Heading to Berlin!
The 2013 DFB-Pokal quarterfinals — 3
[(Live) Bayern Munich 1: 1 Dortmund.]
— Roberto Lewandowski equalizes. (Son Jinho assist)
— Felipe Santana's foul. Dortmund earns a free kick in a dangerous area.
— Free kick taker, Schweinsteiger.
— Bayern Munich, Schweinsteiger's shot. Roman Weidenfeller saves.
— Full time. Extra time begins.
Dortmund had barely kept the score level thanks to Roman Weidenfeller's save. The match between Bayern Munich and Dortmund moved into extra time. The players were granted a brief moment to catch their breath. Dortmund's squad gathered around Jürgen Klopp.
"Fuck!! We never gave up and we finally equalized!"
Jürgen Klopp's mouth spewed a nonstop stream of F-bombs, fired up by the dramatic equalizer.
"You were all fucking fantastic today! I'm so damn proud of you!"
Klopp showered his players with passionate praise. Realizing they had reached their physical limits, he skipped tactical instructions and launched straight into a motivational speech.
'At least they won't mess up trying to follow new tactics.'
He didn't believe fresh instructions would be properly executed by exhausted players anyway.
"Turn your heads and look at the Dortmund away fans in the stands."
At Klopp's words, the players' gazes shifted toward the Dortmund supporters. It wasn't hard to find them—the fans were physically radiating scorching support.
"Wer wird deutscher Meister?" "BVB Borussia"
Even with their faces hidden behind flares, the Dortmund fans' burning desire for victory shone through crystal clear.
The expressions of the Dortmund players, worn down by the match, transformed in an instant.
The moment Klopp confirmed the change in their faces, he roared with veins bulging.
"Only thirty minutes left! In thirty minutes, let's head back with the victory the fans want!! Heja!!"
"BVB!!"
The instant Klopp finished, that signature Germanic fighting spirit—great at battles, terrible at wars—erupted from the players.
"Jinho! Your voice is too quiet!!!"
"Heja BVB!!!!"
After Son Jinho, caught lip-syncing, sheepishly joined in, the short break ended.
Beep—!
Extra time began with the referee's whistle. Bayern Munich had the kickoff.
The moment Mario Gomez pushed the ball forward, Arjen Robben was marked and immediately passed to Schweinsteiger.
Bastian Schweinsteiger took a smooth first touch. He was the standout central midfielder of the match, dominating the midfield battle alongside partner Javi Martínez.
In truth, it wasn't just the midfield. Bayern Munich had dominated Dortmund throughout the entire game. Just as in the original timeline when they dismantled FC Barcelona, Bayern were becoming an even more terrifying side as Jupp Heynckes' tactical philosophy took hold with every passing minute.
Thud—!
Using his physicality to shake off İlkay Gündoğan, Schweinsteiger's pass dropped perfectly at Arjen Robben's feet.
Tap—.
Receiving the pass, Robben immediately drove forward with his left foot. It was the same move he always made, yet defenders still couldn't stop him. The patterns were identical, but the timing of his runs and shots varied constantly.
When a reporter once pointed out that he always did the same thing, Robben had simply replied that it didn't matter as long as it worked. True to his word, he tore through Dortmund's defense with his signature macro-style play and cut inside.
After faking a shot to deceive the defender and driving in once more, space opened up for Arjen Robben to shoot. The instant the shooting lane appeared, his left foot whipped through the ball.
Robben's shot soared and sailed over the crossbar.
"Kut!"
A furious Arjen Robben slammed the turf. The ball had bounced awkwardly off the uneven pitch at the moment of impact, sending it too low.
Groundskeepers had been rushed onto the pitch during the brief break before extra time to patch the worst divots, but they couldn't fix everything perfectly. A stroke of luck for Dortmund, misfortune for Bayern Munich.
The momentum gradually shifted toward Dortmund.
After exchanging passes with İlkay Gündoğan, Nuri Şahin delivered the ball to Son Jinho, who had dropped deep, and warned him.
"Watch your back!"
Without even touching the ball, Son Jinho spun his body and nullified the press. With a simple feint, he shook off Schweinsteiger's challenge and found himself staring straight at Bayern Munich's goal.
Just like Arjen Robben had done, he began dribbling at high speed toward the Bayern half. Son Jinho's dribbling wasn't faster or more threatening than Robben's, but it was more than enough to unsettle Bayern's exhausted defenders.
"Don't dive in recklessly! Hold your shape!"
Manuel Neuer's shout went unheeded as Dante, unable to resist Son Jinho's long-range shooting motion, lunged forward.
'Perfect…!'
The tackle came at the perfect moment, and Dante was certain he had won it—until the ball wasn't there.
Tap—! Tap-tap!
Instead of shooting, Son Jinho dragged the ball inside with his right foot to evade the tackle, then burst past in the opposite direction with his left.
A shooting angle had opened, but Son Jinho quickly weighed his options for the highest-percentage finish. His eyes met Lewandowski's.
The trajectory of the pass formed in his mind, and his left foot swung through.
Son Jinho's pass sliced between the Bayern defender and goalkeeper. While the rest of Bayern's players failed to react, only Lewandowski—who had locked eyes with Son Jinho—managed to respond. The ball deflected off his leg, changed direction, and nestled into the near post, rippling Bayern Munich's net.
"Jinho, you crazy bastard!!"
Lewandowski roared, pointing at Son Jinho as he sprinted toward him.
"Hooooouuuu—!!!!"
Son Jinho bellowed as the pass he had envisioned connected perfectly for the goal.
"Berlin! Berlin! Wir fahren nach Berlin!!!"
And inside Bayern's home stadium, Allianz Arena, the jubilant voices of the Dortmund away fans echoed throughout the stands.
After the go-ahead goal, time flew by. Extra time was nearly over. The players' work rate had visibly dropped as they hit their physical limits. With only three substitutions allowed for the entire match, both Jupp Heynckes and Jürgen Klopp had already used all of theirs. Their only remaining option was to stand on the touchline and shout tactical instructions at the top of their lungs.
Bayern Munich had pushed their line higher in search of an equalizer. Perhaps due to fatigue-induced lapses in concentration, Jérôme Boateng made a fatal misplaced pass. Son Jinho intercepted the under-hit ball. Boateng tried to block him, but Son Jinho feinted left, then went right. Boateng's legs gave out and he collapsed to the turf as if hit by a tranquilizer dart.
Tap—!
Spotting Manuel Neuer rushing out to close the angle, Son Jinho chipped the ball delicately over him and into the net, sealing the victory.
"Hooooouuuu—!"
The match ended shortly after. Dortmund's players clenched their fists and waved their arms in celebration, sharing the joy of victory.