Chapter 702: Necessary Growth (Second Perspective)
"Wow!" The Weser Stadium erupted once again.
"Another brace! Huang Hu! Huang Hu! He helps Werder Bremen maintain their lead! A brilliant breakthrough followed by a long-range shot!"
"This is his 9th league goal of the season, equaling the top scorer Alexander Meier, and they're all from open play, no penalties!"
On the sidelines, Coach Schaaf also didn't expect the Chinese youngster to score in such a way, which was rarely seen before.
"It seems that the pressure has forced this kid to unleash more of his potential. Who said he only knows how to eat pies?"
After scoring this goal, the home team adopted a more conservative approach, withdrawing to secure their lead, gradually deadlocking the situation.
But just when the game was about to end, there was a turning point. In the 89th minute, Meyer broke through the wing and crossed, Hunterlaar's header hit Westergard's shoulder.
The main referee hesitated for a moment before blowing the whistle and pointing to the penalty spot! The whole stadium was in an uproar, the home fans booed thunderously, and Schaaf angrily rushed to the sideline: "How could that be a penalty? Clearly, it hit the shoulder, the shoulder!" As he said this, he hammered his own shoulder.
"Let's take a look at what happened with the slow-motion replay. Well, it seems like the hand didn't have much to do with it. Despite Werder Bremen players surrounding the referee and constantly arguing, he seems to stick to his decision."
"Unfortunately, VAR technology has not been used in league matches yet. According to previous reports, the maturity review of this technology will have to wait another two to three years."
Hunterlaar personally took the penalty and equalized the score once again for Schalke.
The blow to Werder Bremen was far from over. In injury time, in the 92nd minute, Banetta received a through ball from Hervédes, took a long shot from the edge of the arc, piercing through Wolf's hands.
Two goals in three minutes! In the final moments of the game, the entire home team pressed forward, with even the goalkeeper joining the attack, but as Selke's header missed the post, the final whistle blew.
2:3! Werder Bremen tasted bitter defeat!
"Damn it! Damn it!" Huang Hu knelt on one knee and hammered the turf with force. Clearly, they were so close to victory. If only he were stronger, perhaps it wouldn't slip away from his fingertips like this.
At this moment, he was more eager for strength than ever before, eager to grow, something every young player would experience.
Fritz understood Huang Hu's emotions very well. He had been that kneeling youth himself. So the German walked over to the Chinese youngster and helped him up: "Failure is not terrible, what's terrible is not having the courage to stand up after failure."
"You've done brilliantly enough. Look up, everyone is calling your name."
At these words, Huang Hu looked around the stadium, only to realize that most of the home fans hadn't left yet. They were still cheering and inspiring him.
Some even waved banners, obviously contributed by a female fan with newly applied lipstick: "Huang, you're the best! Forever support!"
"Let's go, we should thank the fans for their support, shouldn't we?" Fritz patted Huang Hu on the back and said.
After acknowledging the fans, Haylovi? suggested to go out and relieve the frustration, but Huang Hu shook his head and declined the invitation. Only when they win does he feel like playing.
At the press conference, Coach Schaaf mercilessly criticized the situation to the various media outlets: "This was supposed to be a celebration for Werder Bremen, but it was ruined by mistakes."
Many media outlets and fans also echoed his views. After all, the last-minute penalty misjudgment was too fatal, and the home team conceding two goals in a row largely stemmed from this.
After repeatedly confirming the match footage, the referee admitted his mistake and apologized solemnly to the entire Werder Bremen team, which was the biggest compensation they could offer.
Although Werder Bremen still ranked second on the points table, this defeat widened the gap between them and Bayern. It remained very difficult to threaten the status of the Southern Kings.
The schedule still had to go on. Four days later, Werder Bremen hosted the 5th round of the Europa League group stage at home, with Red Star Belgrade as the opponent.
After double-killing Tottenham, Werder Bremen's advancement situation was already very clear. Therefore, Coach Schaaf made significant rotations to the starting lineup, and Huang Hu was on the bench.
Seeing the team struggling to make a breakthrough, the Chinese youngster was more excited than the coach, rushing to the sidelines, gesturing for his teammates to push forward.
Schaaf, somewhat frustrated, raised his hand to his forehead: "Okay, you rascal, don't dance in front of me. You just want to play, right? Go warm up."
Huang Hu's "trick" was seen through, and he sheepishly stuck out his tongue. The reason he was so active was because he had a fire burning in his heart.
So in the 55th minute, the Chinese youngster took to the field! He did not disappoint himself or the coach. Ten minutes later, Eldrim sent a through ball from the front, and Huang Hu burst through two defenders to receive it.
With the goalkeeper blocking in front and defenders interfering on both sides, the Chinese youngster calmly fell to the ground and shot, the ball passing between the legs of the opposing goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net, 1:0!
With this goal, Werder Bremen eventually narrowly defeated their opponents, and they topped the group with 3 wins and 2 draws, followed by Besiktas with 2 wins, 3 draws, and 9 points.
Tottenham Hotspur ranked third with 1 win, 2 draws, 2 losses and 5 points, while Red Star Belgrade, at the bottom, had 1 draw, 4 losses and only 1 point.
With one round of matches remaining, Werder Bremen and Besiktas had already secured their spots in the knockout stage. The subsequent clash between the two would determine the group winner.
Huang Hu had never been the type of player with outstanding physical qualities. He could endure running for the entire game, had decent dribbling skills, and could even show off some flair at times, all of which came from his systematic European youth training since childhood.
However, high-intensity physical confrontations had always been his weakness. It was difficult for him to maintain balance and ball control under defensive pressure, leading to frequent mistakes and conceding goals.
In addition to the rhythm changes and dribbling skills he displayed against Schalke, the Chinese youngster also planned to continue honing his ability to seize scoring opportunities in crowded areas.
It was with this set of skills that he established himself in the top five leagues and gradually became a regular starter. As his experience accumulated, Huang Hu felt that there was still much deeper potential to be tapped into in terms of running.
So during regular training sessions, the Chinese youngster would often ponder his positioning and how to shake off defensive markers to create space for himself, sometimes getting lost in thought.
"What's wrong, Huang?" Coach Schaaf asked with concern after a training match. Just now, he saw Huang Hu suddenly stop in the middle of an attack, and it seemed like he got injured.
"It's nothing, sir. I was just thinking whether I should have pulled back earlier to draw the attention of the defenders and create space for another attack."
Schaaf nodded at his words. Thinking and progress were closely related. Football was by no means just physical labor. This stage was a period of rapid growth for young players. Both Huang Hu and De Bruyne had more room for growth.
He decided to nurture them well. Even if they eventually left Werder Bremen after growing, the benefits they could bring to the team before leaving were immeasurable.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com