Conceding a goal so early was like a heavy blow to the head, leaving the home team somewhat dazed.
This season, although they had not lost a single match at home in the League,
they had already tasted defeat on the Champions League stage.
However, at home, they had only held out for seventeen minutes before their goal was breached.
This came as a surprise to many home fans.
"As expected of a Premier League giant! To be firmly at the top of the Premier League, Chelsea..."
"That number ten, Hazard, I heard he's the core of the Belgium National Team!"
"Tsk, don't boost others' morale while dampening our own. They have a Belgian international, and so do we!"
"Yeah!"
"Besides, no matter how good he is, is he as good as Mark?! Didn't we beat them away last time?"
While the Wolfsburg fans in the stands were buzzing with discussion, the Wolfsburg players on the pitch looked at each other in dismay.
They also hadn't expected their team to concede a goal so quickly.
The reason Wolfsburg was able to take the lead in the Bundesliga this season was, on one hand, Mark's personal explosion and the team's sharp offense.
On the other hand, it was also because the Bundesliga has a bright, fast pace, with most matches being open and attacking, focusing more on offense than defense.
If you really wanted to talk about how good the team's defense was, it certainly couldn't compare to a Bundesliga powerhouse like Bayern, whose overall strength was a level higher.
Not to mention Chelsea under the coaching of the 'Master of Defense,' Mourinho.
Although the Dutch international center-back De Vrij, who had just joined in the summer, was exceptionally skilled and had quickly integrated into the team's defensive system to form a stable partnership with Naldo,
there was still a certain distance between their strength and that of battle-hardened top defenders like Terry and Cahill.
In the dozen or so matches across all competitions this season, Wolfsburg had rarely kept a clean sheet!
Seeing that his teammates were really a bit slow to get into the zone, Mark couldn't help but frown. He immediately clapped his hands and shouted loudly, "Guys, wake up!"
"The game has only just begun!"
"Forget our last victory at Stamford Bridge; they haven't come here with good intentions!"
At Mark's shouting, the Wolfsburg players seemed to wake from a dream.
"That's right!"
"Mark is right, don't underestimate the opponent!"
As the game restarted, Chelsea's formation retreated slightly, waiting for Wolfsburg to attack, also trying to lure the snake out of its hole.
Naturally, playing at home and trailing in the score, Wolfsburg unceremoniously pushed their offensive past the halfway line, facing Chelsea's blue defensive lines head-on.
However, they soon discovered that their opponents seemed to have become stronger!
The Chelsea of mid-season was clearly different from the Chelsea at the start of the season.
They had become more mature and more patient!
Perhaps because they were invincible in the Premier League, every Chelsea player was much more confident than during their last encounter.
In addition to the players' excellent individual form, Mourinho had also devised a very targeted defensive strategy.
Specifically, they implemented a tight marking system on Mark!
Whenever Mark tried to receive the ball on the wing, Ivanović would immediately press up behind him, using his physical advantage to interfere and prevent him from receiving the ball easily.
If he moved inside toward the center, Chelsea's right winger Willian and Oscar in the middle would both drop back, maintaining a double-teaming posture to set up a defense around Mark.
Once Mark was allowed to turn, they would immediately tangle with him or foul him, never letting him pick up speed.
Such targeted defense made Mark feel a bit uncomfortable at the start.
Chelsea's defensive intensity and physicality were greater than those of any Bundesliga defender.
As long as they were near him, grabbing and pulling was standard, followed by using their bodies to block and steal the ball.
This was a level of defensive intensity he had rarely experienced in the Bundesliga.
Fortunately, Mark was well-prepared for this'special attention' from his opponents.
Who said only Chelsea had become stronger?!
Compared to three months ago, with his current physical balance and strength, as long as he withstood the first impact, he could shield the ball and then complete a turn or a pass.
Even in front of the top Premier League full-back 'Terrible Ivan' Ivanović, he could still handle and control the ball with ease!
In the twenty-third minute, De Bruyne played a wall pass with Arnold in the middle, gaining space to pass.
"K!"
Accompanying Mark's shout, the ball was already sent out by De Bruyne.
Facing the pass, Mark stepped forward to meet the ball.
Ivanović followed closely behind him.
Under everyone's gaze, Mark first stopped the ball with the inside of his foot, then used the momentum to step on the ball and spin, completing his turn.
