Chapter 117: The Wheel of History! (Daily, Proceed with Caution if You Mind!)

A long, long time ago.

There's a joke in German football: if Magath and his disciples went back to the Titanic of that year, everyone could swim back to Southampton.

Many players might not even be able to swim past him.

After all, when Ma played football, he was a T0-level champion midfielder in Europe at that time.

His nickname after becoming a coach was "Devil Coach". He placed great emphasis on players' physical fitness and discipline.

His aggressive nature didn't last long in elite clubs, but he repeatedly led "grassroots" teams to slaughter giants.

Olympic Stadium.

The Hertha Berlin players were a bit dazed.

They originally thought it would be a thrilling, end-to-end attacking battle.

They sharpened their knives, ready to end the match in the most ferocious way.

Leverkusen actually chickened out?

Retreated all the way back?

"Coach Tuop's tactics are really conservative!"

"It's understandable, the pressure of three games a week is huge, the starting midfielders Kramer and Bendel are injured and can't play."

The atmosphere was very dull.

The cheers of tens of thousands of fans at the venue grew weaker and weaker.

The reason why Hertha Berlin "meet the strong and grow strong, meet the weak and grow weak" is very simple:

They are not good at playing positional attacking with the ball.

When facing strong teams, they can use fierce pressing, frantic running, and after completely winning the ball, launch threatening counterattacks with a few passes.

When facing weak teams, in a stalemate of positional play where weak teams peck at each other, they won't play.

Especially in the current scene, Leverkusen gave up possession, dropped their formation to the thirty-meter zone, leaving only Son Heung-min up front.

Magath couldn't solve this problem.

Hertha Berlin's players are all a bunch of "losers", their market value speaks for itself.

Positional attacking with the ball requires creativity.

The crushed mineral water bottle in his hand couldn't hide the anxiety in the heart of Hertha Berlin's head coach.

"Damn Tuop, so shameless!"

On the other side.

Dino was discussing the Bayern match with the coaching staff.

Tuop Laotou sat calmly on the coach's bench, his thoughts drifting to the upcoming winter transfer window.

Leverkusen was willing to put most of the broadcast revenue sharing funds into winter signings.

What type of defensive player should be strengthened?

This is a difficult problem.

They could only look for players who hadn't been registered for the Champions League this season!

Minute 15 of the match.

Witsel received a pass from Darida near the byline.

He casually flicked it, easily shaking off Boltes' entanglement.

As a Bayern castoff, eating alive a Brazilian winger strong in attack but weak in defense was still very easy for him.

After creating space, he raised his head slightly to observe.

He struck the ball with the inside of his foot, hitting its lower left side.

Bam!

The ball lifted off the ground, arcing through the air and plummeting straight into Leverkusen's penalty area!

"A very high-quality cross."

"Genki Haraguchi!"

The Japanese player didn't know when he had made a forward run into the big penalty area!

As a former J-League genius, his judgment of ball trajectories was very accurate!

He stomped his feet hard on the turf!

He leapt high into the air!

Thud!

Bostock adjusted his position with small steps, didn't jump! He headed the ball away first!

"This clearance is crucial! Haraguchi's height and leaping ability are unsuitable for this attacking style."

"Bostock's role in defense is also very obvious!"

"Look at the second ball!"

The ball bounced out of the outer penalty area!

Kalu quickly rushed in!

Time flies, the former Chelsea youngster is now thirty years old this year.

As Drogba's former substitute, he doesn't fear physical confrontation.

Thud!

Before the ball fell.

A black-haired figure had already anticipated and taken his position!

The close-up shot transmitted a burst of intense flesh-on-flesh collision sounds.

"Drogba's little brother" was squeezed flat to the ground!

Li Kang easily took the power off the ball and pushed out a short pass!

"Time flies too fast—Kalou, now in his thirties, has physicality and speed far inferior to his prime."

"Look at Leverkusen's counterattack this time!"

"The crowd is too dense, no direct pass to Son Heung-min!"

The football slipped through the gap between Hertha Berlin players.

