"That's in!!!!"
"Leo Lin with the assist—the Egyptian Pharaoh strikes in style!"
"One–nil!!!"
"Liverpool take the lead away from home!"
After scoring, Salah waved toward Leo Lin. Leo Lin sprinted over, Firmino on his left, and the three of them wrapped arms around each other, charging toward the touchline together.
Mané hurried after them, not wanting to miss out on the celebration.
Live chat.
"An assist on his first start! The Egyptian Pharaoh delivers—perfect assist, perfect finish!"
"As a midfielder, Leo Lin has a huge attacking presence. Liverpool's forward progression from midfield is basically being driven by him!"
"Don't relax—Hoffenheim's attack is dangerous too!"
Liverpool struck first, but the Liverpool fans could clearly feel Hoffenheim's attacking threat.
Relying on trap-based defensive positioning, Leo Lin had been shutting down Hoffenheim's attempts to penetrate through the middle. But after conceding, Hoffenheim suddenly changed their approach.
They abandoned central penetration and switched to attacking down both wings, looking for chances from wide areas.
39th minute!
"Looks like they're still trying to create chances from the flanks—after all, they have Gnabry and Kramarić."
"Controlled through the middle, switched straight to the right—again looking for Gnabry!"
"One-on-one with Moreno, two stepovers in a row!"
"He muscles through! Down the line! He's past him!"
"That was beautifully done—Moreno completely beaten!"
"Still driving into the box, tight angle shot!"
"No—into the side netting!"
Gnabry chose to shoot instead of crossing, and Wagner was furious, throwing his arms up in protest.
"If Gnabry had squared that ball, Wagner might've had a much better chance."
Klopp could still sense the danger Hoffenheim posed. He knew adjustments were needed to truly shut them down.
Soon, the remaining minutes ticked away and the first half came to an end. Both teams headed back to the dressing rooms.
On the walk back, Klopp and his coaching staff were deep in discussion.
Krawietz kept insisting that they needed to lock down the flanks, but Klopp had a completely different view.
"They may look like they're attacking down both wings, but every Hoffenheim move starts through the middle."
"If we can limit their midfield and force them to bypass it—just lofting balls straight out wide—then their wing play won't be dangerous."
"Attacks that don't go through midfield are usually pointless."
Krawietz was convinced. The two immediately began working through the idea, and within minutes they had a new, targeted plan.
"When the second half starts, I want bodies in the middle—more contact, more intensity!"
"I want constant positional rotation. When we attack, look for counterattacks and speed—go straight through the center!"
"Force them into meaningless wide attacks. Under no circumstances do we give up control!"
Klopp decided to forcibly drag control of the game back into Liverpool's hands.
If Hoffenheim wanted to attack down the wings, Liverpool would dominate the midfield and keep possession, separating Hoffenheim's tactics from the ball itself.
Without possession, Hoffenheim could only press into Liverpool's half—but with Liverpool holding numerical superiority there, winning the ball back would be extremely difficult.
And if Hoffenheim couldn't regain possession in Liverpool's half, there would be no attack to speak of. The tempo would return to Liverpool, while Hoffenheim would leave more space in behind—creating chances for the Reds.
The second half kicked off, and Leo Lin remained on high alert, constantly searching for opportunities through relentless movement.
Whenever Hoffenheim tried to build through the center, Leo Lin would quietly emerge—long strides, powerful frame, throwing himself into the press and blocking their path through midfield.
Gradually, the balance of the match shifted.
Liverpool began to enjoy more possession.
As their time on the ball increased, Hoffenheim were forced into reactive defending, their stamina draining as the rhythm of the game fell firmly under Liverpool's control.
61st minute!
"Hoffenheim still insisting on building through midfield, then spreading it wide to attack both flanks!"
"Short pass from the goalkeeper to the dropping Demirbay!"
"He turns, tries to play it wide—intercepted!"
"Leo Lin gets there first and barges Demirbay aside!"
"No foul given—Leo Lin wins it cleanly!"
"Played out to the left, the delivery's a bit deep."
"Mané sends it straight into the box—great target!"
"Header!!!"
"That's in!!!"
"Firmino with the header!"
"Liverpool score again!"
"Two–nil, two precious away goals, Liverpool extend their lead over Hoffenheim!"
"If it ends like this, Liverpool will be in a very strong position to advance when they return to Anfield. You can already see the light of victory!"
Demirbay looked at Leo Lin, still feeling the shock from that earlier duel—the sheer strength and aggression of the challenge.
He'd rarely experienced that level of intensity, even in the Bundesliga.
Yet when he looked again, the ferocious, almost rabid midfield enforcer from moments ago was gone.
Now Leo Lin was grinning like a kid, youthful and carefree, dancing awkwardly beside Firmino in some completely inexplicable celebration.
A few minutes later, play resumed.
The Leo Lin who had been dancing just moments earlier seemed like a different person now.
His expression was cold and focused, eyes locked in, muscles tensed as he stayed glued to Demirbay.
Demirbay felt suffocated—Leo Lin gave him no space at all, not even room to breathe.
74th minute!
Firmino tried his luck from range but missed. Hoffenheim restarted with short passes.
The ball went to full-back Kadeřábek, who glanced toward midfield—where Demirbay stood, tightly marked by Leo Lin.
For the first time, Demirbay hesitated. He didn't even want the ball. Instead, he dropped back, opening a passing lane for Rupp behind him.
Kadeřábek played a flat pass toward the center.
Before Rupp could receive it, a dark figure burst straight toward him.
Rupp's heart skipped a beat. He sprinted forward, trying to reach the ball first.
But the shadow was faster.
A powerful body shot into the gap between Rupp and the pass like a blade.
Interception!
It was Leo Lin.
He nudged the ball forward, spun, and looked to launch another counterattack.
Rupp panicked and grabbed him—there was no other choice.
"Yellow card!"
"Rupp uses both hands to haul Leo Lin back, stopping the counter!"
The scene was almost surreal. The physically strong Rupp had to grab Leo Lin's right arm with both hands, pulling like it was a tug-of-war, just to stop him from breaking away.
Leo Lin shook free with almost casual strength, disappointment flickering across his face—he had already spotted a perfect counterattacking lane.
With time running out, Klopp made a substitution, bringing on Lucas to replace Leo Lin.
After all, Leo Lin was still only 18. In matches like this, rotation was necessary to reduce the risk of injury.
Despite that powerful frame, Klopp wasn't willing to take chances—being a head coach meant thinking ahead.
As Leo Lin walked off reluctantly, the Liverpool supporters who had traveled to Hoffenheim rose to their feet in unison, chanting his name and applauding loudly.
In the ESPN commentary booth, Jon Champion looked over Leo Lin's match stats and couldn't help but marvel.
"Five central duels, five wins!"
"Four key interceptions! Three crucial tackles! And an assist!"
"Leo Lin built a towering wall in midfield with sheer ability, using smart, efficient pressing to dismantle Hoffenheim's attacks!"
"That's what you call a real midfielder!"
...
(60 Chapters Ahead)
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