In the world of football, offense is certainly the most enjoyable phase.
However, many players also interpret the art of defense in different ways.
Nesta's elegance, Gattuso's brutality, Zanetti's steadiness, Maicon's directness... And often, when encountering players with excellent footwork, brutal defense is an effective way to intimidate the opponent.
Of course, the downside is that it's easy to foul and get booked.
As the saying goes, the ball may pass, but the man does not!
This was Bayer Leverkusen's special 'care' for Mark Lane!
"Are you alright?"
When De Bruyne's voice sounded in his ear, Mark Lane, lying on the grass, finally came to his senses.
Although he looked as if he had been run over by a car.
But the moment he landed, he still braced himself with his hands, cushioning the impact to a certain extent.
"I'm fine."
Grabbing Ding Ding's outstretched hands, he stood up, and Mark Lane casually brushed off the grass clippings from his backside.
Looking at Sebastian Boenisch, who was holding up his hands and explaining to the referee that he hadn't done it on purpose, Mark Lane wasn't angry or indignant; he just gave a contemptuous smile.
In his opinion, this was a sign that his opponent was afraid of him!
Because they knew they couldn't defend him, they could only use brutal fouls to bring him down to stop him from getting the ball and breaking through.
And he would never be intimidated or back down because of this!
Of course, if there's no confrontation in football, you might as well go swimming.
Sebastian Boenisch using his strong physical attributes to stop him was perfectly fine.
Because that was his advantage.
And he also had his own advantages... Thinking of this, Mark Lane's eyes sharpened, and he secretly vowed:
"Do you think this can scare me? You underestimate me too much..."
In the end, the referee only gave Sebastian Boenisch a verbal warning and let him off.
Since this set piece was too far, Mark Lane passed the ball directly to De Bruyne, who then passed it back to defensive midfielder Gustavo, to maintain possession first.
And Bayer Leverkusen also pressed forward to try and win the ball back.
Fortunately, Wolfsburg's defensive midfield duo of Gustavo and Arnold both had good passing abilities.
Coupled with the retreating De Bruyne, Wolfsburg was still able to push their attack past the midfield relatively easily.
However, whenever Wolfsburg moved the ball to the right wing, it was as if they suddenly hit the brakes.
No other reason, except that Mark Lane was "defended to death" by Sebastian Boenisch!
Compared to the younger Süle, Sebastian Boenisch was slower but had more defensive experience.
It was as if whenever Mark Lane wanted to receive the ball, he would lunge forward with his long strides, following closely.
Then, the moment Mark Lane received the ball, he would place his hands on Mark Lane's lower back and subtly give him a push.
This push directly caused Mark Lane to stumble, almost losing control of the ball at his feet.
Fortunately, he timely stepped on the ball, then dribbled it back, passing it to right-back Ochs, thus escaping Sebastian Boenisch's entanglement.
After several such instances, under Sebastian Boenisch's very rough fouls, Mark Lane, although not losing possession, was brought down multiple times.
However, every time he was brought down, he wouldn't lie on the ground playing dead; instead, he would get up as quickly as possible.
He knew very well that the team wasn't leading yet, and it wasn't time to waste time.
Heckin sent him on to strengthen the attack and win the game!
It's worth mentioning that Mark Lane's playing style was very similar to Neymar's when he first debuted.
He possessed brilliant footwork and could easily break through opponents, but he was physically frail and easily fouled by opponents.
Moreover, Mark Lane was even more unfortunate than Neymar; he had brilliant skills comparable to Ronaldinho, but lacked the matching speed and explosiveness.
This made it difficult for him to completely shake off opponents every time he broke through.
However, he also had a better advantage than Neymar:
That was, he wouldn't get into arguments with opponents!
For example, after being repeatedly brought down by Sebastian Boenisch, he didn't think about having to get past Sebastian Boenisch next time; instead, he chose a smarter approach.
Feeling the dull ache radiating from his waist and legs, Mark Lane began to frequently drop back into midfield to receive the ball.
Although his passing attribute wasn't particularly high, he could still find teammates when there was no one pressing him.
And with his off-ball runs and support nearby, De Bruyne in the center became even more at ease.
Ding Ding's ability to run and support over a wide area allowed him to cover almost all areas of the entire attacking midfield.
The key was that he wasn't like Diego, who tended to hold onto the ball; he really enjoyed playing short passing and movement combinations.
Coupled with Mark Lane's inward movement, he would occasionally switch positions to the right wing, then deliver dangerous crosses.
And his signature curved cross, which would later become world-renowned, was already taking shape.
In the fifty-seventh minute, Mark Lane received a pass from Arnold in the center, executed a stylish pull-back and turn, then saw De Bruyne pulling wide on the right and immediately released the ball.
Immediately after, without any hesitation, he darted into the half-space!
