At the beginning of the second half, the playing styles of both sides did not change. It was still a tug-of-war that seemed to make people feel constipated. However, because of one person's flash of inspiration, the balance of power between the two sides was broken.

That person is Marek Mintál.

……

In the Bundesliga at the beginning of the new century, many grassroots shooters emerged who took home small guns, such as Sergei Barbarets, Martin Marcos, Jekas, and Christiansen, but even among this group of people,

Slovak striker Mintal is probably also the most special one.

Because strictly speaking, he is a midfielder, a midfielder who has won five league golden boots in his career-including two Serie A golden boots, two Bundesliga golden boots, and a Bundesliga small steel cannon.

field players.

Even Lampard, the midfielder who is considered the most capable of scoring goals, has never won a Golden Boot in his twenty-year career.

Of course, Mintal's position is further forward than Lampard, somewhat between the attacking midfielder and the second forward, but even so, five golden boots is really an incredible achievement.

Coincidentally, the Mintal that Mainz faced today was at the peak of his career.

Mintal, who was 27 years old at the time, scored 24 goals in 34 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, beating out Ma Kai, Klose, Kuranyi, Jan Kohler and other players to win the Bundesliga title.

Things on the football field are like this sometimes. When the two sides are evenly matched and it seems that no one can win, the final result is often determined by a single flash from a key player.

And in this season, perhaps no one in the entire Bundesliga can shine more brightly than Mintal.

※※※※※※

In the 51st minute of the game, a Nuremberg attack was blocked and Mainz midfielder Christopher Barbac intercepted the ball in the backcourt.

This was supposed to be a rare counterattack opportunity for Mainz, but the result was no different from the first half - Barbac looked up and looked around. None of Nuremberg's four defenders had passed the halftime, and several of Mainz's

At the point where the ball is released, Azawag, Da Silva, and Villante are all being marked.

This is exactly the strategy Nuremberg has been adhering to in this game - they would rather reduce the manpower in the offense than give Mainz a chance to counterattack. They must drag their opponents into the quagmire of positional offense.

Babac looked around, but couldn't find a suitable opportunity to play the ball, so he could only choose to continue to control the ball.

And this hesitation caused something to happen.

……

"Watch your back!"

Babats suddenly heard a shrill shout. He tensed up and turned around suddenly. A figure was already very close at hand!

It's Mintal!

Marek Mintal, to some extent, his technical characteristics are somewhat similar to those of Vardy later on. Excellent running ability, tireless pressing in the frontcourt, and superb shooting skills are all one of their characteristics.<

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However, compared with Vardy, Mintal does not have the latter's ultimate speed, but his left and right feet are more balanced than the latter, and shooting left and right is his specialty.

In the Bundesliga this season, Mintal has used his personal ability to steal the ball in the frontcourt and score countless goals.

And this time, it’s no exception!

……

When Barbaz turned around and found Mintal, he was too late to stop the latter. Mintal easily inserted into the gap between him and the football, and pushed Barbaz away with his body.

A clean steal!

Mainz's backcourt immediately became turbulent. Several defenders tried to defend Mintal, but they hesitated at the start and finally chose to disperse.

The reason is also very simple. Several Nuremberg players who were originally responsible for guarding Da Silva and Azawag instantly turned into sharp knives stuck in the hinterland of Mainz!

Mainz's defenders had to spread out to block the opponent's advance. Next to Mintal, there was only Barbac, who had just intercepted the ball.

Barbats is indeed a veteran who has been in the field for many years. After being intercepted, he reacted quickly and got close to Mintal. His blocking position selection was also very clever, forcing him to the right side of Mintal, from a distance

Keep it just right, leaving no room for the opponent to take a direct kick. If you choose to break through, it also leaves enough room for reaction.

But this seemingly watertight response can be used against others, but not against Mintal!

Because the latter’s left foot is as flexible as his right foot!

Mintal first buckled the ball with the inside of his right foot and pushed the ball to the left, causing Babaz to pause. Then, without stopping the ball with his left foot, he directly pushed the ball diagonally forward with the arch of his foot!

