December 4, Dortmund, Germany.

In the final round of the Champions League group stage, Dortmund hosted Manchester City.

This was a decisive match concerning qualification from the group and the fight for the top spot, and both sides gave it their all.

Dortmund played almost manically at home.

This well-known European side, famous for their 60-minute intensity, scored the only goal of the match in the 79th minute, just when Manchester City thought they had secured the draw.

Unexpectedly, Dortmund launched a quick counterattack. Reus broke through City's defense and delivered the ball into the box, where Lewandowski fired from close range and found the back of the net.

Then, the Yellow and Blacks dug in and defended fiercely.

Manchester City launched wave after wave of attacks.

Pellegrini intensified the pressure through a series of substitutions, but Dortmund stayed compact and refused to leave any gaps at the back.

The situation became increasingly tense.

Especially in stoppage time, the mood was bleak.

Even if they lost, City would still qualify.

At worst, they'd finish second in the group.

That thought inevitably crossed the minds of many Manchester City players.

And it was understandable.

Because for Manchester City, qualification alone was good enough.

At the very least, it was better than Real Madrid finishing third and dropping into the Europa League, right?

But on the pitch, some players were still fighting with everything they had.

To them, this was not just a game, nor was it just about Manchester City or topping the group. More importantly, it was for Gao Shen!

They knew their "boss," far away in Spain, needed them to score.

During his three years in charge of Manchester City, Gao Shen had been the soul of the team. The squad rallied around him.

Gao Shen had looked after every player, helped them grow, and built tactics suited to their strengths.

Maybe, after his departure, some had started to forget.

That's normal. Out of sight, out of mind.

But not all had forgotten.

Players like David Silva, Suarez, Gareth Bale, Kompany, Rakitic, David Luiz, De Bruyne…

Felipe Luis, despite being injured and substituted, didn't sit quietly on the bench. Instead, he stood on the sideline, shouting encouragement loud enough for the entire stadium to hear.

"Four more minutes, just four more!"

"Push higher, don't fall back, play it forward!"

"Don't hesitate, hurry, we're out of time!"

In stoppage time, Neuer sprinted outside the penalty area to intercept the ball. As he stopped it, he waved his arms furiously, signaling his teammates to push forward.

"Move up! Everyone forward!"

Captain Kompany, vice-captain Rakitic, defensive rock David Luiz…

Everyone was encouraging their teammates.

There was still time. Push on!

Don't be discouraged. Don't give up!

The boss needs us to score!

Tonight, Dortmund were playing like madmen.

But so were Manchester City.

No one expected this match, which many assumed would be a quiet affair ending in mutual qualification, to turn into such a bloody battle.

"Manchester City's players are showing incredible desire tonight, constantly looking for opportunities."

"But Dortmund have given absolutely everything."

"If Klopp's side can maintain this scoreline, they'll advance as group winners."

"Less than four minutes remaining, and City are still pressing."

…

On the sidelines in front of the home dugout, Klopp looked at Felipe Luis, Robben, and the others in front of the visiting bench, so emotional they seemed ready to storm the pitch. Then he looked at the determined Manchester City players on the field.

Klopp understood perfectly.

No one said it aloud. Not even the TV commentators.

But everyone knew why Manchester City were fighting so hard.

They were doing it for Gao Shen.

He had spent the last three years helping them. Now, they were trying to help him in return.

"You know what's most annoying about Gao Shen?" Klopp turned and asked his assistants.

They all shook their heads.

"He always manages to bring together a bunch of annoying players," Klopp said, laughing.

Is it really annoying?

Not at all.

It was more like envy, maybe even jealousy.

In an era of commercialized football, a coach still capable of building such a team—one that would go all out for him even after he left—is truly remarkable. What more could a manager want?

Isn't this every coach's dream?

The game had reached this point, and Klopp had no more cards to play.

Dortmund had nothing left in the tank.

If City did score, Klopp would have to accept it.

What else could he do?

Who could've predicted that Real Madrid, Manchester City, Dortmund, and Porto would all be drawn into the same group?

