Performing Miracles at Allianz Arena, Eliminating Bayern Munich!

No 2 chapters because of the length of the chapter.

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Werder Bremen's fans watched Lin block the shot, each of them breathing heavily with relief.

Lin himself was quite startled. Being short, he couldn't compete for headers in the box, so he had moved to the goal line to help defend.

Unexpectedly, his position perfectly intercepted Mario Mandzukic's header.

Had the ball been aimed at the upper left corner, Lin's height would have left him powerless.

However, the header went to the lower left corner and, coincidentally, hit Lin.

After blocking the shot, Lin was sweating coldly from the close call.

Had he been even half a second slower, he would have missed the block.

Mandzukic's header was strong and aimed at a tricky angle; if not for Lin's timely intervention, it would have been a goal.

"Lin, how did you do that? You are amazing!" exclaimed the goalkeeper, Milic, as he got up and embraced Lin in a bear hug, overwhelmed with emotion.

The teammates rushed over, patting Lin's head and praising his quick thinking.

Everyone's face bore the look of having narrowly escaped disaster, the thrill was just too much!

His block had truly saved the entire team; otherwise, they would now be watching Bayern Munich celebrate wildly on the pitch.

"Don't get too excited, let's rest up a bit. We have to play extra time soon!" the captain Fritz reminded them.

On the sidelines, Coach Schaaf and his staff were visibly excited.

Yet, he didn't forget his duty, urging the players to sit down to conserve energy while quickly briefing them on the tactics for extra time.

Without any break during the extra time, it would be challenging for the players of Werder Bremen.

After a full game of intense play, all players were significantly drained.

Their stamina might not hold up for the entire extra time; they had to grit their teeth and persevere.

If Bayern managed to score even once, given their current state, a comeback would be nearly impossible, which would mean elimination.

Therefore, under no circumstances could they allow Bayern to score.

The five-minute break ended quickly, and the players returned to the pitch to continue the match.

As Schaaf anticipated, Bayern launched a fierce attack from the start.

They were well aware that Werder Bremen's players were at their limit, so they aimed to break them down completely in one go.

Scoring even a single goal would crush Werder Bremen's spirit.

Without the energy or spirit, they would easily dominate and possibly increase their lead.

After continuously facing Werder Bremen's stubborn resistance, Bayern's players harbored a strong resentment toward them!

Given a chance to deliver a crushing defeat to their opponents at their home stadium, they wouldn't miss it.

Because Bayern had been controlling the game, their players were less fatigued than their opponents.

Otherwise, they might not have the energy to keep attacking Werder Bremen.

Bayern's offensive was ferocious, wave after wave stronger than the last.

In the 7th minute of extra time, Franck Ribéry cut inside again, evading Werder Bremen's flank defense and forced a shot.

The shot wasn't very threatening, but it deflected off a defender's leg mid-air, changing its trajectory.

Milic was caught off-guard. Although he adjusted quickly, he failed to reach the ball.

This time, Lin wasn't in front of the goal to save the day.

Just when everyone thought the ball was certainly going in, Bayern players already preparing to celebrate, the ball struck the post.

With a loud clang, the ball was denied entry by the post.

A sigh filled the Allianz Arena as countless Bayern fans held their heads in disbelief, watching the ball go out of play.

Such a perfect opportunity, only to be thwarted by the post!

Damn you, post, how could you betray your team!

Werder Bremen's players were startled, especially Lukimya, who nearly scored an own goal, and he kept apologizing to his teammates, insisting it wasn't intentional.

He was too nervous, kicking the ball without considering the consequences.

Had luck not been on his side, with the ball bouncing out, he would have become the villain of the match.

Thankfully, his teammates didn't blame him; it wasn't just him who was nervous—wasn't the entire team on edge?

Realizing the gap in their right-side defense, Werder Bremen tightened their formation further, more staunchly defending their penalty area and denying any opportunities for Bayern to shoot from inside the box.

Seeing no chance to penetrate the penalty area, players like Robben, Schweinsteiger, and Kroos had to resort to long shots from outside the box.

An inspired Milic, seemingly assisted by divine forces, caught and deflected all these long-range attempts.

As all offensive tactics failed, Bayern players began to panic.

Time ticked by, and they were unable to breach the opponent's goal.

The tactics designed by the coach also seemed ineffective, causing them frustration.

The first fifteen minutes of the half quickly passed, and the second half of extra time began.

On the sidelines, Coach Heynckes, seeing his forwards, especially those involved in the attacks, were out of steam.

He decisively made substitutions: Shaqiri came on for Robben.

Gomez came on for Mandzukic.

Mandzukic, having given his all, had no energy left even to walk off the pitch and collapsed just behind Werder Bremen's goal, wanting to watch his teammates secure the win from the closest vantage point.

Bayern's siege continued, with the energetic Shaqiri, slippery like an eel, cunningly weaving through Werder Bremen's penalty area.

Gomez, too, gained an advantage in his duels with the defenders due to his fresh energy.

