Chapter 376: Chapter 84: A Surprise! A European Do-or-Die Battle! The Turin Massacre! The Old Lady’s Elegy! The Bundesliga is Vindicated

After shaking off a defender, Götze set up Grosskreutz to fire the ball into Borussia Mönchengladbach’s net.

1-0!

Everyone noticed that when Wang Shuo was on the pitch, Dortmund’s attack flowed exceptionally well.

In the 24th minute, Wang Shuo once again appeared at the edge of the box. After receiving the ball, he broke into the right side of the penalty area.

Double-teamed by Dante and Bradley, Wang Shuo fooled them with a series of feints before sending a low cross in front of the goal.

Götze made a late run and calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net.

2-0!

And just five minutes later, another counterattack was launched after they won the ball upfield.

Götze initiated the attack. Wang Shuo dropped back to receive the pass, played a one-two back to Götze, who then broke into the left side of the box and scored at the far post.

3-0!

After just half an hour, Dortmund was already up by three goals.

After that, Dortmund began to ease off the attack. After all, they still had to play Juventus midweek.

In the second half, Wang Shuo was substituted off in the 60th minute.

This time, Borussia Mönchengladbach was unable to mount a comeback.

In the end, Dortmund secured a convincing 3-0 home victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Although Wang Shuo didn’t score, his two assists tied him with Götze for the highest rating from Bild after the match.

...

"This is a do-or-die match!"

The evening of March 11. The Turin Olympic Stadium in Italy.

In the home team’s locker room, Juventus head coach Zaccheroni was giving his final pre-match pep talk.

"You all know very well that this season, the Germans are competing with us for European coefficient points. They hope to surpass us this very season and become the third-best league in Europe!"

"This is a European war!"

"A war between Italy and Germany!"

As an Italian himself, Zaccheroni’s speech was full of fiery passion and righteous indignation.

"We all know that just yesterday, Fiorentina lost to Bayern in an away match. They let the side down and faced a torrent of blame and criticism from the media!"

"Right now, the entire Serie A is fighting back against the Bundesliga. Inter Milan won their Champions League match, and they’ve become heroes!"

"We, Juventus, are the strongest team in Italy, and we are on the road to revival! We must prove our strength and worth on the European stage! We must be the ones to step up and earn points for Serie A!"

Zaccheroni’s words had a definite rallying effect on the Juventus players.

Furthermore, before the match, the Juventus management had also announced a series of financial bonuses.

If the team advanced, the bonuses would be comparable to those for reaching the Champions League Round of 16.

So, the Juventus players were all highly motivated.

Serie A’s performance in European competitions this season had indeed been dismal.

Three powerhouses—Rome, AC Milan, and Lazio—had all been knocked out early.

Fiorentina’s first-leg away loss to Bayern had put the Italians under pressure.

Everyone hoped that Juventus could rediscover their former glory as European giants, take down Dortmund at home, and make a statement for Serie A!

Zaccheroni had also done his homework on Dortmund.

The Bumblebees were good at starting strong, but they were prone to fatigue in the second half.

Therefore, Zaccheroni’s strategy was also to go for a fast start!

’As long as we dominate the start and disrupt Dortmund’s setup and rhythm, the match is as good as won!’

A fast start wasn’t necessarily about scoring goals. It could also be used to throw the opponent off balance.

Zaccheroni fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation for his starting lineup.

Goalkeeper: Buffon

Defense: Grosso, Cannavaro, Lillorotale, and Zebina

Midfield: Bauersen and Marchisio as the double pivot, with Piero, Diego, and Salihamidzic in front of them

Striker: Trezeget

Notably, Diego came from Werder Bremen, and Salihamidzic from Bayern.

Both players were very familiar with Bundesliga teams, including Dortmund.

Zaccheroni was counting on them to shut down Dortmund!

"Gentlemen!"

Just before they headed out, Zaccheroni clapped his hands loudly, gathering all the players around him.

"I’ve already said everything that needs to be said."

"Start strong, win this battle for our pride, and you will become heroes of Italian football!"

"YEAH!" the players roared in unison.

...

The Turin Olympic Stadium was rather old.

Juventus’s new stadium had not yet been built. Compounded by the aftermath of the earlier Calciopoli scandal, the club had failed to reclaim its former glory since returning to Serie A. They no longer possessed the fearsome power of their heyday.

This was especially true this season. Under the management of former club legend Ferrara, the team’s results had been abysmal.

As a result, Zaccheroni had replaced him as head coach during the winter break, but there hadn’t been much of an improvement.

Wang Shuo walked down the line, first shaking hands with the referee from Switzerland, Busacca, and the other officials, followed by the Juventus stars, every one of them a household name.

Captain Piero, striker Trezeget, Diego, Salihamidzic, Cannavaro, Lillorotale...

And of course, Italy’s great left-back, Grosso.

Not to mention Wang Shuo’s primary opponent for the day: one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of football, Buffon!

As Wang Shuo went down the line shaking hands, he was awestruck by every single player.

But these Juventus players all had one thing in common.

They were old!

The 32-year-old Buffon, 36-year-old Cannavaro, 33-year-old Lillorotale, 32-year-old Grosso, and 31-year-old Zebina.

It was practically a geriatric backline!