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When Gerrard saw Lance break through the defence in an outrageous way and score for the third time, he couldn't help but recall that most unforgettable night.
AC Milan's three goals were dominant, but Gerrard had enough confidence to turn the game around back then.
The whole team burned with an iron will, creating a miracle together.
But today, with three goals conceded, Gerrard felt not a shred of fighting spirit.
Deep in his heart, there were only two words—despair.
"The ball is in!!! It's Bayer Leverkusen's signature defensive counter-attack again!"
"Let's rewatch this textbook counter-attack on replay!"
Zhan Jun, at this moment, had no time to feel the pain of Liverpool conceding a goal.
He was purely happy for Lance's goal!
Leading by two goals in the first half, Bayer Leverkusen played with ease, allowing Liverpool to control possession and attack, but always defending their box tightly, giving no opportunities.
It wasn't until the 73rd minute of the second half that Bayer Leverkusen, like a seasoned sniper, lay in the snow for 12 hours, becoming one with the environment.
He waited patiently until he spotted his target and the opportune moment, then pulled the trigger, and a bullet hit right between the eyebrows!
"Look at this goal. Liverpool were anxious. Skrtel and Lovren both rushed in to contest the header."
"Harry Maguire cleared the ball, and Lars Bender immediately passed it to Lance."
"Lance's first touch to control and shake off defenders, he burst out from between Gerrard, Lucas, and Henderson, instantly dismantling Liverpool's defence."
Rodgers, in order to strengthen the defence and reinforce the lineup, specifically substituted the underperforming Sturridge for defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva.
This freed up Gerrard to play as a No. 10, fully participating in the attack, with Lucas and Henderson as a double pivot providing cover.
Coutinho moved to the front line to join the attack.
Liverpool could have relied on this formation change to create more threats.
In fact, their attack did improve, and the previous corner kick was created by the aggressive play after the formation change.
Just as Liverpool were about to gain momentum, Lance's 1-on-3 breakthrough rendered Liverpool's midfield defence ineffective!
The wild intuition provided by Monster Dribbling gave Lance a reaction speed almost comparable to Spider-Man.
He instinctively pulled and pushed the ball to evade, then burst out of the double-team with a "roulette" move, striding forward with the ball towards the attacking third!
Behind him, only Glen Johnson and Moreno were left to defend.
Firmino was in front providing support, while Son Heung-min and De Bruyne simultaneously pushed forward!
Four attackers against two defenders in the final third!
What came next was simple: Son Heung-min sprinted forward at high speed to interfere with Glen Johnson's run, and De Bruyne did the same on the right, drawing Moreno's attention.
Firmino roamed in front, constantly moving back and forth on the edge of the offside line.
Just as the two were guessing who Lance would pass to, Lance faked a pass to De Bruyne, tricking Moreno into taking a step sideways to defend outwards.
At that moment, he suddenly exploded with a powerful touch!
Passing the ball to himself three seconds later!
Moreno realised it too late; he hadn't even rushed over before Lance had completely shaken him off.
The only hope was goalkeeper Mignolet, whose charging speed was fast enough to clear the ball before Lance could receive it.
As Mignolet charged to the edge of the penalty area, Lance had already received the ball.
Mignolet could only try to lower his centre of gravity and block the angle.
"Look at Lance's exquisite touch!!" Zhan Jun exclaimed in admiration.
The kind of footwork typically displayed only by South American players like Ronaldinho, Robinho, and Neymar, was executed by Lance with effortless grace.
While dribbling at high speed, he scraped his left foot over the ball, then faked a scoop with his heel to go over it.
Mignolet had no choice but to raise his centre of gravity, intending to intercept with both hands raised high.
The next second, Lance's right foot unexpectedly pressed the ball downwards, like a spike in table tennis, striking a shot.
The ball bounced on the ground, precisely nutmegging the goalkeeper!
While Mignolet was stunned, Lance had already swept past him like a breeze, facing an open goal and decisively slotting the ball into the net!
3-0!
Firmino, Son Heung-min, and De Bruyne, these future stars of Europe, were completely playing supporting roles for Lance on this goal.
Anfield had completely become Lance's personal stage!
At this stage of the match, Liverpool were powerless to turn the tide.
