Right after playing against Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg began preparing for their second-leg Europa League match against Sporting CP.
Initially, Dieter Hecking had decided to bring a squad of half-reserves and half-starters, aiming for a draw.
However, he later became uneasy, fearing a setback after a strong first-leg performance, and ultimately brought all the main players.
Whether they played or not was one thing; their mere presence on the bench inexplicably brought a sense of reassurance.
In the end, Sporting CP, playing at home, still couldn't make any waves.
Under the strict defense of Wolfsburg's half-strength lineup, the match ended in a goalless draw, with both sides shaking hands.
Wolfsburg successfully advanced to the Europa League Round of 16. After the draw, Wolfsburg was paired with Inter Milan for the Europa League Round of 16.
"Inter Milan! A few years ago, I couldn't have imagined facing such a giant in the Europa League Round of 16!"
Dost looked at the draw results, his face full of emotion.
Snuffy was also a little excited; although Inter Milan had declined in the past two years, they were still Inter Milan!
As a professional player, engaging in an intense contest with such a powerhouse was undoubtedly something to look forward to.
This was also Snuffy's first encounter with a giant team outside of the Bundesliga. Snuffy was quite excited about the renowned Serie A giant!
Time had arrived in March 2015. The entire March schedule was not friendly for Wolfsburg; it felt somewhat like a 'hellish' schedule.
First, there was a series of three consecutive away matches in quick succession.
These included the Bundesliga Round 23 match against Werder Bremen on March 2nd.
Then, the German Cup Round of 16 knockout match against RB Leipzig on March 5th, where a loss would mean elimination from the German Cup.
And the Bundesliga Round 24 match against Augsburg on March 7th.
Subsequently, after only a few days of rest, Wolfsburg would host Serie A giant Inter Milan on March 13th.
On March 15th, they would play their Bundesliga Round 25 home match against Freiburg.
On March 20th, they would fly to Milan for the second leg of their Europa League match against Inter Milan.
On March 22nd, they would play their Bundesliga Round 26 away match against Mainz.
Looking at such a schedule, not only was head coach Dieter Hecking racking his brains over team selection, but even Snuffy, who usually had excellent stamina, felt he might not be able to endure it.
The intervals between these matches were too short, and Dieter Hecking had to rotate the squad, especially the older players in the defensive line.
Therefore, in the Bundesliga Round 23 match against Werder Bremen, Dieter Hecking made significant adjustments to the lineup.
On the afternoon of March 2nd, at Werder Bremen's Weser Stadium, the exciting match between Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg was about to unfold.
Werder Bremen played a traditional 4-4-2 formation:
Goalkeeper: Wolf.
Defenders: Fritz, Prödl, Vestergaard, Gebre Selassie.
Midfielders: Stenberg, Öztunali, Junuzović, Felix Kroos.
Forwards: Di Santo, Davie Selke.
Wolfsburg still played a 4-2-3-1, but with changes in personnel.
Goalkeeper: Benaglio.
Defenders: Vieirinha, Timm Klose, Naldo, Schäfer.
Midfielders: Caligiuri, Arnold, De Bruyne, Guilavogui, Snuffy.
Forward: Dost.
Almost all the players who started the previous match were on the bench this time.
From the very beginning of the match, Werder Bremen played extremely proactively, unlike Hertha Berlin, who only focused on defending a few days prior.
Werder Bremen, playing at their home stadium, performed exceptionally well in both offense and defense, engaging in a back-and-forth battle with Wolfsburg.
For Wolfsburg's players, this was a tough contest.
But for the fans watching the match, only such an open and unrestrained duel could truly excite them.
In the 4th minute of the match, De Bruyne distributed the ball in midfield. Before the ball reached his feet, Snuffy, who was running and observing the wing, immediately ran to the right flank.
Before Stenberg, Werder Bremen's full-back, could get close, he received the ball and immediately surged forward along the wing, nearing the byline.
However, although he evaded Stenberg, Werder Bremen's defensive midfielder, Felix Kroos, had already blocked his path, cutting off his route for an inside cut.
