During halftime, Nagelsmann quickly drew a few arrows on the whiteboard in the locker room and said, "When the second half begins, after 60 minutes, we will switch to a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Grillitsch dropping deep, Amiri and Kramarić as dual attacking midfielders, and Oliver moving freely."
He tapped the tactics board hard with a marker.
"Bremen is now two goals down, so they will definitely push forward in the second half, and the space on the wings will be even greater. Gnabry, Oliver, I want you two to make overlapping runs and tear them apart!"
Oliver sat in the corner, nodding silently. He had just chugged half a bottle of water, then turned to look at Gnabry beside him. The two exchanged glances and nodded.
He could feel his heart still slightly accelerating from the first-half goal, but he was mostly calm.
"Alright, you can relax, but don't relax too much." Nagelsmann scanned the team, his eyes sharp. "They will definitely counterattack, but remember, our counterattack will be more precise and efficient than theirs!"
The second half began, and Hoffenheim continued to try to control the tempo, maintaining their first-half advantage.
As expected, Bremen immediately intensified their pressing at the start, intending to quickly pull a goal back. Being two goals down made them very anxious.
Delaney and Junuzović frequently swapped positions in midfield, attempting to disrupt Hoffenheim's defensive alignment.
But Grillitsch remained like an iron gate, firmly controlling the midfield tempo, with several precise interceptions nullifying Bremen's attacks.
In the 52nd minute, the game once again reached a critical moment.
Oliver received a pass from Kramarić on the right wing. Facing Augustinsson's defense, he first faked a run to the byline, then suddenly cut inside, changing direction to open up an angle.
Bremen's midfielder Bargfrede immediately came over to cover. Oliver glanced to see Gnabry making a diagonal run from the center towards the edge of the box, even waving at him.
Although Gnabry was on loan from Bayern, his ability to play for Bayern also proved he had skills.
"Oliver! He has the ball on the right wing, facing two defenders!" The Commentator's voice suddenly rose. "Will he break through? Or pass?"
Just as Bargfrede and Augustinsson simultaneously rushed forward.
Oliver hooked the ball with his right foot, then circled his right foot around the ball, faking a pass and then hooking it back. The ball seemed to be glued to his foot, slipping lightly through the gap between the two defenders!
A flashy dribble.
"This kid, I told him not to always use this kind of dribble." Nagelsmann noticed Oliver's first flaw.
This kid occasionally still liked to show off his skills.
Indeed, there was no helping it. Anyone with Di Maria-level ball control would be tempted to show off their skills, not to mention Oliver had researched many new dribbling techniques himself.
After breaking through the defense, Oliver delivered a low, flat cross with his left foot. This pass wasn't perfect, but Gnabry's speed was a strong point, and he received the ball perfectly.
Gnabry didn't even take a touch, directly striking the ball with his right foot! The shot was powerful!
The ball curved in a perfect arc, heading straight for the top right corner of the goal!
Goalkeeper Pavlenka made a full-stretch dive, but it was out of his reach!
"An assist from Oliver! Gnabry shoots!!! 3-0! Hoffenheim completely kills the suspense of the match!" The Commentator's voice was almost hoarse.
"Oliver's feint was too beautiful! He attracted three defenders by himself, and his final cross was perfectly timed! Gnabry's shot was impeccable, an absolute top corner!"
The Rhein-Neckar Arena erupted, fans singing team songs and waving blue and white scarves.
Nagelsmann raised both arms on the sidelines, applauding, and shouted loudly:
"Oliver! Gnabry! You two are both amazing!"
Gnabry rushed towards Oliver, laughing as he picked him up: "Great pass, Oliver!"
Oliver was a bit embarrassed. He actually knew his pass wasn't perfect.
"You received it well, Serge."
Three goals down, Bremen completely let loose and pushed everyone forward to attack.
In the 67th minute, they finally seized an opportunity.
Hoffenheim made a passing error in their own half. Vogt's horizontal pass didn't reach his teammate Hübner in time and was intercepted by Junuzović.
The Austrian midfielder didn't hesitate for a moment, sending a through ball that sliced through the defense! Kruse beat the offside trap and was one-on-one with Baumann!
He calmly chipped the ball over the onrushing Baumann, and it slowly rolled into the net!
"Kruse! Bremen pulls one back! 3-1!" The Commentator's voice carried a hint of regret.
"Hoffenheim's passing error in their own half was fatal. Junuzović's through ball was perfectly placed, and Kruse's chip showed his experience."
Nagelsmann hadn't expected such an obvious problem to come from his experienced defensive line. He reminded Vogt:
"Vogt, tell the backline to concentrate! Don't give them any chances! No more lapses in concentration!"
In the 75th minute, Oliver received a pass from Amiri near the halfway line. Delaney immediately closed in to press.
Oliver didn't panic, gently flicking the ball with his right foot and turning his body with the momentum, using a clever pull-back turn to escape the Danish midfielder.
