In the stands, among a large group of Borussia Dortmund fans wearing yellow jerseys, sat a smartly dressed young man.
If Lin Quan were here, he would definitely recognize him as George Evans, the scout from Chelsea whom he had seen before on the training ground.
He chose to attend the game to observe De Bruyne's performance at Werder Bremen, assessing whether he met the team's expectations and if he could be recalled to play for Chelsea.
Another purpose was, as Lin Quan suspected, to assess the strength and form of Borussia Dortmund's key striker, Lewandowski, for Chelsea.
The Polish striker performed brilliantly for Dortmund last season, making 34 appearances in the league and scoring 22 goals, along with 8 assists.
Although his goal tally ranked third in the Bundesliga, all 22 goals were from open play, showcasing his high quality.
If he could maintain his outstanding performance from last season this year and prove he's not a one-season wonder, he could ascend to the ranks of the world's top strikers.
Based on the transfer market valuation of Lewandowski, his current value is around 30 million euros, not too expensive, and Chelsea could likely afford him if they decided to make a move.
However, based on the performance in the first half so far, Lewandowski hasn't shown anything particularly impressive to Evans.
On the contrary, it was the kid who kicked the free-kick that hit him in the head, whose performance on the field was remarkable.
After seeing Lin Quan's performance, George couldn't help but add a column to his assessment report, detailing all of Lin Quan's fantastic plays in this match.
Though he knew players of this age weren't the immediate impact players Chelsea urgently needed at the moment, just seeing the immense potential on display made him feel it would be negligent not to recommend him to the club.
...
On the field, the Borussia Dortmund players remained in a state of wanting to attack but fearing conceding for over ten minutes.
It wasn't until the 20th minute, close to the end of the first half, that they finally adjusted.
So what if they were behind?
Not attacking virtually guaranteed defeat, while attacking might turn the tide.
Moreover, the opposition's movement seemed less aggressive than at the beginning of the match, lacking the sharpness of the early attacks.
This slight relief in the minds of the Borussia Dortmund players allowed them to let go of their worries and continue executing their high-pressing tactics.
It proved that when Borussia Dortmund firmly executed Klopp's tactics, their attacking firepower was top-notch in European football!
In the 22nd minute, Borussia Dortmund's summer signing, Reus, stepped up.
He received a pass from his teammate, shook off the defenders, and unleashed a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, breaking Werder Bremen's goal.
The shot was spectacular, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.
The score on the field became 2-1, with Borussia Dortmund still trailing by one goal.
At that moment, the atmosphere in the entire Westfalenstadion exploded!
Eighty thousand fans erupted into a terrifying roar that could almost overturn the roof of the stadium, releasing the passion that had been suppressed for over 20 minutes.
In the south stand, the thirty thousand fans who had been singing the team's anthem since the start of the match, never stopping even when the team was behind, increased the volume of their song once again.
Countless fans pounded their chests, hoisted their scarves high, and roared out the team anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone."
As they sang their hearts out, a huge flag slowly unfurled.
It was a massive yellow flag with the letters BVB printed on it!
Seeing this flag, the already fired-up Borussia Dortmund players seemed to be injected with infinite strength, like Saint Seiyas infused with power, each of them boiling with passion, their spirits soaring to the peak.
"What a terrifying home atmosphere!" Felkrug swallowed hard, a hint of fear in his voice.
Chapter 47: Utter Madness, Borussia Dortmund's Terrifying Firepower
In the spectator stands, among a large group of Borussia Dortmund fans dressed in yellow jerseys, sat a young man in a suit.
If Lin Quan were here, he would surely recognize him as George Evans, the scout from Chelsea whom he had seen on the sidelines during training sessions.
He chose to come to the stadium to watch this match not only to assess De Bruyne's performance at Werder Bremen and determine if he met the team's expectations for a recall to play matches but also, as Lin Quan suspected, to scout Borussia Dortmund's star striker, Robert Lewandowski, for Chelsea.
Lewandowski had performed remarkably for Borussia Dortmund last season, appearing in 34 league matches, scoring 22 goals, and providing 8 assists.
Although he ranked third in terms of goals in the Bundesliga, none of his 22 goals were penalties, making them of high quality.
If he could maintain his outstanding performance from last season and prove that he was not just a flash in the pan, he could establish himself among the world's top strikers.
