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"Lance!!! A direct long-range shot from outside the box!!"
"It's a goal!!!"
"3 to 2!! Bayer Leverkusen successfully completed the comeback!!"
Duan Xuan's cracking voice was crystal clear in the night over China.
Every household was glued to their television sets, watching this crucial title-deciding match.
From the moment Lance stepped onto the pitch, the tide of offence and defence between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich had already turned!
To the fans, it felt like watching a classic shonen manga, where the protagonist's companions are oppressed by a powerful enemy, hanging by a thread.
The chosen protagonist descends from the heavens, carrying a boombox with his exclusive BGM, instantly turning the tide of battle.
He uses a newly learnt ultimate skill to directly obliterate the powerful opponent.
A volley less than a minute after coming on as a substitute was outrageous.
In the 81st minute of the match, Lance's sudden cold shot from 25 metres out once again pierced Neuer's goal.
3-2!
Just as Guardiola had predicted, the match had ended the moment Lance entered the pitch.
Bayern Munich had lost all fighting spirit, and in the final few minutes, they were powerless to turn the situation around.
Beep!
Beep!
Beep—
"Full-time! Another great victory, a great comeback!"
"Bayer Leverkusen, after conceding 2 goals early on, relied on the players' tenacious willpower and excellent performance to temporarily stabilise the situation. This gave Lance the opportunity to come on as a substitute and complete the comeback."
"In reality, Bayern Munich's dominance on the pitch today was evident to all. Bayern's possession rate once reached as high as 80%!"
"All statistics, such as pass completion rate, number of passes, shots, shots on target, and corner kicks, held an absolute advantage."
"Bayer Leverkusen could largely only rely on sporadic counterattacks to find some difficult opportunities. Bayern Munich seemed to be the side with a greater chance of winning."
"But Lance's appearance broke the balance; his containment in the attacking third made Bayern hesitant and unwilling to push forward to attack."
"The returning King, Lance, also lived up to expectations, scoring two clean goals and successfully leading the team to complete a comeback and a last-minute victory!"
"In the post-match standings, Bayer Leverkusen has already gained 3 points, successfully closing the gap to 2 points."
"With only 3 rounds left in the league, Bayer Leverkusen has enough opportunities to complete the turnaround."
"Of course, for Bayern fans, it's not entirely without hope. In the last 3 matches, Bayern's opponents are Augsburg, Freiburg, and Mainz respectively."
"Bayer Leverkusen's opponents are Mönchengladbach, Hoffenheim, and Frankfurt!"
Bayer Leverkusen clearly has a tougher schedule, and they also face the challenge of Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals in 4 days."
"One can only say that defeating Bayern Munich today maintained the suspense of the title race. If Bayern doesn't make any mistakes, they still have a chance to lift the championship trophy…"
As Duan Xuan said, after defeating Bayern Munich, the entire Bayer Leverkusen team was very excited.
A group of people were still dancing wildly, twisting and turning shirtless in the changing room.
Until Harry Maguire unseasonably raised a question:
"Guys, are we… not yet guaranteed to win the championship?"
"…"
The changing room fell silent instantly.
Julian Brandt also turned off his speaker.
Right, there are only 3 rounds left in the league.
If Bayern wins all 3 matches, it wouldn't matter even if Bayer Leverkusen wins every match 10-0.
What were they celebrating!
On the other side, Lance and Sascha had just finished their post-match interviews.
Lance was awarded the Man of the Match with a perfect rating of 1 point.
Coming on as a substitute in the 62nd minute and playing for half an hour to win the MVP—this is the true value of a "King."
Countless interviews had made Lance feel at ease, easily handling the media's praise and sharp questions.
Lance and Sascha chatted as they walked into the changing room.
Sensing that the atmosphere was off, they both instinctively took a step back and looked up at the nameplate in confusion.
"That's right, it's the home team changing room."
"What's going on?"
Sascha walked in, full of questions.
The changing room atmosphere was very quiet, everyone sat in their respective places, deep in thought. One would think they had just lost the match.
We won!
"What are you all doing? Where's the music? Where's the dancing? Let's get hyped!"
"Coach."
Harry Maguire's expression looked a little wronged.
"Do we really have no chance to win the championship?"
Maguire was still playing in the Championship last season.
He thought he could latch onto "prodigy" Lance and try to win his first top-tier league title in his professional career.
But now he still has to look at others' faces; he really can't stand it.
Sascha didn't say anything, just snatched Julian Brandt's phone, opened the player, and let the victory music continue to play.
"We won today!! Celebrate to your heart's content!"
"Defeating Bayern twice, such a great comeback, isn't that enough to make you happy?"
"We'll worry about what comes next later; let's enjoy the present first!"
Fortunately, the Bayer Leverkusen players were all relatively young.
Most professional players are hot-headed youngsters who are easily stirred up and get excited with a little encouragement.
The changing room resumed its wild dancing state.
Only Lance calmly followed Sascha and Hyypiä, the two coaches, to the side.
"Coaches, you were looking for me?"
"Yes, how did you feel just now? No abnormalities in your body, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy."
Due to long-term strenuous matches, Lance's muscles were indeed quite tense.
During one sprint on the pitch, he pushed too hard, and his thigh muscle felt a faint pain.
But it wasn't a big problem and wouldn't affect the subsequent matches.
At worst, the [Substitute Paper Man (2/3)] still had 2 chances to ward off disaster.
"That's good. We'll do another comprehensive check when we get back to the base. Lance…"
Both coaches looked at Lance very seriously.
"To be honest, your role is still irreplaceable. From now on, if nothing unexpected happens, you will probably need to maintain full attendance and play every match. You even need to be prepared for extra time."
"Whether we can win the Bundesliga title is a separate matter for now. In less than 4 days, we will face Barcelona. Your health is really important."
"Don't worry, coaches. I'm really fine; I don't feel any discomfort anywhere in my body. I hope to do my best to help the team win the championship."
Sascha and Hyypiä nodded in satisfaction.
Meeting a player like Lance is truly a blessing for all coaches.
It's estimated that all their luck in this life was used up the moment they drew Lance…
"The King Returns! Scores in 10 Seconds as a Substitute, a Brace Leads Bayer Leverkusen to a 3-2 Comeback Against Bayern!"
"Bundesliga Title Race Still in Suspense! Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 Bayern, Lance Scores 2 Goals!"
"Bayer Leverkusen's True God Descends! 2 Goals Turn the Tide, Lance Gets the Highest Rating of the Match!"
Barcelona Airport,
The entire Barcelona team, departing for Germany, was resting in the VIP lounge.
Messi was sitting with his legs crossed, scrolling on his phone.
Occasionally, wealthy businessmen or politicians would come over to request a photo, and Messi would brush them off with a hint of impatience.
His attention was on the recent news.
Social media had exploded again.
Major European official media outlets were all following up on the Bundesliga showdown that had just taken place.
"This kid is truly outrageous!"
After watching the match highlights on Twitter, Messi's brows furrowed.
His original 100% confidence in Bayer Leverkusen had probably dropped to less than 60%!
Bayern Munich's performance, to be honest, was no less than Barcelona's.
Their possession rhythm and offensive and defensive performances were perfect, with hardly any flaws to pick out.
However, the opponent had a walking cheat code in human form.
"Passengers, the flight to Cologne has begun boarding. Please have your luggage and belongings ready and proceed to Gate L13…"
"Let's go, guys!"
Barcelona's midfield maestro, Xavi, stood up and, in a rather chuunibyou fashion, declared:
"Forward! Conquer Bayer Leverkusen!"
Last season, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
This time, let Barcelona's vengeful fury be unleashed!