Chapter 158 Hat-Trick! Win The Championship Initiative!

At Old Forest Management Stadium, the Bayern Munich players were celebrating wildly. Scoring against Union Berlin meant a lot to them—more than scoring in a Champions League final. The fewer than 1,000 Bayern fans in the visiting team's stands sang and danced excitedly. Robben's goal seemed to ignite Bayern's comeback.

Goalkeeper Pickford, frustrated, scooped the ball out of the net and kicked it to midfield. Nathan Ake stood with his hands on his hips, a lonely expression on his face. At 20, he'd already faced strong teams like Manchester City and Juventus, defending stars like Aguero, De Bruyne, Morata, and Shinji Kagawa. But Robben's sudden strike left him feeling deflated.

"It's all my fault. If only I had looked behind me more," Ake thought, lamenting his mistake of watching the ball instead of the player.

"Nathan, just guard him next time. It doesn't matter if we concede a goal. The most important thing is that you keep getting stronger," Captain Su Luo said, patting Ake on the shoulder before heading to the center circle to get ready for the kickoff.

Ake froze for a moment, then nodded. Indeed, there was no need to dwell on a conceded goal. At least he had learned a lesson and would pay more attention to the opponent's position in the future. Top defenders like Maldini, Cannavaro, Puyol, and Thiago Silva had all been outplayed by various stars in their youth, but they learned from their mistakes and grew stronger.

Thinking about this, Ake quickly cheered up. Alex beside him also nodded. Su Luo was indeed a good captain. Despite being only 18, he was more mature than many players present.

After Bayern's celebrations, Su Luo and Mahrez were already standing in the center circle, ready to kick off. At this time, the IFAB rules of the International Football Association Board had not yet changed. The one-man kickoff rule wouldn't be implemented until June 2016. So, two players were required—one to tap the ball and the other to pass it back. Usually, Su Luo tapped the ball first, and Mahrez passed it back to their teammates.

This time, as Su Luo stepped on the ball, a familiar feeling reappeared.

"Um? Why is the Karma buff so moody? Many times before, it only triggered after several shots when we were behind. Now it's just a draw, and there have been no more than three shots in the game. Can it trigger too?" Su Luo thought. He couldn't control it anymore. Since the law of cause and effect had been triggered, he could only laugh.

"Hey, Riyad, you tap the ball."

"OK, got it," Mahrez replied, thinking Su Luo had a new offensive idea and planned to pass back to their teammates to start an attack.

After the referee blew his whistle, Mahrez tapped the ball to Su Luo. In the next second, Mahrez's eyes widened, and his mouth opened in shock as Su Luo took two steps and swung his leg, aiming directly at the opponent's goal.

"Shoot?" Everyone was stunned. The Bayern players were still celebrating their equalizer, and Neuer was out of position, adjusting his gloves outside the penalty area. Guardiola was discussing tactics with his assistant. Only the fans in the stands exclaimed, "Wu——!"

Guardiola turned around blankly, just in time to see the football heading towards the net. The Bayern players looked back in confusion as the ball sailed into their goal, including Neuer, who had only half-fastened the Velcro on his gloves. He thought he was hallucinating.

"What the hell?" The stadium seemed frozen for a second.

Su Luo raised an arm indifferently, grabbed the stunned Mahrez, and forced a high-five. "Good assist, Riyad."

"Ah?" Mahrez responded, still in shock.

The home announcer was the first to react. "Unglaubwürdig!! Can't believe it! Midfield lob! The scorer is Union Berlin No. 10 ———— Su Luo!"

More than 20,000 people burst into cheers! The TV broadcast had missed the goal, so viewers could only rely on replays to understand what had just happened.

Duan Xuan and Xu Yang from the Capital Studio looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"Oh? This ball! We saw a magical scene!" Duan Xuan finally said. "Less than 1 minute after Bayern equalized, Su Luo used the kickoff to score a lob shot from the center circle! Neuer was too far forward, and there was no time to react!"

"This ball is too sudden!" Xu Yang added. "Su Luo has made super long-distance goals before, the longest being in the quarter-finals of the German Cup two seasons ago against Leverkusen, a 60-meter drop goal! He's skilled and bold, always confident and ready to seize any opportunity!"

"Su Luo's goal has given Union Berlin the lead again! 2:1!"

Bayern Munich's morale had just risen, only to be doused with a cold bucket of water.

The mood of the Bayern players was even worse than that of elementary school students who had just learned that their spring outing was canceled the day before! When it was their turn to kick off, Bayern's offense became noticeably sluggish. The previous fluid movements and sharp breakthroughs vanished. Everyone seemed bewildered.

