"Etoo is standing in front of the football. He is the last player to take the penalty. If he can kick the penalty in, the game will end early and Hoffenheim will be eliminated!"

"Etoo starts running...shot!"

The football rushed into the goal from the lower right corner of the goal, and goalkeeper Hildebran rushed to the left, completely missing the direction!

"The ball is in!! Inter Milan eliminated Hoffenheim! They advanced to the quarterfinals!! Although Hoffenheim performed well, they could only accept this result..."

The sound gradually disappeared, and Chu Zhongtian opened his eyes.

It turned out to be a dream... He breathed a little relieved. If this was really just a dream, it means we were still in the Champions League... No, why is that feeling of loss so clear? It is not like dreaming at all. After waking up from the dream, he should have a sense of gratitude, but now the feeling of disappointment and depression still surrounds him.

Emily walked into the room and found that Chu Zhongtian was awake and was ecstatic at the ceiling.

She sat beside the bed and looked at Chu Zhongtian.

"Disappointed?" she asked.

"Disappointed." Chu Zhongtian replied. "I tried my best but lost the ball, and I was very disappointed."

“Don’t people say ‘Even if you try your best, you will have no regrets if you lose’?”

"That's someone else. For me, trying my best is to win, and it's meaningless if I don't win." Chu Zhongtian turned his head and looked at Emily.

"Yes, you play football to win..." Emily smiled.

Chu Zhongtian found that he couldn't remember what happened after the game ended yesterday, so he could only feel that kind of mood.

As for what happened, he had no effect.

We had the advantage, but in the end we lost to a penalty. This is the football game, the scene does not equal the result... Emily patted him: "Get up, Chu. Don't you still need to train today?"

Chu Zhongtian sat up from the bed and started dressing.

Yes, there is still a league on weekends. In fact, there is no time to be sad or disappointed. There is only three days between playing in the Champions League and the domestic league.

※※I drove to the training base, met my teammates, and greeted them, and most of them were listless.

"Hi, Chu..."

"Good morning, Chu..."

This is basically the tone.

What was it like in the past?

"Hi! Chu!"

"Good morning, how did you sleep last night, Chu!"

...When we arrived at the locker room, no one was willing to talk too much, and it was rare to be silent when changing clothes.

Hoffenheim has not lost, but the atmosphere has never been as solemn as today.

When training, everyone was not in a high mood, so the training effect was naturally not very good.

They did lose.

※※Hoffenheim's first Champions League trip came to an abrupt end yesterday. This ending was very sudden because everyone thought they could continue to move forward during the game.

"Inter Milan finally passed Hoffenheim's level and advanced to the quarterfinals. Before the game, everyone thought that Hoffenheim was powerless to stop Inter Milan, and Inter Milan would definitely be one of the quarterfinals. Judging from the results, it seems that this is true. But after watching this game, I don't think anyone really thinks that way."

"…Hoffenheim showed us why they were able to succeed in the Bundesliga. Although this team was eliminated by Inter Milan, they were still honored even though they were defeated!"

"I think Chu Zhongtian will be very disappointed, because he is so outstanding and desperate, but he still lost to Inter Milan in the end. But he doesn't need to do this, because he is already very, very good. Everyone said that Chu Zhongtian has not proved himself in the top European competitions, so he cannot be considered a world-class player. Does anyone dare to say this after this game? Hoffenheim is not a world-class strong team, but Chu Zhongtian is definitely a world-class player!"

"I think Mourinho really wants to thank God, otherwise his team would never be able to cross the Hoffenheim level. Hoffenheim's performance in this game deserves the treatment of taking off the hat and paying tribute!"

...After the game, major media commented on the game. Overall, they praised Hoffenheim and Chu Zhongtian. Because their performance in the game was indeed excellent. But this is the charm of football - if you perform well, you will definitely win. You may play in a very embarrassing way, but you can win.

The German media regretted Hoffenheim's exit because they showed a dazzling football in the second round against Inter Milan. Such football even brought people more joy than Barcelona's football - just the German media's evaluation.

Now the dignity of German football can only be defended by Bayern Munich.

Hoffenheim no longer has to swing between the domestic league and the Champions League, they can concentrate all their energy on dealing with the domestic league.

After this season's Champions League trip, everyone fell in love with the feeling of playing football in the UEFA Champions League. This season must be the top three in the league in any case to qualify for the Champions League next season.

