Chapter 11 — Clash with the Giants (First Half)
September 1st, 2007 — Allianz Arena, Munich
The Allianz Arena glowed like a stadium built for gods, pulsing under the Saturday night lights. Red and white flooded the stands, and Bayern Munich fans roared with the force of history itself. For Nico Valen, the sixteen-year-old prodigy of Borussia Dortmund, it was the ultimate battlefield.
Coach Thomas Doll stood in front of the whiteboard before kickoff, his tone low and intense.
"Bayern's going to press high, swarm the middle, and bully the flanks. That's their DNA. We adapt or drown. Nico—false nine today."
The room stilled.
Nico blinked. False nine?
"Frei's coming off the bench. I want you to draw their center-backs out, drag them into chaos. Create the gaps."
Some players exchanged glances. A teenager at the center of their attack? Against Bayern?
But no one questioned Doll.
And Nico simply nodded, eyes smoldering.
System Notification:
Match Objective: Impact Game Significantly (Rating 8.0+)
Position Adjustment: False Nine Role Activated
Tactical Bonus Gained: +8 Awareness, +6 Decision-Making
Kickoff — Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund
The ball rolled, and the war began.
Bayern's lineup was a wall of steel and fire:
Oliver Kahn between the posts, a lion in gloves.
Lucio and Demichelis anchoring the back.
Lahm and Sagnol bombing the flanks.
A midfield of monsters: Van Bommel, Zé Roberto, and Schweinsteiger.
Up front: Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose—poachers and finishers of the highest order.
Dortmund countered with grit and promise:
Weidenfeller in goal.
Wörns and Hummels at center-back.
Dede and Owomoyela on the wings.
Midfield of Kehl, Kringe, and Kuba.
Nico Valen, floating like a ghost among giants.
From the first minute, Bayern swarmed.
Minute 4: Klose danced past Hummels and fired. Weidenfeller parried.
Minute 7: Schweinsteiger bent a free-kick toward the top corner. Just wide.
Minute 11: Nico dropped deep, received a zip-pass from Kehl, and touched it around Van Bommel in one fluid motion.
Lucio rushed. Nico flicked it behind with a backheel and turned.
He found Kuba on the right wing. Cross. Kringe jumped—saved by Kahn.
Minute 17: Bayern struck.
Zé Roberto played a one-two with Lahm, cut inside, and rolled it to Luca Toni. The Italian struck low and clean.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 1 – 0 Borussia Dortmund
The crowd exploded. Klose lifted Toni as the scoreboard blinked.
But Nico didn't flinch.
Minute 22: Nico floated to the left. Drew Lahm out. He reversed the ball into the middle for Kehl.
Kehl surged forward and dished it wide. Kuba crossed. Nico darted into the box like a shadow—header!
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1 – 1 Bayern Munich
Stunned silence, followed by a roar from the away fans.
System Notification: Goal Registered — Match Rating: 7.9
Bonus Unlocked: False Nine Flow (Positional Versatility +5)
Minute 30: Nico continued to drop into midfield, pulling Lucio out of position. Demichelis grew visibly frustrated.
Minute 34: Nico feinted left, burst right. Schweinsteiger clipped him. Free kick.
Nico stood over it, thirty yards out. Curled it with Zidane's balance.
Top corner?
Kahn flew.
Saved.
The legend was still a monster.
Minute 41: Klose slammed a header off the post. Weidenfeller scrambled.
Minute 44: Nico made his move.
He dropped near the halfway line. Drew in three. Slipped a no-look pass between Lahm and Lucio. Kringe raced through.
He shot—Kahn again.
Halftime whistle blew.
Halftime Score: Bayern Munich 1 – 1 Borussia Dortmund
In the locker room, breaths were heavy, hearts louder than words.
Coach Doll slapped the tactics board. "Hold your lines. Stay patient. Nico—keep pulling them apart. They're cracking."
Nico wiped sweat from his brow, eyes focused.
System Notification:
Halftime Assessment: Excellent
Stamina Remaining: 63%
Match Rating: 8.2
He wasn't just surviving.
He was rewriting the script.
To be continued in Chapter 12 — The Decisive Half: Bayern Broken.