Chapter 19: The Tragedy of Huntelaar, a Historic Moment for the Bundesliga Arrives!

Skill Treasure Chest!

Since arriving in this world and unlocking the top-tier Harry Kane template, this was the first time Lin Hao had ever seen such a thing as a system skill treasure chest.

The sub-card reward from the Super Cup was already enough to make him feel ecstatic, but now, with the addition of this skill treasure chest... at this very moment, Lin Hao finally felt like he had weathered the storm and seen the light of day.

However! While Lin Hao was busy fantasizing about what kind of super skill he might get from this chest, Felix Magath, standing not far away, was suddenly frowning deeply.

Although the match had just begun, the team’s very first offensive sequence made the veteran coach sense something unusual. It was a fluid attack—Raúl passed the ball to Huntelaar, and Huntelaar, following the pre-rehearsed tactics, sent it out to the flank. Everything had been executed perfectly, but the one who ended up taking the shot was Huntelaar himself, who should have been the one to transition the ball further. Raúl had clearly already broken into space!

Well, even though "Old Magath"—who prioritized player execution above all else—felt uncomfortable, he kept his composure and continued to direct the team's defense. Perhaps it was just his imagination, or perhaps Huntelaar was simply feeling too much pressure to prove himself lately.

"A very good attack!"

"Since Magath took charge of Schalke 04, the changes have been truly significant!"

"Especially in this year's transfer window, after signing Raúl and Huntelaar, Schalke 04’s attacking prowess in the forward line is already at a top-tier level in the Bundesliga!"

"Hamburg's attack! Van Nistelrooy drops back and lays the ball off to Hamburg midfielder Jarolím!"

"Jarolím!"

At the Veltins-Arena, after weathering Schalke 04’s opening onslaught, Armin Veh’s Hamburg began to slowly press into Schalke’s half. While modern football tactics had shifted from aerial play to ground-level infiltration, as a traditional old-school German coach, Armin Veh still favored the classic long-ball-and-cross style.

It was exactly as the Hamburg players were positioned. With no wasted passes, after Van Nistelrooy laid the ball off to Jarolím, all the attacking players—including Zé Roberto, Pitroipa, and both full-backs—instantly surged into the Schalke half! Under this pressure, Schalke 04 was forced into a passive retreat, concentrating their defensive efforts on the flanks.

However, before Schalke had fully settled into their defensive shape, the Brazilian genius Zé Roberto took the ball, made a powerful run down the flank, and charged into the left side of Schalke’s defensive third. In one motion, he feinted with his right foot to evade Sarpei’s tackle and immediately swung his golden left foot, sending the ball straight into Schalke’s penalty area.

There was no hesitation at all. Hamburg had unleashed their most lethal weapon: the aerial bombardment.

Following Zé Roberto’s effortless cross, the "King of the Penalty Area," Van Nistelrooy, rushed to the spot and threw his entire body weight against his former Real Madrid teammate Metzelder. Even in the twilight of his career, the King of the Penalty Area, just as he had done countless times in Real Madrid’s training sessions, rose above Metzelder and delivered a powerful header!

"Dangerous!"

"Van Nistelrooy’s header!"

Commentator He Wei let out an exclamation as the ball was delivered with pinpoint accuracy to the head of the King of the Penalty Area. But just as the entire Veltins-Arena fell silent along with the impact of the header, the young goalkeeper Neuer—the captain who would carry the German national team for the next decade—leapt like a god descending from the heavens. With a textbook side-dive, he blocked the ball out for a corner!

Schalke 04 had escaped disaster!

"That was truly dangerous! It’s fortunate that Neuer’s reflexes were fast enough! But this play serves as a wake-up call for Schalke 04. They already had issues with their flank defense in the last match against Bayern Munich!"

Seeing the defensive problems, Magath didn't hesitate to make immediate tactical adjustments.

...

The high-octane battle at Veltins-Arena had officially begun. Neither side tested the waters; they went straight for the kill, and the match tempo immediately hit its peak.

In the 7th minute, Schalke 04 pressed forward again. After a silky one-two between Rakitić on the left and the midfield maestro Jurado, Rakitić delivered a clever through ball to Raúl at the edge of the box. Facing a double-team from Hamburg, Raúl didn't force a shot. Instead, he angled his right foot to slide the ball to the left for the incoming Huntelaar. As he released the ball, Raúl turned quickly and darted into the heart of Hamburg’s penalty area!

At that moment, if Huntelaar had simply followed Magath’s instructions and tapped the ball inside, Raúl would have easily finished the play. But Huntelaar, desperate to prove his worth, caught the ball and immediately lifted his left foot, curling a beautiful arc around the bottom left edge of the ball.

The arc was beautiful, and Huntelaar’s shot was spectacular!

But at the last second, Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost pushed away the shot, silencing the Schalke fans who had already jumped up in celebration. It was a world-class save, no less impressive than Neuer’s earlier effort, keeping Hamburg’s goal intact. The three thousand traveling Hamburg fans erupted in cheers for Frank Rost, while "Old Magath," standing before the Schalke bench, frowned even more deeply.

Schalke 04 had launched a threatening attack, and Hamburg was not about to be outdone.

In the 15th minute, even though Schalke had packed their defense on the flanks, Hamburg still managed a dream cross from Zé Roberto. This time, it wasn't Van Nistelrooy who rose highest. It was Elia! The 23-year-old Dutch prodigy, having lured the Schalke defense toward Van Nistelrooy, jumped unmarked and delivered a perfect, lethal header. Because the distance was so short, Neuer couldn't even react as the ball drilled into the corner of his net!

