The team was founded by a local ho appliance manufacturer in Fronki. They were promoted to the top league in 1995, won the dostic cup in 2000, and had even competed in the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
But in 2006, the club, on the verge of bankruptcy, was forced to rge with Lech Poznan.
It subsequently beca the ho ground for Lech Poznan’s youth team.
The Fronki stadium was small, with a capacity of only 5,000, but it had one very distinctive feature: the stadium’s south stand was the town’s best hotel, the three-star Olympic Hotel.
The long journey from Dortmund to Poznan, and then on to Fronki, was a trek into unfamiliar territory.
So, the Bumblebees opted to arrive a night early and check into the Olympic Hotel.
On the day of the match, the players were forbidden from leaving the hotel.
Besides, there wasn’t much to see or do in the small town of Fronki anyway.
More importantly, a large cetery was situated just northwest of the stadium.
The scenery wasn’t even as nice as the German countryside; there was truly nothing worth exploring.
Everyone just wanted evening to co so they could play the match and get back ho as soon as possible.
This weekend was the third round of the Bundesliga, a ho match against Stuttgart.
After a disastrous away loss to Hamburg in the previous round, this next match was at ho. Losing was not an option.
The match was scheduled for 5:30 PM.
Dortmund arrived at the stadium early to get a feel for the pitch and begin their pre-match warm-ups.
Admittedly, the pitch was in terrible condition.
But for players accustod to cup ties or away gas in Eastern Europe, it was just sothing they had to get used to.
Even in the top five major leagues—wealthy, powerful, and professionally equipped—many teams still had terrible turf.
So what could one expect from other leagues?
To put it bluntly, if you wanted to be critical, the entire Lech Poznan squad’s inco for a whole season probably wouldn’t be enough to maintain the turf at Bayern’s Allianz Arena.
"Hello, Wang!"
As Wang Shuo jogged around on his team’s half of the pitch, a player in a blue Lech Poznan jersey approached him.
He spoke in German.
Wang Shuo had reviewed Lech Poznan’s player info and recognized him imdiately.
"Hello, Robert."
A flicker of surprise crossed the other player’s face, quickly followed by delight. "You know ?"
"Of course. You wear number 8, right? And you scored in the matches against Fredericia of Norway."
In the third qualifying round, Lech Poznan had thrashed Fredericia 6-1 away, only to lose the return leg 1-2 at ho.
"I’ve been following your matches since you were at Mainz last season. I never thought I’d get the chance to be on the sa pitch as you," Lewandowski said, looking genuinely honored.
"The honor is all mine, Robert," Wang Shuo replied, even more graciously.
"I’ve seen so of your matches in the UEFA Europa League and the Polish league. Just this morning, I was reminding my own teammates to watch out for you."
After saying this, Wang Shuo couldn’t help but laugh.
"My teammates said the sa! They all said they’re going to give you so special attention."
"I hope it’s a great match!"
With that, Wang Shuo extended his hand.
" too," Lewandowski replied, taking his hand.
"Oh, and Wang? After the match, save your jersey for ."
"Huh?"
"A few guys on our team were saying they’re all going to try and swap jerseys with you."
It finally dawned on Wang Shuo.
’So you ca over to make small talk just to get a head start on swapping jerseys?’
’You should’ve just said so, man! I brought a few spares!’
’And if you guys want the authentic, ga-worn stuff, I can even change at halfti.’
...
As a Polish team, Lech Poznan’s tactics were inevitably influenced by their German neighbors.
They were currently employing a three-back line.
Specifically, a 3-4-3 formation.
Right from kickoff, Dortmund imdiately unleashed their signature tactics.
All 5,000 fans were packed into the stadium’s only west stand, making their cheers incredibly focused and loud.
Dortmund’s high press in the final third clearly unsettled the Polish team.
They dropped deep in defense, but they simply couldn’t hold out.
In the 23rd minute, as a teammate won possession, Wang Shuo dropped back to the edge of the box to receive the ball before distributing it out to the left flank.
After making the pass, Wang Shuo turned and ran towards the goal.
But he deliberately slowed his pace, waiting.
When Reus received the ball, he was one-on-one with their right-back.
Reus suddenly burst into motion, driving quickly down the left wing. Upon reaching the side of the penalty area, he ca to an abrupt halt, pulled the ball back with his right foot, and whipped in a low cross.
Wang Shuo had been tracking Reus’s run down the left the entire ti. The mont he saw the cross go in, he burst into a sprint, charging directly in front of the goal. eting the incoming ball, he toe-poked it into the back of the Lech Poznan net from point-blank range.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"In the 23rd minute, Dortmund breaks the deadlock!"
"A goal from Wang Shuo!"
"1-0!"
Wang Shuo imdiately ran to Reus, celebrating with an enthusiastic embrace by the sideline before pointing at his teammate for the broadcast caras.
He was telling everyone to rember this player.
His na is Marco Reus!
And just nine minutes after Wang Shuo’s goal, Dortmund created another chance upfield.
Kuba tried to dribble past his man on the right wing, getting near the byline just outside the penalty area, but he couldn’t quite break through.
Left with no other option, Kuba stopped sharply, cut the ball back, and laid it off to Owomoyela.
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