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"Welcome to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium! We are about to witness the first leg of the Champions League semi-final showdown!"
"Real Madrid will host the biggest dark horse of the season, Bayer Leverkusen!"
"This is the first time in Champions League history that a Chinese player has started in a Champions League semi-final!"
Lance in the camera looked very relaxed and in good form.
"He is also the youngest player in Champions League history to participate in a semi-final!"
"In yesterday's match, Atlético Madrid and Premier League Chelsea drew 0-0 at another venue in Madrid."
"Hopefully, both teams can contribute to an exciting match today!"
"Alright, both teams have entered the stadium!"
In the Sina Sports live broadcast room, countless domestic fans had been waiting for a long time.
Commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu partnered to commentate on this important Champions League semi-final, while CCTV5 commentators were Duan Xuan and Xu Yang.
Relatively speaking, many fans preferred to listen to Zhan Jun.
As Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu chatted happily, Lance, holding the hand of a Real Madrid ball boy, had already stepped onto the Santiago Bernabéu pitch.
Looking up, it was incomparable to yesterday's stadium!
Yesterday it was empty and didn't feel like much, but now, filled with people, the dense crowd, just sitting still, was enough to feel oppressive, not to mention almost everyone stood up excitedly to applaud the home team, such a massive presence could only be rivaled by venues of similar scale like Westfalenstadion and Allianz Arena in Germany!
Julian Brandt, Son Heung-min, Stefan Kiessling, and others, who had originally calmed their nerves, couldn't help but feel their legs tremble upon seeing this magnificent scene.
Inside the Santiago Bernabéu, there was even a live mini orchestra playing the Champions League anthem, and a small choir singing, the atmosphere was almost at its peak!
The melody of the Champions League, the unique flavor of the Champions League.
Even Lance, with the best mindset, had slightly trembling hands!
He couldn't tell if it was nervousness or excitement!
The home team Real Madrid players stood in a line, and Lance and his Bayer Leverkusen teammates passed by, shaking hands one by one.
Karim Benzema was relatively honest, shaking hands very sincerely; Gareth Bale was a bit perfunctory, a light touch and then released.
Sergio Ramos, however, looked a bit fierce, glaring intently at each opponent, and gripping hands very forcefully, as if to assert dominance from the start.
As for the absolute superstar standing at the very end of the line, this was the first time Lance met Cristiano Ronaldo on the field.
The last time he met numerous world-class superstars was at last year's Ballon d'Or awards ceremony.
Compared to social occasions, Cristiano Ronaldo on the field was more serious, looking straight ahead without smiling, and not making eye contact with the Bayer Leverkusen players.
And getting closer, one could clearly smell a strong scent of hair gel, it's unknown how long Cristiano Ronaldo spent on his hairstyle for today's match, but it looked slick and shiny.
Lance and he didn't have much interaction, simply shaking hands before parting ways.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't seem to notice a 16-year-old young player.
The opponent was already a world-renowned superstar, a Champions League winner, a Ballon d'Or recipient.
Lance's current influence was limited to the Bundesliga, and in Europe, his status was not yet enough.
But it didn't matter, Lance didn't care about these things at all.
On the field, everything spoke through strength.
… …
"Let's look at the starting lineups for both teams…"
— — — —
Real Madrid 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane, Fábio Coentrão
Midfielders: Sami Khedira, Luka Modrić, Ángel Di María
Forwards: Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo
— — — —
Bayer Leverkusen 4-4-1-1
Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno
Defenders: Giulio Donati, Emir Spahić, Ömer Toprak, Sebastian Boenisch
Midfielders: Julian Brandt, Simon Rolfes, Lars Bender, Son Heung-min
Forwards: Stefan Kiessling, Lance
— — — —
"Today for Real Madrid, Iker Casillas replaced Diego López as the starting goalkeeper."
"In La Liga, Iker Casillas's starting spot had been taken by Diego López, but in the Champions League semi-final, Carlo Ancelotti still favored Iker Casillas's big-game experience."
"Additionally, Pepe, Isco, Marcelo, and other players are currently on the bench."
"Looking at Bayer Leverkusen, their current starting lineup should be the strongest they can field…"
Zhan Jun glanced at the bench; in terms of both strength and form, they couldn't compare to the starters.
This was also the biggest shortcoming of smaller clubs; even if they tried their best, they could only barely put together a usable squad.
