Chương 101: Breaking Records Again
On December 8th at 4 PM, Weser Stadium was packed to capacity.
Despite the team's previous home loss against Leverkusen, the defeat had no impact on the enthusiasm of the fans.
After the team's loss, they immediately secured a resounding victory as visitors, instilling confidence in their ability to win against Frankfurt at home.
Moreover, the Twin Stars of the team, including De Bruyne, were set to make a comeback in this match, which was undoubtedly the most anticipated and joyful event for the Parrot Legion fans.
The host's words sparked a fervent response from the fans as over 50,000 of them stood up, chanting each player's name as they entered the field.
Mielitz, Papastathopoulos, Prödl, Schmidt, Fritz...
The applause and cheers grew louder with each player's entry, especially when Fritz made his appearance, reaching a crescendo.
Sylvia, covering her ears, was taken aback. She had never watched a football match at a stadium and was surprised by the intense atmosphere.
Is this the charm of football?
"Finally, let's welcome our team's top striker from La Masia youth academy - Lin!"
Before the host finished speaking, the fans erupted into the loudest cheers so far, surpassing the previous applause for any player.
"Lin!"
"Lin!"
"Lin!"
The entire crowd shouted Lin's name enthusiastically, and Lin, upon hearing it, smiled and waved to the fans in the stands.
The previous win had completely boosted the team's morale, and before the start of this match, the club manager, Allofs, had issued him the bonus for the half-season he had earned.
The amount of this bonus was substantial, and at first glance, Allofs thought his eyes were deceiving him.
After double-checking several times, he finally believed that the number was not a mistake—how could a youth team player receive 1.13 million euros in bonus for half a season? It seemed unbelievable.
Doubting this, he called the Barcelona club to verify, and they confirmed that Lin's bonus was indeed that much and there was no mistake.
This made Allofs start to doubt his own understanding of things:
These extravagant folks at Barcelona are way out of line, aren't they? Offering such a high bonus to a young player with a youth team contract? Absolutely outrageous!
However, just thinking about Lin's performance on the field, Allofs immediately felt that such a contract seemed quite reasonable after all—Barcelona probably wants to retain Lin and keep him in the team by offering such a high bonus!
On the field, Lin was not distracted by other matters. The opponents were strong, and they needed to approach the game with 100% commitment.
"How should we play later?" De Bruyne asked Lin before kick-off.
"Want to have a lightning attack?" Lin asked De Bruyne, looking at his position.
"We can, but how do I pass the ball to you? I don't know your move!" De Bruyne looked at Lin eagerly, wishing to learn the 45-degree curved pass from him.
"When we win this game, I'll teach you!" Lin refused not because he was stingy, but because he had just recovered from an injury. Teaching him now would undoubtedly lead to vigorous practice from De Bruyne, potentially risking a re-injury of his ankle.
But De Bruyne persistently pleaded, wanting to learn the move, until Lin reluctantly agreed.
Seeing De Bruyne's excitement after agreeing to teach him his skill, Lin couldn't help but smile inwardly: Clearly, I learned it from you; in the end, you're calling me 'master'!
At 4:30 PM, the game officially began.
Werder Bremen took the lead, and Lin passed the ball to De Bruyne, accelerating forward.
De Bruyne dribbled closely behind, and Werder Bremen launched a fierce attack towards Eintracht Frankfurt's half right from the start.
Frankfurt's players clearly didn't anticipate such a rapid onslaught and were somewhat slow to react.
"Stop him!"
Frankfurt's coach, witnessing his players on the field react sluggishly, shouted from the sidelines to intercept De Bruyne and prevent the lad from advancing further with the ball.
Previously, in De Bruyne's absence, rival Bundesliga teams only needed to focus on stopping Lin to secure their chances.
However, now merely focusing on Lin wasn't sufficient; the opponents had gained an additional attacking core in De Bruyne, whose passing had significant firepower.
You never knew when, how, and where he'd pass the ball.
In terms of pass unpredictability and creativity, De Bruyne was top-notch!
Seeing Lin deftly evade defensive players and dart to the edge of the opponent's penalty area.
De Bruyne passed!
Amidst his fast-paced run, he quickly assessed Lin's positioning and the defenders and kicked the ball out.
Observing De Bruyne's passing route, Frankfurt's No. 20 midfielder, Rode, thought he could intercept the ball.
