Chapter 277: The Outside‑Foot Move That Astonished Everyone!

The sea breeze blew and rattled the corner flagpole.

Li Kang and his teammates communicated a few hand signals.

Some understood it thoroughly.

Some didn't fully understand.

For example, Welbeck scratched his head in confusion: "Are we supposed to speed up?"

But it doesn't matter.

The course of a football match isn't entirely determined by tactics.

Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The second half officially began.

Arsenal had possession.

Welbeck kicked the ball back to Li Kang, then immediately surged forward into Monaco's half.

The ball went through several slow passes.

It arrived at Koscielny's feet.

He is a centre-back whose ball‑control skills rank among the best in the world today.

Ball control.

Monaco abandoned its previous deep defensive line, committing large numbers forward to press.

However, the pressing intensity was far inferior to that of Liverpool and Tottenham.

Koscielny deftly flicked the ball, shook off Lemar, and delivered a medium‑range diagonal pass.

"When a team's midfield and defense can solve both ball distribution and counter‑pressing, it's easy to establish all‑round dominance."

"When did Li Kang push forward so far?"

"Welbeck's position is deeper."

"Arsenal is going to give up the hypnotic passing of the first half! Let's seize the start of the second half!"

The ball wasn't passed to Li Kang.

It was too far.

Koscielny lacked confidence in his long pass, so he looked for Cazorla.

Arsenal's midfield maestro touched the ball once.

The ball hadn't yet hit the ground.

It was immediately lofted to the flank for Oxlade‑Chamberlain.

The pace picked up.

"The new Walcott" received the ball, dug his studs into the turf, and launched into a breakneck sprint.

Oxlade‑Chamberlain doesn't like that nickname, since Walcott himself hasn't yet become a world‑class star; he'd rather be called "the new Bale," the senior academy graduate from Southampton.

"Monaco's dark‑horse showing isn't just in attack; their defensive preparations are thorough!"

"Mendy, Bernardo Silva, and Bakayoko have formed a net!"

"Can Oxlade‑Chamberlain get past them?"

Surely he can't.

Although Oxlade‑Chamberlain's mind isn't fully sharp, he also knows he needs to pass.

After hesitating two seconds, he realized his link with Li Kang had been cut off… he decisively passed the ball back.

The advancing Bellerín lightly lifted his foot.

This La Masia‑trained wide player also possesses superb one‑touch ability.

The ball traced a small zigzag and arrived at Mustafi's feet.

Mustafi has been busy lately—not only did he lead Saka, Iwobi, and S. Luo in a rampage in the EFL Cup, but he's also the dressing‑room "life committee" chairman, responsible for handling disciplinary issues...

Just after he settled the ball, he saw Koscielny frantically raising his hand.

It wasn't a signal for him to pass back.

It was a signal for him to launch a long kick quickly.

Boom!

Before Mbappé could close in.

Mustafi lofted a high diagonal pass.

The ball howled, slicing through the night sky toward the left flank.

"The members of Arsenal's back line come from different countries."

"Bellerín and Monreal speak Spanish, Mustafi speaks German, Koscielny speaks French, and Čech is fluent in all of the above."

The pass quality wasn't high.

Its trajectory floated down uncertainly.

It let Monreal and Zouma battle for it, and they suffered greatly.

The opponent is several centimeters taller than him.

Fortunately, Zouma's trapping ability is rough enough.

After two successive physical clashes,

the ball still ended up under the control of Arsenal's left‑back.

No time to hesitate.

Monaco quickly formed a surrounding ring on the flank.

Monreal's footwork is decent, but his physicality is lacking; he can't withstand the several bumps from the "black eggs."

Fortunately, after he staggered a few steps and managed to create space, he successfully passed the ball forward.

Fabinho was slightly unsettled by Li Kang.

When he saw Arsenal's number ten receive the ball in the thirty-meter zone, he did not press decisively but instinctively shifted sideways to retreat.

Who knows if that kid will launch another lofted pass behind him?

Li Kang saw the opponent's move and began to accelerate.

What he increased was not the passing speed, but his sprint speed.

From God's perspective.

Fabinho once again formed a back three with Jemerson and Glik, widening the defensive width.

Morata and Sanchez stayed close to him, providing support on the left and right respectively.

No problem.

Arsenal held the numerical advantage in this phase of attack.

"Here it comes!"

"Cazorla surges forward centrally, Chamberlain takes away Bakayoko!"

"How is Welbeck diving into the crowd..."

