Chapter 317: Where the Dream Began (Daily Transition)

Time passed minute by minute, second by second.

Both sides had an extremely fast rhythm, and possession kept changing back and forth.

Whenever Li Kang touched the ball, the Bayer Arena first heard a small scattering of boos, then a roar like huge waves.

Most of the Bayer fans, without realizing it, recalled the years when the hero Bei Lai Yin fought for the club.

Champions League semi-finals.

Bundesliga salad plate.

German Cup champion.

The transfer fee of two hundred million paid in installments.

Everything at this moment is what Arsenal's number 10 left behind.

Liking someone is inertia.

Hating someone requires self-discipline.

Lewokusen fans find it hard to discipline themselves to continue hating the "two-hundred-million traitor."

The 19th minute of the match.

Li Kang delivered an ultra-long through pass from near the midfield circle.

The ball clung to the turf like a blade, instantly piercing Lewokusen's midfield defense.

Morata started again.

David Luiz sprinted forward again to challenge, completing an interception in his own half's thirty-meter zone!

"Again, just a little bit off."

"His signature afro, after putting on the Lewokusen jersey, actually makes people feel so reassured."

"David Luiz is currently the most expensive center-back in European football; his transfer fee from Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain back then remains unbroken to this day."

"Without surprise, it will be broken by Van Dijk next season."

In football circles, one often hears "children's Sa dream," "children's Huang dream," "children's Mo dream," "children's Lan dream"...

But David Luiz's family revealed: his afro actually harbors a "children's factory dream."

At the time, the media only saw it as a joke: wandering among giants, how could an expensive Brazilian center-back possibly join the arsenal? Could they afford it?

Until later, this guy even skipped training to join Arsenal...

Morata stopped his steps, turned his head, and gave Li Kang a thumbs-up.

Li Kang adjusted his shin guard.

After several attacking attempts.

He had already deconstructed Lewokusen's defensive line changes from a god's-eye view:

The reason David Luiz dares to recklessly abandon his position to challenge is that his other defensive teammates fill the gaps for him.

He doesn't need to be in position to face the attack.

But rather to fully unleash his aggressiveness.

The Brazilian afro is no longer just a background panel washed out 7-1 by the German team; all his individual flaws are covered by Lewokusen's defensive structure.

David Luiz once again passed the ball to Calhanoglu.

The fans in the nearby stands shouted again:

"Pirlo!"

"!"

Tuopu Laotou and Dino on the sidelines looked excited, their raised fingers jabbing the air desperately.

Pass forward!

Balotelli ran out of position!

Calhanoglu shuddered involuntarily.

Lewokusen, your core is back!

His body leaned back.

He whipped his right leg.

Bang!

The ball lifted off the ground.

Like a cruise missile, it soared toward Arsenal's backfield.

The Bayer Arena instantly echoed with waves of cheers!

"Beautiful!"

"Without interference, the passing king's long-pass quality can squeeze into Europe's top few!"

"A flat and fast trajectory!"

"Directly create an attack!"

"It's just about catching Arsenal's defense before they settle... Maguire!"

Arsenal's thirty-meter zone in the half.

Maguire ignored Balotelli rushing past his side.

Instead, he leapt high.

Bang!

That huge forehead ruthlessly cut off Lewokusen's attack launched from the backfield!

The ball bounced to Xhaka's feet.

Tuopu Laotou and Dino on the sidelines became even more excited, wildly raising their hands, making a "rowing" gesture to signal the whole army to retreat.

Zaka's vision is excellent.

He observed that during Lewokusen's defensive recovery, the three central midfielders did not maintain spacing but instead pressed directly toward Li Kang, while at the same time Calhanoglu and Bentaleb retreated back to the defensive line.

Cannot directly look for Li.

We need to make a transition, then gradually unleash the advantage of Arsenal's multiple attacking points, thereby assisting Li...

In his thoughts.

A big black egg with a Mohawk blocked the view of Arsenal's defensive midfielder!

With a slap.

The ball was stolen.

Stolen in our own backfield.

"Paul Merson once said: After Zaka grows a few years, he will become Arsenal's Harvey..."

"Wow!"

