The Nijmegen team and the Dutch media were relieved to see that Lu Wenbin, who had just won the Golden Boy Award, was not on the starting list announced by Ralph in advance.
Although the last match between Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich made everyone know that as long as two people were sent to guard Lu Wenbin, it was very likely that Lu Wenbin would be completely frozen.
But that would mean killing two of their own people, which would be like the remaining nine people fighting against the other side's ten people, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.
Moreover, Bayern Munich's Oter and Demichelis are both top defensive players who can defend against Lu Wenbin.
But whether other teams have such a configuration and whether they can really defend Lu Wenbin with just two people is still a question mark!
Therefore, it would naturally be better if Lu Wenbin did not play. Nijmegen would have a greater chance of defeating Hoffenheim and getting 3 points to qualify.
Ralph was going to wait and see how the game went, as well as the game between Tottenham and Sparta, to decide whether to send Lu Wenbin to play in the second half.
At 20:45 on the evening of December 10, the two games of the last round of Group D of the UEFA Cup group stage kicked off simultaneously.
In the first half, although Nijmegen tried its best to score a goal, it was unlucky and failed to score a single goal in as many as five shots.
As for Hoffenheim, after the loss of Lu Wenbin, with Paljic, Obasi, Weiss and others all on the bench, their passing, positioning and goal-scoring efficiency were greatly reduced.
After 45 minutes, both sides drew 0-0 and entered the halftime break.
During the half-time break, the half-time score of another game was passed on, and Spartak Moscow actually led Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the first half away from home.
If the game ends with this score, even if Hoffenheim loses, they will still be firmly in first place in the group with 9 points.
Tottenham, with 6 points, can only tie the points and surpass the losing Hoffenheim in goal difference unless they reverse the score against Spartak Moscow in the second half.
But this is not something Tottenham can decide. Spartak Moscow, who also want to qualify, will definitely try their best to maintain their 2-0 lead and try to score more goals.
Hoffenheim's first place in the group is basically secured.
Therefore, not long after the start of the second half, Ralph replaced Ibisevic and Eduardo to save their strength for the next Bundesliga game.
Lu Wenbin didn't even get a single minute of playing time.
This UEFA Cup group match, in which the outcome is no longer important for Hoffenheim, has been strategically abandoned by head coach Ralph.
With Hoffenheim almost letting the game go, Nijmegen finally seized the opportunity in the second half and scored two goals. In the end, they defeated Hoffenheim at home with a score of 2-0, increasing their points to 6.
In the other game, Tottenham Hotspur was worthy of being a Premier League powerhouse.
Even though they were trailing 0-2 in the first half, they did not lose heart and staged a Jedi fightback in the second half, scoring two goals in a row and shutting out Spartak Moscow, making the final score 2-2.
Therefore, after the last round of group matches was over, the final points of Group D of the UEFA Cup group stage were Hoffenheim with 9 points in first place, Tottenham Hotspur with 7 points in second place, Nijmegen with 6 points in third place, Spartak Moscow with 4 points in fourth place, and Dinamo Zagreb with 3 points in fifth place.
Hoffenheim, Tottenham Hotspur and Nijmegen became the three teams that finally qualified from Group D and advanced to the knockout stage.
Next, they will participate in the knockout draw with 21 teams that have qualified from the other seven groups, as well as eight third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage that have sunk to the UEFA Cup knockout stage, a total of 32 teams, to determine the matchups for the round of 16 finals.
However, the draw ceremony was held during the Bundesliga winter break, and the round of 16 finals was held in the second half of the season.
The most important game for Hoffenheim right now is the 17th round of the Bundesliga against Schalke 04, which is also the last game before the winter break.
The day before the game, the entire Schalke 04 team arrived in Mannheim. Head coach Rutten said at the pre-match press conference that he had found a way to freeze Europe's new golden boy Lu Wenbin, and Schalke 04 would get a victory at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Everyone knows what method Ruteng is talking about. Isn't it just learning from Bayern Munich coach Klinsmann to use two people to guard Lu Wenbin? He spoke as if he had found this strategy first.
However, it is hard to say whether it will work or not.
Not every team in the Bundesliga can find top defenders like Oter and Demichelis in Bayern.
As an opponent, Ralph naturally scoffed at Rutten's method and expressed disdain.
Ralph said that Hoffenheim is not Lu Wenbin's team alone.
Even if Schalke 04 sent more people and tried their best to mark Lu Wenbin, Hoffenheim could still score goals through other players, just like they did at the Allianz Arena.
Therefore, it is wishful thinking for Rutten to win against Hoffenheim by just marking Lu Wenbin.
As to whether Lu Wenbin will be closely watched by Schalke 04 and whether Hoffenheim will lose the game because of Lu Wenbin being frozen, we will have to wait until the actual game to find out.
On the afternoon of December 14, the Mercedes-Benz Arena was completely packed.
Tens of thousands of Hoffenheim fans will not only come to witness Lu Wenbin's European Golden Boy Award ceremony, watch the team's last game before the winter break, but also say goodbye to the rented Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Mannheim.
The new Rhein-Neckar Arena invested by club chairman Dietmar Hopp in Rhein-Neckar County has been completed and is about to be put into use.
After the winter break, Hoffenheim will play at their new home stadium, Rhein-Neckar Arena, in the second half of the season.
It is a new home stadium that can accommodate more than 30,000 people, can accommodate more fans, provide a better viewing experience, have more advanced and complete facilities, and provide a better playing environment for players.
That is Hoffenheim's real home, their true home ground, and it is bigger, newer and more promising than the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Therefore, after this game with Schalke 04, Hoffenheim will bid farewell to the Mercedes-Benz Arena. The fans came to witness Hoffenheim's last game of renting the Mercedes-Benz Arena as its home stadium.
After 16:00, before the game started, Turin Sports Daily held an award ceremony for Lu Wenbin for the 2008 European Golden Boy Award.
Amid the witness and applause of tens of thousands of Hoffenheim fans and followers, Lu Wenbin received a Golden Boy Award model that was almost identical to the European Golden Ball Award from the editor-in-chief of Turin Sports Daily, winning what is arguably the most important personal award since he arrived in Europe.
Of course, the Golden Boy Award, known as the European Youth Version of the Ballon d'Or, looks like a golden ball, but it cannot be compared with the real Ballon d'Or after all.
Lu Wenbin’s future will definitely be to conquer the European Champions League and win the real European Golden Ball Award!
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