Chapter 636 - 121: Double Champion! Perfect Striker Storm
This was the Champions League final, after all, not a marathon.
But this was Klopp.
If Wang Shuo said he could do it, Klopp wouldn’t ask a single question more.
"Alright, I know what to do!" Klopp made the call right then and there.
It was as if a floodgate of ideas had been opened.
With Wang Shuo’s assurance, he had all the confidence he needed.
Of course, figuring out how to properly manage their stamina and strategically implement the team-wide press was Klopp’s next task.
As long as he had the right approach, everything else would be easy to figure out.
In truth, there was something Wang Shuo hadn’t mentioned.
He currently had 198 Passive Value.
He would play in both of the two remaining matches, whether against Frankfurt or Duisburg.
He would give his all to win both the Bundesliga title and the DFB-Pokal.
By doing so, upgrading another Passive Skill and unlocking one more Domain Skill shouldn’t be a problem.
In short, he had to be in his absolute strongest form to face Barça in the Champions League final!
...
The afternoon of May 14th, at Dortmund’s Westfalen Stadium.
In the final match of the 34th round of the Bundesliga, Dortmund hosted Frankfurt.
Before the match, the Bundesliga championship shield had already been delivered to Westfalen Stadium.
As the players from both teams stepped onto the pitch, the fans in all four stands rose to their feet, cheering and applauding.
Then, the fans in the South Stand slowly formed a massive TIFO depicting the Bundesliga championship shield.
The fans in the stands on either side also unfurled massive banners with images of the players, creating a spectacular scene to celebrate their team’s championship victory.
The powerful anthem "We Are the Champions" blaring from the Westfalen Stadium’s speakers, in particular, filled everyone present with a surge of raw, electrifying passion.
Numerous injured players, including captain Kael, De De, and Klinger, had also come to Westfalen Stadium.
Frankfurt kicked off first.
The instant referee Gagelmann blew his whistle, Wang Shuo immediately charged toward Frankfurt’s midfielder, Rod.
The other players quickly followed.
Four seconds!
It took the pressing squad, led by Wang Shuo, only four seconds to force Frankfurt into a hasty long ball.
The effectiveness of their press was undeniable!
And a mere one minute and thirty seconds in, Dortmund created an opening on the right flank.
Kuba sent a cross from the right toward the near post.
Just as Götze, who had made a run from deep, was about to take a shot, the opposing defender, Ruth, beat him to it and cleared the danger.
After that, Dortmund began to push forward in numbers, pinning Frankfurt inside their own half and running what looked like offensive drills.
Frankfurt, for their part, were fighting desperately.
They were currently 17th in the Bundesliga, but only one point behind Borussia Mönchengladbach and VfL Wolfsburg.
If they could manage a win against the already-crowned champions, Dortmund, their hopes of avoiding relegation would be very much alive.
But the sheer gap in skill between the two sides meant Frankfurt’s tenacious resistance had little effect.
In the 9th minute, Wang Shuo suddenly dropped deep to receive a pass.
Gundogan played a direct pass to Wang Shuo’s feet as he dropped back.
Wang Shuo laid it off to Götze with a first-time pass.
After making the pass, Wang Shuo immediately spun around and sprinted forward.
Götze, also without taking a touch, immediately played a direct pass to Reus, who had occupied the space opened up by Wang Shuo’s run.
Reus received Götze’s pass in the Arc Top District, took one touch, and unleashed a powerful shot.
Goalkeeper Fermain made a flying dive, parrying the ball away with a single hand.
The ball landed on the right side of the penalty area, where Kuba followed up and unleashed another thunderous shot.
At the crucial moment, Fermain came up huge.
Despite still being on the ground from the first save, the German goalkeeper scrambled up to make a second stop, blocking Kuba’s powerful shot once more.
But just as the entire stadium groaned in disappointment that Dortmund’s consecutive shots hadn’t found the back of the net, Wang Shuo—who had just been deep in midfield orchestrating the attack—appeared like a phantom on the left edge of the six-yard box.
Meeting the rebound from Fermain’s save, Wang Shuo calmly side-footed the ball into the virtually unguarded net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!"
"It’s in!!!"
Wang Shuo excitedly spun around and sprinted toward the sideline in a wild celebration.
His teammates sprinted after him, mobbing him and tackling him to the ground in a heap by the sideline.
The entire stadium erupted in a frenzy of shouts and cheers.
At that moment, the broadcast cameras quickly cut to the sidelines.
In front of the home team’s technical area, Klopp was excitedly pumping his fists and roaring.
In the away team’s dugout, Frankfurt’s head coach, Christopher Dom, looked exceptionally grim, his face ashen.
"As Klopp’s predecessor, one can only imagine the complex emotions Dom must be feeling right now."
"Two years ago, when Klopp first took charge of Dortmund, no one could have predicted that in such a short time, the team would rapidly grow into the best in Germany, and even one of the strongest in Europe."
"Of course, we must also acknowledge that the core of this Dortmund team’s defense and deep midfield is largely the same as it was under Dom’s tenure. The significant changes have been in the midfield and up front."
"And that includes Wang Shuo."
"Two years ago, the Dortmund managed by Dom explicitly stated that they didn’t need Wang Shuo."
"You have to wonder if he regrets that now?"
...
Wang Shuo’s goal completely opened the floodgates for Dortmund.
Not long after, Piszczek won the ball on the right flank and sent a direct pass looking for Kuba.
Kuba dribbled forward along the right wing, but unable to get past his man, he passed back to the overlapping Piszczek.