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Ever since Bayer Leverkusen rose from struggling in 3rd-6th place in the Bundesliga to soaring to the top of the table, and even completing a Bundesliga double over Bayern Munich, they have also become a dark horse in the Champions League, defeating Manchester United, Arsenal, and FC Barcelona in succession, and nearly overthrowing Real Madrid.
Their image instantly elevated; in the public eye, they were already on par with giants like Bayern Munich. It's like two students, Xiao Le and Xiao Lai, whose grades usually hovered around the middle to upper ranks. Then, one day, Xiao Le's grades suddenly shot up to first in the grade, pushing the original first-place student, Xiao Bai, down.
Their grades even ranked among the top in the city, defeating Xiao Lian, Xiao Na, and Xiao Sa from the neighboring key high school, and even tying with Xiao Huang, the city's top scorer, only losing by 1 point. Overall, it was at least the third-best performance in the city.
Back in the classroom, looking at Xiao Lai, who sat at the next desk with average grades, they were completely looked down upon! What class are you, to sit at the same table as me?
This was the attitude of Bayer Leverkusen fans towards SV Werder Bremen before the match. They had expected to easily defeat SV Werder Bremen and win this championship without any suspense.
However, SV Werder Bremen stabbed them on the spot, and the Bundesliga championship, which was within their grasp, was now in jeopardy! The German Football Association made two preparations for this final match.
The Bundesliga championship trophy was arranged for both Bayer Leverkusen's home ground, BayArena, and Bayern Munich's home ground, Allianz Arena. However, Bayer Leverkusen held the initiative, so their Bundesliga "salad bowl" was the real one, while the one at Allianz Arena was a replica.
If Bayern Munich were to reverse and win the championship, the real trophy would be given to Bayern Munich after the award ceremony. Hearing that Bayern Munich was already leading 2-0 on the other side, Sascha Lewandowski's face had already turned pale.
"Are they really leading?"
"Yes... no, that's not right."
Sami Hyypiä frowned.
"What do you mean? Was the goal disallowed?"
A glimmer of hope still hung on Sascha's face.
"They scored again, two goals in one minute, leading 3-0."
Hyypiä's expression was helpless. After conceding a goal, VfB Stuttgart's defense remained relatively lax.
In the midfield, Toni Kroos intercepted the ball from Philipp Lahm and sent a through pass down the middle. Toni Kroos then made an inspired chip pass from outside the box, and Arjen Robben, arriving late, scored with a left-footed volley.
3-0! Judging by Bayern Munich's form today, they have already secured the victory.
On the real-time Bundesliga table, Bayern Munich also completed the overtake, temporarily standing at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-point advantage! If they maintain this until the end, Bayern Munich will complete a comeback to win the championship!
"It seems that the suspense on Bayern Munich's side has already ended early, so the suspense for the Bundesliga championship is entirely concentrated at BayArena!"
"...The first half of the match has ended, with Bayer Leverkusen temporarily trailing by one goal; while Bayern Munich has already secured the victory by three goals in the first half, completing the overtake on the real-time Bundesliga table. It's hard to imagine such a scenario in the Bundesliga's final match!"
Commentator Mehmet Scholl was a bit distressed; as a former Bayern Munich player, he would rather see the vibrant Bayer Leverkusen win the championship, and more teams challenge Bayern Munich's status, which would be a good thing for the Bundesliga. Oliver Kahn remained relatively calm:
"Bayer Leverkusen is a very resilient team. The second half of the match isn't over yet, and anything can happen."
"Oh? Do you think they have a chance to turn it around?"
"Of course, two years ago in the Premier League, didn't Manchester City also achieve the 9320 miracle? I believe Lance can definitely lead Bayer Leverkusen to create a miracle."
Kahn mentioned the 9320 miracle in the Premier League, and fans in front of their televisions also felt a sense of empathy. At that time, the Premier League title race was similar to the current situation.
Manchester United was leading Sunderland 2-0, having already secured the victory. On the other side, Manchester City, after leading 1-0, conceded two goals in a row to Crystal Palace.
Whether Manchester City lost or drew, they would lose their first ever club title. And Manchester United, the then Premier League hegemon, would claim their 20th title.
As time gradually elapsed, Manchester City stubbornly drew 2-2, and the game had already entered stoppage time. Manchester United's match had already ended, and everyone was waiting for Manchester City's outcome; some Manchester United fans had even started celebrating.
