Caligiuri's red card came as a surprise to Wolfsburg's players and coaching staff.
However, with only a few minutes left in the first half, Hecking did not substitute any players, merely shouting at his disciples to retreat to their own half and defend the score.
Schalke seized this opportunity, pushing forward with a fierce attack.
Fortunately, there wasn't much time left in the first half... With the referee's whistle, the first half ended.
Ten-man Wolfsburg still held onto their one-nil lead.
Upon returning to the locker room, Hecking did not reprimand Caligiuri, who had been sent off, but instead boosted the team's morale:
"Hold your heads high! We haven't lost yet!"
"It's only a one-goal difference, we still have a chance!"
"In the second half, with one man down, we need to run even more!"
As the godfather of Wolfsburg's revival, Hecking, since taking over in 2012, had made significant reforms in both tactics and training.
Furthermore, he treated every player equally.
Under Hecking's encouragement, the Wolfsburg players also rallied their spirits and entered the second half.
As for Mark Lane, he might not get a chance to play in this match.
After all, with one man down, defense was the top priority.
And he was precisely a winger with little defensive ability... The second half began with a change of ends, and Schalke, with the home advantage and an extra man, indeed pushed forward across the board, launching a fierce attack on Wolfsburg!
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot!
They clearly wanted to decisively defeat their rival Wolfsburg at home.
"Schalke leads Wolfsburg one-nil at home, thanks to Santana's goal."
"Furthermore, Wolfsburg winger Caligiuri was sent off with a red card for insulting the linesman, forcing them to play with one less man."
"The situation is excellent for the home team!"
However, even under the terrifying atmosphere of tens of thousands of fans cheering and roaring, the Wolfsburg players still showed resilient character.
Although they were relentlessly pressured by Schalke in their own half, counter-attacking opportunities were few and far between.
But they simply couldn't break through Wolfsburg's goal!
However, with the continuous defensive pressure, Wolfsburg players made more and more mistakes, and possession was almost completely controlled by Schalke.
Hecking, on the sidelines, looked grim.
He also realized that if things continued like this, the team would definitely concede a goal!
Changes had to be made!
So, he turned around, scanned the players on the bench, and finally settled on the black-haired teenager chewing gum!
"Mark Lane, warm up!"
Hecking's choice caught everyone by surprise!
Normally, if a winger is sent off, and the team is playing with one man down and is trailing, the typical move would be to substitute a forward for a defensive player to prevent the score difference from widening.
But he actually intended to bring on a winger with no defensive ability?!
And a Bundesliga rookie who had only played for five minutes?!
This was not like Hecking's usual low-key and pragmatic approach!
Could it be that he still wanted to escape the Veltins-Arena unscathed?!
Of course, Mark Lane, who was called upon, didn't think that much.
He only knew that he was very likely to make his second Bundesliga appearance!
"Understood!"
Watching Mark Lane run off to warm up, the assistant coach beside him also stepped forward and quietly inquired:
"Dieter, what are you thinking?"
"What's wrong?"
"Are you still planning to get points?"
Facing the assistant coach's confusion, Hecking's eyes narrowed, and he explained in a deep voice:
"We are already one goal down, and besides, if we bring on a defensive player, can we hold the current score?"
"Losing by one goal is no different from losing by two or three!"
"Since that's the case, we might as well fight to the death!"
Hecking's explanation left the assistant coach speechless.
Indeed, for Wolfsburg, playing with one man down and trailing was already an adverse situation.
They were already suppressed by the opponent with eleven men, and now with one less, it was even harder.
"But Mark Lane's stamina might not last for a whole half..."
"It doesn't matter, as long as he can dribble past players and create danger on the wing, it will relieve defensive pressure."
"The opponent will definitely continue to push forward, and the space on the wings will only become larger. Mark Lane can precisely tear open the defense from the wing, and I believe his dribbling will definitely make a difference in the game!"
