Emperor Lin

Due to Werder Bremen's previous success with set-pieces, Hannover was cautious during this free-kick.

They closely marked Lin to prevent him from receiving or passing the ball, to avoid a precise cross like before.

They were also prepared to counter-attack after winning the ball; if the opponents dared pass to Lin, Hannover intended to show their swift counter-attacking power!

However, De Bruyne wasn't naive. Seeing the tight marking on Lin, he chose not to follow a tactical plan with Lin but played the ball into the penalty area instead.

After the free-kick, Werder Bremen's players in the penalty area moved swiftly, jostling with defenders to win the ball's landing spot.

Hannover's player headed the ball out but it fell to Werder Bremen outside the box.

Papastathopoulos quickly passed to De Bruyne to organize the attack. De Bruyne then made an accurate pass to a teammate in the box, but Lukimya, under pressure, miss-hit the ball, feeling a bit embarrassed, he gestured apologetically to De Bruyne.

On the opposition's counterattack, missing a midfielder and facing a tough Werder Bremen midfield, Hannover struggled, losing out in midfield confrontations and failing to feed the forwards.

In the 88th minute, during the opponent's offensive play, Werder Bremen's captain Fritz seized an opportunity, dispossessed the opponent, igniting a counterattack.

The ball reached De Bruyne, who glanced towards the front.

Hunt, Lin, and Arnautović were making their runs.

Despite Lin being heavily marked, he was ahead by half a body length; with a bit of additional lead on the pass, he would be through on goal.

Initially concerned about Lin's stamina, De Bruyne hadn't placed him as the primary target for passes. Yet, seeing his friend's determined run, De Bruyne chose to trust his teammate.

Even if we concede a goal, I can take a yellow card, use foul tactics to halt the opponent's attack! Can't let him run for nothing; he's working so hard, not passing to him would be unjust...

After passing the ball, De Bruyne decided to mark the opponent's midfield core closely, ready to intercept or commit a foul.

Seein gDe Bruyne pass to Lin, Coach cShaaf seemed displeased; in his view, Lin's position and low energy levels didn't warrant receiving the pass, especially compared to other attacking players.

Not only Schaaf but also Hannover's players felt the same. The defenders marking Lin had to suppress their laughter on seeing the pass; the potential threat of Werder Bremen's counterattack reduced when the ball was given to him.

Having noticed Lin's lack of energy prior, giving him this opportunity seemed like handing Hannover a gift!

They had realized their opponent's number 10 was exhausted, running at full tilt currently, but only as a final effort! A slight physical challenge could push him aside, nullifying the threat.

Hence, the defenders decided to work together to halt Werder Bremen's attack—expecting an end to the threat.

However, to their astonishment, as they tried to close the door, Lin suddenly accelerated, bursting between them.

Surprisingly, after breaking free, he maintained his pace, leaving the defenders behind and preventing them from fouling him in time!

How does he still have the energy to run so fast?

The two Hannover defenders were stunned! The onlookers, including TV commentators, were equally shocked.

Wasn't he tired out?

How can he still run at such speed?

Having eluded the defenders, Lin received the pass from De Bruyne, dribbling smoothly into the penalty area.

The goalkeeper chose not to rush out, positioning himself and getting ready to dive for the save.

Glancing at the goalkeeper's positioning, Lin made a move as if shooting for the far corner.

The goalkeeper, anticipating a far corner shot, moved accordingly. But as he pushed off for the dive, Lin cunningly swerved the ball and aimed for the near post.

Deceiving the goalkeeper, he left him helpless, watching the ball sail into the net.

This move was Messi's trademark multiple feint shot, a foolproof method against goalkeepers, even Buffon had been tricked by Messi this way.

Employing it against an average goalkeeper, the success rate was indeed very high.

"Goal! The score is now 4-2, it's Lin again, stepping up and scoring a magnificent goal!"

Excited, commentator Marcy Tiwan exclaimed from the CCTV booth.

Playing exceptionally in two Telekom Cup matches and three league games, he felt like witnessing the birth of a superstar.

Especially pushing beyond his physical limits to secure this goal, the determination displayed was truly admirable.

 On the internet, fans were buzzing about Lin's goal. They thought he was out of stamina, but at nearly ninety minutes into the game, his performance greatly exceeded everyone's expectations! 

"Wow, Lin's physical fitness is beyond imagination. It's almost ninety minutes, and he's still running so fast!"

"Lin, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted your stamina!"

"To have such physical fitness at 16, I can't even imagine what it will be like when he's 20!"

"Tsk tsk, Barcelona has found a treasure. I feel like our dynasty can continue for another 500 years!"

"Scoring in three consecutive games, is he aiming for the Bundesliga golden boot?"

"I checked the top scorer list for the five major leagues, and it seems Lin is currently at the top!"

"You're strong, bro!"

In addition to the usual match discussions, there was also a group of internet users who loved to create memes and jokes, and they had started to come up with nicknames:

"Emperor Lin, endless endurance!"

"Emperor Lin, unstoppable!"

"Emperor Lin, undefeatable!"

"Young and talented, Emperor Lin! Don't mistake him for the King of football!"

"In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, there was Zhou Lang; in Werder Bremen, there is Emperor Lin!"

…

The nickname "Emperor Lin" came about when someone compared his stamina to that of the King, LeBron James, and it stuck because it sounded catchy. Many people had accepted this term.

And once the title "Emperor" was bestowed, it was inevitable that it would be used playfully and humorously, although the fans really didn't mean any harm, just teasing and having fun.

Of course, Lin, far away, was surely completely unaware of this!

After Lin scored the goal, Hannover 96's spirit was greatly dampened, and the players had lost their momentum to strike like a deflated ball. The final whistle blew soon, and Werder Bremen won 4-2 away from home, securing their second consecutive win in the league.

In this round of the Bundesliga, there were no major upsets. The leading team, Bayern Munich, easily defeated Mainz 05 3-1 at home, maintaining their position at the top of the table with three straight wins.

On the other hand, last season's Bundesliga champions, Borussia Dortmund, finally secured a victory at home, beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0. This win placed them in seventh position on the points table after the embarrassment of two consecutive draws.

The most surprising team was the newly promoted Eintracht Frankfurt, who won 3-2 at home against Hamburg. With three victories and based on goal difference, they were second on the points table, just below Bayern Munich.

Below them, Werder Bremen had two wins and a draw, earning them third place with 7 points.

This season, Bayern Munich's form was excellent, and they had already established a significant lead for themselves.

Eintracht Frankfurt, as a newly promoted team, surprised many with their stellar performances at the beginning of the season. People eagerly anticipated the emergence of another Kaiserslautern myth, but it was still too early to determine whether Frankfurt's performance would be sustained against the top teams.

Another unexpectedly strong team was Werder Bremen. As a team that narrowly avoided relegation last season, they started this season with three unbeaten games, and in the last two rounds, they secured two consecutive wins.

In addition to their results, Werder Bremen's attacking firepower was terrifying. They scored a total of 9 goals in these three games, averaging 3 goals per game.

This goal tally ranked them as the second-highest scoring team in the Bundesliga, just behind the leaders Bayern Munich.

The team's outstanding attacking prowess was mainly due to their tactical strategy and the excellent performance of two young players loaned from Chelsea and Barcelona.

In the post-match ratings by German media, Lin received the highest score and was selected as the MVP of the match, while De Bruyne also received high praise for his performance.