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

Gasperini, standing on the sidelines, kept his hands in his pockets, his eye muscles twitching involuntarily.

The big screen was repeatedly replaying Sun Yang's abnormal attack trajectory: a rapid cut inside from the right flank, a drop in the shoulder, a lateral movement to break free, and finally a powerful, physics-defying inward spin slash with his left foot.

At that moment, the image of the recently retired bald Dutchman popped uncontrollably into the mind of this Serie A tactical mastermind.

Arjen Robben!

Every defender in the world knew that bald guy was going to cut inside from the right wing and shoot with his left foot, but no one could stop him! The step frequency, the folding amplitude of Sun Yang's movement just now, and even the strange shaking and power exertion of his ankle at the moment of contact with the ball, were simply like "The Flying Man" possessing him!

"What the hell..." Gasperini muttered in a mix of Italian swear words. This wasn't even part of the defensive plan he'd spent three sleepless nights working on!

On the other side, in front of the home team's bench, Dortmund's head coach Favre and assistant coach Terzić excitedly bumped chests in celebration. Both were flushed with excitement.

"Well done! I knew this kid would use this trick!" Terzic roared excitedly.

Favre, unusually, made no attempt to hide his smile. This twenty-year-old captain had an arsenal that seemed bottomless. You could never guess what devastating weapon he would pull out next to forcefully rewrite the script.

On the field, the towering Haaland was the first to rush over and lift Sun Yang high in the air. Sancho, Witsel, and others gathered around to celebrate.

Even without the cheers of fans in the empty Stadium of Light, the deafening roars from the Dortmund bench were enough to send Atalanta's blood pressure soaring.

After a brief celebration, the game resumed.

Gasperini is not one to give up easily. Taking advantage of a dead ball situation, he dragged the attacking linchpin Gomez to the sidelines, spitting as he quickly explained the tactics.

Since they couldn't stop Dortmund's formation with a single, aggressive attack, they simply crushed it with sheer force! This is the source of Atalanta's confidence in dominating Serie A despite being a team of ordinary players.

Atalanta began to change their formation. Their two wing-backs, Gosens and Hateboer, almost abandoned their traditional defensive positions, instead playing as wingers in Dortmund's half. Possession flowed steadily to Alejandro Gomez, number 10.

As the central chip of Atlanta's berserk machine, Gomez may be short, but he has exquisite footwork and a wide field of vision.

All of Atlanta's attacks need to be orchestrated by him to connect Zapata and Pasalic on the front line.

Gasperini's plan was meticulously executed: widen the width of the pitch with both wings, have Gomez make through passes in the middle, or have both sides frequently combine with crosses from behind the goal line, even if it means having everyone run back and forth at high intensity, he was determined to wear down Borussia Dortmund's defense.

The pressure instantly surged into Dortmund's half.

Faced with Atlanta's overwhelming counterattack, Sun Yang once again demonstrated tactical acumen that shocked the entire audience.

Instead of waiting for a counter-attack in the attacking third, the Dortmund captain made a decision that sent chills down the spines of all the knowledgeable commentators: he dropped deep. His target was precisely locked: to strangle the heart of Atalanta, Gomez.

Sun Yang's brain was like a computer running at supersonic speed at this moment. In the dream training camp, the midfield defensive philosophy of "space cutting technique" personally taught by the Dutch black swans Rijkaard and Gullit was perfectly integrated with the grassy remnants in front of him.

He doesn't play the low-level defensive tactics of Serie A players who pull shirts and kick dirty. He transforms into an invisible wall of sighs, a ghostly presence on the bridge connecting Gomez and the attacking duo.

In the 35th minute of the match, Gomez received the ball in the center circle and turned. His vision swept across the field, and he saw Zapata already making a forward run. Gomez instinctively wanted to send a low through ball.

Just as he was about to exert force with his ankle, a glimpse caught his eye. Sun Yang! That mixed-race kid wearing the number 29 jersey had somehow managed to block his most comfortable passing lane. His position was perfect, completely cutting off the ball's trajectory.

Gomez frowned, forced to slow down by dribbling, and half-turned to try and pass the ball to Pasalic on the left wing.

Just as he adjusted his body orientation, Sun Yang, as if he had X-ray vision, slid and moved ahead of him. His broad shoulders and lower body not only blocked the path but also brought a strong defensive pressure, completely cutting off the passing space on this patch of grass.

Three consecutive feints and probing attacks, each time Sun Yang, as if looking at an idiot, preemptively locked him in position! This wasn't a steal through physical confrontation; it was a suffocating defensive network woven purely from brains and positioning!

This is the secret to Rijkaard's dominance of Serie A in the 1980s and 90s.

Delays and slowdowns force you to make safe, harmless passes!

Gomez broke out in a cold sweat. Forced into a corner by this terrifying pressure, he could only angrily pass the ball sideways to Freuler beside him.

That brief five-second pause was enough.

Witsel and Piszczek quickly returned to their positions, Dortmund's second line of defense was reorganized, and Atalanta's long-planned blitzkrieg was completely thwarted.

In the final ten minutes of the first half, the ball spun futilely outside the defensive barrier set up by Sun Yang.

Whenever Gomez gets the ball, he's nauseated by this high-dimensional defensive positioning; his connection with the forwards is completely severed. Atalanta appears to have more possession, but in reality, they're just passing the ball around aimlessly on the perimeter, unable to even touch the flanks of the penalty area.

"Fuck! What did this Asian kid eat to grow up like this? He has the face of a twenty-year-old but the brain of a thirty-five-year-old monster?!" Gasperini paced anxiously back and forth in the coaching area, his brows furrowed into a tight knot.

Until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

The score remained 1-0. The Hornets, with their lead, walked back to the locker room with their heads held high.

Inside the players' tunnel, heavy breathing mingled together. The intense shuttle runs had left both teams' jerseys clinging to their backs, and their cleats pounding against the concrete of the tunnel with dull thuds.

The atmosphere in Dortmund's locker room was electric.

Haaland took a big gulp of water and yelled at Sun Yang, "Bro! That shot you just made was awesome! Remember to pass me a few more in the second half, I'm going to beat that black, strong guy named Zapata over there!"

Favre clapped his hands loudly to take control of the situation:

"Quiet down, everyone! Atalanta will definitely pounce like mad dogs in the second half. Keep your formation in place! Son, your predictions are textbook perfect. In the second half, keep Gomez pinned down on that patch of grass and cut off their attacking hub."

In the away team's locker room, separated by only one wall, the air pressure was so low it was suffocating.

Gasperini walked to the tactical blackboard with a sullen face, grabbed the yellow magnetic sticker representing Dortmund's number 29, and slammed it hard on the table.

"Stop letting him wander around like he's strolling in a park! In the second half, raise the defensive intensity to the yellow card warning line! Be even rougher and tougher on the field!"

Gasperini stared at De Roon and Djimsiti, his tone chilling, "Since tactics can't contain him, then let's make him afraid! I want him to think about how to keep his leg from being crippled every time he receives the ball, not how to pass it!"

The coach's instructions were very clear: in the second half, the battle against Dortmund's key player would escalate.