As Mark Lane finished warming up and changed his clothes, there was finally a dead ball on the field.
Looking at the teenager who was adjusting his socks, Hecking simply instructed in a deep voice:
"Mark Lane, once you're on the field, your job is to take the ball on the right wing, dribble past players, tear open the defense, and deliver passes to your teammates!"
Hearing this, Mark Lane just nodded:
"Understood, Coach!"
With the dead ball opportunity, the fourth official raised the substitution board.
Number 27 off, Number 45 on!
Arnold, who had made his team debut at 17, was somewhat surprised by the coach's decision to substitute him, but he had no complaints.
He knew very well that the team needed to make a change now.
And Mark Lane's dribbling could bring the team a chance of victory.
As a member of the team, one must give everything for the team's victory!
He jogged to the sidelines, high-fived Mark Lane, and didn't forget to cheer him on:
"Mark Lane, it's up to you!"
"Okay!"
In the seventieth minute of the match, Wolfsburg finally used their first substitution of the game.
The live camera also focused on the sidelines, aiming at the handsome black-haired, blue-eyed teenager.
"Wolfsburg, still trailing, made their first substitution, with Hecking bringing on Number 45 Mark Lane for Number 27 Arnold!"
"Mark Lane, this eighteen-year-old youngster, is making his second substitute appearance of the season..."
"This young man, in the previous match against Hannover, completed an astonishing five successful dribbles in just five minutes!"
"Clearly, Hecking hopes this youngster can perform well and replicate the miraculous comeback from the previous match..."
Watching Mark Lane run onto the field, Hecking's eyes held nothing but deep anticipation:
"Kid, let the whole world see your talent!"
Stepping on the soft turf, with the chants of tens of thousands of miner fans echoing in his ears, Mark Lane, wearing a green and white jersey, simply chewed his gum and exhaled a puff of warm air.
Before his eyes, a translucent panel, visible only to him, appeared.
On it were the match objectives for this game:
[Match Objectives have been issued:]
[One: Score a goal or assist]
[Two: Achieve five successful dribbles in a single match!]
[Three: Achieve five successful dribbles against a single player in a single match!]
[Four: Be rated as the Man of the Match!]
[Five: Score a brace!]
...[Complete the corresponding objectives to receive corresponding rewards!]
The list of match objectives was as long as ever.
It covered all aspects, including Man of the Match, successful dribbles, assists, goals, and so on.
However, this time, the playing time was four times longer than his debut appearance!
"Kevin, you go back to the center, I'll go to the right wing!"
With Mark Lane's entry, De Bruyne returned to the center, partnering with Gustavo in midfield.
Perisic and Mark Lane were on the left and right, respectively.
The veteran Olić was positioned furthest forward.
However, Mark Lane's substitute appearance did not immediately change the situation on the field.
Instead, the right wing, where he was positioned, became the opponent's main attacking direction!
Fortunately, having just come on, Mark Lane had ample stamina and could still somewhat help the right-back Ochs defend.
Even so, Wolfsburg was still relentlessly pressured by Schalke in their own half.
It wasn't until the seventy-sixth minute of the match that Schalke's midfield star Meyer carried the ball too much and was dispossessed by De Bruyne and Gustavo, who had him sandwiched.
And at the moment De Bruyne gained possession, a familiar voice rang in his ear:
"Kevin!"
Looking up, De Bruyne unhesitatingly passed the ball to Mark Lane on the right wing!
Receiving and stopping the ball, Mark Lane immediately felt the heavy breathing of Schalke's left-back Kolašinac behind him.
"Trying to turn? No way!"
However, just when everyone thought the slender black-haired teenager would be knocked flying by the robust Kolašinac, Mark Lane performed a move that astonished everyone:
He placed his right foot on the ball and pulled it back!
Then, he smoothly turned to his left!
The next second, the rolling ball passed right between Kolašinac's open legs and returned to Mark Lane's feet