Football: He suffered a broken leg at the start of the game, but partnered with Haaland!

Favre stood in front of the tactics board, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The team doctor's words hit everyone like a ton of bricks on the back of the head.

Hummels is injured.

This pillar of the defense, an indispensable playmaker in the tactical system, collapsed just before the start of the crucial second half.

"We need to make adjustments immediately." Favre gritted his teeth, quickly erasing some lines from the whiteboard. "Mats is off. Zagadou isn't fully recovered yet. Who can fill in at center-back now?"

The assistant coach frantically flipped through the player roster, his brow furrowed in deep thought. The substitute defenders were too inexperienced; they simply couldn't withstand Schalke's relentless physical battles in the second half.

"Boss."

A steady voice came from the corner.

Everyone turned around. Sun Yang stood up, still wearing his yellow and black jersey stained with grass juice, and the captain's armband was wrapped around his left arm.

"I'll drop back and play as a sweeper," Sun Yang said, looking directly into Favre's eyes, his German pronunciation clear.

The locker room was silent for two seconds.

Haaland ripped off his golden bun, his bright blue eyes widening in disbelief. The Norwegian giant clearly didn't understand this outrageous suggestion.

"Son, you're the midfield maestro," Favre said, his brow furrowed. "I know you want to help. But Schalke will definitely bombard our penalty area with headers in the second half. Not just anyone can play center-back."

Sun Yang walked to the tactics board, picked up a pen, and drew a circle heavily at the top of the penalty area.

"In the third training session after the quarantine was lifted, the team had a scrimmage." Sun Yang turned to assistant coach Terzić. "Akanji went to the toilet, and I filled in as a center-back for twenty minutes. In those twenty minutes, the starting lineup didn't manage a single shot on target."

Assistant coach Terčić suddenly remembered: "Right! I was on the sidelines at the time! Son's anticipation and positioning were unbelievably accurate!"

Sun Yang threw his pen on the table: "And in the recently concluded U23 Asian Cup, against Uzbekistan, I played as a deep defender for half the game. Sir, you can check the video data. When I was in the backfield, my defensive interception success rate was 100%."

Favre stared at Sun Yang for a full five seconds.

The veteran coach is acutely aware of the current situation. Schalke is playing with a frenzy; sending young defenders up there would be suicide. Only someone like Sun Yang, with top-tier football intelligence and physical strength, can keep the team in check.

"Alright." Favre slammed his fist on the tactics board. "Let's do it! Delaney, you're on a yellow card, they'll definitely try to foul you, you come off. Dahoud, Witsel, you two come on, take over the midfield! Son, drop back to the last line of defense. Akanji, Piszczek, support from the flanks!"

With the tactical arrangements complete, the gate was pushed open.

The Westfalen Stadium was deserted, the wind blowing through the empty stands. There were no battle songs from the south stand, only the hoarse shouts of both coaching staffs.

Schalke 04's players were already in position. Several midfielders visibly paused for a moment upon seeing Dortmund's formation.

"Fuck, why is that Asian kid hiding in the penalty area?" McKinney pointed at Sun Yang, who was standing on the edge of the penalty area.

Zelda spat and sneered, "Afraid of getting kicked, so they've gone soft. Good! Coach Kramer said to go all out. Since he wants to defend, we'll turn that defense into a sieve!"

On the sidelines, Schalke coach Cramer noticed Sun Yang dropping back and excitedly waved his arms, shouting, "Push up! High ball! Throw it into the box! He can't defend against headers!"

The referee blew his whistle, and the second half began.

Schalke 04, like hungry wolves, abandoned the midfield transition entirely. Wing-backs Oczipka and Kenny frequently overlapped on the flanks, bombarding the Dortmund penalty area like cannonballs.

Fifty minutes.

Schalke crosses the ball from the right wing!

The powerful cross sent the ball hurtling towards the far post of the six-yard box. The 1.85-meter tall center forward, Raman, surged forward, ready to head the ball.

Akanji was subtly tugged at in his jersey by Rahman, causing him to jump a beat too late.

Just as Raman was about to seize the landing point, a figure in yellow and black stripes, like a cheetah, suddenly appeared from the side!

It's Sun Yang.

He didn't even look at the ball's trajectory. Maldini's defensive anticipation kicked in! His brain was like a precision radar; with just a glance at the angle of the passer's ankle, he was already positioned two seconds in Raman's path.

Just as Raman was about to push off the ground, Sun Yang rammed into him head-on.

boom!

The high-speed impact of muscles and bones produced a dull thud. Raman tried to overpower the opponent with his sheer size, but the force of the recoil from the shoulder impact sent half his body numb. Did this kid have steel plates shoved into his body?!

The formidable core strength kept Sun Yang completely still during the intense confrontation.

Using the force of the rebound, Sun Yang leaped into the air. His waist and abdomen executed a highly tense, extreme folding motion in mid-air.

Klinsmann's heading ability!

Sun Yang's neck veins bulged as he headed the falling ball with a powerful strike!

boom!

The ball was propelled out of the penalty area by the force of the impact, hurtling towards the center circle. Raman lost his balance and fell flat on his back on the grass, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.

"Beautiful!" Duan Xuan jumped up in the broadcasting booth. "Sun Yang's defense was incredibly tough! He held his own against the European striker's aerial bombardment! That header clearance was definitely at the level of a top European center-back!"

Tao Wei nodded repeatedly: "This defense is played with brains! He's not chasing the ball, he's marking the player! So smart!"

Schalke 04's offensive continued. Having failed in the air, they began attempting ground penetration.

In the 55th minute, Zelda and McKennie played a one-two in the middle, with Zelda outmaneuvering Witsel and dribbling into the edge of the penalty area, ready to unleash a long-range shot.

"Piszczekka with his left foot! Akanji cuts inside!" Sun Yang's roar echoed in the penalty area.

He didn't rush into tackles blindly, but stood firmly near the penalty spot, precisely blocking the only opening in the space where Cerdar played a through ball to the center forward.

With his passing lanes cut off, Zelda had no choice but to grit his teeth and force a long-range shot.

Just as he was about to unleash a furious shot, Sun Yang's body seemed to spring forward, taking a step to the side.

boom!

The ball hit Sun Yang's inner thigh and deflected directly out of bounds.

In the ensuing corner kick, Sun Yang once again displayed his formidable aerial prowess, overpowering the tall center-back Sané to head the ball out of danger.

For the next fifteen minutes, Dortmund's backfield was subjected to a barrage of attacks from the opponent.

Schalke 04 pushed their stamina to the limit. They used every trick in the book: crosses from the left, breakthroughs on the right, and long-range shots from the center.

But in Dortmund's penalty area, Sun Yang is like a stabilizing force rooted deep in the grass.

He always manages to appear in the most dangerous position a second in advance. A clean sliding tackle brought Raman down, ball and all; a precise close-quarters battle left Caligiuri with no room to turn.

Under Sun Yang's direction, Akanji and Piszczek's runs were perfectly coordinated. The entire defensive line was like a cold, precise meat grinder, shredding Schalke 04's rough attacks to shreds.

On the sidelines, Schalke coach Kramer's face went from flushed red to ashen.

He checked his watch; the match had been going on for sixty-five minutes.

The backlash from the relentless attack is coming. Schalke players' stamina is rapidly collapsing, their sprints are becoming sluggish, and passing errors are increasing exponentially.