Chapter 147: We Are the Champions!
On the evening of June 1st, at 7:30 PM, the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, was brightly lit.
On the north and south stands, occupied by Werder Bremen and Stuttgart fans respectively, two huge team flags were unfurled.
Even before the match began, the fans on both sides had already started their chants.
The songs echoed incessantly throughout the stadium, which could accommodate 76,000 spectators, filling every moment with resounding voices.
This match was important for both sides. Both teams had been without a championship for many years, and winning this match could rewrite their history.
Therefore, fans from both teams flocked to Berlin, hoping to witness their team lift the trophy.
Apart from the lucky ones who managed to get tickets and enter the stadium, there were tens of thousands of spectators outside who arrived late and couldn't get tickets.
When the buses of both teams arrived at the stadium, they encountered some minor troubles.
However, unlike facing opponent fans surrounding their team bus during away matches, this time, it was their own fans surrounding the team buses.
"Come on, defeat them!"
"Come on, Werder Bremen!"
"Lin Quan, Kevin De Bruyne, come on, Werder Bremen!"
The enthusiasm of the fans infected the players on the bus, and a sense of excitement unique to finals began to permeate the team.
"Don't be nervous, just treat this game like any other!"
The head coach, Shaf, keenly sensed the change in the players' mentality and immediately tried to reassure them.
However, such matters couldn't be solved with just a few words of reassurance.
Werder Bremen's lineup was very young. Except for a few older players like Fritz, the other players had never experienced such an important match before.
The instability in the mentality of young players seemed to become a hidden danger for the team at this moment.
Facing such an important match, young players couldn't help but think:
What if we lose this match? Will the fans blame us? Will I regret it for the rest of my life?
Such things couldn't be ignored just by trying not to think about them, because before the start of the match, all these questions filled their heads.
So much so that they couldn't even focus on the tactical arrangements made by the coach!
Clap, clap!
Seeing that the players were too nervous, Shaf clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention, then said:
"I know you're all nervous, but the more nervous you are at this time, the worse your performance will be. You need to believe in your own strength, believe in the strength of your teammates. Look, Lin Quan, he's completely calm!"
Shaf originally intended to let a few older players share their experience in big matches, but seeing Lin Quan's calm demeanor, he changed his mind instantly.
Lin Quan was the youngest player on the team. Having him share his experience would be much more effective than the older players speaking up.
All the players turned to look at Lin Quan, and seeing his confident demeanor, their nervousness eased slightly.
Lin Quan was the tactical core of the team. If he wasn't nervous, why should they be?
When faced with such a confident opponent, why should they be nervous?
"After Lin, can you tell your teammates why you're not feeling nervous?" Shaf was also curious why Lin Quan's mentality was so good.
Among young players, it was rare to see someone with such a mature mentality.
"The reason is simple, because the opponents are weaker than us. They should be the ones feeling nervous!"
This simple statement was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads, instantly giving them a sense of enlightenment.
Yes!
We are stronger, with a higher chance of winning. Why should we be nervous?
Thinking of the two victories against Stuttgart earlier in the season, especially the 5-1 victory away in the 21st round, the players of Werder Bremen suddenly felt more confident!
Stuttgart, just a bunch of losers!
Seeing the players' mentality gradually return to normal, Shaf breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave Lin Quan a thumbs-up.
Good kid, he knows what he's doing!
But it seemed like the players had shifted from one extreme to another. Earlier they were nervous, now they seemed a bit arrogant!
Cough, cough, "The final is different from regular matches. The intensity of the final is higher, and the opponents will do everything to stop us from winning the championship. So, we can't be careless. After the kickoff, we need to score as soon as possible and take control of the game!"
Shaf took out the tactical board and explained his tactics again.
He planned to start aggressively, then retreat to defend immediately after scoring, pulling back to their own half and playing on the counterattack.
