Lin vs. Neuer

After conceding, the Werder Bremen players looked very frustrated.

They were upset about the goal.

If they had caused the goal with their own mistake, they could find a way to make up for it.

But in this case, Bayern simply used their stronger individual capabilities and teamwork to forcefully tear open Werder Bremen's defense.

They raised the tempo too quickly, and Werder Bremen's players couldn't keep up, leading to defensive mistakes.

Unfortunately, the opponent was excellent at seizing opportunities. Any defensive weaknesses Werder Bremen presented were easily exploited, leading to a change in the score.

At the coaching bench, Heynckes nodded in satisfaction as he saw the team equalize.

Having been coached by him, the team had grown more mature and powerful this season, showing determination in victory and resilience in defeat.

At their current state, recapturing the Bundesliga Trophy this season should be feasible.

Even the reigning champions, Borussia Dortmund, might not be able to stop them.

Furthermore, this year, they might have some success in the UEFA Champions League.

On the away side, the conceded goal woke Schaaf up.

They had planned to set up a 'parked bus' strategy before the game. However, due to the team taking the lead, both the players and Schaaf were slightly relaxed, resulting in a failure to strictly execute the tactic.

This led to the conceded goal. If the forwards had completely retreated to their own half, reducing the distance between them and the defenders, and the captain, Friz, had fallen back a step, setting up five defenders, the conceding of a goal might not have happened.

Realizing this, Schaaf immediately urged the players on the field to execute the pre-game plan.

A 1-1 score was acceptable, especially with only 60 minutes left in the game. After 60 minutes, the winner could be determined through a penalty shoot-out.

By then, Bayern's strength would be irrelevant, as a penalty shoot-out primarily tests luck.

As expected, after the game restarted, Bayern struggled to break through Werder Bremen's 'parked bus' tactic.

The 1-1 score was maintained until the end of the first half.

Back in the dressing room, Schaaf affirmed the players' performance in the first half.

He acknowledged his own mistake, admitting that he had been negligent in not reminding the players to fall back after scoring, leading to the subsequent conceded goal.

This made the Werder Bremen players feel a little embarrassed; they knew this matter was largely unrelated to the head coach and was entirely their own issue.

"Alright, forget about the first half. Our main task in the second half is defense.

When attacking, don't pass the ball directly to Lin as in the first half. The opponent is marking him closely, and direct passes are difficult for him to receive.

Therefore, when counter-attacking in the second half, look for Arnautovic more. Remember, don't linger in midfield, to avoid being caught on the counter-attack ourselves.

Whenever there's an opportunity, just play a long ball from the back. Arnautovic, contest for the ball if you can reach it. If not, try to disturb the opponent's play and give our teammates time to regroup defensively."

What Schaaf said, the players had discussed before. However, moments when the opponents formed a siege saw a lack of possession and hurried counter-attacks, causing them to fail to implement the previously discussed tactic.

Now, after emphasizing the tactic again, the players would follow Schaaf's direction in the second half.

The second half started quickly, with no personnel adjustments on Werder Bremen's side.

However, Bayern Munich made two substitutions.

Number 31, Schweinsteiger and number 7, Ribery were subbed in for numbers 36, Emre and 11, Shaqiri.

Werder Bremen kicked off, but under Bayern Munich's pressure, they quickly lost possession.

The game seemed to return to the familiar scene of Bayern Munich's siege on Werder Bremen's goal from the first half!

However, this time, Werder Bremen's rear was tightly packed.

All 11 players, with the exception of Lin, were in their half. Even Lin himself fell back to receive the ball, leaving Arnautovic near the midfield.

With a densely packed defense, Bayern found it very difficult to attack effectively.

Breaking through a packed defense is a global challenge. When a team is determined to defend with all they have, even a top-tier team will struggle to breach their defenses.

Two months ago, the Chinese national team played a friendly match against the reigning world champion Spain. China's team set up a strong defense, and Spain, with all their main players, couldn't break through China's defense throughout the game.

If it wasn't for the last five minutes, the Chinese national team might have been able to draw with the all-conquering Spanish national team if the players hadn't been exhausted and lost concentration, allowing David Silva to score.

The gap in strength between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich is much smaller than the gap between the Chinese national team and the Spanish national team.

So, in their determination to set up a strong defense, Bayern is like a hunting dog faced with a hedgehog, not knowing where to begin.

Werder Bremen could accept a draw and then determine the winner through a penalty shootout. Bayern couldn't accept that!

So, Bayern further increased their attack. Even the defensive players near the midfield joined the onslaught, leaving only Boateng in the back.

This gave Werder Bremen a chance!

In the 46th minute, Ribery's shot was blocked by a defender. Werder Bremen's captain, Fritz, seized the rebound, and at that moment of possession change, Lin and Arnautovic began to charge toward Bayern's half.

Fritz glanced at the two forwards sprinting. With a kick, he sent the ball to the opposition's backfield.

The ball was aimed not at a player but at the free space in the opposition's rear.

Initially, Bayern's players didn't pay it much heed. It's difficult to break Bayern with long passes because they have a goalkeeper with a large range.

Manuel Neuer has a wide range of movement in front of the goal. At times, he even leaves the penalty area, acting as an extra outfield player, participating in the overall attack, hence why fans call him the "sweeper."

Given Bayern's advantage in this game, at that moment, Neuer had already left the penalty area.

After seeing where the ball would land, Neuer knew that his teammate Boateng should be able to secure it. Thus, he didn't rush back to the penalty area and planned to support Boateng upon controlling the ball.

When Boateng saw the ball coming toward him, he judged the landing and leapt to head it to his teammate behind him.

However, just as he was leaping, a tall figure dashed forward, almost leaping off the ground at the same moment.

The two were about the same height, but Boateng was jumping from a standstill while the other person was leaping after running.

Consequently, Boateng could only watch as the ball was headed away when it was just a few centimeters away from him.

At that moment, another figure flashed past them.

At the same time, realizing the unfavorable situation, Neuer also stretched out his long legs and ran straight toward the ball.

He and Lin were almost the same distance from the ball. But he was much farther from the goal than the ball, so there was no time for him to retreat.

If he didn't rush out to grab the ball, the opponent could have lobbed the ball after taking it, and he definitely wouldn't have caught up!

It was clear that Lin also knew this.

So, at that moment, it was all about who was faster!