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"To deal with this Asian, we have to fight!"
"Go hard on him! Let him experience the cruelty of the Bundesliga! Let him understand that children shouldn't come to the Bundesliga too early!"
When Lance's volley, meant as a show of force, hit the goalpost, the crisp sound also woke up the Hannover 96 players.
Starting in the Bundesliga at 16, how dare Bayer Leverkusen do that!
If that's the case, then you'll have to experience the power of the Bundesliga!
Hannover 96's center-back, Salif Sané, a formidable black man from France, glared menacingly at Lance's back.
In his mind, the coach's repeated instructions before the match echoed.
Tackle him!
Collide with him!
Use your body and strength to bully him to your heart's content!
Otherwise, if an Asian kid is allowed to run rampant, what face would a Bundesliga defender have?
...
Lance suddenly noticed that the Hannover players were looking at him with ill intent.
The pressure he faced in the front field was growing!
Whenever Lance had a chance to get the ball, he would immediately be fouled with brute force by the opposing defenders and defensive midfielders.
The referee's whistle also kept blowing.
But the Hannover players were very cunning; they didn't commit obvious fouls, and the fouls were quite far from the penalty area.
This meant they would at most receive a few warnings, making it impossible for them to get cards.
Hannover temporarily used this physical approach to temporarily curb Bayer Leverkusen's attacking rhythm.
By freezing Lance, Bayer Leverkusen's attacking threat was greatly reduced.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Lance was about to control the ball at the top of the penalty arc...
A sudden surge of immense power from behind made him lose balance instantly and fall to the ground!
Beep—
The referee's piercing whistle sounded, pointing to the foul spot.
"One warning! No unnecessary movements with your hands!"
"Referee, that was purely accidental. I was just trying to get into position normally. Who knew he was so light."
"This... Be careful with your actions next time! Otherwise, expect a card!"
The head referee still wanted to protect technical players like Lance.
It was already a disadvantage for him to start in the Bundesliga; if the officiating standards were even looser, then physically weaker players might as well not play.
A few years ago, the Bundesliga, like the Premier League, emphasized physicality and strength.
With the rise of the Barcelona dynasty, technical football became popular throughout Europe, and Guardiola took charge of Bayern Munich.
The Bundesliga also began to emphasize technical football, focusing on passing, control, and tactics, weakening physicality and strength for entertainment value.
The officiating standards were relatively stricter than in the Premier League.
Lance was knocked dizzy.
The black man behind him played dirty, deliberately elbowing him when he collided!
Lance, at such a young age, had to experience what kidney pain felt like prematurely.
"Are you okay, Lance?"
Captain Simon Rolfes quickly checked on Lance's condition. Fortunately, there was no slide tackle, so it should just be a minor injury.
"I'm fine. That person... never mind."
Lance originally wanted to ask the captain for help, to report the opponent's dirty tricks to the referee.
He thought about it and felt it was meaningless.
The referee's decision was already in effect, and such covert fouls could not result in additional cards.
Many times, when players encounter dirty plays, they can only suffer in silence.
Hot-headed young players might directly confront the opponent or retaliate with a foul.
While it shows spirit, it doesn't help the game at all.
Lance only hoped that he could successfully win this crucial match and secure 3 points to solidify his position within the team.
There was no better revenge than scoring goals and winning.
Template: Nagi Seishiro - S (Fusion Value 58%)
Skills: Perfect Ball Control
Skills: Hardcore Shot
Rage Value: 85%
Originally, his Rage Value was only 26%.
After being continuously fouled, his Rage Value surged!
Lance, instead, smiled, clenched his fists, and went to the penalty area to prepare for the upcoming free-kick attack.
Currently, Son Heung-min was the only free-kick taker in the team.
The rather young Korean, Son Heung-min, placed the ball on the ground, stepped back a distance, and frowned.
It was only about 22 meters, too close to the goal.
If the ball flew over the wall, there would be no time for it to drop.
If he shot in another direction, it would be difficult to beat the goalkeeper.
To ensure attacking efficiency, Son Heung-min decided to try passing to a teammate, scanning around.
He spotted Lance in the penalty area; his position was good, with only one center-back defending him.
Might as well just hit it to him.
Beep—
"Son Heung-min, this young Korean international takes the free-kick… takes a run-up, shoots—"
"Eh? No shot, he chose a short pass into the box at the last minute!"
"Lance!"
Lance was jostling for position with Salif Sané, the French defender who had fouled him earlier.
Usually, a free-kick would either be lobbed into the box or taken directly, with the landing spot near the six-yard box.
Lance's position was closer to the edge of the penalty area, and Salif Sané was desperately trying to block him from entering.
Seeing Son Heung-min unexpectedly choose to pass, Salif Sané intended to use his shoulder to barge into Lance again.
In the penalty area, obvious fouls were risky, so such minor actions were almost never penalized.
"Go for it! Hmm?"
Salif Sané felt like he had hit cotton; the opponent had actually retreated to receive the ball, absorbing most of the force!
Lance was instead pushed forward a couple of steps.
Rage Value: 95%
The moment he received the ball, Lance flicked it up with his toe, using the same technique he practiced for juggling, relaxing his ankle, juggling, and retreating.
Eh?
"This… Lance, actively seeking a confrontation with the defender!"
There were too many people in the penalty area, so Lance did not choose to open up an angle for a rushed shot.
Nor did he pass back to a teammate, delaying the opportunity.
With no clear passing lanes, Lance indeed had no good options.
But what was this?
Zhan Jun watched Lance's movements, which looked more like a back-to-the-basket post-up in basketball!
Was he actually trying to physically challenge his opponent?
"Good move!"
Salif Sané's face lit up, his white teeth showing on his black face as he tugged at Lance's jersey, intending to use his strength to force him out of the penalty area.
But as soon as he collided with the opponent, the Asian player, slippery as an eel, used his force to turn around! Like a slippery ball, he bypassed him!
"Oh no!"
Even if Salif Sané was stupid, he knew he had been tricked.
He looked down, and the ball at his feet had already disappeared!
From a spectator's perspective, it was even clearer.
Zhan Jun watched as Lance juggled the ball twice, then, caught off guard, backheeled it through the opponent's legs, using the opponent's momentum to complete his turn!
A nutmeg at the edge of the penalty area!
"He can do that?! He's broken through!"
Rage Value: 100%
Lance, having just turned, didn't even look up at the goal.
He decisively curled a shot!
Activating the maximum ability value of his S-rank template for a short time, his shooting technique was perfected!
Lance's curled shot perfectly bypassed the defending player in front of him, grazing the dead corner where the post and crossbar met, piercing the goal!
Hannover goalkeeper Zieler had no reaction, staring blankly at this perfect curling shot!
"Goal!!! Lance!!!"
"In the 30th minute of the first half! The young player opens the scoring!!"
"The miraculous teenager has scored in 5 consecutive matches! He is unstoppable!"
"Bayer Leverkusen leads 1-0!"