kvmb Chapter 439 - 93: Double Champions! Unprecedented! The One and Only Wang Shuo! An Unexpected Reward! Dortmund’s Closest Brotherhood
Chapter 439 - 93: Double Champions! Unprecedented! The One and Only Wang Shuo! An Unexpected Reward! Dortmund’s Closest Brotherhood
Dortmund didn’t score, but their opening attack was incredibly threatening, sending a cold sweat down the spines of everyone on the Liverpool side.
Riding the momentum of that opening attack, Dortmund once again began to suppress Liverpool.
The state of the match seemed to revert to the first half, with the Bumblebees completely dominating.
Of course, Liverpool wasn’t completely helpless, but they still found it difficult to penetrate Dortmund’s penalty area, let alone get a shot off.
One particular play perfectly illustrated Liverpool’s predicament.
It happened in the 61st minute.
Götze’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Mascherano’s body.
Gerrard quickly launched a counter-attack, passing the ball to Benayoun.
Benayoun sprinted forward with the ball.
But Sven Bender tracked him all the way back, catching up to Benayoun just before his team’s 30-meter area and putting him under pressure.
The Liverpool player managed to get the ball about 23 meters from the goal, but by then, Sven Bender had completely caught up to him.
Subotic and Hummels were also waiting for him up ahead.
With no other choice, Benayoun opted for a long shot, but it went wide of the mark.
That was Liverpool’s second shot of the entire match!
"It’s simply unbelievable."
"Liverpool’s performance in this UEFA Europa League final has been incredibly disappointing."
"This isn’t the kind of performance you’d expect from a top Premier League team."
"It’s hard to believe this is the same Red Army Liverpool that dominated the Champions League over the past few years!"
"Even as recently as last season, they were still able to beat Real Madrid 4-0 in the Champions League knockout stage and went toe-to-toe with Chelsea."
"But now, facing Dortmund, they seem completely powerless to fight back!"
"I have to say, it’s really quite a shame!"
The match continued in this stalemate until the 65th minute.
Benitez made his first substitution of the match.
Babel came on for Maxi Rodriguez.
After the change, Kuyt moved back to the right wing, with Babel playing up front.
Dortmund didn’t make an immediate substitution, instead slowing the pace of the game slightly.
This was also a way to conserve their energy.
In the 73rd minute, Benitez didn’t bring on Aquilani, instead substituting El Zhar for Benayoun.
It was an unexpected substitution.
El Zhar had been a rising star at the 2005 U-20 World Cup, but since joining Liverpool, he had consistently struggled to get regular playing time.
The player had decent speed.
Benitez was clearly bringing him on to leverage his speed and enhance the threat of their counter-attacks.
Klopp also made an interesting substitution of his own.
In the 77th minute, he brought on Grosskreutz for Reus.
In the 81st minute, Mascherano made a pass to Glen Johnson, who advanced with the ball down the right flank before sending a through ball to Kuyt. Kuyt took a shot from the right side, just outside the box, but he still couldn’t get it on target, and the ball went wide of the goal line.
This was Liverpool’s third shot of the entire match!
It would also be their last.
Dortmund quickly retaliated.
During one of his dribbling runs, Wang Shuo drew a foul from Kalg.
Liverpool’s vice-captain received a yellow card.
But by the time the match ended, neither side managed to get another shot on goal.
In the end, Dortmund defeated Liverpool 2-0, thanks to Wang Shuo’s first-half brace.
The final shot count for the match was 18 to 3!
Dortmund’s possession reached 61%, while Liverpool only managed a meager 39%.
...
The moment the Italian referee, Rizzoli, blew the final whistle, the entire Northern Bank Stadium erupted with the roar of cheering Dortmund fans.
Even though it wasn’t at Westfalen Stadium, wherever Dortmund fans gathered, they created an overwhelming atmosphere.
Cries of "BVB" echoed throughout the stadium!
As the match ended, Wang Shuo stood on the pitch, panting and not moving.
His teammates around him were already celebrating in a jubilant mob.
Teammates from the bench, along with the coaches and staff, all swarmed onto the pitch.
In the stands, the Dortmund fans began to loudly sing their team anthem.
Interestingly, after singing their team anthem once, they immediately began to sing "You’ll Never Walk Alone."
The Dortmund fans seemed to be telling Liverpool, ’At least for tonight, this song belongs to us, to Dortmund!’
The last song was "We Are the Champions."
The entire Northern Bank Stadium had completely transformed into a stage for Dortmund’s celebration.
Wang Shuo was first pulled into the celebration by his teammates before making his way to the sidelines.
"Well done, Wang!"
Klopp was the first to come over, giving Wang Shuo an enthusiastic hug.
He was followed by Zeliko Buvac, Krawietz, and other members of the coaching staff.
In truth, tonight’s match wasn’t a particularly spectacular final.
As the saying goes, finals rarely make for classic matches.
Apart from the opening phase, where Dortmund launched a high-tempo attack that left Liverpool helpless, the Bumblebees started to slow their offensive after scoring two quick goals.
As a result, the game became somewhat dull.
They ultimately won by two goals.
You couldn’t blame Klopp or Dortmund for being pragmatic.
After all, once you’ve reached a final like this, you play in whatever way best guarantees the championship.
After the match ended, Wang Shuo received three notifications from the Ball God System in his mind.