The Champions League broadcast team for this match was from the Premier League, and Premier League broadcasts, compared to Serie A, La Liga, and others, focus more on the storyline.
They frequently cut to close-ups of players on the field and the stands.
Gerrard's sorrowful eyes, Sterling's helplessness, Mignolet's anguish as he held his head, and the near-tears expressions of Liverpool fans in the stands…
Last season, Suárez gave Liverpool the illusion of an impending revival.
Today, Lance single-handedly brought Liverpool back to reality.
It's not yet time for a revival!
"The match is over!! Bayer Leverkusen defeated last season's Premier League runner-up, Liverpool, by three goals at Anfield!"
"Lance scored two one-on-one goals in the first and second halves, beating the goalkeeper in the same manner to find the empty net, completing a brace!"
"And this Belgian prodigy delivered a stunning through ball, assisting Son Heung-min's goal."
"Two goals and one assist, 17-year-old Lance shines at Anfield! A brilliant start to this Champions League campaign!"
Zhan Jun no longer felt disappointed by Liverpool's loss.
Bayer Leverkusen's opening victory meant they had seized the initiative in the "Group of Death."
In the other match, Real Madrid defeated Roma 2-0.
Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen both had three points.
Bayer Leverkusen, with an advantage of three goals, temporarily ranked first in the group!
"In the next round, Bayer Leverkusen will return to the BayArena to face the challenge of Real Madrid!"
"Last season, Real Madrid eliminated Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League semi-finals. Let's see if Bayer Leverkusen can get their revenge this time!"
Lance, surrounded by cameras, was the protagonist of the Anfield night.
Most of the disappointed Liverpool fans had already left, with only the 1,500 travelling Bayer Leverkusen fans remaining to applaud.
Gerrard had originally wanted to exchange jerseys with Lance, but then thought better of it, and led his dejected teammates back to the changing room, leaving the pitch entirely to Bayer Leverkusen.
Before leaving, Gerrard looked back at Lance one last time.
This young man was already famous last season, and even more so during the World Cup.
In their first encounter, he had almost no room to resist him.
"Am I really old?"
"Next match… it won't be like this again!"
Gerrard turned, and the legendary Red No. 8 disappeared into the shadows of the player's tunnel.
An English reporter happened to capture this scene.
In front of the camera was the naturally gifted talent under the spotlight, Bayer Leverkusen's No. 39 Lance, with the No. 8 behind him hinting at the gradual fading of the older generation of players.
The future of football would be taken over by these young players on the field!
"Bundesliga > Premier League! Champions > Runner-up!"
"My Lance is awesome!"
"Refreshing! Brilliant performance!"
"Manchester fans, calm down."
"Reds, don't shout!"
After the match, dawn broke in the east.
At 5 AM, the sky had a faint glimmer of light. Most people were in deep sleep, while excited fans were still passionately debating online.
The Dongqiudi app had already launched by this time and had accumulated some registered users.
During the World Cup, its user base gradually grew, and it was currently in an expansion phase, having gained many followers on Weibo.
After the match, Dongqiudi also released their match poster.
On the left, against a red background, was Liverpool, with Gerrard's dejected No. 8 back below.
On the right was Lance in a black jersey, raising his arms in triumph.
[0-3! Conquer Anfield!]
"Bayer Leverkusen's official Twitter posted after the match: 'The Anfield tunnel motto (This is Anfield) motivated us—now this is a place of victory!'"
"In the first round of the Champions League group stage, Bayer Leverkusen challenged Liverpool away. After only 11 seconds! Lance received a long pass from De Bruyne and scored a one-on-one goal, setting a record for the fastest goal in this Champions League."
"Subsequently, Lance delivered a brilliant rabona assist, setting up Son Heung-min to extend the lead. In the second half, Lance once again performed a 1v5 dribble and scored, completing his brace, ultimately helping Bayer Leverkusen sweep Liverpool 3-0 away!"
"In this match, Lance shone throughout with two goals and one assist. The entire Liverpool team made multiple mistakes, squandering good opportunities, and Gerrard's lonely figure became a microcosm of Anfield. With an opening victory in the Group of Death, Bayer Leverkusen temporarily topped Group C, ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference!"