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Reversing a win against the mighty FC Barcelona could be considered a huge upset!
Before the match, the odds for an away win for FC Barcelona were 1.58, while the odds for a home win for Bayer Leverkusen were almost over 7! It was clearly a one-sided matchup!
Who would have thought that Bayer Leverkusen would once again fall behind 0-2, only to make a comeback with continuous goals! This time, they simply defeated FC Barcelona 4-2!
Although it was only the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, Bayer Leverkusen still had one more match before the semifinals, so it wasn't guaranteed they would advance. But the teammates were just too excited. They couldn't resist forming a group to drive to Cologne, planning to party all night at a nightclub.
Since Lance was only 16 years old, his entry into nightclubs was restricted to before 11 PM. When the excited Sascha Lewandowski took the players to the nightclub, Lance simply dragged his exhausted body back to the apartment and collapsed onto the bed.
The Bachira Meguru template is good to use, but the consumption is also quite large. Having dribbled and broken through so many times alone, and rarely playing the full match, Lance felt like he didn't want to move a single finger; even if he could enter the nightclub, he wouldn't have the energy to party.
He lay on the bed in a daze, his phone on the nightstand ringing incessantly.
"Who is it?!"
Annoyed by the noise, Lance had to squirm like a worm to the head of the bed, roll over, and pick up his phone.
"You played well today!! We are proud of you!"
This was a text message from his father, Lu Yongping.
"Aaaaaaah!! You're amazing! Keep up the good work in the second leg, in my heart, you've already surpassed Lionel Messi!"
This was from Chloe. Lance could even imagine her little face turning red and her eyes shining as she sent the message.
"Congratulations! Lance, you played beautifully today! A hat-trick!"
"You, my God! Have you become this strong? Congratulations! Strive to eliminate FC Barcelona!"
Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller, friends with whom he had a relatively good relationship during his brief time at Bayern Munich.
"Lance, you've become this strong? I just finished watching the match and couldn't believe it!"
Kevin De Bruyne had watched Lance play since he was young. Seeing Lance evolve so quickly, Kevin De Bruyne almost doubted his own life.
In addition to these good friends, Belgium National Team teammates and KRC Genk teammates also sent messages to Lance to congratulate him. Mainly, Lance leading the team to defeat FC Barcelona was a bit too sensational.
Everyone sent so many messages that Lance was too lazy to reply to them one by one. He just posted a post-match reflection on Twitter:
"The first leg result was great, everyone played very well, keep up the good work in the second leg! Strive to enter the semifinals!"
In less than half an hour, likes and retweets had exceeded ten thousand. The crazy Bayer Leverkusen fans left comments in the comment section, forming a post-match carnival.
In addition to these, push notifications from major media outlets were also released.
"The Biggest Upset in the Champions League! Bayer Leverkusen Comeback 4-2 Victory Over FC Barcelona at Home! Chinese-Belgian Prodigy Leads the Turnaround with a Hat-trick!"
"Lionel Messi < Lance? Ballon d'Or Winner Overshadowed, Bayer Leverkusen New Star Shines Throughout the Match!"
"Bundesliga's Last Hope! Bayer Leverkusen Shows the Guts of German Football!"
"Detailed Tactical Analysis: The Magician's Magnificent Solo Show on the Field, Three Qualities Lead the Team to Victory Over FC Barcelona!"
This is the media. Lance had seen too much of how they hyped up FC Barcelona's invincible armada and the Dream Team before the match. It was as if the match didn't even need to be played, and FC Barcelona could easily advance to the Champions League final just by playing casually.
Some Spanish media had even popped champagne, preemptively analyzing the Champions League semifinal matchup between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. When Bayer Leverkusen pulled off the upset, the same media, as if nothing had happened before, naturally changed direction and began to brazenly praise Bayer Leverkusen.
In the first half of the season, when he had just joined the first team and started playing, Lance might have cared a lot about media evaluations. Now he was immune to it.
