Chen Tao realized a problem.
Normally, his god-tier ball control, gained by sacrificing his shooting skills, allowed him to easily shield the ball, dribble, and break through defenders.
As long as the opponent wasn't fast, he could easily get past them in a 1v1.
If the opponent was fast and caught up, he'd just beat them a second time!
If the opponent wanted to challenge him physically, he'd use the moment of collision to quickly dissipate the force, escape the control range, pull the ball back, turn, and evade the defense.
Unless the opponent had exceptionally strong physical qualities and knocked him down.
Of course, in most situations Chen Tao encountered, the opponents would resort to dirty tricks out of frustration, like pulling his jersey, bear-hugging him to wrestle him down, or even grabbing his crotch, using every means imaginable.
This completely threw Chen Tao off.
"No, really, guys? Are you going to pull a wrench out of your pants later?
Are you car mechanics or something?"
Fortunately, Bundesliga referees were stricter with their whistles, much stricter than the Premier League.
They generally protected young, technical players.
During his trial at Arsenal, Chen Tao had experienced the Premier League's intensity, which was comparable to UFC fighting.
With his current small physique, it would be quite difficult for him to cope in the Premier League.
In short, whether on the wing or in the center, Chen Tao's most confident and incisive weapon was his individual breakthrough.
Now, his individual breakthrough seemed to have encountered a problem.
That damn Werder Bremen actually resorted to defensive containment!
A 2-2 draw, they were stubbornly defending within the 30-meter zone, refusing to come out!
With limited space, Chen Tao could only try to open a gap on the right wing first.
"Pass the ball here!"
He received the ball and had just used a step-over to shake off left-back Pierre Wome when left-winger Max Kruse charged up again, lunging into a reckless tackle!
Chen Tao reacted quickly and dodged it!
"Max Kruse!! That tackle was too dangerous, isn't the referee going to show a card?"
The commentator Sauer was dissatisfied with this decision.
However, the referee, seeing no injury caused, chose not to blow the whistle.
"Werder Bremen coach Schaaf has conceded defeat; he replaced his core player Diego with left winger Max Kruse specifically to defend Chen Tao."
"Chen Tao's pressure is too great; they must add more defensive players to stop him."
"Parking the bus in front of the box has limited the other Borussia Dortmund players; there are defensive players everywhere, it's too crowded."
With the opponent playing dirty, Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Doll was also at a loss.
He was already prepared for a 2-2 draw at home.
However, Chen Tao was not reconciled; he was still looking for an opportunity, and as time ticked by, he knew he had to do something!
First, he ruled out shooting himself.
Observing the situation on the field, it seemed only an extremely exquisite cross could find a teammate.
Otherwise, a normal pass would easily be intercepted by the opponent's dense formation.
But Chen Tao's other skills were only considered basic.
Passing, shooting, set pieces, defending—these were not included in his "talent package."
Chen Tao originally thought that being able to break through was enough; as long as his basic passing didn't result in turnovers, a 70% success rate was sufficient for a match.
Now it seemed that when his teammates couldn't be relied upon, he needed to step up and perform at 80%, or even 90%!
To deliver those master-class passes like Xavi or Pirlo!
"Finding fleeting windows through tight spaces and delivering exquisite surgical passes."
"Precisely passing the ball 60 meters to a teammate's most comfortable dominant foot."
Given Chen Tao's dedication, with the sweat he poured into extra training every day, his other abilities would surely grow.
At this moment, what could he do?
He couldn't instantly transform into masters like Xavi, Iniesta, De Bruyne, or Pirlo.
Wait a minute?
What is this feeling?
When Chen Tao broke through on the wing again, he suddenly discovered a pattern.
Every time he successfully dribbled past an opponent five times, a warm current would flow from his right foot, surging through his entire body!
At that moment, his next pass seemed to be more accurate?
The moment he passed, he entered a flow state; the contact point, trajectory, and arc could all be perfectly controlled!
He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt incredibly confident; if he passed, it would connect!
He hadn't noticed it during the intense match earlier, but his right foot's warmth was now too obvious, and Chen Tao easily noticed the difference!
Could it be?
With the time already in the 91st minute of injury time, he had just created a space while holding the ball on the right wing.
His teammate Alexander Frei surged into the box for a final push…
He had to deliver a 100% perfect cross to his teammate.
