In Stuttgart, at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, during the pre-match press conference, Felix Magath made a series of bold statements to the German media.
"Today we challenge Stuttgart away, with only one goal: 3 points!"
"As long as we defeat Stuttgart, Borussia Dortmund will inevitably be under immense pressure and drop points at home."
"Their match against Barcelona two days ago was excellent, and their main squad is very fatigued."
"The rotated squad will not have an easy time against Karlsruhe, and it's very possible they will stumble."
"This is our Wolfsburg's chance!"
"I believe the Bundesliga title will definitely be ours, Wolfsburg! I have a strong premonition!"
Inside the away team's dressing room, Magath used the same rhetoric for his pre-match pep talk.
"Guys!! We are just a few matches, one step away, from the Bundesliga title!"
"Dortmund is fighting on three fronts, they barely won a tough Champions League match, and they are very exhausted! So this is our opportunity!"
"They are rotating their squad today, and they might drop points!"
"And even though we are playing away, I believe you can definitely defeat Stuttgart! This will give us an advantage for our upcoming direct confrontation!"
"As long as we are ahead of them in points, when we return to our home stadium for the next match, we will definitely have the initiative!"
"Victory today!"
"Victory!!!"
The entire Wolfsburg team was in high spirits. On the league table, Wolfsburg was only 1 point behind. Borussia Dortmund had just finished an intense battle against Barcelona, and their Bundesliga Matchday 31 game was only two days later. They would definitely use a rotated squad, and might not be able to defeat Karlsruhe. If Wolfsburg secured this victory, they could overtake Borussia Dortmund in points. Many Wolfsburg fans had already started to assume they would win the Bundesliga title this year.
However, 90 minutes later…
Borussia Dortmund's rotated squad defeated Karlsruhe 4-0. İlkay Gündoğan delivered a hat-trick of assists, completely dominating the midfield. And Wolfsburg fans were stunned.
Stuttgart 4-1 Wolfsburg.
Magath's team, in the match where they most needed to win—stumbled.
After 31 matches, Borussia Dortmund had 24 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses, temporarily leading the Bundesliga with 76 points. Wolfsburg had 23 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses, with 72 points. The points gap had widened to 4 points.
Magath was dumbfounded. All the boasts he made before the match turned into boomerangs, hitting him squarely in the face. He kept saying Dortmund would lose, but they won by a large margin. He had ostentatiously prepared champagne for Wolfsburg, prematurely celebrating the Bundesliga title, and aggressively planned to overturn Stuttgart.
Stuttgart had something to say: "This is truly ridiculous."
Head coach Markus Babbel almost burst out laughing after the match: "I can only say that Magath underestimated Borussia Dortmund, and even more so, he underestimated us, Stuttgart. I don't know where he got the confidence to announce the championship in advance."
"Our performance today was excellent, and a 4-1 victory over Wolfsburg was within our expectations."
"At the same time, I personally congratulate Borussia Dortmund. They eliminated Barcelona and advanced to the Champions League final. The story of this underdog team, defeating strong opponents along the way, is truly inspiring, especially their core player, Jin Hayes. Regardless of the final outcome, Borussia Dortmund has brought glory to the Bundesliga. I would prefer to see such a strong and united team ultimately win the championship."
Anyway, Stuttgart had no ambitions for the season, so praising Borussia Dortmund with a bit of flattery didn't matter. Markus Babbel mainly wanted to annoy Magath, who had been so arrogant before the match, not taking Stuttgart seriously.
In the press conference, a dejected Magath sat in his chair, remaining silent for a full minute when faced with media questions. Only when all the reporters grew impatient did Magath, with trembling hands, take off his glasses and weakly utter a sentence: "Next match, our decisive battle against Borussia Dortmund at home, Wolfsburg still has hope of winning the title. We just need to defeat them, just need to defeat them…"
By the end, Magath had lost all confidence.
Borussia Dortmund's main players were suspended in the Champions League, but it wasn't a Bundesliga suspension. By then, except for Nuri Şahin, the entire main squad would be able to play. Borussia Dortmund, having just eliminated Barcelona, was in high spirits, with all players in peak condition.
Does Wolfsburg have the strength of Barcelona?
Far from it. Barcelona couldn't even win at Camp Nou with the help of the referee; how could Wolfsburg possibly win? Magath was completely panicked.
Regarding the direct confrontation against their Bundesliga title rivals in a week, essentially a "Bundesliga final" showdown, Borussia Dortmund's coach, Jürgen Klopp, remained very calm. Facing an interview with German television, Klopp offered a faint smile.
"Before the match, any predictions are useless. We need to go all out on the field to defeat our opponent to ensure we get closer to the championship."
"In the final stages, any mistake can cause the entire season's effort to go to waste."
"So, facing this close opportunity, we must seize it firmly."
Klopp was as steady as someone who had experienced loss. Although he hadn't yet had the chance to lose it, something like the Champions League title was essentially already lost to him. And Jin Hayes's interview lacked the youthful exuberance of previous days. His characteristic sunny smile wasn't on his face; instead, there was a serious, somewhat prematurely aged expression. "We will take every upcoming match seriously, including the Bundesliga and the German Cup final."
