70 Chapter 70: Ending the Bundesliga Giants' Winning Streak

Chapter 70: Ending the Bundesliga Giants' Winning Strea 

"Ribery!"

"He stepped up for the team when they were in adversity and helped them equalize the score!"

"The game is not over yet, Bayern still has enough time to extend their advantage!"

"Things are looking a bit bleak for Werder Bremen."

Beckmann felt a bit sorry for Werder Bremen, but there was nothing they could do; Bayern was stronger.

"Werder Bremen's players are running out of stamina."

Marco, a Werder Bremen legend, expressed his concerns.

Having been a professional player himself, he knew just how much energy players expend in such intense matches!

With the situation on the field not in their favor and the team facing a stamina crisis, this game was proving to be very difficult for Werder Bremen!

At this moment, they needed someone to step up, Marco looked towards Lin Quan and De Bruyne, placing his hopes on the two of them!

Gaed Mueller was very satisfied with Bayern's goal, it should have been played like this earlier!

Like Marco, Mueller also kept his eyes on Lin Quan, curious if this young man could step up when the team was in trouble!

On the field, Lin Quan was not easily shaken by the opponent's goal.

He retrieved the ball from the net, carried it back to the center circle, and waited for Bayern's players to finish celebrating.

Holding off Bayern's attack was nothing short of a miracle for them; failing to do so was just a normal performance.

And now, the team wasn't even behind, just equalized.

Winning this game would be difficult, but not entirely impossible.

At this moment, Lin Quan remembered what Guardiola had told him: "Cut off Ribery's connections, and you can reduce Bayern's attacking firepower by at least half!"

Without Ribery, a lone Robben could only pose limited threats.

But how to limit Ribery's connections?

They had tried before and couldn't contain Ribery, let alone with Robben added to the mix!

In that case, they might as well not defend!

"After the kickoff, pass the ball to me!"

Lin Quan said to De Bruyne beside him.

"Got it!"

De Bruyne didn't ask any questions and simply agreed to Lin Quan's request.

Under the urging of the referee, Bayern's players quickly finished celebrating and reorganized their formation.

They had only equalized, not taken the lead, and Bayern's players didn't want to waste time either.

The game restarted, and after Werder Bremen's kickoff, the ball was passed to Lin Quan on the right. Lin Quan, upon receiving the ball, was immediately faced with Bayern's left winger, Ribery.

The two engaged in a one-on-one battle again, but this time their roles were reversed.

In the first half, Lin Quan had been dribbled past by Ribery several times. Now, it was Ribery who was being tormented by him!

Ribery knew that his opponent's dribbling was sharp and didn't dare to be careless. He lowered his center of gravity, focused on Lin Quan's ball control, and concentrated deeply.

Lin Quan didn't make any fake moves, just simple dribbles. With a simple feint, he easily dribbled past Ribery.

However, Bayern's coordinated defense was excellent. After Lin Quan got past Ribery, Badstuber seized the opportunity to kick the ball out of bounds, disrupting Werder Bremen's attack.

Werder Bremen took the throw-in, and the ball quickly returned to Lin Quan's feet.

Lin Quan repeated the same move, initiating another attack from the right flank.

Ribery's defensive awareness was spot on. He retreated directly to near his own sideline to participate in defending Lin Quan.

After being dribbled past once before, Ribery didn't just stare at the ball this time. He also paid attention to his opponent's body movements, intending to judge the direction of his breakthrough by the changes in his center of gravity.

However, it seemed to be of no use.

Lin Quan made a forward dribble, and Ribery, unsuspecting, immediately turned to retreat. But he found out that it was a feint. He was left spinning in place, looking quite ridiculous.

Badstuber wanted to do the same, but Lin Quan didn't give him the chance. When he attempted to press forward, Lin Quan, with the ball, moved diagonally, evading his tackle and approaching Bayern's penalty area.

The experienced Dante immediately called Gustavo to double-team Lin Quan, but Lin Quan, like a cunning eel, evaded their double-team and approached Badstuber again.

Just as Badstuber had returned to his position and hadn't stabilized his footing, he saw Lin Quan charging towards him.

He instinctively stretched out his foot to intercept, but failed to touch the ball. Then, he was easily dribbled past, looking like a wooden stake in the ground.

Lin Quan broke into the penalty area!

