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"The Bundesliga's Mount Everest Battle: Bayer Leverkusen defeats Bayern Munich, reversing the standings to claim the top spot! This season's Bundesliga title race has completely flipped!"
— Sports Weekly
"...In the next 6 Bundesliga matches, as long as Bayer Leverkusen maintains their composure, they will have the chance to make history! To achieve the first championship in their team's history!"
— Bild
"Who would have thought that choosing a 16-year-old youth academy player to join the first team at the beginning of the season, and insisting on playing him against all odds, would become a crucial part of this season's Bundesliga title race? The foreshadowing was laid last summer!"
— Kicker
"As everyone knows, Lance was formerly from Bayern Munich's youth academy. After being expelled by the reserve team coach Erik ten Hag, he joined Bayer Leverkusen... In less than a year, he turned into a bullet fired at Bayern Munich themselves..."
— Berlin Daily
"Bayern Munich's title race is not over yet. As long as they strive for more victories in the final 6 Bundesliga matches, they still have a chance to win the championship. Bayer Leverkusen is fighting on three fronts in the Champions League and DFB-Pokal, and their bench depth may become the biggest factor in losing points in the Bundesliga. Three fatal problems will be key for Bayern to overtake them..."
— Munich Evening News
...
Lance scored twice, playing a crucial role in the pivotal Mount Everest Battle, helping Bayer Leverkusen reach unprecedented heights. The most difficult hurdle has passed; what awaits them now is only the challenge of themselves! To hold onto their lead in the final 6 Bundesliga matches! And then... to welcome the first championship in their team's history!
So, the day after the match, the entire town of Leverkusen was practically crazy. Every household was celebrating as if it were a festival, and everyone's face was beaming with joy.
The apartment security guard, Uncle Hans, looked at Lance as if he had seen God.
"Lance!! You played brilliantly!!"
"You know, I couldn't sleep all night after watching the game yesterday! To think that our Bayer Leverkusen could be champions, I just can't believe it!"
"From my grandfather's generation onwards, everyone has been waiting for this day..."
Uh...
"Hans, could you please lift the barrier first? The cars behind are honking."
"Sorry, I'm just too excited, hahaha!"
The electronic license plate system had recently malfunctioned, and the "rigorous Germans" were not very efficient in repairing the system; it hadn't been fixed for a week. During this period, they could only rely on Uncle Hans to manually press the button to lift the barrier.
After Lance's Aston Martin, several cars were already waiting. If it weren't for the urgent situation, Uncle Hans might have pulled Lance aside to chat for an entire day.
Defeating Bayern Munich and breaking Bayern's dominance seemed like a fairy tale for Bayer Leverkusen. Even now, many fans still can't believe it. But everyone quickly put those thoughts aside for the moment.
After Lance and the team defeated Bayern, they only got a half-day holiday. After less than 2 days of training at the base, they had to take a flight to Barcelona, Spain, to face the do-or-die second leg against FC Barcelona at Camp Nou!
In the first leg, trailing 0-2, Lance led the team to a great comeback! 4-2! FC Barcelona had 2 away goals, and Bayer Leverkusen secured the victory.
In the second leg at Camp Nou, Bayer Leverkusen couldn't guarantee their qualification for the Champions League semifinals. If FC Barcelona won 2-0, the aggregate score would be 4-4, and based on the current Champions League away goal rule, FC Barcelona would still advance. If it was 3-1, making it 5-5, FC Barcelona would also advance.
For Bayer Leverkusen to reach the Champions League semifinals again after 10 years, they must try their best to draw or win, and even if they lose, the goal difference must be within 1 goal.
So, Bayer Leverkusen's strategy was very simple. Defend! As always, they would play a stable defensive counter-attack, but this time without too much offensive pressure; they just needed to withstand FC Barcelona's terrifying fury!
"...We see that both teams' players are ready. Bayer Leverkusen's expressions are still quite relaxed; they hold a 2-goal lead and need to do their best to withstand FC Barcelona's fierce attacks at Camp Nou. FC Barcelona's players, however, clearly look more serious. Being overturned in the first leg was a bit unexpected."
