"They haven't made any major changes at all. They've simply moved Kimmich back to right back."
"I think we have a chance to score, but we need to attack from the other side and break through Alaba!"
"From now on, stop focusing on Süle. Make Alaba the main target."
Alaba had always been Bayern's standout defender, so Klopp had never considered targeting him.
But Krawietz offered a new approach, and Klopp immediately began moving Leo Lin out of midfield and into the area around Alaba.
Salah shifted into the striker role, while Firmino was pushed directly into attacking midfield.
Leo Lin wanted to get past Alaba. In this match, Alaba had been moved to left back, and he had been excellent, defending Salah very well.
But Leo Lin's way of dribbling was completely different from Salah's, because Leo Lin was not a winger.
And because he was not a winger, there was no real pattern to his dribbling. He would not suddenly cut inside like Salah, then pull the ball back or shoot as if everything had been planned in advance.
Leo Lin only had one simple way to break through: rely on his physicality and strength, then charge straight at Alaba.
As his passing and other abilities came into play, some defenders might forget just how powerful Leo Lin was.
But Leo Lin himself would never forget. Facing Alaba was the perfect moment to use that overwhelming strength again.
In the 41st minute.
Salah received the ball in the striker position and laid it back to Firmino, who moved it out to the right.
Leo Lin took the ball and waited for a moment. Joe Gomez's run pulled Ribéry away, and now only Alaba remained in front of him.
Both Bayern and Liverpool fans wanted to see who would come out on top, Alaba or Leo Lin.
Then Leo Lin began driving at Alaba.
His strength showed through every touch of the ball, and Alaba was reading him carefully.
From Leo Lin's current body position, once he reached Alaba, he would surely sprint toward the byline and cross. Otherwise, he would not have shifted the ball to the right side, nor would he be dribbling with his right foot.
So Alaba did not rush in. He guarded the exact lane Leo Lin seemed likely to take toward the byline.
But Leo Lin neither went down the line nor cut inside. Instead, he suddenly stopped the ball and stood there. Watching Alaba's defensive movement, Leo Lin almost wanted to laugh.
He had not actually figured out how to get past Alaba just now. He had only charged toward him, thinking he would build up speed first and deal with the rest later.
It was like a race car hitting the final straight. You might not know what posture you will cross the line in, but the first thing you have to do is step on the gas.
Then, before Alaba could reset his defensive stance, Leo Lin immediately pushed the ball forward and slammed his foot down on the gas again.
Only this time, he was charging at Süle.
Leo Lin had changed his target.
Alaba hurriedly turned, but as Leo Lin broke through, he leaned in with the right side of his body and knocked Alaba aside.
The force of the challenge stripped Alaba of his ability to cover Süle.
Süle was strong as well. He threw his body straight into Leo Lin while blocking the shooting lane on Leo Lin's left.
But Leo Lin had no intention of shooting from the left. Facing Süle's challenge, he simply crashed straight into him.
Then, incredibly, Süle was knocked down by Leo Lin inside the penalty area.
Neuer watched Leo Lin blast the ball from right in front of him.
"Leo Lin!"
"He's going to shoot!"
"That's the equalizer!"
"After getting past Alaba, Leo Lin wins the duel against Süle inside the box and pulls Liverpool level against Bayern Munich!"
"Will this remind Bayern Munich fans of the way they were overturned last season?"
"The player who completed Liverpool's comeback in that match was Leo Lin, and now the player who has equalized is still Leo Lin!"
"The standout performer in last season's Champions League final was Leo Lin, and now, in this season's Champions League final, Leo Lin is outstanding once again!"
Leo Lin had not even had time to celebrate before Kimmich rushed over to protest and bumped into him. The Bayern players immediately surrounded the referee.
"If knocking Süle down isn't a foul, and this goal is allowed to stand, then we might as well stop following the rules of football altogether!"
"Did you see how he hit Süle? That's a foul, an attacking foul. The goal should be ruled out!"
Salah also ran toward the referee, giving Kimmich a bump along the way.
"Süle was the one who used force first. Lin didn't knock him down at all!"
"He went down because after he put his strength into the challenge, he couldn't match Lin physically!"
Süle felt personally challenged by that.
"What did you say?"
"Are you saying I can't match him physically?"
Leo Lin stared at Süle and said,
"Can you?"
"Did you hit your head when you fell just now?"
Süle immediately charged toward Leo Lin, set off by that simple sentence.
"The two sides are arguing over whether this goal should stand."
"Scholes, do you think Süle lost his ability to defend because he was fouled and knocked down, or because he committed himself to the challenge and simply wasn't strong enough?"
Both Scholes and Ashley Cole believed it was the latter.
At that moment, the referee made his final decision, the same as before.
He pointed to the center circle.
The goal stood.
"The goal stands!"
"Süle is shown a yellow card for protesting too much!"
"Whatever happens, the Bayern players can't change Leo Lin's goal now. They don't need to pay an even greater price for it!"
Kovač put an arm around Süle and told him not to worry about conceding the goal.
"It's fine, Süle."
"We have to stay calm against Liverpool."
But after that, Leo Lin continued attacking Alaba. It was still chaotic, yet somehow always effective, and whenever Alaba made a mistake, Leo Lin would immediately switch his target to Süle.
Krawietz had not told the club to give up on attacking Süle. He had told Liverpool to add another layer of variation before going after him.
When you play football, you have to be bold. That was a phrase Zubizarreta had brought with him, because Athletic Bilbao's tactics had always been daring.
That was why, after Liverpool brought in Zubizarreta, their style on the pitch had gradually grown bolder as well.
Whether Leo Lin attacked Alaba or Süle, if he lost the ball, there was no one in Liverpool's midfield who could cover for him.
Rodri alone could not deal with both Thiago and James Rodríguez, and Bayern's counterattack would find it even easier to punch through Liverpool's midfield.
But as long as Leo Lin could keep putting pressure on Süle and Alaba, Bayern would not be able to build their attack.
Because of the arguments between the players, the match had already reached stoppage time by the time play resumed.
After Ribéry's final cross was blocked by Joe Gomez, the Champions League final went into halftime.