What is an attacking defensive midfielder?

Chapter 145 Europa League Knockout Stage, Advancement!

Halftime report: Bruno scores with a long-range shot, Leipzig trails Villarreal 0-1.

The away team's locker room.

Rangnick and Almas seemed a little anxious.

This is because Villarreal's performance in this match has exceeded their expectations.

They weren't this powerful when we last met!

"Clearly, they gained a lot of experience from the last game."

Rangnick shrugged. "So our initial approach was wrong; we shouldn't have been so polite to them."

"If we keep playing like this, we might be down by two goals, not just one!"

Rangnick pointed his right hand directly at the ceiling.

"In the second half, I will bring on Gudman and Youssef directly. Although we are already behind, we must win this game. At least a draw!"

"Actually, I feel that Villarreal's advantage won't last long, because we know that this game is a must-win for Leipzig."

-

"Yes, I think the first half was just Leipzig testing their opponents. The second half is the key."

"Oh, Chao Ran!"

In the live broadcast, Hao Ren jogged in front of the bench and kept swinging his arms to stretch.

"Leipzig should speed things up. I think Hao Ren is very likely to come on within the next 10 minutes!"

'

'

The second half begins.

The two commentators' predictions were too conservative; Hao Ren stepped onto the playing field before the warm-up had even lasted five minutes.

He replaced Kimmich.

"come on!"

"Leave it to me!"

Hao Ren was substituted on during the opponent's corner kick opportunity, so he needed to participate in corner kick defense as soon as he came on.

Of course, this timing is quite good.

Once the corner kick defense is over, Leipzig can change their formation on the counter-attack!

From 4231 to 4222, a few minutes later the ball went straight through the Yellow Pool goal!

"Whoosh!"

The corner kick is taken!

First position, Sebastian!

boom!

Sebastian headed the ball out of the penalty area.

The Villarreal player outside the penalty area stepped forward and kicked the ball back into the penalty area.

"Watch the next part!"

Gulasic reminded him.

However, he had barely finished speaking when Ruiz headed the ball away.

The Leipzig goalkeeper was caught off guard.

"GGGG000OLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Victor Ruiz!"

"2:0!"

Villarreal!

Captain Huang Qian grabbed Ruiz's shoulder, and the two ran off the field together.

As the team that conceded the goal, the Leipzig players stood awkwardly in the penalty area.

"Holy crap—"

【Ha ha ha ha】

Wow, Villarreal's corner kick was really well done! I didn't even notice Ruiz.

[Hao Ren really cracked me up by scoring right after the match. That was so embarrassing!]

I thought Napoli was the strongest team in Group C, but it turns out it's Villarreal.

What's the rush? I, Mr. Goodman, haven't even touched the ball yet. Being down by two goals is nothing.

Werner held his head in his hands.

As the team's center, he is very nervous right now.

Because when you're down 0-2, offense becomes extremely important!

"take it easy."

Hao Ren noticed Werner's expression and comforted him, "What's 0-2? Mr. Goodman hasn't even touched the ball yet. The score is all fake!"

"Um!"

Hao Ren's words of comfort were very effective; Werner raised his head, a light shining in his eyes.

Werner is a traditional and conservative man who sometimes lacks self-confidence.

But he believed in Mr. Goodman!

"Now we live beneath the wave!"

"In our yellow submarine"

We all live in that yellow submarine!

"Yellow submarine yellow submarine~~~~ (yellow submarine)"

Villarreal's singing style is relaxed, which is quite rare among teams in the top five leagues.

Their relaxed singing style also has its charm.

That is, to calm the players on the field when the team is leading or trailing.

As we all know, football is ultimately a mental activity.

You need to stay calm enough to play your best game!

58th minute!

Hao Ren received the ball on the right baseline.

My instinct was to look for Kimmich, but he was no longer there.

Look at Poulsen!

Snapped!

Snapped!

A one-two pass between Hao Ren and Poulsen resulted in Hao Ren regaining possession of the ball, but he was then marked by Rukavina.

