May 17th.
Berlin.
The Berlin Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of 75,000 spectators, attracted 40,000 attendees.
On the four stands, a sea of red and a sea of green were distinctly separated.
For Wolfsburg fans, the past season was a joyous one; they not only finished third in the League, returning to the Champions League next season, but also reached the German Cup final, with a chance to lift the championship trophy!
This was Wolfsburg's second appearance in the German Cup final in its history.
Wolfsburg naturally wanted to make history and win their first German Cup title.
However, this was destined to be difficult.
Because their opponent was undoubtedly the German Cup overlord, Bayern Munich, who had won the title sixteen times!
"Welcome everyone to Sky Sports' live broadcast of the 97th German Cup final of the 2013-14 season…"
"The teams facing each other are Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich…"
"Let's look at the starting lineups for both sides…"
"For Bayern, Guardiola adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation. The goalkeeper is Neuer, and the four defenders are Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Dante, and Rafinha…"
"The defensive midfield duo is Javi Martínez and the young Højbjerg…"
"The four players in the attacking front are Müller and Robben on the wings, Kroos orchestrating in the center, and Götze leading the attack…"
"Schweinsteiger, Alaba, and Thiago are out due to injury, Ribéry and Shaqiri are on the bench, and Mandžukić, rumored to be transferring to Chelsea, did not travel with the team…"
"As for Wolfsburg, their squad is relatively complete."
"Hecking also adopted a 4-2-3-1 tactical formation."
"The goalkeeper is captain Benaglio…"
"The four defenders are R. Rodríguez, Naldo, Knoche, and Vieirinha."
"The defensive midfielders are Gustavo and Malanda."
"The wingers are Perišić and Caligiuri, De Bruyne plays in the number ten role, and former Bayern player Olić is the lone striker!"
"What is surprising is that the talented Mark Lane, who burst onto the scene this season, is not starting but is on the bench."
"The two teams met twice in the League this season, with Wolfsburg losing both matches."
"And this match might be Wolfsburg's most important game of the entire season…"
"In this stadium, which witnessed Zidane's headbutt on Materazzi and Italy's ascent to the world's top in 2006, a champion will be decided today!"
"Will Wolfsburg make history, or will Bayern maintain its dominance?"
"Let's wait and see!"
It is worth mentioning that this German Cup final attracted many celebrity fans.
In addition to these celebrity fans who simply came to join the fun, scouts from various clubs were also present.
Of course, Germany national team coach Löw and his assistant Flick also came to watch the match.
Löw's arrival was naturally to scout the German national players from both teams.
Seeing Mark as a substitute, Löw couldn't help but turn and ask, "Is Hecking putting Mark on the bench because he wants to win with a surprise attack?"
Upon hearing this, Flick nodded in agreement:
"Probably, he is Wolfsburg's super-substitute!"
Sitting on the bench, from the moment both teams lined up to enter the field, Mark's heart was also surging.
Being able to face a European powerhouse like Bayern in a final was also exhilarating.
Although he did not start.
However, late yesterday, Hecking had privately explained to him why he wasn't starting.
The reason was simple: he felt that Mark coming on as a substitute would be more effective than starting!
After his teammates wore down the opponent's stamina, he would then come on to use his dribbling skills to tear open the defense!
Mark naturally obeyed the coach's arrangements.
And when he saw Bayern's announced starting lineup before the match, Mark felt that there was a chance!
Because Guardiola was once again pulling stunts in a major match!
Not only did he not start Ribéry, but he also used the young Højbjerg in defensive midfield, didn't start the experienced veteran striker Pizarro, and instead had Götze play as the lone striker…
It should be noted that Götze played as a false nine for a long time this season and scored many goals, but with his small physique, he could not act as a pivot in the front line at all.
Of course, Guardiola valued Götze's flexibility in interchanging passes and runs in the half-spaces, hoping he would fully utilize his quick and nimble characteristics to deal with Wolfsburg's two relatively heavy center-backs.
However, facing a Bayern team affected by injuries, which could only be considered half-starter and half-substitute, Mark felt that they still had a fighting chance!
Sure enough, once the match began, Bayern's stars seemed less excited.
Perhaps they had won the German Cup so many times that they had little desire for this trophy.
In contrast, Wolfsburg's players were like they had been given a boost, charging forward fiercely.
Every step, every press, every pass, was full of power.
In this Wolfsburg squad, perhaps only Gustavo had truly won a significant trophy and experienced big occasions.
The others had never tasted the joy of lifting a championship, and there were many disappointed players like De Bruyne.
Their desire for the championship was far greater than that of Bayern's stars!
As the match progressed, Wolfsburg utilized their high morale and fighting spirit to constantly press high in the attacking third.
Facing Wolfsburg's players who pounced like a pack of wolves, the young defensive midfielder Højbjerg was a bit flustered and made several passing errors.
Wolfsburg also capitalized on these errors, launching dangerous attacks.
In the twelfth minute, Olić's long-range shot from outside the box narrowly missed the goal, giving Bayern fans a scare. As Wolfsburg's attacks came in waves, Bayern's players finally woke up.
After slowly regaining some possession and launching several attacks, Guardiola discovered something:
That his two-wing attack had one side completely neutralized!
Because, in front of Vieirinha, who was playing as a makeshift right-back in this match, the away team's left winger Müller could not gain any advantage!
As early as the preparation phase, Hecking had arranged for this Portugal international to play as a makeshift right-back.
And the effect was surprisingly good!
Apart from Mark, neither Perišić nor Caligiuri could easily break through Vieirinha's defense on the left side.
Moreover, in addition to being strong enough defensively and fast, he could also push forward to assist in attacks!
Seeing that Müller's left flank was frozen, Bayern could only resort to their usual attacking routine, passing the ball to Robben on the right flank!
And once Robben had the ball, he had only one thought:
Explode, cut inside, shoot!
However, for Robben as a key attacking threat, Hecking also devised a targeted defensive strategy:
That was to have Malanda, with his excellent running ability, play as a left defensive midfielder, helping with defensive cover while also trying to block Robben's cutting-in lanes as much as possible.
And this tactic was quite effective.
Although his defensive experience was not extensive, and he was even a bit reckless.
But Malanda excelled in his excellent physical condition, able to set up a barrier at the edge of the penalty area, preventing Robben from easily taking a shot after cutting inside!