Chapter 135 Bloodbath Shocks Football World!
Chapter 135 Bloodbath Shocks Football World!
In a narrow path, the brave prevail, a principle that also applies on the football field.
If Schalke 04 had not hesitated at this moment, as long as they could seize the opportunity when Werder Bremen pressed forward, launching successful counterattacks several times, there would be a great chance of scoring.
However, Schalke hesitated. They chose to withdraw their forces, retreat to their own half to strengthen defense, intending to withstand Werder Bremen's onslaught.
This choice played right into Coach Shaf's hands. Originally in his plan, if Schalke didn't hesitate and chose to attack them head-on, Werder Bremen's offensive onslaught would only last for a little over ten minutes, then they would have to slow down their attack.
Firstly, continuous attacks consume a lot of players' physical energy and cannot be sustained for too long.
Secondly, prolonged attacking without scoring can make players anxious, leading to conceding goals.
But now, there were hardly any players on the opponent's half, almost all of them retreated to their own half.
They didn't even pose a threat on the counterattack, so why should Werder Bremen be polite?
Just attack!
As a result, the situation on the field quickly turned into Werder Bremen surrounding Schalke 04's goal.
"This game is so strange. Schalke 04 has at least reached the knockout stage of the Champions League. Why are they so passive on the field? When they played against Bayern Munich, they were never this passive!"
"Schalke hesitated. Werder Bremen doesn't have much pressure in terms of results, so they can confidently launch attacks, but Schalke 04 is different!"
"Indeed, Schalke 04's schedule is not too friendly to them. They will face strong opponents ranked high on the points table in the upcoming matches. Each match is tough, so they probably dare not play freely in this game, fearing that excessive energy consumption will affect the following matches!"
"Speaking of which, why did Schalke drop to sixth place on the points table? Weren't they in the top three in the previous years?"
"The reason is simple. Werder Bremen has risen this season. They took Dortmund's place, Dortmund took Schalke 04's place, plus Leverkusen's excellent performance and the dark horse, Frankfurt, Schalke fell to sixth place!"
"Heh, in the end, it's Schalke's own fault. Even if they can't beat the top three teams, it's not difficult to surpass Leverkusen and Frankfurt, right? They just didn't seize the opportunity, so who can they blame?"
"This season's competition for Champions League spots in the Bundesliga looks intense. Under Werder Bremen, the gap between third and sixth place is not big. It seems that everyone has a chance!"
"Dortmund's third place position is relatively stable. Apart from facing Bayern Munich in the 32nd round, their remaining opponents are weak. It's relatively easy to get points!"
"Leverkusen, in fourth place, has a tougher schedule than Dortmund. In the next six rounds, they will face Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, two formidable opponents. They might drop from the points table if they're not careful!"
"Heh, I think Schalke 04 might be the most miserable. Apart from facing Werder Bremen, the second-placed team on the points table in this match, they will directly compete with Leverkusen for a Champions League spot in the next match. Then they will face the challenge from Frankfurt, ranked fifth on the points table in the following match. These three matches are all tough, especially the match against Leverkusen. If they lose, they basically have no hope of making it to the Champions League next season."
Werder Bremen's players didn't care who Schalke would face next. They only cared about pounding their opponents to death.
In the 28th minute, Lin Quan dribbled the ball in front of the penalty area and was tripped by Noyster, giving Werder Bremen a great opportunity for a free kick.
Debravine took a high-quality free kick, and Schalke's goalkeeper had no reaction to it, only watching the ball enter the net.
Werder Bremen broke the deadlock first.
After scoring, Werder Bremen's players were greatly encouraged.
With a one-goal lead, they were more confident and less afraid of conceding.
Facing Werder Bremen's fierce attack like a storm, Schalke's goal soon fell again.
Just five minutes later, Lin Quan received a clever pass from Debravine inside the penalty area, faced the oncoming goalkeeper, lifted the ball over him, and pushed it into the empty net.
The score became 2-0, and Schalke's morale showed signs of collapse!
While the opponent is down, take their lives. In previous seasons, after leading by two goals, Werder Bremen might have chosen to ease off.
But now, with the intense enmity between the two teams, Werder Bremen not only wouldn't ease off, but would also rub salt in Schalke's wounds!
In the 38th minute of the first half, Debravine's long shot forced Schalke's goalkeeper to fumble, and the ball rolled into the penalty area.
In the chaos of the small penalty area, players from both sides fought for the ball.
In the chaos, Lin Quan stabbed the ball, beating the goalkeeper to it before he could collect it, and kicked it into the goal.
3-0!
The first half wasn't over yet, and Werder Bremen was leading Schalke by a large margin.
But it didn't end there!
In injury time of the first half, Lin Quan brought the ball into the penalty area, and Anautovic headed it into Schalke's goal under pressure from the defender!
4-0!
It's madness!
Werder Bremen has completely gone crazy!
This game is heading towards a disaster!
Schalke's players have completely lost their fighting spirit, with faces full of frustration and confusion.
They themselves know why their performance is so poor; in just half a game, they let the opponent score four goals!
Fortunately, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half in time, allowing Schalke's players to catch their breath a little.
Otherwise, with their current state, if they continued to play, they would probably keep conceding goals.
...
"You've done great. Keep playing like this in the second half!"
In the locker room, Coach Shaf praised the team's performance and encouraged them to keep up the good work.
Obviously, Coach Shaf had no intention of letting up.
Since they've already raised the butcher's knife, they must deliver a massacre. How could they give up halfway?
On the away side, although Schalke's coach made a self-proclaimed 'rousing' speech, trying to awaken the players' fighting spirit and help them regain their form in the second half.
But judging from the players' reactions, his motivation had little effect.
