The Bayern Munich players never would have expected it.
They boasted the League's most successful defense, with an average of just 0.62 goals conceded per game, a staggering lead!
As winter break champions facing the 7th-ranked team in the League, a declining Borussia Dortmund, it shouldn't have been difficult.
The 3-0 away win was the best proof; Dortmund had no power to retaliate at home.
But in the second half, the opposing team brought on two youngsters, one of whom was only 15 years old and Chinese.
How could an existence at the bottom of the football food chain possibly threaten Bayern Munich's formidable backline?
Just 5 minutes!
5 minutes!
Philipp Lahm, one of Bayern Munich's most strong-willed players, felt a sense of powerlessness for the first time in his career.
"Demon, Oriental Demon."
His eyes were hollow, and he kept muttering.
Conceding two goals in 3 minutes, Lahm and his teammates were in a daze, completely unsure how the third goal was conceded.
The viewers in front of their televisions, however, saw it clearly.
CCTV5 guest Tao praised the third goal profusely:
"Yes, Dortmund should play like this! There's no need for fancy passing.
"Klimowicz acts as a pivot in the front, just look for him directly; as long as he can link up with Chen Tao, it'll work every time."
In the footage, the 190cm tall Argentine center-forward—Diego Klimowicz—leapt high to overpower the Brazilian iron guard, Lucio.
Chen Tao happened to make a late run from the back, chesting down his teammate's header, and before landing, he casually flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, nutmegging Mark van Bommel!
He skillfully caught up to the ball just outside the penalty area, coming face-to-face with Bayern's left-back Lell.
Lell was about to reach out and push him, determined not to let Chen Tao pass, even if it meant giving away a penalty.
But Chen Tao took a long stride, pulled the ball back, evaded Lell's shove, and completed a Marseille turn!
Lucio had just run out to contest the header, leaving only Daniel Van Buyten in the box.
Daniel Van Buyten tried to use a shoulder barge to push Chen Tao away, using his body to overwhelm the 15-year-old kid.
However, Chen Tao gave him no chance for a challenge; halfway through the Marseille turn, he back-heeled the ball the moment his back was turned.
Daniel Van Buyten only saw a blur flash before his eyes.
He didn't even get a chance for a physical challenge, being humiliated with a nutmeg!
Chen Tao's consecutive dribbles past 3 players sent German commentator Sauer into a frenzy.
"Oh oh oh oh—My God! The field is completely Chen's stage! Today is his solo performance!"
After nutmegging Daniel Van Buyten, Chen Tao simply chipped the ball with the tip of his foot as Thomas Kraft came out.
The ball drew an elegant arc in front of the goal, bypassing the goalkeeper and the recovering, sliding Lucio, and dropped towards the far post.
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Alexander Frei once again faced an open goal and easily tapped it in.
Dortmund's third goal, from a long ball from the back to the goal, took less than 12 seconds in total!
It truly embodied the essence of German blitzkrieg!
Commentator Sauer couldn't help but exclaim:
"If in the first half Dortmund was an aging, frail boxer, in the second half, with the introduction of two youngsters, they've transformed into energetic newcomers to the boxing ring."
"Perhaps they lack experience, but their moves are quick enough; taking advantage of Bayern's carelessness, they delivered left and right jabs followed by a powerful right hook, three punches in one second, immediately knocking out the boxing champion Bayern Munich!"
"Winter champions Bayern suffer a Black 5 Minutes!"
"Look at this last goal; I can't even remember how many times this scene has appeared."
"Chen only needs to continuously dribble past players in the front, dismantling the opponent's defense; Alexander Frei, on the other hand, has a lot to consider."
"Frey has scored 12 goals in the top scorer list, second only to Luca Toni's 14 goals, ranking 2nd in the top scorer list."
"At least 5 of those goals were tap-ins at the far post, receiving Chen Tao's passes into an open net… In recent rounds, we've seen too many similar scenarios."
The screen cut from the replay to the ongoing match; Bayern Munich had already made substitutions.
The underperforming Klose was replaced by Martín Demichelis.
Captain Mark van Bommel, suffering from fatigue, was replaced by the 20-year-old defensive midfielder, Stephan Fürstner.
Both substitutions were measures to strengthen the defense.
"Clearly, Hitzfeld has chickened out; he wants to secure a point away from home."
Dortmund's unreasonable style of play had made Bayern Munich fearful.
As long as there was a gap in the backline, Chen Tao could weave through the defense like a dragon!
The only silver lining was that Chen Tao's shooting technique wasn't great; otherwise, Bayern would have conceded more than just 3 goals.
...
The match reached the 83rd minute, with the score still tied at 3-3.
"Bayern Munich's substitutions have had some effect; they've strengthened their midfield and defense, while trying to maintain possession as much as possible, not giving Dortmund any opportunities to counter-attack."
"During this period, Bayern adopted man-marking, which somewhat limited Chen Tao's ability to receive the ball."
The substitute defensive midfielder, Fürstner, was young and strong, and his sole purpose was to mark Chen Tao tightly.
He clearly remembered coach Hitzfeld's repeated emphasis.
"Your only task is to limit this person; do not let him leave your 1-meter range, even if he goes to the toilet, you must follow him!"
