Chapter 32: A Bloodbath in Hanover, Poor Mirko Slomka

Three goals in 35 minutes. And these were three goals scored in quick succession after the entire team had initially fallen into a passive state at the start of the match!

Given this situation, Coach Magath on the sidelines had completely let himself go. Defense? They had already scored three damn goals—what was there left to defend? To test the limitations of his new formation, Magath began gesturing forward with both hands from the moment Raul scored his third goal, shouting for all his players to push past the halfway line. It was from that moment on that the massacre Schalke 04 fans had been longing for finally arrived.

In the 41st minute, seeing that Hao Junmin had already racked up two assists, Schmitz also surged into the front court with an adrenaline-fueled sprint. After receiving a cross-field pass from Rakitic, Schmitz didn't hesitate to fire in another cross. The ball sailed over the head of Emanuel Pogatetz at the near post and dropped right in front of Lin Hao. However, just as everyone expected Lin Hao to net his third goal of the night, Hannover 96 center-back Mario Eggimann, who had been suppressed by Lin Hao for the entire half, finally stood his ground. Gritting his teeth, Eggimann managed to get a touch on the ball just as Lin Hao was about to head it toward the goal, deflecting it out for a corner! Hannover 96 had dodged a bullet.

Yet, perhaps today just wasn't Mirko Slomka’s lucky day. Less than two minutes later, while Hannover 96 was focusing all their defensive pressure on Lin Hao, Raul, and Huntelaar, a corner kick from Rakitic floated ghost-like to the back post, landing right on the head of the unmarked Baumjohann. The most diligent defensive rock in Schalke 04’s midfield leaped high and headed home his first goal of the season.

4:0!

At that moment, the more than 40,000 Hannover 96 fans at the AWD-Arena fell completely silent. Before the first half was even over, they had been hammered by four goals; even the most loyal fans could only rise silently with tears in their eyes. They couldn't stay any longer. Conceding four goals in forty minutes—everyone knew clearly that this match would likely become one of the most painful defeats in Hannover 96’s history. Those who loved their team dearly simply couldn't bear to watch this unfold before their very eyes.

As Hannover 96 fans began to leave in droves, this lopsided contest officially entered "garbage time." After struggling through the final four minutes of the first half, the referee decisively blew the whistle for halftime.

"Hao! You were absolutely brilliant today!" The moment the whistle blew, Raul walked over with a smile to Lin Hao and Hao Junmin, who were already chatting together. Raul wasn't surprised that Lin Hao could score twice, but he was honestly quite stunned by how well Hao Junmin had performed.

"Hehe!" In front of Lin Hao, Hao Junmin could still show off a bit, but in front of Raul, hearing such praise made him blush instantly.

"Raul, Hao Junmin, and Lin Hao all seem to be in a very good mood!" the commentator said. "Of course, for the fans who stayed up late in front of their televisions, tonight was definitely worth the lost sleep! We haven't just witnessed the historic moment of two Chinese players starting in the Bundesliga; we have also witnessed what is likely to be one of the top ten goals in Bundesliga history! Most importantly, this top-ten goal was created entirely by our own two players! Alright, it's halftime now. Stay tuned after the commercials for more excitement!"

"Haha, the commentator is right, staying up tonight was worth it!"
"Worth it? Haha, I’m rich! I’m going to go buy a Mercedes tomorrow! Hahaha!"
"Damn! Look at the screen—Raul and Lin Hao are hugging Hao Junmin. Don't they look like the 'Lucky Three Treasures'?"
"Pfft! You wouldn't have noticed, but now that you say it, haha, it really does look like that! Look at Hao, he's still blushing—what did Raul whisper to him?"
"Four goals in the first half, I bet Raul and Lin Hao will be subbed off. Time to sleep! I'll wake up early to read the sports news tomorrow. Haha, I bet the whole country will be full of Lin Hao's headlines again tomorrow!"
"That's for sure. Including his one goal and two assists in the first round, Lin Hao has already tallied three goals and three assists! With those stats after two league games, he is absolutely at a superstar level!"

In the away locker room at the AWD-Arena, Magath’s grin was stretched from ear to ear. As many fans had anticipated, with the victory secured, Magath decisively substituted Lin Hao and Raul. Farfan, who hadn't had a chance to play in a long time, finally got his first appearance of the new season.

Farfan had felt like he’d been living in purgatory for a while now. After all, that damn Lin Hao seemed to have a cursed constitution; anyone on the team who stood in his way would end up having bad luck. But now, it was fine! Lin Hao had finally secured his spot as a starter, so even if he got on the pitch, he shouldn't be cursed by him anymore. Aside from Farfan feeling a sense of relief, Huntelaar, who had finally waited for his chance to be the primary attacking outlet, was also in high spirits as he discussed his movement habits with the fourth substitute, Farfan. There was no helping it; Magath had already stated that he would be the sole attacking core for the second half.

6:1! That was the final score of the match. In the second half, seeing both Raul and Lin Hao substituted, a hopeful Mirko Slomka immediately subbed on two midfielders and switched to a 4-3-3 pure attacking formation, just like Schalke 04. However, the miracle at the AWD-Arena that Slomka had dreamed of never materialized.

A desperate Huntelaar, hungry for action, began charging relentlessly at the already crumbling Hannover 96 defense from the moment the second-half whistle blew. In the 57th minute, after firing off countless shots, Huntelaar finally scored his first goal of the season. After scoring, "Old Hunt" was so excited that he tore off his jersey and sprinted along the touchline. On the sidelines, seeing Huntelaar’s form completely restored, Magath gave him a respectful round of applause.

Of course, since it was Hannover 96’s home turf, Schalke 04 eased off their attack after making it 5:0. Over the final thirty minutes, both teams scored one more goal, locking the final score at 6:1. Schalke 04 secured a massive victory and took all three points. Former coach Mirko Slomka, who had been so confident about proving himself to everyone at Schalke 04, could only bow and apologize to the fans after overseeing the fourth-worst disaster in Hannover’s history!