Chapter 355

Unbeknownst to them, the day of the Champions League match arrived.

Emirates Stadium was ready to face the Bundesliga giants.

The tiered bowl-shaped stands, with scarves and flags, formed wave after wave of red and white.

Salvoes rang out, colorful paper scraps fluttering above North London.

Under the mighty momentum.

The giant mosaic puzzle occupied the gaze of all viewers worldwide.

"Lee!

!"

"eonyougunners!

!"

Glory and dreams, our arsenal.

On the green pitch, flags bearing the Champions League star logo fluttered in the night wind.

Stadium staff carefully checked equipment and swiftly withdrew.

The mascot—Gunner Dragon—wore white oversized shoes, carried the gun and cannon flag, and darted along the sideline, wiggling its butt.

The showdown was imminent.

Arsenal dressing room.

Li Kang muted his tablet; the screen showed no Bayern match footage, but played the animal documentary *Wild Dog Solo*.

He only learned today: hyenas and African wild dogs cannot interbreed; the former aren't even canids, and the small jackals of the savanna practice monogamy.

Verbeke and Maguire were discussing: tigers fierce or lions fierce?

Clap clap clap.

Boerde clapped his hands, signaling players to focus their gaze on the tactical board.

"After the coaching staff's research, in the opening phase of this match we must actively contract our defense, maintain a low defensive line, concede possession... around the 15-minute mark, Bayern's high press will press near the center circle!"

"That is our best opportunity to overturn the opponent!"

"To extinguish Bayern Munich's hopes of a comeback!"

The former arsenal: no matter how strong the opponent, the Gunners give their all, attack frenziedly, and would rather die standing than fall.

Wenger pulled Morata aside and said gently: "Bayern's starting center-back pairing today is Hummels and Boateng; they may be Europe's strongest barrier, but their defensive parallel spacing is not as tight as Benatia's, so you should..."

Morata nodded seriously: "I will help Li create chances."

Bayern dressing room.

Ancelotti did not deliver motivational soup.

Instead, he repeatedly detailed the attacking deployment.

Come myriad eyes fervent.

Müller focused intently.

Kimmich furtively clenched his fists.

Alonso and Lahm exchanged a glance: this might be their last Champions League match in their careers.

Emirates Stadium.

A sea of people, empty seats.

The green pitch was already surrounded by a sea of red and white.

"CTV5! CTV5! Good evening, viewers!"

"We are now live broadcasting the second leg of the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals."

"Arsenal host Bayern Munich at home!"

"In the first-leg clash, the Gunners brought an attacking feast at Allianz Arena, leading by two goals and holding the advantage of three away goals."

"The Bundesliga giants have been backed into a corner; they can only fight with their backs to the wall!"

"Who will walk out of Emirates Stadium smiling tonight? Let's wait and see!"

The two head coaches took their respective technical areas.

The night wind tousled the white hair.

Player tunnel.

The atmosphere solidified.

Even the ball boys could feel the hand gripping theirs tremble slightly.

Alaba still couldn't hold back, saying softly: "Li, I still don't have your Arsenal home jersey."

Li Kang nodded.

Come万 stared with a stern face, brows slightly furrowed, glanced at the Bayern youngster: how every time he meets Li, this guy Alaba gets so enthusiastic...

Ribéry laughed and lightly patted Alaba's head: "After the match, you'll have plenty of time to chat."

This guy doesn't look nearly as "kind" as he seems; off-field scandals keep coming: underage brawls, beating teammates, beating reporters, shoving assistant referees...

At this historical period he hasn't yet committed **acts, very popular with Asian fans, even someone fabricated: "Ribéry is a descendant of the Jianwen Emperor Zhu Yunwen."

The Champions League star flag slowly lowered.

The referee corps led both teams onto the green pitch.

"Now introducing the starting lineups for both sides!"

"Arsenal's formation is 4-2-3-1!"

"Goalkeeper: Čech."

"Defenders: Bellerín, Maguire, Kosčielny, Monreal."

Double defensive midfielders: Schweinsteiger, Li Kang.

Central midfielders: Walcott, Cazorla, Sanchez.

Forward: Morata.

Bayern's formation is 4-3-3!

Goalkeeper: Neuer.

Defenders: Lahm, Boateng, Hummels, Alaba.

Midfielders: Alonso, Muller, Kimmich.

Forwards: Ribery, Lewandowski, Robben.

Thiago's injury is bad news, but the good news is that most of Bayern's main players have recovered and returned!

Live stream room.

