Chapter 112: A Miracle in Front of Tens of Thousands!
Being behind in score, our team's offensive tactics faced restrictions from the opposition once again.
Both of our frontline cores seemed a bit lost, which made Shauf on the sidelines feel somewhat tricky.
He looked somewhat wary towards the home team's coaching staff. Over there, Heinrich, just like when they clashed at Wixil Stadium before, maintained a calm demeanor, quietly watching the game on the field.
The old coach is really becoming more and more inscrutable, making it hard to gauge his intentions.
Sighing, Shauf understood Bayern's tactics.
The opponent's starting lineup today was very targeted. Usually, Bayern's midfield configuration pairs Schweinsteiger with Martinez or Gustavo.
It's rare for two defensive midfielders to start together.
In this game, Heinrich benched both Kroos and Müller, moving Schweinsteiger from the defensive midfield to the attacking midfield, taking Müller's position.
Then he positioned two defensive pillars in the midfield, which raised Bayern's midfield hardness by a notch.
Without Kroos and Müller's organization, Bayern's attacking routines were reduced.
But in this game, their attack didn't rely on routines, it relied on the superlative individual abilities of their two wingers.
And unfortunately for Werder Bremen, they had no way to counter this, unable to limit the opponent's attack.
As a result, the team was restricted in attack while unable to withstand the opponent's onslaught in defense.
Their chances of winning this game dwindled as they played on.
Currently just one goal down, if they allow the opponent to launch a few more counterattacks, they might find themselves trailing by more than one goal.
What to do? How to limit the opponent's attack?
Shauf first thought of defense, but he quickly realized that Werder Bremen's defense was already poor.
Trying to make adjustments based on this weak defense wasn't as effective as focusing on revitalizing the team's attacking system.
If they could activate the team's attack, freeing Lin Quan and De Bruyne, maybe they could rewrite the team's fate with goals.
But how to break through the opponent's defensive system?
It's not just Shauf pondering this question. In the audience stands, Chelsea's veteran scout Dwyer was also contemplating it.
"Werder Bremen needs a third person to step up; they can't rely entirely on these two. Otherwise, Bayern can easily lock them down!"
Dwyer thought of Marco Marin from his own team, who was Werder Bremen's main striker last season.
If he were on the field now instead of Felkrug, Bayern wouldn't dare to double-team Lin Quan and De Bruyne so recklessly.
On the field, as the game resumed, Lin Quan was also considering how to break through Bayern's blockade.
When he moved to the right, Martinez marked him. When he went left, he expected Gustavo to mark him, but unexpectedly, Martinez followed him.
The opponent deliberately switched positions with Gustavo, aiming directly at Lin Quan.
Seeing this, Lin Quan knew that he couldn't shake off Martinez in this game.
So, he didn't rush to attack the opponent's penalty area but instead dribbled in the space between their defensive and midfield lines.
Bayern's players naturally wouldn't let him comfortably carry the ball, including Mandzukic, Ribery, Schweinsteiger, and others, a total of four players rushed towards him to steal the ball.
But Lin Quan had many teammates in this position. Before the opponent could press him, he passed the ball to Hunter.
After receiving the ball, Hunter passed it to Eliya on the wing, who quickly advanced down the left side.
Lin Quan didn't return to the right but followed Eliya to the left.
Martinez hesitated for a moment but chose to continue marking Lin Quan.
He believed his teammate Lahm could hold off Eliya on his own without needing his help.
Lahm's ability as a full-back was top-notch, and Eliya naturally couldn't break through his defense.
But at this moment, Lin Quan came over, so he passed the ball to Lin Quan and ran towards the penalty area himself.
Lin Quan had just received the ball when Martinez closed in.
Having competed with him several times before, Lin Quan had already figured out his characteristics.
Martinez's ball control was excellent, and his physicality was strong.
But being 192 cm tall meant that his turning speed couldn't be as fast as that of smaller players!
So, it was clear how to deal with him: go past him!
