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The Theater of Dreams, Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney looked up at the stands, which were already filling up with fans in every section.
He loved the feeling of being applauded and cheered by over 70,000 people after scoring a goal.
When Sir Alex Ferguson was still around, Rooney was much more confident; he believed he was one of the top three players in the world, on par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, Rooney's sharpness had faded.
The immense pressure of carrying the team forward was almost suffocating Rooney.
Captain Nemanja Vidić had privately revealed that he was getting old and planned to retire in Serie A.
So, next season, he would be the Manchester United captain…
The thought alone was both exciting and daunting.
Rooney shivered, but was quickly interrupted from his thoughts by Rio Ferdinand.
"Wayne, hey, Wayne!"
"What is it?"
"Look, that's the 16-year-old Asian kid you mentioned last time."
"He looks like he has decent ball control… but that's about it."
"But he scored a hat-trick against Real Sociedad, so he must have something; we need to be careful."
"How's your leg? Our defense still needs you."
"Me? Ah, forget it, this season has been terrible…"
Rio Ferdinand sighed.
Originally, he was the pillar of Manchester United's defense, forming the strongest center-back partnership in the Premier League with Vidić.
Unfortunately, both of them were now over 30, and their physical condition was deteriorating year by year.
With Ferguson's retirement, Ferdinand's career was also nearing its end.
For today's match, Ferdinand was on the bench, but it was unlikely he would get a chance to play.
"Alright, don't worry, we'll do our best. It's just Bayer Leverkusen; there's no reason to lose."
"Stop talking big, wanker!"
"Asshole!"
Rooney cursed with a laugh, trying to kick Ferdinand, but he dodged it.
Robin van Persie had just completed a high-quality shooting practice, and the ball happened to pass to Rooney's feet.
Rooney took a run-up and unleashed a powerful shot into the goal.
Even goalkeeper David de Gea couldn't help but exclaim.
"Beautiful, Wayne!"
It seemed Rooney was in excellent form today; Manchester United had hope of turning their fortunes around!
…
On the other side, Julian Brandt, who was warming up, noticed the cheers from the other half of the field.
Seeing Rooney's shot, he secretly clicked his tongue.
"Wow, Rooney is still so fierce."
"He's maintaining his form very well, and with Robin van Persie, our defense is probably going to suffer."
Lance was still very cautious.
Although Manchester United under David Moyes was gradually declining, they were still a giant that had participated in the Champions League multiple times!
Bayer Leverkusen, by contrast, lacked experience in European competitions, and many players in their starting lineup were making their Champions League debut today.
From the perspective of squad strength on paper and big-match experience, Manchester United was the superior side.
As the saying goes, "a lean camel is still bigger than a horse."
Bayer Leverkusen had just lost in the Bundesliga, so there was no reason to underestimate Manchester United.
"Anyway, if the sky falls, you starting players will bear the brunt. It's not even certain if I'll get to play."
In the previous Bundesliga match, Julian Brandt started.
Unfortunately, they couldn't defeat TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Julian Brandt only contributed one assist, and his performance was mediocre otherwise.
At first, he could maintain a sense of superiority in front of Lance, acting as an elder.
Now, Julian Brandt felt increasingly inferior when facing Lance.
"This isn't like you. In the past, you would have been spouting arrogant words."
"I've been educated by reality, you know."
People who spend a long time on the bench usually become pessimistic.
Julian Brandt suddenly looked at Lance seriously:
"Come on, this match will probably depend on you. I have a feeling you have a chance to be the savior."
"Thanks, Julian. Just watch your dad's performance."
"Asshole!"
Julian Brandt deliberately passed the ball too far, trying to make Lance look bad.
But Lance extended his foot at an extreme distance to hook the ball back, his perfect control earning applause from his teammates.
With Lance in such excellent form, the Bayer Leverkusen players also regained some confidence.
Today's big battle might just be winnable!
…
Jiang Wei was a sophomore student attending a university in Jiangning.
The National Day holiday had just ended, and he had an 8 AM class the next day.
Yet, late at night, he still picked up his foldable small table, climbed onto his bed, placed his laptop on the table, and put on his headphones.
"Huh? Are you going to game all night for your 8 AM tomorrow?"
"No, no, watching a match."
"Champions League? Who's playing?"
"Manchester United vs. Bayer Leverkusen. Lance is starting today!"
"Holy crap? Too bad… the Champions League is too late; I can't stay up."
His other three roommates watched football, but they weren't die-hard fans like Jiang Wei.
He was originally an Arsenal fan, and he happened to see on commentator Zhan Jun's Weibo that a Chinese rising star had landed in the Bundesliga.
He also followed suit and watched a Bayer Leverkusen match.
Just that one match instantly made Jiang Wei a fan of Lance!
The scene of Lance's divine aerial control during a long-pass counter-attack, followed by an incredible volley to score a world-class goal, deeply shocked Jiang Wei.
From then on, he was hooked, watching every match Lance played.
He experienced the big comeback against Bayern Munich with Lance, as well as the hat-trick against Real Sociedad.
Today's opponent was a familiar old rival from the Premier League, Manchester United.
Jiang Wei hoped Lance could perform well and teach the Red Devils a good lesson!
When he saw the news of Lance starting that afternoon, he had already prepared to stay up all night to watch the match.
"Remember to sign me in for 8 AM tomorrow."
"Alright, alright. Should I bring you back a plate of fried rice at noon?"
"That would be great! Thank you, Godfather."
"Uh…"
Anyway, the four brothers in the dorm were a 'conjugate father-son' group; since Jiang Wei liked watching football, his roommates would help him out.
It was clear that today's match was very important!
Jiang Wei skillfully opened "Baidu Lance Bar." With one hour remaining before kickoff, the match-watching thread was already very lively.
"What's the word today? Can Bayer Leverkusen win?"
"Manchester United will probably have a tough time. Lance is still awesome."
"Your Devils are already past their prime. Support Lance to thrash Manchester United."
"Can't underestimate them either. Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie are both very strong. Manchester United will probably win 2-1."
"I feel Bayer Leverkusen's form is also average. I'm betting on Manchester United 2-0."
From the perspective of most domestic fans, Lance had truly encountered a tough opponent today.
Being a starter at only 16 years old and bearing the heavy responsibility of confronting Manchester United was truly difficult for him.
"Today, it's a joint Sino-Korean effort against Japan!"
"Indeed, the Japanese 'Taizun' is starting on the other side."
Jiang Wei quickly opened Weibo and saw that Sina Sports' official Weibo had already posted the starting lineups for both teams.
— — — —
Manchester United 4-2-3-1
David de Gea
Rafael da Silva, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra
Michael Carrick, Marouane Fellaini
Antonio Valencia, Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa
Robin van Persie
— — — —
Bayer Leverkusen 4-4-1-1
Bernd Leno
Giulio Donati, Emir Spahić, Ömer Toprak, Sebastian Boenisch
Robbie Kruse, Lars Bender, Simon Rolfes, Son Heung-min
Lance, Stefan Kießling
— — — —
Lance and Son Heung-min against Shinji Kagawa.
It really was Sino-Korean friendship relying on Japan, and Sino-Japanese friendship relying on Korea.
After browsing the forum for a while and checking netizens' match predictions on Weibo, Jiang Wei couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he saw Zhan Jun and Zhang Zhidao appear on the live stream.
He hadn't been this nervous even when watching Arsenal play FC Barcelona in the Champions League.
"Can they win today?"
"Lance, come on!"