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The public discussion about Lance and Cristiano Ronaldo lasted for a whole week before dying down. Fans and supporters of both sides argued fiercely online.
Many onlookers, traffic chasers, and uninformed netizens also joined in. Every time Lance opened his phone these days, the scene was comparable to the internet 'flame wars' of the short video era predicted.
As one of the protagonists of the 'flame war', he actually didn't do anything! He inexplicably became the centre of an internet storm.
Fortunately, at least more than half of the people were on his side, and most fans of other teams could view it objectively. Many rational Real Madrid fans also clearly understood that, Bayer Leverkusen's last-gasp winner against Real Madrid was purely because Real Madrid themselves failed to seize their opportunities.
As strong as Cristiano Ronaldo is, his wild shots also wasted many chances. If Bale, Benzema, Modrić, Kroos, Marcelo, or Pepe had seized just one opportunity, Real Madrid would have had a chance to finish first in their group.
If he didn't play well himself, he couldn't blame others. But extreme fans couldn't accept defeat, and their narrow-mindedness easily led them down a rabbit hole.
Initially, Lance watched with a sense of amusement. Later, he grew tired of similar comments, so Lance simply stopped paying attention to what was happening online.
He focused solely on training and matches. Just play his own game and be done with it!
Bundesliga Matchday 10: Bayern Munich vs. Borussia Dortmund.
Hamburg vs. Bayer Leverkusen.
Two consecutive away matches back-to-back demanded a lot from Bayer Leverkusen players in terms of physical fitness and form. There were only four days in between, and the players' physical condition had not fully recovered.
Lance and De Bruyne temporarily sat on the bench, whilst Son Heung-min, who had stronger physical qualities and sufficient stamina, was temporarily included in the starting lineup. Before the match, Son Heung-min was still showing off to Lance.
"Aigoo—I'm a starter, and you're a substitute! I've finally waited for this day!"
"No problem, since that's the case, you should already have the awareness to lead the team as a single core. If Kevin and I don't pass the ball later, you will be able to perform, right?"
"Hey!! Don't be like that, Lance! I was just kidding!"
Son Heung-min panicked. Although Lance scored many goals, as a number 10, he was the tactical core of the attack.
He often attracted defenders in key positions before making through passes. Son Heung-min had received a lot of offensive support from Lance because of this.
Not to mention De Bruyne. Since joining the team, De Bruyne's passing had been enjoyed by the entire squad.
The "Belgium Twin Stars" had become the actual "power holders" controlling Bayer Leverkusen's ball possession. If the two of them teamed up to be 'ball hogs', they could walk sideways across the entire team.
Son Heung-min offending them would be purely asking for trouble, therefore, he dared not harbour any thoughts of mockery and was extremely flustered.
"I'm just kidding too."
Lance's magnanimity meant he wouldn't get angry over a joke. Anyone who gets angry easily is insecure about their own abilities, deeply rooted in inferiority.
Lance's growth over these two seasons and his current achievements had filled him with enough confidence to lead the team to good results. Moreover, he still had the system backing him up, so was there any problem in him solidifying his position as the team's core?
Even if Sascha and Hyypiä kicked everyone else out, they wouldn't bear to kick him out. Lance simply wanted to tease him.
"Alright, no matter what, the first half really depends on your performance."
"We can't just rely on Dortmund to exert themselves."
Hamburg had previously beaten Dortmund 1-0, so they still had some strength. Their midfield core was Rafael van der Vaart, the former Real Madrid, Tottenham, and Netherlands national team organiser.
His passing and organisation could sometimes be deadly. The defensive stalwart was Johan Djourou, whose defence was very stable when in good form, acting as a pillar of strength.
The front line also featured former Bayern player Olic, a Croatia international. Playing away against Hamburg was not an easy match.
And today's match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund did not have the strength to prevent Bayern from dropping points. This meant that if Bayer Leverkusen dropped points, the gap with Bayern Munich would widen further.