Lin Quan dribbled with the ball as leisurely as taking a walk, and Martinez hesitated to tackle him.
He had tried to tackle before, but was cleanly bypassed.
Fortunately, a teammate covered for him in time, preventing any serious consequences.
But after that lesson, he knew he couldn't rashly tackle in a one-on-one situation.
In Lin Quan's eyes, this tall player probably moved in slow motion with every action!
Lin Quan's area of activity was on the left flank, near the 30-meter area.
At this time, according to Bayern's defensive strategy, their right-back Lahm should have come up to double-team Lin Quan with Martinez.
But Lahm was occupied by Eliya and didn't come up in time.
But it didn't matter, as Lahm didn't come up, there was still Robben on the right.
But Martinez didn't see Robben's figure. This guy didn't retreat to defend but stayed in Werder Bremen's half.
Robben thought, "I scored after coming on, I'm not here to do the dirty work like defending as a defender."
If the opponent was near the center circle, he could symbolically track back a bit.
But when the opponent was close to the 30-meter area, if he retreated, he wouldn't be able to participate in the team's attack in time.
Robben felt that with his poor defensive ability, going back would only cause trouble for the team and wouldn't help much.
So, he decided not to go back, lest it affect his performance in the attack.
But with him not going back, Bayern's strategy to limit Lin Quan became somewhat ineffective.
The position Lin Quan was in now, apart from the right midfielder and the defensive midfielder and full-back, no one else could come over.
You can't let the center-back run over here, can you?
The attacking midfielder Schweinsteiger could move, but he was busy marking De Bruyne and couldn't leave!
This gave Lin Quan a brief chance to go one-on-one against Martinez.
Glancing at the position of his center forward Felkrug, Lin Quan suddenly started, pretending to pass the ball and kicked it away.
But this ball didn't roll too far, just not far behind Martinez.
A mistake? Martinez saw Lin Quan's pass and felt a hint of doubt in his heart.
Before he could react, he felt a gust of wind blowing past, and Lin Quan in front of him had disappeared.
Not good, he got past me!
Martinez, experienced as he was, almost immediately guessed the opponent's intention.
Lin Quan's pass wasn't to Werder Bremen's center forward but to himself three seconds later!
Martinez instinctively raised his head to see Lin Quan's figure already behind him.
How did he get there?
Martinez, who was about to turn around, suddenly found that his eyes seemed to be out of his control. He looked up to see Lin Quan standing behind him.
At this moment, Lin Quan, whose speed had soared, just stretched out his foot to gently tap the ball with the inside of his foot.
The ball rolled under Martinez's body and stopped at his feet.
Martinez couldn't help but turned his head to see that the ball was gone.
When did he pass it?
This guy had the ball in front of him, why did he pass it to the back?
Looking at Lin Quan who was now one meter away from the ball, Martinez felt like crying without tears.
How could his body's reaction speed be so slow?
With a light tap of the ball, Lin Quan completely broke through Martinez's defense!
Seeing the opponent's penalty area before him, Lin Quan took the ball with him and started sprinting towards the goal.
After getting rid of Martinez, there were no more players around him!
Seeing this scene, all the fans in the stands stood up, their shouts deafening.
In the VIP seats, the members of the German national team were all looking nervously at the game on the field.
Seeing Lin Quan break through the defense, Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was sitting in the front row, clenched his fists tightly.
He felt that he couldn't let Lin Quan's breakthrough ruin the team's formation!
If Lin Quan really scored, the morale of Werder Bremen would skyrocket!
Thinking of this, Schweinsteiger gritted his teeth and suddenly broke through the interception and rushed towards Lin Quan.
But at this moment, Lin Quan suddenly changed his direction, pulling the ball to the left side and accelerating!
Schweinsteiger, who was originally moving forward at full speed, suddenly had to stop and change direction.
But Lin Quan's speed was so fast that he couldn't catch up in time!
Just as he was about to catch up, Lin Quan had already arrived in front of the penalty area.
At this time, Werder Bremen's midfielder De Bruyne suddenly rushed over from the right!
