Chapter 92: The Tenacious Clover [Third Update!]
On October 26th, Werder Bremen traveled away to challenge Firth.
Firth Club is located in the small town of Firth in Bavaria, a city with an area of only 65 square kilometers and a population of only 110,000.
Not to mention comparing it with big cities like Munich and Berlin, even compared to Bremen, it seems somewhat petite.
This season is Firth's first promotion to the Bundesliga. For them, achieving enough points to avoid relegation and staying on this highest stage of German football is the only pursuit for everyone in the team.
However, this goal seems a bit difficult. Before the ninth round of the league kicked off, Firth had won one game, drawn two, and lost five in the first eight rounds, with only 5 points, tied with Wolfsburg at the bottom of the Bundesliga.
Although the team's performance is poor, Firth's fan base is still quite good.
Perhaps because it's their first time in the top league, fans from the small town of Firth are very supportive of their home team.
The attendance rate for every match is over 80%, and the attendance rate for individual matches can even exceed 90%.
In this match, with a capacity of 18,000 spectators, the Pleymerbil Stadium hosted 17,000 fans, with an attendance rate of over 90%.
The Clover fans held up the team's flags and scarves, displaying various slogans and banners supporting the team generously.
There are many football clubs in Germany, and most clubs have their own fan base.
Clubs like Firth and Hoffenheim, even though their teams are located in remote and sparsely populated small towns, still receive a lot of support.
Even with fewer numbers, fans can still generate cheers at their home ground that are no less than those of the top clubs.
Just like in this match, the Clover fans sang the team's anthem throughout the game, cheering for the team whether they were leading or trailing.
This deeply moved Lin Quan. If Chinese football had such a solid community atmosphere and football culture, wouldn't its future be bright?
With the cheering of the fans on-site, Firth launched a fierce attack on Werder Bremen from the beginning of the game.
Being at the bottom of the table, there's nothing much for them to lose.
Even if they lose, they'll still be at the bottom. But at this point, giving it their all, even if they earn one point, can be life-saving!
Perhaps the cheering of the fans on-site had an effect. Just eight minutes into the game, Firth's forward, Edu, broke through Werder Bremen's defense and scored a goal.
This dream start completely ignited the atmosphere on-site. This goal made the Clover fans seem to see the dawn of victory.
They were ecstatic, embracing each other with joy.
The team is desperate for a victory, and these precious three points mean life to them!
But their joy didn't last long. In the 42nd minute of the first half, after breaking through on the wing, Lin Quan cut inside and scored a high-quality long-range shot from outside the penalty area, equalizing the score to 1-1, snatching two points away from the desired three points of the Firth fans.
At the moment Lin Quan scored, the Pleymerbil Stadium seemed to be muted instantly, silent.
The Clover fans seemed unable to accept this reality. Some of the more fragile fans even started crying.
Seeing the opposing fans so upset, Lin Quan also lost his mood to celebrate.
Firth's strength is indeed at the bottom level. Their players can only be considered at the level of the 2nd Bundesliga, and they are probably unable to establish themselves in the Bundesliga.
It's already quite unexpected that they could hold out for so long in the first half.
If it weren't for them scoring a goal early in the game to boost their morale, keeping them in an excited state...
Given Werder Bremen's attacking firepower, they would have scored at least two goals in the first half.
But after a moment of silence, Firth's fans wiped away their tears and continued waving flags and singing chants.
The team has not been relegated yet, and there are still many rounds left in the league. As long as they persist, there will be hope!
In the second half, Werder Bremen launched waves of attacks.
De Bruyne and Lin Quan scored in the 55th and 68th minutes respectively.
With a score of 3-1, time was running out for Firth.
After Lin Quan scored the third goal, Coach Shaofu on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried before that Lin Quan's condition would be affected after the incident at Fritz's house.
Now it seems he worried too much.
Leading in the score, the opponent's attack has lost its momentum, and their defense is running around like headless flies.
Shaofu didn't think the opponent could turn the game around, so he started substituting players. Lin Quan, Elia, and Fritz were replaced one after another.
Because De Bruyne has been in hot form recently and requested to stay on the field, Shaofu did not include him in the substitution list.
In the final stages of the match, Firth still couldn't find a way to breach Werder Bremen's goal.
Instead, De Bruyne scored another goal in the final moments, completing a brace and helping Werder Bremen to a 4-1 victory over Firth.
The Clover fans were extremely upset. Before Lin Quan's goal in the first half, they still thought the team could secure their second victory of the season.
