Chapter 155: The Massacre Marching On
"Tonight's match has gone crazy — four goals before half-time even ended. Arsenal lead Borussia Dortmund 3–1; Xia Qi has a brace and also an assist."
After being stolen by Xia Qi, Dortmund were somewhat wary; after kick-off they dared not press too far forward and their attacks eased off.
Kevin De Bruyne hurriedly slowed his team's rhythm as well, so his combination with Santi Cazorla would make fewer mistakes — their partnership still needed time to click.
Although both sides slowed the tempo, the match remained intense.
At this point it really comes down to each team's fundamentals.
The so-called fundamentals are first, possession rate, and second, error rate.
Raise the first, reduce the second.
Barcelona were the Dream Team because their possession was far ahead of others.
Real Madrid and Bayern reaped great results because their three lines made the fewest mistakes.
A match that measures fundamentals isn't as flashy as before, but it still has sparks and passion.
"Reus, shoot!"
"The ball nearly kissed the crossbar and flew into the stands."
"Xia Qi again bursts into Dortmund's back line — beautiful! Xia Qi jinks and turns surrounded by three players, and the three Dortmund players still can't nick the ball away!"
After beating his man, Xia Qi didn't push on; he used the outside of his foot to spin the ball out of the crowded area.
Serge Gnabry suddenly slid in from the side, trapped with his right foot and pushed a left-footed shot.
Boom!
The ball flew toward the near post; Roman Weidenfeller dived desperately and just managed to parry it away on the goal line.
"Weidenfeller made a miraculous save and preserved the suspense of the match."
"Xia Qi and Gnabry have such telepathy in their link-up…"
…
The teams played a few more phases and the fourth official raised the board: three minutes added.
"At the 47th minute of the first half, Borussia Dortmund have a free kick less than thirty meters from goal. Marco Reus and İlkay Gündoğan are standing over it discussing…"
On the pitch, Xia Qi and others formed the wall in the box. Reus stepped back six or seven paces, took a short run-up. Gündoğan rolled the ball and Reus swung his right leg through.
The ball drew a weird arc, curved around the wall and flew toward goal…
"Goal!"
"With one minute to go before half-time, Reus' free-kick finds the net, changing the score to 3–2. There's still half a game to play — the suspense goes up drastically; anything is possible."
"That free-kick was stunning, like Beckham's curved moonblade — Martínez had no answer."
Reus kissed the badge on his chest deeply, pulled his shirt over his face and spread his arms while running toward the Dortmund fans.
On the touchline, Thomas Tuchel made a farmer's three-fist gesture to the sky, then hugged his assistant tightly.
Seeing the Dortmund players, coaches and fans so elated, the Emirates' stands erupted with deafening boos.
This is London. This is the Emirates!
Not Dortmund, not Westfalenstadion.
"That goal is a great morale boost. Although Dortmund still trail, the pressure is now on Arsenal."
Zhang Lu's commentary — something Arsenal fans might not like to hear — but it's the truth.
Having fought through the first 45 minutes, Dortmund's players walked to the dressing room smiling and joking.
Arsenal's players, however, walked into the tunnel heads down and clearly unsatisfied.
In Arsenal's dressing room,
Wenger didn't explode in anger; he praised them: "Kids, tonight you've been brilliant. With our main lineup not fully available, to lead Dortmund — this is impressive.
"They're the second-strongest side in the Bundesliga and our biggest rival for top of the group. They're a tough bone to chew and you've beaten them."
"But we aren't at victory yet — we need another 45 minutes. I need you to fight in the second half like you did in the first."
In the opposing tunnel, Tuchel was similarly rallying his players:
"…They got the lead thanks to Xia Qi's brilliance, but football is a team sport — as long as we can limit Xia Qi in the second half…"
As the second half started, Arsenal found their opponents had become crazier and more aggressive.
Tuchel's psychological pep talk hit hard.
