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Bayer Leverkusen is simply the most pleasantly surprising team in this year's Champions League!
They strongly overturned Manchester United in the group stage to take first place in their group.
In the knockout rounds, they successively defeated two strong opponents, Arsenal and FC Barcelona!
All of them were tougher battles than expected!
Today, at the Santiago Bernabéu, facing the favorite Real Madrid, they even managed to score an opening goal!
Many domestic fans who woke up in the middle of the night to watch the game even thought they were dreaming!
"Bayer Leverkusen is awesome!"
"My Lance is too strong!"
"Lance!!"
Lance continuously toyed with Luka Modrić, Raphaël Varane, and Iker Casillas in the front field, penetrating Real Madrid's defense with the most spectacular display.
Today at the Santiago Bernabéu, he was simply the most handsome person!
Even a world-class superstar like Cristiano Ronaldo had to temporarily avoid his edge in front of Lance!
In the past, as long as there was a Chinese football star appearing in a top-tier stadium, domestic fans would be overjoyed.
How could they imagine he could continuously defeat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo!
...
Cristiano Ronaldo was very annoyed, standing with his hands on his hips on his home field, spitting fiercely onto the grass.
Watching Lance celebrate with a knee slide,
Cristiano Ronaldo's fists were already clenched!
They couldn't beat FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, so this season Real Madrid only had the Copa del Rey and the Champions League left.
They might not be able to defeat FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, and with FC Barcelona eliminated, only the Champions League offered the greatest hope for a title.
After so many years of dormancy, it was time for some reward!
He, the dignified number one in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, the man who lifted the Ballon d'Or!
The man who joined Real Madrid for a record-breaking £80 million and became the pillar of Madrid!
How could he fall here?
"Damn it! Let's do this!"
...
These Real Madrid players have all seen big occasions.
Being 0-1 down less than 1 minute into the game was not the end of the world; instead, it ignited the fighting spirit of the Real Madrid players.
Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid launched a furious counterattack!
For a time, Bayer Leverkusen could only temporarily retreat to their own half, trying their best to withstand Real Madrid's offensive.
Football matches also have momentum shifts.
If this period of frantic attack consumed too much physical energy without success, then it would be Bayer Leverkusen's turn to counterattack.
Lance believed that as long as Bayer Leverkusen united and focused,they would have a chance to withstand Real Madrid!
"Hala Madrid—"
"Hala Madrid—"
"Hala Madrid—"
On the Santiago Bernabéu stands, the unified shouts of 80,000 people also brought a morale boost to Real Madrid, while simultaneously intimidating Bayer Leverkusen.
For a time, the pressure in front of Bayer Leverkusen's goal was immense!
"This ball, Ángel Di María's clever pass in front of the box! Gareth Bale, cutting inside to shoot? A lobbed through ball!"
"Karim Benzema!!!"
"Too bad, Benzema's header didn't connect properly!"
"It's Real Madrid's possession again, Son Heung-min was a bit sticky with the ball just now and was tackled by Dani Carvajal!"
"Real Madrid's counterattack is very fast! To Cristiano Ronaldo on the left!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo's long-range attempt—oh, it went just wide! Extremely threatening!"
When Cristiano Ronaldo back-heeled the ball past Simon Rolfes outside the box and immediately shot, Lance's heart couldn't help but twitch.
After all, he is widely recognized as one of the top two in the world; peak Cristiano Ronaldo's shots are truly terrifying!
The problem is, you can only get lucky and avoid it once or twice.
The pressure on the defense always remains.
Once that string breaks, they will likely suffer.
Lance is just a forward; his defensive ability is only at the level of an ordinary youth academy player. What can he do?
His own defensive line is facing the attack of a world-class trident.
It's really tough!
...
"Thirty minutes into the first half, Bayer Leverkusen is temporarily leading Real Madrid 1-0."