The end of the trajectory.

A frail figure appeared.

Calhanoglu!

Although he has poor character, bad luck, low emotional intelligence, talks nonsense, is physically weak, and so many other serious flaws... his long-range passing is absolutely top-tier among the younger generation.

"Starting with Maxed-Out Passing Value!"

The football rolled toward his dominant foot, gradually slowing down.

Do you still need to think?

Lean back!

Swing the arm!

Kick!

Thud!

Accompanied by a crisp sound!

Above the Olympic Stadium, a beautiful rainbow was traced!

Sideline.

Tuopu Laotou suddenly put down his mineral water bottle and asked: "I've finalized the selections—En-Nesyri of Sevilla, Romeu of Southampton, Mbappé of Monaco, Umtiti of Lyon... Dembélé of Rennes..."

Dino shook his head: "Mr. Wo Le Er's racism is severe, especially toward Black people from France and the Netherlands—he'd rather... Oh God! Captain! We're going to score!"

The other side.

Matagat's expression remained calm.

"The pause by the Asian kid put us in a very passive position."

The Berlin Hertha center-backs who originally wanted to implement an offside trap were stunned!

No time to turn around!

Son Heung-min had already flung the last line of defense far behind him!

The football fell onto the grass.

The South Korean forward smoothly received the ball and surged forward!

Charging into the Hertha Berlin penalty area!

"No offside!"

"One-on-one!"

"Son Heung-min! So fast!"

Leverkusen fans erupted in wild cheers!

Hertha Berlin fans erupted in wild boos!

Goalkeeper Alarsan is an extremely aggressive goalkeeper.

How aggressive is he?

In his youth, he frequently fought coaches and teammates.

He once received the most red cards of any goalkeeper in the Norwegian Eliteserien.

Gazing at the onrushing Son Heung-min.

He couldn't help but...

Who has the time to judge the catching distance and the attacking player's route!

Just come out!

Edge of Hertha Berlin's major penalty area!

Their figures crossed paths!

Son Heung-min was shoved to the ground! The football slowly rolled out over the baseline!

Beep!

The whistle blew!

The referee rushed to the foul spot and pulled out a yellow card!

【111 "Too bad!"

"What a pity!"

"Leverkusen earned a decent free-kick opportunity!"

"The referee's standard is relatively lenient—no red card given!"

Sideline.

Tuopu Laotou and Dino helplessly raised their hands.

"Captain? That should've been a red card! We're going to complain to the fourth official!"

"Don't move, stay calm—their second goalkeeper is Kraft, and I don't want to leave Berlin with a draw!"

Red card, often jokingly called the "Ruby War God Card" by many fans!

It's not true that a team playing with one less player will immediately collapse!

In the lower half of the five major leagues, if a team gets a red card and the score remains tied, they usually choose to retreat entirely, leaving no counterattack threat up front!

The other side.

Maragat stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression calm.

The rather mediocre Berlin Hertha players could not make him unleash a magnificent attacking surge as he did during his Wolfsburg and Bayern days.

Fortunately, the pre-match preparations were thorough; he had clearly figured out the free-kick characteristics of Çalhanoğlu and Li Kang.

The main referee pulled out a foam spray can and drew a "U" shape at the foul spot.

Since the 2014 Brazil World Cup, the five major leagues have begun widely using this new technology.

The foam disappears within 1-2 minutes after use, causing no effect on the turf.

However, the inventor of this technology has sued FIFA in court, demanding that football matches using the foam spray technology pay a fine of 1.5 dollars per match.

Çalhanoğlu hesitated for a long time before being dragged into the wall by Bellarabi.

"Hakan, stop thinking—this free-kick position, your right foot isn't effective, don't interfere with Li's performance!"

The Berlin Hertha players stared firmly; the coaching staff concluded: Li Kang's free-kicks focus more on angle, not blasting powerful shots! Moreover, the ball's speed is not fast during its ascent!

Both teams' players took their positions in the wall.

Yarsitan stood ready.

