章節 110: A Gathering of Talent Scouts from Major Soccer Clubs at the Allianz Arena!
Halfway through the first half, neither side managed to breach their opponent's goal, and the score remained 1-1 until the halftime whistle blew.
As the halftime whistle sounded, Werder Bremen's players breathed a sigh of relief and, with laughter and chatter, headed towards their own dressing room.
On the other hand, the Bayern Munich players looked solemn, especially the defenders, their expressions quite grim.
In the visitors' dressing room, Schaaf praised the players one by one.
When it was Lin's turn, he smiled and said, "Lin, how did you spot the weakness in Bayern's defense?"
While Lin was attempting his technique, Schaaf had also thought of some strategies.
Before he could organize the execution of his tactical idea, Lin broke through Bayern's defense line and scored a goal.
This both surprised and delighted Schaaf!
"To be honest, that goal involved some luck!"
Lin explained with a smile; he had originally planned to go left to try and avoid Martinez.
Unexpectedly, Martinez followed closely, so he thought of utilizing Robben's aversion to defensive duties to create a one-on-one opportunity with the help of his teammates.
"This move succeeded once, but it probably won't work a second time. In the second half, Robben will likely track back, and if he still refuses to defend, Bayern's coach will definitely substitute someone willing to defend."
Lin knew that his goal was quite fortunate. If it had been Ribery instead of Robben on Bayern's left wing, the goal wouldn't have been so easy.
"Yes, you're right. However, your thinking has inspired me. In the second half, we'll play like this..."
Schaaf began explaining his new tactics on the tactics board, and the players listened attentively.
...
On the home side, Heynckes didn't criticize the players but singled out Robben:
"Arjen, I don't need your explanation. I just need you to answer a question truthfully. Can you do that?"
Robben's eyes darted around, hesitant to meet the coach's gaze.
Although Heynckes didn't criticize him, Robben understood that he was partially responsible for the goal conceded in the first half.
"Yes!"
Robben nodded heavily. If it's his fault, he won't avoid it. It's just taking responsibility, nothing serious.
Although his temper may be bad and his personality difficult, Robben didn't shy away from responsibility.
"Alright, if the opponent's number 10 continues to appear on our left side in the second half, you need to track back promptly and assist Martinez in stopping him. Do you understand?"
Robben nodded again, lifting his head with a resolute look, no longer avoiding eye contact.
...
During the halftime break, the Bayern fans went to the bathroom, and those who wanted to drink did so. The equalizer by Lin during the first half dampened the mood of the Bayern fans, with no one even singing the team songs.
Yet, the Chelsea scout Devieser, who came from a distance, was in good spirits.
"Haha, this kid is even more outstanding than I imagined. Given time, he will definitely become a phenomenon in European football."
Although Devieser had only watched Lin for half a game, his evaluation of Lin was already very high.
George Evans, who was beside him, nodded repeatedly, agreeing, "Sir, you have a discerning eye. I had submitted a scouting report to the club, detailing Lin's information and suggesting that the team should sign him. However, for some reason, my report wasn't taken seriously."
Every time he brought up this matter, George felt both dejected and angry.
If the club had indeed looked at his report and then followed his advice to sign Lin, he could have made a name for himself as the scout who discovered Lin.
Devieser sighed, speculating roughly on the reasons even though he didn't know the detailed circumstances. It probably had to do with the fact that the club thought he was too young and wouldn't be favored by the club president, Abramovich.
"You don't know – there are quite a few scouts who have their eyes on Lin. Like in this game, the person sitting in that corner is the Atletico Madrid scout, the one in black is the Juventus scout, the one wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap is the Inter Milan scout, and this one is the Paris Saint-Germain scout from Ligue 1."
Seeing Devieser remain silent, George Evans got anxious and started to expose several scouts from other teams one after another, resembling a detective.
"These scouts are all here to observe Lin's performance?"
Devieser was startled by these actions by his counterparts.
"Yes, most of them are here to observe Lin's performance, while a few are here to observe De Bruyne!"
Devieser nodded and didn't say anything, then turned around to search for any familiar faces.
Suddenly, his gaze paused at a certain spot, following it, George saw a familiar face: "That's Ferguson's son, Jason Ferguson, operating an agency under his father's name to recruit young players everywhere!"
This individual had supposedly leaked Manchester United's information, even from the locker room, to the media, causing Ferguson's wrath.
Unexpectedly, despite Ferguson's illustrious career, he had a son like this, truly like father, like son.
Not wanting to waste time on such individuals, he resumed scanning the stands.
Then he stopped again, and George, looking, didn't recognize the person.
"Is he a scout too?"