Fürstner wasn't highly talented, but he had excellent physical attributes, strong willpower, and was good at tackling.
Chen Tao initially didn't pay attention to this short player.
His premonitions were never wrong; if an opponent had the potential to become a world-class superstar in the future, Chen Tao's "spider-sense" could always pick it up.
For example, the scrawny youth in the reserve team, Marco Reus, who was disliked by the coach and had never played for the first team.
But Chen Tao had a strong premonition that Reus would shine in the Bundesliga in the future.
There was also a young midfielder with slicked-back hair on the Bayern Munich bench.
His name was currently unknown.
Chen Tao could tell with just a glance that this guy would definitely be Bayern's future midfield maestro!
He might even become a world-class midfield superstar, standing at the pinnacle of football.
As for Fürstner in front of him, Chen Tao had no such sensation.
Most likely, he was a roadside player, abandoned by Bayern, and would end up playing in the 2. Bundesliga.
Chen Tao initially took the ball, ready to easily toy with the opponent, but the moment he touched the ball, Chen Tao felt like he had been hit by a large truck.
A huge force came, and he spun around, falling to the ground.
Beep—
The referee's whistle blew.
Dortmund teammates anxiously gathered around.
The fiery Argentine Klimowicz stood up for Chen Tao, fiercely confronting Fürstner:
"You want to fight, huh? I'll give you two punches!"
"Get lost!"
The scar-faced Ribéry didn't tolerate it and pushed Klimowicz away.
Just as the Bayern and Dortmund players were about to brawl, both captains quickly pulled everyone apart.
The referee raised his hand and issued yellow cards to Ribéry and Klimowicz, treating both equally.
"Are you okay?"
"Chen! Can you hear me?"
Seeing Chen Tao fall, tens of thousands of people in the Westfalen stands grew anxious with him.
Anna, in the front row, no longer had her usual cold indifference; she watched the field with worry, her hands tightly clasped together, drained of color.
In front of the television, Ding Ru was so nervous she was almost crying, wishing she could fly to Germany immediately.
"What should we do? Is he okay?"
"It's alright, our son will be fine."
Chen Jianping quickly comforted his wife, but couldn't help but worry for his child.
The Dortmund coaching staff was visibly anxious and immediately sent the team doctor onto the field.
Frank rushed over, carrying the medical kit.
"How do you feel? Is there anything uncomfortable?"
"Nothing, just a little dizzy."
Chen Tao had just been collided with and tripped, accidentally hitting the back of his head when he fell, making him a bit dizzy.
Frank conducted a preliminary examination, and temporarily found no risks of concussion, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"If anything happened to you, Anna would be so heartbroken."
"Anna?"
"Nothing, I'll go down now. Be careful not to push yourself too hard."
Frank mysteriously showed a knowing smile, leaving Chen Tao utterly bewildered.
The match resumed, and Dortmund was awarded a free-kick in the attacking third.
After all the commotion, the game was already in the 86th minute; with time running out, Chen Tao was unwilling to settle for a draw.
This free-kick was a good opportunity!
Chen Tao was lurking at the edge of the penalty area, and Fürstner still clung to him like chewing gum.
"Dude, seriously?"
Chen Tao glanced at his jersey, which was almost torn at the seams by the opponent.
Fürstner said nothing, just glanced at Chen Tao with a stern expression, marking him diligently as if facing a formidable enemy.
It wasn't until the referee warned him that Fürstner reluctantly let go of Chen Tao's jersey.
Beep—
Nuri Şahin took the free-kick from the right, sending it towards the far post!
Inside the box, Klimowicz once again outmuscled Lucio to win the header!
He didn't shoot directly; his first instinct was to look for the team's key player—Chen Tao!
"Klimowicz, a header flick-on! To outside the box?"
Commentator Sauer was still puzzled.
Chen Tao had already made his move!
He rushed towards the ball a step ahead, with Fürstner tightly following him, pulling his jersey and not letting go.
The moment Chen Tao was about to receive the ball, Fürstner used his old trick, hoping to knock the opponent down with his body, even if it meant committing a foul.
Fürstner's straightforward mind had no idea that Chen Tao had already anticipated him going for a physical challenge and had moved a step forward first!
"This goal!!!"
Chen Tao's handling of the ball completely stunned the commentators and the audience.
He actually used a back-heeled scorpion kick to control the ball, perfectly evading the opponent's challenge, and using the momentum to turn and dribble past Fürstner from the other side!
The sudden turn of events caught all of Bayern off guard!
Daniel Van Buyten and Lucio were just about to close in for a double-team, when Chen Tao performed an even more unexpected move!
"Chen Tao—"
Accompanied by the commentator's startled scream, Chen Tao, having completed his turn, didn't wait for the ball to land; from just outside the arc, he fully spread his arms, swung his leg—
A volley!
"He's going for it himself!!!"
Bang—
Amidst the shouts of 80,000 people at Westfalen Stadium, the sound of the strike was like thunder!
It turned into a violent flash of electricity, whistling past and flying directly into the top corner of the goal!
"This..."
Goalkeeper Thomas Kraft stood on the goal line like an idiot, foolishly looking back at the net, which had been dented.
Wait, buddy?
Who said he couldn't shoot?