"Unbelievable!"
"Ghana has actually taken the lead!"
"The German Team is in trouble!"
Seeing the Ghanaians' morale soaring, and even gradually seizing control of the match, Löw finally realized that his stubbornness and pride were not as important as a victory!
So, he stood up, walked to the bench, and said to Klose:
"Miro! Mark! Go warm up!"
Upon hearing this, Klose's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up!
Mark, who was sitting next to him, was also stunned for a moment, then stood up as well.
In the sixty-seventh minute, Klose and Mark stood on the sidelines, receiving instructions from coach Löw:
"Miro, Mark, I need you to change the game!"
"Mark, after your breakthrough on the left wing, play more one-two passes with Miro..."
"Miro, I need you to be like a sharp sword, thrusting deep into the opponent's heart! No matter how much they try to pull you out, don't leave!"
The live broadcast camera also focused on the two players who were about to enter the field.
"The German Team seems to have finally remembered that they still have a trump card on their bench!"
"This will be Klose's first appearance in this World Cup. Joining him as a substitute is Mark Lane, who just became the second youngest player to appear in the German World Cup."
"Mark performed remarkably well in the previous match against Portugal. This eighteen-year-old youngster showed no signs of stage fright..."
"It's worth mentioning that the combination of Klose and Mark is the pair of teammates with the biggest age difference in this World Cup!"
Soon, with a dead ball opportunity, Klose replaced Götze, and Mark replaced the underwhelming Özil.
The effect of the substitution was immediate!
After Mark came on, he received a pass from Kroos and faced Ghana's right-back Afful.
A feint with his shoulder, followed by a sudden 'Raboona' skill, allowed him to bypass Afful and cut inside.
Immediately after, he dribbled into Ghana's left flank and then shot without hesitation!
Bang!
Although the curling shot with the inside of his foot was blocked out for a corner by central defender Mensah, it still earned the team a corner kick from the left side of the attacking third.
It was this corner kick, taken by Kroos, that accurately flew into the crowd in the penalty area. Höwedes flicked it with his head, changing the direction of the ball, which flew directly towards the far post.
And Klose, unmarked, made a diving slide to tap the ball into the net!
Two-all!!!
After scoring, the God of K, amidst the earth-shattering cheers of the entire stadium, sprinted to perform his signature celebration – a front flip!
As soon as he finished his celebration, he was excitedly hugged by Müller.
Immediately after, his other teammates also came up to congratulate him on equaling Ronaldo's record.
"Super Klose!"
"His front flip appears once again on the World Cup stage!"
"He has equalized the score! And he has equaled Ronaldo's World Cup goal record!"
"He only needs one more goal to become the player with the most goals in World Cup history!"
"No one else!!!"
As German Team fans across the stadium cheered, Klose, who had once again become a hero, was unusually calm, only shouting loudly:
"Guys, listen to me, there's still time!"
"We must win this match!"
Accompanying Klose's shouts, captain Lahm also waved for them to quickly return to their own half, allowing the opponent to kick off as soon as possible.
Seeing this, the German Team fans in the stands also gave them applause.
As Ghana kicked off, the German Team players also pushed their entire formation forward, pressing high in the attacking third.
Especially Klose and Mark, who had just come on, pressed Ghana's defenders tirelessly. The German Team's false nine formation, incorporating Spain's tiki-taka, also integrated Guardiola's passing and possession tactics.
In addition to their attack primarily relying on short passing penetration, when defending, they would immediately counter-press on the spot, regaining possession as quickly as possible to launch a second wave of attack!
Under the German Team's pressure, Ghana was indeed unable to build up from the back calmly, forced to hoof the ball long and concede possession to the Germans.
When it was Germany's turn to control the ball, they played steadily, passing it around in the midfield and defense, luring Ghana's formation forward to press, thereby creating space.
Then, a sudden change of pace!
In the seventy-eighth minute, as Ghana's formation pushed forward, Hummels in the back sent a precise long pass, finding the pivot at the very front of the team's formation—Klose.
The evergreen Klose, with his back to goal, held off Ghana's central defender Mensah, then chested the ball down in front of him.
Then, with a casual tap, he laid the ball off to Kroos, who had come to support.
The latter, without taking a touch, sent a through ball to Mark, who was surging forward on the left wing!
Mark, with a single touch and a dribble, burst into the penalty area!
"Into the box!"
"Mark faces Boye..."
Facing central defender Boye, Mark once again performed a step-over, his large body feinting with such amplitude that Boye was left dizzy and disoriented.
Finally, with a gentle flick of the outside of his left foot, Mark slipped past him, creating a one-on-one opportunity!
Of course, Ghana's goalkeeper Dauda was unwilling to concede, rushing directly from his goal line like an eagle catching a chick, spreading his arms as wide as possible to block Mark's shooting angle.
However, Mark lifted his leg as if to shoot, feinting Dauda for a moment, then suddenly struck a low shot.
Dauda only felt a chill down below as the ball flew directly between his legs and into the net behind him!
With a "swish," the ball made intimate contact with the net.
The next second, the Castelão Stadium, capable of holding over sixty thousand spectators, erupted in an astonishing roar of cheers!
German Team fans in the stands waved their national flags and chanted Mark's name.
Mark, who had scored the goal, ran directly to the camera on the sidelines, made a "6" gesture with both hands, and then showed a brilliant smile.
The reason for this celebration was simple:
Scoring on the World Cup stage in Brazil, of course, he had to greet the Brazilians!
"GOAL!!!!"
"A magnificent display of individual skill!"
"Mark Lane, at 18 years and 241 days old, has become the youngest World Cup goalscorer since Pelé of Brazil and Rosas of Mexico!"
"It's important to remember that this German football superstar was just an unknown player in the youth team only half a year ago."
"Now, he has actually scored a goal on the World Cup stage, and even helped the team complete a major comeback!"
"And his market value, which was only a mere fifty thousand euros not long ago, has surged to fifteen million euros!"
"I believe that after this match, his market value will experience another leap!"
As soon as he finished his celebration, Mark was surrounded by teammates like Klose and Müller.
Especially the very excited Müller, who directly grabbed his head and shouted face-to-face:
"Well done!!!"
"First World Cup goal!"
"That's f***ing awesome!"
After finally escaping the "clutches" of his teammates, Mark's black hair was already ruffled into a bird's nest.
At this moment, listening to the entire stadium of fans chanting his name, Mark suddenly paused, as if realizing something very important.
Hey?!
Wait a minute!
Something isn't right!
I was supposed to ride on the coattails and just get a medal.
How did I suddenly become the star player for the team's comeback?!
...
Read more at patreon.com/zeaser
50 power stones for extra chapter
Please share this book to your friends to read