Chapter 758: The Final Ten Minutes of the Game!

If it were any other team, with only ten minutes left and being down by one player, chasing two goals would be a mission impossible here, and the players would’ve already given up, just spending the rest of the time playing around to maintain possession.

However, Dortmund was a different beast. They were the team that had never known what it meant to give up in the middle of the game. No, before the final whistle rang, they would still fight back with tooth and nail, even killing themselves for just a little chance to avoid defeat.

It was a team built with so many miracles in their history, and that was why Schalke didn’t dare to lower their guard just because they were one step away from victory.

"Come on, everyone! Don’t let them get into our box!"

"Hofmann! You have just come here! Run more, don’t be lazy!"

"Morita, stop being a lazy ass like that! I know you still have something in your tank, so move!"

Ozan Kabak was still acting like a cold-blooded commander from the back, making sure that everything was still as organized as before. However, this time, it didn’t really work, since Dortmund started to abandon their tactical approach. No, they attacked frantically, roaming freely in the pocket space while also trying to break through with their individual ability.

This was the crudest method to deal with a team that parked a bus in their box, using chaos to combat an organized defense.

This approach was promising, as one minute after the game was restarted, Marco Reus managed to make a combination one-two pass with Mario Gotze before doing a quick direction-change move, getting through Schalke’s penalty box by passing three Schalke defenders. Hell, even in the middle of the crowd, the man still had time to glance at Higo and see his position first before using his left foot to shoot the ball.

BAM!

The ball went just a few inches above the grass, with the course slightly deviating from the goal itself. Higo didn’t dare to rush and pick it up since the crowd in front of him was too big, just wanting to watch the ball go out of the pitch later. However, in the next second, Haaland suddenly popped out of nowhere, extending his right foot to reroute the ball into the back of the net.

Thud!

"Wait, what?!" Higo widened his eyes in shock, not even seeing the possibility of Haaland rushing there in his mind. "No, that’s not a goal! That’s offside!" He raised his hand immediately, realizing that the Norwegian striker was too advanced to get that ball earlier.

Indeed, the linesman on the sideline also did the same there, signalling that Haaland was a little bit too far when receiving the ball. The striker himself sighed helplessly before getting up from the ground, not even complaining about this. He knew that he was one and a half steps ahead of any Schalke defenders when Reus shot that ball.

As for Higo and Ozan Kabak, those two let out a long, relieved sigh, finding the situation to be too dangerous for their own heart.

"Oz-san, if you cannot keep an eye on him all the time, just ask Bastian-san or Todibo-san. At least, I need one player tracking his movement inside the box. His movement is too erratic to my liking." The goalkeeper said quickly.

Ozan Kabak didn’t even question it, just conveying the message to the others. As a result, Jean-Claire Todibo decided to step up here, guarding Haaland personally. He might not be able to stop the Norwegian striker at full strength, but at least the man was confident that his strength would be able to trouble the opponent even for a bit.

Well, it turned out that this was the best decision that the defensive line had ever made.

In the next play, right when Haaland received the ball again, Todibo’s pressure was so immense that it shook the striker’s balance for a moment, catching the boy off guard. The contact was still minimal, not enough to warrant a foul, but in the end, Todibo managed to limit the space where Haaland could shoot, and even without his clairvoyance, Higo managed to read the boy’s intention perfectly.

BAM!

A shot high to the near post, aiming the top of the net!

If it were any other goalkeeper, they would flinch when the ball came straight to their face at such a high speed. However, Higo didn’t even blink as he knew where the ball would go beforehand, just using both his fists to absorb the power and redirect the ball to the sky. Even though he lost his balance and fell to the ground, in the end, the threat was neutralized perfectly.

"YES!" Todibo roared immediately, celebrating his success in stopping Haaland. "Come on, Higo!" He helped the boy get up from the ground before hugging him enthusiastically.

Erling Haaland himself was speechless right now. This should be his sixth shot on target today, and yet, he only managed to get one goal so far. It was definitely not his best day.

Marco Reus and Mario Gotze were also trying their best here. Those two had just come in the second half and had abundant energy to throw away, so they were bold enough in their approach, even daring to use their individual skill to attract more players toward them and open up space in other spots for their teammates.

Unfortunately, this didn’t really work well, because Schalke’s defense was so tight that it was impossible to do everything alone. Even though they managed to get through one or two players, the third and fourth would come immediately, not giving them any chance to pass the ball. Even if they managed to push it to a player who was open, Schalke’s defender would never be hesitant to commit a foul, stopping their momentum straight away.

In the end, all the players with the yellow jersey here just sighed helplessly, staring at the sky while muttering, ’Is this really the end?’