Lin Quan's goal greatly boosted Werder Bremen's morale.
After he scored, nearly all the players, including goalkeeper Mielitz, sprinted over to join the celebration.
"Great job, Lin!"
"That's how you get them!"
Some teammates hugged him, while others reached out to ruffle his hair or pat his back, offering congratulations and encouragement in all kinds of ways.
Captain Fritz gave Lin Quan a hug, slapped him hard on the back, and said:
"Keep it up later. Try to get a few more past them!"
De Bruyne also joined in:
"I'll pass to you. Just make sure you find some space!"
Goalkeeper Mielitz said, "How about I just hoof it straight from the back for you? That way, we can bypass their midfield and attack!"
Lin Quan pointed at his height and said helplessly:
"Sebastian, I appreciate the thought, but if you hoof it to me, I might not even get the ball. Isn't aerial dueling a little too difficult for someone my height?"
Hearing that, the teammates looked at the height difference between Lin Quan and goalkeeper Mielitz and immediately burst into laughter.
"That really is a bit difficult. How about this—let Arnautovic set you up?"
Lin Quan instinctively looked at the tall striker beside him. Arnautovic was 192 centimeters tall and excellent in the air. Having him challenge for headers would indeed be a great option.
But would the team's starting center forward agree to play a supporting role for him?
"No problem. Leave it to me!"
To his surprise, Arnautovic agreed without hesitation.
It seemed the Austrian only looked fierce. He was actually quite easygoing.
Neuer stood with his hands on his hips, glaring resentfully at Lin Quan, who was surrounded by his teammates.
The opponent had scored on his debut, breaking both the record for the youngest starter and the youngest goalscorer.
And Neuer had become the backdrop for one of those records.
That left him in a terrible mood. He had already done everything he possibly could on that shot, yet he still could not stop it from going in.
The problem had been with the defensive line, but he did not blame his teammates. It was only one conceded goal. There was no need for that.
"Focus up! Don't underestimate them just because you think they're weak!"
Neuer clapped his hands hard and shouted at his teammates.
Lahm gave him an apologetic look, then exchanged glances with Boateng.
Both of them made up their minds. They would shut this guy down for the rest of the match and never give him another chance.
Over by the coaching bench, Schaaf had already risen to his feet involuntarily when Lin Quan got the ball. He did not sit back down until Lin Quan scored, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
This kid really is made for big occasions. He didn't lose his nerve or panic even in a situation like this. I can consider giving him more tactical responsibilities.
In contrast, the other coaches on the bench went wild after Lin Quan scored, charging toward the touchline, hugging one another, shouting and cheering.
"Damn it!"
"God, that actually went in?"
"They just got lucky!"
On Bayern's bench, the substitutes and assistant coaches all wore expressions like they were severely constipated, unable to accept the result.
Heynckes merely frowned slightly when he saw the opposition take the lead.
Werder Bremen's number ten had surprised him greatly.
The boy possessed composure and experience that did not belong to someone his age. Lahm had laid several traps for him while defending him just now.
Yet he had not fallen into a single one. He had avoided them all.
That was the sort of decision-making only veteran players with extensive match experience possessed. He had never expected to see it in a sixteen-year-old boy.
Either the opponent had been slow to react and failed to notice Lahm's traps, or he was an absolute genius who could ignore a defender's traps altogether.
Heynckes preferred the former, because if the boy really was a genius, Bayern might be in trouble this match!
So, during the time before the restart, Heynckes called Kroos over.
"After kickoff, tell the others to raise the tempo. Also, assign someone to mark their number ten. Discuss the specifics with Lahm, but in any case, don't give him space to receive the ball comfortably."
Kroos nodded heavily. With Schweinsteiger absent for this match, Bayern's midfield rested on his shoulders.
That was no small test for the young Kroos!
The match quickly resumed.
After Bayern kicked off, they showed no sign of being affected by conceding. They continued to lay siege to Werder Bremen's goal.
In the 11th minute, Robben broke through on the right and drew a foul from a Werder Bremen player. The referee showed a yellow card to Werder Bremen's number 16, Junuzovic.
Two minutes later, Robben came again.
With a yellow card already hanging over him, Junuzovic did not dare make any major challenges while defending, and Robben easily got past him.
This time, Robben seemed to realize that attacking was not his job alone, so after breaking through, he immediately passed to Muller, who was following up through the middle.
Muller did not control the ball, instead using a clever one-touch pass to feed Saric. Saric burst forward, received the ball, and shot immediately. It was an excellent chance, but his effort drifted narrowly wide, leaving Bayern's fans clutching their heads and sighing.
In the 16th minute, Bayern Munich won the ball in the attacking third, and Muller's through ball sliced straight through Werder Bremen's defense.
Bayern's center forward Gomez received the ball in the penalty area, held off the interference of two defenders, and forced a turn before shooting. The ball struck the post and bounced away.
That shot gave Werder Bremen's fans a fright. The opportunity had not been particularly good, but the quality of the strike had been extremely high.
Had the post not come to their rescue, the score might already have been level.
Over the past few minutes, Bayern had completely besieged Werder Bremen's goal.
Bayern raised the match tempo to a very high level, leaving Werder Bremen struggling to keep up and making frequent mistakes.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne and Lin Quan were both tightly marked by Bayern's players, making it difficult for either of them to receive passes from their teammates.
Without the ball, neither of them could launch Werder Bremen's counterattacks, and the team could only be pinned down and battered by their opponents.
This could not continue. Constant defending would eventually lead to conceding. If they kept being besieged like this, they would definitely let in a goal.
Sure enough, in the 23rd minute, Bayern produced a wonderful combination in the attacking third.
After a series of one-touch passes, Werder Bremen's defensive shape was pulled apart. Robben's shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but Thomas Müller alertly pounced on the rebound in front of goal and scored.
The score was now 1:1!
Muller was extremely excited after scoring. He ran to the touchline, raised his arms toward the stands, and called for applause.
Bayern's fans immediately answered with thunderous cheers and applause.
The other Bayern players also ran over excitedly to celebrate. As Lahm passed Lin Quan, he deliberately said:
"Kid, you can't beat us!"
Lin Quan merely glanced at him, ignored him, and turned back toward his own half to comfort his teammates.
He did not like arguing with people. Compared with talking trash, he preferred proving himself through action.
Today was the birthday of both the author and protagonist Lin Quan, so here was an extra chapter to celebrate!
Also, thanks to several readers for their donations. Thank you, everyone!
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