Depend on!

Hao Ren prepared to break through, but he didn't expect that the opposing defender knew his technical characteristics very well.

He adopted a diagonal stance, preventing Hao Ren from utilizing his physical strength.

'

Just as the Leipzig midfielder was at a loss for what to do, a strange feeling suddenly came from his body.

The center of gravity shifts!

This is the Vitinia dribbling template that I just got recently!

After lowering his center of gravity, Hao Ren's body became much more agile.

Change direction to the right and forward!

As soon as Lucavina approached, Hao Ren immediately changed his rhythm.

Oh!!!!

He got past Rukavina!

Snapped!

He dribbled the ball into the penalty area!

Forsberry!

boom!

Goal!

1: 2!

Leipzig pulled one back!

"Oh my goodness!"

"Hao Ren's dribble past his opponent outside the penalty area was absolutely beautiful!"

"Ha ha!"

Werner quickly ran into the goal and retrieved the ball.

At this moment, the comment section on Dongqiudi is full of question marks.

No, this—

Grandpa Niu, you actually know how to do this!

65th minute!

Hao Ren's one-on-one pass outside the penalty area boosted the team's morale.

For a newly promoted team like RB Leipzig, a player's competitive feel is far more important than their absolute ability.

Once you get into the rhythm, you'll naturally play better!

Demme delivered a cross from a 45-degree angle!

Werner prepared to chest the ball down, but goalkeeper Balbosa rushed out directly.

Snapped!

Balbosa jumped up and caught the ball.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Balbosa stood up and gestured for his teammates to rush forward.

Find the right opportunity —

Balbosa threw the ball, and at that moment Hao Ren suddenly jumped up and spun in mid-air.

Balbosa's throw hit Hao Ren in the back!

"Oh!!!!"

The defender rushed over, and Hao Ren quickly pulled the ball away and passed it to the defender.

Send the ball into the penalty area!

It's still Forsberry!

boom!

Forsbury slammed hard onto the grass.

He was pulled down by Musacchio!

"Hiss! Musacchio has no choice!"

"Barbosa, that mistake was absolutely fatal!"

The referee blew his whistle and awarded Leipzig a penalty.

Musacchio simply held his head and did not file any complaint.

Because he knew there was no room for reversal in this ruling.

The moment Musacchio reached out his hand, he already knew his fate!

Trailing 1-2, Leipzig were awarded a penalty!

Poulsen is ready in the penalty area!

"sure!"

Sebastian patted Hao Ren on the shoulder, but the latter didn't say anything, only raised an eyebrow.

Seeing Balboa's movements, he sensed that the goalkeeper was going to throw the ball towards him, so he jumped up tentatively.

I can't believe it actually worked!

"Whoosh!"

"Pulsen's running start!"

"Break the door!"

"Goal!"

"2:2!"

"Leipzig has equalized!"

Balbosa knelt on the goal line, his eyes filled with melancholy.

Huang Qian, the goalkeeper, was unable to make amends for his mistakes.

The team's advantage built up in the first few tens of minutes has completely vanished!

"Beep beep beep!!!!"

The home fans at the stadium were very upset, constantly watching the replay on the big screen, seemingly trying to find some foul in Poulsen's penalty kick.

In contrast, the Leipzig players on the field...

A draw earns you 1 point.

If they can get just one point in today's match, they will secure their place in the knockout stage with one round to spare!

"Nice!"

Hao Ren and Paulsen raised their hands and high-fived in celebration.

The Leipzig captain clenched his right fist tightly and then threw a powerful uppercut into the air: "Whoa!"

"Knockout stage!"

Poulsen addressed his teammates, emphasizing that the team had already secured a place in the Europa League knockout stage.

This will be the first time any player in the RB Leipzig squad has participated in a European knockout stage!

"You're spineless!"

1

Hao Ren ruffled Poulsen's hair with his hand: "The game isn't over yet, we have to win!"

"Win!"

