After the match with Udinese, the Hoffenheim team rested in Udine for one night and flew back to Germany the next day.
At the same time, the news that Lu Wenbin scored a hat-trick in Italy and Hoffenheim eliminated Udinese in the second round away from home also spread to Italy, Germany, China, and some other European countries that pay attention to the UEFA Cup.
In China, news with headlines like "Chinese player Lu Wenbin conquers the Apennines with a hat trick in the UEFA Cup" appears in media of all types and channels.
From CCTV sports news to Internet portals to local tabloids, Lu Wenbin has become famous.
Even those who are desperate about Chinese football can't help but search online to find out more about Lu Wenbin when they see the news about him.
Such performance is really morale-boosting.
Just as the commentator said during the live broadcast, Lu Wenbin's outstanding performance has given Chinese football-loving fans more hope and reliance on Chinese football.
In Germany, not only the media in Sinsheim, but the media across Germany were like taking stimulants, reporting at length on Hoffenheim's desperate comeback.
It is not easy for the German team to beat the Italian team in the first place, and it is even more difficult to turn the tables in the away game after losing the first round at home.
Moreover, Lu Wenbin's hat trick was quite eye-catching and worth reporting.
At this time, everyone naturally stood on Hoffenheim's side because Hoffenheim represented Germany.
As for the media's underestimation of Hoffenheim before the game, they all selectively forgot about it, as if they were not the ones who made those reports.
This is the nature of the media, which is to change with the wind.
In addition to Hoffenheim, the other five German teams Schalke 04, Hertha Berlin, Stuttgart, Hamburg and Wolfsburg also advanced successfully.
All six German teams advanced from the qualifying rounds to the group stage of the final UEFA Cup.
It seems that what some media have claimed, that German teams will meet in the final and take the first and second place, may really happen.
Of course, this depends on the results of the draw after entering the knockout stage. Although the draw for the round of 32 will avoid teams from the same country, it will not be avoided when the draw for the quarter-finals.
If all the German teams that advance to the quarterfinals are drawn into the same half-zone, they will not be able to meet in the final.
In any case, the grand occasion of all six German teams advancing to the UEFA Cup group stage is something that everyone in German football should be happy about.
In Italy, Turin Sports Daily, the organizer and publisher of the European Golden Boy Award, also came out to criticize Udinese's performance.
It was such a shame that an Italian team known for its defense won the first round away from home but was eliminated by its opponent in the second round at home.
Regarding Hoffenheim, Turin Sports Daily mentioned that they eliminated Udinese and advanced to the UEFA Cup group stage thanks to Lu Wenbin's personal performance.
Then, the report quickly shifted the focus to Lu Wenbin and highly praised Lu Wenbin.
On the one hand, Lu Wenbin's hat trick is indeed worthy of their praise, but on the other hand, it is also a roundabout way of saying that Hoffenheim advanced due to Lu Wenbin's personal performance. This German rural team itself does not have the strength to eliminate Udinese.
In fact, this is self-deception. Which team doesn't have one or two outstanding core players and big legs
If all these core players are kicked out, is it still the same team
Just like if Udinese didn't have Handanovic, they would probably have conceded more goals in the two rounds and would have been eliminated without even having to wait until overtime.
However, the Germans do not care about the Italians' evaluation. They only look at the results. The German team eliminated the Italian team, which is a victory.
Turin Sports Daily also knows this, they just report it to the Italians for their own comfort.
However, in its report, Turin Sports Daily gave great affirmation and praise to Lu Wenbin's performance.
It is reported that in the 2008 European League, among the young players under the age of 21, Lu Wenbin was definitely one of the best performers.
Although Lu Wenbin won the 2nd Bundesliga championship and the German Cup last season, not the top league championship or the Champions League championship, Lu Wenbin's core position in Hoffenheim is much more important than anyone else in the team.
Lu Wenbin's performance as the double top scorer and double best player in the German 2nd Bundesliga and the German Cup last season was also better than others.
Judging from personal performance, Lu Wenbin is superior to others in almost all aspects.
Before, probably because Hoffenheim was still playing in the German Second Division, their technical and tactical level was not recognized.
But now Hoffenheim is playing in the Bundesliga and is ranked first in the standings. Lu Wenbin also scored a hat trick in the UEFA Cup to lead the team into the group stage, which instantly made him famous.
At that time, in the final voting phase, Lu Wenbin will at least not lose points in impression due to team factors.
If he continues to perform like this, Lu Wenbin may really win the 2008 European Golden Boy Award.
Apart from the surprise that Turin Sports Daily's recognition of Lu Wenbin brought to the Chinese media and fans, the entire Hoffenheim team was warmly welcomed by the fans upon returning to Germany.
Countless fans gathered at the entrance of Rhine-Neckar County to welcome Hoffenheim home like champions.
Of course, the more than 2,000 fans who traveled with the team to Italy were also treated like heroes.
This miraculous away comeback not only attracted more new fans to Hoffenheim, but also made the old fans become more hardcore and love the team more.
However, three consecutive games within a week did put a huge physical strain on the participating first-team players.
In order to prepare for the second round of the League Cup away game, Ralph did not take a holiday after the first two games, but this time he cannot skip a holiday.
The players were extremely tired both physically and mentally, and Lu Wenbin even suffered cramps during the game.
Therefore, most of the players who participated in the first three games, including Lu Wenbin, were given a full three days off. They did not have to participate in the next Bundesliga game and could rest until the next Bundesliga game was over before returning to the base for training.
On September 27, in the sixth round of the 2008/2009 Bundesliga season, Ralf led Hoffenheim, a team composed almost entirely of substitutes, to an away game against Werder Bremen, who had beaten Bayern Munich 5-2 in the previous round at the Allianz Arena.
90 minutes later, Hoffenheim, playing with a substitute lineup, unsurprisingly lost to Werder Bremen away from home.
But the offensive battle between the two sides and the score of the whole game made the Werder Bremen fans at the scene frightened.
Werder Bremen finally defeated Hoffenheim 5-4 with a 1-goal advantage.
The UEFA Cup match, which saw a miracle comeback in two rounds, brought out the bloodiness of the entire Hoffenheim team from top to bottom.
Even when the substitute players faced Werder Bremen away from home, everyone dared to fight, grab and attack, and fought Werder Bremen to the end. In the end, they lost by only one goal. It can be said that they lost with honor.