As the white net rippled, Rhein-Neckar-Arena fell into a deathly silence.
The next second, the thousands of Wolfsburg fans who traveled with the team, with their incredibly enthusiastic cheers, took over the entire stadium!
"Goal!"
"The goal scorer is Mark Lane!!!"
"The assist for him came from the Belgian talent, Kevin De Bruyne!"
"The collaboration between two talents is truly beautiful!"
"This eighteen-year-old rising star once again helped Wolfsburg take the lead on the road with his goal!"
"This is already his third League goal of the season!"
"So far, his first Bundesliga start can be described as perfect!"
Unlike the celebrating Wolfsburg fans, all the Hoffenheim fans experienced emotional fluctuations from "It's in already?" to "How is it him again?!"
Especially after seeing Mark also come to the corner flag area for a stylish knee slide celebration, their emotions turned into anger:
"Arschloch! (Bastard)"
"Was zur Halle! (What the hell is this)"
"Motherf*cker!"
But Mark ignored the middle fingers raised in the stands and the vulgar curses, turning around and pointing at Ding Ding who ran over:
"Kevin, I knew you'd pass it there!"
De Bruyne also had a big smile on his face:
"Hahaha, I also knew you'd definitely run to that position!"
The two high-fived and hugged!
Witnessing their team concede another goal, the two head coaches on the sidelines had different expressions.
Hecking clenched his fist and roared, while Gisdol shook his head with a look of disappointment.
Subsequently, Gisdol also went to the coaching bench, wanting to see how this goal was conceded.
Through the replay of the goal, he and all the fans sitting in front of their televisions finally understood the intention behind Mark's tricky fake moves on the wing.
It was actually just to attract defenders!
After attracting the defensive attention of the full-back and midfielder on the wing, De Bruyne in the center gained space for a diagonal run.
And the moment he passed the ball, he immediately surged forward to the edge of the penalty area, then received De Bruyne's cut-back pass to deliver the fatal blow!
The entire process was incredibly precise, as if it had been perfectly designed!
After repeatedly watching the replay of the entire goal three times, a sense of frustration welled up in his heart.
He hadn't expected that the targeted double-teaming strategy he had specifically arranged would have no effect on that Wolfsburg kid.
Instead, the kid used this to combine with his teammates and score the goal.
This kid is definitely a genius!
However, what he didn't know was that Mark and De Bruyne hadn't discussed it beforehand at all!
Even the team tactics arranged by Hecking didn't include this attacking routine.
It was entirely because Mark understood De Bruyne's playing style and passing habits through daily training and communication.
At the same time, De Bruyne also understood Mark's running habits, which allowed them to execute this brilliant cross-positional interchange.
Of course, the final shot was Mark's careful choice.
During the match, he observed that Hoffenheim's goalkeeper Casteels was tall with long arms, excellent at judging and saving high balls, but relatively slow to get down.
Therefore, he chose to push the ball with the inside of his foot, keeping it as low as possible, to score... Of course, for the home team, being one goal down was not the end of the world.
They still had time, and the full support of the home fans!
So, after the restart, the Hoffenheim players, trailing by a goal, went all out, pressing forward frantically to attack again.
As Hoffenheim continued to attack down the left wing, Wolfsburg's right flank continued to bear immense defensive pressure.
At the same time, after repeated defensive efforts, Mark also felt his body getting more and more tired, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead, getting heavier and heavier.
Even his movements for receiving and passing the ball began to slow down.
After all, his [Stamina] attribute was only 55, and lasting more than sixty minutes was already his limit.
Hecking on the sidelines also noticed this.
He first discussed with his assistant coach whether Mark should continue to play.
Considering the defensive pressure on the right flank, plus the valuable three points they could secure if they held this score away from home.
And Mark also made a substitution gesture towards the sideline.
Finally, the coaching staff made a decision:
"Andre (Vieirinha)! Go warm up!"
Two minutes later, taking advantage of a dead ball, Wolfsburg made a substitution:
Number 45 Mark off!
Number 8 Vieirinha on!
"Wolfsburg used their first substitution of the match, Mark Lane, who contributed one assist and one goal in this match, is replaced, and Portuguese international Vieirinha is preparing to come on!"
"Clearly, he delivered a satisfactory performance in his first Bundesliga starting test."
"Perhaps in the future, we will frequently see this eighteen-year-old rising star appearing in Wolfsburg's starting lineup..."
"Mark!"
Hearing his teammates' shouts and seeing the substitution board held up by the fourth official on the sideline, a panting Mark realized that his first Bundesliga start had reached its curtain call.
He didn't immediately run off the field, but instead raised both hands, asking for applause from the away fans, while walking towards the sideline.
However, this action was seen by the home fans, eager to catch up, as a way to waste time.
Boo~~~
The more than twenty thousand Hoffenheim fans in attendance once again let out a chorus of boos.
But Mark just smiled faintly, without a trace of displeasure or anger on his face.
"What if you boo me? I still got a goal and an assist!"
"This is just the helpless cry of the weak..."
Arriving at the sideline, he high-fived Vieirinha, and Hecking also came over and gave Mark a hug:
"Good job, kid! Go get some rest!"
After high-fiving his teammates on the bench one by one, Mark went to his designated seat, and began wiping the sweat from his body with a towel.
With Vieirinha on, Wolfsburg's right flank defense immediately became much more stable.
Vieirinha's defensive ability and physical strength were far superior to Mark's.
Seeing that they couldn't break through on the left, Hoffenheim also changed their strategy, opting for central passing and intricate play.
And at this moment, Firmino, as the team's key player, once again demonstrated his top-tier playmaking and positioning!
In the eighty-second minute, he dropped back to receive the ball, laid it off, and played a one-two with Polanski, successfully breaking into the penalty area.
Just as he was about to shoot, he was pulled down by center-back Klose.
The referee decisively awarded a penalty kick!
Firmino held his nerve and scored!
Just like that, Hoffenheim equalized!
And after equalizing, seeing a chance to win, Hoffenheim's morale soared, and they attacked even more fiercely.
Hoffenheim's coach Gisdol on the sidelines waved his arms, urging his players to press forward and continue attacking!
Wolfsburg's coach Hecking, on the other hand, constantly waved his hands, telling his players to defend, and didn't forget to remind them:
"Man-mark!"
"Track back!"
Sitting on the bench, Mark looked at the two coaches gesticulating wildly on the sidelines and couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Of course, he greatly admired how immersed the coach was in the game.
Because he knew very well that the outcome of a football match was not solely decided by the twenty-two players on the field.
The coaches, referees, fans, and even the ball boys were all part of the game!
In the final ten minutes, Wolfsburg endured Hoffenheim's relentless attacks, and ultimately, they couldn't hold on.
In the second minute of injury time, Hoffenheim earned a free-kick opportunity on the right wing in the attacking half.
The ball, delivered by Rudy, was lofted into the penalty area, where it was flicked by Modeste, changing its trajectory, and landing perfectly in front of the six-yard box.
And the young striker Kevin Volland, before goalkeeper Benaglio could come out, poked the ball into the goal with his foot!