…
Henrikh Mkhitaryan chest-controlled Gündoğan's pass and began a left-side surge.
Facing Gustavo's approach, he 'pedaled' on the ball with his feet circling and taunted, trying to provoke Gustavo: "Brazilian, don't let me get past you — otherwise I won't see you at the World Cup."
Brazil's depth is rich; Gustavo wasn't particularly favored under Scolari — Fernandinho and Paulinho had greater starting chances. Mkhitaryan's trash talk struck a sore spot for Gustavo.
Gustavo's face immediately darkened like thunderclouds, but he didn't shoot back or explode.
The seasoned Brazilian defensive-mid knew the best reply to low-level provocation isn't words but action.
Unperturbed by the noise, he timed Mkhitaryan's rhythm, saw his chance and executed a textbook tackle that won the ball and took the dribbler down.
Then with his left he cleared the ball to Santi Cazorla.
Thunderous applause rolled across the Emirates!
"Nice defending!"
"Gustavo's arrival has taken Arsenal's defense up a level."
On the pitch, Gustavo who'd won the ball helped Mkhitaryan to his feet; they hugged and patted each other's backs. Gustavo leaned in and whispered: "Little bro, the Champions League is your big stage, but it's dangerous here — legs can get broken. You'd better go back to your mother's arms."
Damn!
The Brazilian!
A great actor!
Saying the harshest words in the gentlest tone.
Unaware Dortmund fans applauded Gustavo's 'sportsmanship of match before friendship' — not knowing that their Armenian signing Mkhitaryan had just been intimidated.
Mkhitaryan didn't care about the broken-leg threat; he cared about the "little bro" remark.
"Little bro? Who wasn't once nothing and then something? But you owe me an explanation for the 'little' bit!"
Gustavo shrugged, glanced down as if answering, and sprinted forward.
Up front,
Xia Qi received Cazorla's pass, took two steps and lofted a half-high pass into Aaron Ramsey.
Ramsey's inside move was blocked, he layed back a triangular pass and the ball arrived at Kevin De Bruyne.
De Bruyne controlled it and waited…
Reus sped in to press; De Bruyne dribbled, shifted the ball from left to right, cursing one name in his mind several times.
De Bruyne believed that someone would appear in that exact spot — he believed he and that person had a telepathic understanding.
Of course he also knew that person would be lurking and hiding, so it might take a little longer.
Waiting makes minutes feel long though it's only six or seven seconds.
At last, from the corner of his eye, a red figure streaked into the space behind Dortmund's defense.
Damn it,
still raising his hand???
I've waited ages and you're telling me to hurry???
De Bruyne's head was full of thoughts, but his feet were clean and precise.
With a fierce half-turn, he shrugged off Reus' pressure on his shoulder and with the inside of his foot cut the pass — the ball sliced through Dortmund's thick defensive line like a scalpel.
On the ball's straight path, at least two Dortmund players stretched a leg to intercept but failed.
That red figure passed Dortmund's last defender Piszczek at the instant De Bruyne released the ball.
The Polish international knew he couldn't turn quickly enough so he threw his body at the red streak, but struck only an afterimage.
"Wonderful combination!"
"Another textbook counter offside."
On the ball's rolling line, a thigh reached out and controlled it.
Then with a small angle adjustment,
a calm finish!
The ball nestled against the left post and slid into the net.
Weidenfeller could do nothing.
"Goal! Xia Qi completes a hat-trick! Back up front, Xia Qi is still that goalscoring boy!"
"Tuchel still underestimated Xia Qi and gave him far too much space — Dortmund's defenders never knew when Xia Qi would appear, so how could they not concede?"
"Drogba's body, Van Basten's technique, Inzaghi's movement — Dortmund can't defend that!"
In the Emirates, Arsenal fans went wild,
jumping and shouting,
a thousand words condensed into one name:
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
"Xia Qi!"
Arsenal were two goals ahead of Dortmund again.
