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Due to snow on the field during the German winter in February, Bayer Leverkusen's match was postponed.
The Bundesliga Matchday 24 fixture between Bayer Leverkusen and Hannover 96 was rescheduled for midweek.
With two matches in a week, Lance was rotated onto the bench.
He was actually a bit worried.
Currently, they were 2 points behind Bayern Munich, who had just defeated VfL Wolfsburg 6-1 away.
If they lost or drew, the point difference would be stretched to more than 4 points.
With fewer and fewer matches remaining, it would be difficult to catch up.
Having tasted the sweetness of a title race, how could Bayer Leverkusen be willing to go back to fighting for a top-four spot?
With a certain probability of winning the club's first Bundesliga title, how could Bayer Leverkusen players and fans willingly give up so easily?
Sitting on the bench, Lance felt a little nervous.
Throughout the match, his mood was like a drop tower ride, suddenly soaring and then rapidly plummeting.
In the 27th minute, Son Heung-min made a sharp breakthrough on the left, assisting Kiessling to break the deadlock.
Lance excitedly stood up and cheered with his teammates.
However, just 3 minutes later, Hannover 96 capitalized on a corner kick opportunity, equalizing with a header.
Ömer Toprak once again made the mistake of loose marking, letting a player slip behind him!
1-1!
"No!!"
"I really!!"
"No way?"
Teammates on the bench also held their heads, almost wanting to curse, but everyone held back.
Sometimes teammates can be a bit of a liability. There will inevitably be some complaints inwardly, but outwardly, it cannot be shown too obviously, otherwise it will affect locker room unity.
Unless one day they can't hold it in, it can easily escalate into locker room conflicts, becoming fodder for netizens and fans.
Son Heung-min later went to Tottenham and once had a public spat with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, which caused a huge stir.
After that, without Lance, Bayer Leverkusen suddenly seemed to forget how to play football.
Everyone was unconfident with the ball, not knowing who to pass to.
Son Heung-min was completely marked, with seemingly people all around him.
Right winger Robbie Kruse could hold the ball, but it was useless; he would just single-mindedly dribble to the byline and get double-teamed by opponents.
In contrast, Hannover 96's counter-attacks were very clear-cut; simple three-pass, two-touch plays could directly threaten the goal.
If not for Bernd Leno's quick reactions, Bayer Leverkusen would have dropped points today.
At a crucial moment, Julian Brandt, who came on as a substitute in the second half, showed his energy.
He, who was initially unreliable, has been performing more and more steadily recently.
Immediately after coming on, he almost created a breakthrough from the right wing.
His continuous dribbling attacks also suppressed Hannover 96's most dangerous route.
The two sides remained deadlocked until the 86th minute. Lance had already started warming up, just as the coaching staff was preparing to send him on to create a miracle.
Julian Brandt dribbled past two players on the right, suddenly crossing the ball from a 45-degree angle!
Veteran Eren Derdiyok arrived in the box and headed the ball into the net!
2-1!
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Hannover 96, and the 2-point gap with Bayern Munich remained suspenseful!
...
By the weekend's Bundesliga Matchday 25, Bayer Leverkusen fans were also very worried.
"Last round was so difficult, hope there are no more problems today?"
"I'm also worried. After playing Arsenal, it feels like everyone else's form is quite sluggish."
"The whole team seems to be sleepwalking."
"Only Lance is still pushing hard, hopefully he can explode today."
On Twitter, Bayer Leverkusen fans were very concerned about the team's recent performance.
In the past, every win was a victory, as long as they secured a top-four spot.
But now it's different.
With the title race at stake, fans could no longer be as relaxed as in previous years.
And the team's pressure should also be significantly related to the title race.
Bayern Munich, in their match a day earlier, defeated TSG Hoffenheim 5-1!
That's the dominance of a treble winner!
It invisibly put even greater pressure on Bayer Leverkusen.
So much so that Bild's column made a prediction before the match:
"Bundesliga Matchday 25 Analysis: Eintracht Braunschweig vs. Bayer Leverkusen; Eintracht Braunschweig has recently achieved 3 consecutive wins, and the title of last place in the Bundesliga has been handed over to 1. FC Nürnberg. With survival at stake, a matter of life and death, Eintracht Braunschweig has erupted with powerful fighting spirit."