Watching media from various countries praise him to the skies, as if he were another football god after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, a candidate for the world's third-best player. Lance's heart was already calm about these news reports.
He now only wanted to fast-forward to the second leg and strive for another big battle with FC Barcelona. Bayer Leverkusen's 4-2 win seemed brilliant, but in reality, FC Barcelona's full-match control and pressing were incredibly intense. Bayer Leverkusen was truly in a precarious situation today!
In the second leg, a slight misstep could still lead to elimination by FC Barcelona. Lance only hoped to adapt and develop more new skills as much as possible in such high-level contests, while accumulating match experience and improving his own strength.
Lying on the empty apartment bed, Lance suddenly felt a bit sleepless. Flipping through his contacts, he didn't know why, but he instinctively dialed Chloe's number.
Ever since the last time he had a late-night phone call with the girl, Lance seemed to enjoy the feeling of having someone accompany him.
"Lance!! Are you still awake?"
Chloe's voice sounded very surprised, as if she hadn't expected Lance to call her voluntarily.
"Not yet, I just saw your message and wanted to chat with you."
"Oh, really...?"
Her voice on the other end was as soft as a mosquito's buzz; her little face was probably turning red again.
"I, I wanted to call you too, but I was afraid of disturbing you... I just saw the news that your team all went to the nightclub."
"I was a bit tired from playing today, so I just came back alone."
"Yes, you usually get substituted around the 70th minute, but today you played the whole match, and you performed so well!"
As soon as the match was mentioned, the girl's voice clearly became much more excited, and she shed her shyness, becoming more lively.
"Do you know? I was so nervous just now! The first goal, my God, you actually dared to dribble like that..."
Chloe's soft voice chattered on in his ear, and Lance's lips unconsciously curved into a smile, as he quietly listened to her talk about the match. The girl's voice seemed to have a magic that quickly made Lance relax.
After a 90-minute battle with the oppressive strong opponent FC Barcelona, all the fatigue and pressure vanished.
...
"Bundesliga Matchday 28 Preview: This round's featured match, Bayer Leverkusen will host current Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich!"
"Currently, there is a clear difference in form and morale between the two sides."
"Bayer Leverkusen just pulled off a 4-2 comeback victory against strong opponents FC Barcelona in the Champions League, taking the initiative to advance, and the entire team's morale is high! On the other hand, Bayern Munich surprisingly suffered a 0-1 upset defeat at home to Atlético Madrid!"
"Pep Guardiola's team encountered Diego Simeone's iron-blooded Atlético Madrid. Despite having 79% possession, they were unable to threaten Thibaut Courtois's goal! Atlético Madrid's impenetrable defense is arguably the best in Europe this season! They are the team with the fewest goals conceded!"
"Pep Guardiola's use of a false nine formation is gradually revealing the weakness of his possession-based tactics. The simultaneous setbacks for FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich may indicate that changes are beginning to occur in world football."
"Is possession-based football no longer the correct answer in football? In any case, this Bundesliga featured match, sandwiched between two important Champions League games, is not good news for either side in terms of schedule."
"Relatively speaking, Bayer Leverkusen, with its thinner squad depth, is slightly at a disadvantage. Four days later, both teams will face their Champions League second-leg deciders."
"So now it's up to both clubs to make a choice: Do they choose the Bundesliga, or do they choose the Champions League? Or do they choose both, but face crises on both fronts?"
The answer will be revealed this weekend, so please continue to tune into ZDF German Television Channel Two! We will bring you live coverage of the match..."
Lance indeed felt the coaching staff's dilemma. The continuous big matches created a somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the training ground. Within 3 days of playing FC Barcelona, they were about to face Bayern Munich in Bundesliga Matchday 28!
The two teams are currently separated by 2 points; the championship is within reach! Should they go all out with their main squad to fight for the championship? Or should they reserve some strength and rotate players to cope with the second leg against FC Barcelona?
Bayer Leverkusen seemed to be standing at an unknown crossroads, and every step, whether left or right, was fraught with difficulties and obstacles!