Li Kang gazed at the goal, the shadow in his mind wildly spreading,

Two phantom figures simultaneously appeared in his vision.

Ballack and Mihaylovich!

The arcing cannonball and the Bogrov missile!

When kicking against Arsenal, he didn't cheat; when kicking against Berlin Hertha, he cheated...

He began to step back...

The Berlin Hertha wall couldn't help but shiver, all of them clutching their crotches.

"The free-kick spot is too close to the goal—it might not be a good thing!"

"The shooting angle is smaller; when the ball clears the wall's top, there isn't enough distance to drop. If you pursue too much angle, you're prone to firing high shots!"

"Tuop's coach back then had a rich variety of free-kick tactics; Li Kang might not choose to shoot directly!"

"Still need to step back? This run-up distance!"

On the sideline.

Tuop Laotou wondered: "How many free-kick techniques has Li mastered?"

Dino shook his head: "I don't know—he practices free-kicks every day!"

After stepping back ten or so meters.

Li Kang began his run-up!

Gradually accelerating!

The two phantom figures of Ballack and Mihaylovich gradually overlapped.

With each step taken.

The power condensed in his feet grew greater!

In God's perspective, a dotted line lit up, entwined with rolling black smoke.

Tens of thousands of Berlin Hertha fans on site held their breath.

They seemed to see a heavy cannon aimed at a certain wall isolating consciousness.

Boom!

Accompanied by a roar echoing through the night sky.

The football underwent violent deformation!

It rose off the ground.

At an unimaginable speed, it curved around the wall!

An exaggeratedly extreme arc!

In mid-air, it gradually turned into a black speck!

Carrying the force of thunder and lightning!

It blasted open Berlin Hertha's gate!

The door frame kept violently trembling.

Yarsitan stared blankly, his feet trembling, as if he had personally experienced a disaster!

0:1!

!

The Olympic Stadium fell silent for two seconds.

Then erupted into a tidal wave of applause!

"Beautiful!"

"This goal went in!"

"Li Kang's ranking on the Bundesliga scorer list has risen again! He helped Lewokusen take the lead in Berlin!"

"Such power! Such an arc! It reminds us of Real Madrid legend—Carlos!"

"Vajra Leg!"

Live stream room.

The danmaku isn't numerous, but it's very rational.

On weekend match days, most fans pay more attention to top-tier giants' games.

-【Xuantian Heavy Sword! Waiting for the ball speed report to come out!】

-【Really annoying, either licking La Masia or licking Real Madrid!】

-【Li Kang currently ranks fourth on the Bundesliga top scorers list, with the top three being Lai Wan, Aubameyang, and Müller!】

-【No way, I remember Li Mingdeng almost scores every game!】

-【At the start of the season, he missed two matches, and Leverkusen rarely scores four or more goals in a slaughter, not enough to match Bayern and Dortmund's ferocity!】

-【I feel he's quite laid-back about personal honors, going with the flow and still managing to squeeze into fourth...】

On the sidelines.

Tuopu Laotou and Dino were stunned.

"Captain, I've thought of a terrifying tactic!"

"Hmm... not practical!"

On the other side.

Magat trembled all over, forcing himself to stay calm.

As a renowned coach who has seen great storms.

He couldn't imagine... a 17-year-old "kid" could unleash such a domineering nuclear free kick!

Is this damn thing La Masia's work?

In a daze.

He stared at Leverkusen's number 10's back, vaguely recalling... recalling damn all! Among the generations of genius disciples he had promoted, there was no template similar to Li Kang!

"Does Bayern still want to win the winter championship?"

Li Kang bent down, hands pressing on his knees, as if all his strength had been drained.

From the existing modules, comprehensive analysis.

Barak's phantom, most frequent appearance, and also the weakest.

His arc cannon shot lacks shooting accuracy.

After all, the loot box level is set that way.

When appearing simultaneously with other modules, it always manages to produce wonderful chemical reactions!

Teammates haven't recovered from the shock.

Li Kang symbolically ran toward the corner flag area, preparing to make a celebration move.

