"Look at that shot, and the silky dribble before it. He really does think more than the average professional player."
"And I don't mean that as criticism. It's praise. He thinks a lot, but he doesn't overcomplicate things. His mind is incredibly active, and that makes Lin's style of play fascinating to watch."
"You never know when he'll suddenly pull out a move you couldn't even imagine. In the first half, it was Lin's goal that gave Liverpool the lead over Manchester City."
"But across the full forty-five minutes of the first half, Liverpool were indeed the better side."
The Community Shield final had reached halftime, and Guardiola was working hard to make his players seize their chances.
"We're no worse than Liverpool. The only difference is that they took the few chances they had, while we didn't."
"So that's what we must improve in the second half. That is the priority above all else!"
Sterling was the first to stand up in the dressing room and show his determination to Guardiola.
"Leave it to me, boss. Don't worry. I'll definitely take more chances in the second half!"
Guardiola nodded in satisfaction.
That satisfaction lasted until the 60th minute of the second half.
"Agüero plays it to Sterling. Great chance!"
"Sterling shoots!"
"He hasn't scored! Sterling's shot from right in front of goal went straight into Van Dijk!"
"If he had given Van Dijk even the tiniest bit of reaction time, Van Dijk might not have blocked it so cleanly. But Sterling's determined shot went straight at him!"
...
"De Bruyne crosses from the right. Back post. That's an open goal!"
"Shoot!"
"Holy…"
"Oh no!"
Scholes was almost incoherent. He could not believe it.
"Sterling has put it wide!"
"My goodness, he's put it wide!"
"Even Ashley Cole wouldn't miss a chance like that!"
Ashley Cole, beside him, said, "Was that really necessary?"
"He actually put that wide!"
"Such a perfect assist from De Bruyne, and Sterling wasted it just like that!"
The camera found Guardiola. His bald head seemed to have turned to stone, and his smile became painfully awkward. If this had not been a live broadcast, he would definitely have wanted to slap Sterling twice.
Behind him, the assistant coaches spread their arms and waved them around wildly. They had no idea how Sterling had managed to do that.
Agüero had witnessed everything himself. Sterling had been facing such a huge open goal, yet he still kicked the ball wide. He looked like a spy Liverpool had planted in the Manchester City team.
Liverpool fans did not like Sterling, because he had left Liverpool for Manchester City. That was exactly why, from the start of the match, Liverpool fans had shown him no kindness at all.
But after Sterling's wonderful performance, the Liverpool fans began chanting his name.
"Given Sterling's past performances and experiences at Liverpool, it's hard not to suspect that he's showing his loyalty to Liverpool and to every Liverpool fan!"
But at that moment, Sterling was trying to show his loyalty to Guardiola.
"Boss, I really didn't mean it. I promise I'll take the next chance!"
After all, as the saying goes, third time's the charm.
But Guardiola was not willing to wait for a third miss. He brought on Sané for Sterling, giving Sterling no further chance to perform.
"The Liverpool fans are very disappointed. Sterling has been substituted!"
"Listen to the applause from the Liverpool fans for Sterling. They're welcoming him off the pitch!"
[I'll say this much, Sterling. I'll remember your performance today for the rest of my life!]
[That's real friendship. Missing an open goal for your old club!]
[I hereby declare Sterling my Ballon d'Or winner this year, and the best winger in the world!]
Compared with Sterling, Sané was in a more stable state at that moment. Manchester City were not going to give up just like that. They still wanted to win the trophy.
In the 66th minute!
"Manchester City can create danger when they attack, but their biggest problem is still midfield."
"Fernandinho is out injured, and with Gündoğan playing defensive midfielder against Leo Lin, he's being completely suppressed. Whether in physical duels or explosiveness, Gündoğan is no match for Leo Lin."
Gündoğan wanted to stop Leo Lin. He had heard all of Leo Lin's various nicknames.
The bulldozer on the pitch.
The absolute king of physical duels.
Nicknames like these proved Leo Lin's strength and characteristics.
A clear identity was what players needed most. It was what made fans remember them. But having clear characteristics also made it easier for opponents to understand how to defend against them.