Werder Bremen's strength was already stronger than Stuttgart's. If they were willing to drop their pride and play on the counterattack, Stuttgart wouldn't stand a chance.
Of course, this tactic might be criticized by the outside world as pragmatic football, only focused on victory.
But Shaf didn't care. No matter how good-looking they played, if they couldn't win the game, it would all be in vain:
"In the final, it's all about winning. It doesn't matter how good or bad the game looks, as long as we win!"
The players didn't oppose this view.
This was the last game. If they won, they could go on vacation happily. If they lost, they might not have a good mood for the whole summer.
Moreover, this match was the last time they would fight side by side with the twin stars of the team. No one wanted to leave with regrets.
...
At 7:45 PM, the players began to leave the locker room and enter the player tunnel, preparing to enter the field.
Before the match, Stuttgart's players couldn't help but sneak a look at their opponents. The most watched were Werder Bremen's twin stars, Lin Quan and Kevin De Bruyne.
Previously, they had received insider information that De Bruyne was late to join the team and might miss the match.
But unexpectedly, he showed up at the last minute, which disappointed them greatly.
If he hadn't come, wouldn't that be great!
In that case, maybe they could really steal the championship trophy from Werder Bremen.
But now...
Seeing the strong opponents, Stuttgart's players lost their confidence.
After the entrance ceremony, pre-match handshake, and coin toss, at exactly 8:00 PM, under the gaze of the audience, the final of the 2012-2013 German Cup officially began.
On the field, Werder Bremen, wearing green jerseys, launched an attack from left to right, while Stuttgart, wearing white jerseys, attacked from right to left.
At the moment the whistle blew, five Werder Bremen players in the frontcourt rushed towards Stuttgart's half.
The Stuttgart player who had just received the ball back-passed was startled, caught off guard, and was immediately tackled by the opposing team.
"Dangerous!"
In the commentator's booth, before the commentator could finish introducing the players from both sides, he had to interrupt himself because of the sudden change in the situation on the field.
"Werder Bremen's frontcourt is pressing madly, Maxim's pass was intercepted by the opponent due to his lack of decisiveness!"
"De Bruyne has the ball, he's observing his teammates' movements!"
"He passed the ball!"
"Dangerous!"
"The ball is in!"
"Oh my god, unbelievable, just 15 seconds into the game, Werder Bremen has taken the lead thanks to a mistake by their opponent!"
The goal came too fast, the commentator couldn't keep up with the pace, so much so that he couldn't even describe the entire process of the goal.
It wasn't until the slow-motion replay started on the scene that he explained the entire process of Werder Bremen's attack.
"Stuttgart's carelessness at the beginning of the match is the primary reason for conceding the goal. They were caught off guard by the opponent's aggressive start."
"Maxim just received the back-pass from his teammate, before he could pass the ball, he was double-teamed by the opponents!"
"Werder Bremen's twin stars, De Bruyne and Lin Quan, completed the interception together. After winning the ball, Lin Quan immediately made a run forward, attracting the attention of the defensive players, creating space for De Bruyne to make the pass."
"De Bruyne wisely didn't pass directly to Lin Quan but instead made a diagonal pass to the central midfielder, Hunter, who then made a through pass to Lin Quan after adjusting his position. Lin Quan assisted Eliya, who cut in from the wing and scored in the penalty area."
The entire attacking process only involved four passes, exposing a huge loophole in Stuttgart's defense. They all focused on Lin Quan, thinking he would shoot.
But to their surprise, Lin Quan passed the ball!
After the goal, Werder Bremen's players rushed madly to the frontcourt, knocking down goal scorer Eliya and the assist provider Lin Quan, rubbing their heads frantically and patting their bodies.
Before this goal, they were still a bit nervous.
But after scoring this goal, their nervousness completely disappeared!
They thought they would have to make some effort to break through the opponent's goal, but they didn't expect to score on the first attack!
Indeed, as Lin Quan said, the opponents were no match at all!