Seeing this, Lin Quan decisively passed the ball!
His pass accurately found De Bruyne, who was rushing into the penalty area!
At the same time, Schweinsteiger, who had just caught up, also lunged over!
But at this moment, De Bruyne, who received the ball, didn't hesitate to shoot!
His shot was quick and accurate, directly smashing into the lower right corner of the goal!
Goal! Werder Bremen equalized! In front of tens of thousands of fans, they finally scored!
The entire Weser Stadium erupted with thunderous cheers, as if a volcano had erupted!
In the stands, Shauf clenched his fists tightly, his eyes shining with excitement!
Dwyer, who was sitting in the VIP seats, also stood up, applauding and cheering for Werder Bremen's goal!
In the VIP seats, the German national team members also stood up, their faces filled with excitement!
At this moment, the entire stadium was filled with the deafening cheers of the fans!
They witnessed a miracle happen right in front of their eyes!
In the moment when Lin Quan bypassed Martinez, the danger became apparent to him!
The cautionary advice the coach had emphasized before the match happened at this moment!
"Beautiful!"
In the stands, Dwyer saw Lin Quan get past Martinez and couldn't help but commend.
George Evans, on the other hand, looked puzzled. Martinez had been bypassed by Lin Quan several times before, even near the penalty area. Dwyer didn't show such excitement during those times. Why was he so excited this time?
"Fool, it's about space. Lin Quan has space now!"
It seemed Dwyer saw through the rookie scout's confusion and patiently explained,
"When Lin Quan got past Martinez before, several Bayern players formed a double team around him, leaving him with hardly any space to dribble. Even when he was closer to the goal, he couldn't threaten Bayern's goal. But now it's different. After moving to the flank, there's only Martinez around him. After getting past him, he has enough space to dribble. At this point, whether it's passing or attacking, he has more options than before. More importantly, he's no longer limited by Martinez and only needs to face Bayern's backline!"
George suddenly realized after hearing this. So that's it!
No wonder Dwyer, the team's senior scout, saw this as a good opportunity. His insight couldn't compare without years of experience!
Since Dwyer thought it was a good opportunity, George became even more curious:
Can Lin Quan seize this opportunity and change the score?
"Harvey lost his target!"
On the home team's coach's bench, Heinrich, who had been calm all along, lost his composure at this moment.
"Yes, Robben didn't track back in time!"
Grandel, who had designed this defensive tactic, became extremely nervous after seeing this goal.
"It's not just Robben not tracking back, the positions of other players can't cover for it either. This kid appears on the left side, doesn't seem like an accident!"
Heinrich stared at Lin Quan, who was approaching Bayern's goal, and sighed inwardly:
How could this kid be so young and have such high football IQ?
He actually managed to spot the loopholes in Bayern's defensive system in such a short time and took advantage of them!
"Are you saying this kid intentionally went to the left?"
Grandel was even more surprised when he heard Heinrich's words.
"Yes, he used his teammates' cover to move to the left intentionally, causing our players to hesitate, and no one protected Martinez, giving him a one-on-one opportunity!"
"All of this is likely part of his plan!"
"Even Robben not tracking back might be part of his calculation!"
Heinrich took a deep breath. He somewhat regretted not persuading the sports director to buy this young Barcelona player after the Telekom Cup ended.
But who could have thought that a 16-year-old player could cause such a huge trouble for Bayern Munich?
Seeing Lin Quan bypass Martinez, Bayern's defenders immediately became nervous.
Except for Alaba, almost all of Bayern's defensive line had been humiliated by Lin Quan.
They knew how terrifying this guy was!
Although Martinez was desperately chasing back, he turned around half a beat slower than Lin Quan, and with the opponent starting earlier, they had already opened up several meters of distance between them.
This distance meant that when Lin Quan faced Bayern's defenders, no one could help. They had to rely on themselves!
Dante was the first to rush up, with a look of resignation on his face.