"Li Kang, Morata, and Sanchez have formed a triangle, about to break through Monaco's defensive formation."

"Unstoppable!"

By the pitch.

Yardley's expression showed a hint of confusion, then instantly a flicker of fear.

He understood how to defend.

But he had no remote control in his hand.

Information could not be instantly transmitted to the players on the pitch like in a game.

In a flash.

A small black shadow darted across the green field, giving the Monaco coach a glimmer of hope!

Mbappe

"Wow!"

"The director zoomed out; what did we see?"

"Mbappe's tracking-back speed is too fast!"

"His running posture overflows with youthful vigor!"

"His defending has always been criticized, but we can't demand too much from a 17-year-old attacking prodigy."

Mbappe raced like the wind, his speed ever increasing!

Monaco teammates were a bit dazed: they'd never seen this kid defend so aggressively... forced out by Li Kang?

Fabinho's IQ is very high.

Originally he lacked full confidence to stop Li Kang.

But he instantly realized that Mbappe's tracking-back interception tendency was to interfere with Li Kang's left foot.

He didn't hesitate for long.

His gaze locked firmly on Li Kang's step frequency and ball-touch spacing.

He decisively stepped up to challenge.

Cut off his right foot!

Mbappe possesses extraordinary confidence.

But he also understands his role in defense is minor.

He is not stupid.

He cannot stop Arsenal's number ten.

But he must cooperate with teammates to disrupt his passing and block passing lanes.

After Messi and Ronaldo, who is the strongest young player?

Pogba?

No.

Mbappe thinks it's himself... and Li Kang!

"Excellent!"

"Mbappe's speed is terrifying! He caught up to Li Kang!"

"The two European newcomers' ages differ by only three months."

After experiencing the Tottenham match.

Li Kang's legendary module seemed to have fainted, temporarily unable to erupt.

Only the True Eye remains steadfast.

When the thick black mist burst forth.

Li Kang noticed Fabinho's shift in balance.

A sudden stop.

He dodged the opponent's kick coming straight ahead.

But he also lost the right-side link with Morata.

His momentum also dissipated.

Mbappe followed closely behind.

The bronzed forehead reflected the spotlight, and the dark long legs cut off the left side's passing lane.

"Are we going to pass back?"

"If we charge forward, this ball might..."

The sea breeze lifted the hem of the number 10 jersey.

The white number 19's phantom gathered like a sandstorm.

Modric.

An aura of dominating the field and looking down on heroes spread wildly.

Li Kang instantly caught the passing lane.

Ankle locked.

Toe pointed inward.

Following the motion, he lifted upward.

At the moment of contact, his body completely overlapped with the phantom.

Smack!

A flicker of surprise crossed Fabinho's eyes: Is Li going for a hard pass?

The Brazilian defensive midfielder hadn't had time to make a second tackle.

He watched helplessly as Arsenal's number 10 struck the ball's lower-middle with the outside of his right foot.

The toe slightly lifted upward...

It filled his eyes with fear!

An outside-of-the-foot pass!

Louis II Stadium lit up with a rainbow-like gorgeous arc.

"Wow!"

"An unexpected outside-of-the-foot pass!"

"A naturally perfect line that broke through Mbappé and Fabinho's blockade..."

"A fierce curve!"

"Amazing ball speed!"

"A trajectory as fascinating as the world-famous painting Mona Lisa!"

"A nurturing landing point."

Yaerding's face showed terror.

Boerde stared agape.

Wenger's hand moving toward his pocket froze instantly.

It wasn't just breaking through the blockade.

The rainbow-like trajectory also tore apart Monaco's defensive line.

Remeiersong and Glik looked on in awe.

At the landing spot, a huge black light egg suddenly protruded, making all Monaco fans feel as if they'd fallen into an ice cellar!

Welbeck!

Thud!

Accompanied by a muffled thud.

The ball struck his head dead-on.

It then refracted toward the goal at greater speed!

The fierce curve did not relent.

Goalkeeper Subasic was somewhat dazed.

Damn, isn't this Modric's signature outside-of-the-foot pass? The refracted shot line is hard to predict!

He instinctively reached out but grasped nothing.

He looked back again.

The ball had already crossed the goal line, the fierce curve unabated, tangling wildly with the net.

0:1!

The crowd sighed.

"Gorgeous!"

"Like a dazzling gemstone!"

"The ball went in!"

"Li Kang, under lockdown on both sides, delivered an unstoppable outside-of-the-foot arcing long pass!"

"Welbeck headed it in for a goal!"

