Chapter 245: The Curse of the Golden Left Foot

Messi caught the ball thrown by the ball boy with one hand and walked toward the corner flag area.

Despite being behind by a goal, the Barcelona star remained very confident.

The confidence of the strong.

But he still had a slight hesitation in his heart: If Li returns to Barcelona, it would surely be tougher? Especially on the defensive end...

Media reporters near the corner flag area hurriedly adjusted their cameras.

"Messi is already 29; there are fewer and fewer chances to watch him play."

"Cherish it."

"The superstars of the previous era mostly left the top five leagues in their early thirties."

"Seize the tail of youth."

Nesta's phantom welled up with dejected emotion, unwilling to fade away with the wind.

As if accusing the butt‑blocking clearance move of not being cool enough.

Li Kang himself felt pretty good.

You know, last year, to single‑mark Messi, they paid the price of three modules.

Fortunately, Arsenal's defensive structure is very sound.

Wenger paced back and forth in the technical area, worried that Li Kang might get injured:

Barcelona's number 10's shot looked light in motion but was actually heavy‑hit; taking that blow would be unpleasant.

But if Li Kang hadn't made that last‑second block, the consequences would be unpredictable.

The Catalonia fans did not give up.

Messi's shot rekindled confidence at Nou Camp.

"Vamos Barca!

!"

"Forca Barca!

!"

Enrique shouted loudly at Barcelona's defensive players.

Piqué and Busquets quickly darted into Arsenal's large penalty area.

Only Umtiti was left dragging at the rear of the formation.

Cech tightly hugged Li Kang a few times, then quickly ran back to the goal line, directing his teammates' positioning.

Morata wanted to return to the penalty area to join the defense, but saw Wenger gesturing toward the front.

That's right.

I heard Nou Camp has a height restriction.

"Barcelona's corner‑kick opportunity."

"Set‑piece offense and defense have long been Barcelona's traditional weakness, but Enrique changed that after taking charge."

"The Golden Fighter has deep expertise in set pieces."

"Piqué, Busquets, and André Gómez—several tall players—took up positions in Arsenal's penalty area."

"Plus two shorter players guarding the high defensive line—a very prudent and reasonable arrangement."

"Take a look at this ball."

Pa—

Messi took a two‑step run‑up and lofted a rainbow‑like arcing pass!

The ball spun violently in midair.

It plummeted straight into the penalty area.

Gómez's sturdy frame shuddered—clearly the ball was meant for him!

This super‑huge‑core player has outstanding awareness and trajectory‑prediction ability, and his heading skill is equally formidable.

Judging solely by his seasonal statistics, his all‑round ability is only slightly inferior to Li Kang's.

Set your steps properly.

Time your takeoff precisely.

Now is the moment.

The handsome Barcelona newcomer... leapt with all his might.

Thud.

He didn't touch anything!

A big forehead got there first and headed the ball away.

"Mertesacker!"

"Arsenal's two‑meter giant, the supreme aerial dominator!"

"Against these Barcelona players, he can be called dimensional‑reduction defense."

Mertesacker's only fear is the little bee.

He did not choose to head the ball out of bounds.

Instead, he headed it straight toward Cazorla outside the penalty area.

And Li Kang?

He was near the twelve‑yard mark... acting as the "filling" between Piqué and Busquets.

Sky‑Shattering Echo, one‑on‑two defense.

The moment the ball hit the ground.

Arsenal's feet balanced, no trap, directly launched a super long diagonal pass.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Barcelona's high defensive line... is about to be torn through!

Wenger excitedly raised his fist: Li Zai's role in set-piece defense is huge.

Enrique wasn't panicking at all; he loudly shouted at the rearmost Xiao Dennis to intercept, and signaled Umtiti not to move recklessly.

The camera followed the ball's trajectory at high speed!

A short, stocky figure appeared in everyone's view.

Sanchez.

Barcelona's discarded player.

"The acceleration speed is too fast!"

"Terrifying linear burst sprint."

"Arsenal's thigh!"

Xiao Dennis was the assist king of last season's UEFA Champions League.

His defensive stats are also abnormal, averaging 4 interceptions per game.

His center of gravity is very low, possessing powerful lower-body strength that doesn't match his handsome appearance.

He once led the La Liga strong team Yellow Submarine as a midfield core, having back-and-forth battles with Barcelona.

What are his shortcomings?

Career planning.

Since childhood, he has been sought after by Europe's top clubs.

At 18 he joined Manchester City... Mancini promised to give him playing time, but then promptly forgot him.

Later he transferred at high fee to Barcelona... a young player who never officially played for Manchester City's first team could make Barcelona willing to spend a huge sum, showing how terrifying his talent is.

Unfortunately, it coincided with turmoil in the Camp Nou coaching staff.

