Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
The slow-motion replay was still showcasing Lance's magnificent footwork. Son Heung-min's breakthrough was certainly beautiful, but no one on the field could have handled that touch in front of the penalty area.
A perfectly delicate first touch, controlling the ball and dribbling past Pepe in one fluid motion, while he agilely evaded him, then decisively struck a volley! That's what you call flowing like water, a seamless execution!
Lance's movement was truly art! On the sidelines, Real Madrid's coach, Ancelotti, clutched his head in shock, his eyes nearly popping out.
Ancelotti had experienced being overturned in a Champions League final and had also led his team to win a Champions League final, collecting countless titles of all sizes. His style on the sidelines was usually calm and composed, remaining unfazed even when faced with a mountain of pressure.
However, upon seeing Lance's goal, Ancelotti still couldn't maintain his composure. He racked his brain but couldn't figure out how, with Real Madrid's defence still intact and Pepe not making any mistakes, Lance managed to break through Pepe the moment he received the ball and score?
Even if it were "King of Volleys" Robin van Persie, "Ice Prince" Dennis Bergkamp, Ronaldinho... any world-class star in that situation would have found it incredibly difficult to score. Yet, at Bayer Leverkusen's most difficult and desperate moment, it was Lance again who created a miracle, helping Bayer Leverkusen equalise and snatch back their morale!
In the first half, after Lance's goal, both teams did not take excessive risks, temporarily holding their positions. With the score at 2-2, both sides returned to the locker room.
After some discussion and deployment, the even more intense second half was about to begin. Many Bayer Leverkusen fans at the BayArena, who had held their bladders for 45 minutes, didn't dare to leave, and the restrooms were packed during halftime.
Some with "iron bladders" saw that the second half was about to start, so they couldn't help but hold it in again and return to the stadium, unwilling to miss even a second of Bayer Leverkusen vs. Real Madrid! While this practice is unhealthy and not recommended for others to imitate, there was no choice; the fans believed the match was more important.
They didn't even buy hot dogs or beer, and over 50,000 people quickly returned to their seats.
Indeed!
Just as the Bayer Leverkusen fans expected, Bayer Leverkusen continued their lightning-fast attack at the start of the second half, delivering a surprise to Real Madrid!
"De Bruyne!! A brilliant pass!"
In the first half, Son Heung-min and Lance each had their moments, while De Bruyne seemed relatively quiet, causing Real Madrid's defenders to overlook him. Toni Kroos's attention was entirely on Lance, and he hadn't been marking De Bruyne, which was a serious mistake on his part!
De Bruyne made a feint on the right side, preparing to dribble past, causing Marcelo to retreat several steps, which coincidentally opened up space, and De Bruyne suddenly delivered a 45-degree angled cross! The ball took a strange, low-lying curve, precisely bypassing Pepe and Ramos, and Firmino on the left flank perfectly received the ball and surged into the penalty area!
"What the hell?!"
Cristiano Ronaldo saw De Bruyne play for the first time with his own eyes; he was stunned on the spot. Can someone pass like that?
Firmino wasn't greedy; he dribbled the ball near the six-yard box, feigning a shot but actually executing a sudden stop and pull-back, sending a cut-back pass to the centre!
"Lance—"
Seeing Lance had a chance to score into an open net, completing his hat-trick. Lance was also very calm; seeing the goalkeeper on the left, he deliberately twisted his body to curl the ball with the inside of his right foot.
The ball curved towards the far post, a position theoretically impossible for even a god to save. But Casillas, being highly experienced, immediately judged that Firmino had no intention of shooting and had already moved his feet before the pass.
The moment Lance shot, Casillas had already rapidly moved towards the far post, making an extreme, flying save!
"Oh oh oh oh—that ball! Casillas saved it!!"
The entire stadium gasped! Lance was already preparing to raise his hands in celebration, not expecting Casillas could save that?
He clutched his head in disbelief.
"Casillas!! A world-class save!"
"He is still the world's number one goalkeeper!"
José Ángel, the commentator for Spanish National Television, boasted about "Saint Casillas." Almost everyone in the world attributed this brilliant defence to Casillas; no one criticised Lance's mistake, his shot was already magnificent.
But Lance still harboured regrets.
"If only I had adjusted my shot a little faster... if only I had been a little more confident..."
Because Lance is not a top-tier striker in the world, lacking the talent of Robin van Persie, he subconsciously adjusted his footwork and shooting technique before shooting to achieve accuracy. This gave Casillas some reaction time.
