Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
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"Ouch!"
"What are they kicking?"
"Come on, Cavani! He still didn't score that?"
"Lavezzi?! What is he doing?!"
April 22, 2015, Champions League match day.
There were 23 hours left until the second leg of Real Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen.
All of Bayer Leverkusen's players gathered in the conference room of a five-star hotel in Madrid, to watch the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
On the other side, Bayern Munich led Arsenal 3-0, and the match had almost lost all suspense.
Arsenal's "three years Bayern, five years Barcelona"—these two teams were always Arsenal's toughest opponents.
The first leg was just an accident; in the second leg at Allianz Arena, Arsenal felt the bloodline suppression.
Barring any surprises, Bayern Munich should easily advance to the Champions League semifinals, where they would meet Juventus.
The Bayer Leverkusen players were more focused on the other match, the clash between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona.
In the first leg, the two teams drew 1-1 at Camp Nou.
Paris Saint-Germain, with its three star strikers—Ibrahimović, Lavezzi, and Cavani—plus skilled midfielders like Pastore, Motta, Matuidi, Cabaye, as well as Italian prodigy Verratti, former Milan defensive stalwart Thiago Silva, former Chelsea stalwart David Luiz…
Logically, they should have been able to challenge Barcelona.
If Paris Saint-Germain won, wouldn't Bayer Leverkusen easily advance to the Champions League Final?
Lance's teammates were all cheering for Paris Saint-Germain, but at their home stadium, Barcelona proved to the world why they were the biggest favourites to win this World Cup.
The MSN trio's unstoppable offence upfront was devastating, coupled with Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets forming the classic "Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets" iron triangle, the midfield configuration of the Spanish dynasty's core.
The resulting tiki-taka system left Paris Saint-Germain helpless; they were thrashed at home by Barcelona, completely unable to retaliate.
Watching Ibrahimović struggle alone upfront, easily isolated by Barcelona's defensive formation, Xavi orchestrated several attacks, and the MSN trio performed brilliantly upfront.
By half-time, they were already leading Paris Saint-Germain 3-0, effectively ending the suspense of the match early.
"Stop watching."
Fearing it would affect morale, Sascha turned off the TV and sent the players out of the conference room.
"Go relax and get massages. After the match ends, we'll do a detailed review of this game."
"That's right, we need to play well in the upcoming match first. We can talk about Barcelona after we get past Real Madrid."
"Get some rest early; we have another tough battle tomorrow."
Sascha and Hyypiä worked in perfect sync, quickly dispersing the Bayer Leverkusen players with a few words.
Seeing Barcelona play like that, everyone was feeling apprehensive.
Can we really defeat Barcelona?
They look incredibly strong.
"Lance, what do you say?"
"Me?"
Lance scratched his head.
"Barring any surprises, Barcelona will likely be this year's champion."
According to the original timeline, in the 2014-2015 season, Barcelona achieved the treble, and MSN was invincible.
Even with Lance saying this, the Bayer Leverkusen players felt even more despair.
However, Lance's tone suddenly shifted.
"But we haven't played yet, have we? Real Madrid is still a favourite to win, and they crushed Barcelona in the first leg of the Clásico."
"Real Madrid won 2-0, and we beat Real Madrid 3-0."
"Rounding it up, aren't we essentially 5-0 against Barcelona?"
"This…"
De Bruyne, Son Heung-min, Kimmich, and others exchanged glances.
They felt that something Lance said wasn't quite right, yet it also seemed to make a lot of sense.
"Don't think about it. What if Real Madrid stages a comeback? Wouldn't that be awkward for us?"
"Exactly!"
Ultimately, it was Captain Rolfes who stepped forward.
"Lance is right. We just need to play well in tomorrow's match."
"Lance has given us a three-goal advantage."
"We must win tomorrow! We'll talk about the semifinals after that!"
[Fusion Value: 24%]
"Damn it, still just a little short?"
Bernabéu Stadium.
Real Madrid vs Bayer Leverkusen.
The moment Lance stepped onto the pitch, he felt what it was like to be "drowned by a single spit from each person."
Anyone who has played professional football knows that away games come with immense pressure, requiring constant endurance of insults, boos, and jeers from the home fans.
Close to the sidelines, you could look up and see a row of crazy fans giving you the "international friendly gesture," their middle fingers forming almost a forest.
I remember in the future, in a Chinese Super League match years later, after a Pengcheng player provoked the Dalian fans, tens of thousands of people in Dalian's home stadium collectively chanted, "Bai Helamu, I XXXX!!"
Most people couldn't handle that kind of scene.
If it's like that in the Chinese Super League, imagine Bernabéu Stadium, where football culture is even more deeply rooted and fans are even crazier.
"Bayer Leverkusen No. 39, Lance…"
When the Bernabéu DJ introduced him, Lance felt like he was going deaf for a moment, experiencing a sense of suffocation.
"Boooooo—"
Nearly 80,000 people in the stadium booed Lance simultaneously.
From the second Lance stepped onto the pitch, the insults never stopped.
For any other new player, such a barrage of insults would likely leave them completely out of form for the entire match.
Yet, Lance seemed to turn a deaf ear, his expression unchanged.
"He truly is a big-hearted player. Lance always scores crucial goals in key matches, and his composure is perhaps one of the secrets to his success."
Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler praised him.
In reality, Lance was just checking his Fusion Value.
"Only 24%? I didn't play in the last Bundesliga match, and it didn't add anything! The system is so stingy."
Lance had hoped to scrape together enough to reach 25%, so he could deal with Real Madrid.
It seemed the new skill could only be used against Barcelona.
"Sorry, Real Madrid, you don't have that good fortune."
Equipped Templates: Bachira Meguru - S (Fusion Value 100%)
Equipped Templates: Hyuga Kojiro - S (Fusion Value 24%)
Equipped Templates: Cannavaro - C
Rage Value: 0%
Support Character: Nagi Seishiro - S (Fusion Value 100%)
Support Status: On
Today, Lance did not wear Lai Chang, and other B-rank and C-rank templates wouldn't be very effective against Real Madrid.
After much deliberation before the match, Lance chose a template that even surprised himself.
Former World Player of the Year, a hero of the 2006 World Cup triumph, Italy captain, former world's best centre-back, Cannavaro!
"Lance, for today's tactics, you might need to take on more defensive duties. We need you to neutralise Modrić."
"Can you do it?"
As long as Real Madrid's midfield engine is neutralised, the BBC trio won't be able to unleash their power.
Combining the experience from the first leg, Bayer Leverkusen's strategy against Real Madrid was highly targeted.
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
Lance accepted the challenge without hesitation.
The two coaches didn't expect Lance's defence to be exceptionally strong; they just needed him to interfere more with Modrić and Toni Kroos's passing, leaving the rest of the defence to the backline.
They didn't expect Lance to take it seriously!
He even brought out Cannavaro!
Right after the match started, the moment Modrić dribbled forward, he felt immense pressure from the side!
"What was that?"
World-class midfielder Modrić had never experienced such oppressive pressure!
A fierce gust of wind swept past, and in an instant, the ball at his feet had vanished!
When he looked back, Lance was already carrying the ball and charging towards their half of the pitch!
Less than 4 seconds into the match, Real Madrid had lost possession, and Bayer Leverkusen launched an attack!
Years later, Modrić recalled this moment countless times, still unable to figure out how Lance had managed to steal the ball!