Chapter 452: German Assassins Arrive at the Allianz Arena, Rumbling Loudly

Bang!

Bang-bang-bang!

At 3 a. m. on match day, Bayern fans set off fireworks beside the hotel where Manchester United was staying.

Tang Ye was jolted awake.

Barefoot, he slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony.

Beautiful fireworks exploded against the pitch-black sky.

Resting his hand on the railing, Tang Ye looked down.

The firework packaging was familiar; unsurprisingly, these fireworks had all been imported from China.

The wind blew, carrying a chill, so Tang Ye fetched a jacket before coming back out and sitting directly on the balcony floor.

Bang!

Bang-bang!

Although woken by the noise, Tang Ye was in a good mood.

German fans were incredibly hospitable; they were actually using Chinese fireworks to welcome GGBond's arrival!

"Ding-dong!"

After watching the fireworks for five or six minutes, the phone charging in the room rang; Tang Ye went over to get it.

【Fan Fan Dejiahe: The kit man has gone to fetch noise-canceling headphones; anyone who needs them can get them directly from me.】

【Fan Fan Dejiahe: Has anyone been woken up?】

Tonight's match was crucial; if any player were woken at 3 a. m., Mr. Michel would certainly be under immense pressure.

Not wanting to worry the coach, Tang Ye replied first.

【Tang Ye: No.】

Hmm.

Hmm...

Blinking his eyes, Tang Ye suddenly became fully awake.

Eh, wait.

Less than five hours before kickoff, on a street near the Allianz Arena.

Four armed police officers stood in a row, facing a well-organized group of Bayern fans, numbering roughly at least five hundred.

"Miasan Mia! (We are who we are!)"

Bang-bang!

"FC Bayern! Ole! Ole!"

Bang-bang!

They jumped up and down while chanting slogans, creating a sensation like an earthquake for anyone standing nearby.

In the third round, Bayern and Manchester United had drawn, yet during that match Bayern had created at least six clear chances to score against Manchester United.

Therefore, the Bayern fans were deeply dissatisfied with that previous 3-3 scoreline.

"We must put pressure on Manchester United!"

The leader of the fan organization shouted through a megaphone.

"Pressure!"

The fans echoed in unison.

"We must defeat Manchester United and take all three points!"

"Take all three points!"

While the fan organization held its mobilization event, someone stood on the sidelines filming.

The video was uploaded to YouTube and was quickly spotted by Rodri.

"Tom, look at this."

Having just exited the hotel entrance, Rodri handed his phone to Tang Ye, who watched the screen while walking.

"Damn, Rod, look, the phone is shaking."

"Don't tell me they've stomped out an earthquake."

Tang Ye wanted to hear Rodri analyze the reasons behind this, but soon fans lying in wait outside the hotel shouted his name.

"Tang Ye! Tang Ye! Tang Ye!"

Although Tang Ye had eliminated Germany during the World Cup, he still had quite a few supporters in Germany.

This had nothing to do with grudges between national teams.

After all, GGBond's personal charisma was indeed not easily resisted.

Kicker front page: German fans set off fireworks near Manchester United's hotel; the fans involved have been arrested by police.

"Eyewitnesses confirmed that someone did come out of a room, but strangely, that person did not curse at the fans setting off fireworks; instead, they sat on the balcony and watched the display. Regrettably, the distance was too great to see clearly, so witnesses speculated that the fans may have woken not a Manchester United player, but another hotel guest," Kicker reported.

Bayern fans had used some rather unsavory methods in an attempt to disrupt Manchester United players' match readiness; after the news broke, many Manchester United fans felt somewhat nervous.

Judging from the video, they had indeed set off many large fireworks, and the noise was very loud.

What if some player had been woken up?

It was 3 a. m., after all!

【But it's fine; my GGBond's sleep shouldn't be a problem; these firecrackers won't wake him.】

Fans speculated about who the person stepping onto the balcony was, guessing everyone from Rodri to Ye He, while others claimed it was Manchester United's kit manager.

Time ticked closer.

Repost: Bayern vs. Manchester United starting lineups announced; Rashford matches up against Kimmich, Tang Ye takes on Müller and Goretzka.

Fan feedback from the scene: No rain has fallen at the stadium yet, but the thunder is deafening.

……

"It should pour shortly; if it doesn't start before kickoff, it will come during the first half."

Fan Fan Dejiahe analyzed the weather forecast for the players: "What I'm saying is, if it stays dry, we play our full game; but if it rains, we should emphasize more passing. Ask Tom about that—he knows this stuff better."

Chewing gum, Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up.

Rain is indeed unpleasant, but unless it's excessively heavy, Tang Ye personally felt he could still see clearly.

