Before the second half began, a relaxed atmosphere filled the Hoffenheim locker room. Nagelsmann stood in front of the tactics board, a rare smile on his face.
"Oliver, I'll be direct," he said, calling him by name, "Those two goals in the first half were even better than I expected." He continued, "But don't think that's enough; in the second half, I want you to keep tormenting their left flank."
"Don't worry, Coach, it's my job."
Oliver nodded in response, sweat still not completely wiped from his forehead. Captain Vogt also walked over and squeezed his shoulder hard: "Kid, you made those guys look like amateur players." Laughter erupted in the locker room. Gnabry pretended to be dissatisfied and grumbled, "Hey, did you all forget about me? I assisted him on one in the first half!"
Nagelsmann tapped the tactics board, and the atmosphere immediately became serious.
"Listen, guys, we're changing formation in the second half." He drew an asymmetrical 3-4-3 on the board, "Defender Akpoguma will tuck in, the right flank will be just for Oliver, and Gnabry and Posch will create a numerical advantage on the left flank to draw their defensive focus over there."
The referee's knock on the door interrupted the tactical briefing. As the players got up and walked towards the tunnel, Oliver felt someone tugging his jersey. He looked back and saw Ochs.
"Hey, Oliver," Ochs whispered, "Their left-back already has a yellow card; push harder."
"Of course, Ochs, let's work together." Oliver and Ochs bumped fists.
The whistle for the second half blew, and Hoffenheim's change in formation immediately showed its effect.
In the 48th minute, Grillitsch first won a corner on the right side. Erfurt's players were on high alert, forming a dense wall. But Ochs suddenly sprinted from the edge of the box, pretending to receive a short pass; this dummy run instantly disrupted the defensive formation. Grillitsch keenly seized this opening, sending a low, fast tactical corner to Vogt, who was lurking at the edge of the box.
"That's a beautiful combination!" Commentator Weber exclaimed, "Hoffenheim's set-piece design is too exquisite! This is the same corner kick tactic they used when they beat Bayern at home last season."
Vogt didn't get greedy, playing a cut-back to Polanski at the top of the arc; his low shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but forward Uth appeared like a ghost in the six-yard box, easily tapping in the rebound.
3-0!
Erfurt's players were clearly flustered. Center-back Merkel shouted at his teammates, "How could we leave the back post open!!"
Goalkeeper Lukas angrily kicked the ball towards midfield, muttering, "Is this a Bundesliga team playing an amateur team?"
Hoffenheim's slaughter continued.
In the 63rd minute, Nagelsmann's "false nine trap" began to show its power. Ochs dropped back to the defensive midfield position as per tactical instructions, and Uth moved wide to the left flank in coordination; this positional interchange completely disoriented Erfurt's center-backs. Their decision-making speed was far inferior to that of Hoffenheim's players. With the cooperation of defender Vogt, Polanski successfully controlled the ball again and passed it to Oliver on the right attacking line.
When Oliver received the ball on the right, with Erfurt's players anxious and eager to score, he surprisingly attracted the attention of three defenders simultaneously. These Erfurt players were determined to stop Oliver this time, no matter what, and not let him get too comfortable.
"Watch this play! This is Oliver's first time facing high-pressure," Schneider suddenly raised his voice.
No sooner had he spoken than Oliver feigned an inside cut, and the moment the opposing defender shifted his weight, he suddenly back-heeled the ball to the onrushing Grillitsch.
"We saw it! Oliver didn't blindly try to break through! He still maintained calm thinking." The Commentator shouted.
The latter, without letting the ball hit the ground, sent a precise overhead long pass to Gnabry, who was surging forward on the left flank. Gnabry took a short run-up and a one-footed jump, leaping high into the air, driving his lower leg with his thigh, and fiercely kicking the ball towards the goal!
"Volley! GOAL! 4-0!!!!"
Weber almost screamed himself hoarse "This combination was like flowing water! From Oliver's backheel to Grillitsch's long pass, and then to Gnabry's finish, perfect!"
After scoring, Gnabry immediately found Oliver to celebrate together; they had each given the other a goal and an assist. On the sidelines, Nagelsmann clenched his fist in celebration; he hadn't expected the first German Cup match to go so smoothly, nor had he expected Oliver to gel so well with his teammates. He had thought his performance in the friendly match was amazing enough, but his performance in the German Cup was even better.