Within the 4 minutes of stoppage time, the possibility of Manchester City scoring a last-minute winner became increasingly slim. Just as they were on the verge of losing the championship in a desperate situation, Manchester City launched a beautiful attack.
Sergio Agüero weaved through the box and scored a last-minute winner in the 93rd minute and 20 seconds! The suspense of the Premier League title race was maintained until the very end!
A golden goal allowed Manchester City, a rising star, to claim their first ever club title, and it ushered in Manchester City's era of dominance after 2011; the sky over Manchester also turned blue because of this goal. Bayer Leverkusen's predicament today was so similar to Manchester City's back then!
So even though they were trailing by one goal, Bayer Leverkusen fans still held onto hope. What if!
Their "Oriental Magician," "Savior," and "Miracle Boy" Lance, had already staged several comebacks from desperate situations this season. Everyone trusted him unconditionally!
Including the coaching staff. During halftime, Sascha and Hyypiä did not scold the players.
At such a time, no matter how poorly the team performed, everyone had to stick together and unite as one.
"Forget this first half, and forget this past season too."
"What we face now are the next 45 minutes. I hope everyone can treat the last 45 minutes of this season as an ordinary Bundesliga match and perform at your usual level."
"Regardless of the outcome, everyone has been successful this season. It's an honor to have worked with you gentlemen for a perfect season."
"But!"
"The real Bundesliga salad bowl has already been transported to the stadium! When you walk out of the player tunnel, you can reach out and touch the championship trophy!!"
"Will you be tormented by regret and remorse every night before going to sleep? Or will you smile as you fall asleep every time you think of today? The choice is entirely yours! Go, and strive to keep this real trophy at BayArena!"
"Allez!!"
"Allez!!!"
Indeed, in the first half, they were distracted by the championship and various external factors, and a group of players with no championship experience performed poorly. Now facing a desperate situation, they had no time to think so much!
No matter what, they could not lose today's match! Win it!
...
Back on the field, the whistle for the second half blew. Lance clearly felt that everyone's enthusiasm had significantly increased.
Ömer Toprak and Emir Spahić, who had previously been "eyeball defenders," had significantly increased their tackling intensity. Eren Derdiyok, on the front line, was also actively competing for the ball, trying to create space for Lance to perform.
The entire team was running frantically, which made SV Werder Bremen very uncomfortable.
"First, look at this ball!! Lars Bender's tackle!! A brilliant sliding tackle to keep the ball!"
"Swept it to Simon Rolfes while lying on the ground... passed to the left, Son Heung-min!!"
Son Heung-min was indeed distracted today. He was a bit nervous, constantly wondering if he would stay at Bayer Leverkusen if they won the championship, or what if he performed poorly and they didn't win, especially with the championship so close!
Too many thoughts greatly affected his performance on the field. After the halftime adjustment, Son Heung-min cast aside distractions and focused, gradually evolving to his peak level.
Upon receiving the ball, he instantly pulled it horizontally to evade the challenge, using changes in rhythm to accelerate and change direction with the ball, outrunning his opponent on the outside!
"Son Heung-min!! He's very fast, very strong!! Good, he cuts in, into the box!"
"Shot? No!!! An outside-of-the-foot cross!"
"Lance!!"
SV Werder Bremen's two center-backs were most concerned about marking Lance. They instantly abandoned Derdiyok and converged on Lance, forming a double-team.
If they could delay him for more than a second, all of SV Werder Bremen's players could swarm in to tackle the ball. Outside the box, Lance was incredibly calm.
With the [Nagi Seishiro] template, Lance had already observed the opponent's movements and executed a divine first touch in a confined space! He lightly brushed the ball with the outside of his left foot, letting it rise slightly, bypassing the opponent's toes, while simultaneously leaning on another center-back to complete a turn, and then gently flicked it with the outside of his right foot!
Before the opponent's center-back could react, Lance's flicked ball had already gone around his left side, and he himself had turned around to the right side! A more elegant and difficult dance than "Ice Prince" Dennis Bergkamp!
He escaped two players in just 1 second and burst into the box! The full-back's flying tackle to block his right foot was already too late, and Lance, at the crucial moment, unleashed a powerful shot with his left foot!
"Left foot?"
As SV Werder Bremen's defender was stunned, Lance's shot turned into a meteor, piercing the net!!
"Gooooooal!!! Laaaaaance—"
"Lance — what a goal!!!"
"Just as the second half began, Lance received a cross from Son Heung-min outside the box, performed an incredible individual display to shake off two defenders, and then blasted it in with his left foot to equalize the score!"