August 5, 2012, 7:00 p.m.
The Allianz Arena was brightly lit, banners fluttering everywhere. Around fifty thousand spectators had filled the seventy-five-thousand-seat stadium.
The vast majority in the stands were Bayern supporters wearing red jerseys. Only around two thousand Werder Bremen fans in green occupied a corner of the East Stand.
Bayern was based in Bavaria, in southern Germany, while Werder Bremen belonged to northern Germany. The distance between the two regions was considerable.
Moreover, Bayern had allocated relatively few tickets to visiting supporters, so not many Bremen fans had come to watch the match in person.
The match had not yet begun, and both teams' players were warming up on the pitch.
While no one paid much attention to Werder Bremen's players, Bayern's stars—Robben, Ribery, Lahm, Gomez, Schweinsteiger, and the rest—received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd the moment they appeared.
It was not just the established stars. Even young players such as Kroos, Thomas Müller, and Alaba received applause from the home supporters when they came out.
Whenever a Bayern player produced a spectacular move on the field, the crowd immediately erupted in deafening cheers.
As for Werder Bremen's players, they were naturally ignored by the home fans.
The fans could not even be bothered to boo them, seemingly believing that Werder Bremen's players were not worth the effort.
On the pitch, Lin Quan was practicing free kicks with De Bruyne.
Seeing this, he bumped De Bruyne's shoulder and asked,
"How about it? Nervous?"
De Bruyne gave him a puzzled look and asked,
"Why would I be nervous? It wasn't as if I had never seen a scene like this when I played at Stamford Bridge."
Lin Quan curled his lip. Could Chelsea's shabby home ground even compare to the Allianz Arena?
Still, seeing that De Bruyne genuinely was not nervous, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Whether they could win this match depended not only on whether their defense could withstand Bayern's powerful attack, but also on the performances of the two of them.
De Bruyne was the attacking core in the final third. His passing would directly determine the quality of Werder Bremen's counterattacks.
If he became too nervous and fell out of form, then this match would likely end badly for them.
Twenty minutes later, both teams had finished warming up.
The players returned to their dressing rooms one after another to make their final pre-match preparations.
Seeing that the players had all changed into their kits, Schaaf clapped his hands and gathered everyone together.
"Shh. Quiet down and listen. What is that sound outside?"
"I'll tell you. It's Bayern's fans singing their club anthem. The song is called Forever Number One!"
"Do you think Bayern's fans are arrogant?
"Heh. Forever Number One? How could there possibly be a team that remained at the top forever?"
"But on the Bundesliga Field, Bayern is fucking number one. They have always been fucking number one!
"Dortmund, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and Werder Bremen—we have all challenged them before. But every challenge was fleeting. No one has managed to drag them off their throne!
"They have twenty-one Bundesliga Trophies, fifteen German Cup trophies, and four Champions League trophies!
"And what do we have?
"The last time we won the league was ten years ago!
"So before this match, nobody believed in us. Everyone thought we were doomed to lose!
"Do you think so too?"
Thomas Schaaf swept his sharp gaze over the players. No one dared meet his eyes. Almost everyone he looked at instinctively lowered their heads.
Only Lin Quan stared at him blankly. Fuck, did the coach take the wrong medicine today? Why was he swearing? Wasn't he usually refined and mild-mannered?
He was so shocked that he forgot to avoid Schaaf's gaze for a moment.
When Schaaf saw that Lin Quan had not looked away, he paused, then showed a satisfied expression. This kid has guts. A newborn calf isn't afraid of tigers!
He continued,
"Not just you. I think so too!"
That statement caused an uproar. The players raised their heads in astonishment and stared at their Head Coach, as though they suspected they had misheard him.
So all that shouting just now had been because he lacked confidence himself!
"That's right, I lack confidence too. Bayern Munich is stronger on paper. Every one of their players is a star. They are worth more than ten times what you are, and they earn dozens of times more than you do.
"Wherever they go, fans swarm around them and reporters chase after them. They have luxury cars and beautiful women.
"Compared to them, you are a bunch of losers. You are nothing!"
The players' eyes grew angry. It was unclear whether the blunt comparison had ignited their fury, or whether their Head Coach's disparagement had offended them.
"What? Angry? Not convinced?
"Then get out there and take them on! Take them on hard! Drag them down from that damned throne, stomp them beneath your feet, and grind them into the dirt!
"If you are not convinced, then prove to the world through your actions that you are no worse than them!
"Go tell those idiots singing outside that a football match is not won by whoever has earned more honors in the past, whoever possesses more trophies!
"It is not won by whoever is worth more, earns more money, or stands under more spotlights!
"If that were true, then Real Madrid, with top stars like Zidane, Ronaldo, and Beckham, would have dominated European football long ago!
"Werder Bremen will trample every opponent who looks down on us beneath our feet. If you cannot do that, then obediently accept that you are a bunch of trash, that you are inferior to them, and that you do not deserve victory!
"Tell me loudly: are you trash?"
"No!"
The players shouted in unison.
"Are you women? Louder! I can't hear you!"
"We are not trash!"
"Good. Then go out there and prove yourselves!"
Captain Fritz held out his hand, and the other players placed theirs on top one after another.
"Werder Bremen! Charge, charge, charge!"
Filled with fighting spirit, Werder Bremen's players left the dressing room and entered the players' tunnel, preparing to take the field.
Before they came out, Bayern Munich's players had already arrived in the corridor.
While they had been in their dressing room, they had heard the commotion coming from the visitors' side.
So when Werder Bremen's players emerged, Bayern Munich's players looked at their opponents with curiosity. Seeing how fired up they were, the Bayern players were all somewhat surprised.
What was wrong with them? They had drawn Bayern and were still this fired up?
Did they seriously think they could win at the Allianz Arena?
At 7:30 p.m., the two teams entered the field on schedule under the referee's lead.
Lin Quan's first official match since joining Werder Bremen had begun.
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