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30 minutes earlier,
Kevin De Bruyne arrived at the stadium full of confidence.
This was his first time starting as an attacking midfielder.
De Bruyne had primarily played as a right winger during his time at Genk, Chelsea, and Wolfsburg, making his debut as a speedy wide player.
His speed and dribbling were his sharpest weapons.
However, compared to other wide attackers, De Bruyne lacked a core competitive edge and was not considered world-class.
Mourinho perhaps didn't take him seriously for this reason.
It wasn't until his time at Wolfsburg, when there was no one else available in the attack, that De Bruyne was forced to play as an attacking playmaker.
After he unlocked his passing skills, his professional career underwent a qualitative transformation!
Although De Bruyne is currently positioned on the wing, he is actually more active in the attacking midfield, and even defensive midfield, positions.
He completely orchestrates Bayer Leverkusen's midfield.
His frequent positional rotations with Lance have consistently yielded excellent results.
Lance breaking through from the right flank and scoring from a De Bruyne pass has become a fixed tactic for Bayer Leverkusen.
But today was one of the few games where he solidly held the attacking midfield position.
His position was almost level with Rolfes and Lars Bender, officially serving as the team's commander.
And facing Bayern Munich, a direct rival for the league title,
In such an important match, playing such a crucial role, and with Lance absent,
De Bruyne felt like the team's leader for the first time, which made his sense of responsibility even stronger.
However, at this moment,
When he saw Lewandowski score twice against his team's goal,
De Bruyne couldn't help but feel a little lost.
Standing on the pitch with his hands on his hips, the roar of the BayArena formed a dull hum in his ears.
The Bayern Munich players celebrated together,
Making De Bruyne's figure appear extremely lonely.
The other Bayer Leverkusen players also started to doubt themselves.
Could it be that this season,
They really couldn't win the league title?
"Kevin!!"
"Kevin—"
In a daze, a voice cut through, breaking the dull sound.
De Bruyne instinctively looked towards the sideline, following the sound.
Next to the anxious faces of two coaches,
Was Lance shouting at him.
"Hey! Kevin!! Cut through their middle, cut through their middle!!"
To ensure a "secure communication," Lance was still shouting in Belgian Flemish.
"This guy, he can't even sit still on the sidelines."
Despite his complaints, De Bruyne's lips already curled into a slight smile.
That's right!
Why dwell on these two conceded goals?
Previously, when Lance faced Bayern, he had experienced being three goals down,
And he still managed to overturn it with four goals!
If I am truly the "future world's best midfielder" he speaks of, how can I fall here?
De Bruyne pointed at Lance, then thumped his own chest.
"Believe in me!"
The match resumed, and Lance returned to the bench to continue watching.
Next to him, Van Dijk, who was still recovering from injury, complained with a long face.
"Lance, what should we do?"
"When I wasn't here, you were champions. How is it that now that I'm here, you can't win the league title?"
"Idiot."
Lance slapped Van Dijk on the back, making the towering tough guy yelp in pain.
Virgil Van Dijk,
The future defensive core of Liverpool, Champions League-winning centre-back, the world's best centre-back, a god in 1v1 situations, the king of anticipation.
Later, he would be full of dominance, one of Liverpool's spiritual leaders.
However, right now he was just a 24-year-old rookie, not much different from a fresh graduate.
"We will definitely win the league title, believe me."
"I envy your optimism."
"It's not optimism..."
Lance didn't know how to explain it.
It really wasn't optimism,
It was a cheat!
With a system, if he couldn't even win the league title, what kind of chosen one would be so pathetic?
Lance's goal has always been the highest stage in Europe, always the shining Champions League trophy.
This season, a treble will serve as a foundation,
His professional career must start with at least a sextuple!
He was already eager, waiting for the coaching staff to call him in to save the day.
Moreover, Lance knew that with De Bruyne's ability, Bayer Leverkusen wouldn't be easily defeated!
"World's best midfielder, today is your stage!"
Lance, observing from the sidelines, had already seen through Bayern's weaknesses today.
Bayern placed great emphasis on defending the flanks.
Son Heung-min and Julian Brandt, two highly threatening wingers, were both shut down.
The defensive line was stretched, like pulled dough,
The middle would inevitably become thin.
Between the starting centre-backs Jérôme Boateng and Dante, there would always be a gap.
Others might find it difficult to seize the opportunity,
But De Bruyne definitely could!
"Bayer Leverkusen is 0-2 down, the first half is about to end, and time is running out for Bayer Leverkusen to contend for the league title."
Duan Xuan's commentary made Chinese fans in front of their TVs very uncomfortable.
"Time is running out for XX" seemed like a curse,
Regular football viewers were almost suffering from PTSD.
"What's going on? Is Bayer Leverkusen really finished this season?"
"Your grandpa is still your grandpa, the Bundesliga overlord still has to be Bayern."
"Bayern is really strong. Bayer Leverkusen has God Lance, but Bayern has Lewandowski, Müller, Alonso, and the Robbery duo. How can they win?"
"Yeah, Lao Han Robben seems to have taken the wrong medicine today."
"Hurry up and leave, it would be great if God Lance ran off to a big club next season."
"God Lance, come to my Red Devils."
"Man Utd, get lost. After Sir Alex retired, they've been on a downward spiral, don't touch my God Lance."
"My Chelsea welcomes God Lance!"
"God Lance, of course, should go to the best club! And combine forces with Cristiano Ronaldo."
"Don't mention the defeated, it's just a circus. God Lance's style suits La Masia."
"The referee team is going crazy."
As Bayer Leverkusen faced imminent crisis,
Forums, live streams, QQ groups, Tieba, and Dongqiudi communities across the Chinese internet were filled with lamentations,
Feeling sorry for Lance.
Working hard all season to catch up, only to be benched due to injury risk at the end, causing the team to lose the league title.
Isn't that ridiculous!
Just as everyone was discussing where Lance would go next season,
The situation on the pitch suddenly took a turn!
"Hey!! Look at this ball!! Beautiful!! De Bruyne!!"
Defensive midfielder Rolfes made a precise interception, dispossessing Thiago.
De Bruyne received the ball, dribbled past Lahm's entanglement, and suddenly unleashed a calm outside-of-the-boot curved pass!
The ball passed between the two centre-backs, surprisingly bypassing defender Dante's defensive area, and went directly to the right flank!
Whilst Firmino and Son Heung-min were attracting Bayern's defenders' attention,
The golden-haired speedster on the right wing, Julian Brandt, was unmarked, receiving the ball in the box for a one-on-one opportunity!
"One-on-one!!! A surgical pass from De Bruyne!!"
"Julian Brandt!!"
Calm!
Stay calm!!
Julian Brandt, at the crucial moment, remembered Lance's secret, quickly observing Neuer's position and the goal.
He feigned a shot to the bottom corner, making Neuer lower his centre of gravity,
But then, with a flick of his ankle, the low shot turned into a chip!
Unexpectedly creating a beautiful arc!!
"This kid!! He finally learnt it!"
Lance celebrated excitedly on the sidelines.
The extra training hadn't been wasted; Julian Brandt had actually learnt it!
Lance watched as the ball curved past Neuer and gently dropped into the net!
"Gooooooooal!!!"
"1-2!!! Bayer Leverkusen pulls one back!!!"
"They've reignited the league title race!"
After high-fiving De Bruyne, Julian Brandt immediately went to the bench to high-five Lance in celebration.
"Did you see, Lance? I did it!!"
"Beautiful, Julian!!"
"Am I the world's best?!"
"You are!!"
Lance was genuinely happy for his brother.
Well done!
In the second half, it's our turn to counterattack!