Previously, Chen Tao might not have been so confident, choosing to pass back or force his way into the box with his skills.
But now, Chen Tao was full of confidence!
"Here it comes, a perfect pass!"
His instep made perfect contact with the ball!
The right-footed curled shot rotated intensely in the air, tracing a perfect, artistic arc!
It successively bypassed the heads of two Werder Bremen center-backs, then quickly dipped at the far post!
The top striker, Frey, who was among the crowd, had already given up hope.
A 2-2 draw seemed acceptable.
At that very moment, the ball was like a guided missile, remotely controlled to bypass all obstacles and descend right in front of him!
The pass was so perfect that Alexander Frei was shocked!
Fortunately, he was an experienced National Football Team player, Switzerland's top star.
Frey instinctively swung his leg, not stopping the ball, but directly tensing his right instep and unleashing a powerful, ferocious shot that found its mark!
Bang—
The ball created a huge echo inside the stadium, like a battleship's main gun firing!
The shot whistled through the goal, and Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese had no reaction, watching helplessly as the ball slammed into the net!
"Alexander Frei—"
"Game-winner!!! Game-winner!!!"
"A magical night! Borussia Dortmund scores a game-winner in injury time!"
"Chen Tao delivered a perfect debut! An assist hat-trick, helping the team to a 3-2 comeback victory!"
"After being down by two goals, Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Doll sent on their secret weapon!"
"They did it!"
"Tonight, the Westfalen Stadium belongs to yellow and black!"
…
"Excuse me, for your second goal in the six-yard box, at such close range, why did you selflessly pass the ball instead of shooting yourself?"
"Chen Tao, what was your mindset at the time? A typical striker would surely score from such close range. Do you prefer assisting teammates?"
After the match, Chen Tao received a rating of 13.0 and was awarded MVP, his second career MVP, and his first Best Player award in the League.
To be precise, his professional rating was 9.6.
Germany's Kicker magazine's official website commented: "The absolute core who came off the bench to turn the tide of the match, the only key player."
With such a sensational performance, Chen Tao was inevitably pulled into the interview area and bombarded by reporters.
Leaning against the sponsor's backdrop, he appeared quite helpless.
What am I supposed to think?
I wanted to shoot too!
But I just can't score!
Unless I dribble past the goalkeeper and shoot into an empty net from the goal line.
Otherwise, no matter how close, it's not guaranteed!
Chen Tao, from inside the six-yard box, could hit the goalkeeper, or the post, or shoot wide.
Even shooting over the bar from within one meter wasn't uncommon; there have been many similar outrageous shots in football history.
Chen Tao dared not gamble!
He could only choose to pass across; anyone who touched it could score, as long as he didn't shoot.
Winning was more important than scoring!
"Then, about your assist in the final moments of injury time, how did you deliver such a brilliant cross?"
Chen Tao's final cross would be replayed and analyzed repeatedly by experts, who would praise his exquisite footwork.
But he was equally speechless.
Was he supposed to say his talent had evolved?
"There is only one secret, and that is sweat."
Facing the camera, Chen Tao's image grew more imposing, his words resonating: "Professional players, the sweat they shed on the training ground, will all be reflected back to them in the match!"
"The reason I can deliver such a ball is nothing more than putting the effort others spend at nightclubs into extra training…"
This interview, paying homage to Mr. Lu Xun, was widely reprinted by German media.
Major newspapers published Chen Tao's secret to success.
Even the German football emperor Beckenbauer noticed this young man, his eyes full of admiration.
"He is one of the most talented youngsters I have ever seen, his future is immeasurable.
Having talent is not scary; what's scary is having such talent and still working so hard!"
All at once, his Bundesliga debut against Werder Bremen made Chen Tao famous overnight, stirring up considerable buzz in German football!
Even in the distant Eastern superpower, portal websites like Sina Sports, Tencent Sports, and Sohu Sports, amidst news reports of many top European football stars, gradually began to feature a Chinese name.
Chen Tao!
"15-Year-Old Prodigy's Bundesliga Debut: Assist Hat-Trick Shakes German Football"
"We Finally Have Our Own Messi! Genius Teenager Rises to Prominence in the Bundesliga!"
"The Only Ray of Hope in Chinese Football's Darkness: Chen Tao Emerges to Lead Team to Comeback!"