In the 78th minute, he produced a moment of magic that broke the deadlock. He received the ball in the center of the pitch, surrounded by blue and white shirts. For a moment, it seemed like he was trapped.
But then, with a shimmy of the hips and a drop of the shoulder, he created a sliver of space. He looked up and saw Lewandowski making a diagonal run into the box, peeling away from his marker.
The pass was perfectly weighted, a threaded ball that split the defense and found the Polish striker in stride. Lewandowski's finish was clinical, a low, hard shot that flew past the helpless Thomas Kraft in the Hertha goal. 1-0. The Dortmund fans erupted, their voices a chorus of joy and relief.
Mateo did not celebrate. He simply turned and jogged back to the center circle, his face a mask of calm focus. The job was not done yet. One goal was not enough. They needed to kill the game, to secure the three points, to keep the pressure on Bayern.
