Chapter 36: Group of Death (Combined Volume)

Monaco's royal family is a sycophant of Dragon Kingdom's traditional culture.

Prince Albert II, in order to conduct cultural exchange with the Dragon Kingdom, did not hesitate to send the thousand-year throne to the Forbidden Palace.

On December 3, 2002, the Dragon Kingdom defeated Poland, Mexico, Russia, and South Korea in Monaco, winning the right to host the 2010 World Expo.

Grimaldi Conference Center.

From the north gate to the roadside, a red carpet was laid.

On both sides of the red carpet, media reporters had already set up their cameras.

Monaco's area is only 2.08 square kilometers.

This conference center covers an area as large as 70,000 square meters.

Li Kang, Wo Le Er, and Tuopu Laotou got off the business car.

The reporters saw the team badges on the three men's chests and showed little interest; they quickly turned their gaze back to the far end of the road, as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Juventus were their main interview targets.

Upon entering the conference center's lobby,

one could feel the strong Dragon Kingdom traditional elements.

Celadon, black-glazed pottery, colored pottery, Yue ware... tiger heads, sheep heads, rat heads, ink wash paintings... various zithers and drums...

Li Kang stared.

He took two steps closer before he could clearly see the label: 'imitation'.

The negative emotions that had just surfaced gradually faded.

Wo Le Er laughed: "The Monaco royal family can't afford a few pieces of Dragon Kingdom antiques; here there are only imitations."

"Prince Albert II is obsessed with Dragon Kingdom culture to the point of madness; he has made Chinese a compulsory course for the children of this country..."

Li Kang nodded seriously.

Tuopu Laotou looked a bit nervous.

Since the start of defeating Manchester United, he has been praying for Leverkusen's Champions League draw luck.

Playing well is not as good as drawing well.

This year's Champions League situation is quite different.

Among the teams in pot three and pot four, there are also many strong powerhouses.

For example: CSKA Moscow from the Russian Premier League, Sevilla from La Liga, Lyon from Ligue 1, Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukrainian Premier League, Galatasaray from the Turkish Super League....

Especially Roma from Serie A, which was actually placed in pot three.

This season's Champions League group stage could very well give birth to a group of death!

Under the guidance of UEFA staff.

The three walked into a large hall.

"The player representatives' seats are in the stands; we two need to go to the club representatives' seats—if anything comes up, just send me a message, and..."

"You're acting like a grandma now! Enough, Li isn't a child."

Wo Le Er and Tuopu Laotou walked toward the front-row seats in front of the main stage.

Li Kang, following his number plate, walked toward the spectator seats.

He quickly found his seat.

Sixth row.

Seat by the aisle.

"Leverkusen has produced another genius? Asian?"

Li Kang had just sat down when someone beside him greeted him.

It was Pjanic of Roma.

This guy was as thin as a greyhound in 2015.

"You're from the Dragon Kingdom, right? Definitely—I once shared a room with a Dragon Kingdom player!"

"This is also the first time I've seen a Dragon Descendant at a Champions League draw ceremony!"

Pjanic smiled and extended his hand.

Li Kang responded politely.

He suddenly recalled: back then, there indeed was a Dragon Kingdom player who, together with Pjanic, was called the 'Metz Twins'; unfortunately, their later professional careers diverged greatly...

Pjanic was about to continue speaking.

The media reporters behind suddenly exclaimed, and the camera lights flashed wildly!

A group of players wearing jerseys with the Barcelona crest walked into the hall!

Messi!

Yinniesita!

Suarez!

Pjanic wondered: "Why can Barcelona send so many player representatives? Other clubs can only send one!"

The player on his right, Schürle, said: "Barcelona is last season's Champions League champion; not only do they have more player representatives, but the award presenters also include three legends!"

After all the representatives had taken their seats.

The Champions League group draw ceremony officially began.

After an uplifting opening piece.

On either side of the main stage, a man and a woman walked out respectively.

Manchester United's veteran goalkeeper, Schmeichel.

Miss Switzerland, Melanie.

The two served as the masters of ceremonies for this draw, speaking in a very official tone for the opening remarks.

Below the stage.

Pi Ya Ni Qi adjusted his sitting posture, his gaze fixed on the graceful figure on the main stage, and murmured: 'Really impressive!'

Li Kang: '...'

