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Last time at Old Trafford, Manchester United was held to a 2-2 draw by Bayer Leverkusen at home.
Wayne Rooney had always been quite unconvinced, and the entire Manchester United team was also quite unconvinced.
Being held to a draw by Bayern Munich was one thing, but Bayer Leverkusen?
It made no sense!
Compared to Lance being a strong point, the entire Manchester United team was more willing to believe that they had been negligent.
If they played seriously in the away leg, they would definitely be able to reclaim the top spot in their Champions League group!
If Manchester United won, both teams would have 11 points, and their goal difference advantage would ensure they surpassed Bayer Leverkusen.
If they could truly advance as group winners, it would be an explanation to Manchester United fans and also to the board of directors.
Otherwise, David Moyes would constantly worry about his position.
The Premier League had the worst start for Manchester United in 20 years.
At least they had to achieve something in the Champions League, right?
Before boarding the plane to Cologne, the entire Manchester United team seemed relaxed, joking with each other.
In reality, everyone had a heavy stone weighing on their hearts.
...
As the match day approached, Chloe noticed many more Englishmen in the past two days, especially in the pubs near the stadium, which were almost entirely occupied by Englishmen.
Every day, there were drunken Englishmen and Germans fighting.
Bayer Leverkusen fans were already used to this.
It was always like this on Champions League home match days, especially when the opponent was a Premier League team.
English football hooligans were famous throughout the world of football.
Since almost running over Lance twice, Chloe had been driving much more cautiously lately, no longer stepping on the gas like a little maniac.
Whenever she thought of Lance, Chloe couldn't help but want to pay attention to his every move.
How was his training recently?
He was injured by Shakhtar Donetsk's defensive midfielder last time; was his body okay?
How was Lance's form for this match against Manchester United?
Chloe watched matches and supported Bayer Leverkusen mostly due to her family's influence.
Her entire family supported Bayer Leverkusen, so she merely followed along, without much genuine emotion for Bayer Leverkusen.
Until she saw Lance's debut match.
The 16-year-old boy was full of vigor on the field, always performing dazzling tricks with the most flamboyant style of play.
From that moment on, the young Chloe finally discovered the aesthetics contained within football!
It turned out football could be so beautiful!
It turned out that football stars weren't just a bunch of smelly men; there were handsome ones too!
Before, Chloe had missed Bayer Leverkusen's matches, and it didn't matter.
After that, Chloe didn't miss a single match. She followed every news update from the Bayer Leverkusen team and every tweet Lance posted, liking them immediately!
At first, Lance was just a highly anticipated young player, without many fans.
Later, Chloe noticed that both boys and girls in her class started talking about Lance.
He had clearly become Bayer Leverkusen's new star of the season, a hotshot!
Chloe suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, like a niche treasure song she had been listening to on repeat for a long time suddenly blowing up into a viral internet hit.
She was both happy and a little uneasy.
Lance was no longer a superstar only she paid attention to; his fans were growing more and more numerous.
That's why Chloe queued up to get Lance's autograph and a photo that day. Lance's "special attention" to her made Chloe happy for days.
Every day, she had to strongly resist the urge to announce to the whole world that she had Lance's contact information!
Chloe was afraid that if she announced it, the girls in her class would swarm her, asking her to help them get Lance's autograph or dig for gossip, which would definitely seriously disturb Lance.
This feeling of wanting to show off but not being able to was truly unbearable!
On this Champions League match day, it was originally a day for the whole family to go out together and support the team at home.
Her dad, a die-hard Bayer Leverkusen fan, actually betrayed Bayer Leverkusen for a school fundraising banquet!
Unacceptable!
In the past, Chloe would also attend banquets with her parents.
But today, she firmly said no!
"I've already booked my Champions League ticket; I'm going to watch the match today."
"Didn't you used to be uninterested in matches?"
"I've become interested recently."
"Alright, then can you watch the match by yourself? Or should I ask Henry to accompany you?"
"No, I'm 16, I'm an adult now, I can go watch the match by myself!"
Chloe pouted angrily.
She certainly didn't need her father's assistant to be her babysitter!
"Alright, alright, you go by yourself. Remember to share the match report with me when you get back."
Oliver Haus, the school board chairman of Theodor-Heuss-Realschule, smiled faintly.
How could he not understand his daughter's little thoughts?
Her phone wallpaper was even a photo of Lance.
Of course, Oliver Haus didn't misunderstand.
Lance played well and was handsome; it was normal for a young girl to idolize him.
"Lance is starting today, right? I wish him good luck."
When her father mentioned Lance, Chloe's heart instinctively tightened for some reason.
Fortunately, he didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Distracted by her father, Chloe glanced at the time.
"Oh no!! I'm going to be late!"