Meanwhile, Erfurt's head coach Hofmann was slumped on the bench, his face ashen. On the field, Erfurt's right-back Schmidt roared at his teammates, "How many times have I told you not to fall for his feints!"
Midfielder Menz couldn't take it anymore and retorted, "Then you go mark him! He's not an ordinary player at all, stop treating him like a kid!"
Fortunately, the match situation was quite urgent, so the infighting on Erfurt's side didn't escalate.
In the 78th minute, after Nagelsmann signaled, Hoffenheim changed tactics again. Nordtveit moved up to the defensive midfield position, forming a double pivot with Polanski. This time, it was Nordtveit's long diagonal pass that found Oliver on the right flank; facing two defenders, Oliver first feigned a cross, and the moment the opponent stretched out a leg to block, he suddenly pulled the ball back and changed direction, bursting into the box.
"Here it comes again! Oliver's signature feint!" Weber's voice trembled, "Let's see what he chooses this time!"
Oliver still didn't get greedy, faking a shot and then passing it back to Ochs at the top of the arc; Ochs's push shot was miraculously saved by the goalkeeper, but Oliver seemed to have anticipated it all, quickly rushing forward to the goalmouth, his header rebound hit the crossbar, and then he reacted extremely quickly to poke the rebound into the net. This goal made Oliver look a bit disheveled, but it did go in in the end.
5-0!
"A hat-trick! The 17-year-old's professional debut features a hat-trick! This is definitely one of the most stunning debuts in German Cup history!" Schneider couldn't help but praise Oliver.
Erfurt's players completely collapsed. Midfielder Zile slumped onto the grass, telling his teammate, "How the hell do you defend that? He anticipates our moves every time! He can even score goals like that."
Goalkeeper Lukas didn't even bother to retrieve the ball, directly shrugging at his defenders: "You guys stick to him! Can't more people mark him closely?"
They wanted to mark him closely, but Oliver's teammates didn't give them a chance; if their runs were smart enough, they could escape the trap of a crowded defense. As the match entered its final stages, Hoffenheim deliberately slowed down the tempo to lure their opponents forward.
In the 89th minute, goalkeeper Baumann launched a quick attack with a throw, and Akpoguma sent a diagonal pass from near the halfway line. Oliver received the ball with his back to goal, and under the pressure of two opposing defenders, he suddenly pulled the ball back with the sole of his foot, then turned and glided past the defense.
"Oh my God! That turn! What is he going to do? His performance in this match has been crazy enough, don't tell me he wants to score a world-class goal at the end of the game, this position is still 26 meters from the goal!" Weber couldn't help but shout.
Oliver looked up at the goalkeeper's position, slightly advanced. Without any hesitation, he struck a beautiful curl in with the outside of his right foot, a shot with a slight spin, a style strongly reminiscent of Messi.
The ball traced a bizarre arc in the air, dipping sharply in front of the goal, nestling into the top right corner!
"World-class goal! 6-0!!!!" Schneider literally jumped out of the commentary booth, "I can't believe my eyes! This 17-year-old just scored a Puskas Award-level goal!"
On the sidelines, Nagelsmann's mouth was uncharacteristically agape, and he even forgot to applaud. Meanwhile, all the Hoffenheim players on the bench rushed to the sidelines, some even kneeling in a gesture of worship. The Hoffenheim fans in the stands went completely wild, chanting:
"Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!"
This time, Hoffenheim's fans could finally accurately chant Oliver's name together. Erfurt's players were stunned. Center-back Merkel directly squatted on the grass, telling goalkeeper Lukas, "This goal... no one could have saved it."
Erfurt became the backdrop. When the final whistle blew, Oliver was surrounded by his teammates.
Gnabry ruffled his hair and said, "Oliver, do you practice in your dreams or something?"
Oliver actually wanted to say, yes. Even the usually serious Vogt smiled and said, "The Champions League qualifier in three days, I think you should start."
Joking aside, starting in the Champions League qualifier was still a very small probability. Nagelsmann was the last to walk over; he didn't say much, just squeezed Oliver's nape hard, a playful gesture that spoke volumes. After tonight, all fans knew that a 17-year-old prodigy had officially announced his emergence on the stage of the first round of the German Cup.