Because Werder Bremen had previously scored from a free-kick routine, Hannover were extremely wary of this free kick.
They assigned players to mark Lin Quan tightly, denying him space to receive or pass the ball, lest he deliver another precise cross like before.
At the same time, they were prepared to launch a counterattack after winning the ball. If their opponents dared pass to Lin Quan again, they would show them the power of Hannover's rapid counters!
But De Bruyne was no fool. Seeing how tightly Lin Quan was being marked, he did not attempt a tactical combination with him and instead sent the ball straight into the penalty area.
As the free kick was taken, Werder Bremen's players in the box immediately began moving, jostling with the defenders as they fought for the ball's landing spot.
The ball was headed clear by a Hannover player, but it still fell to the feet of a Werder Bremen player outside the box.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos immediately passed the ball to De Bruyne, allowing the latter to organize the attack.
De Bruyne sent another pass toward the near post. This time, he found his teammate, and the delivery was precise.
But under pressure from a defender, Lukimya headed the ball wide. Feeling a little embarrassed, he gave De Bruyne an apologetic gesture.
It was Hannover's turn to attack, but with one fewer midfielder and Werder Bremen unafraid to battle them fiercely in midfield, even at the cost of fouls,
they found themselves at a disadvantage in the midfield battle and could not get the ball to their forwards' feet.
In the 88th minute, as Hannover's midfield core Huszti carried the ball forward to organize an attack, Werder Bremen captain Fritz spotted an opening, stepped in to win the ball, and Werder Bremen immediately