Breaking Two Records, Neuer Becomes a Tragic Background Board (Birthday Bonus Chapter!)

Lin Quan's goal greatly boosted Werder Bremen's morale.

After he scored, almost every player, including goalkeeper Mielitz, sprinted over to join in the celebration.

"Great job, Lin!"

"Keep sticking it to them!"

The players either hugged him, ruffled his hair, or patted his back, offering congratulations and encouragement in all sorts of ways.

Captain Fritz gave Lin Quan a hug, slapped him hard on the back, and said:

"Keep it up next time, try to get a few more past them!"

De Bruyne chimed in from the side: "I'll pass to you, just find the open space!"

Goalkeeper Mielitz added: "How about I just boot it long from the back to you? That way we can bypass their midfield and forwards!"

Lin Quan pointed at his own height and said helplessly:

"Sebastian, I appreciate the thought, but if you kick it long to me, I might not even get to the ball. Isn't winning headers a bit too much to ask for someone my height?"

When the teammates heard this, they glanced at the height difference between him and Mielitz and burst out laughing.

"That is a bit tough. How about this—let Arnautovic set you up?"

Lin Quan instinctively looked over at the tall guy. Arnautovic stood 192 cm tall and had excellent heading ability. Having him contest the header would be a great option.

But would the team's starting center-forward agree to play second fiddle for him?

"No problem, leave it to me!"

To his surprise, Arnautovic agreed without a second thought.

It seemed the Austrian just looked fierce, but was actually easy to get along with.

Neuer stood with his hands on his hips, glaring resentfully at Lin Quan, who was surrounded by his teammates.

The guy had scored on his debut, breaking the record for the youngest starter and the youngest goalscorer.

And Neuer was the backdrop for one of those records.

That put him in a foul mood. He had done everything he could on that play, but still couldn't stop the goal.

The problem lay with the defense, but he didn't blame his teammates. It was just one goal, no need to make a big deal out of it.

"Snap out of it! Don't underestimate them just because they're underdogs!"

Neuer clapped his hands hard and shouted at his teammates.

Lahm gave him an apologetic look and exchanged a glance with Boateng.

Both of them were determined to lock down that guy in the rest of the match and never give him another chance.

On the coaching bench, Schaaf had already stood up involuntarily when Lin Quan got the ball, and only sat back down after he scored, a satisfied smile spreading across his face:

This kid really is a big-game player. No nerves or stage fright in a situation like this. Looks like I can consider giving him more tactical responsibilities.

In contrast, the other coaches on the bench went wild when Lin Quan scored, rushing to the sideline, hugging each other, shouting and yelling.

"Damn it!"

"God, that actually went in?"

"They just got lucky!"

On Bayern's bench, the substitutes and assistant coaches all wore sour expressions, finding the result hard to accept.

Heynckes just furrowed his brow slightly when he saw the other side score first.

Werder Bremen's Number 10 had caught him completely off guard.

The kid had a mentality and experience that didn't match his age. Just now, Lahm had set several traps for him while defending.

But he hadn't fallen for a single one—he dodged them all.

That kind of handling was something only seasoned veterans with plenty of match experience could pull off. He never expected to see it in a sixteen-year-old.

Either the kid was slow to react and didn't notice Lahm's traps, or he was an absolute genius who could ignore the opponent's defensive schemes.

He hoped it was the former, because if it was the latter, Bayern was in for a tough game.

So, before the restart, Heynckes called Kroos over.

"After the kickoff, tell the teammates to pick up the pace. Also, assign someone to mark their Number 10. Work out the details with Lahm. In short, don't give him any space to receive the ball comfortably."

Kroos nodded firmly. With Schweinsteiger absent from this match, the midfield was on his shoulders.

That was no small test for the young Kroos.

The match quickly resumed.

After the kickoff, Bayern showed no signs of being rattled by the goal. They continued to besiege Werder Bremen's goal.

In the 11th minute, Robben was fouled while breaking through on the right flank, and the referee showed Werder Bremen's Number 16, Junuzovic, a yellow card.

Two minutes later, Robben came again.

With a yellow card hanging over him, Junuzovic dared not make any big moves in defense, and Robben easily got past him.

This time, Robben seemed to realize that attacking wasn't a one-man show, so after breaking through, he immediately passed to Müller, who was following up in the middle.

Müller didn't stop the ball; with a single touch, he threaded a clever pass to Saric. The latter burst forward, received the ball, and shot on the spot. It was a good opportunity, but his strike went just wide of the goal, leaving Bayern's fans clutching their heads in despair.

In the 16th minute, Bayern Munich won the ball high up the pitch. Müller played a straight pass that sliced through Werder Bremen's backline.

Bayern's striker Gomez received the ball inside the box, fought off two defenders, and forced a turn to shoot. The ball hit the post and bounced out.

That shot gave Werder Bremen's fans a scare. The chance wasn't great, but the quality of the shot was top-notch.

If not for the post doing its job, the score might have been leveled already.

For the past few minutes, Bayern had laid siege to Werder Bremen's goal.

Bayern had cranked the game's tempo to a very high level, leaving Werder Bremen struggling to keep up and making frequent mistakes.

De Bruyne and Lin Quan were both marked tightly by Bayern's players, making it hard for them to receive passes from their teammates.

With the two unable to get the ball, Werder Bremen couldn't launch any counterattacks and could only be pinned down and ground into the dirt.

This couldn't go on. If you defend too long, you'll eventually concede. If they kept being besieged like this, they were bound to let in a goal.

Sure enough, in the 23rd minute, Bayern pulled off a brilliant combination in the final third.

After a series of one-touch passes, Werder Bremen's defensive shape was thrown into chaos. Robben's shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but Thomas Müller alertly pounced on the rebound and scored in front of goal.

The score on the field became 1:1!

After scoring, Müller was ecstatic. He ran to the sideline, raised his arms to the crowd, and demanded applause.

Bayern's fans immediately showered him with cheers and applause.

The other Bayern players also ran over excitedly to join the celebration. As Lahm passed by Lin Quan, he made a point of saying:

"Kid, you can't beat us."

Lin Quan glanced at him, ignored him, and turned back to his own half to console his teammates.

He didn't like trading barbs with people. Compared to trash talk, he preferred to prove himself with actions.

Today is the birthday of both the author and the protagonist, Lin Quan, so here's an extra chapter to celebrate!

Also, thanks to a few readers for their tips. Thank you all!