Grass roots glory

Chapter 155 The focus turns to the Champions League
At halftime, Schalke 04 and Wolfsburg drew 2:2.

Although the scene was very lively, Magath and Slomka were not satisfied with each other. In the locker room, Slomka seriously reminded the players to maintain sufficient vigilance and concentration. He said: "Listen, You must treat them as Bayern and Dortmund. I did not deliberately emphasize before the game, it does not mean that this game can be easily faced, I hope everyone learns the lessons of the first half. Defense, defense, defend first, Only then can we talk about winning.”

Although Slomka didn't say it clearly, it was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied with the team's defense. Neither Höwedes nor Westerman dared to look directly at the head coach. The two goals in the first half, Both of them are to blame.

"Zhou, tell me, in the current situation, how do you deal with the second half?
"Slomka asked Zhou Tiancheng. Although Westerman is the first captain, Slomka is very aware of Zhou Tiancheng's current status in the locker room, because he can make everyone on the field play. So when the team is facing difficulties, Slomka will pay more attention to his opinions.

Zhou Tiancheng thought for a while: "There is a saying in China that there are only three things, so in the second half we will still attack aggressively. As long as we can score another goal, I don't think there will be a third tie. Benedict and Heike will surely Lessons will be learned.”

After Zhou Tiancheng finished speaking, he glanced at Howedes and Westerman with a smile, and the two immediately responded with grateful eyes. They were also under a lot of pressure in the first half, and the team was tied one after another. They were in a bad mood .What they need most now is trust.

Slomka nodded, "Take a good breath and cheer up, victory must belong to us! Schalke's goal is—"

"Champion!" All the players answered in unison.

On the Wolfsburg side, Magath's face was gloomy, and he emphasized to all the players: "How many times do I need to emphasize? The defense against Zhou Tiancheng must be tough, and no space can be given! Prevent death He, we are invincible. You have to learn from Chang Gu, I don’t want to see him being able to move freely on the field in the second half.”

Players from both sides returned to the second half of the game with the determination to win. Both sides paid great attention to the start, especially on the Wolfsburg side. Zhou Tiancheng was almost defended by a mad dog "cutting a big tree" and ran around without the ball. There is always a person following him, and once the opponent finds out that he is trying to catch the ball, he will directly knock him down without hesitation.

In the first 2 minutes of the second half, Zhou Tiancheng was violated three times and fell to the ground. Every time he was brought down, the hearts of Chinese fans couldn't help but tense.

"Chou Tiancheng now enjoys the same treatment as Messi. Although Wolfsburg's defensive style is not advisable, it is also part of the football game. What Zhou Tiancheng needs to do now is to protect himself. Wolfsburg It’s not a team based on physical fitness and running, so don’t be impatient, hold on to the opponent’s opening three tricks, and the situation will be reversed.”

Zhou Tiancheng didn't expect that the opponent would suddenly be so desperate, and it was clearly staring at him, but he didn't intend to back down. The opponent's purpose was to oppress himself and prevent him from passing the ball forward. The ball is passed back to the defense, isn't that right in the opponent's arms?

Go ahead to dangers.Sometimes it's not all stupid, it's all forced by the overall situation.If Zhou Tiancheng plays conservatively, it will be difficult for Schalke's offensive firepower to pose a threat to the opponent.Now is the critical moment for the two sides to compete for momentum. If Wolfsburg takes advantage of the home court to play up the momentum, Schalke may really be in danger.

So Zhou Tiancheng decided to be tough with his opponent!

Wolfsburg's foul against Zhou Tiancheng on the defensive end was extremely resolute, so the fluency of the game in the second half was greatly reduced. The referee Breher's appearance rate increased significantly. Received two yellow cards.

But Wolfsburg is still worth it, at least effectively cutting off the connection between Zhou Tiancheng and the frontcourt players, Schalke 04's offensive power is greatly reduced, and in turn, Wolfsburg's several frontcourt positioning kicks have caused Not a small threat.Dzeko almost copied the equalizer goal in the first half in the 58th minute. Fortunately, Neuer learned his wisdom and made a prediction in advance, flying with one hand and throwing the ball over the crossbar.

