Especially Van Boml.
What stuck with Kircher the most was how Van Boml had committed four fouls in a very short span during that match.
None of the fouls were major. They were the kind that infuriated opponents but were subtle enough that the referee couldn’t easily call them.
This completely shattered Werder Bren’s composure.
As a result, Bayern scored twice in just ten minutes.
’If Werder Bren had protested in ti, or even just started an argunt with Bayern like Dortmund did,’ Kircher thought, ’the referee would have had to intervene, and Van Boml would have certainly been carded early on.’
However, Werder Bren did eventually react.
Shortly before halfti, sut was on the ball and drew a foul from Van Boml.
This ti, Kircher didn’t hesitate to show the card.
But Werder Bren had already lost the First Move. The final score was 2-3, a ho loss to Bayern.
Van Boml was the kind of player opponents loathed, but his own fans adored.
As a referee, he didn’t have much fondness for players like that.
No referee likes having their decisions and officiating standards second-guessed!
Take Dortmund, for example. They protested right from the opening, and that foul was indeed a bit much.
Since it was Bayern’s ho ground, Van Boml was trying to test the referee’s limits.
But Kircher, staying within his authority as the referee, had only given a verbal warning.
So this ti, showing a yellow card was only natural.
In the 10th minute, Van Boml was put on a tight leash!
"Are you okay?" Kircher walked over and asked Wang Shuo.
"I’m fine. It really hurt right when he kicked , but it’s much better now," Wang Shuo explained.
Kircher accepted his explanation.
Mainly, Wang Shuo had indeed been on the receiving end of a few too many kicks.
Just now, Van Boml had been grabbing Wang Shuo while repeatedly kicking at him. It was a dirty play.
"Alright, everyone break it up. Get ready to restart the match."
With that, Kircher jogged away.
Wang Shuo, on the other hand, called his teammates over.
"Listen up. The ref is going to be looking to balance the calls now. We need to be careful with our challenges."
With a two-goal lead at Bayern’s ho ground, and with Van Boml just getting a yellow, it was normal for the referee to try and balance things out. Dortmund had to be extra careful.
In the past few rounds, Dortmund had been unstoppable under Wang Shuo’s leadership.
His teammates held him in high regard and trusted his judgnt.
After hearing him now, they all nodded in agreent.
...
The match restarted.
Dortmund’s free kick didn’t lead to any real offensive threat.
After winning the ball, Bayern imdiately launched a long pass forward, looking for Goz to start a quick attack.
Santana was having a very active ga.
His marking on Goz, in particular, was spot-on.
Clearly, the help Klopp had given him over the past while was paying off.
When the route to Goz proved ineffective, Bayern began to utilize the wings more.
This was mainly because both Robben and Ribery were actively dropping back to receive the ball.
The two wingers operated more in the half-spaces, largely leaving the flanks to Badstuber and Lahm.
Badstuber had originally been a center-back, but under Van Gaal’s coaching, he was now playing as a left-back.
In Van Gaal’s system, when his team was in possession, the full-backs would often push high up the pitch to support the wingers in attack.
Then, in the 12th minute, Bayern Munich launched an attack from the left flank.
Facing Dortmund’s suffocating high press, Bayern’s midfield and defense couldn’t move the ball out at all.
When Ribery dropped to the left of the center circle on the halfway line to receive a pass, he was hounded by Owomoyela from behind and was eventually fouled, going to ground.
Since Owomoyela’s challenge wasn’t particularly rough, the referee simply blew his whistle for the foul without issuing a warning or a card.
This drew imnse dissatisfaction from the 69,000 Bayern fans at Allianz Arena, and the stadium erupted in thunderous boos.
Demichelis quickly ca forward to take the free kick, as Badstuber made an overlapping run from the left to join the attack.
But despite a series of passes, Bayern was unable to penetrate the danger zone.
After Dortmund’s clearance, the ball still ended up with Bayern, falling to Lahm on the right wing.
Wang Shuo seized the opportunity and, with a wave of his arm, signaled for the team to press toward Bayern’s right flank.
This bout of pressure ended with Grosskreutz fouling Robben.
Grandcross and Schlzer double-tead Robben, bringing the Dutchman down near the halfway line.
But again, no card was given.
"The stadium is filled with boos from the Bayern fans."
"The slow-motion replay shows that the Dortmund defenders’ challenges were quite restrained."
"Schlzer’s defending is giving Robben a hard ti."
"The young left-back took the starting spot from the Brazilian veteran De De and has really cented his position on the left flank this season."
"Let’s see what Bayern do with this quick free kick."
As the ball ca back to Lahm, Wang Shuo once again initiated the press toward the right wing.
Dortmund pushed up once more.
Lahm made a hasty pass to Van Boml, but Kuba imdiately closed in, forcing Van Boml to pass back to Lahm again.
"Dortmund’s press in the attacking third is ferocious!"
"We can see that so far in this match, Bayern simply haven’t been able to find their usual rhythm."
"It’s as if they’ve been completely stunned by Dortmund’s opening blitz."
"They’re down 0-2, and the ga has just begun—not even twelve minutes have passed."
"For Bayern, the most important thing right now is to settle down and find their tempo."
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