It was clear that missing the Champions League final was a huge blow to Jin Hayes. The television reporter didn't have the heart to trouble the young man with tricky questions. Instead, the reporter kindly offered blessings.
After the interview, Jin Hayes returned to the training base for intense practice. The German Sport1 sports news program crew packed up their cameras and microphones, preparing to leave.
"Why didn't you ask more questions? We can't explain this." The female reporter from the Sport1 team rolled her eyes at the cameraman: "What could I do? Didn't you see the kid was sad? He's a hero of the Bundesliga; we shouldn't make it harder for him."
"I think you're clearly just attracted to him."
"So what? Who doesn't want to take him down?"
The cameraman was speechless.
There was no help for it; according to a recent social survey by Bild, the number one male heartthrob among German women was not Tom Cruise, not Ryan Gosling, not German actor Michael Fassbender—but the footballer Jin Hayes. Anyone who dared to say a negative word about him would inevitably be attacked en masse online.
Of course, Jin Hayes had the ability to back this up.
His exceptionally professional conduct and perfect performance on the field justified the adoration of these female fans. Even if Jin Hayes ended the season empty-handed, without any championships, his performance would still be enough to be legendary. What's more, Borussia Dortmund was now just one step away from a championship.
Toward the end of the season, Borussia Dortmund no longer had the worry of fighting on multiple fronts and could seriously prepare for the confrontation with Wolfsburg. The Bundesliga final matchday was May 23rd; the German Cup final was May 25th; the Champions League final was May 28th.
Bad news: The last three matches were all in the same week, and time was tight.
Good news: The main players couldn't play in the Champions League final, but they could field a full main squad for the German Cup final.
Klopp didn't know whether to cry or laugh in this situation. If he could choose, he would rather give up the German Cup and seriously prepare for the Champions League final. Unfortunately—
"Jin, it looks like you've adjusted your mindset quite well these past two days." On the training ground, after several days of quiet, Jin Hayes finally regained his usual smile, much to Klopp's relief.
"Coach, I've thought it through. I can still challenge for the Champions League final next year. I'm still young; one year won't make a difference."
"That's right! That's exactly the attitude! You're so young, you have plenty of time!"
Jin Hayes had indeed thought it through. In the two days after playing Barcelona, he was somewhat affected by his emotions, immersed in self-blame for not being able to go to the Champions League final. He had fought desperately to earn the ticket to the final, he had scored the winning goal in the "Camp Nou tragedy," he had staged a performance of "my fate is up to me, not referees"—but in his excitement, he had unfortunately received a fatal yellow card. He couldn't blame anyone else; he could only blame himself for not being rational enough.
Everyone around him was also trying to comfort him.
"It's normal for players to get excited on the field. Your celebration boosted morale and wasn't without value; it's really not your fault."
"This is what a young person is like, this is a passionate player. Anyone who gets annoyed by a referee would find it hard not to take off their shirt to celebrate after scoring."
"Life itself is full of regrets; no one has a smooth journey. If the final were so easy to reach, and the championship so easy to win, it wouldn't be so precious."
Teammates, coaches, and family all hoped Jin Hayes would cheer up. With so much support, Jin Hayes also had to adjust himself quickly.
Of course, it was an exception when he was with Anna. After training, Jin Hayes returned to the Heinrich home, looked around the living room, and the Hans couple were not there. Frank was out on a date. Only Anna was upstairs in the study doing her homework. Jin Hayes deliberately made some noise, then went to sit on the swing in the backyard, lost in thought.
Sure enough, in less than a minute, Anna crept over like a thief. The quiet girl's cautious demeanor almost made Jin Hayes fail to suppress the smile on his lips.
"You're back. Why didn't you say hello to me?"
"I saw you were studying, and I didn't want to disturb you," Jin Hayes said in a low tone.
"Oh! My poor little guy." Anna felt extremely distressed. She naturally sat on Jin Hayes's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
In the past, how could she have been so daring? Now, to comfort Jin Hayes, Anna didn't care so much. She didn't know how to ease his regret, so she just tried to comfort him in her own way as much as possible. "I'm here, I'm with you."
"Mm, I know."
Jin Hayes naturally put his arm around Anna's waist. As expected of a signed model, one arm was enough to encircle it. Anna tenderly cupped Jin Hayes's face, her sapphire eyes full of pity. Unable to resist, she leaned in…
Five minutes later, both the boy and girl were breathing a little heavily. Anna had already melted into a soft ball, curled up in his arms like a kitten.
"I can't get down; my legs are weak."
"Then don't get down, just stay like this."
"But—" Anna became nervous. She seemed to hear the engine of their family's Volkswagen Golf. But she was truly soft all over, held by Jin Hayes and unable to move. She also couldn't bear to let go of him while Jin Hayes was feeling down, so she had to suppress her inner unease and continue to lean against his solid chest. The alternating feelings of nervousness and security pulled at Anna, making her feel like Jin Hayes was going to break her.
"Pfft—"
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
Jin Hayes wondered how long he would have to pretend to be sad. If he could be with her every day, and make Anna more proactive every day, then he wouldn't mind continuing to pretend.
"Why do I feel a little bad?"