Chapter 95: Your Lin Emperor, Specializing in Breaking Defenses!
The pace of the game accelerated as both teams launched wave after wave of attacks, quickly threatening each other's half and goal.
Both teams' goals came under immense pressure, with numerous close calls that left the feeling that conceding a goal could happen at any moment.
In the 19th minute, Holtby received the ball with his back to the goal and passed it to Huntelaar, whose well-positioned shot hit the crossbar.
The fans at the Weserstadion sighed and cursed as they saw Huntelaar's shot, thinking it was a sure goal, only to be betrayed by the crossbar, which denied their team and blocked the shot.
Two minutes later, Werder Bremen launched a rapid counterattack, and Lin Quan's shot from inside the penalty area also hit the post.
The fans at the Weserstadion collectively held their breaths, relieved that the post came to their team's aid, preventing them from falling behind.
Thus, the two teams seemed to be engaged in a game of back-and-forth, with each delivering blows and counterattacks.
Although there were no goals yet, the game was far from dull; instead, it was highly exciting.
This was typical of the Bundesliga, where both teams played with directness and attacked relentlessly.
Such games were thrilling because regardless of the quality of chances, each attack ended with a shot on goal.
If they couldn't breach the penalty area, they attempted long-range shots from outside.
If long-range shots failed, they found ways to deliver crosses into the box for headers!
In short, all possible methods of scoring were attempted, regardless of their effectiveness, with the mentality of "try first, analyze later."
While the game was entertaining, it was also a bit too intense, making the hearts of Schalke 04's fans race uncomfortably.
Contrary to their expectations, scenes of Schalke 04 dominating Werder Bremen were absent from the pitch.
Instead, both teams exchanged blows, with Werder Bremen's counterattacks posing even more threat.
In such chaos, whoever had a stronger ability to seize opportunities would be the first to break the deadlock.
However, their home team struggled to score, while each counterattack from the opposition filled them with dread.
Schalke's fans were perplexed. How did Werder Bremen, who they had thrashed twice last season, suddenly become so challenging?
Last season, when they faced Werder Bremen at home, they slaughtered them with a scoreline of 5-0.
But now, they were struggling to even score a single goal!
Thirty minutes into the game, the two teams had already attempted more than 15 shots combined without producing a goal.
Seeing their team's prolonged attacking efforts, many Schalke fans began to worry:
Could their team lose this match?
As if on cue, in the 32nd minute, Werder Bremen won the ball in midfield and launched a rapid counterattack.
After a series of precise passes in midfield, the ball found its way to Lin Quan's feet.
Lin Quan glanced at the opponent's defensive positioning, identified an opportunity on the right side, and dribbled towards the opponent's right flank.
Schalke's midfielder Noystadt rushed over to intercept but was easily evaded by Lin Quan's feint.
With Noystadt bypassed, only Schalke's defensive line remained in front of him.
Right-back Atsuto Uchida dared not give him space to advance with the ball and immediately signaled for his teammates to cover defensively.
He chose to step forward to intercept, intending to stop Lin Quan in his tracks.
In order to stop Lin Quan, he had made extensive preparations before the match.
He had watched almost every game Lin Quan had played before, analyzing his dribbling patterns and habits during matches.
He knew Lin Quan's quick footwork and his knack for using feints to deceive defenders.
This made him extremely cautious, avoiding rash tackles.
Uchida's defensive strategy was to block Lin Quan's path, forcing him to slow down, allowing his teammates to track back and converge on Lin Quan together, then dispossessing him.
Lin Quan's dribbling skills were formidable, but under intense pressure and physical confrontation, he couldn't possibly avoid losing the ball.
Uchida had analyzed successful defensive experiences against Lin Quan from other teams and found that most of them occurred when Lin Quan was forced to slow down, losing space for dribbling and passing.
But attempting to dispossess the opponent while they were dribbling rapidly was extremely difficult because of the opponent's rapid ball touches, making it hard for defending players to keep up with their rhythm, and rash tackles were almost certain to be evaded.
Uchida's choice was correct, and his teammate Papadopoulos also positioned himself nearby in a coordinated manner.
Even if Lin Quan broke through him, he would be intercepted by his teammate.
Confident in his thorough preparation, Uchida shouted inwardly:
Come on!
Lin-san!
