September 12th.
The Bundesliga battle reignited.
Wolfsburg left Car City and headed west, arriving once again in Hoffenheim.
Half a year ago, it was right here at Hoffenheim's Rhein-Neckar-Arena that he made his first career Bundesliga start!
Although he was a novice at the time, his talent was fully exposed.
In that match, he contributed a goal and an assist, but due to fitness issues, he was substituted early.
In the end, he could only watch from the bench as his team was overturned by the opponent.
This time, however, Mark was determined to secure the victory!
Inside the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, which had already been dyed into a blue ocean, songs were loud and the seats were full.
Although it was Hoffenheim's home ground, many young male and female fans in the stands were wearing Mark's personal brand baseball caps and T-shirts.
"Welcome to Sky Sports coverage of the third round of the Bundesliga League..."
"Hoffenheim is hosting second-placed Wolfsburg..."
"Let's first take a look at the starting lineups for both sides..."
Accompanied by the suddenly heightened voices of the fans, players from both teams filed out of the tunnel.
Hoffenheim's form was also good.
After winning their home opener against Augsburg, they drew with Werder Bremen in the second round, securing a valuable point.
They currently sit fourth in the League by virtue of goal difference!
Last season, Hoffenheim ranked ninth, classifying them as a mid-table straggler, better than the bottom but not good enough for the top.
This season, although they sold future Real Madrid legend Joselu to Hannover, offloaded Derdiyok, and lost starting defender Fabian Johnson...
...they also reinforced their squad during the summer window, bringing in talented players like Szalai, Zuber, and Baumann.
Coupled with existing excellent players like Firmino, Modeste, Volland, Rudy, and Süle, the team's overall lineup is stable, and their strength has improved.
In the pre-season ranking predictions, Hoffenheim is expected to challenge for European Qualification this season!
Therefore, facing this full-strength village team away from home, Hecking, who was striving for three consecutive wins, also deployed his strongest lineup.
Hoffenheim, playing at home, launched the first attack.
Firmino remained the core of this Blue Legion.
His flexible positioning and playmaking ability in the final third made Hoffenheim's offensive coordination look very fluid.
Watching Firmino backheel the ball, ready to distribute it to the overlapping Volland, the latter unleashed a powerful shot, which Benaglio parried away with both hands.
Hecking on the sideline couldn't help but show an appreciative expression.
If his team had a Firmino, he would definitely be very useful.
Because Perišić, Mark, and De Bruyne were all explosive wingers, capable of directly attacking the goal.
If they paired a Firmino, who is adept at creating chances for teammates, on the frontline, the potential would be incredible!
However, as Hoffenheim's star player, Firmino's value was twenty-five million euros.
To sign him, it would cost at least thirty million euros or more!
The club couldn't easily produce such a massive sum, and besides, Hoffenheim might not even sell him...
Hoffenheim, playing at home, had a soaring momentum.
However, Wolfsburg's defense was significantly stronger than last season.
Besides having Guilavogui, the "Black and Tough" player, in defensive midfield, the upgrade in central defense was a noticeable change.
De Vrij was calmer and more composed than the similarly aged Knoche, with better technique and defensive positioning.
Although he and Naldo were partnering for the first time this season, their cooperation showed that they were very clear about their respective positions and division of responsibilities.
With the defense improved, the offense could press forward more aggressively.
"Mark takes the ball..."
"A beautiful Nutmeg!"
"Mark cuts inside..."
Beck, guarding Hoffenheim's right flank, didn't even have time to judge Mark's direction of breakthrough before Mark nutmegged him.
Immediately following, amidst the gasps of the Hoffenheim fans, Mark had already dribbled to the left side of the edge of the box.
And Süle, the right center-back, became the last line of defense preventing Mark from entering the penalty area.
"You're not getting past me!"
However, the Mark of today was no longer the Mark of half a year ago!
With a fake shoulder drop, followed by an accelerated outside-of-the-foot flick, Mark instantly bypassed Süle and arrived at the top of the penalty arc!
At this moment, Süle had just managed to turn around, only seeing the number ten printed on Mark's back!
"Holy crap! How did he get so fast?!"
