Chapter 154: Nothing Is Impossible
Robert Lewandowski leveled the score.
Dortmund's players rushed over to pull him up, everyone vying to tousle his hair…
Lewandowski's goal wasn't especially beautiful, but it was timely — like a much-needed rain that calmed Dortmund's anxious hearts.
"Lewandowski's volley was gorgeous."
"I'd say it's less about how beautiful Lewandowski's shot was and more about how awful Arsenal's defending looked. Without Xia Qi sweeping in front of the box, their back line is full of holes."
"Tonight Wenger's tactical change isn't proving successful."
After Dortmund equalized, their morale surged!
When play resumed,
they bombarded Arsenal's goal in waves.
Arsenal had to pull their defensive line back into their own half.
For the next five or six minutes, Dortmund's fans effectively owned the stadium.
Though only making up a third of the crowd, their anthem pounded into every corner of the ground.
In the 10th minute,
Marco Reus picked the ball up past the halfway line and, before Santi Cazorla could close him, simply shifted his body and laid the ball off.
The receiver, Jakub Błaszczykowski — Kuba — exploded down the wing.
On the right, after absorbing Gustavo's physical challenge, Kuba used his speed to get past the covering Luke Shaw.
At the moment of the take-on, spectacles flew to the ground in the Emirates.
Kuba's absolute speed isn't top among wingers, and Luke Shaw is a rising fullback — on paper…
But in the end, Shaw was simply devoured by Kuba.
Instantly, Arsenal's left flank was breached!
Instead of cutting inside, Błaszczykowski floated a lofted cross to the back post.
There, Henrikh Mkhitaryan sprinted in.
But their timing lacked chemistry; Mkhitaryan was half a beat late and couldn't get a head to the ball.
Arsenal escaped by the skin of their teeth.
Emiliano Martínez restarted from goal; Xia Qi dropped back to midfield to collect. Faced with Robert Lewandowski closing him down, the two didn't try tricks — it was shoulder-to-shoulder.
"Ding-dong, [Demon attribute] activating…"
A shoulder barge and Lewandowski dramatically flew out as if in a theatrical fall.
Interestingly, the referee looked at the sprawled Lewandowski, then at Xia Qi streaking away,
and in the end signaled with both hands that play should continue — advantage.
Applause thundered around the Emirates — half aimed at the ref, half at Xia Qi.
Some women in the crowd even whistled at Xia Qi… women say they like gentle men, but in the end many choose the tough types.
"He's brutal! Xia Qi actually shoved Lewandowski flying."
"Unbelievable — it seemed a bit theatrical, like Lewandowski embellished it. I guess the ref felt the same, so he didn't call it."
"No, no — Xia Qi is getting more manly, starting to resemble Balotelli in his mix of monstrous physique and excellent technique…"
"Birds of a feather flock together. I just hope Xia Qi's prime lasts a long time."
Buoyed by Arsenal's support, Xia Qi quickly charged into the 30-meter zone in front of Dortmund's box.
Dortmund's defenders knew Xia Qi was fast, so they didn't rush out to stop him; instead they retreated to defend as a unit.
Once teammates were almost back, İlkay Gündoğan and Sebastian Kehl closed in to press Xia Qi.
Facing Kehl's imminent tight marking, Xia Qi raised his leg as if to shoot; when Kehl lunged and shifted, Xia Qi pulled the foot back, dragged the ball, cut across, and burst forward.
Another shoulder shove — he powered past Gündoğan who had come to help.
In an instant,
like a wolf among sheep,
Dortmund's defensive line panicked.
As they scrambled to reorganize,
Xia Qi surged forward, gave a shove,
and the ball slid past Mats Hummels' right foot through Dortmund's backline to Serge Gnabry, who'd timed his run perfectly.
The German wunderkind cut inside behind Hummels, arriving at a 45-degree angle to the rolling ball — no adjustment needed — he whipped a curling shot.
The ball sped like lightning toward the goal!
Roman Weidenfeller!!!!
Seeing Gnabry in Hummels' shadow, he immediately shifted position and, the instant Gnabry struck, he lunged to his side.
But the ball was too fast!
Before he hit the turf, the ball had already kissed the grass and buried itself in the net!
"A low-driven strike!"