After shouting twice, Hao Ren finally pulled Paulsen back from his frenzy.

For Leipzig, a draw is enough; they can use it to advance to the knockout stage.

But for Hao Ren—

Mr. Goodman is ambitious.

Just like playing ranked matches, you must not give up as long as you have a chance to gain victory points!

"come on!"

"Go Leipzig!"

'

""

"Leipzig's style of play is very aggressive; it seems they're not satisfied with a draw!"

"Musacchio, aren't you going to pass the ball out from that position?"

"Hao Ren is charging up!"

Leipzig's pressing was truly frightening, forcing Musacchio to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.

Balbosa had no time to hesitate and quickly kicked the ball to Ruiz.

Ruiz then passed the ball to Bruno in front.

As a La Liga team, Villarreal's ability to distribute the ball out from their own half is generally not a problem.

However, through this series of actions, they had actually fallen into Leipzig's trap.

The moment Bruno got the ball, Demme, Poulsen, and even full-back Klostermann rushed up.

The pressing players came from three different directions, weaving a strangulation network with their runs!

Bruno tried to pass the ball to his teammate, but it was too late.

One of the charms of Leipzig's coordinated pressing is that the pressing in all directions maintains a similar rhythm.

If the ball can't be passed out in one direction, it means the ball can't be passed out in any direction.

Snapped!

Poulsen kicked the ball away.

Give it to Klostermann!

Klostermann sent a long pass forward!

"Oh!!"

"Watch out!"

"Don't let them in!"

"Hold on! Balbosa, hold on!"

Werner received the loose ball and passed it to Hao Ren, who was there to receive it.

At this moment, Hao Ren was in a slightly off-center position on the right flank. He noticed Forsbury, who was making a forward run down the left flank.

Gritting his teeth, the Leipzig midfielder made his choice.

Swing your right foot with the outside of your foot, aiming for the left post!

!!!

Forsberry accelerated.

Jump up!

"what!"

Forsberg headed forward but couldn't reach the ball.

but.

The ball went in!

Hao Ren's outside-of-the-foot pass found the back of the net!

3: 2!

"Yo, haha!"

"That corner kick was executed exceptionally well; Leipzig completely turned the tide!"

"Hao Ren's outside-of-the-foot shot was still precise, but Forsberg's role in this goal was also crucial. He completely drew the goalkeeper's attention."

[Mission Progress: Goal Scored (1/10)]

Because he came on as a substitute, Hao Ren had more energy saved.

His goal celebration was also incredibly impressive!

Fuck you!

"Trash! Get out!"

"Let's tie the score, 3-3!"

Faced with the cheers of the home team fans, Hao Ren first slapped his ears, then stood with his feet apart and his hands clasped together.

Insubordination

"Beep, beep beep—!!!"

"Alright, the match is over. RB Leipzig defeated Villarreal 3-2, which means they have secured their place in the Europa League knockout stage with one round to spare."

"It's worth mentioning that by winning the match outright, Leipzig not only secured a place in the knockout stage, but also topped Group C!"

Congratulations to Leipzig!

On the pitch, the Leipzig players gathered together.

They are thanking the visiting fans who have traveled from afar.

"Mr. Goodman!"

"Bundesliga Golden Boot! You are the Bundesliga Golden Boot!"

Hao Ren walked up to the fan who had shouted at him: "The league isn't even halfway through yet, and you're saying this now."

"but."

"Mr. Goodman really liked what you said."

"Wow!!!!"

"Long live Goodman! Long live Goodman!"

"Hooray for Goodman! Let's see how you perform in the knockout stage!"

Those who are willing to travel all the way to Spain to watch the game are die-hard fans, and Leipzig players certainly need to provide them with the benefits they deserve.

Hao Ren signed his name on one jersey after another.

He was stunned when he signed his seventh jersey.

This is the Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club jersey!

Ok?

Hao Ren looked up.

Unsurprisingly, the guy wearing the Evergrande jersey is Chinese.

"Can I sign this?"

"no problem!"

