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The white bus, emblazoned with the Real Madrid crest, slowly drove into BayArena. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped off the bus, headphones on and hands in his pockets, automatically ignoring the barrage of cameras from the surrounding media.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, this Champions League semi-final second leg was without suspense; Real Madrid would surely crush Bayer Leverkusen and advance to the Champions League final! The upper bracket match had concluded the night before.
In the first leg, Atlético Madrid drew 0-0 with Chelsea, and with the second leg at Stamford Bridge, it seemed like a golden opportunity for Chelsea. However, Chelsea lost 1-3 to Atlético Madrid. Atlético Madrid's relentless pressing defense proved too much for Chelsea's aging midfield and defense, ultimately stopping them in the semi-finals.
Atlético Madrid had surprisingly made it to the Champions League final! This was even more unbearable for Cristiano Ronaldo. If their city rivals, Atlético Madrid, could reach the final, and Real Madrid, with a first-leg advantage, were to be overturned by Bayer Leverkusen, Cristiano Ronaldo would likely suffer a mental breakdown.
"Cristiano?"
Sergio Ramos, behind him, was a little puzzled. Cristiano Ronaldo had walked all the way to the stadium entrance, then suddenly stopped and zoned out, not knowing what he was thinking about.
"Oh, I'm fine."
Cristiano Ronaldo snapped back to reality and hurried into the stadium.
...
At the same time, in the home team's locker room, the entire Bayer Leverkusen squad had already arrived. They were all changing into their training kits, preparing for the pre-match warm-up. Judging by the atmosphere in the locker room, everyone seemed relatively relaxed.
After all, reaching this stage was already satisfying enough. Regardless of the outcome of this match, it wouldn't affect the players' value or reputation. Losing wouldn't be a loss, and winning would be a huge gain.
The Bayer Leverkusen players were actually in a better mindset than Real Madrid.
"Lance, do you know? That day in Madrid, I added a Spanish girl on Facebook. She's here to watch the game today too. If we can win, maybe I can ask her out and comfort her broken heart."
Lance: ???
"What if we lose?"
"If we lose, it'll be a bit difficult. She'll definitely be celebrating with the Real Madrid fans."
"So that's your motivation for winning?"
"Yes… No, no, no, how could I be that kind of person? It's definitely to reach the final!"
It was thought that Julian Brandt had reined himself in a while ago. However, he was stimulated by Lance's rise and wanted to work harder, but in reality, he hadn't changed.
"Can we really win?"
Son Heung-min, however, wasn't very confident. Real Madrid led 4-2 in the first leg. If Bayer Leverkusen wanted to advance to the final, they had to win 2-0 cleanly.
If Real Madrid scored one goal, Bayer Leverkusen would need to win 3-1. But if Real Madrid scored two or more goals, erasing Bayer Leverkusen's away goal advantage, it would be too difficult for Bayer Leverkusen to win.
However, Bayer Leverkusen's weakest link right now was their defense. Could they stop Real Madrid from scoring? Based on their first-leg performance, the answer was obvious… no.
Assuming they tried their best to limit Real Madrid to at most two goals, Bayer Leverkusen would have to score four goals to have any hope of advancing! Four goals! The attacking pressure was entirely on the trio of Son Heung-min, Lance, and Julian Brandt.
To counter Real Madrid's formidable trident, to resist the BBC trio, the coaching staff did not opt for a dual-striker formation today, but a single striker! Lance was positioned alone at the very front, with Son Heung-min and Julian Brandt on the left and right flanks. A 3 defensive midfielder + 4 defender setup, primarily focused on solid defense and counter-attacking.
"Son, don't think so much."
Lance quickly dispelled his pessimistic thoughts. The young and immature Son Heung-min was not yet the future "Asia's No. 1," Tottenham captain Son Heung-min. He didn't have the strong inner core and confidence he would later possess.
"No matter if we win or lose, I hope we leave no regrets today."
"Alright! No regrets!"
In the Champions League semi-final, with only 90 minutes left until the final, if they worked hard, they might just make it to the final! Reaching the Champions League final in his first season at Bayer Leverkusen, Son Heung-min wouldn't even dare to dream of such a thing. Under Lance's leadership, was it really going to happen?
...
"CCTV, dear viewers, what you are watching now is the second leg of the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League semi-final. It's Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen hosting the challenge of world-class giants Real Madrid."