It's just that if the pitch gets very wet, ball control won't feel comfortable, and he wouldn't be able to showcase his superpower as a possession-style midfielder.

"China Central Television! This is your live broadcast of..."

"The match has begun; allow me to introduce the starting lineups for both sides, starting with the home team, Bayern."

"Currently the number one team in the Bundesliga!"

Bayern (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Neuer

Defenders: Kimmich, Jerome Boateng, Hummels, Alaba

Midfielders: Müller, Javi Martínez, Goretzka

Forwards: Gnabry, Lewandowski, Ribéry

Head Coach: Kovač

"..."

"There, there!"

Pointing toward the center, Tang Ye played a through ball to Valencia.

Manchester United's fullback cut inward diagonally.

Tang Ye began posing as a right winger, making a overlapping run down the flank alongside Ziyech.

What about the right-back then?

During this phase of wide attacking play, Manchester United effectively had no fullbacks.

Valencia advanced with the ball; his pace was quite good.

Tang Ye and Ziyech sought receiving positions.

Ziyech drew the defenders away, while Tang Ye cut inside to receive.

Valencia passed first to Martial!

Martial dropped deep to receive, then decisively laid the ball off to Tang Ye, who had cut in.

Feeling in great form today, Tang Ye made a bold choice.

Accelerate and cut inside!

Pause briefly as the defenders approached.

Then accelerate again!

And then...

Boom!

A long-range shot struck directly with his left foot.

"He shot straight away!"

"Neuer reacted incredibly fast!"

"My god, Tang Ye's long-range shot was so fast; had Neuer reacted even a fraction slower, Manchester United would have scored."

Before the tenth minute of the first half, Manchester United had already threatened Bayern's goal!

"Damn!"

Shaking his hand, Tang Ye clearly hadn't expected Neuer to react that quickly.

He prepared to take his position for the corner kick attack.

At that moment...

Rumble-rumble-rumble!!!

"..."

Tang Ye and Goretzka embraced, exchanged a glance, then both looked up at the sky.

The Allianz Arena was brightly lit, but that light came from the stadium's floodlights.

In reality, the sky was now filled with black clouds, dense and somewhat terrifying to behold.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!!!

The sky suddenly flashed.

Wow!

Tang Ye took a deep breath.

The weather forecast hadn't been wrong this time; barring any surprises, rain would fall on the stadium within a few minutes.

Moreover, based on Tang Ye's experience, once it started, the rain would likely be heavy immediately.

"Weather conditions at the scene are not ideal; we can even hear the thunder echoing through the speakers here in the broadcast booth."

"Yes, the forecast predicted thunderstorms with wind for Munich today."

"But apart from the thunder, conditions remain good for now; if either team can seize a 1–0 lead at this moment, they will hold the initiative once the downpour begins!"

The commentators' analysis was correct.

And this is exactly what both sides' players are thinking right now.

Take the advantage, take the advantage...

Two minutes later, a dull rumble of thunder cracked across the sky, startling Tang Ye as he prepared to receive the ball.

Fortunately, with nearly 100,000 people in the stadium, no matter how the thunder roared, Tang Ye felt a full sense of security in his heart.

De Jong is dribbling forward!

Tang Ye sidestepped Martinez and sprinted straight toward the forward line.

He wanted to create a more suitable passing option for De Jong!

"Go up!"

The Bayern players shouted.

Just as De Jong was about to play a through pass to Tang Ye, Goretzka suddenly charged in.

A sliding tackle!

The move was wild, and the speed was fast enough.

But De Jong was prepared, sending the ball out half a second before the interception arrived.

The pass wasn't very accurate, but it didn't matter.

"Hey!"

He stuck his foot out to stop the ball.

Martinez rushed back to defend!

Tang Ye advanced, stopped abruptly, then advanced again, temporarily shaking off the annoying Martinez.

Bang!

The through pass went into the penalty area.

Martial!

Stumbling as he stopped the ball, Martial faced Neuer head-on.

"Oh!!"

Bang!

A shot was punched away by Neuer with his hands.

Jerome Jerome Boateng quickly cleared the ball out of bounds.

Manchester United launched an attack, but they didn't score the goal they wanted!

The players prepared to handle the second corner kick when another rumble sounded from the sky.

Tang Ye raised an eyebrow and looked up at the sky.

Crash crash crash!!!!

Heavy rain poured down.

"Damn, haha!"

His hair was soaked instantly, but Tang Ye was very happy.

Brothers, the match has suddenly become interesting!

Check Dongqiu Di live report: Martial's shot from inside the box was punched away by Neuer, and a sudden downpour began at the venue.

If it rains at the venue, the broadcast footage usually doesn't show it clearly, but today CCTV5 fans can clearly see the curtain of rain looking like lines on screen, enough to show how exaggerated the rain at the venue was.