Based on the transfer market's valuation of Lewandowski, his current value was approximately €30 million, not too expensive, and something Chelsea could afford if they decided to make a move.
However, based on the performance in the first half, Lewandowski hadn't shown anything particularly impressive to Evans.
Instead, it was the young lad who kicked the free-kick, hitting him in the head, whose performance on the field was astonishing.
After seeing Lin Quan's performance, George couldn't help but add a section to his assessment report, detailing Lin Quan's brilliant performance in this match.
Although he knew that players of this age were not the immediate impact players Chelsea urgently needed at the moment, just seeing the immense potential emanating from Lin Quan made him feel that it would be neglectful of him not to recommend him to the club.
...
On the field, Borussia Dortmund's players, caught in a state of wanting to attack but fearing conceding, endured for over ten minutes.
It wasn't until the twentieth minute, close to the end of the first half, that they finally adjusted.
So what if they were behind?
Not attacking meant definite defeat, while attacking might still turn the tide.
Moreover, the opponent's movements didn't seem as aggressive as at the start, lacking the sharpness of their initial attacks.
This slightly relieved Borussia Dortmund's players, allowing them to let go of their worries and continue their high-pressing tactics.
In fact, Borussia Dortmund's players, after scoring a goal, were now completely fired up.
They seemed to have endless energy, continuing their aggressive pressing tactics.
However, on the side of Werder Bremen, they gradually fell behind in keeping up with their opponents' pace.
Less than two minutes after the previous goal, Borussia Dortmund succeeded in a front-court steal, with Lewandowski and Reus combining in the penalty area. Despite being under defensive pressure, Lewandowski managed to score, breaking through Werder Bremen's defense.
Borussia Dortmund scored again!
The score was equalized within two minutes!
And it didn't end there; Borussia Dortmund's crazy performance continued.
Just one minute later, Lewandowski received a pass from Reus, successfully headed the ball in the penalty area, and once again pierced through Werder Bremen's defense.
The score became 3:2, with Borussia Dortmund scoring three goals in three minutes, reversing the game!
Borussia Dortmund was completely out of control!
At this point, Werder Bremen's players were bewildered.
Looking at the already lively Borussia Dortmund players, who now seemed like erupting volcanoes, with madness and ferocity written all over their faces, each of them felt utterly dejected.
In just three minutes, they, who had a huge advantage, not only gave away their lead but also fell into an extreme adversity.
Borussia Dortmund's offensive firepower made them feel terrified!
They began to doubt: could they really defeat such a terrifying team?
Fortunately, there wasn't much time left in the first half. After Borussia Dortmund finished celebrating, there were less than three minutes left.
If it weren't for the short time remaining, Werder Bremen, who were already doubting their lives, would most likely continue conceding goals!
At halftime, Coach Schaaf looked at his dejected players and couldn't help but sigh.
He clapped his hands to attract the players' attention and then spoke:
"Your performance in the first half was excellent. You executed our pre-match tactics perfectly. Although the final score wasn't perfect, and we failed to maintain a huge advantage, it's not your fault; it's mine!"
In the last few minutes of the first half, some players were obviously out of breath.
To make matters worse, he had implemented a strategy to aggressively contest with Borussia Dortmund in the first half.
This meant that players who were already lacking in stamina experienced even greater physical exertion during the game, and the duration they could sustain in the match significantly decreased.
The team's collapse in the final stages was entirely his responsibility.
And Schaaf didn't shy away from admitting it in front of the players.
"Coach, we..."
Captain Fritz opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but Schaaf raised his hand to stop him.
"Clemens, there's no need to speak. Time is short. Listen to me!"
He took out the tactical board and drew up the tactics they would execute in the second half.
"Dortmund is not invincible. The two goals we scored in the first half are evidence of that!"
"So, in the second half, we'll play like this: I will substitute several players who have consumed too much energy and replace them with a group of players with abundant stamina.
But these players won't focus on attacking; they'll focus on defending.
We need to defend with utmost intensity, stifle their attacks, and the team cannot concede any more goals!
When the match reaches the last five minutes, you pick up the pace again, just like at the beginning of the first half.
We don't need too many goals; just one goal is enough to drag them into a penalty shootout!
And in the penalty shootout, let fate decide the outcome!"
(End of Chapter)