A 6-point difference, if it expanded to 8 or 9 points, it would be difficult to contend for the championship this season. They had to win today no matter what!
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Before coming on, Son Heung-min gave them a thumbs-up and smiled confidently.
"Shit!! This is too hard!"
When Lance and De Bruyne were not on the pitch, Son Heung-min seemed to return to the feeling of powerlessness he experienced during his time at Hamburg. Facing his old club and former teammates, Son Heung-min tried hard to break through, but always failed to penetrate Hamburg's defence.
Diekmeier, who was marking Son Heung-min, averaged 1.9 tackles per game in the Bundesliga and was very familiar with Son Heung-min's dribbling routines. Son Heung-min couldn't gain any advantage at all!
"Shit!!"
Another breakthrough was intercepted, and Hamburg almost launched a counter-attack. Son Heung-min fell to the ground and angrily slammed the turf.
So, the question arises, Son Heung-min's performance was already the most effective attacking player on the team. Neither Kießling nor Julian Brandt, nor substitute midfielder Castro, made any impact in attack.
If it weren't for the excellent centre-back Rüdiger and goalkeeper Leno, they might have already been killed 2-0 by Hamburg.
"Bayer Leverkusen, this is a young team."
Zhan Jun shook his head helplessly.
"In the last match, they played a classic battle, coming back to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, showcasing high-level football and tenacious perseverance to the world."
"I didn't expect that today against Hamburg, their performance would be like a Bundesliga relegation team..."
The difference between their upper and lower limits was really quite large. German fans were also wondering, could it be that without Lance and De Bruyne on the pitch, this group of people couldn't attack anymore?
This continued until the 70th minute of the second half when Sascha finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Lance, Kevin, change your clothes, you... so fast?!"
Sascha turned around, and Lance and De Bruyne had already changed into their red away jerseys and were ready to play.
"Of course! I can't wait to blast their goal."
"Yes, it's necessary to strengthen the attack."
"Alright, let's not dwell on the superfluous for now. You two go on and play according to the situation. There aren't too many tactical adjustments for the attack at the moment."
After a brief explanation of some details, Bayer Leverkusen requested a substitution.
[Fusion Value: 91%]
Huh? It grew again?
Before he could think about it, Castro and Julian Brandt had already left the pitch.
"Lance, it's up to you two."
Julian Brandt was a bit dejected; he finally got a start, but his performance was not satisfactory. He still had to be kept on the bench by De Bruyne.
"You worked hard."
Lance patted his shoulder and ran onto the pitch with De Bruyne. It happened to be left-back Nathan Aké throwing a front-field throw-in.
The young man had many tricky moves, he quickly winked at Lance, signalling him to run towards the penalty area. Lance reacted quickly, understanding instantly!
The moment he stepped onto the pitch, he immediately charged towards the opponent's territory.
"Alright, Lance and De Bruyne, this pair of Belgium Twin Stars, have come on as substitutes. Bayer Leverkusen has only 15 minutes left, hopefully..."
"Oh!! That ball!!"
Even Zhan Jun didn't react. After Nathan Aké received the referee's permission, he threw the ball directly from the touchline!
The 'grenade' flew into the penalty area! Lance sprinted from the substitute area all the way to the penalty area, received Nathan Aké's throw-in, and with the outside of his left foot, performed a perfect first touch to bypass Johan Djourou.
He dribbled past the defender to create a shooting angle and volleyed!
Swish—
The entire stadium erupted!
"What a goal!!! Lance!!!"
"Remember last season's super-sub?"
"Lance came on as a substitute and, in just 5 seconds, helped Bayer Leverkusen break the deadlock!"
"Leading 1-0 away from home!!"
Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart was stunned, questioning reality!
No? Is this right?
Son Heung-min's legs went weak, and he immediately knelt down.
"Shit!! Does he have to be this fierce?!"