowski's movement had drawn Samuel and Lucio away, leaving Ye Chen with an opening.

Samuel, realizing the danger too late, rushed to intercept, joined by Stanković.

But Ye Chen was one step ahead.

Without hesitation, he unleashed a ferocious shot!

"Boom!"

All his power condensed into one strike. The ball flew like a white streak toward the goal.

The stadium held its breath. Even the singing fans fell silent, their eyes glued to the action.

Inter goalkeeper Júlio César reacted swiftly, diving with outstretched hands. But from such close range, catching the ball was impossible.

Moments later, César turned in disbelief, staring at the ball nestled in the back of the net.

The stadium fell into stunned silence.

Ranieri, frozen on the sideline, watched Ye Chen intently.

He recalled a recent article by an Italian journalist claiming Ye Chen was out of form.

"Out of form?!" Ranieri thought bitterly. "You call THIS out of form?!"