"These two teams are insane — only 16 minutes in and already three goals."
"This goal was the perfect marriage of Xia Qi and Gnabry — one with perfect timing and angle on the pass, the other with perfect run and finish. Still, I must say, Wenger's tactic tonight hasn't fully worked; this goal was Xia Qi wearing the number ten's cloak…"
After the goal, Gnabry and Xia Qi chest-bumped hard, then Gnabry ran wolfishly to the corner flag and howled at the camera, "Mama…"
He said it in German; Xia Qi only caught the "mama" part — a word nearly universal.
Arsenal's fans took back the stadium's lordship from the Dortmund contingent; English became the "official language" there once more…
Thomas Tuchel paced with hands in his pockets, restless on the touchline. He'd planned much to beat Arsenal, but the old fox Wenger had placed Xia Qi at center forward and thwarted many of his plans.
Now Xia Qi dropping back — was it a spur-of-the-moment move or a tactical tweak?
The more Tuchel thought, the angrier he became. Another water bottle went flying…
Play continued.
Tuchel resolved that whatever Wenger's formation, he would just smash through it — better to open them with one punch than be worn down by many.
After the opening period, Dortmund intensified.
Kevin De Bruyne, Santi Cazorla and Gustavo were under pressure from Dortmund's high press and on the back foot.
After Dortmund took the initiative, five or six passes later they had Arsenal pinned within thirty meters of the goal.
Gündoğan and Reus combined with a wall pass and a through ball; Lewandowski followed in, and from the edge of the box fired a distant shot that smacked the crossbar — every Arsenal heart skipped a beat.
"Lewandowski — so unlucky. Dortmund are playing well tonight."
"In terms of chances, they've created more than Arsenal, it's just their finishing that lags behind."
In the 24th minute, Luke Shaw fouled Jakub Błaszczykowski and Dortmund won a prime free-kick on the right side of Arsenal's box.
Xia Qi came back into the area to defend.
Lewandowski became his main focus; Xia Qi kept shoving Lewandowski out to the flank. Lewandowski had no answer — his proud physicality was humbled by Xia Qi.
Lewandowski felt miserable!
He loved bullying weaker opponents and hated tough nuts — and Xia Qi was that tough nut.
Watching himself being shepherded out of the danger zone, Lewandowski could only whine to the referee.
Arsenal fans behind the goal saw the whole exchange and burst into derisive laughter and boos at the sight of Lewandowski whining like a schoolboy looking for a teacher.
The Polish striker pretended not to hear — if he wasn't embarrassed, Arsenal were.
Yet something even more embarrassing happened: the ref ignored Lewandowski's complaints, because the penalty area was already a crowded heap.
After all, Błaszczykowski had also shoved Luke Shaw into a corner, hadn't he?
Look at Shaw's pitiful face — did he go find "the parent" too? He's only 18!
The referee gave Lewandowski a cold look that said: you're a tall man, but that didn't help you.
The laughter behind the net grew louder.
From the corner, Xia Qi suddenly shook off Lewandowski and darted to the near post, leaping high just behind Błaszczykowski.
From another angle, Błaszczykowski in the air looked like he was nestled in Xia Qi's arms.
If Kuba were a glossy magazine model, this image might be heartwarming and make single romantics envious.
But Kuba is the bearded Błaszczykowski — the sight was a little too spicy, and the women behind the net couldn't help shouting, "Let him go, I'll take him!"
Although the picture was not suitable for children, the defensive effect was perfect.
Xia Qi muscled past Błaszczykowski,
hooked his body behind him, and flicked a header toward midfield to launch a counter.
Damn!
Bold and skilful!
Not a defensive clearance but an instant counter-attack.
The Emirates erupted with deafening cheers —
it didn't matter whether the counter would succeed; Xia Qi's perpetual attacking mentality alone deserved praise!
…
One second earlier,
"Ding-dong, [Telepathy] attribute activating…"
Xia Qi cut the ball out in the air and led the counter.
Gnabry, whose intimacy with Xia Qi was 85, surged forward as if he already knew where Xia Qi would pass.
Sure enough the ball landed perfectly in front of him; Gnabry didn't even slow, he rolled the ball and exploded down the wing.
Marcel Schmelzer lunged toward Gnabry to stop or intercept.