"Oliver has the ball! Delaney is still pressing! I don't know why, but I always feel Delaney seems to be under a bit of pressure; his interception efficiency isn't as consistent as last season."
Just in that commentary gap, Oliver had already dribbled past him.
The Commentator's voice suddenly rose: "Good! Beautiful turn! Oliver is past him!"
Bremen's center-back Veljković immediately came over to cover. Oliver hooked the ball with his right foot, faking an inside cut, then suddenly pushed the ball to his right and accelerated to break through!
Veljković barely kept up, but Oliver immediately made a sudden stop, gently flicking the ball up with the top of his right foot.
The ball strangely flew up and landed behind his lower calf!
"What kind of move is that?! I swear, I've never seen this move in the Bundesliga professional league!" The Commentator exclaimed, "Oliver chipped the ball behind his own lower leg! What is he going to do?"
The next second, Oliver swung his right lower leg back, and the ball, as if controlled by a magician, flew over Veljković's head!
Oliver's calf-flick-up move was somewhere between a rainbow flick and a scorpion kick.
A rainbow flick uses the heel and inside of the foot, while a scorpion kick uses the back of the lower leg.
The Bremen center-back was completely stunned, while Oliver had already darted past him, regaining control of the ball!
"Oh my god! That dribble is too crazy!" The Commentator was almost incoherent, "This isn't a rainbow flick, but it's more bizarre than a rainbow flick! Oliver completed a chip dribble with his own lower leg! This is entirely his personal style!!"
All the fans in the stadium stood up collectively, gasps and applause sweeping through the stadium like a tsunami.
"Oh my god! This kid is amazing!"
"Can someone tell me where I can buy his jersey? I haven't seen many number 17 jerseys in the merchandise store?"
"He's like Neymar, but also not like Neymar." Hoffenheim fans were all discussing…
Oliver dribbled into the edge of the penalty area, and before defenders could close him down, he unleashed a low shot with his right foot!
The ball shot like a cannonball, straight into the bottom left corner of the goal! Pavlenka couldn't save it.
4-1!
"Oliver!!! World-class goal! 4-1! Hoffenheim completely seals the victory!"
The Commentator's voice was already hoarse.
"I have never seen this dribbling move before! This isn't Brazilian style, nor European style, this is Oliver style!"
Nagelsmann celebrated wildly on the sidelines, turning to his assistant coach and pointing at Oliver: "Hey, Kramer, how many more surprises do you think this kid can bring?!"
"I don't know either, Coach, but I assure you, he is definitely a genius, absolutely." Kramer nodded confidently.
His teammates swarmed him, Amiri directly jumping onto Oliver's back: "You're a total madman! Which part of your brain did you use to think of that dribble?!"
Gnabry pressed on his back, saying:
"Oliver, when we get back, you have to teach me that dribble. I want to learn it too."
"Cough… cough… I'll definitely teach you, but can you guys get off me first… I'm about to be crushed to death…"
"Hahahahahahaha…"
In the stands, fans wearing the number 17 jersey waved their scarves wildly, and several children even began to figure out how to imitate Oliver's dribbling moves.
With Oliver's goal, Hoffenheim played more and more smoothly.
By the 88th minute, Amiri, after receiving the ball from Grillitsch, was completing a one-two with Oliver on the right wing.
Oliver was too familiar with Amiri's style and intentions; their passing and control were like that of long-time teammates.
Oliver finally released the ball with perfect timing.
Amiri beat the offside trap, went one-on-one with Pavlenka, and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner!
"Amiri! 5-1! Perfect team play! Grillitsch's key pass, Oliver's direct assist." The Commentator shouted, "Oliver's through ball was so precise, and Amiri's run and shot were impeccable!"
When the referee blew the final whistle, the Rhein-Neckar Arena erupted in prolonged applause.
Oliver walked towards the sidelines surrounded by his teammates. With two goals and two assists, he was undoubtedly the Man of the Match.
"Did you see that, Hoffenheim lads! This is our Killing Robot!" Captain Vogt, like displaying a treasure, lifted Oliver's hand high and introduced him to the home fans.
Oliver's nickname changed from Robot to Killing Robot, which indeed sounded more imposing.
"Full time! Hoffenheim wins 5-1 against Werder Bremen!" The Commentator concluded,
"Oliver, with two goals and two assists, is undoubtedly the Man of the Match! His Bundesliga debut was perfect, with flamboOlivert dribbling, calm decision-making, and deadly passes. This 17-year-old talent has already made the entire Bundesliga remember his name!"
Nagelsmann walked over and patted Oliver's shoulder firmly: "Well done, kid."
Oliver smiled, wiping sweat from his forehead: "Thank you, Coach. The other teammates also played great, everyone was great."
"Good, everyone was great, but you were first among everyone this time. I hope you can maintain it next time," Nagelsmann replied with a smile.
In the stands, fans chanted Oliver's name, although some were unfamiliar with it, they still shouted it out.
Several children held up hastily drawn "OLIVER 17" signs, jumping excitedly.
Hoffenheim fans finally recognized him.
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