Once again, Werder Bremen's goal was under severe threat.

In the 23rd minute of extra time, Kroos saw Shaqiri's clever movement and cleverly lobbed a pass not in the direction Shaqiri was running, but rather in the opposite direction.

This caused the defender marking Shaqiri not to realize the danger immediately, until Shaqiri quickly turned to receive the ball.

Shaqiri, at 169 cm tall and quite lightweight, found it very challenging to hold onto the ball in front of larger defenders.

But Kroos took advantage of the opposing players' movement to create a comfortable opportunity for Shaqiri to receive the ball unchallenged.

Well passed!

Shaqiri inwardly praised, catching the ball and half-turning to look at the goal, he didn't hesitate and chose to shoot directly.

Milic, seeing Kroos' pass, immediately sensed the danger and moved quickly to the near post, leaping to block the shot.

Seeing his teammate miss this opportunity, Kroos sighed in disappointment.

This shot was a bit wasteful of his brilliant assist; had he been assisting Robben instead, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

Thinking this, he looked towards Lin nearby.

He had heard that this guy also had excellent shooting skills; if he were his teammate, Kroos might have racked up more assists each season.

Bayern's continued missed opportunities were beginning to strain Heynckes' patience.

The tactics were executed, but if the players couldn't score, there was nothing he could do.

He remembered the match against Chelsea seven months ago in the UEFA Champions League final, where Bayern also missed consecutive chances and were dragged into a penalty shootout by Chelsea, only to be eliminated.

Could this scene from the Champions League final be replayed on the German Cup field?

But just as he thought this, the Allianz Arena erupted in a massive cheer.

"What happened?"

Heynckes asked someone next to him while looking towards the field.

In his moment of distraction, it seemed Bayern had scored.

Heynckes didn't see who made the goal, only saw Bayern's players celebrating wildly on the pitch.

"It's Gomez, Ribéry's long shot was blocked by the keeper, and he scored on the rebound in the penalty area!"

Assistant Coach Hilman, his face flushed with excitement, blurted out and couldn't help himself, rushing onto the field to celebrate with the players.

With only seven minutes left in extra time, scoring at this moment almost declared the game over.

Out of energy and unable to run, what could Werder Bremen do to turn the game around?

Heynckes understood this, so he couldn't help getting excited too.

A third-round match of the German Cup, who would have thought it would be so tough?

It felt like they were playing the final of the German Cup!

This victory was hard-won!

He glanced at his assistant coach, Grand, who was older and not as passionate, so he just stood on the sidelines clapping for the players instead of joining the celebration on the field.

The two exchanged smiles and embraced each other, patting each other on the back.

"Not easy!"

"Yeah, really not easy!"

"Our opponent played incredibly tenaciously!"

"Yes, with their lineup, pushing us to this extent, it really wasn't easy!"

On the pitch, Lin returned to his own goal, scooped up the ball, and placed it back at the center circle.

He didn't hurry the opponents, merely waiting quietly for them to finish their celebration.

Before coming to Allianz Arena, the team had prepared for the possibility of defeat.

Faced with such a powerful team as Bayern Munich, no team in Europe could confidently claim they could defeat them.

Even those football giants valued at hundreds of millions of euros couldn't manage it, so what made Werder Bremen think they could definitely win?

To play to this level was already an overachievement for

 them.

Given the real difference in strength between the two teams, it would have been normal for Werder Bremen to lose by two or even three goals.

But was it really satisfying?

The team had fought until this point, to this degree.

Was it really satisfying to accept defeat away like this?

No, I am not satisfied!

He decisively opened the system store and checked his points.

After playing Nürnberg, his points had returned to 18; winning another match would gather 20 points to upgrade his talent for injury recovery.

But he couldn't wait any longer; he spent 10 points to upgrade his stamina talent!

When extra time started, he was already out of energy.

If not for relying on his previously exchanged stamina talent, he would have collapsed long ago.

But the value of 10 points for a low-level talent had limited effects; he had several instances where he wanted to dribble past opponents but couldn't due to lack of energy.

And without his counterattack threat, Bayern could unreservedly press forward, bombarding their goal!

Lin knew he would leave Werder Bremen next year, so he always wanted to leave something for the fans.

In the league, their bench depth couldn't compete with Bayern.

But in the cup, they could still make a stand.

If they could eliminate Bayern Munich in this match, then the only other team that could pose a threat to them would be Dortmund!

And if Dortmund, distracted by the league and the Champions League, were eliminated early by other teams.

Their chances of winning the cup would be even greater!

So, as long as they eliminated Bayern, they had a high chance of lifting the trophy!

After upgrading his stamina talent, he immediately used the system's help.

Suddenly, Lin felt a continuous surge of strength returning to his body!

He looked up at the scoreboard; there were still 6 minutes left in the match, enough time!

Under the referee's urging, Bayern's players finally ended their celebration and returned to the pitch.

The match resumed, De Bruyne passed the ball to Lin, who instead of passing it back, immediately drove towards the opponent's half.

