Mark was a little surprised to learn that he was on the national team coach Löw's watch list.
It should be known that the Brazil World Cup was coming in the summer.
Could it be that he had a chance to participate in the World Cup?!
He knew that the German war machine would lift its fourth World Cup trophy in Brazil.
If he could make it into the World Cup squad, even if he didn't play, lying down and getting a championship wasn't bad.
He would still get rewards!
However, as soon as he thought about his own qualifications and the talent reserve of the German war machine in the winger position, Mark immediately dismissed this unrealistic idea.
He hadn't even established himself at Wolfsburg yet, and he was already thinking of participating in the World Cup?
Stop dreaming, he should just obediently level up at the club... And a week later, Wolfsburg, who had suffered two consecutive League defeats, welcomed a seemingly easy 'soft target'.
Braunschweig, ranked last!
This away game was a good opportunity for Wolfsburg to end its losing streak.
It was also a must-win game!
To qualify for the Champions League next season, besides defeating direct competitors, they also needed to consistently dominate weaker teams and steadily accumulate points from them.
And among the various powerhouses in the Bundesliga, Braunschweig was such a weak team.
However, for Wolfsburg, Braunschweig was not a weak team.
Because in their first encounter earlier in the season, Wolfsburg, playing at home, was surprisingly defeated by Braunschweig by two goals!
Of course, the current Wolfsburg was no longer what it used to be.
As a newly promoted team, Braunschweig also experienced the early season, and its tactical approach and lineup were gradually figured out by opponents, exposing the fundamental problem of insufficient squad strength.
After twenty-four League rounds, with four wins, five draws, and fifteen losses, they had only accumulated 17 points, ranking last in the League!
However, the loss at the start of the season gave Braunschweig a certain psychological advantage when facing Wolfsburg.
In addition, as a relegation-battling team, Braunschweig would certainly fight with all its might for every point.
Therefore, this match would not be easy!
Braunschweig is not far from Wolfsburg, both are in Lower Saxony.
Strictly speaking, the contest between the two teams can be called a state derby.
As one of the founding members of the Bundesliga, Braunschweig has a long history and even won the Bundesliga League title in 1967.
However, since the 85-86 season, they had been languishing in the 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga.
Last year, they secured second place in the 2. Bundesliga three rounds early, returning to the Bundesliga after 28 years!
However, with more than half of the season gone, Braunschweig's poor record suggests that staying up might be even more difficult than getting promoted...
Before the match, Hecking repeatedly emphasized in the locker room, telling the players to give their all while also protecting themselves.
Although Braunschweig didn't have many star players.
However, they were strong in tackles, made many defensive fouls, and accumulated quite a few yellow cards.
"Especially you, Mark!"
"In this match, reduce your dribbling, pass more, and combine with Kevin."
Hearing this, Mark, who was putting his shin guards into his socks, nodded solemnly.
It's worth mentioning that in this away League match against the last-place team, Mark would make his second League start!
Moreover, due to Perisic's rotation, he would start as the left winger in this match!
This was his second time playing as a left winger this season since his debut against Hannover.
Of course, whether on the right or left flank, his dribbling was a sharp sword for Wolfsburg to tear open defenses.
It was just that his handling and decision-making after dribbling were different.
"Welcome everyone to Sky Sports for the 25th round of the Bundesliga...
"Braunschweig has already lost fifteen matches this season, winning only four."
"It's worth noting that today's opponent, Wolfsburg, is one of the four teams they have defeated so far this season!"
"Coming to an away game, can Wolfsburg exact revenge? Or will Braunschweig capture the Wolf again?"
"Let's wait and see..."
As he followed the team onto the pitch, Braunschweig's Eintracht-Stadion was buzzing with noise.
Although the team's performance was poor, and they might even be relegated at the end of the season.
However, the fans, who had witnessed the team's ups and downs in the 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga, and had seen them return to the Bundesliga after many years, didn't care about any of that.
They just wanted to fight with the team until the last moment!
Compared to Bayern Munich, whose every position was top-tier in the Bundesliga, Braunschweig's newly promoted squad was the weakest in the Bundesliga.
Among the entire starting lineup, the only somewhat well-known player was the winger Bellarabi, on loan from Leverkusen.
However, Mark did not think this match would be easier than the Bayern match.
In football matches, player strength is undoubtedly the most crucial factor.
However, match tactics and player mentality can also affect the outcome of the game.
And under the loud cheers of nearly twenty thousand home fans at the Eintracht-Stadion, Braunschweig showed Wolfsburg what team spirit was all about!
They lacked excellent technique and outstanding individual ability, but they compensated for the gap in strength with Wolfsburg through tireless running and aggressive tackling.
And this allowed Braunschweig to play an even match with the stronger Wolfsburg for the first thirty minutes of the game.
Of course, such a war of attrition could only compensate for a temporary gap in strength, but not for an entire match... In the thirty-fifth minute of the match, Mark, on the wing, faced the defense of Braunschweig's right midfielder, feigned a drop of the shoulder, and suddenly cut inside.
His [Explosion] attribute, increased to 71, wasn't explosive, but it was noticeably faster than before.
After beating the first man, Mark immediately played a one-two with De Bruyne in the middle, driving straight into the half-space between the center-back and the full-back, then executed a very realistic fake shot and drag-back, followed by a Cruyff turn, easily beating the charging Braunschweig center-back Kessel, and breaking into the penalty area.
"One-on-one!"
Facing goalkeeper Davari, Mark aimed for the far corner, swung his right leg fiercely, and curled a shot with the inside of his foot.
The ball, with a spin, traced a beautiful arc in the air, perfectly bypassing the goalkeeper's outstretched fingers and flying into the far corner of the goal!
The white net rippled like waves.
"Goal!"
"A beautiful goal!"
"Mark Lane dances in the penalty area and delivers the fatal blow!"
"Wolfsburg takes the lead on the road!"
Dribbling on the wing, cutting inside, curling a shot to the far corner... This was the standard attacking routine for an inverted winger!
Although Mark's shooting skills could only be described as average.
However, in a clear one-on-one opportunity with no interference or defense, he was still able to produce a quality shot.
Moreover, the main reason was that Braunschweig, as an opponent, did not have players with relatively excellent defensive capabilities who could exert too much defensive intensity and pressure on him.
After scoring, Mark did not make an overly excited celebration, he simply made Ronaldinho's 666 gesture again towards the pitchside camera.
After all, it was just against a last-place Bundesliga promoted team, and scoring wasn't something to get too excited about..
...
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