While Süle was internally astonished, Mark raised his arm, swung his leg, and struck the middle of the ball fiercely with the inside of his foot!
With a loud "bang," the ball shot out, perfectly evading Bičakčić, the other center-back who tried to block it, and flew straight toward the far corner of the goal!
Goalkeeper Baumann, who had just transferred from Freiburg, dove to his right, but his fingertips missed the ball by the slightest margin!
The next second, the ball zipped into the net, splashing layers of white foam!
The Rhein-Neckar-Arena, which had been gasping just a second ago, was now silent.
Hoffenheim fans looked bewildered.
What?
It went in just like that?
The next second, the thousands of traveling Wolfsburg fans told them a cruel truth with a burst of cheers:
Yes.
They conceded!
And the goalscorer was the black-haired teenager who had silenced them last season!
"GOAL!!!"
"An unbelievable solo performance!"
"Lane entered the area as if unopposed, piercing Hoffenheim's goal with a curling shot!"
"Taking the ball on the flank, beating two players, cutting inside, and finishing with a curling shot! The entire sequence was smooth and seamless!"
"He scored his third League goal of the season!"
"Three goals in three games!"
After scoring, Mark ran to the corner flag and performed a stylish knee slide celebration!
As an inverted winger, cutting inside and shooting is a mandatory skill.
The move of cutting inside and curling the shot towards the far corner was also an offensive routine Mark had focused on training this season.
Especially after seeing how unstoppable Robben's cut-ins were, he became even more determined to become Robben's mirror image!
Moreover, with his current Speed and explosiveness, once he accelerates, no one can keep up with him!
"That was cool!"
"Mate, great goal!"
"Well done!"
As his teammates rushed forward to celebrate, Mark received their congratulations and "rough treatment," his black hair being rubbed into a bird's nest.
With Mark opening the scoring, Hoffenheim, trailing at home, naturally switched to all-out attack mode!
Wolfsburg, not holding back, engaged Hoffenheim in an open exchange of attacks!
Whenever Mark received the ball on the wing, Hoffenheim would send two players to double-team him.
Everyone knew that in a one-on-one situation, this German Elf could dribble past his opponent until they questioned their life choices!
As Wolfsburg's Demolition Expert, Mark had a lot of possession, but he was neither greedy with the ball nor reckless enough to force a breakthrough into a crowd of players.
Especially when opponents intensified their defense against him, Mark very reasonably used his deterrent power to create space for his teammates!
First, he took the ball to draw defenders, then passed it to an open teammate, before repositioning himself to receive the ball again.
This sensible decision-making made him even harder to defend against!
After all, no team dared to let Mark hold the ball within thirty meters of the goal.
Just Mark alone managed to tie up all of Hoffenheim's defensive attention on the right flank.
As the defensive focus shifted to the left, the gaps in the center and on the right became larger.
De Bruyne and Vieirinha, who earned a starting spot in this match, also received more attacking opportunities!
"Mark takes the ball..."
"Two players are double-teaming him..."
"He passes the ball out, De Bruyne receives it, through ball!"
"Olić shoots directly!"
"Brilliant! Baumann makes a spectacular save!"
"Hoffenheim is not to be outdone..."
"Rudy controls the ball, a beautiful lobbed pass!"
"Firmino chest traps the ball and flicks it forward..."
"Chance for Modeste!"
"Oh dear, he tried too hard and shot it wide. — —."
Although that shot was terrible, a round of applause still broke out inside the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
True supporters of their home team won't criticize a player for being poor, only for not fighting hard!
After playing half a season in the Bundesliga, Mark gained a deeper understanding of the League.
Every Bundesliga team, except when facing the ruthless Bayern, will actively push forward and attack.
Bundesliga matches are often very open and expansive; rarely do both sides play cautiously, or does one side simply "park the bus."
In many cases, the tactical philosophy is attack as defense.
On the offensive end, there is no tedious passing and control; it is often simple and efficient, favoring attacking football where teams set up to mutually assault each other.
On the defensive end, it is relatively loose, not as rigid or aggressive.
For example, after taking the lead away from home, Hecking did not instruct his team to retreat and defend; instead, he waved from the sideline, signaling his players to continue pressing forward!