Seeing Leo Lin carry the ball forward to launch another attack, Gündoğan and David Silva rushed toward him together.
As Leo Lin's Spain teammate, David Silva understood him. At least, he thought he did.
Leo Lin dribbled to the right, while David Silva kept himself just ahead and to Leo Lin's left.
He knew Leo Lin liked to go against expectations. It might look like he was breaking to the right, but in the next second, an unexpected pass would fly to the left.
He had to stop Leo Lin from doing that.
Leo Lin had indeed planned to turn left at first, but when he saw that David Silva had read him, he did not panic. He simply continued carrying the ball to the right and passed to Salah.
The moment Salah controlled the ball, Mendy pressed right up to him, refusing to let him dribble.
But the more Mendy tried to stop him, the more it fired up Salah's fighting spirit.
Facing the powerful Mendy, Salah suddenly turned, made a light touch, and nutmegged him.
Mendy tried to keep chasing, but Leo Lin ran up from behind and gave Mendy a light bump, creating attacking space for Salah.
Salah entered the penalty area and shot against Muric.
Muric made a smart save, blocking Salah's shot with his chest.
The ball rebounded behind Salah, and Leo Lin, who had just knocked Mendy away, appeared again and chipped it with his left foot.
Laporte was guarding the goal line and made a desperate headed clearance, blocking Leo Lin's shot once again.
Liverpool fans had just been about to celebrate, only to have it stuck in their throats. Then they were about to celebrate again, only to have it swallowed back down once more.
But Mané appeared next and fired another follow-up shot.
A thunderous blast.
"Shot!"
"Again!"
"Mané!"
"Good goal! It's finally in!"
"Liverpool had two consecutive shots blocked by Manchester City, but Mané's third effort left City with no way to protect their goal. Liverpool have scored again!"
"After Sterling missed two chances in a row, Liverpool have once again extended their lead!"
Mané ran toward Salah, while Salah looked toward Leo Lin. The three of them jumped at the same time and collided in midair, then all lost their balance and fell into the arms of their teammates.
Liverpool fans could finally burst into cheers.
[We're twenty-three minutes away from a new trophy this season!]
[What hurts isn't being two goals down. It's that we had the chances to equalize, but there's a traitor in our team!]
[Don't call Sterling a traitor. Maybe he just didn't take his chances. Players always make mistakes on the pitch. We should be more forgiving.]
[Exactly. A lot of the time, we should be more tolerant and give him more encouragement. I support Sterling continuing to start.]
[You lot above. You Liverpool fans are rubbing your little schemes right in my face. Shameless!]
Klopp also chose to make a substitution at this point, bringing on Shaqiri for Salah.
Two goals behind, Manchester City were running out of time.
Manchester City still had not solved their defensive midfield problem, but they decided to rely on De Bruyne's influence first and work hard to create a link with Agüero, hoping to at least draw level.
Agüero's clever movement, combined with De Bruyne's intelligent passing, really was powerful when the two joined forces.
But Leo Lin had already dropped back, and all his attention was on De Bruyne.
Leo Lin did not press him directly. He left the close marking on De Bruyne to his teammates, while he stood between De Bruyne and Agüero, blocking the passing lane.
In the 76th minute!
"De Bruyne's disguised pass is intercepted halfway by Leo Lin!"
"He actually saw that passing lane. Outstanding anticipation!"
In the 80th minute, De Bruyne tried another through ball. This was his greatest weapon.
But…
"Blocked again!"
"Lin has seen through it. He's seen through De Bruyne!"
"He has guessed every little idea De Bruyne had!"
"De Bruyne is one of the strongest attacking midfielders in world football today, excellent at both through balls and long-range shooting. But in this match, his sharp through passes, his greatest weapon, have failed to break through Liverpool."
"The biggest credit has to go to Lin!"
The Community Shield final soon entered stoppage time, and Manchester City still had not scored.
As soon as time was up, before Klopp even needed to put pressure on him, the referee ended the final.
"The Community Shield final is over!"
"After the sponsor farce came to an end, this rescheduled Community Shield final was played at such an unusual time for the first time, and Liverpool have won the trophy!"
"Lin and Mané scored for the team, and Sterling also made a contribution to Liverpool!"
...
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