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Damn it!
Lance knew today's match would be intense, but he never imagined it would be this fierce from the very first second!
Lying on the grass, Lance's head was buzzing as he stared at the sky above the BayArena. The spotlights above were so dazzling he couldn't open his eyes.
"Are you okay, Lance!"
"Lance!! Answer me, can you hear me?"
"Enough, keep your voice down, I'm not dead."
Firmino's loud shouting nearly burst Lance's eardrums.
"Mate, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
The young man in front of him, with slicked-back golden hair, apologised in fluent German with a face full of remorse, helping Lance up. It was an old acquaintance, Toni Kroos, with whom he'd always had a good relationship.
During his few days at Bayern, Lance even trained with Toni Kroos. Last season in the Bundesliga, Toni Kroos was also his opponent.
On the World Cup stage, Toni Kroos won the World Cup with Germany, and his exquisite free kicks left Lance in awe. He hadn't expected that in just two months, Toni Kroos would transform, already wearing the brand new Real Madrid blue away kit.
One could only say that Florentino might not have the sharpest eye, but he was certainly the most willing to spend money. The World Cup was like a seller's showcase for him.
Khedira, who performed excellently for Germany in 2010, and James Rodríguez and Toni Kroos, who shone in 2014, were all snatched up by Florentino for Real Madrid. Khedira and James Rodríguez, for now, are not worth mentioning.
One was gradually marginalised by Ancelotti, with less and less playing time this season. The other joined with a high-profile 80 million euro transfer, drawing tens of thousands of spectators at the Bernabéu, and performed well at the start of the new season.
He scored in all four competitions: Champions League, Copa del Rey, La Liga, and Spanish Super Cup. He was clearly Real Madrid's rising star, poised to stand shoulder to shoulder with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale, eagerly waiting on the bench.
Just look at Toni Kroos. In his Real Madrid debut, he had a 96% passing accuracy, ranking first, and an average running distance of over 11km, organising Real Madrid's midfield perfectly in conjunction with Modrić.
Real Madrid's new La Liga season started with a magnificent five-game winning streak. Florentino even boldly declared in an interview that Real Madrid would win the treble in the 2014-2015 season.
It was evident that Toni Kroos's impact on Real Madrid was immediate. His performance today was also very active, with brilliant displays on both offence and defence.
In the very first minute, Toni Kroos almost assisted Cristiano Ronaldo with a through ball. Then Bayer Leverkusen counter-attacked, and the ball went to Lance's feet.
It was Toni Kroos again, with a fierce slide tackle, bringing Lance down to the ground.
"Sorry, I really didn't mean to."
"It's alright, I'm fine."
The match had only just begun, less than two minutes, and Toni Kroos's attitude was good, so the referee didn't make it difficult for him, only giving a verbal warning. Bayer Leverkusen was awarded a free kick in the attacking third.
Lance recovered after a while, finally coming to his senses from the collision. His physical confrontation still had a disadvantage.
Real Madrid today had clearly intensified their physical play, and the fierce tackling made it difficult for Lance to perform; Bayer Leverkusen hadn't had a single attack yet. This free kick in the attacking third might be a good opportunity.
He glanced at the system; Lance had deliberated before the match and still chose the Nagi Seishiro template. After all, Real Madrid would surely be targeting him fiercely today.
Compared to Bachira Meguru, who needed space to dribble, Nagi Seishiro'sPerfect Ball Control could be effective in more severe pressing situations.
Equipped Template: Nagi Seishiro (Fusion Value 100%)
--Skill: Perfect Ball Control
--Skill: Hardcore Shot
--Skill: Monster Learning
Rage Value: 5%
Support Character: Bachira Meguru - S (Fusion Value 83%)
Support Status: On
Unfortunately, in the second Bundesliga season, the fusion value barely increased; in the previous unimportant Bundesliga match, the fusion value didn't even reach 1%. Today's Champions League, however, saw a 1% increase.
