In the first half of extra time, while Hoffenheim was attacking aggressively, they naturally also had to take the risk of being counterattacked by Bayern Munich.
Although Bayern is at a disadvantage in terms of momentum, they will not just sit there and take a beating without fighting back, especially when there is a sharp winger like Ribery on the field.
In the 103rd minute of the first half of extra time, Hoffenheim was almost counterattacked by Ribery.
Fortunately, Daniel Haas made a world-class save, blocking Ribery's long-range counterattack shot.
The two sides continued to rest on the sidelines with the score at 2-2, preparing to exchange venues and enter the second half of overtime.
On the sidelines, Lu Wenbin was drinking water with sweat all over his face, and Ralph was reminding the defense line not to panic and to be wary of Bayern's counterattack.
If the game had gone into a penalty shootout there would still be a glimmer of hope, but if Bayern Munich scored in overtime we would have been doomed.
Therefore, Ralph specifically instructed Gustavo and others to stabilize the defense and beware of Bayern's counterattack.
At this time, Lu Wenbin, who had taken a sip of water, inadvertently turned his head to look at Bayern, only to see Lucio and Van Buyten both lying on the ground, gasping for breath and sweating, and being massaged by their team doctor and coach.
There is no halftime break in overtime. The most the referee gives everyone is a few minutes to drink water and take a break.
But, with such a short time, Lucio and Van Buiten both wanted people to give them massages. Is it that tiring
Although his physical attributes were not very high and he was very tired, the young and strong Lu Wenbin did not feel like he was about to collapse.
At this time, Lu Wenbin remembered that Lucio and Van Buiten were both 30 years old.
And now, it is already the end of the season.
After fighting for more than half a season, Bayern has firmly occupied the top spot in the Bundesliga, but this position is not so easy to sit in and the players must be very tired.
Then, in such a German Cup final, Bayern attacked for more than 70 minutes in regular time, and the defense line also had to follow in advance, which consumed a lot of energy.
Especially the Brazilian Lucio, who has always had an offensive heart and is a veritable sword-wielding defender. He is not only responsible for defense, but also has to occasionally participate in offense.
The physical energy consumption within the regular 90 minutes was already quite high, and now Hoffenheim's equalizer in stoppage time dragged the game into overtime. This undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on the two 30-year-old veterans both physically and mentally, making them feel tired.
Look at the 31-year-old Sagnol. Although he didn't collapse on the ground, he was supporting his knees with his hands, bending over and closing his eyes. He looked exhausted and like he could collapse at any time.
Lu Wenbin had a flash of inspiration. Three of the four players in Bayern's defense line are veterans over 30 years old. Can they do something about it
Lu Wenbin quickly and secretly told head coach Ralph about his discovery.
Ralph turned his head to look at Bayern, then nodded to Lu Wenbin admiringly, expressing his agreement.
Then, Ralph gathered the players together and quietly arranged the tactics for the second half of overtime.
After a while, the referee called everyone to start the game.
After the start of the second half, everyone noticed that Hoffenheim's offensive focus suddenly shifted.
As soon as Salihovic, Copado, Eduardo, Ibisevic and others got the ball, they started to rush towards Sagnol using a combination of passing and personal dribbling.
After breaking through Sagnol, continue to move into the penalty area and break through Van Buyten or Lucio head-on.
If it was during regular match time or at the beginning of the season, the three top defenders, Sagnol, Van Buyten and Lucio, would not be afraid of their opponents doing this.
However, at this point in time, Hoffenheim's tactical change made Sagnol's defense line become precarious.
Sagnol, Lucio and Van Buyten have already passed their physical peak and are no match for young people in their 20s.
Now in the second half of overtime, the three players are really tired.
Hitzfeld saw the danger and was ready to make a substitution.
However, in the 114th minute, when Hitzfeld was about to replace Lahm and Demichelis, Hoffenheim's crazy breakthrough against Bayern's three veteran defenders finally achieved results.
When Eduardo used a series of dribbles to dribble past Lucio and entered the penalty area at the corner of the penalty area, Lucio, in a panic, pushed him into the penalty area.
"Penalty!"
Salihovic, Ibisevic and others raised their hands and shouted while rushing towards the scene of the incident.
Naturally, other Bayern Munich players also gathered around and excitedly told the referee that Lucio had not committed a foul and that Eduardo was faking a fall to get a penalty.
As a result, the referee's decision was neither a penalty nor a dive by Eduardo, but a foul by Lucio on the penalty area line, and the result was a free kick in the corner of the penalty area.
Both sides were dissatisfied with the penalty, but Bayern was relatively easier to accept, but Hoffenheim was not so calm.
Eduardo suddenly jumped up from the ground and excitedly told the referee that he was pushed by Lucio after entering the penalty area. This should be a foul in the penalty area and it was undoubtedly a penalty.
Salihovic and Ibisevic also surrounded the referee, trying to put pressure on him to change his decision.
If a penalty kick was given at this time, with Lu Wenbin's shooting skills, he would definitely score.
However, since the referee has already made the decision, whether it is correct or not, it is impossible for him to change the decision and slap himself in the face.
Therefore, the protests of Salihovic and others not only failed to result in a penalty kick, but they were shown two yellow cards by the referee.
Seeing this, Lu Wenbin hurried over and pulled the few people apart.
If Salihovic and others argued with the referee again, were sent off with a direct red card, and the free kick failed to score, dragging the game into a penalty shootout, it would be even more difficult for Hoffenheim to win.
After the teammates were pulled away by Lu Wenbin, the referee let everyone off and asked Bayern to form a wall while Hoffenheim prepared to take a free kick.
This free kick was naturally taken by Lu Wenbin, the core of the team and the first free kick taker of set pieces.
The free kick at the corner of the penalty area was a bit off, and Lu Wenbin had never scored a goal before.
Of course, the main reason is that Lu Wenbin used the system skills at the free kick penalty spot with a better position. He either took the free kicks near the corner of the penalty area himself or let his teammates take the free kicks. It is not difficult to understand why there is no goal record from this position.
But now, Bayern, who had been defending cautiously, finally revealed a flaw and gave Hoffenheim a free kick. Lu Wenbin had to withstand the pressure and take the penalty himself.
This was probably Hoffenheim's last shooting chance in overtime.