"Balotelli's sneak attack succeeded!"

"He quietly slipped behind Zaka, poked the ball, completing a tackle!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Terrifying individual ability!"

"Terrifying explosive power! Immediately sprint after turning!"

"Just like stealing the ball from Ramos in the Euro Cup final back then!"

Balotelli had a blank expression.

While dribbling and sprinting, his speed kept increasing.

Black skin.

Perfect body lines.

Like a ferocious beast, ravaging Arsenal's half!

Maguire didn't panic; he wasn't afraid of this kind of heavyweight striker in direct defense.

But Balotelli is not a pure heavyweight striker.

He is too versatile.

Like a forward-version Pogba.

No.

Pogba is a midfield-version Balotelli.

The two were in close quarters instantly.

The sane Balotelli performed a step-over!

Both feet quickly moved back and forth over the ball.

No continuous feint.

Suddenly accelerated.

Just shook off Maguire!

"Excellent!"

"Unique sense of rhythm!"

"Perfect muscle coordination!"

"Terrifying center of gravity control!"

"With just one circle, he shook off Arsenal's central defender!"

"Bashen!"

"One-on-one!"

"Great opportunity!"

Bayer Arena, completely boiling!

Leverkusen fans' hearts surged.

Balotelli is literally a gift from God to them, the successor of the Bei lai yin hero!

Tuopu Laotou and Dino excitedly bent over, staring intently at Arsenal's penalty area.

Very close.

The pharmacy factory is about to breach the invincible armory!

Under the gaze of everyone present.

Balotelli charged into the penalty area.

Suddenly.

He slowed his steps.

"Eh?"

"Why did he slow down?"

"This posture, is it to do a flower kick... or a heel..."

"It's understandable, after all facing a goalkeeper of Cech's caliber."

Cech was on high alert.

The two have faced each other before.

Champions League, Premier League, World Cup qualifiers...

Every encounter, the tank-cap goalkeeper always undergoes a grueling psychological battle with the opponent.

A one-on-one.

It's not just a technical exchange.

It is also a psychological battle.

Too bad.

Cech really doesn't know what Balotelli is thinking.

Smack!

Balotelli suddenly turned around!

He slammed his heel down.

The ball skimmed the grass... and slid out over the end line.

Cech looked utterly bewildered.

At the BayArena, it instantly fell silent.

After two seconds of silence,

A torrent of boos, like an avalanche, surged down from the stands on all sides.

Completely submerging the Italian 'black egg'.

Balotelli remained expressionless.

"What a shame!"

"What is he doing?"

"Is he pondering life again?"

"Oh dear!"

"He wasted a great opportunity!"

"Unreasonable!"

"But this attacking opportunity was also created by Balotelli himself!"

In the live stream.

The comment barrage went wild.

-【How could he miss that? Must be on purpose!】

-【So stupid! Lewokusen's big oaf of a forward... what's he thinking? Just launch it up field!】

-【Balotelli is pondering life; us mere mortals can't comprehend.】

-【His brain must have short-circuited; how many times is this? I've seen eight or nine such moments in his highlights.】

-【Lucky for me, my 0-3 bet almost went bust.】

VIP box.

Wo Le Er, who was drinking water, suddenly spat it all over Gieslin's face.

Two generations of German strikers cannot understand Balotelli's behavior.

"Sorry, wipe your face."

"If Balotelli had stayed at La Masia, Kroos's physical condition might have been even worse!"

At the sideline.

Tuopu Laotou's face flushed red with anger as he kicked furiously toward the coaches' bench.

"Damn Doctor Haken, he said Balotelli's mental state was very good!"

"Why would he do something like that?"

Dino quickly patted Lewokusen's head coach on the chest: 'Boss, don't get angry, treat what just happened as a normal missed shot... damn it! What is Balotelli doing?'

On the other side.

Wenger and Boerde breathed a sigh of relief.

Balotelli was once Puma's star athlete.

Back then, Puma said: 'If Arsenal signs Balotelli, we are willing to bear part of the transfer fee and wages, hoping the brand ambassador can join the team we sponsor as soon as possible.'

The professor didn't even think, just flatly refused.

