The home victory against Mainz didn't cause much of a stir.
After all, Wolfsburg's home strength this season has indeed been formidable.
It was Mainz coach Tuchel's post-match press conference remarks that garnered quite a bit of attention.
"That young man, number 45, is a genius!"
"Given time, he will definitely become Germany's next superstar!"
It's worth noting that Tuchel, as a representative of Germany's younger generation of coaches, is renowned for his ability to develop young players.
Players like Schürrle, Holtby, Szalai, and Fuchs all grew into star players in the Bundesliga under Tuchel's guidance.
His current high praise for Mark's future also came as a surprise.
However, Mark is worthy of such accolades.
Three substitute appearances, totaling less than ninety minutes, directly involved in four goals!
Such a performance is undoubtedly eye-catching!
The recognition and praise from Tuchel further solidified Mark's reputation as a genius.
Major media outlets, when reporting on this eighteen-year-old prodigy, have all bestowed upon him the title of "Rising Star."
And many scouts have also started to notice this emerging young player.
Of course, for a relatively low-key and conservative coach like Hecking, what he cares about more is that young players should not be swayed by external evaluations and flattery, thereby becoming conceited.
Therefore, he plans to find a suitable time to talk with this young man who has already shown his talent...
As all the matches of the twentieth round concluded, changes also appeared at the top of the Bundesliga standings.
The top three teams, Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, and Dortmund, all secured three points, maintaining their advantage.
However, the fourth-place team changed.
After successive setbacks against Hannover and Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Mönchengladbach suffered defeats in all three Bundesliga matches after the winter break.
Therefore, Wolfsburg, with a record of one win and two draws in the last three matches, accumulating 35 points, was able to overtake Borussia Mönchengladbach and climb to fourth place in the League!
They are only four points behind third-placed Dortmund!
However, Schalke, with the same points, is still in hot pursuit due to an inferior goal difference.
The Bundesliga has four Champions League spots; the fourth-place team can enter next season's Champions League through the Champions League play-offs.
And qualifying for the Champions League is Wolfsburg's season goal!
However, the League can be put aside for now.
Because, after two months, fans once again welcomed the German Cup matches!
After three rounds of competition, eight teams advanced to the quarterfinals.
They are Frankfurt, Borussia Dortmund, Hoffenheim, Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen, and Wolfsburg!
And Wolfsburg's quarter-final opponent is "Hoffenheim" Hoffenheim!
Hoffenheim is known as the "village team," belonging to a village under the jurisdiction of Sinsheim in Baden-Württemberg, with a total population of just over three thousand people; even the entire town of Sinsheim only has just over thirty thousand people.
However, for a Bundesliga team to emerge from such a small population base, the residents and fans of Hoffenheim must thank the wealthy Dietmar Hopp.
This wealthy man was once a member of Hoffenheim's youth academy, and after achieving success in business, he made significant investments in the club in 1990.
Subsequently, he also invested 100 million euros to build a modern stadium for the team!
This old man, who deeply loved Hoffenheim, once said:
"I am just an honorary member of the club; when they need me to spend money, I spend it! When they need me to contribute, I will find professionals!"
"I never thought about making money from the club."
Perhaps it was the team owner's generosity, or perhaps the team didn't need to curry favor with anyone, but since its promotion to the Bundesliga, Hoffenheim has been fearless.
It plays for relegation, and it plays for the championship; not only does it play, but it also shows no mercy during play, with no regard for personal relationships.
Therefore, Hoffenheim has also become an opponent that other teams are reluctant to face.
Of course, for the in-form Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim is the stumbling block on their way to the German Cup semifinals!
With the Bundesliga title out of reach, the German Cup can be said to be the only championship trophy that all strong Bundesliga teams can compete for.
Wolfsburg's management and coach naturally do not want to give up the opportunity to challenge for the championship!
Accompanied by the bright sunshine of late winter, the green and white Wolfsburg bus, emblazoned with the Volkswagen logo, slowly drove into the Rhein-Neckar-Arena in Sinsheim, southern Germany.
There were only three days of rest after the last Bundesliga round.
Even so, in this German Cup quarter-final match, Hecking did not make significant changes to the lineup.
Except for Caligiuri returning to the starting right wing and young Miranda getting a starting opportunity to partner with Gustavo in central midfield, all other positions used the same personnel from the previous match against Mainz.
However, Mark, who had been involved in goals for three consecutive matches, was still on standby as a substitute.
Regarding this, Wolfsburg fans who traveled to watch the away game were also a bit puzzled:
"Why isn't Mark starting?"
"Yeah, he's been playing so well, with goals and assists every time he comes on as a substitute..."
"Don't worry, the coach has his plans..."
And on Hoffenheim's starting lineup, there were also many familiar names.
Salihović, Modeste, Süle, Volland, Rudy, Firmino... Among them, the most famous is certainly the future Liverpool transfer, the "Jade-faced Gentleman" Firmino, who will form the famous Premier League trident "Red Arrow Three" with Mane and Salah!
However, at this time, Firmino may not have had his teeth whitened yet, and his teeth were not as clean and bright as they would be at Liverpool...
"The first encounter between the two sides this season was in September last year."
"At that time, Wolfsburg defeated Hoffenheim two-one at home, securing three points..."
"And this time, coming to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Hoffenheim, with all its main players, surely hopes to get revenge..."
"Surprisingly, Wolfsburg's young player Mark Lane, who had scored as a substitute in three consecutive matches, did not get a starting opportunity."
"It seems that in such a crucial battle, Hecking still trusts the experience of the veterans more?"
"Or perhaps, he wants to use this rising star as a surprise weapon?"
This German Cup match was very exciting from the start.
Neither side showed any hesitation, immediately entering an attacking rhythm.
Ranked in the middle of the table, with no chance of qualifying for European competition, and with the advantage of playing at home, Hoffenheim immediately pushed their formation forward.
It's worth noting that Hoffenheim's attacking prowess is third in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayern and Dortmund!
Soon, Hoffenheim's early attacking tactic quickly paid off.
Firmino first assisted the number 9 striker Szalai, who pierced Benaglio's goal.
One-nil!
However, Wolfsburg, as this season's "comeback kings," seemed to be accustomed to opponents scoring first.
Subsequently, through a fast counter-attacking tactic during transitions between offense and defense, with goals from Dost and Gustavo, they actually overturned the score before the end of the first half!
And this score remained until the sixty-fifth minute of the second half, when Hoffenheim equalized...