Chapter 177 The King of North Rhine

A few days later, the Bundesliga match day arrived.

The Schalke 04 team arrived at the BayArena.

Inside the player tunnel.

Van Dijk and his senior Huntelaar embraced tightly.

The Dutch team had been in a slump since the 2014 World Cup, and was even eliminated in the European Cup qualifiers!

A generational gap was part of the reason.

After losing Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt, Van Persie, Van der Vaart... and other players, the Oranje squad's lineup was star-deprived.

....

How strong was Huntelaar?

Eredivisie Golden Boot.

Johan Cruyff Award winner.

Bundesliga Golden Boot.

As of the 11/12 season, the strongest striker in the Bundesliga in the past 30 years, and the foreign player with the most goals in a single season in Bundesliga history.

Europa League Golden Boot.

48 goals and 14 assists in a single season.

Why wasn't he more famous?

Because this historical period was not short of top centers.

Since his debut, his competitors have been: Drogba, Diego Costa, Aguero, Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Van Persie, Falcao, Dzeko, Mandzukic, Benzema, Lewandowski, Tevez, Higuain, Diego Forlan, Cavani, Torres, Klose...

A group of big monsters.

Who would have thought that the world football scene a few years later... would be short of centers?

....

The referee team led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.

A hot air balloon with the Bundesliga logo slowly rose into the air.

The reaction of tens of thousands of spectators at the BayArena was very bland.

Because Li Kang was sitting on the bench.

"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, audience friends!"

"Welcome to the Bundesliga league of the 2015/16 season!"

"Bayer Leverkusen versus Schalke 04 at home!"

"This is a strong dialogue."

"A key battle for the championship."

"Next, I will introduce the starting lineups of both sides."

"Wearing green away jerseys is Schalke 04! The formation they are deploying is 4-2-3-1!"

"Goalkeeper: Fährmann!"

"Left back: Kolasinac!"

"Center backs: Matip, Neustädter!"

"Right back: Caicara!"

"Double defensive midfielders: Goretzka, Højbjerg!"

"Attacking midfielders: Choupo-Moting, Meyer, Sané!"

"Forward: Huntelaar!"

"Bayer Leverkusen's formation is 4-3-3!"

"Goalkeeper:..."

"Midfield core - Li Kang did not get a start, probably to save his strength for the second leg of the Champions League semi-final next Wednesday!"

...

Livestream room.

-[Fun fact, the market value of this group of Schalke 04 players is increasing faster than that of Bayer Leverkusen!]

-[Normal, they are not relying on a superstar. Everyone has highlights, but they occasionally stumble against weaker teams.]

-[This group of people won't be able to stay next season, the Premier League will divide them up.]

-[If Li Mingdeng had joined Schalke 04 at the beginning of the season, growing up with this group of potential youngsters, it would be stable to win a treble in a few years.]

-[No matter which version of the game, you have to choose Schalke 04 at the start.]

....

The referee blew the whistle.

The game officially began.

Schalke 04's style of play this season is very simple: just attack, it is impossible to defend.

Huntelaar kicked off and passed the ball back to Goretzka.

Bayer Leverkusen's midfielders and forwards immediately launched a crazy press.

Schalke 04 did not seem to be in a hurry.

The entire Bundesliga now knows how to deal with Bayer Leverkusen's dense cross-pressing network.

Except for a few famous coaches, the tactical innovation speed of ordinary teams... can never keep up with the speed of being cracked.

"It's useless."

"Goretzka and Meyer have made too much progress this season. Whether it is physical confrontation or getting rid of pressure, they have reached the top level in the Bundesliga!"

....

The game was not suspenseful.

13th minute.

Goalkeeper Fährmann received a pass back and kicked the ball long.

The football fell straight to the wing.

20-year-old Sané was perfect.

He easily shrugged off Borges.

Starting from the wing, he began a one-man charge.

In the blink of an eye, he easily blasted through Bayer Leverkusen's entire defense.

"Little Overlord of the Ruhr area!"

"He has dual German and French citizenship, and the two football associations are arguing endlessly about it."

"Manchester City has already regarded him as one of their targets for the summer window."

"Look at this ball!"

Bayer Leverkusen's defenders simply couldn't stop such a super genius.

In front of the penalty area.

Sané feinted, got rid of Jonathan Tah, and strode into the penalty area.

A sweeping cross, the football quickly swept to the front of the goal!

Choupo-Moting, who had inserted into the penalty area, finished with one strike.

Leno had no way to react.

0:1!!!

The BayArena was silent.

Huntelaar took Van Dijk away.

Kramer and Bender hadn't returned to defense yet.

Bayer Leverkusen's defense was a pile of shit.

"Too easy!"

"Even without Champions League football, Sané's value is increasing with every game!"

"His explosive power, breakthroughs, changes of pace, passing, body balance, and other characteristics are actually very compatible with Li Kang."

"Because normal teams encounter Li Kang, who is active in the middle, they cannot invest a lot of troops to compress the space on the wings. Sané is currently the most skilled new generation winger in the top five leagues."

....

24th minute of the match.

Çalhanoğlu found an opportunity.

He staggered and got rid of Meyer's pressing.

He decisively sent a brilliant overhead diagonal pass!

Hilbert used all his strength to rush to the landing point, forcefully shrugged off Højbjerg, lifted his foot to control the ball, and began to sprint!

Schalke 04's defense was also a pile of shit.

Bayer Leverkusen's full-back killed to the vicinity of the baseline!

Cross!

The football drew a rough arc in the air.

Falling straight into Schalke 04's penalty area!

Kießling jumped high, overpowering Matip, and headed for the goal!

Bang!

The football pierced Schalke 04's goal like a cannonball.

1:1!!!

"Bundesliga header monster!"

"Kießling, the loyal synonym of the BayArena!"

"This may be one of the last few games of his career!"

Kießling excitedly patted his forehead and celebrated wildly towards the home fans.

....

On the sidelines.

Dino was about to tell Li Kang to warm up.

"Wait a moment."

"Li, put on your coat first, don't catch a cold."

....

The game gradually evolved into an all-out attack battle.

The defense of both teams was too poor.

If they shot on target, they would score.

The game gradually evolved into a contest between Leno and Fährmann.

Finally.

Leno was better.

He successively saved Huntelaar's long shot and Sané's cut inside!

Beep! Beep beep~

The referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Bayer Leverkusen narrowly defeated Schalke 04 4:3!

The fans in the live broadcast room seemed to have ushered in a grand festival.

....

Li Kang sat on the bench for the entire game.

Only under the urging of the coaching staff, he kept putting on and taking off his coat.

[“North Rhine Hero” progress completed! Achievement upgraded!]

[Congratulations on obtaining the “King of North Rhine” achievement!]

[Permanent special effect: When you step on the green field of Cologne, Mönchengladbach, and Leverkusen, all attributes are increased by 10%! ]

Li Kang was stunned.

As the season approached its end, he had unknowingly accumulated enough achievement progress.

Personal attributes were secondary.

The most important thing was the "King of North Rhine" achievement... the totem effect of the three clubs.

In the distance.

Dino asked anxiously: "Boss, our German Cup opponent is... RB Leipzig! Their strength is very strong."

Old man Toppmöller frowned: "A Bundesliga 2 team in the limelight? Henrichs can even play as a starter in it, how strong can they be? Let Hakan lead the team!"