Tuchel looked at his watch, then up to the LED screen showing the ugly 4–2 scoreline that pained him, game time 55:23 — half an hour left.
He comforted himself: there was still time.
Make substitutions quickly.
He scanned the bench but couldn't find a "hero" to reverse the tide.
On the bench were Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Sven Bender, Nuri Şahin, Kirch…
Give it a shot, maybe a bicycle becomes a motorbike.
Aubameyang and Sven Bender started warming up…
Wenger glanced over and then sent Mario Balotelli and Mikel Arteta to warm up too.
Balotelli hesitated for a moment then jumped up excitedly.
He thought with Xia Qi playing up front he might not get a chance, but now…
On the touchline, the four players and their assistants did warm-up drills — high kicks, leg stretches, jumps, sprints…
"Both sides are making substitutions. Dortmund will bring on Aubameyang and Sven Bender; I expect direct positional swaps.
"Błaszczykowski has played well tonight but his stamina is a question — age spares no one. But it's only 55 minutes in; is it too early?"
At the 62nd minute the fourth official held up the board:
Aubameyang and Sven Bender on for Błaszczykowski and Kehl.
Balotelli and Arteta replaced Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla.
"Huh, Xia Qi didn't get subbed — I thought Wenger would rest him for the Premier League."
"So Balotelli plays striker, Xia Qi shifts to left midfield, and Arteta replaces Cazorla as like-for-like."
Tuchel's changes didn't spark Dortmund, but Wenger's substitutions had immediate effect.
With Balotelli occupying Dortmund's defenders in the box,
Xia Qi calmly linked Arteta, De Bruyne and Gustavo together.
Arsenal's midfield instantly grew sturdier.
Six minutes after the changes — the 68th minute —
Gustavo and Xia Qi combined to win the ball from Aubameyang; after stealing it they quickly passed to Gnabry.
Gnabry exploded down the right, reached the byline and played a lay-off to De Bruyne, who spread it wide.
The ball reached Xia Qi on the left.
Facing onrushing Sven Bender, Xia Qi simply shifted direction to beat him and left Bender behind.
A gentle push with his right foot and the pass reached Balotelli.
Balotelli in the center of the box took a touch and fired a fierce strike — clean as a blade.
The ball slipped under Weidenfeller's reach after a frantic save attempt.
5–2!
Arsenal led by three.
"Arsenal score again."
"After silky passing through the middle and front, Balotelli puts the match beyond doubt."
"Dortmund should be careful — Arsenal have let themselves go. At this momentum, anyone can be Xia Qi; if Dortmund can't suppress Arsenal's momentum, they face a heavy collapse…"
Zhang Lu's commentary was keen-eyed.
Nominally Xia Qi had replaced Aaron Ramsey at left midfield, but in reality he was playing as a midfield libero — Arsenal effectively gained an extra 0.5 defensive player.
Don't underestimate that half — because of it Arsenal's back line steadied.
And chances in midfield and attack multiplied.
At the 73rd minute, De Bruyne hit an over-the-top pass; Balotelli made a 45-degree run and volleyed.
Weidenfeller parried with both fists.
At the left side of the big box, Xia Qi held off Piszczek's advancing marking and laid the ball off to De Bruyne on the edge of the area.
De Bruyne rotated on the spot and struck an absolute worldie; the ball pierced Weidenfeller's outstretched fingers.
The score became 6–2!
That goal: Xia Qi's pass was lovely and De Bruyne's strike was even more brilliant — a snap strike that needed no run-up, a hallmark of De Bruyne.
At this moment Dortmund finally felt fear.
Arsenal didn't just want a win — they wanted a comprehensive rout!
That was something Dortmund could not accept!
Fight!
For pride!
Fight!
Massacre forever!
Each side had its reasons.
The temperature in the Emirates shot up 104 degrees!
The smell of blood hung over the pitch…
(END CHAPTER)
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