Chapter 696: Various Groupings (Second Perspective)
After the announcement of the UEFA Best Player, the draw results for the Champions League group stage followed closely.
Real Madrid undoubtedly occupied the first-tier position. They were first drawn into Group B, followed by second-tier Liverpool, third-tier Swiss team Basel, and fourth-tier Bulgarian league Ludogorets.
Compared to the previous two years, it was considered an average draw. Apart from the strong cup attributes of Liverpool, the other two teams were unlikely to pose a threat to the Galacticos.
Especially Ludogorets, it was their first time participating in the Champions League group stage. They had been in the lower leagues of Bulgaria for many years and only rose to the top league in 2011 with strong capital investment.
Barcelona set sail again, being grouped with Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, and Greek side Olympiacos.
Under the circumstances of the departure of former coach Martino, Bartomeu eventually brought in Enrique to take charge of the Catalan team after numerous twists and turns.
His experience was quite miraculous. He was the first to join Real Madrid as a player and won the league championship, but due to disputes over treatment, he eventually transferred to arch-rivals Barcelona until retirement.
To this day, the Spaniard still harbored deep resentment towards Real Madrid, even openly stating that wearing the white jersey was "very strange" for him, and the Barcelona jersey suited him better.
After retiring, he embarked on his coaching career from Barcelona B team, subsequently managing Roma and Celta Vigo to accumulate experience. As early as during Rosell's era, Barcelona had wanted to invite Enrique to coach the team, but he had repeatedly declined due to lack of experience. It took Bartomeu a great deal of effort to persuade him this time.
No coach wanted to face the Galaxy Battleship led by Wang Feng! Even though he was getting older, his dominance remained undiminished.
Atletico Madrid's opponents were Juventus, Olympiacos, and Malmo. If they could maintain the level of last season, advancing from the group stage would not be a problem.
Athletic Bilbao was grouped with Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Basel, also considered a favorable draw. With effort, it was very likely for them to advance to the knockout stage.
After briefly paying attention to the Champions League format of the Galacticos, Yellow Tiger shifted his focus to his own team. Their opponents in the Europa League group stage were also determined.
Red Star Belgrade, Besiktas, and Tottenham Hotspur.
This group couldn't be considered the group of death, but Werder Bremen would not find it easy to deal with any of these teams. It was difficult to predict who would eventually advance.
After the complete grouping results were announced in the locker room, everyone fell into a silent atmosphere. Captain Fritz clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention and encouraged, "Well, at least we didn't encounter powerhouses like Sevilla or Inter Milan."
"The upcoming matches will be played one by one. Win the games that can be won. I believe the team will go further!"
The players nodded in agreement. This season, the club had spared no expense, promising bonuses for reaching each stage of advancement. This was also an important motivation for their fight.
Back in the Bundesliga, at the end of August, Werder Bremen welcomed their first home league match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
This football club is located in the city of Frankfurt on the banks of the River Main. With a long history, they were one of the founding members of the Bundesliga and had a glorious history. In the 1960s, they won the league title and even reached the Champions League final, only to be defeated by Real Madrid.
The 1980s were the recent peak of Eintracht Frankfurt. They won the DFB-Pokal and UEFA Cup championships. After that, their situation deteriorated, leading to relegation and becoming a yo-yo club in the Bundesliga.
Due to losing to Bayern in the first leg, it was crucial for Werder Bremen to perform well at home. Coach Schaaf fielded the strongest lineup.
As the players walked out from the tunnel onto the pitch, the live broadcast from Weser Stadium began announcing the starting lineup. Each player of the home team would receive enthusiastic cheers from the fans.
Yellow Tiger was naturally no exception. If one paid close attention, they would notice many home fans displaying slogans supporting him, some even waving the national flag.
It seemed that they were much more rational than many domestic fans. A temporary downturn did not mean anything.
Kevin De Bruyne, the club's most expensive signing, also received warm applause. People found that he was indeed worth it, quickly gaining everyone's trust.
The match kicked off at half-past two in local time in Germany, which was 21:30 in China, very friendly to domestic fans. Moreover, there were no conflicts with matches from Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, so sports channels chose to broadcast it live.
The situation where Chinese players were flourishing in European leagues brought about a happy dilemma for Chinese fans. Many times, authoritative media only chose to broadcast matches involving top clubs, briefly reporting the results of matches involving smaller teams.
But many fans hoped to see the young figures fighting in second and third-tier clubs. Therefore, through the Internet, many methods were derived, allowing investors to see business opportunities. Perhaps they could introduce the broadcast rights of these leagues, selling them through online platforms, making the football atmosphere in China even stronger.
"Yellow Tiger's performance was relatively poor in the first round of the league. He wasted many opportunities, leading to the coach substituting him off early. However, he has not lost the trust of the coach and is still starting in this match. Let's hope he can regain his form."
At the beginning of the match, the home team was infected by the enthusiasm of the fans and launched wave after wave of attacks against the away team. The two teams were evenly matched, and home advantage was crucial.
Just seven minutes into the game, Fritz assisted Selke to open the scoring for Werder Bremen with a lofted ball into the penalty area.
Just when everyone thought they could extend their lead and secure victory, full-back Selassie pulled a thigh muscle while chasing to defend.
Seeing the Czech falling to the ground, Schaaf patted his forehead. He was most worried about injuries, and even specifically instructed the medical team to closely monitor the players' conditions.
However, the club's resources were limited, and luck also played a big role sometimes. Fortunately, the season had just begun, and it was better to expose problems now than to drop the ball at critical moments.
Selassie's injury and substitution also severely affected Werder Bremen's mentality and performance. Soon, Frankfurt scored two consecutive goals to complete the comeback.
"In fact, the strength of the two teams is evenly matched, and any small change can affect the overall situation. Werder Bremen took advantage of the home field to launch a fierce attack, which yielded results, but the result was interrupted by injuries."
Yellow Tiger wanted to score more than ever! But he was closely guarded by the opponents. After a season of outstanding performances, everyone's research on him had reached a new height, with various restrictive measures emerging endlessly.
So he needed more patience and running, seizing the moment when the opponent relaxed to deliver a fatal blow.
And this fleeting opportunity came in the 82nd minute when Garcia surged forward into the frontcourt and formed a wall pass with Yellow Tiger, then cut inside into the penalty area.
Seeing the defense completely disrupted, the Chinese youngster quickly shouted, "Here!" He ran into the open space!
After a long period of cooperation, there was a high level of understanding between teammates, and Garcia, without turning around, directly tapped the ball backward with his heel. The Chinese youngster was definitely there.
Sure enough, Yellow Tiger followed up with a low shot, and the ball slid past the right post into the net.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal! Goal! Yellow Tiger!" The commentator shouted with a tearing voice.
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