Capítulo 54: Bundesliga starts
On August 24, the new season of the Bundesliga officially kicked off.
I'm not sure if it was a deliberate arrangement by the German Football Association or an unintentional move.
The two teams in the opening game are the same opponents from the Telekom Cup final not long ago: Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen.
This is the second encounter between the two teams within 20 days, and unfortunately, it was also the second time Werder Bremen would face Dortmund as the away team.
Therefore, when the schedule is announced, the team felt quite frustrated.
"The Football Association is really creating a spectacle!"
Upon seeing Dortmund media's call for revenge, their players also expressed their opinions on social media, vowing to give their all, with 120% effort, to win against Werder Bremen. They are determined to claim victory.
This made Werder Bremen feel as though they were deliberately set up.
Facing an angry Dortmund team that had spent the past 20 days recharging, they lacked confidence in their ability to win.
"It's just a regular league game; don't overthink it. Let's focus on playing well. Winning or losing isn't that important!"
Coach Schaaf stepped in at the right time to ease the players' tension.
The league isn't like a knockout cup match. In a season that lasts a year, winning or losing a single game is significant, but it doesn't determine life or death.
"That's right, the coach is correct. This is just an ordinary game. Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourselves. Just play as you usually do during training!"
One of the senior players stood up and started comforting the young players.
With the reassurance from the coach and the support of the experienced players, the young players' tension eased considerably.
At 7:30 in the evening, the Werder Bremen players stepped onto the Westfalenstadion's pitch for the first time in 20 days.
The opening game between Dortmund and Werder Bremen is about to start.
The commentators for the game are Clive Tyldesley and Jim Beglin.
Hello Everyone I'm today's commentator Clive Tyldesley with my partner.
Hi I'm "Jim Beglin".
So let's start with watching the lineup of both teams.
Many spectators are eager to see Lucas's unrestrained and effortless scoring on the field.
However, when the starting lineups for both teams are announced, they become dumbfounded!
"What on earth is Werder Bremen doing?
Lucas isn't included in the starting lineup?"
"I even questioned my eyesight, but Lucas is indeed missing from the starting lineup!"
Speculations started to run wild, with some suggesting a conspiracy while others think that Lucas is team's secret weapon.
The posts on online forums quickly multiplied, with many expressing their confusion regarding Werder Bremen's coaching staff's decision.
Not only were the fans confused, but Dortmund's coach, Klopp, couldn't understand it either.
"Did Schaaf give up the fight?"
"Or is this playing some kind of conspiracy?"
Klopp, who had been deceived once before, became more cautious this time.
As a result, he instructed the team to stabilize the game in the early minutes and not rush to attack, so as not to be caught off guard like in their previous encounter.
The Dortmund players also had lingering concerns about conceding two early goals in the previous game.
Therefore, after the kickoff, they intentionally controlled the game's tempo and refrained from launching immediate attacks.
"Did Dortmund change their tactics today? They seem to be playing very cautiously. This is not their usual style!"
Observing Dortmund's players falling back to their own half, the commentators, Clive Tyldesley and Jim Beglin became confused
The slow-paced game continued for five or six minutes until Dortmund confirmed that Werder Bremen had no intention of pressing them.
Only then did they feel relieved and began launching full-scale attacks.
The facts proved that without Lucas, Werder Bremen's offensive threat had diminished significantly.
De Bruyne's performance in the game remained outstanding, as he made several threatening passes in the attacking third.
However, the abilities of his teammates were limited. They either missed or wasted his quick passes after receiving them.
Overall, Werder Bremen found themselves struggling to create opportunities in attacking.
On the other hand, Dortmund did not face the same issue.
Reus had seamlessly integrated into the team, and his partnership with Lewandowski in the front line became more fluid with each game.
In the 11th minute, Reus made a breakthrough and scored a goal. Lewandowski received the ball and passed it back to him, completing a one-two combination in Werder Bremen's penalty area.
By the time Reus received the pass from Lewandowski, he had already shaken off the defender and created a one-on-one situation.
Faced with such an excellent opportunity, Reus wouldn't let it go to waste.
He shot the ball into the upper right corner of the goal.
Although Werder Bremen's goalkeeper, Mielitz, managed to touch the ball with his fingertips, he couldn't prevent the goal.
Dortmund, playing at home, took the lead in the 11th minute of the opening game, and after scoring, Reus ran to the corner to kiss the club badge on his jersey.
This gesture drew cheers and applause from the audience, who were gradually falling in love with this handsome new player, momentarily forgetting about Shinji Kagawa, who had moved to England.
Schaaf is slightly dissatisfied with the team conceding a goal and started shouting instructions to the players on the field, urging them to step up their fight and avoid playing timidly.
After receiving the coach's instructions, the Werder Bremen players increased their intensity and aggression in the following minutes.
Consequently, the number of fouls committed by both sides started to rise.
In the 21st minute, Gundogan, who had been fouled repeatedly in the previous game, reached his boiling point. When Werder Bremen midfielder Ignjovski held the ball, he retaliated with a sliding tackle, bringing his opponent down.
Ignjovski screamed in pain, rolling on the ground clutching his legs.
Such a commotion naturally caught the attention of players from both teams, and the Werder Bremen players rushed to confront Gundogan, surrounding him in the middle.
Dortmund's players swiftly intervened to protect Gundogan, and it seemed like a brawl is about to break out.
The referee quickly arrived at the scene, brandishing a yellow card and showing it to Gundogan, successfully defusing the situation.
However, it seemed that the players from both sides were still seething with anger.
As the game progressed, the intensity of both teams increased.
In the 28th minute, Junuzovic of Werder Bremen tackled Reus, resulting in a yellow card shown by the referee.
Two minutes later, Ignjovski also received a yellow card for colliding with Lewandowski outside the penalty area.
Soon after, Dortmund's Kehl, refusing to be outdone, made a tackle on Arnautovic, showing his studs and earning a direct yellow card.
By halftime, the players from both sides had accumulated four yellow cards in total.
If the game continued at this pace, the number of yellow cards might reach double digits.
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