Chapter 207 A Better Start than Good

Let’s talk about which team in the Champions League has the best luck this season.

Of course, Zenit St. Petersburg is the first choice.

They won just one game in the Champions League group stage, scoring a total of five goals and finishing with six points. On the other hand, Napoli, who had accumulated 12 points but was eliminated, really couldn’t rest in peace...

It was an accident for Zenit St. Petersburg to appear in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

If it weren't for the weather, Dortmund would have no need to worry about anything when facing them.

Dortmund is only so sensitive to weather issues because the game against Galatasaray was interrupted by a snowstorm and the one-day game became two days. In the past, they didn't really care about this issue.

Putting aside the weather factors, Zenit St. Petersburg has no advantage at all, even if they are at their home court - they are the only team in the top 16 that has not won at home.

This shows that they have no so-called home field advantage.

Zenit St. Petersburg probably didn't expect to go far in the Champions League. They were surprised to reach the knockout rounds.

Moreover, Zenit St. Petersburg is still facing a problem, which is also a problem that all Russian teams participating in the Champions League and Europa League cannot avoid - it is the winter break of the Russian Super League, and Zenit St. Petersburg has already We haven't played a formal game for a long time and can only play warm-up matches. The team's condition is difficult to guarantee.

Because of Russia's special climate, the Russian league is different from other European countries and does not span New Year's Eve. This makes the Russian team's league schedule different from the leagues in other European countries. The Russian league is played from March to November every year, with an off-season from December to February of the following year.

Although the Russian Super League teams were already preparing for the new season in February, the team's condition is definitely not as good as other European league teams that have played half of the league.

※※※

On the day of the game, the weather in St. Petersburg was still cloudy, but there was no sign of snow.

The weather is no problem, and the game itself is actually no suspense.

The game had just started, and Dortmund launched a fierce offensive against Zenit St. Petersburg's goal. They used their usual fast, simple, and direct offense to catch Zenit St. Petersburg off guard.

In the fourth minute,

Dortmund hit the football to the edge of Zenit St. Petersburg's penalty area. Mark took the ball and pushed the ball forward with his heel. Yan Min received Mark's through ball and broke through with the ball. Zenit St. Petersburg's right back Anyukov He rushed forward and tried to break the ball at Yan Min's feet.

But Yan Min tricked Anyukov into thinking he was going to the bottom with a bicycle pedaling movement. Unexpectedly, Yan Min suddenly changed direction and went to the middle!

Anyukov quickly stretched out his foot to block it. He did not kick the football, but kicked Yan Min's foot.

Yan Min stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

But he didn't really fall, because he was still outside the penalty area at this time. If he fell, it was just a free kick very close to the penalty area, which was meaningless. If it was in the penalty area, Yan Min might have fallen to the ground...

Yan Min stumbled and brought the football into the penalty area.

At this time, Zenit St. Petersburg center back Neto saw Yan Min's unsteady feet and planned to take the opportunity to steal the ball, so he pressed towards Yan Min.

As a result, just when he was pressing Yan Min, Yan Min used the outside instep of his right foot to push the football away with his unstable center of gravity, and then he was pushed to the ground by Neto.

The referee was stunned for a moment and seemed to want to blow the whistle.

But he didn't do that, because he saw Dortmund midfielder Zhou Yi rushing up in the direction of the football, and he swung his foot!

Based on the principle of "the offense is beneficial and the offense is encouraged", the referee did not blow the whistle.

When Zhou Yi rushed up, he was already approaching the small penalty area. He pushed the ball!

The football rolled against the turf into the lower left corner of the goal. Although Zenit St. Petersburg goalkeeper Lodkin made a save, Zhou Yi was only eight meters away from the goal when he shot. The distance was too close and the ball was fast. His save speed couldn't keep up...

"TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!!!" Marcel Leif shouted in a long voice. "Zhou Yi! Zhou Yi!! Dortmund took the lead in just four minutes! There couldn't be a better start than this! Dortmund played very well in the away game!"

