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

Four days ago, Arsenal left a mess at the Stadium of Light, suffering a humiliating 0-6 defeat and being swept out of the stadium by Borussia Dortmund.

At the post-match press conference, veteran manager Favre erupted in fury. The usually composed old man slammed the microphone on the table, pointed at the long lenses of the English media below the stage, and angrily denounced Arsenal's barbaric tactics of targeting injured players, questioning on the spot where UEFA's bottom line was.

The retaliation came swiftly. UEFA's disciplinary committee issued a ban, directly suspending Favre and disqualifying him from standing on the sidelines to manage the team in the next match.

Four days later, on the night.

Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal. The final battleground of this year's Champions League.

There were no fireworks displays, no deafening roars from 60,000 fans. Under special circumstances, all the stands were empty, tens of thousands of red seats forming a silent sea under the cold light. No outside spectators were allowed in.

This was destined to be a historic, silent Champions League final held in a tournament format.

At this moment, a breathtaking battle is unfolding on the green field. The two sides clashing are Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. These two Bundesliga powerhouses just fought tooth and nail for the title in their domestic league, and now they've met again on the biggest stage in Europe.

Unfortunately, Dortmund's starting lineup was so depleted it was disheartening.

Three people were sitting in the empty VIP stands on the west side of the stadium.

Haaland propped his right leg straight up on the back of the front seat. His thick right calf was encased in a heavy, cement-like gray medical brace, with two cold aluminum crutches standing beside him.

Sun Yang sat to Haaland's left, wearing a black training jacket with his hands in his pockets. Because of the red card he received in the previous game for his impulsive outburst, he could only watch from the sidelines this time.

Veteran coach Favre sat to Sun Yang's right, clutching a tactics manual. Suspended and unable to go anywhere, the old man was trapped in the stands, forced to watch his team struggle on the field. Tonight, only young assistant coach Terčić was shouting in his place from the technical area.

Without their midfield maestro and striker, Borussia Dortmund's attacking line was like a disorganized mess.

Even more despairing is that their opponent is the Bavarian giants who just days before shattered Barcelona's pride with an 8-2 victory and crushed Lyon 3-0. This Bayern team, whose form has reached a terrifying peak, exudes a bloodthirsty ferocity and is determined to wash away the shame of losing the Bundesliga title with a massacre.

In the 15th minute, Bayern's high pressing was like a raging storm.

Thiago made a fierce tackle on the left wing, cutting off Piszczek's passing lane, and then snatched the ball and passed it to Alphonso Davies, who was making a run down the wing like a sports car.

Young Davis floored the accelerator, using his raw muscle power to overpower the aging Hummels. Reaching the byline, he unleashed a low, powerful cross.

The ball flew like a low missile, forcefully tearing through Dortmund's central defenders' defensive penalty area and heading straight for the penalty spot!

Thomas Müller, nicknamed "Second Child," arrived like a ghost and unleashed a powerful shot.

Bürki, like a god descending to earth, made a spectacular diving save, tipping the ball out of bounds. The ball slammed against the electronic "GG" sign outside the field with a deafening thud.

The loud bang was amplified in the empty stadium, making everyone's heart skip a beat.

On the sidelines, Terčić was sweating profusely, waving his arms and shouting for the midfielders to immediately retreat and take their positions.

Haaland, frustrated to the extreme in the stands, slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of his seat, making his crutches clang loudly.

"Fxxk! This is a one-sided beating!" Haaland roared in broken Norwegian English. "Son, we can't even get past the halfway line! Brandt is like a soft toy up front, and Süle, that bear, can just casually get on his body and he can't even touch the ball!"

Sun Yang leaned back in his seat, his eyes calmly surveying the situation on the field. His hands, tucked into his pockets, were already clenched into fists.

"Bayern's high pressing line is too far forward." Sun Yang's tone was calm, yet revealed the sharpness unique to a midfield commander. "Goretzka and Thiago have completely cut off the central passing network. Judy is still too young; under this kind of top-level pressure, his passing is always a beat too slow. Now, the only way to break the deadlock is to gamble on Sancho having a breakout performance on the wing."

In the 35th minute, Dortmund finally caught their breath after being suffocated.

Delaney unleashed a fierce attack in the backfield, pulling and tugging at Coman with his body, and then unleashed a long pass that accurately found Sancho on the left wing.