Facing this situation, Snuffy, knowing he had no chance, turned to shield the ball, intending to pass it back to a midfielder behind him to restart the play.
And it was at this moment that Kroos, positioned behind him, suddenly accelerated and forcefully collided with Snuffy from the side.
Snuffy lost his balance due to the sudden impact, stumbled, and the ball was easily taken away by Kroos.
It is very common for a forward to be fouled by a defender, but in these first few minutes, Snuffy had already been fouled two or three times while dribbling.
And because the movements were not too exaggerated, the Referee did not call a foul.
Not only Snuffy, but other Wolfsburg ball-carriers like De Bruyne and Arnold also faced these subtle fouls early in the match.
As a result, when Werder Bremen began their attack in midfield, Wolfsburg's players were ready to return the favor.
Although both sets of players were clearly restraining the intensity of their fouls, the atmosphere on the pitch grew increasingly heated.
The fast-paced exchanges, continuous fouls, and shouts kept both teams' players fully focused on the match.
Soon, Wolfsburg launched another attack.
Snuffy dribbled the ball back and forth on the right wing, attracting the attention of Werder Bremen midfielders Junuzović and Fritz.
And before the two could close in, he had already run towards the front right. Stenberg and Kroos once again blocked his path.
This time, Snuffy gave them no opportunity to foul, directly turning and unleashing a powerful long pass, sending the ball to Arnold in the center.
Arnold received the ball and crossed it into the box. Dost, facing Vestergaard, who was taller than him, could not win the first header.
The ball was headed away by Vestergaard, but at this moment, Snuffy had already run back to the center and regained possession.
When Snuffy got the ball, Kroos, who was closely following him, immediately rushed to steal it, leaving Snuffy somewhat flustered under pressure.
He could only use his body to forcefully push away the clinging Kroos, then passed the ball to Vieirinha on the wing.
Vieirinha received the ball and once again broke through towards Werder Bremen's right byline, after attracting the attention of many defenders.
He turned and passed the ball to Snuffy. Snuffy feinted forward, then immediately dribbled directly into Werder Bremen's central box.
Dost, understanding the intention, surged forward with Snuffy, and their simultaneous charge made it difficult for Werder Bremen's defenders to make a decision.
Finally, the two center-backs each went forward to mark Snuffy and Dost.
At this point, a gap appeared in Werder Bremen's box, between the center and the right.
Snuffy made a sudden stop, turned, and chipped the ball towards that position.
Caligiuri, who had made a run into the box, did not waste Snuffy's pass, and his shot sent the ball into Werder Bremen's goal.
This goal completely ignited the atmosphere of the entire match.
Wolfsburg's players celebrated wildly for breaking the deadlock. Werder Bremen, however, grew more unwilling to accept such a result for their efforts.
Amidst the increasingly fervent cheers from the home crowd, Werder Bremen began to lose control of their fouling actions against Wolfsburg players.
From the 23rd minute to the 37th minute of the match, although neither side scored, Werder Bremen players received three yellow cards.
One midfielder was booked, and two defenders were booked. On Wolfsburg's side, Arnold and Snuffy also received yellow cards for fouls during their defensive efforts to curb Werder Bremen's quick attacks.
The tension between the two sets of players grew increasingly palpable.
In the 41st minute, De Bruyne was double-teamed in front of the center circle. He controlled the ball in a small area, continuously evaded defenders, found a gap, and passed the ball.
However, the pass to Snuffy was too obvious and was intercepted by Werder Bremen midfielder Öztunali.
Werder Bremen forward Di Santo, receiving the ball upfront, played a one-touch pass horizontally to the wing, then turned and ran to the left side of the box to receive the ball back from Fritz.
Facing Naldo, Di Santo feinted, then pushed the ball and changed direction, gaining a half-step lead, but was still entangled by Naldo.
Finally, out of desperation, he chipped a half-volley into Wolfsburg's box.
Junuzović, who had made a late run, unleashed a powerful shot, sending the ball into Wolfsburg's goal.
Just before the end of the first half, Werder Bremen equalized.
