In the 52nd minute of the match, Marco received the ball on the wide left, just inside the opponent's half.
Wolfburg's right back Schäfer was determined to win the ball this time. He was more aggressive now, infact he was feeling aggrieved that a debuting teenager was causing him so much trouble.
Also, they were behind a goal now, it was clear from the manager's half time talk that he was dissatisfied with his performance, letting a newbie to get the better of them.
Marco scanned the front pitch calmly while dribbling forward, looking for any gaps or exploits.
As he accelerated forward, Schäfer backpedaled accordingly, giving ground. And the defender was at his limits, ready to win the ball at cost.
He called for support from his team mate, the defensive midfielder, who came from behind Marco, preparing to pincer him.
Despite the situation Marco remained calm. He gave dummy down the touch line, baiting the eager right back to commit early, then before he could correct his posture, and without waiting for the coming dmf, he cut in sharply.
The sharp change of direction caught both of them off guard, giving him precious time to scan the goalkeeper position.
Twenty yards from goal. Two defenders closing. Marco shot.
The ball curled and dipped towards topcorner. But the goal keeper seemed to have anticipated this shot, dove early and managed to get his finger on it, pushing it out for a corner.
"Ooh! So close! That's the move Reus is famous for—cutting inside from the left wing. And you have to admit, it's very lethal in its hands. He managed to fool the whole Wolfburg's defence, well, except for the goal keeper."
"Good save from the goalkeeper, but Reus is showing the full repertoire today. Through balls, pace, dribbling, shooting. This is a complete performance. I am sure he would have the chance to perform his magic on the pitch."
And he was right. Despite the lead, Dortmund didn't sit back and relax, they pressed high. Wolfsburg's center-back tried to play out from the back under pressure.
But his movements were hurried and predictable.
With his high level reading of the game, Marco read the pass before it happened. He anticipated, adjusted his position, and when the ball was played, he intercepted it.
He was 30 yards from the goal, but the goal keeper was already in position. So instead of shooting, he played a chipped through ball to his team mate, who slotted the ball past the rushing keeper.
2-0 DORTMUND.
"AND IT'S TWO! Marco Reus again! The provider again! He has been phenomenal in this game. What a start to his Bundesliga career!"
"That's intelligent pressing and then execution. He read the pass, intercepted, and delivered another perfect ball. The second goal contribution on your Bundesliga debut—that's extraordinary!"
His team mates erupted, and mobbed him. Now, there was recognition on their faces. He was acknowledged as a worthy team mates by them.
And this is a very important step, since football is a team sport. The synergy and understanding between team mates is more important than any tactic.
In the 78th minute, Dortmund made their first change.
And that was Marco's signal.
As he jogged off, Signal Iduna Park rose as one.
The crowd was cheering for their favourite player in this game. Eighty thousand people applauding an eighteen-year-old's debut.
"Listen to this ovation for Marco Reus. Seventy-eight minutes in his first Bundesliga match, two assists, countless dangerous moments. What a performance. What a start to his career."
"Thomas is taking him off to preserve energy—wise decision with a long season ahead. But what an impression this young man has made. If this is the beginning, the future is very bright."
Marco applauded the fans, shook hands with his replacement, and slowly walked to the bench.
Doll shook his hand. "Excellent, Marco. This is the performance I expect from you, perfect tactical discipline. Well done."
"Thank you, Coach."
Marco grinned, exhausted and elated.
He eyes the VIP box, he felt he could vaguely see the shadow of his parents cheering from there.
As he sat down, he analysed his plays on the pitch. Thinking back, there were many chances he could have utilised better. Many runs he could have made, many times he could have waited.
He wasn't complacent from just one performance, he knew there was a lot of room for improvement.
The match ended without any change to scoreline.
Full-Time - Dortmund 2-0 Wolfsburg.
Marco's performance in this match was phenomenal. So when he win MOTM no one was surprised.
"Full-time here at Signal Iduna Park, and Borussia Dortmund begin their season with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Wolfsburg. But the story of the match is undoubtedly Marco Reus—eighteen years old, first Bundesliga start, two assists, man of the match performance. Remember this name, folks. We'll be talking about him for years to come."
#Final Statistics - Marco Reus:
-Minutes: 78
-Assists: 2
-Key Passes: 4
-Successful Dribbles: 4/5 (80%)
-Tackles Won: 3/3 (100%)
-Pass Completion: 87%
-Rating: 9.0/10
* * *
The match itself was nothing out of the ordinary. But the performance of an 18 year old debutant stole the attention of the whole Germany.
At this point, Marco was not some unknown figure. He grew step by step from youth level, reserve and finally broke into Bundesliga.
He also played for the German national team at the youth level, also winning the U19 europian championship.
Although he was not some world famous superstar, it was not excessive to say that he is well known in Germany.
There was so many speculation about him in the crowd.
Some argued that he will definitely become a major figure in world football. Some said he will fall into mediocrity after reaching the senior level, grouping him with those talents labelled as "unfulfilled potential".
So the match result definitely created some ripples across Europe.
After reaching the senior team, he not only didn't fall into mediocrity, but also established himself as the starter in his first match.
Naturally Marco didn't want to be a substitute. It was not that he looked down on Bundesliga, but he was full of confidence in himself. He thought he could show himself on this exciting field.
During the post match interview, Thomas Doll wholeheartedly praised Marco, saying that he was the best youth player he has ever coached.
The senior players also praised his maturity and calmness on the field.
After reaching his room, first thing he did was answer the text from his parents, agent and Scarlett.
Another major incident was that the system explicitly gave him an alert:
[It is found that the host has completed Bundesliga Debut.
-> To reach the next major milestone, please bring at least one skill to maximum proficiency]
It was unknown what would happen after meeting the system requirement. After reaching this level, his dependency on the system was reducing day by day. Now with the exception of match and performance analysis, finding shortcomings Marco doesn't have much use for the system.
But this sudden alert gave him a hint that something major would happen when he reach the complete mastery of one skill.
Although at his current rate of progression it would take him at least a year to accomplish this, he was already looking forward to the day.