He was loaned out to Sevilla and Villarreal, these La Liga strong teams, and each time he could win over the local fans with just one match.

This summer transfer window he returned to Barcelona...

Maybe he now leads Villarreal and could still achieve a 4-6 situation against Arsenal.

In life, sometimes choice matters more than effort.

"Sanchez accelerates again, is he going to eat him raw?"

"Xiao Dennis is holding on tight!"

"It seems he can't get past, what should we do?"

"Oh no, Sanchez passed it backwards like that, the counterattack rhythm becomes sluggish... oh! He passed it to Li Kang!"

"Wow!"

The camera panned back to Arsenal's half.

Li Kang broke out of the encirclement.

Under the interference of Pique and Busquets, he easily completed a wide-range transfer pass.

In just a few short seconds.

The spectators watched the ball shift from the left flank to the right flank, tracing a 'U' shape.

"Li Kang is the transitional hub in Arsenal's counterattack."

"The decision-maker of the attacking direction."

"A perfect pass."

"Walcott!"

"He's charging forward!"

"A super fast horse from Southampton's youth academy, with top-three sprint speed in Europe!"

"The billboard under the camera is gradually blurring!"

"Five up front against two..."

Catalan fans were dumbfounded.

The 90,000-capacity Camp Nou instantly erupted with tumultuous exclamations.

Barcelona's half had already been overrun by Arsenal players.

Attacking width.

Counterattack depth.

These two abstract terms were thus fully interpreted by Li Kang and company.

Crazy.

Is Arsenal suppressing Barcelona?

Why can't Camp Nou have a defensive line as strong as the MSN trio?

Umtiti is very nervous.

Even during his time at Lyon, he had never encountered such a dire situation.

If the defensive strategy goes wrong, even a strong center back becomes a wooden post.

Walcott dribbled into the thirty-meter zone.

He eased his steps, observed briefly, then lifted his foot to deliver a diagonal pass.

The ball pierced through Umtiti's rear.

Morata accelerated again!

His physique surged forward, easily shaking off Robert's entanglement.

The cheers of the Gunners fans... in an instant seemed about to flood the entire Aragon Kingdom!

"One-on-one!"

"Giant-killer, Morata!"

"After joining Arsenal, his abilities in all aspects... have made a visible leap forward!"

"Only play high-end games!"

"In the past two seasons, playing for Juventus in the Champions League, he repeatedly broke through Barcelona and Real Madrid's defenses!"

"Here he comes!"

"Can he score his first goal for Arsenal?"

"The pressure has shifted to Ter Stegen."

"He silently estimated the opponent's speed and the distance to the penalty area."

"Finally."

"He chose to rush out!"

"At the top of the penalty arc."

"Morata read the Barcelona goalkeeper."

"A deft touch."

"Ter Stegen was knocked off balance and fell to the ground."

"Beautiful!"

"A flawless touch with no fault to find!"

"Morata has beaten the goalkeeper!"

"Open goal!"

"Oh no, it hit the post!"

"It's harder to miss than to score!"

"On the sidelines."

"Wenger felt dizzy and unsteady."

"Boerde angrily pounded the ground."

"On the other side."

"Enrique trembled all over, fear and joy rapidly shifting across his face."

"Arsenal spent 50 million euros on a forward who can't shoot?"

"When everyone slowed down to watch the ball's trajectory..."

"Li Kang did not stop."

"In his sight, the phantom of the No. 9 jersey seemed bathed in red flames."

"Peak activated."

"Torres"

"Morata clutched his head with both hands."

"He began to doubt life a little."

"He felt he had become much stronger... why is his shooting accuracy lower?"

"He was clearly aiming for the center of the goal!"

"His doubts were quickly interrupted by hurried footsteps."

"No."

"It was the sound of studs digging into the turf."

"It's Li Kang!"

"The ball didn't roll out of bounds, but bounced to near the penalty spot."

"Ter Stegen strained to turn and lunged."

"Arsenal's number 10's left foot made first contact with the ball."

"Thud!"

"The ball flew out of bounds."

"Li Kang was tripped, his legs tightly gripped by the Barcelona goalkeeper."

"What happened?"

"The director switched to the replay, oh my god! Li Kang entered the penalty area... that sudden burst of acceleration was terrifying!"

"Unbelievable explosive power!"

"It should be a corner kick..."

"Hey!"

"The referee pointed to the penalty spot!"

"Penalty kick!"

"Barcelona faces disaster again!"

"Let's look at the slow-motion replay... Li Kang touched the ball first, and Ter Stegen lunged at his supporting foot."

"No controversy at all!"

"This match contains too many elements!"

"Yellow card?"

"The head referee believed that Barcelona's goalkeeper did not foul intentionally, so he did not show a red card... This standard is a bit loose."

"Catalonia fans once again felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar."

