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"My God! A bunch of stupid pigs!"
"Relax, Diego, I think the defence is doing its best."
"...Damn it!"
BayArena, coaching area.
The 'Bandit Coach' Simeone was wearing a black suit and a black tie today, looking like a mafia boss.
Especially now, in his furious state, no one from Atlético Madrid dared to approach him.
Only Atlético Madrid's assistant coach, Burgos, the mastermind behind Atlético Madrid's defensive tactics, was not afraid of Simeone.
B04 (1-0) ATM
19′ — — Lance
The numbers on the scoreboard were hard for Atlético Madrid to accept; as the defending Champions League champion, they were on the verge of elimination.
Crashing out in the Round of 16 would surely be mocked by the Spanish media.
Especially the mouthpieces of Real Madrid and Barcelona, who would undoubtedly lambaste Atlético Madrid from top to bottom.
But the problem was, Atlético Madrid's defensive tactics, which they had rehearsed for over a month before the match, were almost completely ineffective!
In the previous game, Lance was almost completely shut down.
Who would have thought that this lad would evolve at light speed in less than half a month?
His playing style had undergone a huge change!
Neither Simeone nor the Atlético Madrid players were prepared for this.
"How do we defend him next?"
The Champions League winning centre-back duo, Godín and Miranda, exchanged glances, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Theoretically, defensive tactics cannot be adjusted in a short time.
How each player cooperates with teammates' runs, where each person should be, who covers after a press, what distance to maintain between each other... these things are all refined through countless drills, actual matches, and adjustments over an entire season.
Especially in high-level confrontations, positioning and cooperation should be ingrained, integrated into muscle memory, to make subconscious judgements when there's no time to think, and only then can everyone work together to form an impregnable defence.
This is Atlético Madrid's unique combat power.
Their individual players are not superstars like those of Real Madrid or Barcelona, but their tactical discipline is strict, their cooperation is tacit, and the team as a whole can operate like a machine, combined with high-intensity running, forming an insurmountable wall.
For other teams, the intelligence is public, and the coaching staff has enough time to devise strategies to counter them.
But against Lance, this football approach failed.
Atlético Madrid players' intelligence was completely useless, and instead, it restricted their own defence.
This led to Lance easily breaking through to score.
"What are you going to use to defend me, a video of the last game?"
After scoring, Lance's lips curled into a slight smile.
Today was the debut of the [Hyuga Kojiro] template!
The effect was outstanding!
"Lance!!! took a shot yourself!!"
"That shot was almost in!! Oblak reacted very quickly!"
"...Oh no!! It's Lance again! A poke shot!!"
"Just wide! So close again!"
"During this period, Atlético Madrid's goalkeeper Oblak is under immense pressure!"
After the goal, Bayer Leverkusen, with the advantage, pressed Atlético Madrid using their home advantage.
Atlético Madrid couldn't even think about counter-attacking.
But their defence was already stretched thin.
Even the two central attacking players, Griezmann and Torres, almost became defenders, marking players in their own penalty area.
Bayer Leverkusen's pressure in the backfield drastically decreased!
Everything stemmed from Lance's threat, his ubiquitous runs, and his deadly shots, which suffocated the defending champion!
If not for Oblak's exceptional performance, Atlético Madrid would probably have been down by 4 goals in the first half.
"This lad, how did he become so fierce? Did you secretly give him extra training?"
Let alone Simeone, even Sascha was completely baffled.
"How should I know? Did you train him on positioning and shooting?"
"No!"
The two coaches were both surprised and delighted, exchanging bewildered glances.
Lance's off-ball movement and poacher-style shooting were not his strengths.
He was a traditional number 10 player, skilled at holding the ball, linking up play, and disrupting defences near the penalty area.
Even his shooting usually came after some flashy dribbling to beat an opponent.
Today, Lance's style took a 180-degree turn.
He stopped controlling the ball, shooting immediately upon receiving it, and every shot was terrifyingly accurate!
His most threatening shots were surprisingly long-range efforts, which he wasn't particularly good at before!
Before the two coaches could figure it out, the situation on the pitch suddenly changed again!
"Son Heung-min, attempting a breakthrough on the left... Juanfran and Gabi are double-teaming..."
"Ah!!! He cuts back and passes across!"
Son Heung-min's role was merely a feint.
He knew it would be difficult to break through 1v2, and a forced breakthrough would only create opportunities for Atlético Madrid.
Son Heung-min had been paying attention to Lance's position.
This lad was in exceptionally good form tonight, with a hot foot!
So, he should create more opportunities for him!
Attracting Gabi's defence left the centre open.
Son Heung-min passed across without hesitation!
Even if the 30-metre area was temporarily empty, he knew Lance would definitely be there!
Sure enough, as soon as the ball was passed, before Atlético Madrid even realised the danger, a black and red figure had already burst out from the crowd!
"Stop him!!"
Oblak panicked, quickly moving back from the edge of the goalpost.
A goalkeeper exhausted and sweating profusely showed how intense his defensive efforts were today!
Atlético Madrid's defensive midfielder Koke and wide midfielder Arda Turan simultaneously tracked back, rushing towards Lance from left and right.
Currently, Lance was about 29 metres from the goal, not within his usual shooting range, so the two didn't slide tackle to block the shot yet.
They still thought Lance would control the ball and try to dribble through.
Who would have thought that when Son Heung-min passed the ball across, Lance had no intention of controlling it at all, he took a stance and shot immediately!
I don't care about anything else!
Hyuga Kojiro, even without special skills, is at least one of Tsubasa Ozora's rivals, the strongest striker in the manga!
At the moment of the shot, Lance's powerful strike roared like a tiger!
A strike imbued with conviction!
Bang —
"Lance — takes a long-range shot!!!"
Amidst He Wei's expectant roar, the 30-metre distance vanished in an instant!
The football transformed into a streaking afterimage, its visual effect was comparable to Roberto Carlos's cannon shot!
"Puta!!!"
Goalkeeper Oblak cursed under his breath, "Oh my God," his face was aghast as he leapt into the air!
Swish —
He fell heavily to the ground, just as Oblak's heart collapsed with a crash!
"Goal!!! Oh my god oh oh oh oh oh — the second world-class goal today!"
In the official live broadcast commentary box on CCTV5, in front of the entire nation, He Wei, known as the football poet, could not hide his surprise and excitement!
He publicly let out a classic "Oh my god"!
Lance's stunning world-class goal, only fans watching live could truly feel the visual impact!
"Lance is like a fierce tiger descending the mountain tonight, scoring twice!"
"Helping the team take a 3-1 lead on aggregate!! Bayer Leverkusen holds a 2-goal advantage!!"
"Too fierce!"
Fortunately, He Wei was professional enough and quickly recovered, adding:
"Before the match, fans supporting Lance and Bayer Leverkusen were a bit worried..."
"Defending champion Atlético Madrid is strong enough, how can Bayer Leverkusen break through Atlético Madrid's wall?"
"Now, at this very moment, Lance's two cannon shots have blasted two huge holes in Atlético Madrid's wall!"
It's settled!
He Wei felt completely reassured twice over.
He knew that today's Lance was unstoppable!
No one could prevent him from reaching the Champions League quarter-finals!