Following Mark's spectacular free-kick, Wolfsburg surprisingly took the lead against Bayern in the final moments of the match!
And the game time had already reached the eighty-seventh minute.
"The score is now two to one. Wolfsburg has taken the lead in Berlin!"
"Including injury time, there might be less than eight minutes left in the match."
"Time is running out for Bayern. Can they equalize the score?"
"Or, are we about to witness Wolfsburg being crowned champions in this magnificent stadium, making new history?!"
Falling behind in the score made Guardiola, who was on the sidelines, a bit anxious.
He directly substituted Müller for Ribéry!
"Push forward!"
"Pass the ball to the two wings more often!"
From then on, Bayern no longer cared about tiki-taka; they simply moved the ball quickly through the midfield, immediately passing it to the individual brilliance of Robben and Ribéry, aiming for single-point breakthroughs on the wings.
As the most dangerous wing combination in the entire Bundesliga, and even in all of football, Robben and Ribéry's threat on the wings was well-known.
In this adversity, Guardiola could only place his hopes on the individual abilities of his superstars.
However, Wolfsburg also made the wisest choice:
Taking advantage of a dead ball near the sideline, Hecking quickly used his last substitution, bringing off Olić and bringing on a center-back, Klose.
Then, he changed the 4-2-3-1 formation to a 5-4-1!
Perišić was positioned at the very front, followed by a four-man midfield of Mark, De Bruyne, Malanda, and Gustavo, guarding the last line of defense for the goalkeeper, which consisted of five defenders!
Defend to the death!
Until the final whistle blew!
This was the message Hecking conveyed to both fans and opponents!
This kind of defensive retreat was met with boos from Bayern fans.
However, for the united Wolfsburg, these few boos and insults were completely meaningless.
Moreover, this was just part of the tactical game.
Besides, holding onto this score and lifting the championship trophy was more important than anything else!
In competitive sports, the victor is king, and the loser is a villain.
It has always been this way.
In the final moments of the match, the Wolfsburg players erupted with astonishing perseverance and team spirit:
"Go help!"
"Run!"
"Cover!"
Whether Robben or Ribéry had the ball, the nearest midfielder would immediately go to mark him, then call for teammates to provide cover, preventing him from easily tearing open the defense from the wing.
As Wolfsburg retreated to their own half, their entire formation became very compact, and the space left for breakthroughs on the two wings was severely compressed.
Even for the Robben and Ribéry combination, tearing open a gap in a short amount of time was not an easy task.
Moreover, whenever a Bayern player had the ball, the Wolfsburg players' eyes were filled with a murderous intent.
Their desire for victory and the championship made them forget their fatigue, pressing and challenging again and again, defending every inch of their own half.
Finally, as Robben's curling shot after cutting inside went just slightly high, the German referee, Meyer, blew the final whistle!
Whoosh ~ Whoosh ~ ~ Whoosh ~ ~ ~
The next second, the Berlin Olympic Stadium was engulfed by deafening cheers!
And the Wolfsburg players immediately vented their excitement.
Some raised their arms, some roared with their heads down, and others knelt and cried out to the sky.
Mark raised his arms and then embraced De Bruyne.
"Well done, mate!"
"You too!"
Subsequently, Malanda also ran over excitedly and put his arms around them:
"Baby, we are champions!!!"
The excited Wolfsburg players contrasted sharply with the bewildered Bayern players.
And on the sidelines, Hecking, who was usually stern, was now beaming with joy.
It should be known that this was not only Wolfsburg's first German Cup title in club history, but also his first championship trophy in his coaching career!
"The match is over!"
"Two to one!"
"Wolfsburg, who were not favored before the match, defeated Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and won this historic final!"
"This team from Lower Saxony has made history!"
"This is their first German Cup title in 69 years of club history!!!"
The live broadcast camera accurately found an old fan in the stands wearing an old Wolfsburg jersey from decades ago, holding a replica German Cup trophy.
This white-haired old man was also excitedly waving the trophy in his hand.
"A wait of 69 years has, at this moment, become a reality!"
"How can you not love such football!"
The stands had already transformed into a sea of green.
Many fans waved their scarves and sang Wolfsburg's team anthem.
The German Cup, founded in 1935, was originally named the Tschammerpokal. It was created by Hans von Tschammer und Osten, who emulated the FA Cup in England, to establish a football competition of similar influence in German football.
The most successful team in the German Cup, of course, is Bayern Munich, with sixteen titles.
However, this season's protagonist was no longer Bayern Munich; Wolfsburg, with their fighting spirit and teamwork, prevented Bayern's third consecutive title in the competition and etched their name onto the trophy for the first time!
While the DFB staff set up the awards ceremony, the Wolfsburg players also shook hands with the Bayern players.
It is worth mentioning that when shaking hands with Neuer, the latter also asked his inner question:
"Why didn't you take the free-kick last time?"
Hearing this, Mark was first stunned, then showed a slight smile, "I didn't have a chance to take a free-kick last time..."
Neuer looked deeply at Mark and showed a bitter smile:
"I hope when you come to the German Team, you can also shoot such a wonderful free-kick..."
"We'll see you later."
And when shaking hands with Guardiola, this world-renowned coach also praised Mark unreservedly:
"That free-kick was beautiful!"
"Thank you."
"You must practice free-kicks regularly, right?"
Looking at Guardiola's confident expression, Mark responded half-truthfully:
"Yes, I've loved Juninho since I was a child and always practiced free-kicks after training..."
Hearing this answer, Guardiola felt relieved and smiled:
"Your talent is truly enviable. If you were my player, you would definitely become one of the best in the world!"
After speaking, Guardiola also smiled, patted Mark's shoulder, and then turned to leave.
Only a somewhat puzzled Mark remained, pondering the profound words.
"Is Guardiola being polite, or does he really want to sign me?"
As the setup was completed, the Wolfsburg players came onto the stage and received their championship medals one by one from the DFB president.
It is worth mentioning that the DFB president also offered him a blessing:
"Young man, you will become a superstar!"
"Thank you!"
Looking at the golden, jewel-encrusted German Cup trophy, Mark couldn't help but inwardly complain:
"This trophy is much better looking than the Bundesliga plate!"
Finally, amidst the thunderous cheers of the entire stadium, Benaglio, as captain, was surrounded by the Wolfsburg players and raised the championship trophy high!
Boom, cannons roared, and golden ribbons flew everywhere.
And in the air, the howl of the Wolfsburg players echoed throughout German football:
"We are champions!!!"
...
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