On one hand, because Hoffenheim is stronger in attack than defense, rather than playing counter-attacking football, it was better to press high and push back Hoffenheim's offense.
On the other hand, Wolfsburg's primary tactic this season was high-pressing, championing offensive football!
As both sides pressed forward, a crowd of players squeezed into the central midfield area, constantly battling for possession.
Possession constantly changed hands.
In the thirty-eighth minute, De Bruyne's sudden dribble through the center drew a foul from opposing defensive midfielder Polanski.
Hoffenheim gave the opponent a set-piece opportunity.
When they saw Mark standing over the ball, both Hoffenheim coach Gisdol on the sideline and the twenty thousand Hoffenheim fans in the stands felt their hearts leap into their throats.
At this moment, they suddenly remembered a very important fact:
Mark was the man who had scored a direct free-kick in the World Cup final!
"This is a free-kick opportunity, thirty-two meters from the goal."
"Wolfsburg's number ten, Mark Lane, is preparing to take the kick."
"Let's see if this set piece can change the score..."
Taking a few steps back at a right angle, and after checking the wall and the position of the goal, Mark's eyes suddenly sharpened.
The next second, he accelerated rapidly towards the ball, raising his left arm high, naturally spreading his right hand, concentrating his core strength in his hips, and then using his waist to generate power, fiercely striking the middle of the ball with the inside of his instep!
At the moment of contact, his right foot followed through with a lifting motion, injecting all kinetic energy into the sphere.
The ball shot out like a cannonball leaving the barrel, first flying over the top of the wall.
Immediately after, the completely non-spinning ball, traveling with an outward-curving "C" shape, looked set to fly toward the top right corner, but then suddenly paused briefly in mid-air!
Following that, it plummeted rapidly!
"What?!"
At this point, Baumann, the Hoffenheim keeper whose entire body was diving to the right, was completely unable to adjust his center of gravity in mid-air.
He could only watch helplessly as the ball slipped into the net, grazing the underside of the crossbar, right above where he had just been standing!
"Goal!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Lane once again pierced the goal guarded by Baumann with a spectacular Elevator ball!"
"Wolfsburg's new number ten has achieved a brace!"
"Wolfsburg leads two goals to nil away from home!"
After scoring, Mark simply stood in place, arms wide open, brightly accepting the adoration of the fans.
The noise generated by the thousands of away fans even drowned out the sound of the twenty thousand home fans.
At this moment, the live camera focused on Baumann, the Hoffenheim goalkeeper, sitting on the goal line.
He was seen shrugging helplessly, then gesturing to his teammates.
His waving right hand seemed to be saying, "This ball curves, how the heck do I save it?!"
"Haha, Baumann seems to be explaining the trajectory of the ball to his teammates..."
"This kind of Elevator ball is already very fast, and judging from the slow-motion replay of the goal, the ball changed direction in mid-air..."
"Even if Buffon or Neuer were here, they wouldn't dare say they could definitely save this kind of Elevator ball..."
With Mark achieving a divine brace in the first half, the Hoffenheim players and fans playing at home were stunned.
The cheers and encouragement from the stands suddenly quieted down significantly.
Although they had witnessed Mark contribute a goal and an assist on this stadium half a year ago.
But Mark wasn't this strong back then!
Now he's not only faster but can also strike an unstoppable Elevator ball?!
What exactly happened to this kid in just half a year?!
Soon, with the referee's whistle, the first half concluded.
In the second half, after switching sides, the Hoffenheim players rallied their spirits and continued to press forward aggressively.
For the home team, losing by two was a loss, and losing by three was also a loss.
They might as well commit to a massive attack and try to score.
It would be a great humiliation to be whitewashed at home!
However, Wolfsburg, leading by two goals, played very defensively, dropping deep and starting to play counter-attacking football!
After all, last season they were overturned by Hoffenheim at home precisely because they failed to defend properly after taking the lead.
This time, having learned his lesson, Hecking naturally gave the opponent no opportunity for a comeback!
Seeing Wolfsburg's move, both Hoffenheim coach Gisdol on the sideline and the Hoffenheim fans in the stands and in front of their TVs couldn't help but curse inwardly: "That's seriously despicable!"