"Why does the prince of La Masia always bring tribulations to Camp Nou?"

"This time it was Wensue's turn not to panic."

"During his playing days, he was Barcelona's starting goalkeeper and one of Cruyff's beloved disciples."

"'Boss, don't worry... things aren't as bad as imagined; the coaching staff and Ter Stegen have studied Arsenal's shooting characteristics...'"

"'I know.'"

"Enrique crossed his arms over his chest, striving to suppress his restless heart."

"He came to Barcelona and did three things:"

"1. Fix the flaws in set-piece offense and defense;"

"2. Weaken Messi's central role... letting Messi sit on the bench, of course this reform was cancelled as results declined;"

"3. Penalties."

"A person's IQ is easily influenced by the atmosphere."

"The Catalonia fans' frenzied booing inexplicably added confidence to Barcelona's coaching staff."

"'Arsenal's first penalty taker is Cazorla.'"

"'Given the situation, Li Kang should be the one to take the kick!'"

"'Sanchez didn't vie for the penalty this time.'"

"'Up to now in the five major leagues, Li Kang and Balotelli, the two young talents, have the highest penalty conversion rate!'"

"'A penalty is a battle of wits and courage!'"

"'A clash of mindsets!'"

"Comparing bullshit."

"Ter Stegen's pressure reached its peak."

"What he was about to face was a close-range cannon."

"Li Kang placed the ball."

"He began to step back."

"In his vision, the blue No. 10's phantom suddenly appeared."

"Baggio."

"Life, just like taking a penalty kick."

"Sorrowful emotions quickly spread throughout his body, a chill seeping into his marrow."

"The clock seemed to have been turned back to the sunset of 1994..."

"Accompanied by the referee's whistle."

"Li Kang began his run-up."

"Each step his boots took on the green pitch felt like stepping on the hearts of Catalonia fans."

"Many spectators in the stands covered their eyes in fear."

"Wenger furrowed his brows: he noticed that Li Kang's stepping point had a problem..."

"Wensue tightly gripped Enrique's sleeve."

"This veteran goalkeeper likewise judged that Arsenal's No. 10 was in an off state."

"Penalties are often like this."

"During the run-up, the outcome had already been decided."

"【The 'Golden Left Foot' module's extra cost is about to take effect.】"

"【When you miss a penalty, sorrow is enough to erode the soul.】"

"Li Kang came up to the ball."

"He planted his left foot."

"A golden bald phantom embraced Baggio's shoulder."

"All the sorrow... vanished like smoke."

"In its place came resolve, decisiveness, courage!"

"Zidane."

"King's moment!"

"Accompanied by a crisp touch sound."

"Ter Stegen moved, lunging to his right!"

"In his view: Li Kang's run-up and shot linkage had too many gaps, making it easy to predict the shot's direction."

"What happened next."

"It distorted his perception and judgment of the shooter's kicking foot shape."

"The ball lightly leapt toward the center of the goal."

"It was a spoon‑like arc, with rising ball speed and dropping timing, extremely beautiful."

"Clang!"

"The ball struck the underside of the crossbar and steadily bounced into the net."

"0:2!"

"!"

"Camp Nou fell silent, as if someone had died."

Elegant!

Splendid!

The most deceitful spoon penalty in human history!

Superb footwork!

Perfect parabola!

How did he change his foot shape at the moment of contact?

Unbelievable!

The sheep-clad heavy cannon fires toward the flank...

Completed the finishing blow in the lightest way!

Ter Stegen felt Li Kang's tenderness!

Good heavens!

Li Kang, once again causing Camp Nou to fall... He helped Arsenal extend their lead!

Duan Xuan and He Wei were so excited they almost jumped up.

The livestream exploded.

The number of viewers kept surging.

The barrage poured down like a waterfall.

-【Just Li Mingdeng's footwork... is worth two hundred million.】

-【I thought this ball would be kicked wide? Turns out it's Sheep Assault.】

-【The spoon penalty looks simple, but actually demands high mentality and footwork; without extraordinary confidence, you really can't pull it off.】

-【Ter Stegen is lucky he didn't get hit in the face by the heavy cannon.】

-【Don't just focus on the penalty; see how it came about... Damn, Li Mingdeng's burst acceleration is too fierce, a step slower and you wouldn't have a chance at this penalty.】

-【This year's Arsenal is off; the storm they kicked up during the counterattack is truly frightening, scary.】

-【The director really knows how to cut shots; just observe, through Li Kang's single touch, Arsenal's attack direction can shift from left to right.】

-【The professor is happy like a child; how many years has it been, at Camp Nou we've never fought such a wealthy battle, tears!】

-【This match won't be a massacre, will it? Arsenal Munich? Li Bayern?】

-【Does Barcelona still have a chance?】