Hao Ren wrote his name on the back of his plain jersey (without a number) as required.

"Go Hao Ren!"

"Haha, thank you!"

[Match results in progress————]

[League Points +16]

Dongqiudi Match Report: In the 5th round of the Europa League group stage, RB Leipzig defeated Villarreal 3-2, completing a comeback from 0-2 down to advance to the Europa League knockout stage as the group winner.

Appendix: 2015-16 UEFA Europa League Group C Standings (Round 5 not yet completed):

1. RB Leipzig, 13 points. (Secure to advance)

2. Villarreal, 5 points.

3. Napoli, 5 points. (One game in hand)

4. Celtics, 1 point. (One game in hand)

As the most favored team in Group C, Napoli currently has 5 points from 4 rounds, and their goal difference is not even as good as Villarreal's.

This is because they performed so poorly in the first three rounds!

Unlike Leipzig, which, under Mr. Goodman's leadership, has been progressing faster and faster and is simply too strong!

"I won't make any predictions for the sixth round match, because we've already qualified, so it's okay even if we lose to Napoli in the next round."

Hao Ren made a startling statement.

"Mr. Goodman, what are your thoughts on the Europa League knockout stage? This is Leipzig's first time participating in the Europa League knockout stage, and it's also your first time in your professional career."

"this----"

Hao Ren thought about it for a moment.

"I don't know what will happen yet. But the knockout stage draw is next month, and I'm focused on the league right now."

We are still one point behind Bayern.

"Yes, you mentioned several times in the interview that you want to catch up with Bayern Munich, which should be Leipzig's current goal. Do you think there's a high chance of achieving this goal?"

'

""

Click, click!

Hao Ren raised his head and looked in the direction from which the flash was coming from.

"I think we should be able to achieve this goal before the end of 2015."

Click!

Click, click!

In an interview with ESPN, Hao Ren stated that they should be able to reach the top of the league before the end of 2015; he is not worried about the research from other teams in the league, and Leipzig will remain strong.

-

Hao Ren's remarks were extremely arrogant.

If an ordinary player said something like that, reporters would probably be surprised. After all, professional players rarely say things like that.

But Hao Ren's words—

This guy always likes to make some offhand remarks during interviews, so this sentence takes on a lot less meaning when it comes from him.

but!

Leipzig's current strength is no joke.

They only need one more victory to completely overturn Bayern!

The Sun newspaper's front-page headline reads: "German police have discovered an extreme fan group in Leipzig: the Bull Church."

"It is understood that this extremist group was established around September and operates under the guise of a church. Followers are required to offer sincere blessings and even their lives to God Goodman in order to obtain His protection."

"Three members of the organization have been arrested so far, but it is still unclear who the founder of the organization is."

[Can I join the God-tm Niu Niu Church?]

This must be difficult; it seems like most of the workers involved are from Leipzig. The sheer number of them is staggering.

【God Goodman? Holy crap, Europeans have switched from Christianity to this?】

[It's probably not a real religion. I searched on foreign websites, and it seems they use this method to praise Hao Ren's greatness and cheer for the team, while occasionally attacking fans of other clubs, which is why they were identified as an extremist organization.]

These Leipzig fans are really united! But we still need to be careful, lest we send Hao to jail.

Hao Ren had no prior knowledge of the existence of this so-called "Niu Niu Church".

Because he mainly browses news from major newspapers and rarely pays attention to Twitter and Instagram.

It wasn't until the Sun reported on it that Hao Ren discovered the existence of this thing.

"this----"

Hao Ren squinted and glanced at it briefly.

In fact, it was inappropriate for the German police to classify the Niu Niu Church as an "extremist organization".

So far, members of the Niu Niu Church have not done anything heinous.

They just like to argue with fans of various teams in the comments section, and sometimes they'll post something like, "You better not come to Leipzig, or you won't be able to go back," or similar threats.

Hao Ren logged into Instagram, preparing to share his views on the Niu Niu Church on his account.

Just then, the door was opened.