He dashed towards the passing path, expecting to intercept the ball upon its arrival.
Confident it was a sure intercept, the ball unexpectedly bounced off the ground from his leg, flying past him.
What?
How did that happen?
Rode was flabbergasted!
Stunned, he glanced back at De Bruyne - was this part of your plan too?
Even De Bruyne was surprised; he did indeed aim for a bouncing ball pass to increase the difficulty for the defending players.
However, the fortunate bounce, rolling right past the defender's legs, seemed serendipitous!
While sprinting forward, Lin wasn't solely focused on his own pace; he also kept an eye on De Bruyne's passing timing.
As the ball bypassed the opponent's defensive midfielder and neared Lin, he speedily accelerated towards the opponent's penalty area.
Player to ball, shot!
The opponent's goalkeeper froze in front of the goal, unable to react in time, as the ball flew into their net.
Instinctively glancing at the match clock, a glaring red number '9' appeared.
Just nine seconds into the game, Werder Bremen utilized a lightning strike, the twin stars De Bruyne and Lin, combining to rewrite the scoreline.
This time surpassed the fastest goal record in Bundesliga history, previously held by Kiesling's 11-second goal in the 2001-2002 season.
Lin's goal increased this record by 2 more seconds!
Witnessing their team score, many fans in the stands were still processing the swift turn of events.
"Oh, my God, is this real?"
"Am I dreaming? We start with a goal lead?"
"That shot was fantastic, just too fast to see clearly!"
"De Bruyne's pass was exquisite, dumbfounding the opponent's midfielder."
Once the fans at the Weser Stadium realized what occurred, they joyfully sang the team song:
"Our name is Werder Bremen!"
"We are the football kings of the North and even all of Germany!"
"Green and white are our symbols!"
"Werder, the champions from Weser!"
The lightning strike by De Bruyne and Lin caught the Frankfurt coaching staff completely off guard.
They anticipated Werder Bremen might play conservatively after their previous home loss, never foreseeing such an audacious move that left them dazed.
Trailing just nine seconds into the game disrupted all their pre-planned tactics.
With the team falling behind so early, the pressure on the players skyrocketed, potentially affecting their endurance and performance on the pitch.
Faced with the mighty force of Werder Bremen, the elation was palpable among coach Schaaf and staff!
Securing an early lead greatly uplifted the players' spirits, fostering a poised and confident atmosphere for the game.
In this state, players often exhibit exceptional performances, making the prospect of winning significantly easier!
"Was that goal part of your planned tactics?"
Schaaf inquired of the assistant coaches, as he hadn't arranged for such a play himself.
The assistants glanced at each other and shook their heads.
Seeing their reactions, Schaaf understood.
Looking at Lin and De Bruyne celebrating on the field, a smile brimmed in Schaaf's eyes:
"So, it was you two devising this tactic all along, huh? These mischievous lads always bring something new to the table!"
"Was the entire set plan behind Lin's calculation?"
Lin realized through the replay on the big screen De Bruyne's graceful pass.
"Not really, it was a stroke of luck, right time, right place, bit of misfortune for the opponents."
De Bruyne honestly disclosed everything!
Upon hearing this, Lin gave him a thumbs-up, impressed by the pass:
"That was a beautiful pass; let's have a few more. Promise not to disappoint in the future."
De Bruyne found it strange that despite not being harmed by Manchester City's front trio, Lin emphasized not disappointing him.
Lin's high shooting efficiency was well recognized within the team. If a threatening ball reached him, there was a high chance of a goal; he rarely missed opportunities.
However, given his teammates' strong desire to score, De Bruyne willingly complied.
The match quickly resumed, with Frankfurt unwilling to accept a fate of falling behind, launching an attack on Werder Bremen's half right after kick-off.
They seemed eager to replicate the lightning attack miracle Werder Bremen created earlier.
Unfortunately for them, their attack couldn't surmount even Werder Bremen's midfield barrier.
This was De Bruyne's first game back after injury, and he showed remarkable activity on the field, both in offense and defense, actively contributing to the team's repelling of Frankfurt's fierce counterattacks.
"De Bruyne missed four matches, and you can see his hunger for the game!" commented the TV pundits of the German sports channel.