"In the first leg, Real Madrid had a huge advantage at home, but Lance's goal pulled one back for Bayer Leverkusen. The aggregate score is temporarily set at 4-2. Lance's late goal preserved a glimmer of hope for Bayer Leverkusen to turn the tide."
"Bayer Leverkusen, in their black jerseys, are attacking from left to right. Now, Real Madrid, in their white jerseys, are attacking from right to left. Ángel Di María controls the ball in the front field, then a sudden through ball!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo!! He takes a shot himself—"
"That was too close! Cristiano Ronaldo fired a warning shot from long range just 40 seconds into the game! It was quite a tricky shot..."
Many domestic fans who woke up in the middle of the night to watch the game were now wide awake, startled. Although everyone didn't really believe Bayer Leverkusen could turn the tide, they still held onto a sliver of hope. What if?
...
The starting lineups for both teams were not significantly different from the first leg. However, Bayer Leverkusen withdrew striker Stefan Kiessling, with defensive midfielders Jens Hegeler, Simon Rolfes, and Lars Bender forming a solid three-man defensive midfield.
Seven players consistently maintained their positions firmly in front of the penalty area, plus occasional defensive returns from wingers Son Heung-min and Julian Brandt. Within the first 15 minutes of the match, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo's opening shot, Real Madrid didn't create many opportunities.
Bayer Leverkusen temporarily withstood Real Madrid's offense in their own half, looking very stable. Lance constantly roamed the front field, looking for opportunities.
Since it was a single striker formation today, after much consideration, he chose the Nagi Seishiro template, which wasn't exceptionally strong in long-distance sprints but was comprehensive enough in the front field. Theoretically, for counter-attacks, the Bachira Meguru template should be more effective, but Bachira Meguru's rage accumulation was a bit slow, and counter-intuitively, Real Madrid didn't maintain long periods of possession and pressure; they preferred to counter-attack Bayer Leverkusen.
Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid's possession rates were almost even, even slightly favoring Bayer Leverkusen. CCTV5 commentator, Gong Lei, noticed this issue.
"Today, Bayer Leverkusen seems to have more possession and create more opportunities, but this is actually deliberate on Carlo Ancelotti's part."
"Oh? How so?"
"Real Madrid is currently leading on aggregate, so they are not in a hurry; Bayer Leverkusen is. And after failing to score within the first 15 minutes, Real Madrid consciously retreated to their own half, actively ceding possession to Bayer Leverkusen."
"Yes, they want to draw Bayer Leverkusen out and expose more defensive vulnerabilities."
He Wei's single sentence highlighted Carlo Ancelotti's cunning tactical adjustment. To make Bayer Leverkusen, a counter-attacking team, push up and play possession football. Can they do it? Not at all!
So, from the 20-minute mark onwards, although Bayer Leverkusen's possession rate increased, they also found it very difficult to break through Real Madrid's defense. Instead, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale's "two-hundred-million-dollar wing play" often produced heart-stopping counter-attacks.
"That shot! Cristiano Ronaldo!! Di María's pass was brilliant!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo breaks through on the left and cuts inside, takes a shot himself!!"
"Bernd Leno! A world-class save! Real Madrid's fifth corner kick of the first half!"
The relatively unknown Bernd Leno was almost burning out today, leaping to make a crucial block on Cristiano Ronaldo's deadly long-range shot. As Bayer Leverkusen seemed to be caught between a rock and a hard place, Lance saw a glimmer of hope for a goal.
"Leno, if there's a chance later, try to find me."
"No problem!"
Leno nodded, panting. He was almost suffocating; Lance's suggestion was like light descending from heaven. If anyone could step up, it would surely be this magical Easterner!
"Real Madrid's corner kick is taken, Di María's inswinging ball… Sergio Ramos goes for the header!! But Leno extends his arm easily to claim it!"
After goalkeeper Leno caught the ball, he looked towards Lance's position almost immediately. Without any hesitation, he threw the ball hard to find Lance! Real Madrid defenders Raphaël Varane and Ramos were both in the penalty area challenging for the header, leaving the midfield temporarily quite open!
"Chance!! Bayer Leverkusen launches a quick attack with a hand throw!"
He Wei's heart instantly leaped! The Real Madrid stars' hearts sank! Not good!
The eyes of the whole world were focused on this 16-year-old Chinese-German teenager! He was the sole protagonist at BayArena at this moment!