At a distance of five or six meters, Gnabry suddenly burst forward with a powerful dribble.
The ball left Gnabry behind Schmelzer.
Schmelzer fumed: "For fuck's sake, trying to eat me alive! Don't just look pretty, you rice-noodle-headed kid."
He slid across, trying to block like an old man playing the martyr to stop a racing sports car,
but Gnabry's run was so fast that Schmelzer mis-timed his move and ended up behind Gnabry; the two just missed each other by inches.
"Schmelzer failed to defend."
"He's been skinned by Gnabry!"
Seeing Gnabry flash past Schmelzer like a gale, the Emirates went wild.
They'd made it!
From the middle, a red streak broke through the yellow defensive crowd and launched like an arrow toward Dortmund's goal.
"It's Xia Qi!"
The Emirates went even crazier!
Under the fans' eyes, Arsenal's front saw a two-on-two break — ask any Arsenal fan who wouldn't go mad?
Not just the fans in the stadium — viewers at home cheered too.
The scene made blood boil!
In the pitch of view,
the two ran like twin arrows toward the Dortmund goal.
Xia Qi, arriving later, burst into the box first, as if they had planned it together.
As Xia Qi entered the area, Gnabry slowed and twisted his waist, opening his body…
He used the inside of his left foot to nudge — the "birdie push"!
A pass similar to a golf putt — called the "birdie push" for its precision.
The ball drew a straight line between Gnabry and Xia Qi.
In the box,
Xia Qi turned his back to the goal and spread his arms to hold Hummels behind him.
Hummels pressed tightly on Xia Qi to stop him turning; Neven Subotić stretched a leg to his left to defend and also to cut off the passing lane to Gnabry.
That is why Subotić was beside Xia Qi and not in front of him.
On the goal line Roman Weidenfeller watched Xia Qi's shoulders closely — in such positions Xia Qi had once scored an overhead kick.
Weidenfeller believed that aside from that, there was no other likely shot — Xia Qi's shoulders would give him the sign.
Xia Qi nudged the ball with his left foot, stopping it, then feigned a wall pass with Gnabry.
Subotić, worried, slid across to intercept and cut off the Xia–Gnabry link.
Xia Qi gained the space he wanted.
With a lightning-quick movement, the tip of his left foot slipped under the ball and flicked it up behind him!
A lobbed shot!
Common on the pitch, but a lob while facing away from goal was unique.
Weidenfeller had been staring at Xia Qi's shoulders in vain; only when the ball sailed over Xia Qi's head did he realize what was happening.
Although it was a lob, the ball had pace. Weidenfeller barely raised a hand — his motion looked more like surrender.
"Goal!"
"My God! A lob while facing away from goal! There's nothing you can think of that Xia Qi can't do."
"Before that shot, I don't know if anyone else had imagined it — a back-to-goal lob. I'm ninety percent sure Xia Qi just guessed and it worked."
The internet melted into laughter.
["Coach Zhan, you know too much. After that line, Xia Qi pulls a pistol and fires."] — followed by three "smoke a cigar" .jpgs.
["Honestly, the truth isn't always popular. I also think Xia Qi guessed it."]
["There's blindfold chess; Xia Qi has the board in his head and the pitch in his chest — so what?"]
["Arsenal's counter made me stand up the whole time. Xia Qi's backwards lob blew my mind. I believe there are blind shots in this world."]
["This will make the top five goals list. I want to open Xia Qi's head and see why every shot of his is so unorthodox."]
["Yeah, every time I watch Xia Qi shoot I find my imagination inadequate — after every match I need to eat some walnuts."]
["Share walnut links please…"]
In the Penguin broadcast room Zhang Lu was calmer and offered an objective take: "Xia Qi deserves huge credit for this counter, but Gnabry's role can't be ignored — his wide bursting run and his second acceleration were the keys to making this counter work."
After hearing Zhang Lu, the internet began to praise Gnabry too.
["That rice-noodle-haired kid is actually great. Lightning-quick and very in sync with Xia Qi."]
["Arsenal's got so many young devils. Gnabry's only 18, Wenger loves young talent…"]
["Gnabry's 18 in the Champions League — I was an 18-year-old small-town exam taker…"]
(END CHAPTER)
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