After a day of slump, everyone, including Rangnick, gradually recovered the next day. During training, Rangnick also talked specifically about what happened next with everyone.

"Our Champions League is over, but our season is not over, and there is a league. After losing such an important game, whether we are in a slump or go back on the road is a way to test whether we have the strength to gain a foothold in the top European leagues. If we cannot learn from our failure, learn experience, and regain freshmanship, then don't look forward to the Champions League next season, because we don't have the ability to participate in such a game. So, starting today, forget about the Champions League match. Our battlefield is at home, and we will do our best to strive for the top three in the league!"

※※※Although he really hopes to achieve good results in the league, Rangnick still rotates the starting lineup between the weekend and Nuremberg. The team competes continuously and needs to rest, otherwise the team will collapse due to lack of physical fitness in the final sprint stage.

Hoffenheim, who had significantly rotated the starting lineup, was eventually tied 0:0 by Nuremberg on the road.

Analysts believe that the team is still suffering from the impact of losing to Inter Milan in the Champions League. The players are disappointed that they are unable to turn things around in the end. In addition, after experiencing a high-level Champions League match, the slightly lower-level domestic league also makes the players feel a little unhappy.

However, Rangnick denied this view at a press conference. He believed that this was an inevitable stage for the team to adjust their state and mentality. It was not a bad thing to get one point away and tie the relegation team Nuremberg.

"Losing to Inter Milan and being eliminated is not the end of the world, and a draw against Nuremberg is not even the end of the world."

Chu Zhongtian did not play in this game and he was allowed to rest. Although he did not need a rest, Rangnick considered that he had been working hard for more than two weeks and was not satisfied in the end, so he gave him time to rest and let him turn his mind around.

This is also considered to be one of the reasons why Hoffenheim did not win away.

※※In the next 28th round of the league, Hoffenheim faced Freiburg at home, and they finally won. With Van Nistruy's smart shot in front of the goal, Hoffenheim defeated the visiting Freiburg 1:0 at his home court.

This victory helped them improve their rankings one level, from fifth in the league to fourth in the league.

Another reason why Leverkusen, who ranked third in the league, lost 0:2 to Schalke, who ranked second in the league in this round of the league, was only three-pointer away from the third in the league.

Leverkusen has been unfavorable in recent years and has lost continuously. With six rounds left in the league, the bigger the worse the more they are. If this continues, they are likely to not even be able to maintain third place in the league.

Chu Zhongtian's performance in the match against Freiburg was pretty good, but everyone was still not satisfied with him, because compared with the match against Inter Milan, his performance in this game was too mediocre.

"Chu in the second round against Inter Milan is like being possessed by God and can do everything. Chu is still very outstanding today, but he has no dazzling halo."

Chu Zhongtian did not take the voices of these media to heart. He knew that he needed to adjust his state and the game against Inter Milan was at the peak, but everyone knew that the peak could not be maintained forever. After experiencing the peak, there must be a process of going down. What is important is not whether his performance can always be maintained at the peak, but the team's performance.

If the league team wins Freiburg in this round, that is enough. In the final stage of the league, there is hope for as long as you can win.

※※※In the 29th round, Hoffenheim went to challenge Wolfsburg away.

This is a contest between two brothers who were just eliminated in the Champions League, and it is also a direct dialogue between the league champion and runner-up last season.

As the runner-up of the league last season, Wolfsburg's performance this season is very disappointing. Although they were eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals, Wolfsburg's performance is far inferior to Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim won the respect and optimism of the whole world through the second leg. Wolfsburg's eighth-finals was a complete tragedy. He was tied by Barcelona at home, and was fed four goals by Barcelona away and shaved.

Wolfsburg is also far from Hoffenheim. So far, Hoffenheim ranks fourth in the league, while Wolfsburg ranks tenth in the league. The hope of qualifying for European competition next season is very slim.

In fact, Wolfsburg is also a young team that has always been young, and winning the second place in the league is an amazing result. However, they seem to be inexperienced in dealing with two-line battles. Because they have devoted too much to the Champions League, their results in the league plummeted. And the media analyzed the difference between them and Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim is also a young team, which is also participating in the Champions League for the first time and is facing the pressure of a two-line battle. But why is Hoffenheim's performance so outstanding? Because Hoffenheim has Chu Zhongtian, while Wolfsburg does not.

