Hearing Dieter Hecking's words, all the players looked up in surprise; this was unlike anything Dieter Hecking would say.
In their impression, Dieter Hecking should have first scolded them thoroughly, then encouraged them.
Finally, he would instruct them that they still had a one-goal lead and should continue playing defensive counter-attack in the second half. They absolutely, absolutely, absolutely had to defend well!
However, Dieter Hecking went off script, and his words left everyone confused.
"It's over, he isn't completely disappointed in us, is he? Has the Head Coach given up?"
Dieter Hecking felt bewildered by their reactions.
"Don't look at me with such surprised eyes! I didn't say anything wrong!"
"Leverkusen's momentum is already built up. If it weren't for halftime, the score would probably be tied or even overturned by now!"
"With your messy defense and chaotic offense in the final stages of the first half, what kind of performance could you possibly deliver?!"
"After going out in the second half, no matter how fiercely Leverkusen attacks, don't panic. Try to control possession!"
"Don't rush your counter-attacks either. Leverkusen's defense must have big problems today, otherwise, we wouldn't have scored three goals in the first half!"
"Finally, I believe we will be the ones laughing last!"
With their Head Coach's support, the Wolfsburg players re-energized and encouraged each other. In the second half, they were determined to make the "medicine sellers" cough up all their medicine.
In the home team's locker room, Leverkusen's players were also full of fighting spirit, determined to teach those "car sellers" a lesson.
They wanted to tell them that BayArena was not a place where they could run wild!
Amidst both sides' verbal threats, the second half began.
After kick-off, Leverkusen, enjoying home advantage, launched wave after wave of attacks to the cheers of the home crowd.
They aimed to firmly control the initiative of the match. Evidently, Wolfsburg was not to be outdone, and both sides engaged in a fierce struggle for possession.
Leverkusen's midfielder, Julian Brandt, played as an attacking midfielder, pressing Arnold who was holding the ball in the back.
The two defensive midfielders, Rolfes and Castro, restricted De Bruyne and cut off his passing lanes to Schürrle and Snuffy.
Leverkusen wanted to exert more pressure on Wolfsburg's core ball-holding players through further midfield possession battles.
By attacking as a form of defense, they aimed to prevent Wolfsburg from having enough energy to launch counter-attacks.
After being dispossessed several times, De Bruyne loudly called for Wolfsburg's midfielders to drop back.
Snuffy and Schürrle positioned themselves about ten meters from De Bruyne to provide support. No matter how fast Leverkusen's players ran, they couldn't match the speed of ball movement.
The probability of intercepting short passes under 15 meters was very low.
Arnold also stopped holding the ball alone in the back and started combining with De Bruyne. De Bruyne and Arnold had developed a good understanding over the past period of cooperation.
Previously, Arnold and De Bruyne were in the midfield, one in front and one behind. As a defensive midfielder, Arnold rarely pushed forward to solidify defense and take responsibility for playing the ball out from the back.
But when De Bruyne dropped back slightly, and Arnold's own position pushed forward a bit, it naturally changed.
The two stood together in the central midfield, cooperating and orchestrating Wolfsburg's attacking rhythm.
Arnold liberated De Bruyne, covering up his weakness in physicality before his Premier League stint. He also shared De Bruyne's responsibility for playing the ball out.
This allowed De Bruyne to avoid being man-marked by the opponent's tough midfielders and to focus his energy more on delivering killer passes.
When Julian Brandt ran back and forth to harass De Bruyne, De Bruyne would shift possession to Arnold's feet, then use his positioning and the situation on the field to make the next move.
When Leverkusen's striker, Drmic, dropped back to harass, Wolfsburg's two fullbacks pushed up to participate in offensive support.
Within the space of the midfield and defense, Wolfsburg would never easily lose possession; they were determined to keep the ball at their feet.
Under pressure, De Bruyne mostly played the ball with one touch after receiving it, either a horizontal pass or a back pass, mostly safe passes to ensure possession was not lost.
But hidden behind these seemingly ordinary passes was the boundless killing intent of a world-class midfielder who had not yet reached his peak!
