"Good evening, football fans!"
"We are coming to you live for the third round of the 2014-15 Bundesliga season!"
"TSG Hoffenheim faces VfL Wolfsburg at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena!"
"In their three encounters last season, Wolfsburg won two, but the final meeting saw Hoffenheim storm to a massive 6-2 victory. I expect nothing less than a spectacular match today!"
"Let's look at the starting lineups. Hoffenheim opts for a classic 4-4-2. In goal..."
"Keep an eye on Roberto Firmino. Seeing him reminds me of Vedad Ibišević—if he hadn't suffered that injury during the 2009 winter break, the entire landscape of the Bundesliga might have been different! I often wonder: if Ibišević had been fit for the second half of that 2008-09 season, could Hoffenheim have pulled off a 'Kaiserslautern Miracle' and won the title? Would that have changed the club's DNA, solidifying 'The Village' as a permanent Bundesliga powerhouse? But I digress. Let's turn to the visitors."
"Dieter Hecking sticks with his preferred 4-2-3-1, the hallmark of the veteran German coach. In goal..."
"Of course, all eyes are on our own David Qin. With a goal and an assist in the last match, he had the definition of a perfect debut. We'll have to wait and see if he can replicate that magic today!"
Liu Jiayuan's eyes were bright with anticipation. Meanwhile, fans across China were flooding social media platforms like Baidu Tieba and Hupu with pre-match chatter.
—
@WolfsburgTracker: Just looked at the schedule. Six days from now, they play in the Europa League.
@QinFan88: Wonder if David will get minutes there too.
@TacticsTalk: Focus on today first. Hoffenheim is solid, especially Firmino. He doesn't play like a typical striker; he's more like an attacking playmaker.
@HeavyMetalFootie: And Süle is a absolute tank. He's terrifyingly big.
—
The camera panned across the pitch. Hearing the roar of the crowd, David Qin felt his blood begin to simmer. The thrill of the atmosphere was infectious. As the players took their positions, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the battle.
Tweet!
Hoffenheim, having won the toss, chose to kick off. They weren't in a rush to launch an all-out assault, instead cycling the ball through their backline. The intent was clear: draw Wolfsburg out. They wanted the Wolves to press high to create the space they craved behind the midfield and on the flanks.
But Dieter Hecking was the more experienced tactician. He had cautioned his men to remain patient, knowing that a reckless press would only lead to disaster.
After several minutes of probing, the ball found Firmino. The Brazilian possessed a unique radar for organizing play. He noticed a slight disconnect on Wolfsburg's right flank between Sebastian Jung and his central teammates. After a sharp give-and-go with Anthony Modeste, Firmino slipped an unexpected diagonal ball wide.
Ádám Szalai timed his run perfectly, getting half a yard on Jung to receive the pass. Without giving the defender a chance to recover, he back-heeled it to an oncoming teammate.
"Andreas Beck shimmies past Malanda!"
"Is he going to let fly?"
"No... he finds Modeste. The Frenchman is the definition of a powerful target man, holding the ball up brilliantly!"
Modeste shielded the ball from Knoche, and just before Luiz Gustavo could close him down, he laid it off to Firmino. With a pocket of space, the Brazilian didn't hesitate, unleashing a thunderous drive toward goal.
Bang! Unfortunately for Firmino, his sights were slightly off, and the ball sailed into the stands. Despite the miss, the home fans remained deafening, pouring energy into their players while trying to rattle the visitors.
"I've said it a thousand times! Higher intensity in the midfield interceptions! Faster cover on the wings!" Hecking roared from the technical area, gesturing wildly.
"Got it, Boss!" Daniel Caligiuri replied, quickly relaying the instructions to his teammates.
The early scare seemed to wake Wolfsburg up. They tightened their defensive shape while probing for their own openings. However, Hoffenheim's defensive strategy—a relentless, high-energy swarm in midfield specifically designed to suffocate Kevin De Bruyne—was proving effective. Wolfsburg's usual distribution channels were severed, forcing them to rely on long balls from the back. But with Niklas Süle patrolling the air, Hoffenheim didn't fear the long ball.
"Hah! Gustavo with a lovely bit of vision. Instead of looking for Caligiuri on the far side, he pings it to David Qin!"
"Süle's positioning is impeccable. He closes the distance instantly!"
"No contest! Süle claims the header, and David is nearly flattened by the impact!"
David Qin rubbed his aching shoulder, cursing under his breath. Süle is a brick wall. If he hadn't braced himself at the last second, he would have been face-first in the turf.
I can't beat him with brute force, David thought. He caught De Bruyne's eye and pointed toward the back.
The Belgian understood immediately. David wanted him to drop deeper, moving away from the midfield swarm to act as a deep-lying playmaker. It would reduce his immediate goal threat, but his superior passing range could bypass the press.
The adjustment paid off almost instantly. As De Bruyne dropped back, Hoffenheim—intent on keeping him under wraps—pushed their lines forward to follow him. This, however, left massive canyons of space behind their defense.
33rd minute. Sejad Salihović tried a lofted pass to breach the Wolfsburg line. But while Hoffenheim had Süle, Wolfsburg had Robin Knoche. The 189cm defender shadowed Modeste closely before letting the ball run through to his keeper.
Diego Benaglio, the captain and veteran shot-stopper, didn't waste a second. He caught the ball, tossed it up, and launched a massive side-volley.
Snap! The ball traversed half the pitch in a heartbeat, falling into the path of a sprinting Caligiuri. Having played nearly every position on the field outside of center-back and keeper, his experience was second to none. He cushioned the ball perfectly and set himself.
With a sharp whip of his boot, the ball took flight, curling through the air.
"A textbook curved long ball with the inside of the foot!"
"He's looking for David Qin on the opposite flank!"
The camera whipped across the field, locking onto Wolfsburg's Number 13 as he accelerated into top gear. To his right, a grimacing Niklas Süle was sprinting for all he was worth.
But can a battleship catch a destroyer? Not a chance. Süle could only pray that Eugen Polanski, the German midfielder tracking back, could close the gap.
David scanned his surroundings. Even at high speed, his touch remained rhythmic and controlled. Polanski shifted into a defensive stance, but he suddenly felt a wave of intense pressure radiating from the teenager.
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