Show me your true strength!
How will you break through my impenetrable defense?
Uchida's eyes were filled with anticipation. If he successfully defended this time, it would prove that he had found a way to neutralize Lin Quan!
Lin Quan's style of play was very similar to Messi's, and if they could successfully neutralize Lin Quan, perhaps they could do the same to Messi!
And neutralizing Messi was something even the world's top defenders couldn't do. If he could do it, he would surely gain fame and fortune, becoming famous with just one goal.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Uchida's face involuntarily. He seemed to see himself being courted and sought after by top clubs!
Lin Quan glanced at the opponent strangely. What was this guy up to?
Why was he so excited when he saw me coming at him?
Wasn't he worried about being bypassed and conceding a goal?
There was no time to dwell on it. After seeing Uchida's choice, Lin Quan made a decision instantly.
He simply adjusted his rhythm with a flicker and made a gesture as if to break through Uchida's left side.
Here it comes!
Is he really going to break through here, or is it a feint?
Uchida faced the same difficult choice as almost every defender when facing Lin Quan and Messi: judging the opponent's direction of attack.
His weight had shifted, his right foot had landed and become the supporting leg; this must be real, not a feint!
Uchida made a quick judgment and raised his left foot to intercept.
But just as he extended his foot, Lin Quan retracted his right leg, but his left foot took a half step forward.
What, was that a feint just now?
Uchida was stunned in place. The opponent's center of gravity had clearly changed; how could that have been a feint?
Indeed, theory and practical application were entirely different matters.
While watching recordings of Lin Quan's matches, despite knowing that he excelled at using feints, in the heat of battle, he could still be deceived, because the opponent's feints were too convincing.
Uchida's reaction speed was not as fast as Boateng's, and if Boateng were defending here, upon seeing Lin Quan's adjustment, he would instinctively shift his body to the right and then trip himself up.
But Uchida didn't have such outstanding awareness or physical attributes.
His body's center of gravity was still adjusting, he hadn't completed the previous move, and now he couldn't react at all.
So, he stood there like a wooden stake fixed in place, watching helplessly as the opponent moved away from his right side.
The fans of Werder Bremen erupted into an uproar. They weren't players on the field and didn't understand the brief duel that had just taken place between the two sides.
All they saw was their own right-back standing there like a wooden stake, allowing the opponent to pass by as if playing a rigged game.
This made them so angry that they were almost ready to curse the female members of Atsuto Uchida's family!
Papadopoulos was shocked to see Atsuto Uchida being bypassed.
He quickly held his position, intending to delay Lin Quan and wait for his teammates to come back to defend.
But could he defend against Lin Quan, who had already picked up speed?
Lin Quan dribbled the ball to the right and feigned going to the left, the same choice that had just bypassed Atsuto Uchida.
Papadopoulos witnessed the entire process of his teammate being bypassed and knew that his teammate had been deceived by the opponent's feint.
So he kept telling himself not to be deceived by the opponent's feint, but his body still couldn't help moving slightly to the left.
There was no choice; this was almost the instinct of a defender!
Fortunately, his movement was not significant, and he adjusted in time, not completely out of position.
However, even if the opponent hesitated for only half a second, for Lin Quan, it was enough.
Seeing the opponent's reaction, Lin Quan quickly dribbled the ball twice at high speed while running, returning the ball to his left foot. Then, just like his teammate, Papadopoulos was bypassed like a wooden stake.
On the sidelines, the coach of Schalke angrily threw his suit on the ground.
Fouls! Why didn't you foul before the opponent entered the penalty area?
Even if you don't foul, you should double-team. What's the point of lining up to be killed one by one?
Who the hell do you think you are, thinking you can block the opponent one-on-one?
The fans at the Werder Bremen Stadium couldn't help holding their breath, unconsciously standing up one by one, stretching their necks to look at their own goal, and praying in their hearts:
Please don't score, please don't score!
We must hold on!
The 22-year-old young talent, Onastal, remained calm when facing Lin Quan's one-on-one.
He knew the opponent's shooting accuracy was terrifying, making it difficult to save his shots.
So when he saw Atsuto Uchida being bypassed, he chose to rush out, intending to intercept the ball from Lin Quan's feet together with Papadopoulos.
However, before he could get into position, Papadopoulos had already been bypassed, leaving only him to face Lin Quan alone!
