Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Sky Sports: Belgium Struggle in Warm-Ups as European Championship Nears"
"Belgium Lose Both Warm-Up Matches. Lance Unable to Rescue the Team."
"Internal Conflict? Tension Reported Between Belgium's Former and Current Number 10s."
"Breaking News! Belgium's Twin Stars Reportedly Fall Out. On-Field Fight Rumored."
"Experts Predict Belgium May Fall Short of Expectations at the European Championship."
On the eve of UEFA Euro 2016, every national team was making final preparations.
The most talked-about squad in recent weeks was Belgium.
Unfortunately, the attention wasn't entirely positive.
Two consecutive defeats in warm-up matches had sparked widespread concern, and media speculation about locker room tensions was spreading rapidly.
Belgium's so-called Golden Generation featured stars such as Lance, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku.
On paper, they looked terrifying.
On the field, however, the results had been disappointing.
Marc Wilmots admitted that the team was still searching for the chemistry they had displayed during the 2014 World Cup.
As players became bigger stars, new challenges naturally emerged.
Even though Lance had produced the miraculous four-goal comeback in the Champions League Final, football remained a team sport.
Not even he could instantly transform a disjointed squad into a perfectly synchronized machine.
According to predictions from publications such as The Guardian and The Sun, Belgium would struggle against major contenders like France, Portugal, England, and Spain.
Many analysts projected a quarterfinal exit.
When Lance read the article, he nearly laughed out loud.
He turned his phone toward De Bruyne.
"Kevin, are we having internal conflicts?"
"We are."
De Bruyne nodded seriously.
"..."
Lance stared at him speechlessly.
People who didn't know him well were often fooled by De Bruyne's honest appearance.
In reality, he was the type who got red-faced and stubborn whenever he became competitive.
Privately, he was an absolute troublemaker.
Hazard was the complete opposite.
He looked flashy and rebellious, but he was actually one of the most easygoing people imaginable.
His favorite phrase was always:
"Lance, stop training. Let's go play golf."
Ever since discovering there was a golf course near the training base, Hazard had become obsessed.
The coaching staff prohibited him from golfing, so he constantly tried convincing Lance to go cycling, fishing, barbecuing, or basically anything that wasn't football.
He resembled an elementary school kid desperately trying to avoid homework.
Lance couldn't help shaking his head.
With personalities like these, how could there possibly be internal conflict?
The media were portraying Belgium as if they were some dysfunctional powerhouse like the Netherlands or France of previous generations.
Still, the warm-up performances had genuinely been terrible.
Something felt wrong.
Lance sensed it every time they stepped onto the field.
The problem was that he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
More importantly, the tournament was about to begin.
There wasn't much time left to figure it out.
June 10, 2016.
Paris time.
The opening match of UEFA Euro 2016.
Host nation France fielded a full-strength lineup.
Inside Belgium's training base, Lance, De Bruyne, Hazard, and Vincent Kompany gathered in the bar to watch the game on a large projection screen.
"This Griezmann guy is your buddy, right?" Hazard asked.
"How good is he?"
"Honestly?"
Lance smiled.
"He's really good."
"Oh?"
De Bruyne raised an eyebrow.
If Lance was praising someone, that player was usually special.
France faced Romania in the tournament opener.
Against a weaker opponent, France dominated from start to finish.
With Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kanté controlling midfield, and Karim Benzema and Olivier Giroud leading the attack, Antoine Griezmann constantly found space between the lines.
"Beautiful!"
Griezmann burst down the left flank before floating a precise cross into the box.
Giroud rose and powered a header into the net.
1-0.
Later, Griezmann combined brilliantly with Pogba near the penalty area before threading a perfect through ball.
Benzema met it with a thunderous finish.
2-0.
The second half brought more of the same.
Griezmann slipped a clever heel pass to Pogba inside the box.
The midfielder blasted home from distance.
3-0.
After completing a hat trick of assists, Griezmann was substituted in the eighty-third minute to preserve his energy.
The coaching staff wanted younger players to gain experience.
Thanks to Griezmann's masterclass, along with outstanding performances from Benzema, Giroud, Pogba, and Kanté, France cruised to a 4-0 victory.
Lance frowned slightly.
In the timeline he remembered, France's opening match had been far more difficult.
This version of France looked terrifying.
The French commentators sounded as though they were celebrating a national holiday.
"Magnificent France!"
"This team truly looks like a champion!"
"Griezmann was the MVP tonight!"
Because Atlético Madrid's treble-winning season had revolved around Lance, many fans had overlooked Griezmann's actual level.
Tonight served as a reminder.
The French forward was elite.
By morning, scouting departments from Portugal, Spain, England, Germany, Croatia, and every other contender were analyzing his performance.
After receiving the Man of the Match award, Griezmann remained humble.
"Honestly, my role today wasn't very different from Lance's role at Atlético Madrid.
"He always helps his teammates shine.
"I've learned a lot from him, and I'm happy I could help my national team today."
The next day's headlines were filled with praise for France.
The hosts looked every bit like tournament favorites.
Not long after the match, Lance received a message.
From Griezmann.
How was that?
Did you watch?
Try not to get eliminated too early. Let's meet in the final.
Lance laughed and typed back.
Same to you.
Make sure France survives long enough to get there.
According to the original timeline, France would indeed reach the final before losing to Portugal.
But now that Lance existed, everything could change.
"Guys!"
Just as the players prepared to head to bed, Wilmots entered with the coaching staff.
His expression was unusually serious.
"We're running out of time."
"Tonight we're going over our problems one last time."
"I want everyone paying attention."
Everyone.
Hazard, who had been planning to secretly listen to music through his headphones, immediately removed them.
Wilmots pointed at the tactical board.
"Being a top seed means nothing."
"Italy, Sweden, and Ireland are all dangerous opponents."
"Our first match is against Sweden."
"Their defensive organization is excellent."
He began drawing arrows across the board.
"Hazard, make this run."
"Kevin, attack more from the right side."
"Lance, you can drive through here, or distribute the ball from this position..."
The tactical meeting continued deep into the night.
Three days later.
The opening group-stage match.
Belgium vs Sweden.
At the Allianz Riviera.
Lance burst forward through the center exactly as the coaching staff had instructed.
Hazard was making a run on the left.
De Bruyne was moving into space on the right.
Everything looked correct.
That was the problem.
It looked too correct.
Too predictable.
Sweden read the movement perfectly.
Passing lanes disappeared before they could even open.
Lance couldn't find an angle.
The attack stalled again.
His expression darkened.
Something wasn't right.
Back at the 2014 World Cup, Hazard and De Bruyne hadn't moved like this.
The football had been more fluid.
More natural.
Why did everything feel so rigid now?
Why was it harder to play with his national team than with Atlético Madrid?
The clock ticked mercilessly forward.
88th minute.
Belgium 1.
Sweden 2.
The heavily favored Golden Generation was staring at defeat in their opening match.
Belgian supporters were nervous.
Fans watching from afar were already panicking.
An opening-match loss.
Then a must-win match.
Then a match for pride.
Then an early flight home.
Surely not.
Not again.