"In contrast, Bayer Leverkusen, their 2-1 victory over Hannover 96 in the last round was very difficult. Due to a lack of title-winning experience, Bayer Leverkusen appears to be struggling in their pursuit of Bayern Munich. This might affect the players' mentality and match form. Today's match prediction: Eintracht Braunschweig 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen."
However, Bild's professional prediction, released on Twitter, hadn't even been out for 2 hours before Bayer Leverkusen delivered a resounding slap in the face.
Just 5 minutes into the match, Lance stepped up!
"Lance!! Oh oh oh oh — a chip over the opponent!! Full of imagination!"
"He's simply Kaká at AC Milan's peak! So fast!"
"Rabona nutmeg! Step-over! Past another defender!!"
"He's in!! Inside the box, a curled shot!!"
"Goooooal!!"
"A magnificent solo effort! It's Lance again!"
"His 31st goal in the Bundesliga!! He has broken the Bundesliga player scoring record since 1991! Becoming the only player to break the 30-goal mark!"
"We were all guessing when a striker would break 30 goals, who would have thought it would be a 16-year-old youngster!"
Commentator Mehmet Scholl went crazy.
Breaking records so quickly, it was insane!
Even more insane was Lance's breakthrough! Opponents didn't even have time to make contact; before they could even start bumping, Lance easily dribbled past them!
Of course, this also has to do with the defensive intensity of Bundesliga relegation teams.
Their positioning and defensive awareness are too poor. If playing against strong teams, Lance might not find it so easy to break through.
It's worth noting that Eintracht Braunschweig is the team with the weakest defense and most goals conceded in the Bundesliga.
They have already conceded 75 goals this season.
Just 10 minutes later, in the 15th minute of the match, Lance and Kiessling played a wall pass. Lance, outside the box, again used a step-over to feint, deceiving his opponent before instantly nutmegging him!
A low shot inside the box!
After continuous dribbling, Lance's stamina had somewhat decreased, and his shot angle was too central.
Eintracht Braunschweig's goalkeeper's save was too amateurish, and the ball "laid an egg" from under him, slipping into the goal!
"A brace!! Lance's 32nd Bundesliga goal!"
"Another spectacular dribbling performance! Lately, he's simply been Bayer Leverkusen's god!"
Eintracht Braunschweig's home stadium was turned into a library by Lance. The home stands were silent, only the Bayer Leverkusen fans in the away stands were cheering for their team.
In the 42nd minute of the first half, Bachira Meguru's "Beast Dribbling" once again proved effective!
This was purely a passive effect; Lance didn't need to trigger any mechanism.
He just needed to dare to dribble past opponents!
The only requirement was one word — courage!
The more he faced the enemy's encirclement and difficult dribbling situations, the easier it was to generate enough primal instinct during the breakthrough!
"Lance, attempting to dribble horizontally from the center, 3 players closing in simultaneously… OHHHHH—"
Mehmet Scholl was stunned by his moves!
Facing a three-man encirclement, Lance showed no fear!
He first used a V-drag to evade an opponent, then a horizontal step to pull the opponent out of position, suddenly turning and back-heeling the ball!
The three defending players, at that moment, were perfectly strung into a straight line by Lance's body position. The back-heel nutmeg became like Candied Haws!
One-on-three!
The moment he received the ball in the box, all the defending players were incredibly shocked!
Watching helplessly as Lance curled a shot into the far corner to score!
3-0!
A hat-trick!
So much so that guest commentator Oliver Kahn secretly clicked his tongue; Lance's recent dribbling was simply effortless!
Compared to an intense match, he looked more like he was playing on the field!
"He's even more terrifying than we imagined. I even think that Lance, after his evolution, hasn't used his full strength during this period!"
"Perhaps only when facing Bayern Munich and Champions League quarter-final opponents FC Barcelona will his full strength truly be unleashed!"
"At that time, we might see an even more extraordinary performance!"