Lin Quan VS Neuer

After conceding the goal, Werder Bremen's players looked dejected.

They had no complaints about this goal.

If it had come from their own mistake, they could have found a way to make up for it.

But this time, Bayern had simply used their superior individual skill and team coordination, tearing through Werder Bremen's defense with rapid passing and movement.

The opponent had raised the tempo too quickly, and Werder Bremen's players couldn't keep up, leading to defensive errors.

And their opponents were especially good at seizing opportunities—any defensive gap from Werder Bremen was easily exploited to change the score.

On Bayern's bench, Heynckes nodded in satisfaction after seeing his team equalize.

Under his guidance, these players had grown more mature and stronger this season, truly achieving a state where they neither got cocky with wins nor discouraged by losses.

With their current form, reclaiming the Bundesliga Trophy this season should be no problem.

Even last season's champions, Dortmund, couldn't stop them.

Perhaps they might even achieve something in the Champions League this year.

On the visitors' side, the goal woke Schaaf up.

They had planned to use the Iron Bucket Formation before the match, but because they scored first, both the players and he had relaxed a bit, failing to execute the tactic strictly.

That led to this goal. If the midfield line had fully retreated to their own half, shortening the distance to the defensive line, and if captain Fritz had dropped back to form a five-man defense, the opponent's goal probably wouldn't have happened.

Thinking this, Schaaf immediately shouted at his players on the field, telling them to follow the pre-match plan.

A 1-1 draw wasn't unacceptable. The match was only 60 minutes long, and if they dragged it to the end, they could settle it with a Penalty Shootout.

No matter how strong Bayern's hard power was, it wouldn't matter then, because penalty shootouts relied more on luck.

Sure enough, when the match restarted, facing Werder Bremen's Iron Bucket Formation, Bayern found themselves unable to break through.

The 1-1 scoreline held until halftime.

Back in the locker room, Schaaf praised the players' first-half performance.

He admitted his own mistake, saying he had been careless—after the goal, he hadn't reminded the players to drop back, which led to the subsequent concession.

This made Werder Bremen's players a bit embarrassed. They knew deep down that it wasn't really the Head Coach's fault; it was entirely their own problem.

"Alright, forget the first half. Our priority in the second half is defense.

When attacking, don't pass directly to Lin Quan like you did in the first half. They're marking him tightly, and if you pass straight to him, he'll have a hard time getting the ball.

So in the second half, when we counter, focus on Arnautovic.

Remember, don't overplay in midfield to avoid losing the ball and letting them counter our counter.

If there's a chance, just boot it long from the back. Arnautovic, try to win the ball if you can; if not, disrupt their passing as much as possible to buy time for your teammates to get into defensive positions."

The players had already discussed what Schaaf was saying.

But later, they got pinned down by the opponent, had little possession, and their few counters were too rushed, lacking coordination, so the pre-arranged tactics never materialized.

Now that Schaaf had emphasized the plan again, the players would follow his instructions in the second half.

The second half started quickly, and Werder Bremen made no personnel changes.

But Bayern Munich swapped out two players.

Schweinsteiger, number 31, came on as a substitute for Emre, number 36, and Ribery, number 7, replaced Saric, number 11.

Werder Bremen kicked off, passing the ball a few times before losing it under Bayern's pressure.

So the match returned to the familiar scene from the first half—Bayern laying siege to Werder Bremen's goal!

But this time, Werder Bremen's defense was packed tight.

Out of their 11 players on the field, 10 were in their own half.

Even Lin Quan himself dropped back to receive the ball, leaving only Arnautovic wandering near the center circle.

The dense defensive formation made Bayern's attacks difficult—they had the momentum but couldn't score.

Breaking down a packed defense is a universal problem. When a team is determined to hold firm, even top-tier sides struggle to breach their goal.

Two months ago, the Chinese National Football Team played a friendly against World Cup champions Spain.

In that match, the Chinese team parked the bus, and Spain, fielding their full strength, fired dozens of shots over the entire game but couldn't break through.

If not for David Silva's close-range finish in the last five minutes, when the Chinese players were exhausted and losing focus, they might have forced a draw against the invincible Spanish National Team.

The gap between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich was far smaller than that between the Chinese National Football Team and Spain.

So with them dead set on parking the bus, Bayern was like a hound facing a hedgehog—no idea where to bite.

Werder Bremen could accept a draw and settle it with penalties.

Bayern couldn't!

So Bayern stepped up their attack. Even the defensive players who had been near midfield joined the assault, leaving only Boateng at the back.

This gave Werder Bremen an opportunity!

In the 46th minute, Ribery's shot was blocked by a defender's body.

Werder Bremen's captain Fritz grabbed the rebound, and the moment possession shifted, Lin Quan and Arnautovic sprinted toward Bayern's half.

Fritz glanced at his two forwards racing forward and launched a long ball into the front field.

This ball wasn't aimed at a player—it was aimed at the gap in the opponent's backfield.

When they saw the long clearance, Bayern's players initially didn't take it seriously.

It's hard to break down Bayern with Long Ball Tactics, because they have a goalkeeper with an enormous range.

Neuer covers a huge area in front of goal; sometimes he even leaves the penalty area, running outside the box to act as a backfield outlet and join the attack, earning him the nickname "sweeper-keeper" from fans.

Bayern had a big advantage in this match, so by now, Neuer had already left the penalty area.

After spotting the ball's landing point, Neuer figured it out—his teammate Boateng should be able to claim it—so he didn't rush back to the box, planning to support Boateng once he controlled the ball.

Boateng saw the ball flying toward him, judged the landing point, and leaped high, intending to head it to a teammate behind him.

But just as he jumped, a tall figure charged in and launched off the ground at almost the same time.

The two were about the same height, but Boateng jumped from a standstill, while the other had a running start.

So Boateng could only watch as the ball, mere centimeters from his head, was headed away by the other player.

At that moment, another figure flashed past the two of them.

Meanwhile, realizing something was wrong, Neuer stretched out his long legs and sprinted straight for the ball.

He and Lin Quan were about the same distance from the ball, and he was much farther from the goal than from the ball, so retreating was out of the question.

If he didn't charge out to contest the ball, the opponent could chip it straight into the net after taking possession, and he'd never catch up in time!

Lin Quan clearly knew this too.

So, in this moment, it all came down to who was faster!