"What kind of tackle was that? My god!"
Even Jon Champion couldn't help but cry out as he saw Sevilla's medical staff sprinting onto the pitch, arms full of treatment equipment.
Ben Yedder was still down on the ground in agony, rolling back and forth, trying to ease the pain.
"I can't even imagine how much that must hurt!"
"From the replay, Leo Lin clearly got to the ball first, then his whole body came crashing in like a rocket, slamming into Ben Yedder's leg."
"Technically, he didn't kick Ben Yedder—Leo Lin pulled his foot back—but his knee collided with Ben Yedder's lower leg."
"After that, Leo Lin popped right back up, while Ben Yedder was knocked into a full 180-degree roll on the ground, clutching his calf in pain and unable to make a sound."
Leo Lin walked over to Ben Yedder, watching closely as the medical staff examined him. He had never intended to hurt anyone, but in that moment, he had no other choice.
After checking him over, Sevilla's medical team confirmed that Ben Yedder hadn't suffered any real injury—just severe muscle pain, intense enough to make him cry out instinctively.
The doctors immediately applied cold spray and massaged the area repeatedly to ease the pain. Amid applause from the crowd, Ben Yedder slowly got back to his feet.
Leo Lin stepped in to help him, supporting him as they moved to the touchline for a brief pause.
Ben Yedder patted Leo Lin on the chest, and Leo Lin returned the gesture with a pat on the back.
This was how misunderstandings between men were resolved—simple and direct. Ben Yedder knew Leo Lin hadn't meant to hurt him. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Leo Lin to pull his foot back during the tackle.
"It looks like there's no bad blood between the two," Jon Champion noted.
"Ben Yedder doesn't believe Leo Lin acted with any intent to injure."
"And the replay confirms it—Leo Lin clearly withdrew his foot. If he hadn't, that could've been a very serious stamp."
Moments later, play resumed. After receiving the referee's approval, Ben Yedder jogged back onto the pitch and rejoined the match.
Sevilla continued to press aggressively, especially through their front three, whose coordination was extremely sharp.
Lovren kept organizing the back line, urging everyone to stay compact and squeeze the half-spaces, denying Sevilla any clear shooting lanes.
Leo Lin shifted into an observational mindset. On the surface, Sevilla's front three looked dangerous, but the real source of their attacking momentum was the midfield.
Banega in particular stood out—his dribbling and forward distribution were excellent, effectively acting as Sevilla's engine.
Leo Lin's sharp eyes locked onto that engine. He knew that if he could shut down Banega, Sevilla's attack would lose its bite.
35th minute!
Sevilla goalkeeper Rico once again played a short pass through Firmino's press, finding Banega cleanly.
Banega twisted his body and turned in one smooth motion, immediately looking to surge forward.
But his touch was slightly heavy, and the ball rolled just a bit farther than he expected.
Banega didn't think much of it—until, in the very next instant, a dark shadow flashed in front of him.
Like a baseball bat sweeping everything aside, it smashed straight across his path.
Before Banega could even react, Leo Lin had already nicked the ball away, powered through, and completed the tackle, barging Banega off balance.
Banega stumbled backward several steps, nearly falling to the ground.
The ferocity of the challenge drew gasps even from the Sevilla fans. Leo Lin, meanwhile, carried on as if nothing had happened, dribbling forward and lifting his head to scan the field. At that moment, his Pirlo skill seemed to glow brightly.
The space ahead looked wide open. Even though Sevilla's defenders were desperately retreating and compressing their shape to cut off passing lanes,
tiny, almost unimaginable passing angles still appeared clearly in Leo Lin's vision.
With a brief glance, he spotted Firmino dropping deep on a decoy run, dragging defenders out of position.
Salah was stretched wide on the right, arm raised, calling for the ball.
Only Mané was charging forward through the left half-space.
Leo Lin made a subtle wave with his left hand. Mané instantly responded. The two were perfectly in sync.
"Snap!" A lofted through ball.
The ball traced a beautiful arc over the defenders' heads and dropped straight into the left side of the penalty area.
Mané timed his run perfectly, beat the offside trap, and was suddenly clean through on goal.
Facing the keeper, he took a slight adjustment step and curled the shot toward the far corner.
The ball followed Mané's imagined trajectory exactly, slipping neatly into the bottom-right corner of the net.
A flawless curling finish, right into the corner.
"What a goal!!!"
"It's in!"
"Like fire on steel, like lightning striking stone!" Jon Champion roared in excitement.
"Banega tried to carry the ball forward and was brutally dispossessed!"
"Leo Lin's thinking was crystal clear—win it, then immediately launch the counter straight through the middle."
"Once he reached the edge of Sevilla's penalty area, he played a superb lofted through ball to link up with Mané's run on the left."
"You have to say, Leo Lin's passing has become more and more precise. He's constantly delivering quality assists now."
"He was once known mainly for his long-range shooting, but this version of Leo Lin is clearly evolving into a much more complete player."
After scoring, Mané pointed straight at Leo Lin. Liverpool erupted in celebration. Grabbing the lead just before halftime was massive for them.
When play restarted, Sevilla threw everything forward, desperately trying to mount a response and at least equalize before the break.
But then appeared a young player who seemed incapable of fatigue—covering every blade of grass, crashing into challenges, pressing relentlessly.
39th minute!
"Banega switches it to Nzonzi—Sevilla still trying to work the flanks."
"Out to the right, Navas receives and lays it off, looking for a one-two with Banega!"
"Leo Lin arrives again at full speed, twists his body, shoulders Banega aside, and wins it!"
"A long ball toward the left, trying to find Mané—this one's a bit too deep."
"Mané brings it under control and plays it backward, calming things down."
"Liverpool are taking control of the tempo again!"
43rd minute!
"Rico sends a long ball toward the middle, looking for the aerial contest!"
"Pizarro crashes into Leo Lin, the ball still loose!"
"Nzonzi follows up, Leo Lin shields it with his back!"
"He shrugs off Nzonzi and lays it back!"
"I thought Liverpool needed to find a solution for Joaquín Correa," Jon Champion said,
"but judging by what we're seeing, it's Sevilla who need a solution for Leo Lin."
"His tackling and physical presence in midfield are just too strong, and Sevilla's midfielders are all smaller, quicker types."
"Pizarro, Banega, and Nzonzi are at a clear disadvantage when it comes to strength and size. It's a natural mismatch."
The first half came to an end. During halftime, Sky Sports replayed the best moments from the opening 45 minutes, giving fans a chance to relive the action.
Gerrard watched the highlights for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing.
He covered his face with both hands, still chuckling.
"This isn't a first-half highlights reel at all," he said.
"Lin is everywhere. He's like a monster that never gets tired."