"Marseille Turn!"
Facing the lunging Ivanović, Mark showed no fear.
Feinting a breakthrough to the left, he took a step forward, suddenly pulled his body back, and flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, bypassing Ivanović on the right.
"A beautiful feint!"
After beating Ivanović, Mark didn't get greedy. He passed the ball directly to De Bruyne in the middle, played a one-two wall pass with him, and bypassed Matić.
By now, Mark had carried the ball to the edge of Chelsea's penalty area, charging forward like an unstoppable knight to meet Chelsea captain Terry.
Mark VS Terry!
As Mark entered the penalty area, Terry didn't dare to dive in easily. He simply adopted a side-on defensive stance, wary of Mark. 'This kid loves step-overs; I have to watch for his rhythm changes!'
"Also, his explosive power is very strong, I must be careful!"
However, Mark gave Terry no such chance.
Observing that his opponent was older, he was unceremonious. He performed a right-footed Step-over, followed by a flick with the outside of his left foot, and an accelerated change of direction, forcibly opening up space for a left-footed shot.
Seeing Mark swing his left leg back as if to shoot, Terry grit his teeth and extended his right foot with all his might to block.
However, he hadn't expected that Mark's left-footed swing was a feint!
A fake shot followed by a cut back; Mark's left foot pulled the ball to the front right, sending Terry flying past him.
At this moment, it was impossible for Terry to use his body to block the shooting angle!
Facing Courtois on the goal line, Mark showed no mercy, using the arch of his right foot to push the ball into the bottom right corner!
Courtois was tall with long arms; it was extremely difficult for mid-height or high balls to get past his fingers.
The weakness of such a tall goalkeeper was that they were slower to get down to the ground!
In the next second, the ball clung to the turf and flew toward the bottom right corner of the goal.
The ball was very fast, passing exactly under the armpit of the diving Courtois and drilling into the goal behind him!
Along with the splashing white net, the Volkswagen Arena was instantly ignited!
With a boom, the decibel level of the cheers even caused slight vibrations to be felt throughout the city of Wolfsburg.
"Goal!!!"
"An incomparable individual performance!"
"Wolfsburg's number ten magician has performed his magic again, easily equalizing the score!"
In less than five minutes, Mark had scored a goal that fully demonstrated his individual ability!
It could be considered a response to Hazard's goal just moments ago!
After scoring, Mark sprinted to the corner flag and performed a stylish knee slide.
After carving two tracks into the turf, he rose smoothly and snapped his fingers toward the camera.
Led by the stadium DJ, the home fans in the stands engaged in a synchronized chant: "Mark~~"
"Lane!"
"Mark~~~"
"Lane!!"
"Mark~~~"
"Lane!!!"
You have Hazard, we have Mark!
With goals from both sides' primary threats, the match officially entered a fever pitch.
In the time that followed, the pitch seemed to become a stage for the performance of the two teams' left wingers!
In the twenty-eighth minute, Hazard faced Sebastian Jung's defense on the left, performed a magical spin, and accelerated past him.
He then carried the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty area and completed a low shot!
Unfortunately, the angle was too sharp, and it slid just wide of the goal.
In the thirty-third minute, Mark broke through on the left again with the ball, charging single-handedly to the edge of the penalty area and completing a high-quality curling shot.
However, it was parried away by Courtois's palms and then cleared out of bounds by a defender.
Both sides' attacks were very direct, quickly moving the ball through the midfield to Mark (or Hazard) on the left wing, then letting the star players tear open the defense and create threats!
One second, Chelsea had just completed a shot in front of the penalty area;
the next second, Wolfsburg struck into Chelsea's heart through a quick counterattack.
The speed of the transitions made the fans in the stands and in front of the TV scream with excitement.
Whether it was Mark or Hazard, both were using their individual dribbling breakthroughs to stage one show of skill after another.
Especially Mark; every touch and dribble was filled with agility and phantom-like grace.
In the German football scene, which emphasizes team coordination, Mark's style of play was unique.
This was also why Mark received so much praise and recognition.
Of course, besides his unique style, his strength was also in a class of its own among the new generation of German players!
In competitive sports, the strong are respected!
With the intense clashes and brilliant offense and defense from both sides, time passed unknowingly until the end of the first half.
