Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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Returning to Germany with two away goals, Lance thought Bayer Leverkusen would face some controversy for not winning.
Unexpectedly, the moment the plane landed and the Bayer Leverkusen players walked out of the airport aisle.
Many fans were already there to pick them up in the hall.
Hundreds of people raised their hands in unison, rhythmically clapping and shouting Bayer Leverkusen slogans.
The entire airport hall seemed to transform into BayArena!
Clap clap, clap clap clap—
"Leverkusen—"
Clap clap, clap clap clap—
"Leverkusen Allez—"
Infected by the overflowing enthusiasm of the fans who came to pick them up, the Bayer Leverkusen players also approached and interacted friendly with the fans.
When Lance signed an autograph for one of the female fans, the little girl was so excited she was almost in tears.
"Lance! You played wonderfully! I believe we'll definitely win next time!"
"Go, Lance!"
"Well done! Keep it up next time!"
If Lance previously only regarded Bayer Leverkusen as a "workplace," seeing so many fans come to support him, Lance had already fallen a little in love with this small city and its fans.
You should know, these fans drove over a hundred kilometers to the airport in the neighboring city of Cologne to pick them up.
Moreover, the plane was delayed, and they waited there for 5 hours until around 11 PM.
It's hard not to be moved.
"Thank you, everyone! Next time against Manchester United, we will definitely win at home!"
Lance, after all, was a 16-year-old kid. No matter how mature he usually was, there were always moments of youthful arrogance.
Making such bold statements in front of the fans would surely be filmed on phones and posted on Twitter.
At that time, it would inevitably be picked up by the German and England media, but Lance didn't care!
He was serious!
In the second leg at BayArena, facing Manchester United again, he didn't want to disappoint these lovely fans!
"Lance, are you serious?"
Sitting on the bus returning to the small city, Son Heung-min next to him was a bit stunned.
In the "post-Ferguson era," Manchester United's strength couldn't compare to powerhouses like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea FC, and FC Barcelona, but compared to Bayer Leverkusen, they were already strong enough.
Son Heung-min wasn't confident about beating Manchester United at home, and he never expected Lance to be so brave!
"Son, since the harsh words have already been spoken, you don't want to disappoint the home fans, do you? If we lose then, I'll tell the media that you instigated me to say it."
"Xi ba, you!"
Son Heung-min was exasperated with this sly old fox.
He made big claims and even dragged him along as a scapegoat!
However, Lance's confidence was not unfounded.
Playing against Manchester United yesterday, especially in the latter half of the game, the gap was clearly felt.
Manchester United was already struggling to withstand Bayer Leverkusen's attacks; their wealthy club heritage, their courage, and fighting spirit were gradually disappearing.
David Moyes's conservative, defensive tactics, while leading 2-1, gave Bayer Leverkusen enough possession time, creating enough chances in front of the box, which ultimately led to Lance's last-minute equalizer.
Park Ji-sung, a former Manchester United legend and "senior" of the Korea national team, who had already transferred to Premier League Queens Park Rangers FC, also privately revealed:
"This Manchester United doesn't feel right anymore; it's not the Red Devils I'm familiar with."
It's conceivable that in the second leg at BayArena, Bayer Leverkusen might not be able to win!
Champions League was only for Bayer Leverkusen to experience the atmosphere, as it was difficult for them to go far with their strength.
The Bundesliga was the club's foundation.
After losing to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim in the 9th round of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen dropped to 3rd place in the Bundesliga, and they needed to quickly catch up on points.
In the 10th round of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen vs FC Augsburg.
As a relegation team last season, FC Augsburg had a good record this season, upsetting VfB Stuttgart 2-1, 1. FC Nürnberg 1-0, and SC Freiburg 2-1.
In matches against mid-table Bundesliga teams, FC Augsburg did not fall behind, and their ranking climbed all the way from the relegation zone to 6th place in the Bundesliga!
So much so that coach Markus Weinzierl was quite arrogant.
He took over the team in 2011, led them from the 2. Bundesliga to the Bundesliga, and now achieved the club's highest historical ranking.
Markus Weinzierl made extravagant claims at the pre-match press conference:
"Bayer Leverkusen is not a strong team; they are about the same as us. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are strong teams... So, against Bayer Leverkusen, our probability of winning away is 99%!"
The media were stunned. So confident?
"Mr. Weinzierl, why 99% and not 100%?"
Weinzierl grinned:
"Because I am more modest; there is a 1% chance of an accident, but we will do our best to prevent an accident and defeat Bayer Leverkusen."
After training, seeing this video on their phones, the Bayer Leverkusen players were all speechless.
When people are speechless, they really want to laugh...
"This guy is a talent."
"Exactly, 99% is too ridiculous."
"So, what do you guys say?"
"What else can we say? Tomorrow, we'll show him the 1%!"
The Bayer Leverkusen locker room was filled with laughter.
Lance could feel that after battles against European powerhouses like Real Sociedad and Manchester United, their mentality towards opponents within the Bundesliga had changed, becoming more confident and composed.
The next day, witnessed by over 50,000 fans at BayArena, the entire Bayer Leverkusen team performed similarly.
Passing and receiving were very relaxed, and their back-and-forth passing combinations were smooth and skillful.
Opponent FC Augsburg could only park the bus, passively defending in front of the box, always ready to steal a goal.
Would Bayer Leverkusen give them a chance?
Certainly not!
In the 22nd minute of the first half, Son Heung-min dribbled past the full-back on the left and sent a fierce low ball with his right foot.
The ball skimmed the grass at incredible speed, heading straight for Lance!
FC Augsburg's defender dared not be negligent, sticking close behind Lance to prevent him from turning and shooting.
But Lance had no intention of turning at all!
"Lance—Oh! Beautiful! A no-look backheel pass!"
"Stefan Kießling!! What a goal!!"
Commentator Zhan Jun had already transformed from a Premier League commentator into a Bundesliga one.
Ever since Lance landed in the Bundesliga, he couldn't wait to apply to commentate on Lance's matches every time, making his Sina Sports colleagues tease him:
"Brother Jun, you're working two jobs, is it really worth this much effort?"
"No choice, who can refuse Lance's matches?"
Even if Lance didn't score, his exquisite assists in the penalty area were enough to make commentator Zhan Jun and the fans in the live stream collectively ecstatic!
Previously, for a regular Bayer Leverkusen match like this, the live stream would have at most 30,000 viewers.
Now, the live stream had over 300,000 regular fans!
Matches against strong teams like Bayern Munich could potentially break 1 million viewers!
This was also because most of the traffic was diverted by CCTV5; otherwise, there might be even more fans in the live stream!
"Look at the slow-motion replay. Lance had already observed Stefan Kießling's position before receiving the ball. His backheel pass was full of imagination!"
"This goal fully explains why the 16-year-old has gradually become a starting forward!"
"Not only does he have scoring ability, but he can also hold the ball and create opportunities for his teammates!"
"Lance! He is indeed, as the German media said, Bayer Leverkusen's biggest treasure discovered this season!"