[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-163":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Start with R9 Template",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1388628,1840,"Chapter 163 - 163","start-with-r9-template-chapter-163",163,"\u003Cp>Robben bent over, vigorously rubbing his knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That familiar, sour ache was spreading through the joint, a warning signal from a body that had betrayed him too many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since joining Real Madrid in 2007, his right thigh, hamstring, and ankle had suffered 14 significant injuries, sidelining him for a total of 562 days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosive torque required for his signature cut-inside move placed enormous stress on his tendons, twisting them like old rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fuck,\" Robben muttered, grimacing. \"Not now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was known as the \"Glass Man\" for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But glass, when broken, is sharp, he jogged back into position, ignoring the pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match resumed, and Jose Mourinho was active on the touchline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whistled sharply, pointing at Paul Pogba and then at James Rodriguez.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gesture was clear: Suffocate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho knew that James shared a weakness with Juan Mata. The Colombian was a genius with time and space, but under intense physical pressure, his influence waned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Zinedine Zidane had benched him at Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pogba, towering over the Colombian, understood the assignment. He had played this role at Juventus when protecting Andrea Pirlo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, he used his long legs and upper body strength to bully James off the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too soft!\" Pogba grunted, winning a duel near the center circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, winning the ball was one thing; doing something with it was another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayern's counter-pressing in the final third was ferocious. Every time United tried to transition, a swarm of red shirts descended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho glanced at his bench, chewing his lip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United needed a conductor, someone like Michael Carrick to dictate the tempo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Carrick's legs were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against a winger like Robben, putting Carrick on the pitch was suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho shook his head. Don't be greedy, he told himself. 1-0 down away from home is manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the clock ticked toward the 36th minute, the game reached a stalemate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bayern's aging attackers—Robben and Ribery—began to tire. They couldn't sustain the high press forever. The red wave receded slightly, giving United a moment to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all Paul Pogba needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>James Rodriguez tried to press him again, but Pogba used his massive body to shield the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a flick of his right boot, he rolled the ball past the Colombian, spinning away into space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pogba breaks the line!\" Martin Tyler announced. \"He's surging into the right half-space!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pogba drove forward, head up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movement was designed to drag Javi Martinez out of position, exposing the soft underbelly of Bayern's defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Ling made his move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cut inside from the left, making a diagonal run behind Martinez's blind spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Joshua Kimmich had learned his lesson. The German defender stuck to Ling like glue, refusing to be shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jesse Lingard charged into the box to join Lukaku, occupying the center-backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What will Pogba do?\" Gary Neville asked. \"He's running out of options. Bayern are dropping deep. If he waits, the window closes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here it comes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pogba saw Ling's hand raise slightly, it was a shared wavelength between two geniuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'How confident,' Pogba thought with a grin forming on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pogba struck the ball with the inside of his foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a weighted pass, curving slightly to bypass Martinez and arriving perfectly at the edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling, who had slowed his jog to lull Kimmich into a false sense of security, suddenly exploded. He burst forward like an arrow released from a bow, creating a yard of separation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Kimmich recovered instantly, sprinting desperately to close the gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling received the ball and realize he had no support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mata and Lingard were covered. Ashley Young was too deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I have to shoot.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But shooting directly was impossible with Kimmich breathing down his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling's body language screamed \"SHOT.\" His right arm swung wide for balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right leg folded back, ready to strike through the ball like an axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's going for the curler!\" Tyler shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire stadium knew it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sven Ulreich, the Bayern keeper, began shuffling to his left, anticipating the shot to the far corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bayern defenders tensed, ready to block.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joshua Kimmich, seeing the wind-up, made a split-second decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling scored 31% of his long-range shots from this zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I have to block it!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kimmich threw his body through the air, turning his back to protect his face, determined to take the cannonball on his ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the sound of impact never came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, there was a soft touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kimmich flew past Ling, blocking nothing but air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he slid across the turf, his heart sank like a stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'He fucking faked it.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling's right foot didn't strike the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It caressed it instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dissipated all the force the moment he made contact, dragging the ball behind his standing leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball rolled obediently like a docile lamb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From behind his left heel to the left side of his body, Ling's center of gravity shifted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He completed a 90-degree turn in one fluid motion, the black hem of his jersey dancing in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cruyff Turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, stop it!\" Neville gasped. \"That is pure filth! Elegance never goes out of style! He has sent Kimmich back to the academy!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the gaze of 75,000 stunned fans, Ling didn't admire his work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jerome Boateng, realizing Kimmich was dead, abandoned Lingard and charged out like a bull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling had no time to shift the ball back to his stronger right foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He locked his eyes on the near post as he twisted his hips, generating torque from his core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struck the ball with the instep of his left foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added a follow-through, whipping his leg across his body to impart vicious topspin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ball spun fiercely toward the bottom left corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sven Ulreich had gambled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The keeper had shifted his weight to the right, expecting the shot to the far post. When Ling cut back, Ulreich was wrong-footed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he reacted, pushing off his standing leg, it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulreich dove, his fingers stretching, desperate to claw it back and the ball kissed the net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-1!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"GOALLLLL! MANCHESTER UNITED!\" Martin Tyler roared. \"Absolute magic from Ling! He turned the Allianz Arena into his playground!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roar of the traveling United fans erupted, piercing the Bavarian night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling turned and sprinted straight to Paul Pogba, leaping into the midfielder's arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Paul! That pass!\" Ling shouted, grabbing Pogba's face. \"The weight was perfect! I didn't even need to adjust!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, Ling!\" Pogba laughed, flashing a bright white smile as he hugged his teammate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Cruyff turn was filthy, brother! I love that move! You killed him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1121,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","8f694388be188c2421913be41c6b99438ce367b98a834704d4484b1ac7f16334","start-with-r9-template-chapter-164","start-with-r9-template-chapter-162",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]