Sancho chested the ball down perfectly, and facing the pressing Pavard, he performed two dazzling stepovers with his feet, accelerating and changing direction at the extreme, directly blew past the defense and into the penalty area!

But Dortmund's penalty area was severely lacking in players! Brandt was the only lone support player, and he was sandwiched between Boateng and Alaba like a dumpling.

Sancho made a snap decision, didn't pass the ball, and suddenly unleashed a powerful shot with his right foot!

He unleashed a powerful, near-corner shot just one second before Boateng could make his sliding tackle.

However, Neuer was in goal. The German goalkeeper stretched out his body horizontally, like a moving wall, forcefully keeping this sure goal out of the net with one arm!

Haaland, in the stands, clutched his head in anguish and let out a mournful howl of despair.

Sun Yang closed his eyes and slowly exhaled a sigh of frustration. If Dortmund had had someone with absolute sprinting speed to get to the near post, Bayern's defense would have collapsed there. Unfortunately, they lacked a decisive, game-winning sniper on the field.

With the referee's long whistle, the agonizing first half came to an end.

The score on the big screen remained 0-0. The entire Dortmund team seemed to have endured forty-five minutes of hellish torture, clinging to life by sheer willpower to keep their goal intact.

The players from both sides walked back to the locker room with heavy steps, and the Stadium of Light fell silent once again.

In the VIP stands, Favre silently closed the tactical notebook he had crumpled up a bit. The old man reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a mint, slowly unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.

"Erling, Sun. There are some things I want to tell you now."

Favre turned his head and looked at the two people beside him, the greatest pride of his coaching career. The old coach's eyes were a little red, his voice was hoarse, and he could not hide his fatigue.

Sun Yang sensed something was wrong and turned to stare at the coach. Haaland also stopped twisting the water bottle.

"I'll retire when the final whistle blows in this final. I won't coach any more first teams after that." Favre's tone was calm, yet it was as if he had dropped a nuclear bomb on the quiet stands.

Haaland was so shocked that his mouth dropped open, and his hand trembled, almost causing the water bottle to fall onto his leg in the cast.

"Old man, can you stop joking around at a time like this?" Haaland snapped, forgetting all about respect. "We just beat Bayern to win the Bundesliga title! Next season, we're going to dominate all of Europe. How can you just walk away like that?!"

Favre smiled and waved his hand, pointing to his left chest.

"My heart has reached its limit. In the past few months, in order to study tactics and deal with those tough opponents, I can only get a little sleep at 3 a.m. every day by taking medication. The blood pressure of top-level competition is too much for a 62-year-old man."

The veteran coach turned his gaze to the coaching bench in the distance, the place where he had fought.

"I submitted my resignation to the club yesterday. Dortmund needs a more dynamic coach who can connect with you talented beasts. The young Terčić is a great candidate; his tactical philosophy is very much in line with modern football, and he understands you all very well."

Sun Yang sat there quietly, without saying a word.

His gaze swept over the old coach's graying temples and the deep wrinkles around his eyes. This usually gentle and refined old man, just days ago, had slammed his fist on the table and lost his temper in front of the world's media to protect his two young disciples who had been maliciously fouled, taking all the public outrage and UEFA's wrath upon himself.

"Sir, where do you plan to go next?" Sun Yang asked softly.

"Go back to Switzerland and work on youth training, or do some football charity work." Favre smiled relaxedly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out. "Discovering more brilliant young people like you is much more interesting than arguing with those blind referees on the sidelines every day. Son, Erling, you are the best students I have ever mentored in my life."

The air was still for a few seconds.

Sun Yang lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on his outstretched hands, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I'm sorry, old man." Sun Yang's voice trembled slightly, filled with deep self-reproach. "I can't be on the field today. I can't personally present you with a Champions League trophy as a token of my gratitude to my teacher."

Upon hearing this, Favre suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

The laughter pierced through the glass, echoing for a long time in the empty stadium, reaching the pinnacle of unbridled joy.

"Kid, put away your self-blame! There's no need to apologize." The old coach reached out and patted Sun Yang's broad shoulder heavily. "You've already handed the Bundesliga trophy to me, which is the most perfect gift I've ever given you. You have a long road ahead of you. Red cards and injuries are just dashes in your legendary stories."

Favre stood up, looking down at the green field with a commanding gaze: "Go and conquer! The future world belongs to you!"