Chapter Twenty-Six: Bayern, Dortmund, Manchester City

The first half ended with Munich 1860 leading Wolfsburg by two goals.

With that two-goal cushion, the Munich 1860 players went into the second half in a relaxed frame of mind.

But in truth, Munich 1860 were far from safe; a two-goal lead is often the most dangerous lead of all.

In football, it is common to see a team leading by one or even two goals get pegged back, sometimes even overtaken.

When a side is ahead by one or two, it tends to relax, while the trailing team, pressed by the clock, throws more men forward.

If a goal is conceded in such a situation, it becomes a psychological blow to the side in front and a surge of inspiration for the side behind.

Most importantly, the leading team will usually make adjustments, seeking caution and trying to finish without conceding.

The trailing team, meanwhile, will generally intensify its attack, hoping to draw level or even turn the match around.

Of course, this is assuming the two teams are evenly matched and have not chosen to go punch for punch in an all-out exchange.

During the interval, Munich 1860 head coach Packurt made tactical adjustments, asking Momo to contribute more to the defense as well.

Packurt hoped that, in the second half, Munich 1860 could hold firm at two to nil until the final whistle.

Van the Great? Was Momo out of his mind? Spending the whole second half helping out in defense?

I already hated him back in the age of the big center forward. He was a short little guy who only knew how to poach, and now he wants to battle in the air and defend? What an idiot.

I do not want to say much about the Rocket Head, but Munich 1860's defense is awful.

The bad-tempered Effenberg has scored; it is now two to one.

Toni, the king of headers, no surprise there. If my great Toni had been on the pitch, they would have been ahead already.

I back Klose. Why not say the King of the Champions? I am telling you, against a team like this, he is truly godlike.

Fine, then, there was really not much Munich 1860 could say about that goal.

A few players could not stop Effenberg from forcing his way through, and then he still managed to score from distance. What is there to say?

Usually, if three or four players close down together, a side with even a halfway decent defense will not make mistakes, unless they are facing peak Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, or later Messi.

The problem is, this is the hopeless Munich 1860 back line, more hopeless even than the notorious future Madrid defense.

Effenberg did not even dribble past anyone with any special trick. Under Coach Packurt's instructions, everyone had basically dropped deep into their own half to defend.

But that was precisely where the problem lay: there were too many men, and no one knew who should step up and who should hold. In a swarm, everyone rushed out at once, all wanting to pull back to keep the defensive shape.

The spaces between players were absurdly wide, and, most importantly, they were blocking goalkeeper Simon Yanch's line of sight.

At the time, when Effenberg saw so many bodies closing in, his first thought was that he was done for. He knew his own business; there was no way he was getting past them.

So, using his strength to shield the ball, he decided to try his luck with a shot from distance.

When Effenberg struck that shot, he honestly did not expect much, because he saw Shao Jiayi standing right in the ball's path.

But then Shao Jiayi shifted his position, and the moment he moved, the ball sailed right through.

Simon Yanch only saw Shao Jiayi move and then the ball come flying out from there, straight toward goal.

What a nightmare for the goalkeeper. It looked almost as if Shao Jiayi had set Effenberg up for it. Simon Yanch launched himself, but he could not stop Effenberg's goal.

Effenberg let out a fierce roar. At Bayern Munich, the coach still trusted him, but the others would have been happier to ship him out in a transfer.

Now, this goal had also silenced the rumors against him. I, Effenberg, can still score!

The few Wolfsburg supporters in the Allianz Arena applauded Effenberg.

Munich 1860's reaction was mixed: some sang the club anthem, some clapped, and others jeered, though it was not clear at whom.

But Effenberg did not care. He ran to the goal, picked up the ball, and held one hand high, three fingers raised.

Three goals. Effenberg was going to score three. He was going to make a hat trick at the Allianz Arena. His whole life had been a legend, and even his ending would be legendary.

Packurt was torn now. With only a one-goal lead left, should he continue to bunker down, or should he attack?

In truth, Packurt was simply overthinking it. Did he not know how his own team defended?

There is a saying: attack is the best defense. Go at them, damn it. Why be timid?

People are often like this, caught between gain and loss, and in the end they keep neither what they hoped to preserve nor the capital they staked.

I did not really understand Beckham's free kick. What on earth is Munich 1860's coach doing? Still playing defensively?

Have you ever heard of Drogba? He must be trying to hold onto the one-goal lead! But honestly, this coach's intelligence is really low, and now he is even making Momo help defend?

Go, Mighty Bayern. I am a Bayern fan, sure, but I still like Momo. Do you think Momo has a chance of going to Bayern Munich next season?

Bundesliga Yang Chen? I feel like Momo is about to follow Yang Chen's path. Maybe Shao Jiayi will go with him too. Are they heading back to the Bundesliga to make a living again?

Why would the Bumblebees go to Bayern Munich? I think Momo could come to us. We are all about speed, buzzing all the way.

Rocket Head, sigh, even the alien seems to be unable to run lately. By the way, is everyone watching the Bundesliga live stream?

Manchester City's Sun Jihai, what else could it be? Among the overseas players, Momo is basically the only undisputed regular starter!

Tony, king of headers, I just hope they do not drag Momo back for the next friendly. With all this running back and forth, how can he keep his fitness and form?

Shao Jiayi plus one? I heard Shao Jiayi has already made it clear that he is going back home for the friendly! After that, I wonder if he will still have a starting spot.

The Mafia boss Mino? Rumor has it that Mino refused the call for the friendly, and Munich 1860's stance is also ambiguous. Losing two men at once is indeed a miserable affair.

The bad-tempered Effenberg has the ball again. I feel like Munich 1860 are about to concede once more.

Simon Yanch is a guardian deity up there on the wall of the house. You are thinking too much. How could Simon Yanch, that great guardian, make such a mistake again?

Wolves' lore: I have always liked the den. No hate, no hype, but looking at Munich 1860's back line right now, the chance of conceding is very high.

Fine, at this moment Packurt's palms had already started to sweat, and just as he was about to change something, a wave of gasps rose from the pitch.