Chapter 1 The Suspense of the League Title Continues

"Niedermeier commits a foul! He pulled Aubameyang down in the penalty area! Borussia Dortmund gets a penalty! This is a great opportunity for them to equalize!" Marcel Reif shouted excitedly. Bayern Munich was only leading Hoffenheim by one goal over there, and Borussia Dortmund was about to equalize here. The suspense of the league title continues!

When Aubameyang fell in the penalty area, a huge boo rang out in the Mercedes-Benz Arena. These were all from Stuttgart fans who thought Aubameyang was faking it.

However, it can be clearly seen from the slow-motion replay on TV that Niedermeier not only used his hands but also his feet, and it wasn't just a simple touch, but a very obvious forceful action.

This was a foul, no doubt about it.

While Stuttgart's players were still protesting the foul, the referee rushed towards Niedermeier and took out a… red card!

"Red card! The referee directly showed Niedermeier a red card and sent him off!" Duan Xin exclaimed. "Although Niedermeier has a yellow card, this is clearly not a second yellow turning into a red, but a straight red card! If Niedermeier hadn't pulled Aubameyang down, Aubameyang would have been directly facing goalkeeper Ulreich. This is a one-on-one opportunity. According to the rules, such a foul can be directly shown a red card, no problem… Now Borussia Dortmund has an advantage in numbers again, but… I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing…"

The reason Duan Xin said this was because when Borussia Dortmund played against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Mönchengladbach's Nordtveit received two yellow cards in the game and was sent off, forcing Borussia Mönchengladbach to shrink their defense. Facing the opponent's dense defense, Borussia Dortmund played very hard and only won with Zhou Yi's goal at the last moment.

So having an advantage in numbers is not necessarily a good thing. If Stuttgart also shrinks its defense and tries its best to hold on to a draw, a point is also very important for their relegation battle. But for Borussia Dortmund, who are competing with Bayern Munich for the championship, a draw basically means elimination.

So Stuttgart can accept a draw with complete defeat and helplessness, but Borussia Dortmund absolutely cannot.

Duan Xin was very worried that the scene between Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach would be repeated. Last time, Borussia Dortmund was lucky, and Zhou Yi scored a last-second goal to kill Borussia Mönchengladbach, but this time, they can't repeat the game they already played, right?

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There was nothing to say about Niedermeier's foul, and there was nothing wrong with the penalty kick. The red card was what made Stuttgart's players very dissatisfied. They surrounded the referee, demanding an explanation. They accepted the penalty kick, but sending one of their players off, meaning they had one less player, meant they might have to give up their intention to win this game… This was something the Stuttgart players, who desperately needed three points for relegation, were unwilling to accept.

But the referee remained unmoved and insisted on his judgment.

On the other side, Borussia Dortmund was ready to take the penalty kick. Their set-piece taker, Reus, stood in front of the penalty spot with the ball. He wasn't in a hurry, nor did he urge them, just waiting for Stuttgart's players to finish "negotiating" with the referee.

In the end, the referee dispersed the Stuttgart players surrounding him and signaled Reus to place the ball.

The matter was settled. Whether Stuttgart's players were willing or not, they had to accept the result.

After Reus placed the ball, the referee blew the whistle. He started his run-up and then took a low shot!

Goalkeeper Ulreich misjudged the direction, and the ball shot into the lower left corner of the goal from the other side!

"toooooooooooooooor!!! Reus! Reus! Borussia Dortmund equalized the score! 2:2! They still have hope!"

After scoring the goal, Reus didn't celebrate. Instead, he ran directly into the goal, picked up the ball, held it in his arms, and turned around to run back, while also beckoning his teammates to go back together. Although they had equalized the score, there wasn't much time left for Borussia Dortmund. Although Niedermeier's foul was in the sixty-seventh minute, it was already the seventieth minute after the penalty kick went in. Stuttgart had argued with the referee for nearly three minutes.

Although this time would be added to the end, the time left for Borussia Dortmund was only twenty-some minutes.

Stuttgart, with one less player, would definitely fall back to defend. Facing their dense defense, it was hard to say whether twenty-some minutes would be enough.

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Since being narrowed the gap to one goal by Salihović's free kick, Bayern Munich had been playing very hard, even a bit embarrassed.

They were embarrassed because Hoffenheim's tireless running and pressing made them a little flustered.

Salihović's goal aroused the fighting spirit of Hoffenheim's players. They pressed in almost every corner of the field. No matter which Bayern Munich player had the ball, they couldn't escape Hoffenheim's interception. Even Neuer was like that.

If Bayern Munich players passed the ball back to the goalkeeper, then Hoffenheim's players would follow the ball and chase after it, even if they knew they were unlikely to get the ball, and that running was a complete waste of energy, they would still rush up.

Especially the pressing on Dante and Van Buyten, the two center-backs, was even more thorough.

Since Guardiola came, he emphasized overall ball control, and even the goalkeeper had to participate in the passing and control, let alone the two center-backs.

So center-backs like Van Buyten and Dante naturally had to participate in the team's passing and control system and play an important role. Just like Pique and Puyol when Guardiola coached Barcelona.

Center-backs rarely kick the ball directly to the front court with a long pass. After they get the ball, they have to pass it out through short passes. This creates opportunities for Hoffenheim to press them.

Especially Dante, this Brazilian defender may be very confident in his Brazilian foot skills. After getting the ball, he wouldn't pass it directly, but would control it for a while before passing it.

But this control would give Hoffenheim players a chance to surround him.

Just when Bayern Munich's ball control rate was declining sharply due to Hoffenheim's pressing, a huge boo suddenly came from the stands again.

Bayern Munich players didn't need to be surprised, they knew what had happened—Borussia Dortmund must have scored again.

While no goals had occurred on their side of the field, cheers had suddenly erupted twice in the stands, which meant Stuttgart had scored. When Hoffenheim had not scored, there had also been two huge boos in the stands, which meant Borussia Dortmund had scored.

This meant that the score over there was now 2:2, Borussia Dortmund had equalized the score!

This news made the already embarrassed Bayern Munich players even more uneasy.

During this period, because the two teams' competition for the championship had become fierce, they were very concerned about each other's movements. The slightest disturbance would stir up ripples in each other's hearts.

Borussia Dortmund's tenacity really left Bayern Munich players speechless, and it also brought them a lot of pressure.

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After the game restarted, Stevens indeed made adjustments to the team, shrinking the defense and waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

He replaced midfielder Traoré with Japanese defender Gotoku Sakai, and at the same time, he had Sakai bring his latest instructions onto the field.

Although they had shrunk their defense, he still hadn't given up his intention to win this game.

Because Borussia Dortmund would definitely not accept a draw, they would definitely launch a desperate counterattack in the following game. Especially as the game drew closer, their counterattack would become more frantic and stronger, but at the same time, the problems on their defense line would also be exposed more and more…

As long as Stuttgart could stay calm and be a little more patient, they would definitely have a chance to counterattack.

At that time, taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and counter-kill Borussia Dortmund was not impossible!

That's what Stevens was planning in his heart.

He turned his head and glanced at the coaching bench next door. Klopp was gesturing for the players to push forward and strengthen their attack. Klopp hoped to take advantage of the momentum to score another goal.

But seeing this scene, a subtle smile appeared on Stevens's face—That's right, push forward and attack, the gaps behind you are all prepared for us!