As Arnold passed the ball back to him again, De Bruyne shook off Julian Brandt's defense and immediately sent a through ball to Snuffy's feet.
Snuffy had barely touched the ball with his back to goal when he was fouled by a Leverkusen player, being violently shoved to the ground by Son Heung-min!
The Referee immediately blew his whistle, signaling a foul and awarding a free-kick. Son Heung-min didn't argue and immediately returned to the halfway line.
While Snuffy was still on the ground, Schürrle seized the opportunity of the free-kick and immediately kicked the ball to De Bruyne, who had already pushed past the center circle.
De Bruyne received the ball near the center circle, controlled it, and then delivered an overhead long pass from a standstill.
The ball flew directly over the heads of Leverkusen's defensive midfielders, heading for Snuffy, who had already gotten up and was making a frantic run down the right wing!
De Bruyne's long pass was perfectly weighted. Snuffy ran to the edge of Leverkusen's penalty area, shielding the ball with his back to Leverkusen's right-back, Boenisch, and brought the ball down with his chest.
Then, as the ball dropped, he flicked it with the outside of his foot to Vieirinha, who was making a late run from behind him. From trapping the ball to passing it, the action was smooth, concise, and elegant!
Vieirinha surged forward through the middle, dribbling directly into the penalty area. Leverkusen's center-back, Spahic, was clearly a step too slow in his block.
Vieirinha's dribble into the box forced Leverkusen's entire defensive line to retreat, but he made an even more decisive cross.
To his right, Snuffy, who had already shaken off Boenisch, arrived at full speed and calmly slotted the ball into the net with a push shot.
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Words cannot describe Snuffy! He scores again! And it's a brace!"
"Vieirinha, this defender, has been absolutely brilliant since changing positions from winger this season. He is a full-back, but he is also a hidden winger!"
"Wolfsburg leads Leverkusen four to two! They currently have the situation on the field firmly under control!"
After scoring, Snuffy was once again mobbed by his teammates. After celebrating, everyone clamored to score another goal against Leverkusen.
Leverkusen, having conceded another goal, was a little frustrated but had not lost their fighting spirit. The most intense part of the match was about to unfold.
After the kick-off, Leverkusen didn't press too high and began to constantly pass the ball in their own half and near the halfway line.
They wanted to attract the attention of Wolfsburg's midfielders. Once Wolfsburg's formation was slightly stretched,
They would then slowly penetrate forward, looking for good scoring opportunities.
In the sixty-seventh minute, Karim Bellarabi, who had dropped back from the front to carry the ball, dribbled a few steps and then passed it to Son Heung-min on the left wing.
Then Karim Bellarabi and Julian Brandt quickly surged forward towards Wolfsburg's penalty area.
Drmic also began to move within the box, distracting Wolfsburg's defensive attention with his runs.
After receiving the ball, Son Heung-min activated his "small engine" and burst forward at high speed. Schürrle, who was constantly chasing him, surprisingly couldn't keep up with Son Heung-min's dribbling.
This gave Son Heung-min a one-on-one opportunity against Ricardo Rodriguez. Facing Rodriguez's block, he very skillfully used a feint and a change of direction to get past him.
After reaching the byline, he glanced at the situation in the box and chose to deliver a half-volley cross, sending the ball directly into the penalty area, aiming for Drmic.
After passing the ball, Son Heung-min also immediately ran towards Wolfsburg's penalty area.
Drmic was tightly marked by Knoche, and his run pulled Knoche into a deep area, but the ball's trajectory was behind them.
Gustavo dropped back into the box to contend for this spot, but Julian Brandt constantly distracted him with his harassment, ultimately preventing him from reaching the ball's landing spot in time.
Drmic provided a screen, while Julian Brandt and Karim Bellarabi contested for the ball behind him. Naldo and Gustavo could only watch helplessly as Karim Bellarabi, in a more favorable position, reached the ball's landing spot.
After rushing into the box, Karim Bellarabi met the ball with a powerful shot. The contact between his foot and the ball was perfect, and the ball rocketed towards the goal like a cannonball!
Wolfsburg's goalkeeper, Benaglio, hastily used his body to block the ball, but the powerful shot gave the ball immense momentum.