Since the last time he tore his cruciate ligament at the Weser Stadium, he had been a bit afraid of fast, dribbling players.
These young guys didn't know how painful it was to injure a knee. They didn't care about their knees at all, dribbling back and forth.
Dante was almost thirty years old, and he had suffered quite a few injuries to his old arms and legs. He couldn't keep up with the opponent's rhythm, let alone dare to keep up.
If he really changed directions continuously like the opponent did, he really doubted if his knees could hold up.
If he injured himself again, it would probably be a serious injury, and he'd be out for half a year.
As he feared, seeing Dante rush up first, Lin Quan didn't hesitate. He immediately started dribbling and changing direction.
The simplest moves were often the most effective. Since this guy had a knee injury, he naturally had to use that to his advantage.
Seeing Lin Quan change direction, Dante felt bitter in his heart but gritted his teeth to keep up with the opponent's rhythm.
But Lin Quan dribbled again, and Dante almost vomited blood from being shaken. Fortunately, his physical fitness was strong, and his reaction speed was fast, so he managed to keep up the second time.
Before he could relax, Lin Quan dribbled for the third time.
Dante didn't dare to keep up anymore, nor could he keep up. He felt his knees couldn't bear the burden anymore.
After bypassing Dante, Lin Quan entered the penalty area and faced Boateng, who was hesitating whether to tackle.
Boateng was really shadowed psychologically. When he saw Lin Quan coming, he was already intimidated even before they clashed.
He remembered the scene of being humiliated in front of tens of thousands of fans at the Allianz Arena.
In a showdown between masters, one must not hesitate.
Hesitation leads to defeat!
Lin Quan didn't know why Boateng was contemplating life at this moment, nor did he bother to think about it.
He seized the opportunity presented by the opponent, shifted his weight to the right, and made a feint, fooling Boateng.
Under normal circumstances, Boateng would have seen through Lin Quan's feint.
But at this moment, Boateng was distracted, and his reaction was half a beat slower, causing him to fail to react, and Lin Quan passed him.
"Damn it!"
From bypassing Martinez to bypassing Dante and rushing into the penalty area, Lin Quan took less than three seconds.
Neuer had just prepared to intercept with Boateng, but Boateng was quickly bypassed.
So, he had to face Lin Quan alone.
Come on, Lin, let's see who's better!
For a goalkeeper to face a forward one-on-one without defensive assistance is hell mode.
But at this moment, Neuer seemed to be possessed by the spirit of the Lion King Kahn, showing unprecedented dominance, not afraid of the challenge from the forward!
Lin Quan felt Bayern players behind him catching up, and he didn't have time to continue dribbling.
He had to shoot immediately; otherwise, he might not even have a chance to shoot.
So, glancing at Neuer's position and meeting the fearless gaze of the opponent, Lin Quan decisively shot!
"For me to score!"
He roared in his heart and shot with all his strength!
The ball whizzed towards the top left corner of the goal, and a palm appeared on the ball's flight path.
Neuer reacted extremely quickly and judged the direction correctly!
At the Allianz Arena, countless fans couldn't help but stand up:
Will this ball go in?
At this moment, time seemed to freeze.
Every frame was in slow motion!
Neuer's hand was slowly but firmly approaching the football!
Can he touch the ball, can he intercept it?
The flying ball was still rising, but he had exerted all his strength, and his outstretched palm could no longer continue to rise.
Damn, was it just a bit short?
Neuer, airborne, looked back at the football flying over his body, unwillingly thinking.
But although the ball crossed his fingertips, with such a high flight height, it should fly over the crossbar, right?
Just as Neuer and Bayern fans were thinking this, the ball suddenly began to descend, as if it had been slapped down from the air by someone!
An elevator shot!
It turned out to be an elevator shot!
With a bang, there was a dull sound from the goalpost.
The football, which had descended a bit, hit the crossbar and bounced into Bayern's goal in front of tens of thousands of fans' eyes!
Lin Quan staged an incredible miracle at the Allianz Arena, under the eyes of all!