"Oh my!"

"It's a goal!"

"15 minutes in!"

"Hamburg has broken the deadlock through their signature flank cross!"

"That goal... Metzelder and Papadopoulos were both focused on Van Nistelrooy, completely ignoring the shorter Elia!"

"0:1!"

"The visiting Hamburg team has had a dream start!"

Schalke 04 had conceded, and the Veltins-Arena, which had been echoing with the Schalke anthem, suddenly fell silent. Meanwhile, the three thousand traveling Hamburg fans celebrated wildly. For them, there was nothing better than drawing first blood in such a high-stakes duel.

But the Hamburg fans didn't expect that their joy was only just beginning. Just eight minutes later, their Dutch teenage talent gave them another surprise.

Schalke 04 was pressing forward again. This time, although Huntelaar eventually passed the ball to Raúl, the pass was forced because he had been surrounded and couldn't shoot. It was this forced pass that allowed Hamburg center-back Mathijsen to anticipate the play and intercept. Without hesitation, Mathijsen launched a long ball up to Van Nistelrooy.

Seeing his teammate Elia sprinting forward at high speed, Van Nistelrooy didn't be greedy; he leaped and flicked the ball on with a header. The ball soared over the last defender, Metzelder!

"Danger!"

"Elia is fast!"

"He’s taken the lead!"

"Elia is through on goal!"

"Neuer is rushing out!"

Commentator He Wei exclaimed, and Magath, standing before the bench, clenched his fists as he watched his goalkeeper charge out.

But there was no miracle. The Dutch prodigy simply pushed the ball to the right, easily bypassing the rushing Neuer. Facing an empty net, Elia slotted it home.

"Beep!"

In less than ten minutes, the referee signaled a goal for the second time. As the whistle blew, the two-goal hero Elia ripped off his jersey in celebration, strutting arrogantly around the Veltins-Arena.

"Fuck!!!"

Playing at home, in the first league match after a massive transfer window spending spree, facing such a disastrous start, Magath—who had been so ambitious about showing Germany his team's glorious attack—finally snapped. Especially when he saw Armin Veh nearby, dancing in celebration of his team’s second goal!

"Damn it! Don't leave the flanks open!"

"Hao, from now on, if you have to foul them to stop their crosses, do it!"

"Metzelder, mark Van Nistelrooy! Papadopoulos, you watch for the second ball!"

"And you!"

"Huntelaar!"

"If you continue to be this selfish, get out of my team!"

Magath had lost it! He wasn't just yelling at Huntelaar, who had already frustrated him; he was now shouting Lin Hao’s name right in front of him!

"Lin!!!"

"What are you still doing sitting there? Go warm up!!!"

...

Being shouted at, Huntelaar was depressed, but Lin Hao, who scrambled to his feet to warm up, was filled with excitement.

Yes! Huntelaar was miserable because he felt unlucky—he couldn't score, and his passing had cost the team. But Lin Hao was excited because he never expected Magath to give him this much time. Twenty minutes of warm-up! This... this was fantastic.

However, the twenty-minute substitute appearance Lin Hao had been longing for didn't happen right away. After all, Huntelaar was a player Magath had bought for over ten million; if he only gave him twenty minutes in his league debut, Magath wouldn't be able to explain it to the team or the fans. He let Huntelaar continue until halftime.

0:2! In the remaining time of the first half, Schalke 04 couldn't pull a goal back. Having scored twice, Hamburg, under Armin Veh’s orders, parked the bus. With all ten outfield players forming an iron wall near their penalty area, even as Schalke pushed their defensive line past the center circle, they couldn't create anything.

...

"Lin! You're on for the second half!"

"Remember! The only thing you need to do is transition the ball when Raúl finds space!"

"In this team, I don't need any lone heroes! I want players who can follow the coaching staff's tactical arrangements!"

Inside the locker room, Magath hadn't stopped roaring since the team walked in. Under that barrage of shouting, everyone, including Huntelaar, obeyed his instructions. Huntelaar knew he had messed up, but he also realized that by giving him the full first half, Magath had shown him enough respect. He hadn't completely disappointed Magath yet. Most importantly, as a veteran, Huntelaar knew that if he couldn't break down Hamburg's iron wall, an 18-year-old kid certainly wouldn't have a chance either. As long as he followed Magath’s lead after this match, the position of second striker would remain his.

However, what Huntelaar didn't expect was that while Magath was shouting for Lin Hao to play strictly as a tactical transition point, Raúl, sitting next to Lin Hao, leaned in and whispered a few words.

Uh... upon hearing Raúl’s whisper, Lin Hao was shocked. Yes, the veteran had actually told him that he would create space for him in the second half, and if there was an opportunity, Lin Hao should take the shot himself...

This... this was not right. Just moments ago, when Magath was venting on Huntelaar, Raúl had even added fuel to the fire, saying something about how if he had received the ball, the score would at least be 2:2...

...

"CCTV!"

"CCTV!!!"

"This is the live broadcast of the 2010 German Bundesliga first round!"

"After a 15-minute halftime break, the players have returned to their respective halves!"

"Although Schalke 04 is still trailing 0:2, the moment all Chinese fans have been waiting for has finally arrived!"

"Our 18-year-old young talent, number 23 Lin Hao, has replaced Huntelaar, who performed poorly in the first half!"

"This substitution also marks a historic moment in one of the world's top five leagues—the Bundesliga—seeing two Chinese players on the pitch at the same time!"

"......................"