The ball rebounded upon contact with his body and fortuitously landed for Son Heung-min, who had rushed into the box. With a steady push shot, Son Heung-min scored again, completing a hat-trick!
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Leverkusen hasn't given up! They haven't just sat back and waited! They're still giving a strong counter-attack!"
"Son! He scores his first Bundesliga hat-trick!"
In the seventy-second minute, while neutralizing a Wolfsburg attack, Leverkusen's right-back, Hilbert, cleared the ball with a long kick from the back.
The ball flew directly from Leverkusen's penalty area to the edge of Wolfsburg's large penalty area!
Drmic started early, beating Wolfsburg's defenders to the ball's landing spot, and headed it to Karim Bellarabi who came to support him.
Karim Bellarabi headed the ball to shake off his marker and, from thirteen meters in front of the goal, pushed a shot that went through De Bruyne's legs and into the goal defended by Benaglio!
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! An incredible match! When Wolfsburg led three-nil in the first half, no one would have thought this match would end up tied at four-four!"
"Is Wolfsburg's eight-game League winning streak about to end here?!"
"Leverkusen's resilience has taught us a vivid lesson!"
In the seventy-eighth minute, Spahic fouled Dost, accumulating two yellow cards and being sent off.
Leverkusen was down a center-back, which was undoubtedly a rare piece of good news for Wolfsburg's attack.
They began to frantically bombard Leverkusen's half in the remaining match time.
With an unstable defense, Leverkusen could only launch counter-attacks whenever possible.
Wolfsburg seized an excellent opportunity during a transition from defense to attack. After Naldo and Gustavo completed a brilliant joint defense,
Gustavo forced Son Heung-min to attempt a dribble, but as he was beaten, Naldo emerged from behind and dispossessed Son Heung-min of the ball.
Immediately after, Naldo passed the ball to Vieirinha, who had overlapped to receive the ball and launch a counter-attack. After Vieirinha carried the ball into the final third,
He passed the ball to De Bruyne, who had already pushed forward. The ball then shifted to the right wing via De Bruyne's diagonal pass.
Snuffy, unmarked, delivered an accurate long pass. Dost, who had run back from inside the box, headed the ball down, and Schürrle, making a diagonal run into the box, broke through Leverkusen's defense.
This forced Leverkusen's right-back, Hilbert, to make a sliding tackle. He had already lost his position, but unfortunately, he didn't get to the ball.
The Referee decisively awarded a penalty and showed Hilbert a yellow card.
Dost took the penalty from Naldo, the team's first-choice penalty taker. He did not disappoint his teammates.
Then, after a run-up and a powerful shot, the ball flew into the top right corner of Leverkusen's goal!
"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Being a man down in defense has almost nullified Leverkusen's efforts to catch up! Congratulations to Dost for completing a hat-trick! Wolfsburg has regained the lead!"
In the final moments of the match, being re-overtaken in score, coupled with playing a man down, these successive blows.
Finally caused Leverkusen's players to lose their last bit of fight, appearing somewhat dispirited in the final ten minutes of the match.
After all, with that recent goal, it had become impossible for them to prevent Wolfsburg from taking the victory from their home ground!
As the match entered injury time, Vieirinha crossed from the right wing, and Snuffy reached the ball's landing spot, heading an assist for Dost to score another goal!
Helping Dost complete his first-ever four-goal haul in his career!
Soon after, the Referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match.
Ultimately, thanks to Snuffy's brace and Dost's amazing four-goal haul, Wolfsburg narrowly defeated Leverkusen six to four away from home!
Unsurprisingly, the Man of the Match for this game was awarded to Dost, who scored four goals.
To celebrate this victory, the entire Wolfsburg team enjoyed a sumptuous dinner at a high-end restaurant in Leverkusen.
After a good night's rest at a luxurious five-star hotel in the area, they began their return to Wolfsburg the following afternoon.
On February 20th, they will host Sporting CP, their opponent in the first knockout round of the Europa League.
Before that, Snuffy also wanted to invite available teammates to his home for a party on February 18th, which was New Year's Eve according to the Chinese lunar calendar.