Chapter 38: Lin Quan vs. Neuer

After conceding the goal, Werder Bremen's players appeared quite frustrated.

They were not happy about conceding that goal at all.

If the opponent had scored due to their own mistakes, they could find a way to make up for it.

But just now, Bayern simply tore apart Werder Bremen's defense using their superior individual skills and teamwork, swiftly exploiting the gaps.

The opponent raised the tempo too fast, and Werder Bremen's players couldn't keep up, resulting in defensive mistakes.

Moreover, the opponent's ability to seize opportunities was particularly strong. Any defensive loopholes on Werder Bremen's side would easily be exploited, leading to a change in the score.

On Bayern's bench, Heynckes nodded in satisfaction after seeing the team equalize.

Through his coaching, this group of players had become increasingly mature and powerful this season, truly embodying the spirit of not being arrogant in victory and not despairing in defeat.

With their current form, winning back the Bundesliga trophy this season shouldn't be a problem.

Even last season's champions, Borussia Dortmund, couldn't stop them.

Perhaps this year, they might even achieve something in the Champions League.

On the away side, conceding the goal woke up Schaaf.

Before the match, they had planned to deploy a defensive strategy, but because the team scored first, both the players and his mindset relaxed a bit, and the tactics weren't strictly executed.

This led to conceding the goal. If the forwards had completely retreated to their own half after scoring and reduced the distance between them and the defenders, and if captain Fritz had dropped back a step, forming a five-defender formation, the opponent's goal might not have happened.

Thinking of this, Schaaf immediately shouted to the players on the field, instructing them to execute the pre-match plan.

A 1-1 score was acceptable; after all, there were only 60 minutes in the match, and if it was still tied after 60 minutes, they could decide the winner with a penalty shootout.

By then, Bayern's raw strength wouldn't matter much because penalty shootouts mainly test luck.

Sure enough, after the game resumed, facing Werder Bremen's defensive setup, Bayern found it difficult to penetrate.

And the 1-1 score remained until the end of the first half.

Back in the dressing room, Schaaf praised the players for their performance in the first half.

He admitted his mistake, acknowledging that he was careless in not reminding the players to retreat after scoring, which led to conceding the goal.

This action made Werder Bremen's players feel a bit embarrassed. They knew deep down that this matter had little to do with the head coach; it was entirely their own problem.

"Alright, forget about the first half of the game. Our top priority in the second half is defense.

When attacking, don't pass directly to Lin Quan like in the first half. The opponent is marking him tightly, and it's hard for him to receive the ball directly.

So, in the second half, when counterattacking, look for Arnautovic more. Remember, don't linger in the midfield to avoid being caught off guard by the opponent's counterattack.

Whenever there's a chance, clear the ball directly from the back, Arnautovic, if you can win the ball, do it; if not, try to disrupt the opponent's ball possession and give our teammates time to regroup defensively."

Schaaf had already discussed these tactics with the players before.

It's just that later, they were under siege by the opponent and didn't have much possession, and a few counterattacks were rushed, failing to establish understanding, so the previously agreed-upon tactics didn't materialize.

Now, after Schaaf emphasized the tactics again, the players would follow his instructions in the second half.

The second half of the game started quickly, and Werder Bremen didn't make any personnel adjustments.

But Bayern Munich made two substitutions.

Number 31 Schweinsteiger came on as a substitute for number 36 Emre, and number 7 Ribery came on for number 11 Shaqiri.

Werder Bremen kicked off, but under pressure from Bayern players, they quickly lost possession.

So, the game seemed to return to the familiar scene of Bayern besieging Werder Bremen's goal!

But the difference this time was that Werder Bremen's defensive line was very compact.

Out of their 11 players on the field, 10 were in their own half.

Even Lin Quan himself would drop back to receive the ball, leaving only Arnautovic lurking near the center circle.

The dense defense in the backfield made it difficult for Bayern to attack and score.

Breaking through dense defense is a global challenge. When a team is determined to defend, even top-tier teams find it hard to breach their defense.

Two months ago, the Chinese national team played a friendly match against the World Cup champion Spain.

In that game, China parked the bus defensively, and despite Spain's full efforts with numerous shots, they couldn't break through China's defense.

If it weren't for the last five minutes when China's players were fatigued and lost focus, allowing David Silva to score, they might have drawn against the formidable Spanish national team.

The gap in strength between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich is much smaller than that between the Chinese national team and the Spanish national team.

So, when Werder Bremen was determined to park the bus, Bayern found themselves like a hunting dog facing a hedgehog, unsure of where to start.

Werder Bremen could accept a draw and decide the winner through penalties.

But Bayern couldn't accept that!

So, Bayern further increased their offensive pressure. Even the defensive players near the midfield joined the attack, leaving only Boateng at the back.

This gave Werder Bremen an opportunity!

In the 46th minute of the match, Ribery's shot was blocked by a defender.

Werder Bremen's captain Fritz seized the opportunity, and Lin Quan and Arnautovic began charging towards Bayern's half as soon as possession changed.

Fritz glanced at the two forwards sprinting, then kicked the ball forward.

The pass wasn't aimed at players but at the space behind Bayern's defense.

Initially, Bayern's players didn't pay much attention after the kick-off.

Trying to break down Bayern with long passes was difficult because they had a goalkeeper with a large range of activity.

Manuel Neuer often left his goal area, even running outside the penalty box to become a passing option for the team, hence being dubbed "the sweeper keeper" by fans.

In this game, Bayern had a significant advantage. So, Neuer had already left his penalty area.

After seeing the ball's trajectory, Neuer knew his teammate Boateng could handle it. So, he didn't rush back to the goal, intending to support after Boateng controlled the ball.

Boateng saw the ball flying towards him and judged its landing spot. He leaped to head it to his teammate behind him.

However, just as he jumped, a tall figure rushed in almost simultaneously.

The two were similar in height, but Boateng jumped from a standstill while the other had a running start.

So, Boateng could only watch as the ball was headed away from him by the opponent just inches away.

At that moment, another figure flashed past them.

Simultaneously, realizing the danger, Neuer also stretched out his long legs, heading straight for the ball.

He and Lin Quan were almost equally distant from the ball, but Neuer was much farther from the goal than the ball.

So, retreating was definitely not an option for him.

If he didn't rush out to claim the ball, the opponent could have chipped it over him, and he wouldn't have had enough time to catch up!

Lin Quan obviously knew this too.

So, at that moment, it was a race to see who was faster between the two!