Marcel Leif exclaimed: "Ah! Perfect save! Manuel Neuer is the biggest surprise among the new generation of goalkeepers. His outstanding performance ensures that Schalke 04 can become the Bundesliga with the fewest goals conceded this year The quality of the team and Schalke’s youth academy makes one’s scalp tingle just thinking about it.”

Isn't it?

Zhou Tiancheng, Hewedes, Neuer, the biggest reliance on both offensive and defensive ends were cultivated by Schalke themselves.Schalke is now replicating the magic of Stuttgart two years ago.

After the opponent missed this opportunity, Slomka smelled a hint of danger, and he couldn't sit still, so he made the first substitution adjustment.Altintop was replaced, and the newly joined Liverpool youth player Prier in the winter window got a chance.

"Slomka also realized that Zhou Tiancheng was tightly blocked, and the ground advancement was unrealistic. He planned to use simple and direct tactics to knock the opponent's goal. Schalke used the twin towers tactic, which is quite rare this season."

However, as long as it works, it is a good tactic.

In fact, facing Kuranyi and Plier alone against the two Italian central defenders, they also have no advantage, but Slomka's intention is very clear. The two are just a feint, and the real killing move is behind them.

Most of the attention of the Wolfsburg players followed Zhou Tiancheng, gradually ignoring the person next to Zhou Tiancheng who didn't have a strong sense of presence-Rakitic!
The two forwards have tried their best to set up the fort, and Rakitic finally has the opportunity to approach the penalty area to show his long-range shooting ability.

"boom!"

Rakitic received a response from Purlier. This shot from outside the penalty area was powerful and heavy. Benario couldn't make a save, and the ball flew into the goal quickly.

3:2, No. 704 minutes, Schalke 04 lead.

Zhou Tiancheng quickly ran over and hugged Rakitic, and shouted in front of him: "Good job, Ivan, haha, don't you worry about why I didn't play well? Because I knew you could OK!"

"Schalke is infinitely close to victory, but a one-goal lead is not guaranteed. Wolfsburg will definitely start to fight for their lives, and the counterattack will be quite fierce. It is best..."

"It would be best if Zhou Tiancheng could score another goal and completely kill the suspense of the game. Duan Xuan, you want to talk about this, right?" Tao Wei took the initiative to answer.

Duan Xuan nodded heavily: "The one who knows me is Director Tao."

Tao Wei showed a puzzled smile, and said, "Because I think so too."

In fact, not only the two of them, but also the voice of all Chinese fans.

Although everyone is happy for Schalke to win, if Zhou Tiancheng can score this goal that completely sets the tone for the championship, it will be more than just icing on the cake.

But Zhou Tianxiang is under a lot of pressure to come to the frontcourt to catch the ball like this now, and it is naturally more difficult to score goals.However, Schalke has no shortage of firepower in an advantageous situation. Kuranyi outflanked the header before receiving a corner kick in the No. 805 minute, and the score expanded to 4:2.

"A good goal! A good goal. Kuranyi finally showed his value as a German international at a critical moment. Now the game is considered stable. It can even be said that the suspense of the Bundesliga championship can basically be concluded."

Duan Xuan raised his arms and said these few words forcefully, with great weight, which means that Chinese players are very close to the first five major league championship trophies.

Although the victory and defeat have been scored for this sake, Wolfsburg is still working hard for the goal.In the first minute of stoppage time, Grafite made a breakthrough in the penalty area and Misimovic took a penalty kick to trick Neuer into an easy hit.

In the end, the score was fixed at 3:4, with the home team at the front and the visiting team at the back.Wolfsburg's indomitable spirit still deserves applause, despite the defeat.

Winning this crucial game, Schalke 04 has already led Wolfsburg by five points. In the other two key games of this round, Dortmund played a high score of 4:4 in the away game against Hannover, leading by two goals at one time. Including the Ruhr derby loss at home, Tete still failed to hold on to his advantage. He was unbeaten in four games and was nine points behind Schalke. He was overtaken by Bayern who caught up behind him, and fell out of the top four.And Stuttgart was even worse this round, and lost 0:4 to Werder Bremen in an away game.

In this way, the top four in the Bundesliga are Schalke 04, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Bayern.And Schalke's minimum lead is five points.It is basically difficult for the championship to change greatly.