Devieser wasn't as certain as before:
"Well, it seems like someone from AC Milan, an elderly figure in the scouting world, who hasn't seen him in many years, didn't expect him to appear here!"
George immediately recalled previous news reports – AC Milan purportedly planning a €45 million bid to lure Lin away from Barcelona.
Though unverified, the presence of AC Milan's scout seemed to validate this rumor.
"Those two over there don't look like ordinary fans..."
George made a new discovery, and Devieser, observing, solemnly said:
"That's Real Madrid's chief scouts, Juni Calafat and Manolo Romero!"
"The Real Madrid chief scout?"
George was astonished, their reputations well-known even to him, a newcomer.
Real Madrid had been linked to Lin as well, and with their top scouts present at the Allianz Arena, their intentions seemed clear!
Devieser felt uneasy; their target seemed even more popular than anticipated!
In fact, Chelsea's scout had overlooked one person – in a discreet corner of the stadium, the veteran Barcelona scout Jordi Melero, who had unearthed Messi, was also present.
Melero wasn't there on behalf of the club but was personally appointed by the former Barcelona great Cruyff to assess Lin.
"Rossell stripping me of my honorary chairmanship doesn't matter, I don't need or care for such vanity, but I don't want to see him ruin Barcelona, destroy La Masia youth academy."
Jordi Melero recalled Cruyff's impassioned tone during their phone call.
"...Our La Masia-trained excellent players, why refuse to renew with us, unwilling to wear the red and blue at Camp Nou? Why is that?..."
The 15-minute halftime quickly ended, and the match resumed.
Bayern, trailing in the first half, intensified their attacks post-halftime, realizing they needed more goals to win.
Lin's incredible goals weren't common; a lead of one or two goals would make it tough for the opposing team to win!
Missing Kroos and Muller, Bayern simplified their attacks.
Their wingers Ribery and Robben wreaked havoc on Werder Bremen's defense.
Forced to retract, Werder Bremen had all players defending near their own box, hoping for a draw at the Allianz Arena.
In case of a tie, cup competitions allowed for extra time and even penalties, providing some leeway.
But Bayern couldn't settle for a draw – they had to increase their attacking prowess.
Robben and Ribery's contributions were restricted by Werder Bremen's strong defense, compelling Bayern to rely on Mandzukic's individual ability in the box.
However, Mandzukic was effectively marked, leading to few opportunities; with his struggles, Mandzukic tried supporting his teammates, allowing Schweinsteiger a few chances.
Unfortunately, Schweinsteiger wasn't at his best today, failing to threaten the Werder Bremen goal.
As time ticked on, reaching the 75th minute, Sha made a substitution, strengthening defense against Mandzukic.
Bayern's attack seemed to falter, but Heynckes decided to observe before his next move.
He then brought on Kroos earlier than planned and asked for a tactical switch, boosting Bayern's attack.
His intuition hinted at potential extra time, emphasizing the need for goals to avoid a penalty shootout.
With Kroos on, and Thiago and Gomez warming up, they prepared for the possibility of extra time.
As Kroos came in, Bayern's attacking flow improved significantly, posing a great threat.
Werder Bremen faced a grave situation in front of their goal.
In the 83rd minute, Kroos's powerful shot hit the post, with Mandzukic nearly reaching the rebound.
But, under defensive pressure, his header missed.
Werder Bremen's players felt the pressure, retreating deeply to defend against Bayern's attempts.
As Mandzukic contested Werder Bremen's defense, his resilience and effort were evident.
In the 92nd minute, Mandzukic received the best chance of the match.
Ribery's precise pass found Mandzukic in the box after a dribble down the wing.
With visible determination, Mandzukic powered a header, aiming for Werder Bremen's goal.
Through the live camera lens, the prominent blue veins on his neck and forehead could be clearly seen.
This shot, Mandzukic was really giving it his all!
The force behind this shot was significant, and its quality was extremely high as the ball whistled towards the lower left corner of Werder Bremen's goal.
Faced with this header, Mielitz was somewhat helpless. Despite making a save attempt, he was powerless to touch the ball.
It's over! They're going to concede a goal!
Mielitz couldn't help but close his eyes, unable to watch the ball going in.
Meanwhile, at the Allianz Arena, the Bayern Munich fans stood up in that split second when Mandzukic took the shot, stretching their necks to watch the ball flying through the air.
They were ready to celebrate as they saw the ball clear Mielitz's outstretched fingers.
But in the next moment, a green figure appeared in front of the goal, using their body to block the ball outside the goal line.
Seeing the number on the opponent's jersey, the Bayern fans were beside themselves with frustration!
How could it be you again!
It's that damn number ten!
He blocked Bayern's potential game-winning shot outside the goal line!
At this moment, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the second half, and the game was about to enter extra time!
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