  Boateng, with excellent defensive awareness, had already come over to cover, blocking his path, while Dante, thrown off balance, managed to catch up with his strong physical qualities. Lin Quan found himself surrounded by Bayern players.

  Knowing he had no space to dribble, Lin Quan decided to try his luck.

  Leaning against the defender in an unfavorable angle, he half-turned and forced a shot. It was a low shot, intending to catch the goalkeeper off guard amid the defensive pressure.

  Unfortunately, Neuer was very focused and dived to save the ball.

  Although their attack was thwarted, the Bayern defenders looked at Lin Quan as if he were a monster.

  He managed to penetrate and attempt a shot; was this guy even human?

  "Stay alert, don't let your guard down!"

  Dante shouted loudly, reminding his teammates to stay focused.

  As the team continued to besiege the Werder Bremen goal, the defenders found themselves with little to do. In such situations, with reduced activity, it was easy for their bodies to cool down and their competitive form to decline, making them vulnerable to sudden counterattacks from the opponents.

  Fortunately, the opponent's attack was repelled. If it had gone in, it would surely have been the best goal of this round of the Bundesliga, with them all becoming mere extras in the background!

  Bayern wasn't intimidated; Lin Quan's solo attempt didn't scare them.

  They continued to mount pressure on Werder Bremen's goal.

  In the 78th minute, Mandzukic seized an opportunity in the penalty area but his shot went just over the crossbar, once again causing anxiety among the Werder Bremen fans.

  It was Werder Bremen's turn to counterattack. De Bruyne passed the ball to Lin Quan, who continued his run down the right flank. After dribbling past several players, he was accurately tackled by Dante.

  Although the attack was thwarted, there was no sign of disappointment on Lin Quan's face.

  He glanced at Dante on the ground, his hand on his knee, seeming somewhat uncomfortable.

  This reminded him of the intelligence Guardiola had given him: Dante had an old knee injury, his cruciate ligament had been torn once before, making him a major concern for Bayern's defense!

  With this in mind, Lin Quan became even more determined about his next approach!

  This attack earned Werder Bremen a corner kick, allowing the players to catch their breath and relieve some of the physical strain.

  The corner was delivered, and Arnautovic fought hard for the ball, but his shot was securely caught by Neuer.

  After catching the ball, Neuer quickly rushed out of the penalty area and threw the ball directly to Werder Bremen's half, his terrifying arm strength making people wonder if he was a reincarnation of Iron Arm Atom?

  The ball found Robben accurately, who then charged into the penalty area. After holding off the defenders, he forced a shot.

  Mielitz stayed focused and saved the ball.

  But after the ball was saved, their own teammates failed to clear it, and the ball fell to the onrushing Thomas Muller.

  Muller didn't waste the opportunity and smashed the ball into Werder Bremen's goal.

  In the 81st minute, Bayern reversed the game, leading 2-1 against Werder Bremen!

  The Werder Bremen players were heavily affected by this goal; they committed a large number of troops to attack the opponent's penalty area, only to be hit by a quick counterattack from the opponents.

  This was clearly their own tactic, but it was being used against them by Bayern.

  And Bayern's counterattack was faster and more threatening than theirs!

  Indeed, compared to them, Bayern was leading in all aspects.

  Thinking of this, the players became disheartened.

  On the coaching bench, Coach Shauf furrowed his brows completely after seeing this goal.

  Behind in score, being pressed by the opponents on the field.

  If they continued to play at this pace, they were doomed to lose.

  After the kickoff, seeing Lin Quan continue to attack down the right flank, Ribery's position had almost retreated to the back line, while Robben on the other side was still standing in Werder Bremen's half.

  This scene made Coach Shauf thoughtful:

  Lin Quan's attack on the right has kept Ribery suppressed.

Bayern scored, but they didn't score through positional play.

Before their goal, Lin Quan had already disrupted their Ribery connection?

Thinking of this, Shauf understood Lin Quan's intention.

He called Schmidt to replace the exhausted Junuzovic, strengthening midfield interception to prevent counterattacks while enhancing passing ability.

He also brought on Felkrug to replace Arnautovic, utilizing Felkrug's ability to win aerial balls and provide support for Lin Quan in the frontcourt.