Even veterans like Robben and Franck Ribery had never seen anything like this. A lob from the center circle was just too outrageous. They couldn't help but think, "Even if we equalize again, what if Su Luo does it again?"

Bayern Munich's morale was lower than when they had been trailing 1-0 in the first half. While their possession rate remained high, it lacked the sharpness seen earlier in the second half. Meanwhile, Pavard and Ake were more focused on the flanks, greatly reducing Robben and Ribery's effectiveness.

Union Berlin wasn't in a hurry. They kept their defense solid and made sure Bayern couldn't get comfortable near the penalty area. Lewandowski, facing Rudiger and Alex, found no opportunities. Even when he dropped back to respond like Su Luo, he was tightly marked by Kimmich and Keita.

After a lot of effort, Lewandowski finally found some space, thanks to his teammates' movements pulling apart the midfielders. When he received the ball outside the penalty area and prepared to take a long shot, a red figure burst from the side, executing a precise tackle that sent him and the ball to the ground.

"Su Luo! Clean tackle! The referee signals no foul!" the commentator exclaimed.

Su Luo got up, looked indifferently at Lewandowski on the ground, and walked away. In this direct confrontation between two super strikers, Lewandowski had lost.

"Damn it!" Lewandowski cursed, slapping the turf. He wasn't sure whether to be angry with Su Luo or himself.

"The game has reached the 80th minute. There isn't much time left for Bayern..." Duan Xuan, a die-hard Bayern fan, commented. Since he began covering Su Luo's games, he could casually tease Bayern.

"Originally, the second half might have been fiercely contested. Robben's goal signaled Bayern's attack. But before they could even start, Su Luo's lob from the center circle snuffed it out in the cradle. Su Luo's ability to seize opportunities is just too strong, leaving no room for Bayern!"

"Bayern Munich is exhausted after 60 minutes of high pressing. It's clear they can no longer sustain it. A sloppy attack, Robben cuts in and shoots over the bar, and they fall back into their zone."

"Union Berlin can finally take the ball up the pitch."

Su Luo was finally able to comfortably hold the ball in midfield, looking up to assess the field. A 2-1 lead still felt a bit unsafe. Who knew if the two old demons, Robben and Ribery, might steal one? Su Luo needed to find a way to score another goal.

At the same time, Forsberg and Riyad Mahrez had been substituted out. Laxalt and the new addition, Weghorst, came on. Su Luo's tall center-forward partner finally got 10 minutes to play!

"Oh? It looks like Union Berlin has changed their formation!" Xu Yang quickly noticed the adjustment. "Union Berlin has switched to a three-back system! Ake, Alex, and Rudiger form a three-center backline. Laxalt and Pavard are the wingbacks. Weghorst is up front, with Su Luo and Quinine on the left and right."

"Union Berlin has switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation in the last minutes! It seems they are using Bayern to test the high center-forward style of play," Xu Yang continued, explaining the tactical shift.

"Verhorst, as a standing center, can lay off the ball for his teammates. Su Luo and Quinine position slightly towards the center, leaving the side corridors for the wingbacks. This makes Union Berlin's offense more dynamic, with Su Luo taking on more playmaking duties in the front."

After Forsberg left, Su Luo became the true playmaker in the front. Initially, Weghorst struggled to adjust to the Bundesliga's pace. Fortunately, he had no talent but was hardworking, and his basic skills were solid. He protected the ball and passed it to Su Luo in time.

As Weghorst gradually found the rhythm of the game, Union Berlin's offense began to click in the final stages!

"Laxalt breaks past Robben on the wing! A 45-degree diagonal pass to Weghorst in the middle! Whoa! The big guy jumps high and heads the ball to Su Luo!"

"Su Luo cuts in front of the box, tries to get past Martinez, but his shot is blocked! Quinine with a strong shot in the penalty area! Saved by Neuer! What a good attack!"

"...The corner is cleared, but Union Berlin controls the second ball! The game is about to enter injury time. Can Bayern equalize?"

"Kimmich goes straight for Weghorst! The ball is at his feet! Weghorst protects the ball and hits it to Su Luo! Su Luo suddenly moves forward!"

Weghorst's movement pulled Boateng out of the penalty area, but he didn't stop the ball, allowing Su Luo to break into the box!

"Su Luo! Facing Martinez, he strikes... directly!! One kick into the arc! Beautiful!!!"

"Su Luo scores another hat-trick against Bayern! Every time he plays against Bayern, he wears a hat! Union Berlin seals the victory 3-1!"

"It seems this championship battle has come to an end! Union Berlin is racing towards defending their title!"

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