Coach Shaf on the sidelines didn't expect the goal to come so quickly. After seeing Eliya open the scoring, he excitedly rushed out of the coaching bench, hugging and celebrating with every colleague and even substitute players around him.
On the other side, in Stuttgart's coaching bench, everyone was stunned by the result.
They fell behind just 15 seconds into the game. How could they continue to play this match?
A sense of despair began to spread among them!
What made them even more desperate was that after the restart, Werder Bremen stopped attacking. They all retreated to their own half, leaving only one forward up front.
They actually set up a defensive formation!
Stuttgart's coach wanted to curse when he saw this scene!
Isn't this too shameless?
You're at least the second in the Bundesliga, you've thrashed us in two matches, what are you afraid of?
Come out and attack us!
Werder Bremen responded, only fools play an attacking game!
We're leading, isn't it better to play defensively and counterattack safely?
Stuttgart ranked 13th in the Bundesliga this season, a mid-table team.
One of the major problems plaguing them was - lack of firepower!
In the 34 Bundesliga matches this season, Stuttgart only scored 33 goals, averaging less than one goal per game.
This data ranked them second to last in the Bundesliga, just slightly more than Fortuna Düsseldorf's 26 goals.
And precisely because of their lack of firepower, Stuttgart's pre-match tactic was to play defensively and look for one or two goals by capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes.
If they couldn't score, they couldn't let the opponent score either, hoping to drag the game to a penalty shootout.
They were well aware that their own strength was not as good as the opponent's, so in this match, they needed to adjust their mentality and play as the weaker side.
But plans can't keep up with changes!
Before they could even get into position to defend, the opponent scored.
Now, they couldn't defend anymore, they had to go out and play an attacking style they weren't good at.
Stuttgart's players cautiously launched an attack against Werder Bremen.
And then...
They were countered!
In the 9th minute, Ludig's cross from the right, Maxim's left-footed volley slightly missed the goal.
Werder Bremen launched a rapid counterattack, De Bruyne sent Lin Quan through into the penalty area.
Lin Quan didn't have a good angle for a shot, so he chose to pass to the left.
Anautovic jumped high, outjumping Stuttgart's defender Molinaro, heading towards the goal.
The ball was very close to the goal, Anautovic's header seemed to be going in!
But, at that moment, Stuttgart's goalkeeper Ulreich seemed to be possessed by a god, making a divine save, bravely blocking the shot that was so close.
Anautovic, seeing the ball fly out, couldn't believe it, holding his head in disbelief.
He felt like he had scored with that header, but the opponent managed to save it?
Is this guy even human?
Heading is much harder to save than shooting with the feet!
At such close range, with such a sudden shooting action, it really tests the goalkeeper's reaction speed and basic skills.
Not only Anautovic felt incredulous, even Lin Quan couldn't help but take another look at the goalkeeper.
No wonder he was scouted by Bayern Munich, this guy really has some skills.
The goalkeeper's amazing save seemed to inject a bit of courage into Stuttgart's players.
They became bolder in their subsequent attacks!
In the 24th minute of the match, Stuttgart got a decent attacking opportunity.
Maxim's free kick flew straight into Werder Bremen's penalty area, Werder Bremen's defender missed the header, giving the opposing striker a chance to head for goal.
Unfortunately, Ibisevic seemed unprepared and his hurried shot went straight into the goalkeeper's hands.
After collecting the ball, Milic swiftly launched a counterattack.
He threw the ball out with one hand to the center circle, finding Lin Quan near the center circle.
After receiving the ball, Lin Quan dribbled past the pressing Boca and dribbled the ball to the edge of the opponent's penalty area.
After observing Ulreich's position, Lin Quan made a shooting motion.
Stuttgart's two defenders immediately rushed forward to block.
But Lin Quan didn't shoot, instead gently tapping the ball to the left side of the penalty area.
