Giving the Home Team Some Face (Seeking Follow-ups and Recommendation Tickets)

"Goal!!!!!"

"Goal!!!!!"

"Goal!!!!!"

Paolo Rossi shouted excitedly, "Dejan, a world-class strike!"

"In the 8th minute of the first half, Dejan once again broke Dortmund's goal with a world-class strike. The West Germans thought they could counterattack, but they didn't realize this was actually Stalingrad!"

"Müller, who was highly anticipated, scored a good free kick, giving them some room for fantasy. But Dejan quickly stepped up. This super genius once again proved how wise a choice it was for Rivera to recommend him. Even Rijkaard or Gullit wouldn't have been more talented than him."

"Here we can also see the weakness of the West Germans. Halse insisted that diplomatic relations with West Germany could only be established if East Germany was not recognized. Yet, the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations with both East and West Germany simultaneously, and the West Germans only dared to pretend not to see it. Their attitude was perfectly reflected on the field. Facing the stronger Italian team, they once again showed their cowardly side!"

After scoring, Dejan Lu was mobbed by his teammates.

"That goal was fucking sick!!!"

Mancini, as if on drugs, shook Dejan Lu's shoulders with a flushed face.

Even just witnessing it made him feel energized – a 40-yard chip shot!

Dossena also gave a thumbs-up.

He had previously thought Dejan Lu preferred playing inside the box, but he didn't expect him to be so fierce outside it as well.

He could feel the power behind that shot from over 20 meters away.

Boskov excitedly punched the air repeatedly on the sidelines.

A spectacular goal during a match is a huge blow to the opponent's morale. It can't be judged solely by the goal itself; it's often a crucial turning point in the game.

Westfalenstadion fell silent again, with the Dortmund players looking bewildered – the best possible illustration.

The veteran Yugoslav coach knew very well that there would be no more suspense in this match.

Müller?

Good.

But far inferior to my players!

With only a few months into the season, Boskov had repeatedly revised his assessment and positioning of Dejan Lu.

Now, Dejan Lu was the undisputed core of the team.

The emergence of this young man was as critical as a fighter jet's engine.

If he could go back to last year's Cup Winners' Cup final, with Dejan Lu on the team, he believed Barcelona would not have been the ultimate winner.

The past is the past, but this year, he felt more confident facing any opponent.

After the restart, Dejan Lu still had a strong desire to push forward.

Every time he made a run, loud boos erupted from Westfalenstadion.

This Dortmund team was quite offensive, playing a 3-5-2 formation in an era dominated by the 4-4-2.

But this also left their defense lacking sufficient protection.

Müller absolutely refused to participate in defense. After losing possession, McLeod immediately ran into the penalty area.

He knew very well that Müller was the team's only core player.

Frank Mill tried to use a foul to waste time, but Pari, who had the ball, gave him no chance. As soon as he brought the ball to the edge of the arc, he poked it with his toe.

The ball rolled far along the ground.

Not good!

Kroht, who was marking Dejan Lu, noticed his opponent stop and immediately stood his ground.

Outside of the foot?

That guy actually stopped the ball with the outside of his foot. Kroht had rushed forward and saw Dejan Lu flick the ball from his left foot to his right with his instep, then pull the ball back with his right foot to turn.

Another Maradona spin!

Throughout the entire process, he looked like a clown, adjusting his center of gravity back and forth in place, not even able to extend his foot to cause the slightest obstruction.

By the time he started to chase back, he was already a step too late.

Even as he continuously used his arms to pressure Dejan Lu, Dejan Lu still steadily dribbled forward.

He tried to grab him with his hands, but he didn't dare make any significant moves.

Dejan Lu stumbled but then broke away even further. Kroht could only follow behind him.

Bang—

Before Kroht's teammates could provide defensive support, Dejan Lu, who had dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, once again drew his bow and arrow. This long-range shot grazed the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

Many Dortmund fans breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, they sadly realized that the game was not unfolding as they had expected.

They had hoped to watch their team battle it out with the opponent, as both were contenders for the league title, but from the very first minute, it was a complete domination by Sampdoria.

Beckenbauer, watching from the stands, shook his head.

The two teams didn't seem to be from the same era.

The biggest issue was the starkly different performances from the organizers of the two teams.

The "new Beckenbauer," despite scoring a goal, was mostly just a tool to link the front and back lines, lacking any spark.

In contrast, Sampdoria's number seven, even playing on the wing, was clearly the team's core, the organizational core, and the attacking core.

When he had the ball, he always made the right choices; this wasn't about technical skill, but football IQ and game reading ability.

And then there was his brilliant technique.

It reminded Beckenbauer of an old rival—Johan Cruyff!

Lüsch quickly noticed a problem: there had been a substitution in front of him!

Michael Lüsch looked at Lombardo with some confusion, gesturing and asking, "Aren't you on the wing too? Why are you... just listening to him?"

Lombardo, understanding the question, touched his forehead and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You're both players like Beckenbauer, why don't you try to be the Football Emperor yourself?"

Did he think he didn't want to be the team's core?

What an idiot!

When the attack failed, Lombardo swapped positions with Dejan Lu again during his retreat.

In fact, playing like this was very comfortable for him, as he was proficient on both the left and right wings.

Continuous positional changes put more pressure on the defenders, allowing him to perform better on the wing.

After Dossena's tackle, he sent another direct pass to the left. The receiver, Dejan Lu, used the outside of his foot to flick the ball and charge into the penalty area. Kutowski could only start chasing him down.

"Don't let him shoot!" Zorc shouted.

He was running back quickly.

But Dejan Lu had no intention of going deep into the penalty area. As soon as he reached the edge of the box, he twisted his body and shot with his right foot.

Damn it!

Deibel knew it was bad when he saw it.

His positioning was in the center, anticipating Dejan Lu's pass to the middle, but he was afraid Dejan Lu would go down the line and shoot, so he was already preparing to dive to the left. This shot to the far corner was the most difficult for him.

He needed to relax his legs to absorb the force before he could dive.

His secondary exertion was quick, completing the adjustment almost instantly. At this moment, Deibel still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking, What if I can save it?

The ball was inches away, but his fingertips felt nothing.

It was over; he didn't touch it.

The moment he turned his head, the ball hit the junction of the post and crossbar and bounced fiercely into the goal.

The top corner, an absolute top corner!

This was insane!

Paolo Rossi was going crazy.

The retired veteran striker was shouting loudly in the broadcast booth.

He hadn't expected an Italian team to have such dominance against the mighty West Germans.

"Dejan, Dejan, Dejan, Dejan..."

His poor grasp of Latin left him unable to find any phrases to express his excitement.

Exhilaration!

And some people said Germany was getting stronger?

Italy beat West Germany in the World Cup semi-finals eight years ago, and eight years later, Italy still wouldn't give the West Germans any chances.

"Are you alright, mate?"

Pezzotti asked, supporting Boskov.

He walked to the sideline and found Boskov seemed a bit off, so he quickly steadied him.

Boskov used his arm to gently push Pezzotti away and steady himself, saying, "Very good, I couldn't be better. I just got a bit too excited just now."

"Then shouldn't we do something else first?"

Pezzotti pointed to the stands, reminding him.

The Dortmund fans were too passionate. If a massacre were to happen, it might lead to off-field incidents.

It would be best to have the players ease up a bit, since victory in this match was already assured.

"Yes, make a substitution! Get Dejan off immediately!"

Boskov, who had just regained his balance, immediately turned and beckoned to the bench.

Thanks to reader 202411211181344687 for the reward.

Thanks to all the big shots for their support. Old Ye has advanced to the second round. I hope everyone continues to support!