During halftime, Dieter Hecking, based on the situation of the match, re-devised his offensive tactics.
Because Werder Bremen's left-back Stenberg and the left-sided center-back Vestergaard both had a yellow card, they became the weak points of Werder Bremen's entire defensive line.
Therefore, Wolfsburg's offensive focus in the second half would primarily target Werder Bremen's weak left flank.
The second half began, and Wolfsburg actively launched attacks down the left wing.
However, it was Werder Bremen who capitalized on Wolfsburg's offensive vulnerabilities.
The attacking players in the front demonstrated exquisite short-range passing. Davie Selke easily controlled the ball in front of Wolfsburg's center-back Klose.
Öztunali, before Guilavogui could press him, delivered a delightful through ball into the right side of the box.
Di Santo surged forward, evaded veteran Naldo's defense, and chipped the ball into the near corner of the goal.
Werder Bremen broke through Wolfsburg's defense and took the lead!
The cheers of Werder Bremen fans in Weser Stadium shook the heavens. Werder Bremen 2:1 Wolfsburg.
Having conceded two goals in a row, Wolfsburg players' emotions began to run high.
The team's offensive momentum also became more ferocious.
Snuffy, after receiving the ball, would drive into the box, and Caligiuri also began to constantly drift to the left flank to combine with Snuffy.
In the 57th minute, when De Bruyne had possession, Snuffy once again surged into Werder Bremen's box, shaking off his marker while extending his hand to De Bruyne for the ball.
Seeing this, defensive midfielder Kroos followed him, and the full-back also returned to the wing, once again stretching Werder Bremen's defensive line in front of the box.
De Bruyne, aiming for the opened space, delivered a through ball.
Dost ran into position, leaned on Vestergaard, then dribbled one more step towards the goal before unleashing a powerful shot! The ball flew directly into the top left corner of the goal.
Wolfsburg equalized!
Thirteen minutes later, during a Wolfsburg left-wing attack, Schäfer made a rapid run down the byline, receiving a diagonal long pass from De Bruyne.
After Schäfer controlled the ball, he briefly assessed the situation in the box, then sent the ball to the right side of the box.
Snuffy, making a forward run, received the pass and faced Vestergaard directly. Vestergaard was hesitant to apply too much physical pressure, fearing another yellow card.
Snuffy, after a momentary duel in place, suddenly back-heeled the ball diagonally to the central position.
Vestergaard turned to look, and what met his eyes was Caligiuri cutting inside and arriving. He quickly stepped forward and extended his leg to press, but Caligiuri, having received the ball first, was tripped to the ground by his opponent!
The Referee blew his whistle, penalizing Vestergaard for a foul and awarding Wolfsburg a penalty, but he did not issue a second yellow card.
De Bruyne converted the penalty, and Wolfsburg once again took the lead.
These two goals caused the Weser Stadium, which had just been filled with cheers, to gradually quiet down.
Many Werder Bremen fans could not accept that their team, which had just been leading, was now a goal behind again.
Werder Bremen's head coach began to make amends, substituting both left-backs and also taking off the booked midfielder Fritz.
He wanted to make a desperate push, hoping to capitalize on the remaining twenty-plus minutes of the match.
But Dieter Hecking, who had finally gained the lead, was unwilling to give his opponent any more chances, substituting Caligiuri and Dost.
He brought on Gustavo and Aaron Hunt, pushing Snuffy forward alone.
Four defenders, four midfielders who could all play as defensive midfielders, plus Snuffy and De Bruyne actively harassing upfront.
Wolfsburg clearly showed their desire to win. As long as they could get three points, what if they were criticized for being conservative after the match?
Amidst the continuous jeers from Werder Bremen fans, Wolfsburg held onto their 3-2 lead until the very end.
Although he did not score after the match, Snuffy, who constantly created numerous scoring opportunities for his team, once again received the Man of the Match award.
During this period of matches, due to opponents' focus and targeted marking, Snuffy's goal count was much lower than before.
This was a very normal situation, and Snuffy was working very hard to improve this situation.
When he turns this situation around, that will be the beginning of his true path to becoming a superstar.