But whenever they achieved some results, and someone stood out, they would inevitably be treated as an open supermarket in the new season, with key core players openly priced for sale.
Bayer Leverkusen was considered farsighted, willing to spend a lot of money to renew Lance's contract in advance.
Compared to the attacking combination, Zhan Jun was more concerned about Bayer Leverkusen's defensive line.
"Their weakest point right now is probably this defensive line."
"In the Bundesliga, they are not even among the best defensively, often having players unmarked or making unforced errors during matches."
"Hopefully, they can perform well today and withstand Real Madrid's attack."
Zhang Lu heard this and couldn't help but chuckle:
"It feels a bit difficult; Real Madrid's BBC is probably the strongest attacking trident."
"Plus Luka Modrić, Sami Khedira, and Ángel Di María behind them all have sufficient passing ability."
"Carlo Ancelotti transformed Ángel Di María into an attacking midfielder, and hey, it has worked out pretty well."
"His position is expected to be very important today…"
Based on the starting lineups, Zhang Lu briefly discussed the tactical focuses of each side.
Soon, both captains completed the coin toss, and Real Madrid won the kickoff.
Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were already standing at the halfway line, waiting for the match to begin at any moment.
The Santiago Bernabéu fans were very cooperative, cheering in unison with the countdown on the big screen.
"10, 9, 8…"
"…3, 2, 1!!"
Beep—
"The match has officially begun! Dear viewers of Sina Sports, you are now watching the first leg of the 2013-14 Champions League semi-final!"
"Real Madrid versus Bayer Leverkusen!"
"Real Madrid is wearing their white home kit, Bayer Leverkusen is in their red away kit…"
"Watch this ball!!"
Zhan Jun hadn't even finished his opening remarks when something unexpected suddenly happened on the field!
Bayer Leverkusen, playing away, seized the opportunity when Ángel Di María held onto the ball, and Lars Bender made a tackle!
A through ball was sent to Lance in the attacking third!
Lance, facing Sami Khedira's defense, didn't hesitate at all, directly backheeling the ball to the left wing!
Son Heung-min made a perfectly timed run, accelerating with the ball, breaking past Dani Carvajal!
"Son Heung-min!!! Breaking through from the left wing!! Into the box!!"
"Sergio Ramos!! Arrived in time, sticking out a foot to poke the ball away…"
"The danger is not over yet!! Lance gets to the second ball!! Beautiful!! A step-over feint to fool Luka Modrić, dribbling horizontally…"
"This ball!!"
In Zhan Jun's astonished tone, amidst the gasps of the entire Santiago Bernabéu crowd.
As Lance dribbled horizontally, he attracted center-back Raphaël Varane to step forward, he suddenly seized the opportunity, performing a Marseille Roulette at the edge of the box, skillfully getting past Raphaël Varane!
He burst into Real Madrid's penalty area!!
"He's in!! Lance's dribble!!"
"Iker Casillas charges out of his goal!!"
Zhan Jun was already too nervous to speak.
In the previous World Cup final, Iker Casillas saved Arjen Robben's one-on-one shot, helping Spain lift the World Cup for the first time in history.
This time, Iker Casillas faced Lance dribbling into the box, calmly lowering his center of gravity to attempt a save.
However, Lance lifted his foot, feigning to chip Iker Casillas through his legs, tricking Iker Casillas into immediately closing his legs and lowering his center of gravity to block.
But just before the ball was struck—
The [Bachira Meguru] template unleashed its power!
[Beast Dribbling]!
A wild inspiration allowed Lance, just before striking the ball, to miraculously chip it over Iker Casillas's head!
The Santiago Bernabéu stands were almost having heart attacks!
16-year-old Lance, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, pulled off a daring trick in front of the whole world!
"Lance!!!"
But then, Lance actually successfully chipped Iker Casillas, sprinting a few steps, and hooked the ball back just before it went out of bounds!
He turned and backheeled the ball, and just before Raphaël Varane's slide tackle reached him, he struck a 0-degree angle shot with his heel!
Before Lance was tackled down by Raphaël Varane, his eyes were fixed on the ball, which slowly rolled across the goal line!
It's in!
42 seconds into the match, Bayer Leverkusen's lightning attack caught the whole world off guard!
"Lance—scores against Real Madrid at the start of the match!!"
"1-0!! Bayer Leverkusen takes an unexpected lead!"