"They helped Arsenal grab a perfect start in the second half!"

"So in sync!"

"Monaco's defense had no answer to such a soul-stirring outside-of-the-foot pass."

"We witnessed a wonderful moment."

"We witnessed Li Kang stepping steadily toward the pinnacle of midfield mastery!"

Live stream room.

Comments flooded across.

-【Li Mingdeng is so handsome!】

-【Weapon storage +1.】

-【Welbeck couldn't spit out the ball no matter how he tried; Xiao Li Zi pressed his head and forced it in!】

-【I originally thought the main character would be Mbappe...】

-【Li Mingdeng is awesome, running and directing; even in a completely blocked situation he can still send out a flawless outside-of-the-foot long pass! New generation ball-feeding master!】

-【Teammates' runs are also not bad; Monaco's two central defenders still have to mark Oxlade-Chamberlain and the advancing Cazorla.】

-【Fabinho: You said you'd hit my head, why aren't you hitting?】

-【This season's Arsenal is truly terrifying; could they still be eliminated in the Champions League round of 16? I don't believe it!】

-【Hard to say; if we encounter Ancelotti's Bayern, Simeone's Atletico... that's enough to be daunting. It's truly possible to meet them! They fielded all substitutes in the first two Champions League legs, focusing on preparing for the crucial league match, possibly unable to top the group and advance!】

-【Don't jinx it! Bayern is Arsenal's true nemesis... if we meet them in the round of 16, it's really dicey.】

Arsenal fans watching on-site, most of them come from various Gunner fan organizations across Europe.

At the moment of the goal, they shouted with all their might:

「eonyougunners！

！」

「Lee！

！」

「Lee！

！」

Welbeck was extremely excited, wildly turning around and running back!

This guy got so excited he grabbed Li Kang in one lift.

"Li, that pass was amazing!"

"You're just like my father, you changed my career!"

Welbeck's house is only 4 miles from Old Trafford; he's a true Mancunian, at age 8 he was rejected by other clubs' trials, his father Victor concealed this from him and encouraged him to try out for Manchester United, which led to the nickname "the Dark Four Heavenly Kings' Be Not In".

All teammates gathered around, embracing tightly.

With Li Kang, the Champions League campaign is unstoppable!

In the distance.

Fabinho helplessly shook his head, giving Mbappe a thumbs-up.

The latter did not respond.

Just like when they were behind in the Euro, he picked up the ball from the net... then ran back to midfield.

His calm expression showed no sign of discouragement.

By the pitch.

Boerde and the substitute players waved their hands.

"Li controlled everything!"

"Monaco's defensive setup had no issues, but they overlooked Li's outside-of-the-foot…"

"When did Li learn this move?"

"Pay attention to Li's gestures!"

"Should we keep punching Fabinho at this spot? Don't digress! Listen to Li!"

Wenger struggled to suppress his inner joy.

Hmm.

One must maintain composure.

Facing his old club, he couldn't celebrate too extravagantly.

Should he show a look of regret?

Last time they were eliminated by Monaco, the fans even sang to console themselves.

On the other side.

Yarding quickly dispelled the gloomy mood.

He shouted at his disciples while varying his gestures.

It's only behind by one goal.

There's still a chance!

As long as Lemar or Mbappe gets the ball in the front...

Gradually.

Monaco's head coach felt a bit bitter: "When did we have to start considering whether attacking players could get the ball? We didn't think about it when facing PSG, nor when facing Barcelona…"

VIP box.

Monaco's royal family members couldn't help but applaud and cheer.

There was not a hint of worry on their faces.

"It's a shame we don't have an age-appropriate princess!"

"Otherwise Monaco could reach the Champions League final next season!"

"What are you thinking? Trading a princess for a Champions League title? But if it's Li... he'll surely bring the royal family endless wealth and prestige, just like his grandmother did!"

"I've heard Li's private life is very clean; he hasn't indulged in London's decadent nightlife…"

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that the team was trailing.

Of course, as long as Monaco doesn't suffer a heavy defeat, they still have a good chance to advance as group runners-up on goal difference.

Of course, as long as Monaco doesn't suffer a heavy defeat, they still have a good chance to advance as group runners-up on goal difference.

The chief referee urged the Arsenal players to quickly finish the celebration.

Li Kang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his jersey.

Moderliqi's incomplete module... seemed still quite usable, the physical burden consumption was also small, and it didn't produce any negative emotions.

Its applicability was also broad.

It could be used not only for passing, but also for long shots...