Schalke's players were completely stunned. The forty-five minutes of the first half were simply torture for them.
Just the thought of enduring the opponent's torment and humiliation in the second half made them not even want to play the game.
The opponent has gone crazy, scoring four goals in the first half. Who knows how many more goals they will score in the second half?
If, by any chance, a disaster happens in the away game, almost all of these players will be nailed to the pillar of shame!
At this moment, they only hope to escape from the Weserstadion as soon as possible.
If possible, they never want to return to this heartbreaking place again.
But just as life goes on, the second half of the game must also be played!
Fifteen minutes later, the halftime break ended, and both teams' players returned to the field.
Werder Bremen didn't celebrate prematurely or let their guard down. Instead, they continued to torment Schalke!
In the 52nd minute of the second half, Werder Bremen scored another goal from a corner kick.
Seven minutes later, Lin Quan scored directly from a tricky free kick, making it 6-0!
In the 78th minute, substitute Petersen scored a difficult volley in the penalty area, adding another goal for Werder Bremen.
7-0!
The Weserstadion was already buzzing, transformed into an ocean of joy for the Parrot Legion fans!
For Werder Bremen fans, the match ticket was definitely worth it! They not only enjoyed a satisfying revenge but also repeatedly humiliated their opponents.
When the team scored the third goal, securing victory, their mentality relaxed completely, and they savored the rest of the game.
The stadium was filled with continuous singing and cheering. Every goal was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the fans.
Some fans even shouted themselves hoarse due to the overwhelming number of goals.
It was truly a crazy game!
As for Schalke's fans, when Werder Bremen scored their fifth goal in the second half, they couldn't bear to watch anymore and started leaving one after another.
They weren't masochists; seeing their team being dismantled, they didn't want to witness a disaster.
It was better to leave this heartbreaking place early, pretending today's match never happened.
"This is awesome, they deserve it!"
Even though their voices were hoarse, Werder Bremen fans' excitement remained unabated.
This match allowed them to vent their frustrations!
"To deal with these coarse miners, this kind of straightforward method is necessary!"
"Haha, this disaster will haunt Schalke for a lifetime, they'll be scared awake in their dreams!"
The fans enjoyed the spectacle, knowing that it wasn't their team suffering. As the perpetrators of the massacre, they couldn't feel the opponent's sadness and shame.
Not only the fans at the stadium but also those online were shocked by the game.
"What's going on? Werder Bremen leads 7-0 against Schalke 04 at home, and the match isn't over yet?"
"Such a huge difference? Isn't this a massacre?"
"More than a massacre, it's a bloodbath, a slaughter!"
"Could this be Schalke 04's biggest defeat in their history?"
7-0, such a lopsided score against a powerhouse like Schalke 04 was indeed very rare.
Although many longtime football fans had seen a lot of games, they rarely witnessed such a lopsided score, especially against Schalke.
"I checked, Schalke's biggest away defeat occurred in the 1966-1967 season when they suffered a humiliating 0-11 loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach, which is also their biggest defeat in club history."
"This seems like good news for Schalke's fans; at least they don't have to worry about their record of worst away defeat being broken at the Weserstadion."
"Well, that's some 'good news'!"
After scoring the seventh goal, Coach Shaf began to substitute key players.
Winning the match and inflicting a disaster on their opponents was enough. There was no need to tire out the main players for more goals, especially since they had league matches and the German Cup semifinals coming up.
After Lin Quan and Debravine were replaced, Werder Bremen's attack weakened considerably. The substitute players were active, but they didn't score again.
In the end, Werder Bremen won 7-0 at home against Schalke 04.
After losing this match, Schalke 04 fell six points behind Leverkusen on the points table, leaving only theoretical hope of making it to the Champions League zone.
The staggering score of this match caused a huge shock in German football.
Many legends and experts expressed confusion. The two teams were evenly matched on paper, with Schalke even having a more balanced lineup. So why such a lopsided score?
Various experts and media outlets offered their analyses.
"I think the main reason for this lopsided score is the excellent performance of Werder Bremen's attacking front, especially Debravine!"
"In the last match against Schalke, Debravine was injured and had to leave the field. In this match, he played with a mindset of revenge, and the result speaks for itself. He scored a goal, provided two assists, and created three goals by himself!"
"Since the second half of the season, the Belgian has become increasingly steady in midfield, showing the demeanor of a midfield master. Chelsea's 8 million euros were indeed well spent!"
Some credited Debravine, while others believed Lin Quan deserved more credit.
"Lin Quan's performance in the frontcourt was obvious to all in this match. He not only scored two goals but also provided three assists. He created five of the seven goals, so it can be said that without his outstanding performance, Werder Bremen wouldn't have won so easily!"
In addition to attributing the victory to the excellent performances of the twin stars Debravine and Lin Quan, some also credited Coach Shaf.
"Coach Shaf's coaching style this season is quite different from before. Previously, he was only good at attacking, but this season, especially in the second half, his progress in defense is evident."
"Since the match against Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen's defense seems to have suddenly improved significantly, becoming much more solid."
"In the last six matches, Werder Bremen only conceded two goals. Other teams find it increasingly difficult to threaten Werder Bremen's goal!"
Werder Bremen has become stronger, almost a consensus in the entire Bundesliga.
But no one knew to what extent they had become stronger. However, with a seven-game winning streak, Werder Bremen demonstrated their current formidable strength.
A week later, Werder Bremen defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf 3-1 away, once again achieving a five-game winning streak in the league.
Three days later, in the semifinals of the German Cup, they won 4-1 at home against Wolfsburg, advancing to the final and setting a record of seven consecutive wins in the league and cup.
Bild's report after the match added the headline "Champions, Here We Come!" to the image of Werder Bremen players embracing in celebration.
(End of this chapter)