Although only when breaking through Nou Camp's gate does one feel a hint of joy.

But Wo Le Er said earnestly: You are now Europe's most dazzling new star; goals and assists should be celebrated, otherwise FIFA's minor guardianship agency will conduct endless investigations.

People like Balotelli, even when not celebrating after scoring, still strike a pose and lift their shirts!

"Li! That side is Berlin Hertha's stand!"

Berlin Hertha's club culture has high inclusivity toward young players, even toward enemies.

Moreover, Li Kang hadn't even gotten to celebrate when Son Heung-min pulled him to the other stand.

The blue-white army's fans never stint on applause!

The match continued.

Berlin Hertha's players, trailing by one goal, appeared somewhat impatient.

Magat's training methods and diet make it hard to cultivate composed, strategic midfield generals,

They are inept at positional attacking with the ball, fundamentally unable to pose any threat to Leverkusen's backline!

Long-range shot breaking the bus?

One by one, anti-aircraft cannons flew toward the stands!

Wide-ranging distribution?

The opposing players' individual abilities are too strong!

Plus there's Li Kang, with broad coverage and strong sweeping ability!

"Originally thought it would be an all-out attack battle!"

"Leverkusen's schedule is very tough, rotation adjustments and conservative tactics are unavoidable!"

"Tuop coach wants to win the match in the easiest way possible!"

Match minute 30.

Yuankou Yuanqi's midfield thrust-thrust-thrust came to an abrupt halt.

Another little Japanese, fell under Li Mingdeng's crotch.

The Olympic Stadium's turf, as if sliced by a sharp blade.

Berlin Hertha's midfield and defensive lines are shattered!

"Leverkusen's counterattack is coming again!"

"Li Kang's ground long pass is unique!"

"Son Heung-min! Another one-on-one!"

Son Heung-min doesn't need to look back to know Li Kang will pass the ball over!

His awareness is strong; he judges based on the opponent's formation changes when Li will choose to pass and when he himself should run!

Again shook off Berlin Hertha's two center backs!

Rushed into the forty-meter zone.

The football happened to roll to the right foot of the Korean winger!

He is a rather unconventional player, naturally right-footed, but his left foot is more accurate when shooting!

Similar to Morata's situation...

"Li's pass is so comfortable! I must cherish this opportunity!"

"Don't throw away the single blade!"

"He hasn't scored in several consecutive matches, needs to reflect, absolutely cannot meet Xiao Ying recently..."

Pfft!

The close-up shot transmitted a burst of intense melee sounds!

"Oh no! Son Heung-min's move was half a beat slow! Blocked by Alarcon's angle, he couldn't accelerate again!"

"Stark chased up and knocked down Lewokusen's forward!"

"Recently, a certain entertainment company in Korea claimed its artist is dating Son Heung-min!"

"Off-field factors, more or less, will affect player performance!"

"Ah! The main referee's whistle blew, signaling a foul!"

"Lewokusen earned another free-kick opportunity!"

Son Heung-min got up, turned his head, and gave Li Kang a thumbs-up.

Berlin Hertha players swarmed the main referee, frantically explaining.

Conceding a goal is one thing!

If hit by Li Kang's cannon in the groin or face!

The consequences are unimaginable!

Alarcon bitterly glanced toward the bench.

He really doesn't want to taste Lewokusen number 10's heavy cannon again!

Substitute goalkeeper-Kraft, dubbed "the successor of Kahn," can he be put on?

Moments later.

Chaos subsided.

Li Kang approached the vicinity of the penalty spot.

In his regular training, he had practiced free-kicks, but only following the most traditional and simplest textbook method of German youth training.

Don't know if it's because Berlin Hertha's wall was too targeted, Mihaylo's phantom flickered faintly, paused for two seconds, then began to dissipate.

Even top free-kick masters cannot score every time.

"Li Kang walked to the right side two meters outside the kickoff point!"

"This is the most common set-piece kicking method among German players!"

"Person, ball, and goal form a right triangle!"