"After their dream start with Lance's excellent performance in the opening, the rest of the match has been completely controlled by Real Madrid."
"Zhang Lu, do you think Bayer Leverkusen can hold on?"
"Hehehe... From the looks of it, Bayer Leverkusen's defense is almost unable to hold on."
"Carlo Ancelotti's tactical arrangement is very clever; Ángel Di María plays a big role in the attacking midfield position, directly revitalizing the BBC trio."
"Benzema is also very active in the box, constantly creating opportunities for Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo."
"Plus Modrić pushing forward to attack, Real Madrid's offense is very three-dimensional, with headers, long shots, and infiltrations."
"Bayer Leverkusen, on the other hand, is better at frontal interceptions. If Real Madrid suddenly infiltrates from the flanks, the slow turning speed of Bayer Leverkusen's two defenders will be easily exposed. It just depends on when Real Madrid capitalizes..."
Before Zhang Lu could finish his sentence, Real Madrid orchestrated an attack!
Bayer Leverkusen's long ball was again controlled by Sami Khedira, who passed it to Modrić.
Modrić's precise ground pass didn't find Di María, but instead went straight to the right flank!
"Modrić!! Bale!! This ball is not offside!!"
"A connection between two former Tottenham players!! They've broken into the box! Bale is very fast! He rounds the onrushing Bernd Leno and crosses!"
"Benzema!! Shot blocked by a defender!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo!!"
Emir Spahić had done his best, frantically returning to the open goal and sticking out a leg to block Benzema's attempt, but there was still an extremely aggressive Cristiano Ronaldo in the box!
He met the ball and unleashed a powerful shot!
Goalkeeper Leno could no longer stop Cristiano Ronaldo's cannon fire, watching helplessly as the ball slammed into the net!
"The goal is in!! In the 31st minute of the first half, a series of Real Madrid passes in the front field, and Cristiano Ronaldo's tap-in in front of the goal ties the score!"
"1-1!"
The Santiago Bernabéu's live DJ was excited, drawing out the announcement.
"Real Madrid goal! Cristianooooo—"
"Ronaldoooooo—"
The Santiago Bernabéu stands roared Cristiano Ronaldo's name in unison.
The Bayer Leverkusen players were somewhat helpless.
They had given their all, but ultimately failed.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to seize opportunities was simply too strong!
"It's okay, it's okay!! Keep your spirits up!"
Captain Simon Rolfes comforted his teammates.
"We're still tied!! Hold on first!"
Logically speaking, Bayer Leverkusen's performance in the Champions League semifinals wasn't crucial; they had already exceeded their expectations.
No matter what, they were heroes of the Bundesliga, a team worthy of respect in this Champions League.
But everyone had already defeated FC Barcelona, so it was inevitable to have higher expectations.
What if?
Cristiano Ronaldo's goal poured a bucket of cold water on the Bayer Leverkusen players.
And it wasn't over yet!
The first half was almost over, and Bayer Leverkusen was about to go into the locker room with a 1-1 score to adjust.
Di María's exquisite midfield pass once again brought despair!
"Di María!! A sudden diagonal pass into the box!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo!!"
To the astonished gazes of the entire stadium, Cristiano Ronaldo practically jumped to the height of a basketball hoop!
"Airborne Cristiano Ronaldo! The goal is in!!"
"1-2!!"
"After Bayer Leverkusen's opening goal, Real Madrid used their home advantage to forcefully score two goals back! Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice!"
He hadn't celebrated the first goal yet, but now, a smile finally appeared on Cristiano Ronaldo's face.
He sprinted to the home team's stands, jumped, and turned his back to the stands!
Showing his CR7 number to the whole world!
"Siu~~~~~~~~"
His iconic celebration!
"As expected, it has to be Real Madrid."
Lance had encountered the toughest team this year,
But!
Bayer Leverkusen was not without a fighting chance!
Lance was ready to try and overturn them in the second half!
And reach the final!