-【An's Bayern strongest lineup, just don't know if Long Ge can play the full match.】

-【Bayern's formation presses high, defense pushed to advanced stage, Lahm drops back to become defensive midfielder, can solve many problems, I'm optimistic Muller will complete the "bottle opener" task today.】

-【Southern Star, counterattack from desperation!】

-【King of London!】

-【Five-nut mooncake!】

Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The match officially begins.

As the football rolls on the green pitch, the stands on all four sides erupt with cheers like a collapsing mountain and tsunami.

Alonso receives the ball but does not make a quick long pass to the flank as before; he has top-tier vision and sees Arsenal's formation slowly retreating.

Ancelotti also lacks the composure from the first leg; he raises his hand, signaling the team to push forward.

They have not faced too much pressure or pressing.

Bayern quickly advances into Arsenal's half, into the forty-meter zone.

Robben gradually drifts out of the attacking system, waiting for a lethal strike opportunity.

Muller constantly adjusts his body orientation, trying to shake off Schweinsteiger.

Ribery gathers strength, ready to unleash.

Lewandowski is weaving between Maguire and Koscelny.

Bundesliga giants, trampling on North London soil, no one knows whether his attacking means is a hand lift or a foot kick...

"The match is about to enter the positional warfare phase."

"Arsenal has a huge advantage in aggregate score, solid defense... wow! Bayern speeds up!"

"Ribery!"

Young Kimmich has a fatal flaw: his body orientation before passing is very obvious.

However, if the receiving player is strong enough to a certain degree, this flaw can be masked.

He passes the ball to Ribery.

The latter receives the ball while running, like a bulldozer squeezing open Beilin.

Arsenal defenders quickly shift leftward.

Meanwhile.

Muller decisively makes a forward run into the central channel.

Lewandowski bursts into the penalty area, standing between Maguire and Koscelny, raising his right hand!

"Is Ribery going to cross from the byline?"

"No, Bayern's attacking pattern won't be that simple!"

Walcott and Cazorla are having a tough time.

They are closely following Muller.

But Muller this guy runs to the edge of the penalty area and just stops!

Isn't he supposed to make a forward run to help Bayern add an attacking point?

Why the hell are you standing there motionless?

Halfway through the run... making Arsenal's midfield defenders suffer terribly.

On the other side.

Robben also quietly slips into the penalty area.

Monreal is a beat slower than him.

Schweinsteiger quickly fills the gap!

The whole world is waiting for Ribery to deliver a lethal pass!

Cech focuses intently.

Riberry brings the ball to the vicinity of the corner flag area, starts lateral dribbling, and cuts into the penalty area.

Beilin, having gotten up quickly, gives chase.

Too late!

Bayern's scar-faced runner's movement makes Arsenal's defensive shift to the right flank even more exaggerated.

Exactly now!

Pa!

The football skims the grass, slides past Maguire's flank, and rolls to twelve yards out!

Lewandowski feints to receive the ball, lightly flicks it!

Let the ball slip past!

"Back post, Robben!"

"No!"

"It's Müller!"

"When did he get past Cazorla and Walcott!"

Arsenal fans were on edge!

Müller felt his striker's instinct burning and boiling inside him.

Prove himself.

Prove that even under Ancelotti, he's a top-class finisher!

Thud!

The crisp sound of ball contact made every spectator's heart clench!

The ball didn't fly toward the goal?

Not a shot!

It was a clearance!

The ball left Li Kang's left foot, flying toward Bayern's command area.

"When did Li Kang appear there!"

Ancelotti raised his left leg high; as the falling ball met his dress shoe, he lost his fury.

He tapped the ball with his right foot and immediately lofted it to Boateng.

One can't help but suspect: the coach's footwork seems better than Müller's.

Emirates Stadium, applause like a tide.

In his playing days, Ancelotti was a household-name Milan star on the Italian peninsula, having lifted the Champions League trophy twice.

The midfield shield of the Three Musketeers era.

A top-tier space annihilator under Sacchi's system.

Bayern's head coach chewed gum, gazing at Arsenal's number 10, unable to stop his thoughts from drifting...

Walcott and Cazorla were helpless: Müller's movement was impossible to defend, and tight marking? It would give other Bayern players more attacking space; keeping distance? His ball adjustments in tight spaces were too abnormal.

Müller scratched the back of his head, slightly dazed: How did Li Kang judge that I was the finish point?

Li Kang bent over to adjust his shin guard.

God's perspective, indeed the nemesis of all fake runs.

No need for Nesta or the old master's phantom to appear.

When Müller burst onto the scene, he once plunged European club coaching staffs into confusion: "How did another one of these monstrous strikers pop up? How exactly should we limit opportunists?"