"Has he gone mad?"

The spectators saw Lin challenge the entire Bayern Munich team alone, expressions of surprise on their faces.

Was this kid mentally affected by the goal they conceded?

Kroos was right in front of Lin, so he was the first to rush up.

After a dribble and a change of direction, Kroos, weak in defense, was cleanly bypassed.

Martinez and Schweinsteiger, rushed up too, but Lin still didn't pass the ball; with a powerful lay-off and a burst of speed, he surged past the two, catching up to his own pass.

How could this kid still have such explosive power at this moment, when he was supposedly out of energy?

Martinez was baffled, a thousand questions racing through his mind.

Bayern's defenders were cursing!

The match had barely resumed for five seconds, and the opponent's forward had already charged up to them; this plot development completely exceeded their predictions.

"Stop him!"

On the sidelines, the usually composed Heynckes finally couldn't stay calm.

The unstoppable momentum of the opponent brought him a great shock, making him feel a significant threat.

If they couldn't stop him soon, they might not be able to defend this ball!

Heynckes didn't need to remind them; as Lin approached the large penalty area, nearly all four Bayern defenders pounced on him.

They were too aware of his threat in the penalty area; they absolutely couldn't let him easily breach it.

Facing the simultaneous challenge of four players, even the strong Lin couldn't withstand it.

He got past Dante, but before he could bypass the second person, Alaba tackled him.

The main referee promptly blew the whistle, showing Alaba a yellow card, and awarded Werder Bremen a free kick.

When showing the card, he was somewhat surprised by Lin.

This kid is really fierce; he was practically taking on the entire opposing team alone and nearly succeeded!

On the sidelines, Coach Schaaf, who had been ready to surrender, saw Lin's crazy attack and became unsettled.

"Petersen, quick, get on the pitch, replace Junuzovic!"

He turned his head, locking his gaze on Nils Petersen, who had been loaned from Bayern, not even giving him time to warm up, directly sending him into the game.

Petersen was dazed; he thought he wouldn't have a chance to play in this match.

Unexpectedly, just before the match was about to end, the head coach actually called his name.

Quickly stripping off his clothes, he ran onto the pitch and went to De Bruyne and Lin, who were preparing for the free kick, and whispered to them for a while.

Lin glanced in the

 direction of the coach's bench and saw Schaaf nodding at him.

De Bruyne took the free kick, retreating a long distance; Neuer judged that he might attempt a lob shot.

So, he hurriedly moved his feet, getting ready to make the save.

The free kick was taken, and unexpectedly, it wasn't a direct shot but a lob into the penalty area.

The ball flew into the penalty area, landing near the left sideline close to the baseline.

This turned out to be a pass!

And Lin was there to receive the ball, and he was not offside!

Bayern's players, too fearful of Lin, didn't think twice and swarmed towards him, trying to block his shot.

But Lin didn't shoot himself; instead, he passed the ball back to his teammate, who was left unmarked due to the Bayern players' departure.

Nils Petersen received his pass.

He remembered the last match when he missed Lin's brilliant pass, and the question he had asked Lin.

And Lin had answered him with a pass!

The boss actually passed the ball to me!

Petersen struggled to contain his excitement, glanced at Neuer's position, and then pushed the ball out with a shot.

Under the gaze of sixty-five thousand spectators, the ball skimmed the ground, brushed past Neuer's fingertips, and rolled into the net!

The score became 2:2; Werder Bremen stubbornly equalized in the 26th minute of extra time.

After the goal, Petersen excitedly rushed towards Lin, giving him a warm hug.

"Boss, I scored, I scored, I didn't let you down, did I?"

Lin smiled and patted his head:

"Well done, Petersen, you are the hero of Werder Bremen!"

Petersen, praised by Lin, immediately broke into a silly, joyful laugh.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something.

Oh no, I seem to be a Bayern player, I just breached Bayern's goal and celebrated so excitedly…

Shoot, it feels like Bayern's doors have permanently closed on me…

Petersen's goal dealt a huge blow to Bayern's morale, and the victory that was within grasp slipped away!

How could they not be furious?

Even more infuriating was that the people of Werder Bremen had no self-awareness, celebrating under the boos of over sixty thousand spectators for a full two minutes before ending,

now leaving even less time for Bayern to attack.

After the kickoff, Bayern tried to launch a quick counterattack, hoping to score a decisive goal against Werder Bremen.

But Werder Bremen's morale was completely restored, and the players seemed to forget their physical exhaustion, fiercely defending against the opponent's offense.

Five minutes later, after playing three minutes of stoppage time, the referee finally reluctantly blew the whistle to end the extra time.

The teams entered into the brutal penalty shootout!

During the shootout, Neuer performed heroically, saving a penalty from Werder Bremen.

The greatly demoralized Bayern players missed two penalties during their shots.

Ultimately, Werder Bremen, relying on the victory in the penalty shootout, miraculously defeated Bayern Munich away, advancing to the next round of the German Cup.