He really couldn't see why that sternly dressed Swiss miss would give off the feeling of a Rome genius.

Pi Ya Ni Qi glanced at Li Kang and said: 'Miss Melanie, aren't you charming? Your taste has a problem!'

The draw ceremony proceeded quickly.

The two masters of ceremonies exited.

The LED big screen on the main stage began playing the top ten goals from the previous Champions League.

A Bu Ba Ka Er fired a violent long-range shot.

Lai Wan Duo Fu Si Ji headed the ball into the net.

Ben Ze Ma blasted a close-range shot.

Accompanied by the passionate Champions League theme BGM.

Every goal could raise applause from the crowd.

Of the ten best goal clips, Barcelona accounted for five.

When the iconic moment of Messi shaking Boateng appeared on the big screen,

it instantly ignited the crowd's cheers.

Bayern Munich's sports director's face turned deathly pale.

The club representatives' section.

Tuopu Laotou sat between Enrique and Guardiola, feeling somewhat ill at ease.

He couldn't fathom why two juniors could ignore him, not even greeting him!

Are triple crown winners and sextuple crown winners that impressive?

The top ten goals finished playing.

The LED screen did not dim.

Instead, it suddenly inserted the best goal from this season's Champions League qualifiers.

In the picture,

A black-haired youth wearing Lewokusen's number 10 jersey launched an astonishing free kick with a strange arc at Old Trafford Stadium.

Instantly.

Everyone's gaze turned toward the player bench, desperately searching for the scorer's figure.

Pi Ya Ni Qi looked astonished at Li Kang and praised: 'Your free kick, kid, seems even stronger than mine!'

Dragon Kingdom livestream.

Duan Xuan and He Wei couldn't help but feel a little excited seeing this.

"Li Kang! He is the first Dragon Descendant player to appear in the Champions League draw ceremony!"

"His free-kick goal with this foot is as exciting as last season's Champions League top ten goal!"

The bullet comments gradually grew excited.

-【Although Li Kang is not a Dragon Kingdom national, I still hope he keeps improving, to prove to the world that Dragon Kingdom people can also play well!】

-【Prove what? Only when Dragon Kingdom football's overall strength grows can we change the evaluation of football as a wasteland; Li Kang, definitely don't come back!】

The club representatives' section.

A Lai Ge Li suddenly turned back: 'Mr. Tuop, this kid is a bit like Pirlo, our Juventus...'

Xi Meng Ni interrupted: 'This kid's playing style is very suitable for Atletico Madrid!'

Pei Lai Ge Li Ni: 'Our Manchester City...'

Tuopu Laotou cursed the UEFA editors ten thousand times in his heart!

No, it must be Wo Le Er's doing!

And this bunch of greedy elite club coaches!

Wen Ge, how can you look at me with those eyes?

You Arsenal, what are you joining in the fun for?

Tuopu Laotou strove to make his tone calm: 'Um... Li, his free kick is not bad! Right! Only his free kick is not bad.'

The Champions League ceremony quickly proceeded to the most important segment.

Maldini and Zanetti, the two legends of AC Milan and Inter Milan, as draw guests, stood before the small stage.

Pop!

The small ball was unscrewed.

Barcelona was drawn first, Group E!

All the second-tier club head coaches couldn't help but feel nervous.

Tuopu Laotou also kept praying in his heart.

When the result came out,

He nearly fainted from anger.

Dragon Kingdom livestream.

Duan Xuan and He Wei also commented on the draw results.

"Lewokusen! Group E!"

"Rome! Group E!"

"Bao Li Suo Fu! Group E!"

The first death group has been born!

Congratulations to them!

The barrage is all joy!

-【Hahaha! Lewokusen barely eliminated Manchester United in the Champions League qualifiers, but then met Barcelona in the group stage.】

-【A revenge battle of discarded giants? I suspect this group was rigged, haha.】

-【Roma has been strong these two seasons, ranking second in Serie A, especially their defensive system, their counterattacks are extremely sharp! Lewokusen will have a hard time advancing.】

-【Borisov is no easy opponent either, the icy snows of Belarus, Bayern and Atlético Madrid have suffered before, freezing their underwear solid, let alone passing.】

-【Based on objective strength, Lewokusen will hardly advance! They definitely can't beat Barcelona.】

-【Look at Arsenal, what a great draw they got, they're sure to make the round of 16.】

Forty minutes later.

