At the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, after Udinese scored a goal and took the lead over Hoffenheim, their defensive counterattacks became more resolute and the restrictions on Lu Wenbin were also tighter.
Even if Lu Wenbin tried harder, it would be useless.
Until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Lu Wenbin did not get a chance to shoot, and Salihovic and others did not create a good free kick opportunity for him in the frontcourt.
The only free kick Hoffenheim got in the first half was in a very remote position on the wing. Lu Wenbin did not dare to use or waste his system skills, and in the end his own shot hit the side net.
The two sides entered the halftime break with a score of 0-1, with Hoffenheim falling behind at home.
In the commentary booth, the German commentator looked worried, while the Italian commentator looked excited, forming a sharp contrast.
It was bad enough that Hoffenheim conceded a goal to Udinese in the first half. What the Germans didn't expect was that Lu Wenbin, who scored so many goals in the league, was completely restricted by Udinese and didn't even get a single shot in the penalty area.
Udinese's defense against Lu Wenbin was so successful that it was beyond everyone's expectations.
It seems that Udinese must have conducted targeted training based on the characteristics of Hoffenheim and Lu Wenbin before the game, which is why they were able to restrict Lu Wenbin so successfully in this game.
If Hoffenheim cannot come up with a solution during the half-time break, they may lose at home.
By then, the possibility of a comeback in the second round away from home will be even lower.
In the home team locker room, Ralph was indeed adjusting the tactics for the second half.
Udinese's backcourt defense is too dense, and the Italian-style chain defense and zone defense are really powerful. It is really difficult for Lu Wenbin to stay in the penalty area and get a chance to shoot.
In view of Lu Wenbin's high shooting accuracy, Ralph decided to let Lu Wenbin retreat to a line parallel to Salihovic and Eduardo, and the formation changed to 4132.
Salihovic and Eduardo moved to both sides, leaving a position in the middle for Lu Wenbin, and were responsible for supplying him with artillery shells from both sides.
With Lu Wenbin's shooting accuracy, even if the distance is far, as long as he gets a shooting opportunity, the probability of hitting the goal frame is still the highest in the team.
Although the ball lacks power and speed, as long as it hits the goal frame, there is a chance of scoring a goal, which is better than not even having a chance to shoot.
This kind of play was not played in the league because it was unnecessary, but there is no other way now, we can only let Lu Wenbin withdraw from the penalty area and take more long shots.
Of course, when given the opportunity, other players should also make more breakthroughs, commit more fouls on the opponent, and create opportunities for Lu Wenbin to take free kicks in the frontcourt.
At the same time, because Salihovic and Eduardo moved to both sides, Lu Wenbin's defensive ability was too weak, the pressure on the central defense increased greatly.
Therefore, the defensive midfielder Gustavo should move forward to protect Lu Wenbin from behind. The back line should shrink to the middle, pay attention to protecting the middle, and prevent the opponent from taking advantage of Lu Wenbin's defensive weakness to counterattack from the middle.
Then, Ibisevic and Demba Ba continued to stay in front, tying up Udinese's defense and preventing them from pressing out to encircle Lu Wenbin.
The most important thing is that Ralph asked everyone to speed up the passing and receiving of the ball.
He believed that the reason why Hoffenheim failed to score in the first half was not only because Lu Wenbin was restricted, but also because their passing and running speed were too slow.
Hoffenheim's rhythm was fine when playing against the German 2. Bundesliga, but when playing against the UEFA Cup, especially against Serie A teams that are good at defense, a slow rhythm means they are waiting for others to be prepared for defense.
Only by speeding up the pace can we have more opportunities.
Although that would increase their own mistakes, Hoffenheim was already behind and there was no time to worry about anything else and they could only fight.
After 15 minutes, the two sides changed sides and continued the game.
As the leading side, Udinese naturally would not change their formation easily and still stick to their defensive counterattack strategy.
Then, everyone noticed that Lu Wenbin withdrew from the restricted area and stood in the same line with Eduardo and Salihovic.
This brought relief to the Udinese players.
As long as they leave the restricted area, Lu Wenbin's threat will be greatly reduced.
Judging from Lu Wenbin's previous goal data, apart from free kicks, Lu Wenbin's number of long-range shots outside the penalty area is pitifully small.
Therefore, after forcing Lu Wenbin out of the restricted area, Marino and his teammates relaxed their vigilance, thinking that Lu Wenbin outside the restricted area was not much of a threat.
Lu Wenbin suddenly felt as if he had a broad mind.
Although there were still Udinese midfielders outside the penalty area trying their best to block the ball passed to Lu Wenbin by Hoffenheim players, it was not comparable to the density of defensive positions in the penalty area after all, not to mention that Hoffenheim had also improved its overall running and passing speed.
Moreover, being in the central midfield position, Lu Wenbin can not only receive passes from Eduardo and Salihovic on both sides, but also the return passes from forwards Ibisevic and Demba Ba, as well as passes from Gustavo, Baker and others in the backcourt.
Lu Wenbin felt that there were many more passing routes than in the first half, whether his teammates passed the ball to him or he passed the ball to his teammates.
So, just 5 minutes into the second half, in the 50th minute, Lu Wenbin finally got a chance to shoot.
He received a pass from full-back Baker on the right side of the center, then made a two-on-one wall pass with Eduardo, passed the opponent's No. 21 midfielder Diego Stino and shot.
The ball drew a slight arc in the air and fell into the blind corner behind the goal.
However, the ball was indeed too far away, more than 30 meters away. Lu Wenbin's physical attributes were not enough, resulting in insufficient strength, so the ball speed was not fast.
Handanovic, who is always known for his concentration and stable performance, moved to the back point immediately, jumped up and pushed the ball over the crossbar with his palm, causing Lu Wenbin and others and countless fans in the stands to sigh and hold their heads.
This was Lu Wenbin's first truly threatening shot in the entire game, and it was in a blind corner, but it was unexpectedly saved by the opponent's goalkeeper.
Ibisevic then got the first point from Hoffenheim's corner kick, but he headed the ball directly over the crossbar due to interference from the opponent's defender and failed to score a goal.
The game continues.
After leaving the restricted area, Lu Wenbin's threat did decrease a lot.
But Lu Wenbin and his teammates were not discouraged.
There is a simple theory in football that as long as you shoot enough times, you will definitely score a goal. The so-called quantitative change leads to qualitative change.
If this is applied to Lu Wenbin, whose shooting attribute is 20/20, the number of shots will be greatly reduced.
As long as Lu Wenbin is given enough time and shots, he can score a goal even outside the penalty area.
Therefore, Hoffenheim continued to gather the whole team's strength to create shooting opportunities for Lu Wenbin, hoping to score an early goal to equalize the score.
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