The Schalke team returned to Gelsenkirchen and was welcomed by many Schalke fans like heroes. They all knew that the glory of this season will really come again!
The cameras of the media are constantly chasing Zhou Tiancheng, they are very clear who is the biggest contributor to leading the team to the present.

This enthusiasm made Zhou Tiancheng a little unbearable, but the microphone was already brought to his mouth, and he couldn't make a statement, so he could only choose to keep a low profile.

"Put the title-related questions aside and wait until the salad plate is actually lifted? For us, Wolfsburg is just an ordinary opponent... Of course, a little more than the average team , but we won them, the page has turned, and what I think about now is how to help the team advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. After all, we are only leading by two goals, and it is not safe.”

Zhou Tiancheng's statement actually represents the intention of the coaching staff and the club.The advantage of the league is already so obvious, it is completely normal for Schalke to shift their focus to the Champions League this season.

Three days later, Schalke ushered in the second round of the Champions League quarter-finals at home, and played against Porto at home.The first round was 3:1, holding the advantage of two goals and three away goals. In fact, Schalke has no pressure at all. As long as they don't die, it will be difficult for Porto to make a difference in the Schalke Stadium.

Slomka even had the confidence to let Kuranyi take a rest, and sent two substitutes Germagne Jones to partner with the 19-year-old Pulier on the front line. I am afraid that only Schalke has such capital and confidence at home. , to dare to train rookies in the Champions League knockout round.

When Marcel Leff saw the starting lineup, he was happy: "It seems that Slomka's cautious remarks in front of the camera are all fake. This starting lineup is enough to illustrate his attitude: tell the opponent directly that at my home court, No chance at all!"

After such rendering by the commentator, Schalke's arrogance penetrated into the hearts of every fan.

Although the efficiency of the two substitute forwards is not high, Schalke's midfield advantage is large enough.It was only when Schalke 04 returned to the home court that the opponents felt the pressure-out of the central defender's control area, it was impossible to have any short pass opportunities. Zhou Tiancheng and Rakitic's high-pressure pressing was extremely efficient.In an average of two to three minutes, Zhou Tiancheng was able to send the ball to the striker once.

No matter how inefficient the striker is, he can still eat the cake ten times, otherwise he would have been on Schalke's purge list long ago.

In the first half, Jones scored twice to lock the score at 2:0. At the beginning of the second half, Slomka replaced the main players such as the left midfielder Asamoah one after another, and even showed a wonderful operation in the No.80 minute. , Change the goalkeeper.Fairman, who sat on the bench for most of the season, finally got a chance.

When Fairman walked into the field, Zhou Tiancheng deliberately walked up to him and gave him a high five. The position of substitute goalkeeper is very difficult, and it is lucky to be able to play.Feeling the strength from Zhou Tiancheng's palm, Fairman was determined to seize this opportunity.

But his teammates didn't let him perform...Porto was firmly pressed in the backcourt, and he didn't even threaten to attack. Felman's first show was just an addition to his personal career resume, and it didn't give anyone else a chance at all. Make no impression.

This also proves a saying: weak teams are more likely to produce good goalkeepers.

In the end, Schalke won 2:0 at home, with a total score of 5:1, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League for two consecutive seasons.

After the game, Ao went to the Schalke Stadium and fell into a long cheer. The contribution to the "wolf's den" in the last game, and now tying the best record in the history of the Champions League team, double happiness, and the combination of the two is celebrated at this time.

Even through the screen, Duan Xuan listened to the cheers at the scene and could feel the passion coming from the scene, which connected with his mood at the moment, and said with emotion: "Schalke 04 is really amazing this year, and the next quarter-finals They can fight lightly, but this kind of Schalke is not good news for their opponents! In terms of strength, they are not the strongest. Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, Liverpool, and even Chelsea are all above them in terms of strength But Schalke has come all the way, and there are many giants stronger than them. As the saying goes, barefoot is not afraid of wearing shoes. If Barcelona or the defending champion really meet, they may not necessarily win. Be sure, their performance pressure is greater than that of Schalke!"

Duan Xuan's post-match outlook raised the curiosity of Chinese fans again. Fortunately, the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League will be held immediately after all the games are over, which is a matter of a day or two.

Which giants will come to fight will be revealed at that time.

Everything is left to God.

(End of this chapter)