There was no way he could retreat to defend in front of the goal at this moment, so he could only try to enlarge the defensive area of his body as much as possible and reduce the opponent's shooting angle.
Onastal, tall and towering at 198 cm, seemed like a giant in front of the 173 cm Lin Quan.
Such a tall figure gave him a huge interception area.
It wouldn't be easy to get past his ten fingers.
On the Schalke bench, including the head coach Jens Keller who had previously thrown his suit, many people were already standing up, nervously watching their own goal.
Seeing Lin Quan getting a one-on-one opportunity, they felt almost hopeless.
In the Bundesliga's statistics, this guy's one-on-one scoring rate was astonishingly high, with few mistakes.
If he got a one-on-one opportunity, it was almost certain to be a goal!
The first half was not over yet. If they allowed the opponent to take the lead too early, this game would be difficult to play!
Schalke's players and staff were already desperate, but then Onastal decisively rushed out, giving them a glimmer of hope again!
The distance between Onastal and Lin Quan was getting closer and closer, but the opponent still hadn't shot.
This meant that the opponent's shooting angle was getting smaller and smaller, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to get past the goalkeeper's fingers.
Could it be that the opponent made a mistake?
Schalke's players and staff couldn't figure out what was going on, but seeing this situation, they felt a sigh of relief.
Anyway, as long as they could neutralize the threat of this one-on-one, they would be able to escape!
"Oh, this shot should have been taken earlier. It's too hesitant. Now there's no shooting angle!"
Inside the CCTV studio, Duan Xuan began to worry about Lin Quan.
Facing such a tall goalkeeper, the more hesitant he was, the smaller the chance of scoring.
If he could be more decisive in shooting, maybe he could still score.
On the internet, seeing Lin Quan's delayed shot, the 'Ten-year Fans' of Werder Bremen also began to worry.
"What's wrong with Lin Emperor today? This shot selection is unreasonable!"
"Yeah, he's carrying too much, he doesn't seem to be in form!"
"That goalpost earlier, if it were him normally, he would have scored!"
"Could it be that he's been scared by the momentum of the Miners' home field?"
"Impossible, right? Lin Emperor, Lin Emperor, reigning supreme in tournaments, he's not someone who falters in big games!"
Just when everyone thought that this one-on-one was about to be ended, Lin Quan moved.
He shifted the ball sideways, seeming to want to create distance and angle to shoot at the empty goal.
How could the goalkeeper let him have his way? Onastal immediately used both hands and feet, stretching out his long legs to block the ground ball while preparing to intercept the mid-range shot with his hands.
With his long legs stretched out, there was no way for the opponent to get past him!
If the opponent wanted to chip the ball, this distance was enough for him to react and intercept the shot in the air.
This was the mechanism he had done his best to achieve, and the opponent couldn't threaten his goal behind him!
However, in the instant he stretched out his leg, Lin Quan suddenly paused, glanced at Onastal's crotch, and lightly kicked the ball.
Onastal never expected the opponent to be so insidious, staring at his groin the whole time.
Seeing the opponent's shooting motion, he immediately squatted down, trying to block the ball with his body.
But his movement was too slow. With a height of 198 cm, he had a huge defensive area.
But correspondingly, it also reduced his agility, making it difficult for this huge aircraft carrier to turn.
Seeing the ball successfully roll past his crotch, Lin Quan smiled!
From the moment he entered the penalty area, he was planning this shot.
Onastal's frontal defensive area was large, and with his height, Lin Quan might not even be able to score even if he shot to the corners.
To score, the best way was to bypass the goalkeeper and shoot at the empty goal.
Or find a way to get past his crotch, so he couldn't intercept.
Onastal had been cautious before and didn't give Lin Quan a chance to get past his crotch.
But when Lin Quan dribbled sideways and tried to get past him, he had to stretch out his leg, giving Lin Quan an opportunity.
After the ball passed through Onastal's crotch, under the gaze of over fifty thousand spectators at the scene, it slowly rolled towards the goal.
Although the ball speed was slow, it still crossed the goal line and hit the net before stopping.
Watching the football rolling in their own goal net, the fans at the Werder Bremen Stadium fell into a dead silence.
We!
Actually!
Fell behind!
(End of this chapter)