Chapter 8 - The Derby

📅 November 9, 2019

🏟️ Signal Iduna Park

🎯 Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich

👕 Karl's Number: 13

7:12 AM – Dortmund, Germany

The alarm buzzed faintly in the darkness of Karl's bedroom. A deep breath. A stare at the ceiling.

Today is not just another match.

Today was Der Klassiker.

Karl slid out of bed and padded to the shower, the cold tile floor grounding him. Water poured over him washing away his nerves.

He stared into the mirror afterward, brushing back strands of his dyed blue hair from his eyes.

"Today is the day where I will introduce myself to the world," he whispered to himself.

8:10 AM – Breakfast & Mindset

Breakfast was light: oats, banana, a boiled egg, and water. Nothing fancy. But his thoughts weren't on food. They were on the color red. On Lewandowski. On Kimmich. On Davies' blazing pace.

He scrolled through his phone. Instagram was flooded with hype — "KARL vs BAYERN", "BLUE ROSE BLOOMS UNDER PRESSURE", and countless fan edits with intense trap beats underneath.

He locked his phone. Focus. Not for them. For the game.

9:00 AM – Dortmund Training Ground Departure

At the training center, the team was already assembling. The bus loomed outside, tall and bold, with the black and yellow crest glowing under the cloudy sky.

Marco Reus was first to greet him. "You slept?"

Karl nodded. "Barely. But I'm sharp."

Sancho fist-bumped him. "Let's turn the shit up."

As the bus rolled toward Signal Iduna Park, Karl sat by the window, earphones in, eyes fixed. Music thumped in his ears — the kind of beat that made your heart race even in silence.

11:45 AM – Signal Iduna Park Arrival

The fortress stood waiting.

Signal Iduna Park was a cauldron of yellow fury. Even now, three hours before kickoff, fans were chanting. Flags waving. Banners rising.

Karl stepped off the bus, fresh-pressed tracksuit hugging his frame, boots in hand.

The cameras flashed. One even caught his stare — cold, focused.

Inside the stadium corridors, the tension thickened.

12:30 PM – Locker Room Energy

The home dressing room was louder today. Music. Jokes. Nerves in disguise.

Reus stood, lacing his boots quietly. Sancho and Hakimi bantered across the room.

Brandt bounced a tennis ball against the wall.

I sat silently at my assigned seat — Number 13, stitched on the back of my fresh black and yellow kit.

Name glowed under the light: SCHNEIDER.

Coach Lucien Favre entered, calm but stern.

"We don't fear them," Favre said. "We make them fear us. Trust your technique. Trust your rhythm. And when you get the ball— attack without mercy."

1:20 PM – Pre-Match Warm-Up

Karl jogged out to the pitch with the team. The stadium was 80% full already, vibrating with sound. His breath fogged in the cold November air.

The grass felt different today. Electric. Alive. Every touch in the rondo had weight. Every stretch mattered more.

He glanced at the Bayern half.

Lewandowski. Müller. Davies. Gnabry.

 No mistakes are allowed.

As warm-up ended and the team headed back in, Reus nudged Karl.

"You ready for war, Mr Prodigy?"

Karl exhaled.

"I've been ready since Cologne."

2:00 PM – Kickoff

The teams walked out to the roars of 81,000 fans.

Yellow Wall trembling. Karl started on the bench, jacket zipped to the neck, eyes fixed on the grass.

Peter Drury on Commentary:

"It's Der Klassiker — football's German heartbeat. Dortmund, youth and rhythm. Bayern, might and muscle. And somewhere in this equation, the Blue Rose… Karl Heinz Schneider… waits to write his chapter."

1st Half – Bench Perspective

Bayern pressed high and aggressive.

Kimmich dictated tempo. Davies surged up the left like a rocket. Dortmund struggled to string passes.

At the 31st minute, Bayern scored — Lewandowski, of course, finishing a Müller through-ball with mechanical ruthlessness. 0–1.

Karl stayed glued to the sideline, absorbing everything.

Reus returned to the dugout at half-time, breathing heavy. "They're beatable," he said. "But we need someone to unlock the chaos."

Some eyes turned to the 18-year-old. Karl didn't flinch.

Half-Time – The Call

Inside the locker room, the staff were discussing changes. Favre looked at Karl.

"You're on in ten."

Karl nodded, already unzipping his jacket.

Reus handed him a drink. "You know what this match can do to a player?"

Karl met his gaze. "Yeah. Make him immortal."

2nd Half – 56th Minute: Karl Comes On

"And here it is — the Bundesliga's youngest wildcard enters the Klassiker… Karl Heinz Schneider. Number 13, destiny in his eyes." — Drury's voice echoed through the live stream.

The fourth official raised the board.

🔁 OUT: Julian Brandt

🔁 IN: Karl Heinz Schneider

Karl's On-Field Perspective

First touch — clean, controlled, backheel into Hakimi's path.

Second — a sudden cut past Alaba and a foul drawn near the edge of the box.

He didn't shy away. He ran at Bayern. At their shape. At their rhythm. He pulled defenders wide. Carved out space with off-the-ball movement. The Metavision kicked in — seeing Kimmich's pressing pattern, Gnabry's blind side.

In the 74th minute, he danced past Pavard and squared the ball to Reus, who lashed it into the net.

GOAL! 1–1

Signal Iduna Park erupted.

Reus pointed at him. "That's what I meant."

Final Minutes

The game roared into chaos. Chances both ends. Karl cut inside in the 87th, fired from 20 yards on to the goal — Neuer barely pushed it over.

Last play — a Bayern corner. Cleared.

Whistle.

FULL-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayern Munich.

A draw, but Karl left his mark on this game.

Post-Match Headlines

"The Biggest Prospect in Germany Football Blooms Bright" – Bild

"Schneider is Real. Bayern Felt Him." – Kicker

"From Bench to Brilliance" – ESPN FC