November 6, Red Bull Arena.
Tens of thousands of fans were chanting “Stolz des Ostens,” and the sound echoed through the entire stadium.
At this moment, Rolin was waiting in the player tunnel to take the field.
He stood at the very back of the line, holding a young fan by the hand.
When the announcer called his name, tens of thousands of fans shouted along.
Listening to the cheers of the fans, the blood in Rolin’s heart surged endlessly.
At this moment, he only wanted to step onto the pitch and fight for this city!
On the German streaming platform Twitch, streamer KevinKickz was live, ready for the match.
“Boys, the match is about to start.
Rolin is in the starting lineup again for this game.” “RB Leipzig’s opponent this round is Hertha BSC.
They currently have 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, ranking 5th in the League and leading 6th-placed Dortmund by 2 points.” “The opponent’s strength is not weak at all, and the fact that Rolin can still start already proves his strength.” “RB Leipzig is really amazing this season.
After nine rounds, they are undefeated!” “I hope they can stay steady.
Many promoted teams are fierce in the first half of the season and fizzle out in the second half.” “Hertha BSC’s right midfielder Haraguchi likes to cut inside.
It looks like he and Rolin will be matched up against each other.” Kevin grinned at the camera: “Chat, let’s do a quick poll.” “We won’t guess whether Rolin can score, nor will we guess if there are any assists.” “Just guess whether Rolin will slide tackle Haraguchi when they face off, how about that?” The chat flooded with responses: “Rolin slide tackling?
That’s a yes from me!” “After that tackle last match?
He’s definitely not afraid to get stuck in!” “Bold prediction: Rolin sends Haraguchi into orbit by the 20th minute!” “OK!
Both teams’ players have entered the field, let’s take a look at the starting lineup first,” Kevin said.
RB Leipzig lined up in their usual 4-2-2-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Péter Gulácsi Defenders: Marcel Halstenberg, Marvin Compper, Willi Orban, Bernardo Fernandes Defensive Midfielders: Naby Keïta, Kevin Demme Attacking Midfielders: Rolin Bachmann, Marcel Sabitzer Forwards: Timo Werner, Yussuf Poulsen Compared to the previous match, the only change in the starting lineup was the right-back.
Schmitz was rested for this match, and Brazilian defender Fernandes stepped up to start.
Hertha BSC lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Goalkeeper: Rune Jarstein Defenders: Marvin Plattenhardt, John Brooks, Niklas Stark, Peter Pekarík Defensive Midfielders: Per Skjelbred, Fabian Lustenberger Left Midfielder: Salomon Kalou, Attacking Midfielder: Vladimír Darida, Right Midfielder: Genki Haraguchi Center Forward: Vedad Ibišević 4-2-3-1 is Hertha BSC’s main formation, mainly relying on attacks from both flanks and the pivot role of the center forward.
The attacks on both flanks each have their own characteristics.
The left flank focuses on crosses to the baseline and 45-degree diagonal passes, looking for the tall target Ibišević in the center.
Genki Haraguchi on the right flank likes to operate in the half-spaces, looking for opportunities to cut inside to shoot or pass through delicate dribbling.
Genki Haraguchi has performed well this season, delivering a record of one goal and three assists in nine League rounds.
Relatively speaking, the defensive pressure on Rolin’s side is still quite heavy.
However, Hertha BSC’s overall attacking power is relatively ordinary, and their number of goals scored is the fewest among the top 6 teams.
If Rolin can restrict Genki Haraguchi, the opponent’s strength will inevitably be greatly reduced.
Rolin glanced at Genki Haraguchi, revealing a meaningful smile.
If Werner, who was familiar with him, were to see this scene, he would definitely pray for that unlucky guy.
With the referee’s whistle, the match officially began.
Hertha BSC kicked off first.
They chose a very trendy internet-famous style of play: after getting the ball, the defensive midfielder directly kicked it out of bounds with a long boot, giving up possession.
Hertha BSC’s formation pressed very far back, just waiting for RB Leipzig to attack.
RB Leipzig was also not in a rush to press forward massively; both center-backs and the retreating defensive midfielder remained in their own half.
Fernandes threw the sideline ball, and Keïta received it, shook off the defense, and quickly advanced with the ball.
Rolin on the left flank pretended to step forward to receive the ball, then suddenly made a counter-run, high-speed sprinting forward along the half-space.
Keïta observed Rolin’s positioning in the first instance and delivered a ground through pass.
Rolin observed his teammates’ positions and sent a diagonal pass near the edge of the penalty area.
Poulsen headed the ball towards the goal under the pincer attack of two center-backs.
The ball grazed the crossbar and flew out of the baseline.
The RB Leipzig fans on the scene clutched their heads and exclaimed in shock.
Poulsen clapped his hands in regret, and then gave Rolin a thumbs-up.
The power and angle of this shot were very good, it’s just a pity it went wide.
In the 13th minute of the match.
Rolin’s backpass was intercepted, and Hertha BSC launched a quick counterattack.
While retreating to defend, Rolin constantly observed Genki Haraguchi’s positioning.
Hertha BSC’s counterattack advanced to the frontcourt, and as expected, they first looked for Genki Haraguchi’s point.
Genki Haraguchi’s footwork was indeed quite good, continuously changing directions trying to shake off the defense.
Rolin did not rush to put his foot in, but instead blocked his route for cutting inside.
Seeing no opportunity to cut inside, Genki Haraguchi decisively chose to go to the baseline.
Just as he nudged the ball forward, Rolin directly went to the ground for a slide tackle, sending both the ball and the man out of bounds.
Genki Haraguchi clutched his ankle and rolled on the ground, emitting miserable cries from time to time.
The referee did not call a foul, and the linesman had no reaction either.
Rolin looked amusedly at the opponent who was performing, and then walked straight up.
He inserted his hands under Genki Haraguchi’s armpits, then exerted sudden force to lift him upward.
Genki Haraguchi stood up just like that, with a look of utter bewilderment.
At this moment, not only the players and fans at the scene laughed out loud, but all the fans who saw this scene burst into laughter.
Kevin was in tears laughing on his stream: “Holy shit!
Rolin is the miracle worker!
Instantly cured that guy’s foot pain!” The chat went wild: “THE DARK ARTS!
Rolin learned from the masters!” “Hahaha, I’m literally dying of laughter, Haraguchi stood up looking so confused!” “Rolin really did a slide tackle, and it was pretty heavy!” “Clean tackle though — he got the ball first!” “Rolin is a proper shithouser, I love it!” “Did you see Haraguchi’s face?
He didn’t know what hit him!” In the first twenty minutes, both sides mostly probed each other without having many truly threatening attacks.
In the 28th minute of the match.
Keïta hit a diagonal long pass from the backfield to find Rolin rushing up the flank.
Rolin started up very quickly, shaking off Genki Haraguchi by a body length in just two steps.
Realizing the gap in speed between the two, Genki Haraguchi hurriedly reached out to grab Rolin’s jersey.
But his action was still a beat slower, and he could only watch helplessly as Rolin strode away.
The moment Rolin started, Werner followed with a forward run, and his speed was equally fast.
Observing Werner’s position, Rolin directly delivered a ground diagonal pass with the outside of his boot.
This pass bypassed the retreating center-back on the left side.
Werner had no time to be surprised, gently guiding the ball with his left foot and rushing into the penalty area with it.
Facing the rushing goalkeeper, Werner completed the goal with a calm lob.
1:0!
The cheers exploded instantly, fans excitedly waved their scarves, and the entire stadium was vibrating.
After scoring, Werner and Rolin came side by side to the front of the South Stand and celebrated with the fans.