Babaz, who had just turned to the left, was caught off guard and had no time to stretch his legs to block him. At this time, Mintal had already started at high speed, broke through from the right, and caught the ball just behind Babaz!

He actually used a method similar to fried meatballs to complete the ball distribution!

……

"Amazing performance! Mintal simply played "Slovak Rhapsody" with his legs!"

"The amazing Slovak! How many more surprises can he bring to us?"

Bela Reddy was full of praise for Mintal. Of course, Mintal today does deserve such praise.

Barbac was broken through, causing chaos in Mainz's backcourt. Both Friedrich and Nowitzki left behind their respective opponents and rushed forward, but Mintal was already within shooting range.

Outside the penalty area, about 25 meters away from the goal, Mintal shot furiously!

The ball whizzed past Friedrich's face, and the latter could even feel the stinging pain on his face from the strong wind brought by the ball!

Friedrich felt a chill in his heart at the time: Can Vitcollo block such a shot?

The answer is no!

The ball shot by Mintal went straight into the upper right corner of the goal!

1 to 0!

The Nuremberg people are ahead!

……

"Marek Mintal!"

"Incredible escape! Incredible goal!"

"This is the Slovak's fourteenth goal in the league this season! A full four goals more than the second-ranked Klose!"

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"This is so crazy! Who else can stop him?"

Commentator Bela Reddy's passionate commentary inspired the atmosphere of the entire Grundig Stadium. The enthusiastic Nuremberg fans gave Mintal cheers, turning the scene into a sea of ​​red.

I have to admit that although some people are not very successful in their careers, they can really perform in a certain period of time that makes even top stars feel embarrassed. For example, they scored 18 goals in the first 17 rounds of the 08/09 season.

The "Super Ibi", such as Michu who scored 22 goals in all competitions in the 12/13 season and transformed into a giant killer, is also like the current Mintal.

There is no doubt that Mintal is the king of Grundig Stadium this season!

……

"F**k!"

Klopp angrily slammed the water bottle in his hand to the ground, and water splashed everywhere, soaking his sportswear that he never changed all year round, but he didn't even notice it.

The team's current situation is really bad and they can no longer afford to lose.

As a result of leading the team to the Bundesliga for the first time in its history, Klopp does not have to worry about his coaching position, but as an ambitious young coach, he certainly cannot tolerate the situation continuing to deteriorate.

But now, he knows very well that Nuremberg will definitely shrink its defense next, making Mainz, who is not good at positional offense, fall into a more difficult quagmire. At the same time, they can wait for work and fight their own counterattacks comfortably.

If this continues, it will only fall into an even more vicious cycle.

Changes must be made.

Klopp set his sights on the bench. After all, Mainz is only a newly promoted team. It is difficult to find a surprise player on the bench who can change the situation. There is no way. The newly promoted team will not have the luxury of letting stars watch the water dispenser.
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Klopp's eyes passed over the substitutes one by one. Most of them seemed indifferent to the situation on the field. Most of them have been immersed in professional football for many years. It is difficult for them to do anything after falling behind by one goal.

Reaction.

Only the two young people are different.

The 18-year-old Giroud and the 17-year-old Levi, the former looks eager to try. After scoring twice against Bayern Munich, Giroud is undoubtedly more confident. He is probably the only one on the bench who has the confidence.

A person who is confident enough to change the situation on the court;

The latter is always staring at the court with stern eyes, which is in sharp contrast to the laziness of the old players around him. This is a habit Levi developed when he was at Leeds United. As long as he sits on the bench, he will

Will always pay attention to the situation on the field.

Klopp nodded inconspicuously, already thinking about it, he called his assistant Nicholas.

Soon, a new instruction was conveyed to the bench:

"Lee, Olivier, go warm up!"

……

Levi, who is on the bench, has been observing the situation on the field for a long time. He will unconsciously put himself into the role of the head coach and think about ways to break the game.

However, he doesn't have a good idea about the current situation.

Nuremberg now shrinks its defense, and Mainz has to press forward with all its might, which makes Nuremberg's counterattacks even more convenient. In just a few minutes after the goal, Nuremberg already had three counterattacks that threatened the goal.
To be continued...