However, Lance wasn't confident enough to shoot without aiming, directly striking the ball. The second goal he scored earlier was purely due to activating Nagi SeishiroSkill 2: Hardcore Shot.
After a sufficiently brilliant dribble, he received a high score of 95 or above, making his shot accuracy high enough. This time, Lance was simply shooting; there wasn't enough time for him to dribble and score points.
The higher the level of competition, the more fleeting the opportunities often are.
"Lance! Well done!"
"Keep it up! Beautiful play!"
His teammates came over to encourage and praise Lance. Lance also quickly recovered from his earlier regret, focusing on the game.
In the second half, due to his attack, both sides engaged in a high-quality offensive battle, exchanging blows and showcasing their skills, with the two goalkeepers being the most exhausted.
"De Bruyne!! A low shot himself! Very dangerous, saved by Casillas!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo—a trademark free-kick!!! Just wide!"
"Another Real Madrid attack! Benzema!!! Unfortunately, it was headed just a little wide, so close!"
"...Bale takes the ball on the right... Wow!! So fast! He overtakes Nathan Aké, beating him on the outside!! Cross... Cristiano Ronaldo follows up with a shot!! This ball was saved by the goalkeeper!! Real Madrid gets their 9th corner of the match!"
"Ramos's header! It didn't go in! The goalkeeper caught the ball!"
"Throw-in counter-attack! Lance, beautiful!! A clever juggle to get past Toni Kroos, then a diagonal pass!!"
"Alright, Son Heung-min tries to get past Carvajal... switches to the other side!"
"De Bruyne!! Crosses to the middle!"
"Firmino!!! Oh no, that ball!!"
Amidst the fast-paced counter-attacks from both sides, time gradually approached the end of the match. As it was nearing its conclusion, Lance had no choice but to find a way to break through Real Madrid's blockade, retreating to the defensive midfield position to launch a surprise attack to link up the midfield and create an unexpected counter-attack.
This move was a stroke of genius. Bayer Leverkusen's advance was quite smooth, and De Bruyne practically spoon-fed the ball to Firmino.
However, Firmino's close-range shot was blocked by Casillas's toe. Firmino's shot was too casual; if the angle had been slightly different, it would have gone in.
"Bayer Leverkusen gets a corner kick. Today's match is too intense; every ball is crucial. This is one of their few opportunities; can they seize it?"
"De Bruyne takes the corner kick!"
At this moment, He Wei's heart couldn't help but clench. Seeing that there wasn't much time left in the match, if they didn't score this time, they would probably be run down by Real Madrid.
Lance's physical exertion was immense; his legs felt like lead, and he was moving purely on willpower. It would be truly difficult to guarantee his performance in the last few minutes.
"It all comes down to this ball."
De Bruyne's gaze was always on Lance's position; no matter where he was, passing to Lance was always the right choice! Huh?
Near post? Alright.
De Bruyne raised his left hand, signalling a low, flat ball to the near post, then decisively took the corner kick!
"Corner kick taken... near post!!"
He Wei was still wondering why the ball was so short and flat. Suddenly, Lance's figure agilely squeezed to the near post; to get to the spot, he even activated Bachira Meguru's support!
Relying on the Monster's wild intuition to precisely judge the landing spot and increase his explosive power! The moment he received the ball, Toni Kroos had already closed in.
The first reaction of the Bachira Meguru template is to perform tricks, to show off flashy moves! Lance poked the ball with his toe, seemingly towards the byline, then, taking advantage of Toni Kroos's moment of daze, quickly pulled it back through his legs and turned to bypass Toni Kroos!
There was still Ramos's interception ahead; Lance feigned a leg lift for a zero-angle shot, tricking Ramos into blocking with his back, but his right foot went over the top! His left foot then came from behind with a rabona!
The continuous feints and flashy moves left Real Madrid's players stunned!
"Oh, Lance!! A pass?"
The rabona pass went straight to Maguire at the far post!
Monster Passing!
Bachira Meguru's skill! However, Maguire charged too excitedly, forgetting to look at the goal's position, and his big head crashed into the goalpost!
Before people could worry about Maguire, the ball had already curved in a miraculous arc, striking the post like lightning, and bouncing into the net from the top corner!! Huh?
"That went in?"
"What's happening!"
Everyone was stunned, but He Wei reacted quickly enough!
"Lance!! A shot-cum-pass, it's in!! A hat-trick!"
"Bayer Leverkusen, at the very end of the match, makes it 3-2, completing another comeback!!"
From 1-0 to 1-2, and then to 3-2! A game of comebacks within comebacks; He Wei's heart could barely take it.