Alarcon breathed a sigh of relief, vaguely hearing Old Ma shouting at him!

He glanced at the command area!

Magath frantically gestured: Follow the original plan! Don't fall for it!

Berlin Hertha's coaching staff analyzed Li Kang's free-kick weakness: similar to Mihaylo's early career, the ball's ascent speed is too slow! At the moment of the kick, our side wall rushes forward, highly likely to disrupt the ball!

The wall is set against habitual shooting patterns, sealing the far corner!

The goalkeeper then seals the near corner!

Everything is ready!

Accompanied by the main referee's whistle blast!

Li Kang began his lateral run-up!

Arrived before the ball!

Swinging arms!

Kicking!

Waist and abdomen exerting force!

No heavenly or earthly phenomena!

No explosive sounds!

The football kicked up grass clippings!

Flew toward Berlin Hertha's goal!

Ordinary power.

Average ball speed.

Very small arc.

Mediocre.

Plain and unremarkable.

An unexpected scene occurred!

Berlin Hertha's wall inexplicably surged forward!

From the audience's perspective: these guys are deliberately dodging?

Alarcon looked utterly bewildered!

The football slowly sank into the exact center of the goal!

0:2!

!

"Eh? This could go in... beautiful."

"Free-kick brace!"

"Young Li Kang helped Lewokusen extend their lead advantage!"

"Very standard textbook-style kick!"

Duan Xuan and He Wei were a bit speechless!

Really, I can't go on like this.

This kind of ordinary free kick... how do you take it?

The key is the wall's operation is too confusing!

The goalkeeper's attention seems to be focused on the near post!

Live broadcast room.

-【Li Mingdeng's kick, I can do it too!】

-【Besides the supercar he endorses, I can afford all his products!】

-【If he scores another free kick, can he tie the football record that... has stood unbroken to this day?】

-【Let me popularize: In the December 13, 1998 match where Lazio beat Sampdoria 5:2, Mihajlovic scored three direct free kicks, performing an unprecedented free-kick hat-trick, and this record remains unbroken to this day.】

-【Holy crap! Are we about to witness a historic moment today?】

Sideline.

Tuopu Laotou and Dino were excited, waving their fists!

"Boss... I think Li anticipated Berlin Hertha's anticipation!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Maragat stood unsteadily, his right hand tightly covering his chest.

"So cunning...."

Li Kang was a bit confused.

Berlin Hertha's wall and goalkeeper performed worse than the training base's mannequin obstacles.

Teammates frenziedly swarmed forward!

Leverkusen fans cheered excitedly!

This moment.

It seemed everyone was waiting for the next free kick!

45th minute of the match.

Jonathan T's big black leg poked the ball away from Stok's feet!

Calhanoglu sent out a long pass!

This time, Berlin Hertha's defense learned to be smart, not pushing too far forward!

Son Heung-min received the ball near the midfield circle, then surged forward and charged straight in!

Olympic Stadium.

It fell silent for a few seconds.

Thud!

When Bergel, in the thirty-meter area, tripped Son Heung-min!

The entire stadium erupted in a tsunami-like roar!

"The over seventy thousand spectators at the scene are cheering for Bergel's brilliant defense!"

"If you don't look at the score, most of the first half was quite tense!"

"Ah! The whistle blew! The referee pulled out a yellow card! Indicating Bergel committed a foul!"

"Third free kick!"

Yarsitan's face was ashen, he vaguely sensed: he seemed destined to become the background of a legendary moment... his fame comparable to Joe Hart's level...

Maragat slumped onto the coach's bench.

Expression numb.

Tuopu Laotou and Dino were extremely excited!

If Li Kang... could score the third free kick...

Two minutes later.

Accompanied by the ball entering the net!

Olympic Stadium!

Thunderous applause!

"Free-kick hat-trick!"

"Seventeen-year-old Leverkusen youngster! Tied Mihajlovic's 17-year record!"

"He was born in 1998! The first free-kick hat-trick in history was born in 1998!"

"The wheel of history turns!

!"