De Bruyne's defensive strength wasn't outstanding, and the team didn't rely heavily on him defensively. Yet, his proactive defense all the way back to their own penalty area was commendable.
With an early lead and Lin's morale-boosting goal, Werder Bremen's entire team showed great enthusiasm and activity in the match.
Even Lin, whose defensive abilities were lacking, managed to thwart Frankfurt's forward during one chase.
"Ha-ha, the referee shows Lin the first yellow card of the match!" chuckled the pundits in the commentary box.
"His defensive awareness isn't bad, his initiative undeniable, but his defensive skills are a bit..."
"Embarrassing!"
"Right, his defensive ability is a bit weak."
"Thus, God is fair!"
"He bestowed upon Lin top-class attacking abilities but unfortunate defensive skills."
"Ha-ha, defense mainly relies on experience. He isn't a professional defender by origin, lacking relevant experience. His performance is quite normal."
"Indeed, I think he could learn some defensive skills from the team's defenders, improve his positioning and timing. It might be somewhat effective!"
"No, no, no. I believe, instead of enhancing his defensive skills, he should focus more on his attacking prowess, doing what he excels in, rather than wasting his top-tier talent in pursuit of balance!"
The pundits' opinions were somewhat divided: some believed that enhancing Lin's defensive prowess would benefit the team more, while others thought that further enhancing his attacking skills to assist the team with more goals would be more effective.
After Frankfurt's formidable trio attack, their subsequent weak performance led to a rapid decline in their offensive strength.
Having weathered the opponent's counterattack wave, Werder Bremen firmly controlled the initiative on the field.
De Bruyne, having recovered from injury, not only maintained his strength but appeared even more poised and composed than before, exuding the aura of a midfield commander.
During his injury break, he studied Lin's play in the attacking midfielder position. While De Bruyne's threatening passing ability may not match Lin's, he greatly benefited from learning Lin's ball-controlling style originating from La Masia Youth Academy.
De Bruyne wasn't your traditional midfield playmaker commanding ball possession; his ball-controlling abilities were weak. Combined with a lack of physical confrontation prowess, he didn't hold onto the ball too long on the field.
The ball swiftly left his feet, reducing errors, but if he didn't retain the ball, Fritz behind him had to bear that responsibility.
With Fritz's position deep, passing to the front involved transition through the attacking midfielder or wingers, essentially adding an extra pass. This additional pass might give the opponent time to adjust their defense, reducing their offensive efficiency.
After emulating Lin's play style and with the assistance of his teammates, De Bruyne could now get more touches in the midfield.
De Bruyne not only received more balls but also observed the positioning of teammates and opponents after gaining possession. This made his passing and ball handling appear very logical.
Facing an upgraded De Bruyne, Frankfurt's players were at a loss. Every time he got the ball, Frankfurt's players were nervous, fearing another remarkable assist from him.
To counter De Bruyne, they resorted to frequent fouling tactics. Within the first forty minutes of the first half, five Frankfurt players received yellow cards.
Two of these yellow cards were influenced by Lin, while the remaining three were due to De Bruyne's playmaking. The number of yellow cards generated indicated that De Bruyne posed a threat to Frankfurt surpassing even Lin's impact.
Frankfurt's attempt to limit De Bruyne with fouls proved futile since Werder Bremen was not led by a single star, but a dual force. While Frankfurt focused on De Bruyne's containment, Werder Bremen quietly adjusted their attacking tactics.
After Fritz gained possession in the backfield, he no longer passed the ball to De Bruyne, instead transferring it directly to Lin on the wing.
Lin sprinted along the touchline, swiftly cut inside after entering the opponent's 30-meter area, and then passed the ball to De Bruyne.
In doing so, Lin not only helped draw the opponent's defensive focus on De Bruyne but also brought his position into the opponent's half, aiding him in completing the most difficult progression in the positional play.
When in this position, De Bruyne didn't need to do much, just execute a skilled pass, which he didn't disappoint. Despite tight marking from the opponents, a delicate lobbed pass flew over the defenders' heads, landing in Frankfurt's penalty area.
Frankfurt's defense was immediately breached by this pass!
Lin quickly advanced, controlled the ball with his chest, glanced at the goalkeeper's position, and chose to shoot towards the far corner.
The goal was scored effortlessly, with the goalkeeper powerless to stop it, allowing Lin to rewrite the score to 2-0!
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