Crushing Victories and the Sweet A-Match Rest
During the international break, there was some well-deserved rest.
Son Jinho's opener became the turning point, as Dortmund relentlessly pressed Olympiacos.
Olympiacos tries to counterattack, but Dortmund's pressure is too intense!
Son Jinho cleanly tackles the ball away and looks for Lewandowski!
Lewandowski shoots! Oh! It smashes the crossbar!
After conceding, Olympiacos pushed their line up to target Dortmund's goal, but Dortmund's high press prevented them from even crossing the halfway line.
Mario Goetze intercepts Faysa's pass! Dortmund switches straight to attack!
In the end, in the 42nd minute of the second half, Mario Goetze, who had intercepted a pass, fed it to the onrushing Kevin Grosskreutz.
Splat—!
Kevin Grosskreutz's shot nailed the coffin shut on the match.
GOOOOOOAL—! Kevin Grosskreutz drives the final nail in this game!
It's no exaggeration to say this goal effectively ended the match!
Dortmund defeated Olympiacos 2-0 at home, keeping their hopes alive for advancing to the Champions League round of 16.
Dortmund crushes Olympiacos 2-0.
Jurgen Klopp fires up for Champions League round of 16: 'It's a tough situation, but we'll give everything until the end for the fans cheering us on.'
Olympiacos coach Ernesto Valverde praises Son Jinho: 'Dortmund's No. 10 put on an impressive performance.'
Son Jinho, subbed off after 82 minutes, receives standing ovation from home fans.
The youngest, Son Jinho, delivers motivational speech in place of the captain?
Sebastian Kehl: 'Age doesn't mean his heart for the team is small. His passion for Dortmund came through in that speech, and it led us to victory.'
Son Jinho: 'Thanks to Sebastian Kehl for giving me the chance to motivate, and to the other Dortmund players for listening.'
Son Jinho's motivation leads Dortmund to victory!
Korean Derby unfolds at Borussia Dortmund's home, Signal Iduna Park!
National team senior Koo Ja-cheol praises Son Jinho: 'Regardless of senior-junior, he's a great player with so much to learn from.'
After the Olympiacos match, Dortmund immediately began preparations for their clash with Wolfsburg.
Wolfsburg, starting as a workers' club for the famous German car company Volkswagen, was fully backed by them.
Thanks to Volkswagen's abundant funding, despite a relatively small fanbase and modest home stadium, they were financially among the richest in the Bundesliga.
With aggressive investments, they won their first Bundesliga title in the 2008/2009 season, claiming the Deutscher Meister (German Champion) crown.
But the rosy path didn't last long.
Wolfsburg began facing crises after Felix Magath, the coach who delivered their first Bundesliga title, left for Schalke.
Just two years after their triumph, they flirted with relegation.
They eventually convinced Magath—the man behind their historic first title—to stay by offering him roles as director and coach.
Expectations for Felix Magath at Wolfsburg were sky-high, but...
Unfortunately, Felix Magath's absurd iron-fisted discipline this season had completely shattered Wolfsburg's team morale.
The conversation ended with Son Jinho reassuring the apologetic Koo Ja-cheol that it was fine. Soon after, Dortmund welcomed Wolfsburg to their home ground.
November 5, 2011.
At Signal Iduna Park, where Dortmund faced Wolfsburg.
I gazed at the packed stands with a satisfied smile, then looked pityingly at Wolfsburg's bench.
Ja-cheol hyung, who hadn't yet earned the coach's favor, was sitting there. Still, I wasn't too worried—he'd soon go on loan to Augsburg and shine there.
With the referee's whistle, the match kicked off, and Dortmund swarmed Wolfsburg from the start.
In the 12th minute of the first half, Mario Goetze's shot ripped into Wolfsburg's net, sparking the rout.
"Hoooooo—!"
Wolfsburg crumbled quickly.
"...Ah, no, Hoo isn't done like that." I muttered softly at Mario Goetze's awkward Hoo celebration.
Dortmund demolishes Wolfsburg 5-1 at home.
Canceled Korean Derby! Korean soccer fans rage at Felix Magath!
Korean national team in crisis! Heads to hellish Middle East doubleheader!
'A-Match kickoff!' But the public reacts coldly!
After the Wolfsburg match, the international break arrived.
True to their status as last season's German champions, most players were called up to their national teams.
"I hate A-matches! So don't get injured and make me hate them even more—come back healthy!"
Before the players left, Jurgen Klopp urged them to stay injury-free.
Right after the break, Dortmund would face Bayern Munich title rivals and derby foes Schalke, so sending key players away at this crucial time must have given Klopp a stomachache.
"Jinho!"
"Jurgen?"
"If you're free during the A-match period, wanna grab dinner?"
It was a casual dinner invite, but something felt off.
"...Why are you grinning like that?" Klopp's lips were curled in an unsettling smile.
"Nah, I just can't stop smiling. I'm over the moon that you're not going off to an A-match—tears of joy."
I shot him a dumbfounded look before bursting into laughter.
What can I say? This bushy-bearded German felt less like a coach and more like a neighborhood big bro.
'Considering the age gap, maybe more like an uncle.'
The more time I spent with him, the more I appreciated what a gem he was.
Honestly, part of me wished he'd take the Man United job when I eventually went there.
He'd actually received an offer from Manchester United before.
But no matter how I thought about it, it seemed impossible.
'...His wife vetoed it, right?'
Personally, I thought she was wise. Man United back then was a poisoned chalice.
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. Ferguson's era had been so glorious that his shadow loomed too large over United; every subsequent manager failed miserably trying to escape it.
'And above all,' the situations at Liverpool—where Klopp would later thrive—and United were worlds apart.
By 2015, when Klopp joined Liverpool, their fans had reached enlightenment after enduring the legendarily bad Lambert-Balotelli-Mané front three. But Man United fans still clung to the Ferguson glory days.
That made United fans' pride on another level.
It took Klopp four years to win at Liverpool.
I doubted United's board would stick with him that long.
'He'd probably get sacked before lifting a trophy...'
Who knows, though. It was all speculation.
I set a dinner date with Jurgen Klopp, then rode home in my mother-in-law's car.
Tomorrow marked the start of sweet, sweet A-match rest.
National team beats UAE 3-0 away!
'First button done right in hellish Middle East doubleheader!' Heads to Lebanon away match on November 15!