"This rain has finally started falling."

"Neither side scored before the rain started; Heaven is still very fair."

"Such heavy rain will greatly affect the offense; will Manchester United draw with Bayern again?"

"Coach He, you can't say that. If it rains, defensive players will also make mistakes more easily."

"That's true, but the field hasn't started accumulating water yet, so strictly speaking, the defending side still holds a slight advantage."

Coach He is still too rigorous!

Splash splash splash splash!

The rain was indeed a bit outrageous; Tang Ye had to wipe his eyes with his hand from time to time to prevent his vision from being blocked by the rain.

Actually, it's still very fair; both sides' offense and defense will be greatly affected next.

Hmm, let's see who can make use of the opponent's mistakes.

Kimmich sent a long pass from the back field to the center.

Martinez stopped the ball with his foot.

It was a bit slippery, but everyone is a professional player; they can still adapt to such conditions.

Martinez is dribbling himself!

"Ole Ole Ole~~"

The fans were chanting; after reaching a suitable position, Martinez passed the ball forward.

The one with the ball now is Gnabry!

Suddenly accelerating down the wing!

"Follow him, follow him!"

Ashley Young was pressing tight, but Gnabry's speed was fast enough.

Crack!

A cross was sent out.

But!

Gnabry missed the ball!

"Oh my, that ball!"

"Haha, Gnabry probably intended to cross it to Alaba at the far post, but his vision seems a bit off..."

A single cross sent the ball straight out of bounds; in the camera shot, Gnabry clutched his head in his hands.

Only the players on the field knew how helpless it felt to play in such conditions.

If this rain continued like this, in a few more minutes the pitch would accumulate enough water for the referee to blow the whistle and stop the match.

But after less than ten minutes of rainfall, the rain clearly eased up.

Then there was no need for a suspension!

"Look at me, look at me!"

Pulling to the left to search for an open space.

It was still raining, so Tang Ye had to maintain focus, ensuring he did not overlook anything within his field of vision.

Boom!

Smalling sent the ball up.

Passed to Tang Ye!

Tang Ye stopped the ball with his right foot, pulled it to his left, and then prepared to deliver a through pass to Rashford.

Before Tang Ye could push out his through pass, he was brought down.

"Beep!"

In the 35th minute of the match, Manchester United earned a set-piece opportunity.

Unsurprisingly, it was given to Tang Ye again.

But how to handle this ball was indeed worth some discussion.

"To the far post."

Tang Ye whispered to Bailly: "I'll try shooting directly; you guys rush the far post."

Trying to shoot directly, yet asking teammates to rush the far post.

To be honest, Bailly didn't quite understand Tang Ye's intention.

But the general idea was clear: Tang Ye would send the ball toward the far post.

The hand signal was made, and soon the referee blew the whistle.

"Beep beep beep beep!!!"

The fans were attempting to interfere.

Tang Ye was adjusting his breathing.

Once the ball got wet, friction would decrease, so this kick needed to be handled carefully...

Tang Ye began his run-up!

Both arms spread wide, core tightened, body fully extended.

Crack!

"He didn't shoot directly; it's a cross to the far post!"

"It's very deep!"

"Smalling!"

Smalling jumped up beside the right goalpost and delivered a header.

The next second, the ball had already hit the back of the net.

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Was that Smalling's goal? It seems Smalling scored it!"

After confirming the goal, the Manchester United players began shouting, then rushed together to celebrate.

Perfect!

This time Tang Ye did not choose to slide on his knees; instead, he found a puddle near the sideline.

Boom!

His body slammed onto the ground, sliding across the surface like a penguin on ice!

Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe exchanged smiles.

Others had never seen this celebration move, but both of them had witnessed it before.

Tom's special celebration for rainy matches.

Penguin Charge!

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *20】

"Hmm, a very timely goal; Manchester United established an advantage in the last ten minutes of the first half."

"That should have been Smalling's header..."

The screen showed the replay.

Tang Ye took the free kick, sending the ball over the wall as it began to descend.

Near the right goalpost, Smalling arrived just in time.

He jumped up!

"Eh!"

"It seems he didn't touch it!"

"Indeed, he didn't touch it!"

The camera zoomed in; the commentators and fans discovered the secret.

Although Mo Lin made a heading motion, he did not actually touch the ball!

So, who was this goal ultimately credited to?

Hmm, so hard to guess!

Dongqiu Di live match report: Tang Ye directly took the free kick into the top corner; Manchester United leads 1:0 away from home.

Boom—boom—boom!!

The rain at the venue grew even heavier!

……

PS: There will be at least two more updates today.

(End of chapter)