"They are strong contenders for the championship this season, and from the club management to the players, they clearly cannot accept the current situation. FC Barcelona has reached the brink of a do-or-die battle! Lionel Messi! His eyes are sharp, and his expression is solemn. Clearly, whether FC Barcelona can revive today, Lionel Messi is the key figure. On the other side, we see Lance..."
Two hours earlier, He Wei, the CCTV5 commentator, couldn't believe it when he saw this starting lineup. Bayer Leverkusen's coaching staff? They are really working Lance to death!
Seven days ago, in the first leg against FC Barcelona, he played the full match, orchestrating a 4-goal comeback. Four days ago, he started again in the Mount Everest Battle against Bayern Munich, playing the full match, securing a 2-0 victory! Giving the team hope for the championship! And now he's starting again in today's second leg!
Playing three full matches in one week? On camera, Lance's physical condition still looked good; his originally lean physique, after more than half a season of training, now showed clear muscles. His height also seemed to have increased slightly, estimated to be around 183 cm now.
He Wei was genuinely worried about whether a 16-year-old could cope with the grueling schedule of three matches in a week. FC Barcelona + Bayern Munich + FC Barcelona, most people really can't handle it!
"But it seems Lance's condition is still good. His performance today will definitely be key for Bayer Leverkusen! Currently, German media are all discussing the topic of 'Lance dependence'. "
"In a sense, Lance is indeed very important in their tactics, providing a stable, threatening pivot in the front field with his extremely strong individual ability. In defensive counter-attacks, Lance's increasingly excellent dribbling and breakthroughs might be the only solution to break down FC Barcelona... Alright, both teams' players have entered the field!"
"Dear viewers, what you are watching now is the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals in the 2013-14 season! In the first leg, Bayer Leverkusen temporarily leads FC Barcelona 4-2. Today, at FC Barcelona's home ground, Camp Nou... both teams will contend for a spot in the semifinals!"
...
Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi after all. It was also his two goals that gave FC Barcelona the lead in the first leg. In the second leg, Lionel Messi stepped up again.
Right at the start of the first half, FC Barcelona used their kickoff advantage to attack furiously. Probing? Probing for what?! Everyone seemed to be seeing red; being overturned by Bayer Leverkusen was a disgrace to the entire FC Barcelona team!
This week, Spanish media, led by the pro-Madrid outlets Marca and AS, wildly stirred up controversy, calling FC Barcelona the shame of La Liga. Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid had both defeated Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively, and in the ultimate confrontation between La Liga and Bundesliga, only FC Barcelona had lost.
For a week, the entire FC Barcelona team was practically cyberbullied by Spanish fans. Everyone was seething with anger, and at their home ground, Camp Nou, FC Barcelona went all out!
The trident of Alexis Sánchez, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, plus the world's best midfield trio of "Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets" behind them, with continuous fluid passing and ball retention, left Bayer Leverkusen's defense stretched thin!
In just 7 minutes, Xavi Hernández, with his signature 360-degree turn, fooled two players, Simon Rolfes and Lars Bender, and delivered a sublime through ball to Andrés Iniesta. Andrés Iniesta backheeled it to Neymar, Neymar performed a step-over to get past Emir Spahić, burst into the box, and crossed it into the middle.
Lionel Messi made a late run, calmly curled the ball with his left foot, like an efficient assassin, striking lethally with one blow!
"Lionel—"
"Messi—"
"Gooooooal— FC Barcelona!! They've pulled one back!!"
Led by the Camp Nou DJ, tens of thousands of spectators erupted in a thunderous chorus of "Barça" chants! The entire Bayer Leverkusen team finally realized that they were not facing some minnow team, but one of the strongest teams in the world!
Aggregate score 4-3! The match was suspended again!
The close-up shot then focused on Lionel Messi celebrating his goal, and then on Lance in the Bayer Leverkusen squad, who remained unfazed even when faced with a landslide.
"FC Barcelona scores first! From the very start of the match, the battle between the two sides has entered a white-hot stage!"
"These two players will be the protagonists under the spotlight!"
He Wei's heart inevitably sped up. From a commentator's perspective, he had to remain neutral. But his heart had already leaned towards one side.
"Come on! Lance!"