The effect of the substitutions wasn't just effective; it was immediate!
As one of the players with the best physical conditioning in the team, Miranda, immediately upon entering the field, effectively curbed Hertha Berlin's central attack through his extensive running and sweeping.
His aggressiveness was even better than Gustavo's!
In addition to a more solid defense, the offense also generated more threatening attacks with the introduction of Mark and Olić, two fresh forces.
In this match, Perisic's success rate in breaking through on the left wing was remarkably low, with only one successful dribble throughout the entire game.
Therefore, after Mark came on as a substitute, De Bruyne and Gustavo were naturally more willing to pass the ball to the team's acknowledged dribbling king for breakthroughs.
And Mark did not disappoint the trust of his coach and teammates!
Immediately, he took the ball on the wing and dribbled, drawing a foul from Hertha Berlin's left-back, Nico Schulz, earning his team a free-kick opportunity.
After being swept to the ground, Mark showed no anger; he simply stood up immediately and raised his arms towards the Wolfsburg fans in the away stands.
"Come On!!!"
The Wolfsburg fans responded with enthusiastic cheers.
This scene also brought a slight smile to Raiola's face in the stands:
"This youngster has quite a personality..."
Using this set-piece, Wolfsburg launched an aerial assault on Hertha Berlin's penalty area, creating chaos.
Although Gustavo's header ultimately went slightly over the crossbar, resulting in no goal, Wolfsburg's morale surged.
Besides Mark effortlessly tearing open the defense on the wing, Croatian veteran Olić, after coming on, also tirelessly pressed in the attacking third with his relentless running.
This spirit also motivated his other teammates.
The awakened Wolfsburg gradually began to control the situation on the field... Finally, in the seventy-eighth minute, Mark and De Bruyne executed a pass-and-move play on the right wing.
Mark received the ball on the wing, and with a series of feints, he bewildered Schulz before suddenly threading a through ball behind the full-back.
De Bruyne, making a late run, took a touch, observed his teammates in the center while driving to the byline, and then sharply swept the ball across the face of the goal.
In the center, Olić made a precise run, launching himself into a sliding shot that sent the ball into the net!
One to one!
After scoring, Olić did not celebrate; instead, he immediately rushed into the net, picked up the ball, and ran towards the center circle.
This action also invigorated the away fans, who frantically waved their team flags and scarves.
For a moment, the thousands of away fans who had traveled with the team also loudly sang their team anthem, "Green and White VFL."
Perhaps Wolfsburg's fierce offensive disrupted them, or they were stunned by a sudden blow; Hertha Berlin seemed confused whether to defend or attack, and differing opinions arose among the players on the field.
And in this state of confusion, Mark, for the third time on the wing, easily pulled off a simple feint to get past Hertha Berlin's left-back, Nico Schulz, then drove to the byline to cross, creating a corner kick opportunity.
This brilliant dribble also made Raiola's eyes light up in the stands:
"This kid's footwork is far more spectacular than those German talents..."
Subsequently, from this very corner kick, R. Rodriguez's delivery found the team's new defensive star, Knoche, who leaped up and headed the ball into the net, changing the score to one to two!
Ultimately, thanks to two goals from Olić and Knoche, scored less than three minutes apart, Wolfsburg, under the gaze of nearly seventy thousand spectators at the Olympiastadion, overturned the home team Hertha Berlin and took home a valuable three points!
And the second the match ended, a pleasant female system voice rang in Mark's mind:
"Ding!"
"Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden mission — Substitute Maverick!"
"Mission Reward: Super Sub Card!"
Substitute Maverick?
Super Sub?!
Before Mark could react, an exquisite card, emanating a golden glow, appeared out of thin air.
The image on the card was of a baby-faced man wearing a Manchester United jersey.
It was none other than the famous "Baby-faced Assassin" of football, Ole Gunnar Solskjær!
"Card Name: Super Sub"
"Card Effect: When coming on as a substitute, goal-poaching instincts and shooting skills are greatly enhanced!!!"
"Card Owner: Ole Gunnar Solskjær"
When Solskjær is mentioned, the first word that comes to mind for all fans is Super Sub!
His decisive strike after coming on as a substitute in the 1999 Champions League final made him synonymous with "Super Sub."
Looking at the card's effect, Mark's thoughts immediately began to churn.
Goal-poaching instincts and shooting skills are greatly enhanced!
In other words, as long as he comes on as a substitute, his shooting will become more reliable?!
That's great!
This card is very suitable for his current situation.
Currently, he is virtually unstoppable when dribbling on the wing and also has opportunities to shoot from the edge of the penalty area.
However, knowing his own shooting level, he often chooses to pass instead of shoot when he has space to take a shot.
Now with the [Super Sub] card, he can attempt more shots.
If he shoots four or five times in a game, surely one will go in, right?
This way, his chances of scoring will also greatly increase!
Of course, the prerequisite for all of this is that he comes on as a substitute.
Thinking of this, Mark suddenly felt less urgent and expectant about starting the game.
Of course, starting has its advantages; he would have more playing time to complete match tasks and thus earn more potential point rewards.
Moreover, the status of a substitute and a starter are not the same.
Where are the team regulars or core players who are perennial substitutes?
Although he did not score or assist after coming on as a substitute in this match, the comeback victory, coupled with acquiring a new card, still left Mark in high spirits.
Back in the locker room, the Wolfsburg players were also happily celebrating this comeback victory.
Brazilian veteran Gustavo opened his phone and played some samba music.
It must be said that every Brazilian possesses a talent for dancing deep in their bones.
Just a casual sway and it's filled with the rhythm of samba.
It was at this moment that Hecking entered the locker room.
"Turn off the music!"
Upon hearing this and seeing the coach's serious expression, Gustavo immediately turned off his phone's music and sat down obediently.
Everyone else also quieted down instantly.
"I just want to say, for the first seventy minutes of this game, you played like dog shit!"
At these words, the smiles on everyone's faces immediately vanished.
"You played as if you hadn't woken up, not knowing what you were doing out there!"
"Do you know what nickname the media has given us now?"
"Comeback Kings!"
Hecking paused, first observing the players' expressions, then said in a deep voice:
"Do you think this is good? I don't think so!"
"What I want to see is the team fighting for victory with full concentration from the very first second."
"Not always letting others score, taking several punches to the face, before remembering to fight back!"