Suddenly, the referee blew his whistle.
The players on the pitch and the fans in the stands were startled to realize that time had passed so quickly!
The first half had ended without them even noticing?!
Many fans smacked their lips and couldn't help but exclaim: "This game is just too exciting!"
"Yeah, there wasn't a single dull moment, the offensive and defensive rhythm was maxed out!"
A brilliant football match should make people forget time and become immersed in the game.
And the first half between Wolfsburg and Chelsea was exactly that kind of breathtaking, immersive match!
Although Wolfsburg had the home-field advantage, their players were affected by the weekend's League match, and their form could only be described as average. In contrast, the visiting Chelsea were in top form and held the initiative on the pitch.
The second half began with the teams switching sides.
The match continued with the fast pace of the first half.
Chelsea couldn't stop Mark's phantom-like breakthroughs, and Wolfsburg couldn't stop Hazard's sharp dribbling.
However, both head coaches changed their tactics with a tacit understanding.
Next, the fans in the stands and in front of the TV could see that the breakthrough decisions of Mark and Hazard had changed.
After their breakthroughs, the two didn't just look to shoot; they also played pass-and-move combinations with their teammates.
This made the two even harder to defend against.
The attacks of both sides were very sharp; the key to victory now turned to the quality of the defense.
However, compared to Chelsea, refined by Mourinho, Wolfsburg's defense was still a level below.
In the sixty-third minute, Chelsea was on the attack.
Matić advanced several meters with the ball in the center before giving it to Hazard on the left again.
'King Hazard' cut inside with the ball and suddenly played a lateral pass to the center.
Fàbregas took the ball, looked up to observe, and suddenly sent a disguised through ball.
The ball passed right by defensive midfielder Gustavo's foot and into the penalty area.
Costa understood the intent, held off De Vrij with his back to the goal, extended his foot to stop it, pulled it back, and completed a half-turn shot!
With a bang, the ball was like a shell from a cannon!
Because the distance was so close and the shot so sudden, Benaglio had no time to anticipate. He could only make a diving choice the moment the ball flew toward the near corner.
However, his dive couldn't prevent the ball from hitting the net!
This goal fully demonstrated the target man role and individual ability of a center-forward.
Costa received the ball in the penalty area and completed the half-turn shot in one smooth motion.
During this period, Costa was definitely a top Premier League center-forward!
Looking at Costa, Mark also felt some envy.
In Wolfsburg's lineup, whether it was Olić, Dost, or Bendtner on the bench, none belonged to the type of big center-forward who could hold up the ball with their back to the goal or complete a shot while holding off a center-back.
If Wolfsburg had a Costa, their variations and patterns in the final third would only be more numerous and threatening.
Moreover, to a certain extent, it could also ease the offensive pressure on the wingers.
Of course, in all of football, top center-forwards were extremely scarce.
After taking the lead again, Chelsea retreated their formation once more, letting Wolfsburg attack.
By contracting the defense and compressing the space for breakthroughs, Mark's dribbling on the wing was also greatly restricted.
Facing a packed defense, even a peak Messi or peak Ronaldinho wouldn't find it easy to tear through the lines.
Moreover, the opposing head coach was the world-renowned master of defense, Mourinho!
"It's here!"
"Mourinho's Bus!"
Facing such bus-parking tactics, Wolfsburg could only try to stretch the formation and find gaps through continuous passing.
However, the distance between the Chelsea players was maintained perfectly, and the overall formation was airtight and leak-proof.
Short passing through the middle was completely ineffective!
Wolfsburg could only try to find Dost in the penalty area through wing breakthroughs and crosses.
But although Dost had height, his physical strength was quite poor.
In front of the Premier League's best center-back pairing of Terry and Cahill, he was defended until he had no fight left.
Forget winning headers; he couldn't even get to the ball!
Seeing time slip away and the team's offense showing no signs of improvement, Mark had no choice but to try and force a breakthrough on the wing to create an opening.
Unfortunately, as the formation contracted, Chelsea had amassed enough defensive personnel on the wings.
Often, after he beat one or even two players, he would be brought down by a third defender.
Although he couldn't tear open the opponent's dense defense single-handedly, Wolfsburg did gain some valuable set-piece opportunities...
....
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