※※※

After scoring the goal, Zhou Yi ran to the corner flag area and waved to Yan Min, asking him to come up and celebrate.

The biggest contributor to this goal is actually Yan Min. His sharp and decisive breakthrough disrupted the opponent's defense, and if he fell down outside the penalty area, everything that followed would be lost.

Zhou Yi likes Yan Min's unyielding spirit and will not give up easily, so he can create miracles.

He and Yan Min hugged each other, and other Dortmund players also rushed up to celebrate the goal with them.

The Zenit St. Petersburg players were confused and had not yet recovered - it was just four minutes into the game and they had not yet entered the match state, so why did they lose the ball?

But what makes them even more confused is what lies behind...

Dortmund's players ended their celebrations and returned to their own half before Zenit St. Petersburg kicked off and the game resumed.

But Zenit St. Petersburg's players had not recovered from the confusion after losing the ball. They quickly gave up possession of the ball, and Dortmund took advantage of the opportunity to launch an attack.

After Zhou Yi distributed the football to Royce on the right, he quickly moved forward and rushed into the penalty area.

After Royce received the ball, he started to pass. He passed the football to Zhou Yi who inserted into the penalty area.

Zhou Yi didn't push the football toward the goal or anything, but directly knocked the football out with his chest.

He passed to Mark Wagner!

Facing the ball sent by Zhou Yi, Mark directly volleyed with his right foot!

The football flew into the goal again!

"Oh my God!" Marcel Leif exclaimed. "One minute! Just one minute! Dortmund scored again! Only five minutes into the game, they were already two goals ahead! When Dortmund scored the first goal, I said there was no better start. I Wrong! This is a better start! Zenit St. Petersburg was the luckiest team in the Champions League group stage. They only won one game and advanced to the knockout stage. But now it seems that their good Luck is coming to an end..."

He Ping also praised Zhou Yi's performance: "In the first five minutes, a goal and an assist! Zhou Yi entered the game very quickly! Since the winter break, Zhou Yi's condition is getting better and better, and his performance is stable... If Dortmund wants to make a difference this season, Zhou Yi's performance is very important! Of course, I personally hope that Zhou Yi can maintain this good state until this summer's World Cup, ha..."

※※※

Perhaps it was because they took a two-goal lead in five minutes that Dortmund felt that their opponent was too weak. Then, Dortmund showed some relaxation.

However, Zenit St. Petersburg finally came to their senses. They began to stabilize their defense and strengthen their offense.

In the 15th minute, Zenit St. Petersburg made the first substitution, replacing Arshavin who was in poor condition with midfielder Tymoshchuk. This is to strengthen the defense of the midfield.

Facing Zenit St. Petersburg, which began to attack frequently, Dortmund began to counterattack.

After taking the ball, more direct long passes were played directly behind Zenit St. Petersburg.

But perhaps because they were already two goals ahead, Dortmund's players acted a little casually when faced with opportunities.

In addition, Zenit St. Petersburg's defenders turn quickly.

Many of Dortmund's long balls were directly received by Zenit St. Petersburg's defenders and failed to threaten Zenit St. Petersburg's goal.

At the same time, in the offense, Zenit St. Petersburg mainly relies on the two wings, especially the Brazilian forward "Hulk" Hulk, who is truly a "heavy tank" and breaks through very quickly and sharply. He is the leader of Zenit St. Petersburg. Main attack line.

The first half was a deadlock. Dortmund failed to score again, and Zenit St. Petersburg also failed to score.

The score remained unchanged until the whistle sounded at the end of the first half.

In the end, Dortmund entered the dressing room with a two-goal lead.

Although there was no goal after five minutes of play. But the advantage is still huge, especially as the game time goes by and Zenit St. Petersburg has less and less time. They will increase their offensive intensity. By then, the space behind them can be fully exploited by Dortmund's counterattack. stand up.

Although the success rate of long pass counterattack is very low, it is not smooth, simple and fast. You can fill the gap by relying on the number of times...

Many people believe that Dortmund's two goals in the first five minutes have laid the foundation for their undefeated victory.

...