[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-start-with-r9-template":3,"chapter-start-with-r9-template-start-with-r9-template-chapter-98":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},1388913,1840,"Chapter 98 - 98","start-with-r9-template-chapter-98",98,"\u003Cp>The Champions League group stage concluded, and the landscape of European football was set in stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The qualification spots were finalized, and for Manchester United fans, the list of potential opponents in the Round of 16 was enough to cause insomnia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Group Winners (Pot 1): Manchester United, PSG, Roma, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester City, Beşiktaş, Tottenham.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Runners-up (Pot 2): Basel, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Shakhtar Donetsk, Porto, Real Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The irony was palpable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tottenham Hotspur had been invincible, defeating Dortmund and crushing Real Madrid 3-1 to top their group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This excited South Korean fans to no end, fueling speculation that Son Heung-min might conquer Europe before Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for United, winning the group felt like a punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to UEFA rules preventing teams from facing clubs from their own association (Chelsea) or their own group (Basel), the pool of opponents was small and terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scott McTominay's \"jinx\" in the cafeteria was half-proven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United had a roughly 50% chance of drawing one of the three titans: Bayern Munich, Juventus, or Real Madrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Online comments exploded across global forums:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Red_Army]: \"This is a joke. We win the group and we get Real Madrid?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Madridista]: \"We finished second on purpose. Zidane is playing 4D chess. We want United.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Stats_Dave]: \"Actually, the math says we have the highest probability of drawing Sevilla. But knowing our luck...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[User: Mou_The_Special_One]: \"Mourinho: 'Sorry, I've never lost a Champions League final. I don't know the feeling.' The man is ready.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>December 14th. Premier League, Round 17.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Manchester United vs. Bournemouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Trafford was packed, the winter air biting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans were there not just for three points, but for history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>United were currently on unbeaten streak at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were just three games away from equaling the legendary top-five league record set by Juventus (43 matches).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortress Old Trafford was rebuilding its walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Eddie Howe's Bournemouth had come to spoil the party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having failed to win in their last four matches, they parked the bus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn't just park it; they took the wheels off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Paul Pogba suspended, United lacked the creative spark to pick the lock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Ling found himself in a new kind of prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two defenders, Adam Smith and Simon Francis, positioned themselves in a staggered formation on the left flank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They pinned him down, shadowing his every move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the \"Sophomore Slump\" strategy. Analysts had figured out Ling's heat map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Stop the cut-inside, stop the player.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'If they are looking at me,' he thought, 'they aren't looking at Romelu'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to drift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dragged Adam Smith inside, then sprinted wide. He swapped positions with Lingard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He created chaos not with the ball, but with his gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>68th Minute. The deadlock remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd was getting restless. Ling dropped deep into the left-back position to receive the ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bournemouth's defensive block shifted toward him like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nemanja Matić saw the shift. He ignored Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he switched play rapidly to the right wing with a laser-guided pass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Juan Mata controlled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bournemouth left side was empty because the defense was tilted toward Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just pass it!\" Lukaku screamed from the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mata delivered a whipped, low cross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Romelu Lukaku, playing on the shoulder of the last defender, made a horizontal run to the near post.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He met the ball and smashed it into the roof of the net with his right foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1-0!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Trafford exhaled. The fans rose to their feet. The deadlock was broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the team celebrated, Ling jogged past Adam Smith, the Bournemouth defender who had been kicking him all afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See?\" Ling spread his hands, grinning. \"I'm not the danger. Marking me is useless. You left the big guy open.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith curled his lip, spitting on the turf. \"Arsenal believed your nonsense and you scored a hat trick. Koscielny's market value dropped by millions because of you. I'm not falling for it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our coach is the best at parking the bus,\" Ling winked. \"You guys are just amateurs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The match ended 1-0.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ugly, pragmatic, and victorious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the locker room, the mood was light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ling, what were you talking about with that guy?\" Lukaku asked, unlacing his boots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told him you are the team's core,\" Ling joked. \"I said they should focus on defending you. Who knew they wouldn't believe me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe,\" Lukaku grinned, patting his stat sheet. \"Well, I've scored more goals than you again. Order is restored.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost!\" Ling laughed, throwing a sock at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner, Zlatan Ibrahimović stood up, his jersey draped over his shoulders like a cape, revealing his tattooed torso.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We are going to break Juventus' record,\" he declared, his voice booming. \"We keep the glory here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was personal for Zlatan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had left Juventus in 2006 during the Calciopoli scandal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans there called him a mercenary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Let them talk, 'Zlatan thought. 'I am still winning.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Next Day. Nyon, Switzerland. UEFA Headquarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air in Nyon was crisp and clean, smelling of money and pine trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the security barriers, hundreds of fervent fans and journalists crowded the entrance, their breath misting in the cold air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were waiting for the royalty of football.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sleek black Mercedes business vehicle pulled to a stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door opened and Two figures emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a middle-aged man with a full head of silver-grey hair, wearing a sharp Italian suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>José Mourinho.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was a young man with jet-black hair, looking sharp but slightly out of place in a club blazer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeremy Ling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fans felt a twinge of disappointment—these weren't Messi or Ronaldo—but they still offered enthusiastic applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mourinho was a legend, and Ling was the breakout star of the season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ling,\" Mourinho said quietly as they walked the red carpet. \"Don't be too reserved. Chin up. You'll be coming here often from now on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Ibrahimović had last-minute commercial commitments, Mourinho had decided to bring Ling as the player representative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a statement: This is the future of Manchester United.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling nodded. \"Yes, Boss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truth be told, he wasn't particularly nervous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had played in front of 75,000 people. A few guys in suits didn't scare him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a deafening roar of cheers erupted from behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a sound different from the polite applause they had received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the sound of hysteria.\u003C\u002Fp>",1062,"2026-06-05T22:48:23.062Z",1,"novelbin.me","758f31b7e5d9c9897f65635bcaf4e78e2be14ceb514adb4e0bd786900b9637f4","start-with-r9-template-chapter-99","start-with-r9-template-chapter-97",371,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstart-with-r9-template-cover.jpg"]