De Bruyne understood perfectly, took the ball, observed for a moment, and then sent it forward again, finding Mark Lane once more.
Mark Lane also didn't dally; he took a touch to control the ball, then used the inside of his foot to push it back to De Bruyne, who was overlapping down the wing.
The two played a series of one-two passes on the wing, completely bewildering Sebastian Boenisch.
Just like that, De Bruyne found space to cross, and with the inside of his foot, he sent in a cross with a clear curve, with a "thump."
The ball cunningly curled around Pharmaceutical Factory Bayer Leverkusen's central defender Hilbert at the near post, landing perfectly in the no-man's-land between the two central defenders and where the goalkeeper couldn't easily come out.
Olić, making a run into the center, attempted a flying kick, but couldn't keep the ball down, sending it slightly over the crossbar.
Although this wave of attack didn't result in a goal.
The threat of this attacking pattern was clearly visible!
Heckin on the sidelines also applauded his players' performance vigorously.
"That's it!"
"Keep it up!"
With Mark Lane and De Bruyne's frequent positional exchanges, coupled with the overlapping runs of right-back Ochs, Sebastian Boenisch's left flank repeatedly found itself at a numerical disadvantage in localized areas.
Even with left-winger Sam and defensive midfielder Rolfes repeatedly covering, it was difficult to stop Wolfsburg's fierce attacks on that side.
The situation on the field shifted back and forth, and the scales of victory began to slowly tip towards Wolfsburg.
And a goal quietly arrived... In the sixty-fifth minute, Wolfsburg controlled the ball in their own half.
Watching Gustavo with the ball, Mark Lane, who had pulled wide to the wing, once again made an off-ball run into the center to offer support.
This time, Sebastian Boenisch didn't sit idly by, waiting for Mark Lane and De Bruyne to play a wall pass; instead, he followed closely behind Mark Lane, leaving his own wing defensive area.
In his opinion, as long as he prevented Mark Lane from getting the ball and playing one-two passes with De Bruyne, he could curb Wolfsburg's right-wing attack.
However, he seemed to have forgotten that Mark Lane was not without the ability to shake him off!
Feeling Sebastian Boenisch's heavy breathing behind him, Mark Lane suddenly stopped short, then twisted his body as if to turn left, but it was a feint, and he accelerated to the right.
This feint directly caused the 1.9-meter tall Sebastian Boenisch to falter, and it also allowed Mark Lane to shake off his marking, gaining two meters of space to receive the ball.
At this moment, Arnold saw Mark Lane calling for the ball with outstretched hands and immediately delivered a through pass.
Although the pass was a bit powerful, it didn't prevent Mark Lane from beating his man!
He simply used the tip of his right foot to deftly flick the ball up.
The ball soared into the air, tracing a beautiful arc, perfectly clearing Sebastian Boenisch's head!
Sebastian Boenisch was stunned for a moment, then instinctively reached out to pull Mark Lane, but grabbed nothing.
Because the moment Mark Lane chipped the ball, he had already turned and accelerated forward!
"Biu~~~ Beautiful!"
"An imaginative chip over!"
Amidst the cheers of the home fans, Mark Lane used Ronaldinho's signature deft chip to get past Sebastian Boenisch.
And this was the first time in the match that he had beaten the tall full-back who had repeatedly brought him down.
After getting past Sebastian Boenisch, there was a large open space ahead.
The black-haired teenager wearing number 45 unceremoniously dribbled the ball forward!
Glancing at Bayer Leverkusen's captain Rolfes, who was coming over from the center to cover, Mark Lane dropped his shoulder for a feint as if to cut inside. After faking Rolfes off balance, he used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball, gliding past him on the right!
"Rolfes goes to cover... Oh no, he couldn't stop Mark Lane!"
"He's in!"
Having surged to the edge of the penalty area, the only one blocking his path was Bayer Leverkusen's Turkish central defender Toprak.
In a flash of lightning, the instinct bestowed upon him by the Samba Elf made Mark Lane execute a series of step-overs!
His legs danced rapidly over the ball, like a graceful dancer, completely bewildering Toprak, who didn't know whether to use his left or right foot.
Then, with a push to the right, he completely beat the last man in Pharmaceutical Factory Bayer Leverkusen's defense!
"One-on-one!"
"Can he finish it?!"
Although he had beaten Toprak, Mark Lane's position was already off-center from the goal.
At this moment, the focused Leno also stood at the near post, blocking the shooting angle.
However, Mark Lane just turned his head to look at the center, then swung his leg as if to shoot.
However, just as his right foot was about to touch the ball, his ankle twisted, and the shot instantly turned into a pass!
This move directly surprised Leno in front of the goal, and all the fans who thought Mark Lane would shoot.
"What?!"
"Not a shot, a pass?!"
