Victory over Bayern Munich, Into the Finals

Compared to their first encounter, Lahm was much more cautious this time.

The opponent had proven their strength throughout the whole game. Underestimating them now would be blind to their capabilities.

From their last encounter, Lahm understood that this guy was a balanced player, proficient with both feet, without a weaker side.

He could break through from the left or from the right, so Lahm needed to not be deceived by the opponent's feints and not rush in, as the result would only lead to being easily passed by the opponent.

The best way to deal with such a player is to call for teammates to help defend together.

But Lahm didn't have teammates around; they were ten meters behind him, beyond the edge of the big penalty box.

This distance was enough for the opponent to get past him!

So, in order not to be surpassed, the only way was to fall back in defense.

As long as he kept up with the opponent's speed, maintained an appropriate distance, and closed the gap with his teammates, they could outnumber him in the big penalty box and trap him.

Then it would be much easier to snatch the ball from him.

Lahm kept backing off to maintain the right distance and avoid being overtaken.

But Lin wouldn't let him off so easily. Seeing Lahm move back, he immediately picked up his pace.

No matter how fast Lahm was, he couldn't keep up with Lin while retreating.

So, as Lin accelerated, the distance between them immediately closed in significantly.

Continuing this trend, after a few more steps, he could shake off Lahm easily.

Lahm had no choice; he had to stretch his arms and desperately tug at Lin, not letting him pass by.

Bayern's defender Gustavo saw that Lahm seemed to have Lin pinned down and took a risk to step up and try to intercept the ball.

Lahm was shorter and lighter than Lin. Although he had more experience in physical battles, the overall statistics were not in his favor.

As a result, he quickly fell under the pressure of physical confrontation. Lin pushed his arm away, and managed to kick the ball towards the center before Gustavo's foot touched the ball.

There, a young player wearing the number 6 green jersey rushed up from behind and received Lin's pass!

Kevin De Bruyne!

Lin's move took Kroos, leaving De Bruyne unmarked.

At the first pass in their half, he made a full sprint forward, this effort finally paid off as he received the pass on the edge of the penalty area.

"Stop him!"

Bayern's defenders were panicked. Badstuber immediately stepped forward to intercept while Boateng continued to defend Arnautovic.

His interception wasn't effective, as De Bruyne swiftly passed without sticking to the ball and made a decisive pass diagonally to the outer corner of the small penalty area.

There were neither defensive nor attacking players.

Could it be that de Bruyne made a passing mistake?

No!

At that moment, a player in a green jersey slithered past the defensive player like an eel and received De Bruyne's pass unmarked.

At the moment of receiving the ball, Lin and Neuer locked eyes from a distance.

There was no obstruction between them. It was one-on-one!

Lin smiled at Neuer and took a shot without hesitation.

Neuer saw the direction of the shot and immediately attempted to save it.

But the ball was quicker than him and flew into the goal.

The score changed to 3:1, with Werder Bremen leading by two goals against Bayern Munich away from home!

Lin completed his first hat-trick in a match!

With less than five minutes left in regular time, this goal almost guaranteed their victory!

It was almost impossible for Bayern to equalize in five minutes!

The stadium fell silent again as Bayern's fans watched the Werder Bremen players on the field celebrate wildly.

It seemed that they couldn't accept the score on the field. They had actually lost to an underdog team at home!

This was something they never imagined before the match, but it had happened!

Not only were they unprepared, the Bayern Munich players themselves didn't think it would end this way.

They seemed stunned, some wanting to continue attacking to salvage the situation in the last five minutes, while others were afraid of pressing too far forward and suffering more losses.

Losing wasn't terrifying, but losing at home and leading to a disaster would be a bigger blow to their dignity and reputation.

The thoughts of the players were not unified, leading to Bayern's attack losing its threat.

Meanwhile, the Werder Bremen players, inspired by Lin's goal, were in high spirits and began an aggressive attack in Bayern's half, reversing the previous situation where they were under siege by Bayern.

Had it not been for Bayern's defenders giving so much effort to hold their lines, they might have conceded another goal in these last five minutes.

 The head referee saw the Bayern players losing their fighting spirit, didn't even give a minute of injury time, and as soon as sixty minutes passed, he blew the final whistle.

Lin had long heard that the Bundesliga has the least injury time among Europe's top five leagues, even in the entire world.

Their referees don't like overtime, so when the game's result is clear, they often don't provide extra time.

The Bundesliga players seemed used to this and usually didn't protest.

As soon as the whistle blew, the Werder Bremen players, including the young players on the bench and the coaches, rushed onto the field, celebrating wildly with the eleven players.

They had actually beaten Bayern Munich, which was almost unbelievable.

Winning this game meant Werder Bremen had made it to the finals, and their final opponent would be determined between Dortmund and Hamburg.

"Coach, did our performance disappoint you?"

The players, upon seeing Schaaf, cheerfully asked him.

"Of course not. You are my pride, and I'm proud of you. Anyway, after celebrating, go thank the 2,000 Werder Bremen fans who supported us!"

After saying this, Schaaf led the players to the East Stand to thank the watching 2,000 Werder Bremen fans.

After expressing their gratitude, the players returned to the locker room, chatting and smiling.

De Bruyne specially found the match ball, cleaned it with his jersey, and then placed it in Lin's arms.

"What is this for?"

Lin was a bit puzzled, wondering what he was up to.

"Normally, after scoring three goals in a match and completing a hat-trick, the player has the right to take the match ball as a memento. This match was probably your first hat-trick in an official game, so you can keep this ball as a souvenir!"

"Oh, very thoughtful, thanks!"

Lin naturally accepted the kind gesture, took the ball, borrowed a pen from someone, wrote the time, date, opponent, signed his name, and then handed the ball to De Bruyne.

"Huh?"

De Bruyne was puzzled, looking at Lin.

"This match was our first official game playing side by side. So, I'm giving you this ball as a keepsake. When you perform a hat-trick in the future, remember to send me a gift too!"

"Okay, I'll remember that!"

De Bruyne nodded earnestly!

Back in the locker room, fresh from a shower, Lin received a call from Guardiola.

"Hello, Pep, did you watch my game?"

Receiving Guardiola's call at that time, Lin immediately guessed that he had watched the game on live TV.

What Lin didn't know was that Guardiola wasn't watching on TV; he was actually at the match.

"Yes, I watched the game. You played well in this match, and I'm proud of you. But I have a question: when did you move to the wing position?"

When Guardiola saw Werder Bremen's starting lineup, he sensed something was off.

"Well, our coach must have had a keen eye and thought I played better in the wing position, so that's how it was arranged!"

Unable to tell Guardiola about having Messi's attributes, Lin shifted the credit (blame) to Coach Schaaf.

"I see. I've heard that Thomas Schaaf is a legendary coach. I didn't expect him to be so bold and insightful in utilizing young players. I could learn from him in this regard!"

On the other end of the call, Guardiola, unaware of the truth, upon Lin's explanation, became very interested in Werder Bremen's head coach.

"Alright, after your match against Dortmund tomorrow, I'll personally come over to visit you and have a chat with your coach about team tactics!"