Cech took the football tossed by the ball boy.

He turned around and saw Balotelli and Maguire engaged in a head-butt.

A black and a white hulking man, heads together, mouths greeting each other.

The teammates from both sides hadn't yet had time to break them up.

Balotelli shoved Maguire, who immediately fell onto the grass.

Beep!

The referee promptly brandished a yellow card.

"The decision was decisive, effectively preventing the situation from escalating further."

"From the replay, it looks like the two just had a verbal altercation!"

"Balotelli's action was unnecessary."

"Maguire was fine; he just dusted himself off and got up."

Xhaka was about to give Balotelli a verbal warning.

Cazorla patted his shoulder, gesturing forward: 'Watch Li's upcoming adjustment.'

Lewokusen assistant coach Dino also noticed.

A familiar gesture.

It made him feel a sudden sense of déjà vu, as if he were back fighting side by side with Li.

He hurriedly threw down the mineral water bottle: "Boss, Li is preparing to destroy our left-side defensive structure..."

Tuopu Laotou stared, then said helplessly: "If he can deal with David Luiz at this point, he will always be one step ahead of us."

The match continued.

Cech ignored Maguire standing on the diagonal.

He directly passed the goal kick to the retreating Li Kang.

Lewokusen's front-line players immediately launched a press.

"The press is fierce!"

"But the spacing of the back-line players is maintained very well."

"Does Balotelli still want to try his luck again?"

"A beautiful position, cutting off the passing link, giving Brandt an excellent tackling opportunity... so detailed!"

"Under normal circumstances, Balotelli's football IQ is not low."

"He had no intention of going head-to-head with Li Kang."

"Instead, he used his tall, sturdy body to block Li Kang's path forward."

"Brandt came rushing in from the flank."

"His blond short hair fluttered in the wind."

"His chubby face flushed with a reddish glow."

"He no longer needs to, as he did two years ago, adjust his technique according to his monthly development."

"Compared to Havertz, Brandt this season, the 'mature type,' is the superstar that European giants dream of!"

"At the moment they closed in, no fierce physical struggle occurred."

"Li Kang nudged the ball with his left foot, shaking off Balotelli."

"A simple evasive move."

"It even opened up distance between him and Brandt."

"The latter hadn't even had time to put his foot out yet."

"Li Kang gave a small burst of acceleration and instantly broke through the double-team!"

"Too gentle!"

"A typical David Silva-style breakthrough."

"When faced with a small-scale press, he chose the easiest solution!"

"After breaking out, he didn't pass the ball to Cazorla!"

"He kept dribbling forward himself!"

"His name echoed again in the BayArena!"

"At the same time."

"Arsenal's overall formation quickly pushed forward."

"The players, carrying an unstoppable sharpness, madly surged into Lewokusen's half."

"James Rodriguez remained very calm."

"He did not join the interception, but dropped to the defensive midfield position, directing Hakan Calhanoglu and Bender to widen the defensive width."

"As long as the defensive structure is held, Li will not easily break through Lewokusen's goal... just like in the Champions League semifinals second leg back then, Li alone simply could not..."

"His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a dazzling pass!"

"The ball had just rolled past midfield."

"Li Kang passed the ball to Cazorla."

"Arsenal finally achieved a genuine speed-up."

"Intermittent gathering and dispersing runs."

"Zooming."

"Lunges."

"Almost every attacking player must constantly adjust their position around Li Kang's runs!"

"And the ball?"

"On the green pitch, it was enacting 'the profusion of flowers gradually dazzles the eyes.'"

"A pass-and-cut originating from midfield?"

"Unbelievable."

"I reckon Wenger himself back then never imagined Arsenal's signature skill would now be enhanced to such a terrifying attacking radius!"

"The main direction of attack is Lewokusen's left flank!"

"James Rodriguez was dumbfounded."

"His soaked jersey clung to his back."

"A chill seeped into his bones."

"Which European team could withstand this level of autonomous attack? Juventus? Atletico Madrid?"

"If the Champions League semifinals back then..."

"No, Li's true purpose is to disrupt our defensive structure..."

"By the pitch."

