“Good evening, viewers!”
“You’re watching live coverage of Round 3 of the 2014–15 Bundesliga season!”
“Hoffenheim vs.
Wolfsburg at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena!”
“The two teams met three times last season, with Wolfsburg winning two of them.
But in their final clash, Hoffenheim thrashed them 6–2!”
“So I imagine today’s match will be exciting!”
“Now, let’s go over the starting lineups for both teams!”
“Hoffenheim lines up in a 4-4-2 formation.
In goal…”
“One to watch today is Firmino.
He reminds me of Ibisević.
If he hadn’t gotten injured during the 2009 winter break, maybe the Bundesliga landscape would’ve been different!”
“To this day, I often wonder—if Ibisević had played the second half of the 2008–09 season, could Hoffenheim have replicated Kaiserslautern’s miracle?”
“If Hoffenheim had won the title, would the board have taken operations more seriously and built the club into a long-term top-tier Bundesliga force?”
“Sorry for getting off track—back to Wolfsburg’s starting lineup!”
“Hecking sticks with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, a favorite among veteran German managers.
In goal…”
“One player to watch is our Chinese youngster, Qin Ming.
In the last match, he scored one and assisted another—a flawless Bundesliga debut!”
“Let’s see what he does today!”
Liu Jiayuan’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Meanwhile, fans were chatting on Tieba, Hupu, and other platforms:
[Looking at Wolfsburg’s schedule, I just realized they have a Europa League match in six days.]
[Wonder if Qin Ming will get to play in that one.]
[Let’s focus on today.
Hoffenheim’s no pushover.]
[Especially Firmino.
He doesn’t play like a striker—more like a playmaking midfielder.]
[And Süle… man, that guy’s like a bear.
Built like a tank.]
[…]
The camera returned to Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
As the crowd roared around him, Qin Ming felt his blood begin to boil, his emotions surging with excitement.
When both teams took their positions, the referee’s whistle blew—the match began.
BEEP!!!
Hoffenheim, having won the coin toss, chose to kick off.
But they didn’t rush forward.
Instead, they passed the ball around in their own half.
The intent was simple: draw Wolfsburg’s formation forward.
Only then would Hoffenheim create the space they wanted—behind the defense and along the flanks.
But Hecking’s experience showed.
He had warned the team pre-match not to get impatient.
Rushing in recklessly would only end badly.
After a few minutes of passing, the ball came to Firmino.
The Brazilian had a unique sense for organizing attacks.
He noticed a slight gap between Wolfsburg’s right-back Sebastian and his midfield cover.
After a one-two with Modeste, Firmino slipped a sharp pass into the wing.
Szalai, who had already started his run, beat Sebastian to the ball by half a step.
Without wasting time, he back-heeled to a teammate.
“Andreas fakes past Malanda!”
“Is he going to shoot?”
“No—he finds Modeste instead!
Just look at him—classic strong and direct striker, perfect for hold-up play!”
On the pitch, Modeste shielded Knoche with his back to goal.
Right before Gustavo could close in, he passed to Firmino.
With plenty of space, the Brazilian didn’t hesitate—he went for the shot.
BOOM!
Unfortunately, his shooting was off.
The ball soared into the stands.
But the home crowd didn’t care.
Their cheers thundered through the stadium, fueling their team and putting pressure on the visitors.
“How many times do I have to say it?
Increase midfield pressure!
Double up on the wings faster!”
Hecking shouted, waving furiously in the technical area.
“Got it, coach!” Caligiuri, closest to the sideline, quickly relayed the instructions.
Maybe Hoffenheim’s early attacks snapped Wolfsburg back into focus, because they stopped making defensive errors.
They shored up the back line while searching for attacking chances.
But Hoffenheim’s defensive game plan was clear—press hard in midfield and suffocate De Bruyne.
And it worked.
Wolfsburg’s build-up was cut off.
Their only option was long balls from the back.
But with Süle in the box, Hoffenheim feared no aerial duels.
“Whoa!
Gustavo’s technique is solid—he skips the diagonal pass to Caligiuri and hits Qin Ming on the same flank!”
“Süle’s positioning is perfect—he’s already closing in!”
“No surprise!
Süle wins the first ball—and Qin Ming nearly gets flattened!”
At the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Qin Ming rubbed his sore shoulder and muttered, Süle’s built like a damn truck.
If he hadn’t pulled back at the last second, he might’ve faceplanted right then and there.
Can’t beat him with brute force…
Qin thought silently.
He looked toward De Bruyne and pointed behind himself.
What did that mean?
De Bruyne got it instantly—he was being told to drop deeper, to avoid Hoffenheim’s relentless midfield press.
The trade-off was less offensive threat, but his technique could make up for it.
And it worked.
As De Bruyne dropped back, Hoffenheim’s midfield line followed.
That opened up more space behind them.
33rd minute.
Bosnian midfielder Salihović tried to lob the ball over Wolfsburg’s backline.
But while Hoffenheim had Süle, Wolfsburg had Knoche.
At 189 cm, Knoche stuck close to Modeste, then calmly left the ball for his keeper.
Benaglio!
Wolfsburg’s veteran keeper and captain caught it and launched a huge kick downfield.
WHAP!
The ball rocketed across half the field, landing near the sprinting Caligiuri.
Having played every position but keeper, Caligiuri was loaded with experience.
He trapped it cleanly and adjusted his stance.
Then—bang!
A clean strike with the inside of his foot sent the ball spinning, curving beautifully.
“A textbook long cross with the inside foot!”
“He’s aiming for Qin Ming on the far side!”
The camera quickly panned to Wolfsburg’s number 13, sprinting down the opposite flank.
To his right, Süle was gritting his teeth, throwing everything into his pursuit.
But can a battleship catch a destroyer?
No.
So Süle placed his hope in the more agile Strobl.
Qin Ming glanced at the bearded German fullback, keeping perfect ball control even at top speed.
Pressure.
Strobl got into defensive stance—and felt something strange.
From this young, unfamiliar winger…
A wave of pressure was coming straight at him.
(END CHAPTER)