In Lin Quan's previous attacks, he failed because there were no teammates to help him relieve defensive pressure and provide support.

If there were one more teammate in the frontcourt to assist him just a bit, as long as they could deliver a good pass to Lin Quan, the score could change!

Coach Shauf used up all his substitutions, he had played all his cards, now it depended on the performance of the players on the field!

In the 84th minute, Lin Quan continued his strong attack down the right flank.

Knowing he would charge here, Ribery, Badstuber, Gustavo, Dante, and others had set up a tight defense to ensure he returned empty-handed.

But Lin Quan didn't choose to go head-on; instead, he passed the ball to Felkrug.

The pass was extremely risky, with several Bayern players trying to intercept it along the passing line, almost getting to it.

But Felkrug successfully received the ball!

On the sidelines, Heynckes stood up with a swish after seeing this.

He smelled danger! "Stop him, don't let him enter the penalty area!"

Heynckes shouted at his players, but the roar of the fans drowned out his voice completely, and the Bayern players did not hear their coach's shout.

In fact, even if they had heard, it would have been too late!

After receiving the ball, Felkrug dribbled diagonally, created some space, waited for his teammates to get into position, and then passed the ball to Lin Quan.

His passing ability was obviously not as strong as Lin Quan's, and his intention was too obvious with this pass, leaving Lin Quan with no choice but to receive the ball with his back to the goal.

Dante immediately pressed against him, preventing him from turning.

After receiving the ball, Lin Quan, without hesitation, performed a Cruyff turn and got around Dante to his right.

But Dante managed to keep up with him, his powerful explosiveness allowing him to move sideways half a step, blocking Lin Quan with half of his body.

Huh? He could keep up with this?

Lin Quan was a bit surprised. In terms of talent and strength, Dante wasn't even comparable to Boateng a few years later.

But Dante was in excellent form this year, and his performance on the field was definitely at the level of a top defender!

Dante was also a bit surprised; the way this kid received the ball seemed natural, without any flaws. If not for his strong physical qualities, he might not have been able to keep up with the opponent.

However, before he could catch his breath, Lin Quan suddenly dribbled past him!

Dante hurriedly turned around, but heard a crack in his knee, followed by a sharp pain.

He screamed in agony, falling to the ground, clutching his knee in unbearable pain.

His body had already been under considerable strain when he intercepted Lin Quan earlier.

And Lin Quan's repeated dribbles and turns in a short period had put tremendous pressure on his knees. Finally, when he wanted to exert further pressure on them just now, his knees gave out!

Getting past Dante, Lin Quan entered the penalty area.

There was only the Bayern goalkeeper in front of him!

This wasn't the first time Lin Quan faced Neuer; he had already gained some insights into facing Neuer.

Facing Neuer's advance, he calmly chose to slot the ball into the far corner.

Just as the ball was kicked, Boateng rushed over from the side, almost stopping the ball. If he had been a second slower, the ball might have been blocked by Boateng.

In the moment he fell to the ground, he heard the deafening cheers from the fans at the scene.

Hearing the cheers, Lin Quan knew the ball had gone in.

He excitedly tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his injured right leg, making his forehead break out in cold sweat, and for a moment, he couldn't get up.

The Werder Bremen players immediately rushed up, and the team doctor also rushed up.

At the same time, the Bayern team doctor also rushed onto the field to treat the fallen Dante.

A strange scene appeared on the field; after checking their respective players, both team doctors simultaneously signaled to the coaches on the sidelines to make substitutions.

Bayern immediately substituted Alaba for the injured Dante, but Werder Bremen had no more substitutions left.

Lin Quan struggled to get off the stretcher, wanting to return to the field to continue the game.

But Coach Shauf looked at his swollen ankle and refused his request: "Trust your teammates; they won't let your hard work go to waste!"

Lin Quan refused to go to the medical room for treatment and sat on the bench, applying ice packs while continuing to watch the game.

With 10 men, Werder Bremen fought extremely hard in the last few minutes of the game.

Bayern, obviously unwilling to accept a draw, launched one attack after another in the final minutes.

After a long four minutes of injury time, the main referee blew the final whistle.

In the end, Bayern Munich, who came with a great winning streak, left the Weser Stadium empty-handed, having to accept a draw.

Bayern's winning streak record was also brought to an end after this game.

(End of this chapter)