But the final result was heartbreaking. However, they did not blame the team or the players.
Even when the team was trailing by a big margin, they still stayed at the scene, continuously singing the team anthem and cheering for the team.
With such fans, even if the Clover is relegated, they can rise again in the future, right?
...
After winning this game, Werder Bremen's points reached 18. However, because Schalke 04 also won their game, their ranking didn't change, still fourth.
In this round of matches, there was a big upset. Bayern Munich, unbeaten in eight rounds, lost 1-2 at home to Bayer Leverkusen, and the season's biggest dark horse, Frankfurt, was forced to a draw at home by Firth.
The defeats of the top two teams caused some changes in the points table.
Bayern Munich ranked first with 22 points, Schalke 04 with 20 points surpassed Frankfurt to reach second place.
Dark horse Frankfurt currently ranks third with 19 points, and Werder Bremen, one point behind them, is in fourth place.
Four days later, the second round of the German Cup kicked off.
In this round of matches, Werder Bremen hosted Augsburg, a team they had faced in the league before.
More than 20 days ago, Werder Bremen suffered a defeat at Augsburg's home.
In that game, Lin Quan was sidelined due to injury, and Werder Bremen, with an incomplete lineup, was passive throughout the match, conceding three goals, setting a record for the most goals conceded in a single game this season.
Therefore, determined to seek revenge, Werder Bremen launched a fierce attack in this match, scoring six goals against Augsburg at the Weser Stadium, winning 6-2 and eliminating their opponents from the cup.
In this match, Lin Quan contributed two assists and one goal before being substituted in the 65th minute.
De Bruyne still played the full game, scoring a goal while also providing three assists, ranking first in the German Cup assist chart.
After advancing to the third round, everyone at Werder Bremen was very happy.
But their good mood didn't last long. In the subsequent draw for the third round of the German Cup, Werder Bremen's luck was not very good.
They drew the Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich, marking their third encounter with Bayern this season.
"Oh man, why do we keep facing Bayern? Why always Bayern!"
Werder Bremen's players didn't like playing against Bayern, even though they had the upper hand against them this season.
However, the German Cup is not a competition with low prestige like the Telekom Cup. As Germany's most important cup competition, the trophy of the German Cup is attractive to all clubs.
So, Bayern won't easily give up the German Cup.
Trying to replicate the miracle of the Telekom Cup will be very difficult for them.
After the draw results came out, few people outside had high hopes for Werder Bremen.
Although they had previously drawn with Bayern at home, occasional upsets one or two times don't mean much.
The objective gap in strength between the two teams is evident to everyone.
But Werder Bremen did not give up the game early just because the opponent was very strong, especially after the head coach and club manager announced that their goal for this season was to qualify for European competitions. They were even less likely to give up.
Winning the German Cup will directly earn them a spot in European competitions, which means achieving their goal in advance!
Moreover, encountering Bayern earlier means that they won't face them again in future matches.
In this way, when it comes to the final stages of the league, they won't have to worry about facing tough opponents in the cup.
If they get eliminated, it might even be a good thing. At least they can focus on the league without distractions from the cup.
...
Five days later, the 10th round of the Bundesliga kicked off, and Werder Bremen defeated Mainz 2-1 at home, securing three consecutive victories.
Due to expending too much energy on the Champions League stage, Schalke 04 surprisingly lost to Hoffenheim in this match, while Frankfurt was held to a draw at home by the tenacious Firth.
After winning this game, Werder Bremen rose to second place on the points table with 21 points.
They are four points behind the leaders Bayern Munich, although the gap seems not large and can be bridged in about two matches, it's unlikely that Bayern will lose two consecutive matches.
On November 8th, the fourth round of the Champions League group stage kicked off.
In this round, Bayern Munich hosted the challenge of Lille, a French team, at home.
To better observe Bayern Munich's competitive state, Werder Bremen coach Shaofu personally went to the Allianz Arena to watch this match.
In this match, Bayern demonstrated their terrifying strength in creating a massacre. By the 33rd minute of the first half, the score on the field had already reached 5-0!
In the 5th, 18th, 23rd, 28th, and 33rd minutes, Bayern Munich scored five goals through Schweinsteiger, Pizarro, and Balmon.
Werder Bremen's historical top scorer, the 34-year-old Pizarro, even scored a hat-trick.
Seeing this scene, Shaofu's brows furrowed.
Bayern has become even stronger than before, with a more powerful attack, better defensive organization, and significant improvements on both ends of the pitch!
It's really difficult to defeat such Bayern!
(End of this chapter)