The role played by celebrity players is indeed very critical.

Facing Hoffenheim, who was bound to win the top three in the league, Wolfsburg resisted for twenty-nine minutes. In the 30th minute, Ibisevic received a cross from Salihovic and scored a header, opening the door to victory for the team.

In the second half, Chu Zhongtian's "Greater China Cannon" showed his power again, and shot the football into the goal guarded by Benalio 30 meters away. 2:0! This is also his sixth goal this season.

In the 65th minute, Obasi replaced Van Nistelrooy. He scored the third goal for the team just a few minutes after he played, helping the team secure the victory.

In this way, Hoffenheim defeated his opponent 3-0 at home at Wolfsburg.

In an earlier league game, Leverkusen, who was originally ranked third, lost 2:3 to Frankfurt away, so Hoffenheim replaced Leverkusen and moved back to third in the league.

Now they are only ahead of them, Schalke 04, who is six points ahead and Bayern Munich, who is ten points ahead.

Judging from this point gap, Hoffenheim may have a very small chance of defending the championship. There are still five rounds left in the league. Unless both Bayern Munich and Schalke both lose four games and Hoffenheim wins five consecutive games, he will have hope of winning the league championship.

Since the hope of defending the title has become very slim, the team's goals are more realistic. If you don't consider defending the title, you can just get to the top three in the league and ensure that you participate in the next season's Champions League.

Bayern Munich started the season with a bad start. Who would have thought that he would return to the top of the standings afterwards and lead by more than a quarter of the second place.

Bayern Munich has a great chance to challenge the achievements of the triple champion this season. They were ahead of the league and reached the semi-finals in the German Cup. In the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Bayern Munich defeated Manchester United 2-1 at home in the first leg, and there was also a chance to reach the semi-finals.

Just after this round of league, although Bayern Munich lost to Manchester United 2:3 away, he advanced to the semi-finals with a total score of 4:4 with two away goals. They were further away from the triple-winning champions.

Bayern Munich is still the leader of the Bundesliga, and is still defending the dignity of German football outside.

※※※In the 30th round of the league, Hoffenheim welcomed Cologne at home. In this game, Chu Zhongtian shone brightly and shone with light.

The score was 2:0, Hoffenheim won, and all of these two goals were scored by Chu Zhongtian.

The first ball was a header in the penalty area, while the second ball came from a supplementary shot.

Chu Zhongtian scored goals in two consecutive rounds and his condition became more and more outstanding. The media praised him more and more.

Hoffenheim, who won the ball, is still ranked third, but the gap from Schalke 04, which is second in the league, has narrowed to three points, because Schalke 04 unexpectedly lost to Hannover, who is ranked 17th in the league, 96.

Only three points away, Hoffenheim has great hope of winning second in the league!

"Schalke 04 lost from time to time. At such an important moment, he lost to the relegation team..."

The meaning of the third and second in the league is different. Although both can participate in the Champions League, the second in the league is to directly participate in the Champions League main competition, and the main competition only starts in September. The third in the league must first participate in the Champions League qualifiers, which starts in August. The changes in time require different requirements for the team's preparation work. In August, the team will start playing the Champions League, and the team's preparation time will be much less. No one wants to play the Champions League qualifiers, but can directly participate in the main competition.

If Hoffenheim changes his goal again, he will change from striving for the top three in the league to striving for the runner-up.

But it is not easy to achieve this goal. With four rounds left in the league, Hoffenheim has to face two very difficult games.

In the 31st round, they will challenge Dortmund away. The two teams have formed a deep bond since last season, and this time they are playing away again. The difficulty of the game can be imagined. Dortmund, from the club's senior management to ordinary fans, will not let Hoffenheim be better. Before the game has begun, Dortmund's fans have already spoken out to let Hoffenheim experience a journey to hell in person.

In this game, Hoffenheim Club owner Dietma Hope has decided not to follow the team to watch the game away because he feels that his life's safety cannot be guaranteed.

If the boss doesn't go, it will inevitably affect the morale of the team.

Dortmund's local media began to recall the "wonderful moment" they defeated Hoffenheim 3-2 away in the first half of this season, using this as a psychological offensive. We constantly remind you that Dortmund has a psychological advantage in facing Hoffenheim.
To be continued...