De Bruyne, who was making a late run, took a powerful shot without any defensive pressure, once again breaking Stuttgart's goal.
This goal left Ulreich helpless. Although he made an attempt to save, and even touched the ball, De Bruyne's shot was too powerful. He couldn't change the direction of the ball's flight and could only watch helplessly as the ball flew into his own net.
The score became 2-0, with one foot of Werder Bremen already on the podium!
Stuttgart's players were very frustrated. It was their attacking turn, but they didn't score, while the opponent did.
Werder Bremen's terrifying ability to counterattack left Stuttgart's players at a loss.
Most of their players were still in the opponent's half, having just participated in the attack and hadn't had time to retreat, but the opponent launched a rapid counterattack.
If they continued like this, they were afraid they would concede more goals.
So, Stuttgart's players dared not to continue attacking.
They became more conservative in the subsequent time, and Werder Bremen, who held a two-goal advantage, was not in a hurry either.
The first half of the game quickly ended, and Werder Bremen returned to the locker room with a 2-goal lead.
During the halftime break, Shaf did not adjust his tactics and insisted on implementing the defensive counterattack strategy.
This disappointed Stuttgart, and their fans began to curse loudly!
The opponents were really shameless, a strong team playing against a weak team, holding a two-goal lead, and still playing so conservatively!
Even the neutral fans in the stadium couldn't bear to watch it.
They came for Werder Bremen's reputation for playing attacking football, but what they saw was Werder Bremen parking the bus.
Where did the team that often played gorgeous attacks in matches go?
It seemed like they were trying to satisfy the fans' wishes!
In the 65th minute of the second half, Werder Bremen changed their style from defensive counterattacks.
Suddenly, they launched a fierce press in the frontcourt and launched a strong attack against Stuttgart.
This sudden change caught Stuttgart off guard. They were used to the opponent sitting back and waiting for them to attack.
But they didn't expect the opponent to change their strategy suddenly!
As a result, they, who were somewhat lax in awareness, soon tasted the consequences.
After a successful tackle in the frontcourt by Werder Bremen, the ball was quickly passed to the right.
Lin Quan received the ball on the right and cut inside towards the penalty area, suddenly playing a through pass to the late run of De Bruyne.
De Bruyne sent a low cross that hugged the ground, which was very penetrating.
It bypassed the onrushing goalkeeper and found Lin Quan!
Facing the empty goal, Lin Quan easily tapped the ball into the net, changing the score to 3-0.
This goal completely killed the suspense of the match.
After falling behind by a large margin, Stuttgart lost all fighting spirit. The initiative on the field was completely controlled by Werder Bremen.
In the 81st minute, Shaf chose to make substitutions.
He replaced Lin Quan, who had provided two assists and scored a goal, and let him accept the applause from the fans on the field.
As Lin Quan jogged towards the bench, he applauded the fans in the stands.
He thanked them for their support and companionship throughout the season!
This time coming off the field, he probably wouldn't have another chance to wear Werder Bremen's green jersey.
The fans at the scene also gave face. Apart from Stuttgart's fans, more than 40,000 fans in the stadium stood up and applauded Lin Quan.
Two minutes later, Shaf also substituted De Bruyne.
So that he could also accept the applause from the fans on the field.
This was also De Bruyne's last match at Werder Bremen.
When he came off the field, his eyes were a little red. After hugging substitute Ekici, he stood on the sidelines, watching the field and his teammates, and didn't return to the bench for a long time.
Although Stuttgart tried to change the score after Werder Bremen's two main players left the field, their attacks did not yield any results.
In the end, Werder Bremen won the German Cup final with a score of 3-0, becoming the champion and winning their first trophy in nearly four seasons!
In the classic song "We Are the Champions" by Queen, all the players of Werder Bremen stepped onto the podium.
In the 2012-2013 season, the golden generation of Werder Bremen was immortalized in this moment.
A new journey was about to begin!
(End of this chapter)