"Wenger still sat quietly on the bench, smiling faintly and lightly clapping."

"Boerde couldn't help but start wanting to celebrate early."

"On the other side."

Tuopu Laotou gestured excitedly, his expression flustered.

Dino stared fixedly at the number 10 on the green field of Arsenal.

The pen tip slid quickly across the small notebook.

"Li alone... raised Arsenal's attacking system by two levels..."

"Running position spacing, attacking point conversion, passing routes..."

"The stability of passing and receiving is terrifying!"

"It feels like we're facing the peak Dream Three Barcelona, or an accelerated version!"

Thirty-meter area.

David Luiz observed his teammates' positioning, then activated free mode.

Correct.

To make good use of the Brazilian afro, either give him a Thiago Silva or Cahill beside him, or free up his defensive zone!

Leverkusen chose the latter!

"The pharmacy must have someone step up!"

"David... Calhanoglu!"

Calhanoglu's vision is excellent, and his ability to read the game has made a leap forward at this time.

He ignored James Rodriguez's command and instead moved quickly sideways.

He was about to close in on Casilla, who had just stopped the ball.

Leverkusen.

Your all-around core has returned.

Stab!

Didn't stab anything!

Arsenal's midfield master showed off a flower-kick!

The ball passed through the crotch of Leverkusen's core.

"Excellent!"

"Calhanoglu lost his balance, fell to the ground, so embarrassing!"

"Eh?"

"How did Li Kang appear in the middle!"

"Morata touched the ball with one foot and promptly knocked it past!"

"Too in sync!"

In God's perspective.

Leverkusen's main defensive forces were concentrated on the left flank.

The phantom of the little lion Brian let out a juvenile roar!

The evening wind of Bei lai yin.

It brushed against Arsenal's number 10 jersey.

Li Kang moved toward the ball.

Body leaning.

Swinging arms.

Kicking up.

Strength to lift a thousand catties.

This moment.

As if the entire BayArena sighed softly.

Peng!

A sound that exploded through the night sky.

It made all the spectators return to the Champions League qualifier two years ago.

That's where the legend began!

The ball was like a startling thunderclap.

Howling!

Spinning!

Firm, fierce, and domineering!

Momentum like a rainbow!

It straightly blasted through Leverkusen's goal!

Jonathan Ta covered his crotch with both hands.

Lai Nuo stood stunned in front of the goal.

The net behind him was twisted by violent spin into an exaggerated shape.

0:1!

!

Time seemed to have frozen for a long time.

Pa!

Pa pa pa!

Wave after wave of enthusiastic applause allowed the dazed people to gradually regain consciousness... yet they involuntarily raised their hands, joining the torrent of cheers.

Beautiful!

The ball went in!

An astonishing, long-range cannon shot blasts the goal!

Li Kang used his signature long-range shot to break through his former club's goal!

The deadlock on the field was broken!

A delightful pass-and-cut!

A fierce, domineering finish!

Arsenal's attacking system is approaching perfection!

Live broadcast room.

Bullet comments flew everywhere.

-【The place where dreams begin!】

-【So handsome it's stupefying!】

-【Sheep Assault on the left flank, finish in the middle, unstoppable, super god gunner!】

-【Don't say that, it's Li Kang's ability to change the direction of attack... too divine.】

-【If it weren't for Çalhanoğlu and David Luiz simultaneously covering the left flank, Arsenal might not have changed its attacking direction; continuing to fiercely attack the left would also have been effective!】

We have to praise Morata's withdrawal and link-up play, a telepathic return pass! Setting up an Italian cannon for little Li.

-【How do I feel Arsenal is treating this match as a tactical experiment? After all, the main players haven't played in a long time!】

-【Mertesacker: I really am the captain!】

Tears of emotion! Little Li scored against his former club's goal, yet didn't celebrate!

-【He scores against other teams' gates, but doesn't celebrate much.】

By the pitch.

Wenger subtly clenched his fist in celebration.

Boerde excitedly gave high-fives to the bench players.

On the other side.

Tuopu Laotou finally quieted down.

Dino stuffed the little notebook back into his pocket and asked doubtfully, "Boss, did you get sand in your eyes?"