Super Ball Sense, Heynckes' Shock

Gomez's unexpected injury forced Heynckes to bring on another substitute center-forward, Mandzukic.

Mandzukic was a new signing Bayern had brought back from Wolfsburg that summer for 13 million euros.

Compared to Gomez, who had sharp shooting skills, keen goal-scoring instincts, and an exceptional ability to seize opportunities, Mandzukic fell short in many areas.

However, Mandzukic was the type of player with strong mental attributes. He fought relentlessly on the pitch, never giving up easily even in adversity.

After coming on, he applied immense pressure to Werder Bremen's ball-holding players through aggressive pressing and tireless running across the front line.

Inspired by his efforts, Bayern's forward players also intensified their pressing.

As a result, Werder Bremen's players struggled even more to hold onto the ball, and their mistakes began to multiply.

In the 51st minute, Robben broke through and took a shot, but the ball sailed over the crossbar and into the stands.

Two minutes later, Ribery delivered a cross from the left flank, and Mandzukic headed it wide under pressure from a defender.

Seeing his team under siege, Werder Bremen's goalkeeper Mielitz tried to waste some time with a goal kick, giving his teammates a breather.

He put the ball down, picked it up again, seemed dissatisfied with the turf at the spot, and even stomped on it a few times for show.

This got Bayern's players riled up, and they protested to the referee, accusing him of deliberately delaying the game.

The referee saw right through his intentions and immediately handed him a yellow card.

After receiving the yellow card, Mielitz dared not stall any longer and booted the ball far up the field.

Since the defenders couldn't hold onto the ball, he might as well send it forward—the farther, the better.

Werder Bremen only had Arnautovic up front, but he won the aerial duel against the opposing defender, nodding the ball back to Lin Quan.

As soon as Lin Quan got the ball, Kroos closed him down.

Bayern had clearly learned from the earlier goal they conceded, knowing they couldn't let Lin Quan build up speed.

Facing Kroos's pressure, Lin Quan calmly stopped the ball, turned, and slipped past him with ease.

But Lahm came charging in from the flank, while Boateng and Gustavo blocked his path forward from the front.

In an instant, Lin Quan was trapped by four opponents.

He couldn't keep dribbling forward, so he immediately changed direction, moving laterally to take the ball toward the left side of the pitch.

Seeing him head to the wing, Bayern's players hesitated for a moment.

Except for Lahm, who kept following him, intending to coordinate with Kroos chasing from behind, Boateng and Gustavo, both defenders, dared not continue.

They were defenders and couldn't abandon their positions, or the opposition's late runners would easily tear through their defensive line.

Lahm was fast. He caught up to Lin Quan and lunged for the ball without hesitation.

Though Lahm's tackle didn't succeed, he bumped into Lin Quan during the challenge, sending him stumbling.

But Lin Quan stayed on his feet, holding onto the ball until he reached the sideline. When Lahm came for it again, he kicked it off Lahm's leg, and the ball rolled out of bounds.

The linesman raised his flag, signaling a throw-in for Werder Bremen.

Lin Quan didn't take the throw himself; instead, he gestured for a teammate to come over.

De Bruyne understood what he meant and jogged over slowly.

It was more of a stroll than a run.

Bayern's players complained to the referee, but the referee ignored them.

De Bruyne reached the sideline, picked up the ball, and glanced at his teammates up front.

Seeing no particularly good passing option, he threw it back to his own backline.

Bayern's players immediately charged toward the Werder Bremen player with the ball, who then passed it back to his defender.

The defender, as Bayern's forwards closed in, passed it back to the goalkeeper in front of the goal.

The goalkeeper stood on the ball, waiting until the opponent was almost on him before booting it far up the field.

The Bayern players, who had sprinted all the way, were practically fuming with rage!

They felt toyed with, as if they'd been led on a wild goose chase.

Their stamina had already dropped in the second half, and after this sprint, their breathing grew even heavier.

After the goal kick, goalkeeper Mielitz shot a glance at Bayern's players:

You like pressing, don't you?

Well, go ahead and press!

But it's a bit far—you'll have to run a little more.

In this match, Arnautovic had few chances up front. Werder Bremen had too little possession, leaving him isolated and unable to get the ball.

Aside from a few aerial duels, he barely touched the ball, so he hadn't even broken a sweat, leaving him with plenty of energy.

Seeing the ball flying over, Arnautovic leaped high and won the aerial duel again.

Lin Quan, spotting his teammate winning the first header, alertly dashed to the left. He knew Arnautovic had a habit of nodding the ball to the left.

Sure enough, just as Lin Quan started moving, the ball landed right in front of him.

And Kroos, who was marking him, failed to keep up the moment Lin Quan burst forward. That cost him a step, and by the time he tried to chase, he was already at least two meters behind!

Two meters wasn't far. Against an ordinary player, a timely pursuit could still catch up.

Because a player dribbling the ball moves slower than one without it.

Kroos chased desperately from behind, while ahead, Lahm had already taken his position. This time, he wouldn't let the opponent get past him so easily.

As Kroos kept chasing, he realized something was off.

The distance between them didn't seem to be closing much!

That guy was dribbling almost as fast as he ran without the ball—barely any drop in speed!

How was that possible?

Kroos's mind reeled. He knew he couldn't do that himself!

Not just him—no one around him, no one he knew, could pull that off!

Except for that one guy, Barca's number ten!

To achieve that, you needed incredible ball control!

And Messi just happened to have historically elite ball control!

Was this guy's ball control rivaling Messi's?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

Lin Quan had acquired Messi's attributes, so naturally, he gained that kind of super ball control.

Thus, he could effortlessly pull off dribbling that others found unbelievable.

In fact, if you looked closely, you'd notice.

Every touch Lin Quan made was perfectly measured, the force even, the ball never leaving his body more than a meter, even at high speed.

That alone was enough to prove his skill—something anyone with playing experience could spot at a glance!

Swish!

Bayern's sixty-eight-year-old veteran coach Heynckes couldn't sit still. He stood up, his hands clenching involuntarily.

By now, he understood—he had underestimated this young player.

This kid was even more outstanding than he'd imagined, even stronger than Messi when he first burst onto the scene!

Kroos had failed. He couldn't catch Lin Quan.

And the latter now faced Bayern's left-back once more in a one-on-one—Philipp Lahm!