The group stage results for the 2015/16 Champions League season have all been announced!

Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmö.

Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Lazio, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg.

Group C: Benfica, Atlético Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana.

Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Group E: Barcelona, Lewokusen, Roma, Borisov.

Group F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb.

Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kyiv), Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Group H: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, Gent.

Some are happy, some are worried.

Groups E and D, two absolute groups of death, have become hot topics.

The Champions League draw ceremony has officially ended.

Pjanic and Li Kang shook hands: "See you in the Champions League!"

A man in a suit stepped forward: "Hey! Son of Sofia! I've watched you grow up since you were little! Do you still remember me? I never expected you to become so outstanding; you should come home more often..."

His suit was embroidered with the Barcelona crest.

Li Kang glanced at the other person.

No response.

He turned and left.

A Spanish player who insults the dragon, why do so many Dragon Kingdom fans still regard him as the "iron-blooded team soul"?

The man in the suit gave an embarrassed smile.

He turned to Yinniesita and spread his hands: "Kid, you've hit your rebellious phase!"

The venue exit.

Wo Le Er and Tuopu Laotou didn't greet their old friends, but immediately met with Li Kang.

"Do you know any new friends? Hmm, that kid Pjanic has a decent lifestyle."

"Don't act like an old lady, will you? Li is already 17! Let's hurry; this bunch of crazy reporters, upon seeing those big‑club stars, are like flies seeing dung!"

The three quickly left the Grimaldi Forum.

They didn't encounter any trouble.

After all.

Among the Champions League top 32, there are many big‑club powerhouses with bigger followings than Lewokusen; the media reporters simply can't interview them all.

Just like Barcelona's sporting director Robert at this moment.

His mouth was about to be filled with microphones.

"Mr. Robert, do you think Barcelona can defend their Champions League title this season?"

"After Xavi left, Barcelona just happened to encounter a transfer ban this summer window; can you adapt to multiple fronts this season?"

"Lewokusen's talented youngster, he refuses to return to Barcelona; what do you think of this? Why did you sell him to Lewokusen in the first place, instead of loaning him out?"

Robert remained calm, answering the media reporters' questions one by one.

"Li Kang? We respect his personal wishes; interestingly, Barcelona and Lewokusen are in the same group."

The meaning is obvious.

Beating a weakened Manchester United proves nothing at all.

In the Champions League group stage, Barcelona will crush Lewokusen with sheer strength.

A newly promoted youngster actually wants to prove Barcelona's decision was wrong?

Li Kang returned to the first‑team dormitory.

Through two walls, one could hear Brandt's laughter while he played games.

He took off the uncomfortable suit.

He turned on the computer.

He began searching for recent match footage of Roma.

He often watches replays of Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Juventus, but still doesn't understand them at all, even using a god's view.

The video began playing.

When he saw Roma's starting lineup.

He understood why everyone praises this Serie A team's strong defense and sharp counterattacks.

Center back: Manolas partnered with Rudiger.

These two guys are the defenders with the fastest explosive speed in the current top five leagues!

Midfield: Pjanic, Kante, De Rossi, Nainggolan.

This midfield's pressing intensity is absolutely one of the toughest in the top five leagues!

Forward: Salah, Dzeko.

No need to mention Dzeko, a top-class striker like that.

The Roma version of Salah probably hasn't reached his full potential yet, right?

One hour later.

Li Kang in front of the computer was a bit shocked.

Was Salah in 2015 already that strong?

And Pjanic, he's basically playing according to Pirlo's template!

That Rudiger, his turning ability seems to be a notch stronger than in the future!

The shadow in Li Kang's mind suddenly spread wildly.

In his consciousness, he began to replay every detail of the match he had just watched.

The pitch turned into a plane.

The Roma players turned into stars, constantly moving.

Their overall movement.

On the plane, they formed two chains....

After a long while.

The shadow in the mind began to contract.

Li Kang was covered in cold sweat.

He kept panting heavily.

In God's perspective, he simply couldn't find a way to break this defensive system.

It's probably still limited by his understanding of tactics.

Limited by his understanding of his own players' characteristics.

In short.

If Lewokusen wants to advance from the Champions League group stage.

The difficulty coefficient is very high.

In the original timeline, the 15/16 season, the two teams that advanced from Champions League Group E were: Barcelona and Roma.