Exclusive Bundesliga record.
The second half had just begun, and the fans immediately noticed a substitution in Dortmund's lineup.
As the live broadcast continued, commentators Huang Jianxiang and Xu Yang instantly perked up with excitement.
Huang Jianxiang enthusiastically announced to the viewers, "Dortmund has made a midfield substitution! The 17-year-old youngster Ye Chen is making his debut for Dortmund!"
"With this appearance, he becomes the fourth Chinese player to officially play in the Bundesliga and the first to ever wear the Dortmund jersey!"
"He is also the youngest Chinese player to compete in the top five European leagues!"
"At just 17 years and 5 days old, Ye Chen has now become the second-youngest player in Dortmund's history to make an appearance. The club's youngest debut record was set in 2005 by Nuri Şahin at 16 years, 11 months, and 1 day!"
Huang Jianxiang had gathered all these stats beforehand. If Ye Chen could score on his debut, he would become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score in his first match.
But that was something Huang Jianxiang didn't even dare to dream of.
After all, just getting playing time was already a huge achievement—scoring on his debut? That was simply wishful thinking!
This was the Bundesliga, after all!
Even in the Chinese Super League, scoring on your debut was incredibly difficult, let alone in Germany's top-tier league.
"Ye Chen has just stepped onto the Bundesliga stage, and he has already made history!"
"What kind of performance will he deliver next? Let's wait and see!"
Mainz's Head Coach is on Alert
Mainz's head coach, Oliver Glasner, was stunned that Jürgen Klopp had actually sent a 17-year-old onto the pitch. After all, this wasn't just garbage time!
Could this young player really be that talented?
Glasner knew Klopp's coaching style well—he had studied him closely.
And he was well aware that Klopp's immense success came from his relentless desire to win.
That was also what Glasner aspired to achieve!
They already had the advantage in this match, and he wanted to turn that advantage into a victory.
He needed to prove to the fans that he was just as good as Klopp!
After a brief moment of contemplation, Glasner immediately called over his center-back, Fati. "Keep a close eye on that kid's movement. Don't give him any space to shoot! Tell Risse to mark him tightly!"
"Got it, boss!" Fati chuckled. "Don't worry, he's just a 17-year-old kid."
Hearing that, Glasner exhaled slightly. Was he being overly cautious?
Was he getting nervous just because his opponent was Klopp?
Still, better safe than sorry!
Glasner had done a bit of research on Ye Chen. Based on the goal compilations he found online, Ye Chen was a smart player with a powerful long shot.
The best way to deal with such a player was to mark him tightly and not let him shoot.
It shouldn't be too difficult to handle.
The Game Resumes
The second half kicked off. Ye Chen passed the ball to Shinji Kagawa and immediately sprinted forward.
Kagawa slowed things down, controlling the tempo as he moved toward Dortmund's half.
The second-half strategy was slightly different from the first.
Since their central attacks hadn't been effective in the first half, Dortmund now planned to focus on the left flank.
With pace and skill, both Perišić and Kagawa were ideal for this tactic, and Mainz's right flank was relatively weak.
After a few quick passes, the ball found its way to Perišić, who immediately drove toward the byline!
Mainz's right-back, Bungert, stepped up to block his path, forcing Perišić to halt his run abruptly and cut inside.
A feint later, he easily slipped past Bungert.
Now, center-back Pospech had to step in.
Meanwhile, Ye Chen moved up to provide support just outside the penalty area.
As Ye Chen approached, Perišić glanced at Pospech and swiftly passed him the ball before making a run into the box.
He was taking a gamble.
A gamble that Ye Chen had a high football IQ.
After all, such opportunities were fleeting.
Perišić loved making off-the-ball runs into the box!
Just as the ball reached Ye Chen, Mainz's other center-back, Fati, charged out aggressively, attempting to block the shot and ensure Ye Chen had no space to strike.
Fati had already made up his mind—he wasn't just stopping the ball.
He was stopping the player too!
He needed to teach this young kid a lesson—to show him that this was the Bundesliga, not some U18 youth tournament!
Ye Chen, however, remained incredibly calm.
Just before Fati could make contact, Ye Chen nudged the ball away and swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the brutal tackle!
Fati instinctively reached out to grab him, but Ye Chen slipped away like an eel.
And at that moment—
The ball cut through Mainz's defense like a surgeon's scalpel…
Perišić's eyes lit up with excitement.
He knew he had gambled correctly!
No time to admire Ye Chen's pass—he was already charging into the box.
Pospech reacted quickly, trying to intervene, but Perišić was already one step ahead.
Now, it was just him against the goalkeeper, Heinz Müller.
One-on-one!
Seeing Müller rush out, Perišić decisively aimed for the far corner.
The ball rolled swiftly along the ground.
But Müller was in top form today—at the very moment of Perišić's shot, he stretched out his leg!
The ball deflected toward the center of the box.
"Saved!"
Mainz's fans breathed a collective sigh of relief.
But in the next instant, their eyes widened in shock.
"That damn Chinese kid—when did he get there?!"
That was the only thought in their minds!
Ye Chen hadn't lingered outside the box.
Instead, he had rushed in, anticipating a rebound opportunity.
And this time—
His instinct was spot on…
Müller had saved the shot, but the ball hadn't bounced far enough away.
"Boom!"
With the goal wide open, Ye Chen simply pushed the ball into the net!
Since the ball was spinning rapidly, blasting it might have led to a mis-hit—one of the most common mistakes in rebound situations.
But Ye Chen would never make such an error!
Debut goal!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!"
The stadium DJ's voice erupted.
"Scoring for Borussia Dortmund, the 17-year-old sensation—YE!!!!!!!"
"Oh my god, at 17 years and 5 days old, Ye Chen has become the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score on his debut!"
"His positioning was absolutely brilliant!"
"Ye!"
"Ye!"
"Ye!"
Dortmund's traveling fans chanted his name in unison.
Overcome with excitement, Ye Chen initially ran toward the corner flag.
But then he remembered—Lina was in the stands.
So, he swerved and ran straight toward her!
"I DID IT!"
Ye Chen shouted with joy.
He didn't have any elaborate celebrations—just clenched fists and a roar of triumph.
However, he had forgotten one important detail—
Lina was sitting in the home section, surrounded by Mainz fans…
"F* off, you damn Chinese monkey!"**
"Go back to China!"
Enraged Mainz fans hurled insults and objects at him.
Bottles, slippers—anything they could grab.
Ye Chen quickly dodged.
Luckily, his teammates rushed over and pulled him away.
"You idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed celebrating here?" Perišić laughed, hugging him. "But damn, that was a beautiful finish!"
And at that moment, the TV commentators were still shouting—
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL!"
"Ye Chen has made history!"
"He now holds the record alone!"
"He is one of us! He is the pride of China!"