Even at this moment, Klopp couldn't help but think that if they conceded now, he wouldn't even be angry.

For a team like Manchester City, in a match like this, how could any true football lover hate them?

Some sci-fi fans love to imagine a future where eleven robots play on a pitch.

But Klopp never believed in that.

Because what makes football so moving isn't just winning or losing.

It's the people.

It's the players who sweat and pour their hearts into every moment.

That's something emotionless machines could never replicate.

"I shouldn't be the one who hates Gao Shen the most," Klopp said with a laugh.

It should be Manchester City head coach Pellegrini who feels the most awkward.

His players were fighting with everything they had.

But for their former coach.

That's hard for anyone to accept.

But that's the kind of impact Gao Shen had.

That guy should've been eliminated from the Champions League.

Probably every team in the round of 16 agrees with that.

…

Rakitic slid in outside the penalty area, executing a clean tackle to dispossess Götze.

David Luiz stepped forward and picked up the loose ball. With long strides, he surged upfield.

After drawing the attention of Dortmund's two holding midfielders, David Luiz sent a precise diagonal ball in behind the left side of the defense.

The entire stadium went tense in an instant.

Gareth Bale sprinted from the halfway line with blistering speed. Piszczek couldn't keep up at all. The Welshman was simply too fast!

Even in the 92nd minute, Bale still had the energy to sprint at full throttle. It was astonishing!

After reaching David Luiz's pass on the left side of the box, Bale slowed slightly, paused, then suddenly accelerated again. With Van Persie and Suarez arriving in the middle, Bale shook off Subotic, got to the byline, and whipped in a low cross with his left foot.

Van Persie made a run to the near post, drawing Hummels' attention. Suarez arrived at the back post, timed his run perfectly, and struck the ball first-time with his right foot.

Time seemed to freeze.

Suarez caught the ball flush. It flew with a wicked curve toward the right side of Dortmund's goal.

Goalkeeper Weidenfeller dove, but it was just out of reach.

The ball crossed the line.

A killer blow!

In the 92nd minute, Suarez scored the decisive goal!

The entire Dortmund crowd was stunned.

Suarez roared in celebration, turned, and sprinted out of the pitch at full speed.

All the Manchester City players followed him, even Neuer and Felipe Luis from the bench. They all charged toward the touchline and embraced in celebration, shouting and cheering.

"At the death, Manchester City have scored a vital goal."

"This strike overturns Dortmund and sees City qualify as group winners."

"Suarez's volley at the decisive moment sends Manchester City top of the group!"

City players celebrated wildly.

Everyone could see they weren't just celebrating a goal or securing first place.

They were celebrating what this goal meant for their group.

Dortmund could only lament the draw. Despite finishing with 10 points, they were now level with Real Madrid, who beat Porto away.

According to UEFA's group stage rules, head-to-head results take precedence when teams are tied on points.

Real Madrid had lost 0-1 away to Dortmund but beat them 3-0 at home. The aggregate was 3-1 in favor of Madrid, putting them ahead of Dortmund and into second place.

In this way, Real Madrid leapfrogged Dortmund and advanced from the group.

This was Manchester City's gift to Gao Shen, a show of gratitude for his years of dedication and support.

Even though Gao Shen had left City, the players were still willing to fight for him.

To fight to the very last second!

…

With Dortmund pushing for a miracle, City restarted the match quickly.

Despite the home side's frantic pressure and even Weidenfeller venturing past the halfway line, it was to no avail. Manchester City calmly saw out the final moments and gave Dortmund no further chances.

Exactly like Dortmund had done before.

And when the final whistle blew, City's players erupted as if they had won a trophy.

As the cameras zoomed in on the jubilant celebrations, a few shouts could be faintly heard from the group of players.

"The boss has to buy us a meal!"

"Yeah, a big feast this time!"

"One meal? No way! I'm dead tired. I need at least three!"

"Quick, back to the locker room, someone call him now!"

"Yeah, yeah, he likes to pretend to forget. We need to lock this in right away."

"It's not easy to get a free meal out of him. This time we're not letting him get away!"

(To be continued.)