With a whistle from the referee, the somewhat dull first half finally ended.
Overall, although Germany had the upper hand at home and created many chances,
they consistently failed to convert those opportunities and put the ball into the net.
Especially Götze, who played as the team's "center forward," suffered quite a bit in physical confrontations against the physically explosive Cameroonian players.
Back in the locker room, Löw had only one thing to say about the team's performance in the first half:
"I'm not satisfied with your attitude!"
During his days at the Merano training camp, Mark had never seen Löw angry or overly emotional.
Löw's coaching style wasn't the shouting type.
Instead, he was calm, reserved, and commanded respect without needing to be angry.
Just that one sentence immediately made the German Team players feel its weight, and they all perked up.
"In the second half, Mario (Götze), don't make horizontal runs to stretch the defense; instead, drop back more to receive the ball, then switch positions frequently with Müller to draw out the defensive midfielder..."
"Toni (Kroos), move your position a bit further forward..."
As a coach who once led Stuttgart to win the German Cup and reach the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup, Löw was very adept at cup competitions, earning him the reputation of a 'cup coach' among many media outlets.
And during his time as Klinsmann's assistant, whether in the World Cup or the European Cup, he demonstrated strong on-field command and quick tactical adjustments, capable of devising countermeasures based on changes in the game's situation.
As one of the top National Teams in terms of hard power in today's football world, from the first day he entered the training camp, Mark was like a sponge, frantically absorbing all kinds of football knowledge and experience from his surroundings.
Now, just by listening to Löw's tactical guidance, Mark felt his own tactical knowledge and experience skyrocketing!
At least he learned how to respond if he faced such a situation again...
After a short halftime break, the second half began with a change of ends.
The German Team, after adjustments, indeed saw an improvement in their offense.
Their 4-2-3-1 tactical approach focused on attacking through the middle.
Both Reus, the inverted winger who cut inside, and Müller, the strong-footed winger with a wide range of movement, often drifted into the center.
Coupled with Götze, the false nine who dropped back to receive the ball, the German Team's tactical style was to create exquisite passing and movement combinations through numerical superiority in the middle, thereby tearing apart the opponent's defense.
With the tactics executed well and the players' outstanding abilities, Germany created many chances from the start of the second half.
However, it was Cameroon who scored first!
In the sixty-second minute of the match, Cameroon seized a counter-attacking opportunity, with Eto'o beating the offside trap, going one-on-one, and scoring!
This goal was like a blunt blow to the heads of the German Team players, finally waking them up.
Löw immediately made two substitutions:
Götze off, Schürrle on!
Soon, within the next ten minutes, the German Team, like an unstoppable German War Machine, charged repeatedly into Cameroon's territory.
In the sixty-sixth minute, Jérôme Boateng delivered a cross from the right, and Müller appeared in exactly the right place, heading the ball into the net.
Just five minutes later, Reus broke through on the left, crossed to the middle, and Schürrle, who replaced Götze, arrived perfectly to tap the ball in!
Seeing that the score was already leading, Löw turned and looked at the bench!
"Mark, warm up! Christoph (Kramer), warm up!"
Upon hearing this, Mark and Kramer immediately jumped up, put on their substitute vests, and went to the sideline to warm up.
When Mark came to the sideline to warm up, cheers from the fans erupted from the nearby stands.
Especially when Mark's handsome face appeared on the stadium's big screen, the cheers from female fans in the stadium grew even louder.
Seeing this, Aysha Hirsch in the stands blinked her emerald green eyes and said faintly:
"He's very popular with girls..."
Hearing this, Michelle, fearing she might misunderstand, quickly explained:
"Yes, a man as outstanding as him is very popular with women. But I can assure you, he's definitely not the type to mess around!"
"Michelle, why did you insist on introducing us?"
"I just thought it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to make another friend."
"Haha, I don't believe you..."
Two minutes later, during a dead ball, Mark and Kramer both took off their yellow substitute vests and stood on the sideline.
Looking at Mark, wearing the number 23 jersey on the sideline, the live director very sensibly focused on this young player who was about to make his National Team debut.
"The talent Mark Lane from Bundesliga's third-place team, Wolfsburg, at eighteen years and two hundred and twenty-seven days old, is about to become the third youngest player to debut for the German National Team, only behind Mario Götze and Uwe Seeler."
"This young man, not yet nineteen, performed brilliantly in the Bundesliga over the past half-season, helping his team qualify for next season's Champions League and also winning the club's first German Cup title..."
"Also coming on as a substitute is the young defensive midfielder Kramer, who is highly regarded by Löw..."
Amidst the applause of the home fans, Mark replaced Müller, and Kramer replaced Khedira.
As he high-fived Müller, the 'Two-Mouth' didn't forget to wink at him, offering his blessing:
"Go for it, mate!"
"I will!"
From the moment his right foot stepped onto the pitch of the Borussia-Park, Mark made his debut for the German War Machine!
Löw gave him only fifteen minutes to prove himself!
And his task was only one: to tear apart Cameroon's left flank defense and then cross!
After coming on, Mark, playing as a right winger, was very excited.
During the team's defensive phase, he actively pressed the opposing left-back;
During the team's possession phase, he constantly made runs to stretch the defense and drifted inside to support.
However, this was not only the coach's tactical arrangement but also his effort to gain possession!
Compared to Wolfsburg, his status in the German National Team, whether in the locker room or tactically, could only be described as dead last.
Furthermore, the team had Kroos and Özil, two central organizers who both required possession.
Therefore, his touches were pitifully few.
This was also a crucial reason why Mark focused on learning Müller's off-the-ball movement!
Only by constantly making empty runs and finding space could he receive passes from Kroos and Özil.
If he merely waited for the ball on the wing, he would absolutely not get the possession needed to showcase his dribbling and take-ons!
And this proactive attitude was recognized by both fans and teammates.
In the seventy-sixth minute, the German Team had possession.
Kroos, with the ball, looked up to observe both wings, saw Mark drifting inside from the wing to support, and unhesitatingly passed the ball to him!
With his first touch, Mark used the heel of his right foot to flick the ball, performing a continuous stop-and-go move to get past Cameroon's left-back, Ekotto, who had rushed forward!
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