Fortunately, opportunists with top-tier fake runs are rare.

Throughout football history, there are only two or three.

The peak form of fake runs might only appear in film/TV works or... novels.

Live stream room.

The big screen replayed Bayern's entire attacking process.

Müller's forward runs, pauses, and position adjustments had people slamming the table in awe.

When the camera angle focused on Li Kang, it left all the legends stunned.

-【Bottle opener disaster... met Li Mingdeng, nothing could be done.】

-【Bayern's entire attacking system ran at high speed, Müller was as fine as ever, making runs to the edge of the box, suddenly stopping, making his markers dare not move; when Ribéry dribbled sideways, Müller launched again, diagonally charging to the back post, another pause! When Ribéry passed... this guy made his third position adjustment, getting past Cazorla and Walcott.】

-【Throughout the process, Müller indirectly created too much attacking space for teammates.】

-【Li Mingdeng was even more extreme: when Müller paused the second time, he quickly retreated from the top of the arc... as if guessing Müller would have the best shooting environment...】

-【What's so complicated? It's just a clearance!】

-【I said it, Bayern's full main squad recovered from injury, Müller would have ample space to shine, look at Lahm's position just now.】

Čech excitedly hugged Li Kang.

Too thrilling.

Bayern's positional attack under this lineup is genuinely terrifying.

Maguire couldn't help but give his midfield core a thumbs-up.

He just nearly turned and grabbed him to bring him down.

A false alarm.

The throw-in was taken.

Bayern's attack did not stall.

But Müller, entering peak frenzy state... was struck down by Li Kang's dimensional reduction attack.

9th minute of the match.

Alonso sent a through ball.

Other Bayern attacking players pushed wide early, helping central teammates create space.

Müller had already maintained parallel distance with Lahm, preparing to break Arsenal's central defensive partnership.

"Maguire blocked Müller's position!"

"Wow! Pause and step back!"

"Lahm's heel tapped the ball!"

"Müller!"

Maguire looked utterly bewildered, his massive frame utterly unable to resist the law of inertia in an instant.

Müller's pause and step back gave himself another excellent shooting opportunity!

Boom!

The football didn't fly toward the goal!

It wasn't even a shot!

But was cleared out of bounds!

"It's Li Kang again!"

"Oh dear!"

"A clean and decisive tackle to clear the danger!"

"Too bad for Müller!"

Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal fans let out a long sigh of relief.

Bayern's prince for a moment actually looked like Guardiola with his hands on his head...

12th minute of the match.

Bayern came again.

Müller switched roles, dropping back like a sheep to receive the ball, trying to draw Arsenal's central defense... but attracted nothing.

"Why is nobody marking Müller?"

"Alonso can't help it, the wide teammates don't have a good receiving situation..."

"Time is passing, the suspense of qualification is getting smaller and smaller."

The scene grew increasingly dull.

The spectators' ancient memories were gradually awakened: wasn't Wenger's Arsenal early on best at low-block defending? This is the power of the £200 million man deployed deeper!

Müller had a slight headache.

At the opening stage of the match, what entangled him was his old friend Schweinsteiger... but now he constantly felt Li Kang might appear nearby at any moment.

Nemesis.

Throughout his professional career, he had never encountered such a nemesis who could firmly suppress him.

Time passed second by second.

Bayern's high press grew deeper and deeper.

Nüür was almost standing in the center circle.

Even Boateng had surged forward into the attacking third, yet still no goal-scoring good news came.

Suddenly.

A wave of cheers erupted from the stands!

Bayern's ball was intercepted.

"Beautiful!"

"Koscielny's tackle!"

"Maguire distributing the ball!"

"The quality of this long pass is very high!"

"Arsenal's counterattack has come!"

"Morata!"

"Not Morata!"

"He didn't receive the ball with his back to goal!"

"Wow, a beautiful turn and spill! He gave the position to the deeper Sánchez!"

"Bayern's high press is wobbling!"

"Arsenal, after a season of integration, now possesses a top-tier transition attacking rhythm!"

Near the center circle.

Morata's speed is too fast; the spilled ball moment he completed a turn and sprint.

Sánchez touched the ball once.

The football rolled toward the left flank space of Nüür.

Morata chased after.

This attacking rhythm left Bayern's defending players dreaming they could never have guessed.

Boom!

The football in mid-air made a beautiful arc!

A chip shot!

Nüür frantically ran back, all hope lost...

"Morata's this foot, an ultra-long-distance chip shot, is so brilliant!"

"Too bad it didn't hit the goal frame! The football flew out over the byline!"