Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Breaking Through Three Players, Scoring against Bayern, Guardiola is Proud!
"Defend, quickly, fall back!"
Seeing the opponents launching a swift counterattack, Bayern's captain Lahm shouted loudly to his teammates as he rushed towards Lin Quan.
He had only one teammate beside him, Boateng, and they didn't need to communicate. They intuitively decided that one would press forward while the other would provide cover.
Although Lahm was calling for support from his teammates, he didn't take Lin Quan too seriously.
The opponent was just too young. Facing the strong pressure from the defenders, this young player might make mistakes in panic.
The reason Lahm shouted was not only to call for support but also to put psychological pressure on Lin Quan, letting him know that if he slowed down, the Bayern players behind him would catch up.
So, Lin Quan had to get past him quickly.
And in this urgent state of mind, the opponent's intention to dribble would be very obvious.
Lahm was a small-sized defender, far more agile than those bulky tall ones. So whenever the opponent showed signs of a breakthrough, he was confident in intercepting the ball.
Now, young man, what will you choose?
Lin Quan didn't even look at Lahm as if he didn't exist.
He glanced at the direction of the goal, where Neuer had already retreated to the penalty area.
Directly shooting wouldn't be a good idea since Neuer's save ability was formidable.
And Boateng behind Lahm kept a reasonable distance from him. Even if Lin Quan got past Lahm, he would lose speed and space against Boateng.
So, he had to get past these two.
Thinking of this, Lin Quan adjusted his pace and made a move to break to the right.
As he was a right-winger, he had always dribbled with his right foot.
So when Lahm saw his move and decisively moved to intercept, he was confident he could take the ball away.
But just when he was full of confidence that he could intercept the ball...
The ball disappeared from his sight!
What?
Lahm was stunned!
It was actually a feint!
And at this moment, Lin Quan was already dribbling with his left foot, rushing towards Boateng.
Boateng didn't see how his teammate was passed, he only saw the ball flying towards him.
He instinctively wanted to kick the ball, but then saw another foot kicking the ball, changing its direction.
Boateng felt relieved that he didn't rashly kick the ball. This guy's frequency of touching the ball was astonishing. He didn't have the confidence to touch the ball before him.
This kid was not simple!
Boateng felt the alarm bells ringing in his mind. He realized that he and his teammates had underestimated this young forward.
He was much more threatening than he appeared. Moreover, Boateng felt a hint of familiarity with him.
It was like... facing Barcelona's number 10!
As soon as this thought crossed Boateng's mind, he became even more cautious.
He kept his eyes on the ball, sidestepped, and retreated, not giving Lin Quan a chance to break through.
Although Lahm was passed, it wasn't a complete pass. His height was short, his center of gravity was low, which allowed him to turn around immediately and chase Lin Quan.
As long as he persisted for a few seconds, Lahm, who was returning, could double-team with him.
Even if Messi came, he would have to explain it here.
Lin Quan obviously knew this, so he began to actively approach Boateng.
Seeing the opponent approaching him actively, Boateng felt something was wrong.
He didn't know what the opponent was planning, but this move clearly showed good intentions.
At this moment, both of them crossed the penalty area line.
Seeing the white line on the ground, Boateng instantly understood the opponent's intention.
This guy, does he want to draw a foul and get a penalty kick?
Can't let his scheme succeed!
Boateng immediately placed his hands behind his back to avoid handball.
At the same time, he tried to maintain a suitable distance, not letting the opponent fake a foul.
Seeing Boateng's actions, Lin Quan smiled.
He dribbled the ball to the left, and when Boateng's center of gravity moved in that direction, he quickly dribbled the ball back to the right.
Good job, Boateng! He actually adjusted his center of gravity back with his excellent physical qualities.
But Lin Quan's move wasn't done yet. He dribbled the ball again, back to the left this time.
And this time, while dribbling, he also changed direction, creating distance between him and Boateng.
Boateng felt anxious and tried to turn and catch up, but his center of gravity hadn't adjusted, so with a snap, he fell to the ground.
Wow!
The entire stadium erupted into uproar. Their own center-back was actually tricked by the opponent without any physical contact?
What a joke?
That guy is only sixteen years old!
Not only was it hard for the fans to accept, even the Bayern players on the field were stunned.
Lahm was closest to the scene. Seeing Lin Quan get past Boateng, he knew he couldn't catch up to him, so he could only pin his hopes on the goalkeeper.
"Neuer, it's up to you now!"
Neuer looked at Lin Quan with determination. He didn't choose to sit back and wait but immediately rushed out to block Lin Quan.
Neuer was tall with long arms, and his coverage area was large when he opened his arms.
His decisive decision to rush out made it difficult for many forwards to get past his fingers.
But Lin Quan wasn't intimidated by him.
Seeing Neuer charging at him, he dribbled and changed direction, moved diagonally, then took a step forward and passed Neuer directly.
After Neuer's center of gravity lowered, his ability to move his feet significantly decreased. At this point, it was impossible for him to catch up with Lin Quan, only able to watch helplessly as the opponent passed him and kicked the ball into the empty goal.
In the eighth minute of the match, Werder Bremen seized a counterattack opportunity, with Lin Quan scoring a goal, changing the score to 1-0!
Allianz Arena fell into silence, with fifty thousand fans stunned into silence.
Only the two thousand Werder Bremen fans who traveled with the team, after a brief moment of shock, erupted into a huge cheer.
The team actually took the lead!
This was truly surprising and unexpected!
In a luxury box at the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich's club president and manager were entertaining a guest who had come from afar—the former Barcelona coach Guardiola.
The two watched the game and chatted.
Through the conversation, Rummenigge admired Guardiola's coaching philosophy very much and believed that he was the best fit for Bayern.
So he wanted to test the waters and see what Guardiola's evaluation of Bayern was like:
"Hehe, Coach Guardiola, how do you feel about the current lineup of Bayern?"
As a guest, Guardiola naturally had to say something good about the hosts.
So he replied, "Bayern's lineup is excellent, balanced in attack and defense. Whether it's the attacking configuration in the front or the organization and defensive lineup in the middle and back, they are all at the top level in European football."
Seeing Guardiola's high praise for Bayern, Rummenigge was even more pleased.
"Hehe, Coach Guardiola is overly praised. Our team's performance in the past few years hasn't been great. If the team lineup is really as good as you say, then we wouldn't have gone two years without a trophy."
Guardiola shook his head and said, "Every team has its ups and downs in performance; this is normal. Bayern reaching the Champions League final last year is enough to prove your strength."
"I heard that Coach Guardiola, your son plays football in the Bundesliga?"
Seeing the president very satisfied with Guardiola, Hoeness tried to get closer to Guardiola, improve their relationship, and then naturally extend an invitation to him to coach.
"Well, he plays for the opposite team!"
"Oh? It's such a coincidence. So, Coach Guardiola, who do you think will win this match?"
Guardiola thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Theoretically, of course, Bayern will win, but football is round. Before the final whistle, no one knows the result."
Before he finished speaking, Werder Bremen launched a counterattack, Lin Quan dribbled past two players, then past the goalkeeper, and changed the score.
Guardiola smiled and shrugged at the two, saying proudly, "See, football is round!"
(End of this chapter)