Entering were Lucas, Otto, and a blonde woman in her thirties. She had a typical Germanic appearance.

If nothing unexpected happens, this blonde woman is the mother of the two little ones.

"Hello, Ms. Delina."

Hao Ren stood up and shook hands with Dai Lina.

The main reason Hao Ren wanted to meet with Lucas's mother was to discuss custody issues.

"I heard your new husband doesn't really like Lucas and his friends?"

Hao Ren asked, "Your new husband seems to often yell at them. Of course, that's what I've heard."

"That's exactly right—"

"I really want to keep them, but you know, I'm afraid this kind of upbringing will have a bad influence on them."

As she spoke, Delina glanced at Lucas and Otto.

The two guys were huddled together, as if they were sticking together for warmth.

"Your new husband is disgusting—oh, sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Hao Ren touched his nose: "Your idea is for your grandparents to raise Otto and the others, right?"

Dailina nodded.

Hao Ren hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said, "If we go to my grandparents' house, they will have to stay away from Berlin and Leipzig. They won't be able to support their favorite team."

Delina gently shook her head: "They can watch the game on TV."

Hao Ren looked at Lucas and Otto, whose eyes seemed to be pleading for help.

"Well then, Ms. Delina, I have a suggestion for you."

"As you can see, my apartment is large enough for Lucas and the others to live in. My idea is that you let them stay with me temporarily. And since you live nearby, it's convenient for you to come and visit them."

,"this----"

Dailina was surprised that Hao Ren would come up with such an idea.

"Won't this be a lot of trouble for you?"

""

Delina's implication was that Hao Ren was being a little too nice to Lucas and the others.

"No trouble at all. They're my apprentices. I told them I'd teach them how to play football."

Hao Ren said, "Their three meals a day can be taken care of at the Leipzig base. It doesn't matter if you send them their necessities or I provide them. But there is one condition."

Dailina looked up and met Hao Ren's eyes.

"About two or three years ago, they suggested you participate in a local football training camp, similar to a youth training selection, but you declined."

"They can stay with me, but in exchange, you have to agree to let me enroll them in that football training camp. If possible—well, let them participate in the formal youth training, because you know they really love football."

It was called an exchange of conditions, but in reality, it was Hao Ren who made a one-sided sacrifice.

After listening, Dalina turned to look at her two sons.

"You don't need to ask for their opinion anymore; this is the result of my discussion with them. They completely agree with my idea."

Hao Ren smiled.

"Do you have any other thoughts? You can ask me any questions you have. Because I've already made up my mind to help them."

"Mr. Goodman, thank you. But—won't this be a big burden for you?"

"If my weekly wage were 1000 euros, then it would indeed be considered a burden. But my weekly wage is clearly not 1000 euros. I'm sure you've searched my name online and know my salary situation; it's public information."

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Hao Ren continued to ask questions, gesturing for Dai Lina to explain everything at once, but the latter remained silent immediately.

"

"You're a Leipzig player now, but later—"

Hao Ren was so famous in Leipzig that it was enough for Delina to trust him.

However, being too famous also presents a problem.

"You'll be going to a better club in the future, right? Where will they live then?"

"Holy crap!"

Hao Ren waved his hand: "You've been silent for so long just because you're worried about this?"

"That's simple, I'll just buy this apartment building. I have at least five teammates living in this area, so your son won't have any problems here."

"This, this—I need to think about it some more."

"No problem!"

After Delina left, Lucas and Otto, who remained behind, looked worried: "It seems Mom didn't agree—"

"Her not refusing means she agreed."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Hao Ren looked as tall and imposing as God in the eyes of the two children.

"There couldn't be a better solution."

"Because no one can refuse Mr. Goodman!"

Wow!

Lucas and Otto clung to Hao Ren's legs, crying, "Mr. Goodman!!!"

"Don't celebrate yet. You'll have to go to soccer lessons every weekend from now on. Then you'll understand how hard Mr. Goodman works!"

"Ha ha!"