46 Dortmund's Terrifying Firepower
In the stands, amidst a large group of yellow-clad Dortmund fans, sat a young man in a suit.
If Lin were here, he would definitely recognize him as George Evans, the Chelsea talent scout he had seen before at the training ground.
He chose to come to the game to observe De Bruyne's performance at Werder Bremen and assess whether he meets the team's expectations to be recalled for matches.
Another purpose was, as Lin suspected, to assess Dortmund's main striker, Lewandowski, to understand his ability and game condition.
Lewandowski had been outstanding for Dortmund last season, making 34 appearances in the league, scoring 22 goals and providing 8 assists.
Although he ranked third in goal-scoring, none of his 22 goals came from penalties, making them very valuable.
Based on the transfer market's assessment of Lewandowski, his current value is about 30 million euros, not too expensive, and Chelsea would likely be able to secure him if they made a move.
However, from Lewandowski's performance in the first half, George didn't see anything remarkable.
On the contrary, the young player who took the free kick was impressive on the field.
After witnessing Lin's performance, George couldn't help but add a detailed section in his report, recording all of Lin's outstanding performance in this match.
Though George knew that a player of this age wasn't the instant-impact player Chelsea urgently needed, just seeing the enormous potential on display made him feel that if he didn't recommend him to the club, it would be a dereliction of duty!
...
On the field, Dortmund's players continued in a state of wanting to attack but fearing conceding a goal for over ten minutes.
It wasn't until the 20th minute, nearing the end of the first half, that they finally adjusted.
So what if they were behind?
Not attacking meant certain defeat, while attacking might turn the tide.
Moreover, the opponent's runs seemed less aggressive, lacking the sharpness they displayed at the beginning.
This made the Dortmund players breathe a sigh of relief and drop their worries, continuing their high-pressing tactics.
Indeed, when Dortmund firmly executed Klopp's tactics, their attacking firepower was top-notch in European football!
In the 22nd minute, Dortmund's recent high-priced recruit, Reus, stepped up.
He received a pass from his teammate, evaded the defending player, and took a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, breaking Werder Bremen's net.
The goal was beautiful, and the goalkeeper was helpless.
The score became 2:1, with Dortmund still trailing by one goal.
At the moment of the goal, the entire Westfalenstadion exploded with a deafening roar! The passion, suppressed for over 20 minutes, finally had a chance to burst forth.
In the southern stand, the 30,000 strong fans, who had been singing team songs continuously since the start of the match, even during their team's trailing, were now singing even louder.
Many fans were thumping their chests and raising their scarves, roaring out the team song "You'll Never Walk Alone."
As they sang with all their might, a huge flag slowly unfurled.
It was a massive yellow flag bearing the letters BVB!
Seeing the flag, which further ignited the already passionate Dortmund players, each of them felt like a Saints injected with boundless energy, their spirits soaring.
"The home ground's atmosphere is so scary!"
Füllkrug shrank his neck, expressing some apprehension.
Lin nodded slightly, feeling deeply moved.
It wasn't until now that he finally experienced the power of this devilish stadium.
This kind of visceral feeling couldn't be experienced through TV broadcasts.
He glanced at his teammates; not even at halftime, and many of them were already panting.
Especially those who hadn't rested well last night; their physical endurance hadn't fully recovered, and they had already played at a high tempo with the opponents in the first half.
Combined with the oppressive atmosphere of the opponent's devilish home ground, their physical exertion was substantial.
This couldn't go on!
Lin looked towards the sideline; Coach Schaaf's expression was unchanged, showing no signs of making any adjustments.
The game continued, and Dortmund's players, who had scored a goal, were now fully in their element.
They seemed to have endless energy, continuing to execute their high-pressing tactics.
On the other hand, Werder Bremen's players were gradually struggling to keep up with their opponent's pace.
Just under two minutes after the previous goal, Dortmund successfully intercepted the ball in the opponent's half. Lewandowski and Reus executed a give-and-go, and inside the penalty area, under the interference of the defending player, Lewandowski netted the ball again for Dortmund.
Dortmund scored another goal!
In less than two minutes, they equalized!
And that's not all: Dortmund's frenzy wasn't done.
Just a minute later, Lewandowski received a pass from Reus, made a successful header in the penalty area, and pierced Werder Bremen's goal again.
The score became 3:2, with Dortmund scoring three goals in just three minutes, completely overturning the game!
Dortmund was completely on fire!
This left the Werder Bremen players bewildered. They looked at the explosive and fierce Dortmund players with despair. In just three minutes, they had not only handed over their advantage but also fallen into extreme adversity.
Dortmund's attacking prowess left them feeling intimidated!
They began to doubt if they could defeat such a terrifying team.
Fortunately, there wasn't much time left in the first half. After Dortmund's celebrations, there were less than three minutes remaining.
During halftime, Coach Schaaf looked at his dejected players and couldn't help but sigh.
After clapping to get the players' attention, he spoke, "Your performance in the first half was excellent. You executed our pre-match tactics perfectly. Although the final score isn't perfect and we couldn't hold onto a significant advantage, it's not your fault; the responsibility is mine!"
In the last few minutes of the first half, some players were clearly exhausted.
Adding to this, he had deployed a high-pressing strategy against Dortmund.
This led to increased physical exertion for players who were already lacking in endurance and significantly reduced their playing time.
The team's collapse at the end was his own responsibility, and Shaaf didn't shy away from acknowledging it in front of the players.
"Coach, we—" Captain Fritz started but was interrupted by Shaaf raising his hand.
"Clemens, no need to say anything. Time is short; listen to me!"
He took out a tactics board and detailed the strategy they were going to implement in the second half.
"Dortmund isn't unbeatable; our two goals in the first half are evidence of that!"
"So in the second half, I'll replace several players who've expended a lot of energy with a fresher batch. However, these players aren't going to attack; they're going to defend."
"We need to defend with all our might, stifle their attack, and stop the team from conceding any more goals!"
"When the game reaches the last five minutes, you'll pick up the pace again, just like you did at the start of the match."
"We don't need many goals; just one will be enough to pull the opponents into a penalty shootout!"
"And in the penalty shootout, let's leave the suspense of victory or defeat to the hands of God!"
