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"I kinda dislike this place."
"Last time we came, we lost pretty badly, I think."
Arriving at the Bernabéu Stadium by bus, Julian Brandt had some unpleasant memories as he looked at the magnificent European football temple before him and watched tourists outside the window queuing up to enter and take photos.
If Bayer Leverkusen had performed better in the first leg of last season's Champions League semi-final, they might have made it to the final. Who would want to fail a desperate comeback in the second leg, who would want to die standing, when they could have advanced easily?
"Don't worry, we're not the same as last season either."
Captain Rolfes, on the other hand, was full of spirit… the team had won 4 consecutive matches recently. After defeating VfB Stuttgart and beating Roma twice,
In the previous Bundesliga match, a crucial game in the 9th round, Bayer Leverkusen easily defeated Schalke 04 by a score of 2-0… Two seasons ago, Schalke 04 was still a "top-four rival" that Bayer Leverkusen couldn't easily distinguish itself from.
Now, Bayer Leverkusen is a title-contending team, while Schalke 04 is still fighting for a top-four spot. Bayer Leverkusen's match was played first.
After defeating Schalke 04, they temporarily moved to 2nd place in the live standings, with a one-point lead after playing one more game. Bayern Munich wasn't worried yet, but Dortmund was the first to panic.
Götze and Lewandowski both went to Bayern, and the continuous departure of key players led to a rapid decline in Dortmund's strength. It was already difficult to keep up with Bayern, and with the added pressure from Bayer Leverkusen, the entire team's mentality exploded.
After losing to Hamburg, they lost to Hannover 96 in the 9th round of the Bundesliga. There was no change in the live standings.
Bayer Leverkusen officially climbed to 2nd place, second only to Bayern Munich! The 2014-2015 season's title race was once again going to be a battle between Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen.
In less than 9 rounds, Bayer Leverkusen completed its northern expedition at lightning speed, soaring from the relegation zone all the way to 2nd place in the Bundesliga.
As time entered November 2014, coaches Hyypiä and Sascha Lewandowski were jointly named Bundesliga Coach of the Month for October. Lance was unsurprisingly named Bundesliga Player of the Month for October…
At this moment, in Madrid, Spain. Bernabéu Stadium,
Bayer Leverkusen was about to begin their 5th round Champions League group stage challenge, a crucial match to determine the top spot in Group C. The entire team dared not be negligent, with all key players starting.
The only change was at centre-back; Van Dijk's previous muscle strain was not serious, requiring one or two weeks of rest. The recovered black centre-back Rüdiger started, partnering Harry Maguire.
Looking at this centre-back pairing, Lance always felt a sense of incongruity, but couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
At this moment, LeTV, as an internet live streaming platform, was also broadcasting this Champions League battle. Zhan Jun appeared in the commentary booth, partnered with the nearly 80-year-old veteran commentator Li Yuankui.
"Today, Bayer Leverkusen's offence is not a concern for now; what makes fans uneasy is mainly this young centre-back pairing. Harry Maguire and Rüdiger, both born in '93, are only 21 years old this year."
"Normally, the centre-back position requires a certain amount of match experience, with players gradually entering their peak after 25 years old. These two young centre-backs have also had many instances of rough defending this season."
"I wonder if they can withstand the powerful firepower of Real Madrid's BBC…"
Zhan Jun couldn't help but break into a sweat. Although Li Yuankui wasn't familiar with these two, he had done his homework and watched them play.
"Actually, their physical attributes are both very good; there's no need to worry about their tackling. Their defensive positioning and tackling techniques are on point."
"The main thing is that their mentality must not falter, they must not be impulsive."
Li's words were not wrong, but the key is that young people are prone to impulsiveness. Moreover, Benzema comes with a "wisdom-reducing aura"; goalkeepers and defenders near him easily make elementary mistakes.
In the previous leg, Benzema forced Bayer Leverkusen into an elementary mistake, leading to a goal conceded. Bayer Leverkusen's defensive pressure today was still very high…
What you fear, comes true. Lance, like Zhan Jun, was quite worried about the backline before the match.
And it was precisely the backline that had problems. Facing Real Madrid's high-intensity pressing, in the 17th minute of the match, Harry Maguire was forced into an elementary mistake.
At that time, Real Madrid's attack had already been broken up by defensive midfielder Lars Bender. After successfully intercepting, he found that Lance and De Bruyne were both tightly marked.
To be safe, Lars Bender passed back to the defender to reorganise. Benzema shrewdly pressed forward, teaming up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale to put pressure on the defensive line.
Harry Maguire could have cleared the ball with a long kick, but he chose to take a risk, dribbling past Benzema with a feint and carrying the ball horizontally, intending to pass.
Maguire's passing ability was indeed good, but Benzema relentlessly chased and interfered, preventing Maguire from passing in time. In a hurry, he could only dribble out of the penalty area, lumbering forward like a bulldozer, and was sandwiched by Modrić,
He managed to force a pass to Son Heung-min. Real Madrid was already prepared; Toni Kroos darted out diagonally, intercepting the pass, and immediately sent a long pass to the left side.
Maguire, in a moment of hot-headedness, violently tackled Toni Kroos after Kroos's pass. On the left, Cristiano Ronaldo, almost unmarked, shot from a tight angle inside the box and found the net.
As Bayer Leverkusen conceded a goal, Harry Maguire also received a meaningless yellow card.
"Clumsy Maguire!!"
Zhan Jun watched, seething with frustration. Was Maguire incapable? He was actually quite strong, with world-class potential in both defence and passing.
But his elementary mistakes were infuriating. Coupled with Maguire's honest big ears and big head, and his silly smile, Bayer Leverkusen fans wished they could kick him.
"A centre-back getting a yellow card in the 17th minute means he'll have to be wary in defence from now on, not daring to make any moves."
Lance knew very well that Real Madrid would definitely exploit this point. Sure enough,
Real Madrid, leading 1-0, was in high spirits and struck while the iron was hot, launching an offensive against Bayer Leverkusen. Bayer Leverkusen could only avoid their sharp edge for now, retreating to park the bus.
Real Madrid constantly used Cristiano Ronaldo's cuts inside, deliberately targeting Maguire.
"Modrić, a cross to Cristiano Ronaldo!! Good, he's broken through!! He's taking a shot himself!"
"Unfortunately, that shot went just wide…"
"It's Cristiano Ronaldo again!!! A direct long-range shot despite Maguire's defence!"
"Saved by the goalkeeper, corner kick!"
"Ramos's header!!! Extremely dangerous!! Still targeting Maguire!"
For the past 5 minutes, Bayer Leverkusen fans were practically suffocating. Real Madrid bombarded the goal, showing everyone what the BBC trio was capable of, and what "two of the ceremonial midfield three" meant.
Maguire didn't dare to make any strong defensive moves, his timidity making Real Madrid play even more fiercely. Cristiano Ronaldo was almost in his face!
"If they keep playing like this, Bayer Leverkusen might be in trouble," Li Yuankui shook his head.
Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo continue his comeback, cutting inside from the left and targeting Maguire again, attempting a forceful breakthrough. Maguire didn't dare to pull him back, letting Cristiano Ronaldo pass.
A strong gust of wind swept by, and a black figure whizzed past. Fiercely, he brought Cristiano Ronaldo to the ground!
Cristiano Ronaldo lay on the ground in a daze, looking up, he could only see the chilling gaze of the youth looking down on him!
As if warning him: don't even think about causing trouble in my Bayer Leverkusen's defensive zone!