Chapter 352: Chapter 80: Blitzkrieg! Klopp’s Ascendancy and the Woeful Van Gaal

Wang Shuo burst between Bayern’s two defensive midfielders at top speed.

Sprinting off the ball, Wang Shuo was moving at an incredible pace.

By the time Van Bommel and Schweinsteiger reacted, they were already a step too slow.

Van Bommel, in particular, managed to grab ahold of Wang Shuo’s jersey, but he couldn’t hold him back.

Demichelis quickly turned and gave chase.

Lahm, out on the wing, was also tracking back at top speed.

The Argentinian center-back wasn’t slow, but Wang Shuo was even faster.

Everyone watched as Wang Shuo, who had started from behind, gradually closed the distance before finally overtaking Demichelis.

Reaching the ball he had just kicked ahead of himself, he took a touch with his left foot and entered the penalty area.

In that moment, the entire Allianz Arena gasped in shock!

"One-on-one!!"

"Just 34 seconds into the game, Dortmund has a one-on-one!"

"It’s a one-on-one for Wang Shuo!"

Butt decisively rushed off his line. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

But after rushing into the penalty area, the lightning-fast Wang Shuo immediately struck the ball with his left foot. He calmly exploited the opening created by Butt’s charge, sending the ball into the back of Bayern’s net!

The moment the ball hit the back of the net, the scoreboard clock read 36 seconds!

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"

"It’s a goal!!!"

"Dortmund are the first to score against Bayern!"

"Just 36 seconds into the match, Wang Shuo capitalized on a brilliant kick-and-chase, finishing his one-on-one opportunity to score against Bayern!"

"One to zero!"

After a lung-bursting 50-meter run to score the goal, an ecstatic Wang Shuo turned and sprinted off the pitch, running all the way to the sideline to celebrate with his approaching teammates.

Meanwhile, in front of the visitor’s technical area, an ecstatic Klopp leaped into the air, unleashing his signature triple fist-pump celebration on the sideline.

"What a sudden goal!"

"Clearly, Bayern never expected Dortmund to score so suddenly."

"In just 36 seconds, Butt’s goal has been breached!"

"But this is Dortmund’s signature blitzkrieg!"

"Bayern’s players were clearly slower to settle into the rhythm of the game than Dortmund’s."

"Let’s take another look at the slow-motion replay. Wang Shuo’s pace is incredible."

"But more importantly, there was a clear vulnerability in Bayern’s back line. When Van Bitten pushed up to challenge for a header, he exposed the space behind him, and Wang Shuo seized the opportunity."

...

After taking an early lead, Dortmund didn’t just sit back and defend.

As Bayern restarted play, the Bumblebees’ midfield and forwards, led by Wang Shuo, immediately put Bayern under pressure with a high press.

Wang Shuo, Grosskreutz, and Kuba in particular relentlessly hounded Bayern’s defenders, forcing them into hurried clearances.

Bayern, playing at home, were no pushovers, however. They weren’t about to simply cede control of the match to Dortmund.

The two sides engaged in a fast-paced, end-to-end battle.

More importantly, they were now trailing.

At the 3:08 mark of the match, Bayern launched a long ball from the back, trying to find Gomez up front.

Santana quickly closed him down, outmuscled Gomez, and headed the ball to Hummels.

The former Bayern player didn’t take a touch, immediately playing it out to the right flank.

Owomoyela controlled the ball and moved forward. Just after crossing the halfway line, he saw Wang Shuo up ahead, calling for the ball in the pocket of space between Bayern’s defensive midfielders and their back line.

Without a second thought, the Dortmund right-back immediately sent a long, diagonal pass forward.

The ball traveled diagonally from the right side of the pitch near the halfway line to the center of the attacking third.

Wang Shuo read the flight of the ball perfectly and dropped back to meet it.

But instead of taking it down himself, he used the inside of his right foot to cushion a first-time pass to Kuba in the right half-space.

Having laid the ball off, Wang Shuo immediately spun and burst forward on a sprint.

After all, this was Wang Shuo.

The most lethal attacker in the Bundesliga at the moment, and incredibly fast.

Most importantly, he had just scored a goal.

The Bayern defenders treated him like a dire threat.

The moment they saw Wang Shuo begin to sprint, they immediately turned to pursue him with long strides.

Wang Shuo’s sprint created a tactical dilemma. If only Van Bitten tracked him, Wang Shuo would have another chance to receive the ball, forcing Demichelis to position himself to cut off the passing lane from Kuba. But if they weren’t fast enough, Kuba could chip the ball over the top, putting Wang Shuo through for another one-on-one.

Faced with this, both Van Bitten and Demichelis tracked back at top speed, keeping Wang Shuo tightly sandwiched between them.

This, however, eased the pressure on Kuba.

Kuba was now running directly at the defense, charging forward with the ball at his feet.

At that moment, it was clear to see Wang Shuo deliberately running toward the center of the Arc Top District, vacating the right half-space for Kuba.

Demichelis was completely focused on Wang Shuo, terrified that Kuba would find him with a pass and create a shooting opportunity.

It wasn’t just the two center-backs; even the goalkeeper’s attention was drawn to Wang Shuo’s run.

Kuba had been forgotten.

As the Polish winger charged with the ball to the right side of the Arc Top District, he unleashed a sudden long-range shot just before Badstuber could close him down.

Like a bolt of lightning, the ball rocketed into the right side of Bayern’s goal.

By then, Butt was still standing rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded.

Only then did Demichelis realize he had made a grave error.

He had been drawn out of position by Wang Shuo’s run, creating a gap between himself and Badstuber that gave Kuba the opening to shoot.

But it was too late for regrets!

Two to zero!

Dortmund had scored two goals in just over three minutes from the start of the match!