Most fans enter the stadium one or two hours in advance, and the hardcore fans in the South Stand enter at least three hours early to prepare the pre-match TIFO display and warm up the stadium atmosphere.
Now, there was less than an hour until the match started.
The area around the stadium would definitely be so jammed that she couldn't move, and the parking lot would probably be impossible to get into!
Damn it!
Chloe quickly ran to the garage. The Porsche engine roared, and she shot out in a flash.
Even Oliver Haus, who had just left, was startled; his car was almost hit by his daughter.
"This child."
"Mr. Haus, should I call to remind her?"
"No, let her be."
At worst, he would confiscate her car later.
...
Chloe rushed and rushed, but still encountered heavy traffic.
The small city of Leverkusen already had many historic buildings and narrow streets.
Normally, it couldn't accommodate so many vehicles, and besides local cars, there were also many fans from all over Europe coming to watch the match.
Manchester United, as a global powerhouse, had a very large fanbase.
"What should I do?"
Chloe was very anxious. She quickly turned onto a side road, planning to bypass the BayArena from the other side.
However, the other side was also very congested, and if this continued, she would definitely miss the kickoff.
What if Lance scored right at the start?
It would be too regrettable not to see it live; it was a regret that even watching replays couldn't make up for.
In despair, Chloe saw that the traffic at the back gate of the BayArena was lighter and orderly.
She suddenly remembered that she had entered through the staff entrance at the back gate last time.
Should I...
At the same time, many private vehicles also tried to sneak in from here, but they were strictly stopped by security guards.
Chloe approached with trepidation, forcing a sheepish smile.
"Hello, excuse me..."
"Oh, it's you."
The stadium gatekeeper, over 50 years old with white hair, was none other than Uncle Heinrich, the gatekeeper from the training base.
He remembered clearly that Lance had specifically kept this young girl, and they took a very intimate photo and talked for a long time.
Their relationship was clearly not ordinary.
Uncle Heinrich would never mistake such a handsome young man and beautiful young woman combination.
"Huh? You remember me?"
"Of course, Lance's friend, right? The match is about to start, please come in."
Saying that, the uncle pressed the electric gate switch, letting the young Chloe in.
"Thank you!"
Chloe was so excited she was almost in tears. In her haste, she rushed into the staff parking lot.
She jogged up the player's tunnel to the fan stands.
She heard that the Champions League anthem inside the stadium had already finished. The opening ceremony must have been completed, and both teams must be ready to start the match!
"What to do!"
Chloe's face was flushed, and she was panting.
Being directionally challenged, she couldn't find the area corresponding to her ticket.
She simply gritted her teeth and found the nearest exit, jogging over.
"10, 9, 8..."
The slightly dim corridor lights around her contrasted sharply with the brightly lit stadium, as if it were daytime.
At this moment, Chloe even thought she was ascending a long staircase to heaven.
...3, 2, 1!
Beep—
The referee's whistle sounded clearly!
The 5th round of Group A in the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League group stage,
Bayer Leverkusen vs Manchester United
had already begun!
As Chloe sprinted, the physically frail girl almost saw her life flash before her eyes.
She finally burst through Gate 12, panting, and entered the stadium stands!
Boom—
The roar from the BayArena stands and the spectacular sight inside the stadium surged towards her!
At the same time, Bayer Leverkusen had kicked off first and had already launched an attack!
The stadium was packed, with over 50,000 people cheering excitedly in unison!
Lars Bender sent a long pass to the left wing.
Son Heung-min dribbled forward, then suddenly cut back and crossed into the penalty area!
Stefan Kiessling made a diagonal run to the near post! The angle was too tight to shoot, so he headed it back to the penalty spot!
Manchester United defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were both drawn to Kiessling, ignoring the most dangerous spot!
As Lance perfectly chested the ball down, used his knee to flick the ball up, and turned, bypassing Michael Carrick, Phil Jones's face contorted in terror, later even becoming a classic meme!
At the same time, Chloe, who had sprinted to the stand entrance, just happened to witness Lance's perfect chest control, turn, draw his bow, and shoot—the most handsome moment!
"This goal—"
Lance faced the goal, facing David de Gea's despairing eyes, and blasted a shot with his right foot!
Bang—
Swish—
The football was like a white rainbow piercing the sun!
It bypassed de Gea's gloves and hit the back of the net!
"Yes!!!"
"Goooooooal!!!"
The BayArena erupted like a volcano!
Chloe jumped up on the spot, blending in with the surrounding Bayer Leverkusen fans!
At the same time, the BayArena's DJ's voice was full of passion!
"Bayer Leverkusen scores!"
"Goalscorer! Number 39—"
The voices of 50,000 people converged into an overwhelming wave of sound!
"Laaaaaance—"