The ball flew across the grass, passing perfectly through the corridor between the goalkeeper and the defender, arriving at the unmanned back post area.
The next second, a green and white figure, like lightning, arrived and knocked the ball into the empty net!
That person was ""Sword" Perišić" Perisic!
Immediately, the Volkswagen Arena erupted in an astonishing roar of cheers!
On the big screen of the match, the large text effect of "TOR (Goal)" also appeared!
"Goal!!!"
"Perisic!"
"An incredible pass!"
"It's undeniable that eighty percent of the credit for this goal belongs to Wolfsburg's prodigy, Mark Lane!"
"He single-handedly toyed with Bayer Leverkusen's entire defense!!!"
After scoring, Perisic excitedly ran towards Mark Lane, then put his arm around his shoulder, and pointed at Mark Lane with his raised hand, gesturing to the Wolfsburg fans in the stands:
"This kid is amazing!"
Immediately, the cheers across the stadium grew even louder.
Subsequently, other teammates also ran over to celebrate together.
"Good goal!"
"Well done!"
"Ivan, even my grandma could have scored that goal!"
"Hahaha..."
At this moment, Mark Lane turned around and looked at Sebastian Boenisch, who was panting with his hands on his hips from frantically chasing back, and couldn't help but reveal a winner's smile.
You can defend me once, twice, three times, and you can bring me down once, twice, three times.
So what?
I only need to beat you once, and that's enough to be fatal!
...Loud singing echoed throughout the entire Volkswagen Arena.
With the score once again in their favor, Wolfsburg, enjoying the home advantage, continued to launch wave after wave of fierce attacks on Pharmaceutical Factory Bayer Leverkusen's half.
Perhaps because he was beaten by Mark Lane, which led to the team's eventual goal conceded, or perhaps he was annoyed at being toyed with by Mark Lane, Sebastian Boenisch, in a reckless challenge, directly swept Mark Lane to the ground.
And this foul also earned him his first yellow card of the match!
Although Mark Lane was prepared.
He was still kicked hard on the outside of his calf, and he rolled twice on the grass.
Seeing Mark Lane brought down again also angered his teammates.
Especially Perisic, who had just scored an easy goal.
The Croatian veteran immediately rushed up, pointing at Sebastian Boenisch's nose and demanding:
"Are you f***ing playing football or kicking people?!"
And Sebastian Boenisch didn't back down at all, directly retorting:
"The referee blew the whistle, what's it to you?!"
"What the f*** did you say?!"
The two immediately started a passionate face-to-face argument.
Fortunately, with the referee's timely intervention and nearby teammates pulling them apart, this small conflict didn't escalate further.
The team doctor also rushed over to check on Mark Lane's condition:
"Mark Lane, where does it hurt?"
"Outside of my calf..."
After an examination and treatment, Mark Lane's calf only had a minor contusion and was not seriously injured.
Seeing the black-haired teenager stand up again with the help of the team doctor, all the Wolfsburg fans gave him a warm round of applause.
The applause was full of admiration and respect for his repeatedly being brought down and repeatedly getting back up!
"This young man plays elegant artistic football, but some people want to destroy this beauty."
"Such fouls are simply too malicious!"
Even the commentators were indignant about Pharmaceutical Factory Bayer Leverkusen's rough defending against Mark Lane in this match.
Of course, to win, everything is fair game on the field.
Otherwise, why would modern football matches be called the 'war of peacetime'?!
"Are you alright? Can you still continue?"
Facing Heckin's inquiry, Mark Lane, with furrowed brows, just nodded vigorously:
"No problem!"
On the other side, Bayer Leverkusen's coach Sami Hyypiä, fearing that Sebastian Boenisch would receive a second yellow card and be sent off, substituted the breathless Sebastian Boenisch in the seventy-second minute, bringing on another left-back, Donati.
However, the younger Italian defender, Giulio Donati, immediately displayed an aggressive defensive attitude, once again pushing Mark Lane to the ground.
While giving Wolfsburg a set-piece opportunity, he also set a new Bundesliga record for the fastest yellow card:
From coming on as a substitute to bringing down Mark Lane and receiving a yellow card, the entire process took only thirty-seven seconds!
And Mark Lane became the biggest victim of this bizarre record.
Fortunately, Mark Lane, having been fouled multiple times, had gained experience and had taken protective actions in advance.
"This is the fastest substitute yellow card record in the Bundesliga League!"
"Mark Lane is brought down again... Wolfsburg gets a set-piece opportunity on the right wing in the attacking half..."
"Rodriguez stands over the ball, ready to take the free-kick..."
And Mark Lane also came to the far post of the penalty area.
He was defended by Hilbert, who had become the right-back.
Looking at the dense players from both teams in the penalty area, Ricardo Rodriguez directly delivered a 45-degree diagonal long pass, which arced beautifully through the air above the Volkswagen Arena...