At this rate, Lance's previous prediction was too optimistic. Breaking through 100% to gain a new character would likely have to wait until at least the second half of the season.
There was no time to think too much; De Bruyne was already preparing to take the free kick. All of Bayer Leverkusen's players crowded into the penalty area to contest the header.
The person marking Lance was Cristiano Ronaldo! Wow!
This guy, he's really active in defence, he's even back in the penalty area!
"Aren't you going up for a counter-attack?"
After jostling with Cristiano Ronaldo for a while, that guy's muscles were quite strong, and Lance was having trouble pushing him off. Seeing that Cristiano Ronaldo was about to get into position, Lance couldn't help but complain.
Cristiano Ronaldo paused, looking at Lance with an incredulous gaze. It wasn't that he didn't understand; Lance was speaking fluent Spanish.
Cristiano Ronaldo was surprised, wondering, at a time like this, you still care about that? Now!
Taking advantage of Cristiano Ronaldo turning his head, Lance quickly took a step to the left, forcing Cristiano Ronaldo to instinctively move over to defend. But this was just a feint.
Lance retreated like lightning, creating two body lengths of distance from Cristiano Ronaldo, just as De Bruyne's pass came in.
"Bayer Leverkusen's free kick in the attacking third, De Bruyne takes it... to the outside of the box?"
The curve of this curling shot was a bit too wide, circling inside the penalty area, seemingly about to curl out of the box. It perfectly missed tall players like Maguire and Van Dijk.
He Wei thought it was a misplaced pass, but just then, Lance had perfectly created space and pulled out of the box!
"Puta!!"
This kid, he'd been tricked! Cristiano Ronaldo cursed under his breath and quickly followed!
Also defending was Toni Kroos, diligently stepping forward to block. Modrić also came around from the other side to cover.
"Tactical Master" Ancelotti had repeatedly emphasised before the match that they must shut down Lance. If Lance was silenced, Bayer Leverkusen's attacking threat would decrease by at least 50%!
The three players surrounded him, and Modrić's positioning even consciously blocked Son Heung-min's passing lane. The penalty area was crowded, Lance had no passing options, so he could only pass back.
He also had no space to dribble or shoot. Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo were blocking in front, theoretically having shut down all of Lance's possibilities...
But! From his first day, Lance had been synonymous with miracles!
De Bruyne's precise pass came to his head, but Lance turned his body, lightly cushioned it with his chest, and used the force of Cristiano Ronaldo's tackle to take a step back. He let the ball drop naturally, pretending to volley a pass to Lars Bender.
Toni Kroos saw the danger and quickly stepped over to block the passing lane. Who would have thought, Lance wasn't passing, but controlling the ball!
The ball seemed to stick to his foot and didn't go out!
"What?"
While Toni Kroos was stunned, Lance had already hooked the ball back like lightning, turning to his right at the same time! Cristiano Ronaldo's vision blurred, and he didn't have time to see clearly; he had already been nutmegged cleanly by Lance!
By the time he realised something was wrong, Lance had already slipped past him like lightning and burst into the penalty area!
"Damn it!!"
How could the world's number one superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, suffer such humiliation?! Lance's breakthrough caught everyone off guard; Ramos didn't close in immediately, giving Lance a perfect shooting window!
Behind him was Casillas, could he score? Who cares!
With only 0.2 seconds for decision-making, Lance didn't hesitate at all, decisively poking the ball into the bottom corner! To the shock of Real Madrid's players, the ball skimmed the grass and shot like an electric flash!
"Bloody hell!"
Casillas's vision was obscured, and by the time he saw the ball, it was too late!
"Oh, what a goal!! Lance!!"
"It's in!! Hehehehe! It's in!"
He Wei hadn't even spoken, but commentator Zhang Lu was already laughing happily. Lance achieved a dream start within 3 minutes of the opening!
1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen!