Chapter 1 The Hailstorm

The sea breeze whipped against the corner flag.

Li Kang communicated several hand signals to his teammates.

Some understood perfectly.

Some didn't fully understand.

For example, Welbeck scratched his little dark head in confusion: Was it time to speed up?

But it didn't matter.

The progress of a soccer match isn't entirely determined by tactics.

...

Accompanied by the referee's whistle.

The second half officially began.

Arsenal had possession.

Welbeck kicked the ball back to Li Kang, and then sprinted towards Monaco's half.

The ball went through a few slow passes.

And came to Koscielny's feet.

He was one of the top central defenders in the world in terms of ball control.

Ball control.

Monaco changed from their previous low block, and invested a lot of troops in the frontcourt to participate in pressing.

However, the pressure intensity was far less than Liverpool and Tottenham.

Koscielny stylishly cut inside, shook off Lemar, and sent a medium-range diagonal pass.

"When a team's midfield and defense can solve the two problems of passing out from the back and counter-pressing, it is easy to form an all-round suppression."

"When did Li Kang rush so far forward?"

"Welbeck's position is deeper."

"Arsenal is going to give up the hypnotic passing and control of the first half! To seize the start of the second half!"

...

The ball was not passed to Li Kang.

Too far.

Koscielny lacked confidence in his long pass, and aimed for Cazorla.

The Arsenal midfield master touched the ball once.

Before the ball landed.

It was picked out to Chamberlain on the wing.

Speeding up.

The "New Walcott" slammed his feet on the grass after receiving the ball, and launched into a lightning-fast sprint.

Chamberlain didn't like the nickname, after all, Walcott himself hadn't become the strongest in the world yet. He hoped others would call him "New Bale", the senior brother from the Southampton youth academy.

"Monaco's dark horse posture is not only reflected in the attack, their defensive preparations are very thorough!"

"Mendy, Bernardo Silva, and Bakayoko formed a siege!"

"Can Chamberlain break through?"

Definitely not.

Although Chamberlain's brain hadn't fully opened up yet, he also knew he had to pass the ball.

He hesitated for two seconds, and found that his connection with Li Kang had been cut off... he decisively passed it back!

Bellerin, who had moved forward, gently raised his foot.

This side player from La Masia youth academy also had a deep one-touch ability.

The ball drew a small fold line and was sent to Mertesacker.

Mertesacker had been very busy recently. He not only led Saka, Iwobi, and S-Rowe and a group of children to rampage in the English League Cup, but was also the "life committee member" of the locker room, responsible for managing violations...

Just as he stopped the ball, he saw Koscielny's flustered wave.

It wasn't calling him to pass it back.

But a signal for him to kick it long quickly.

Bang!

Before Mbappe got close.

Mertesacker sent a high-altitude diagonal pass.

The ball whistled through the night sky and flew to the left wing.

"The members of Arsenal's defense come from different countries."

"Bellerin and Monreal speak Spanish, Mertesacker speaks German, Koscielny speaks French, and Cech is proficient in all of the above languages."

...

The quality of the pass was not high.

The floating trajectory.

Made Monreal suffer when competing with Sidibe.

The opponent was more than ten centimeters taller than him.

Fortunately, Sidibe's ball-stopping skills were rough enough.

After two consecutive physical collisions.

The ball was still controlled by Arsenal's left back.

He couldn't hesitate.

Monaco quickly formed a circle of encirclement on the wing.

Monreal's footwork was good, but his physical confrontation was insufficient, and he couldn't withstand a few bumps from the dark eggs.

Fortunately, after staggering a few steps to squeeze out space, he successfully passed the ball forward.

....

Fabinho was a little shadowed by Li Kang.

When he saw Arsenal's number 10 receiving the ball in the thirty-meter area, he didn't decisively tackle, but subconsciously retreated to defend.

Who knew if that kid would come up with another over-the-top long pass to hit the space behind?

When Li Kang saw the other party's actions, he began to speed up.

Not the speed of passing, but the speed of sprinting.

In the God's perspective.

Fabinho once again formed a three-center-back formation with Glik and Jemerson, widening the defensive width.

Morata and Sanchez were very close to him, supporting on the left and right sides respectively.

No problem.

Arsenal had a numerical advantage in this local attack.

"Here it comes!"

"Cazorla cuts in from the middle, Chamberlain takes Bakayoko away!"

"Why is Welbeck drilling into the crowd..."

"Li Kang, Morata, and Sanchez form a triangle, about to chisel open Monaco's defensive formation."

"Unstoppable!"

...

On the sidelines.

Jardim's expression was slightly dazed, and a trace of horror appeared in an instant.

He knew how to defend.

But he didn't have a remote control in his hand.

Information couldn't be transmitted to the players on the field instantly like in a game.

In a trance.

A small black shadow was speeding across the green field, giving the Monaco coach a faint hope!

Mbappe.

"Wow!"

"The director zoomed in on the lens, what did we see?"

"Mbappe's defensive speed is too fast!"

"The running posture is full of youthful vitality!"

"His defense has always been criticized by the outside world, but we can't ask too much of a 17-year-old genius attacker."

Mbappe galloped in the wind, getting faster and faster!

Monaco teammates were a little confused: They had never seen this kid's defensive attitude so active... was it forced out by Li Kang?

...

Fabinho's IQ was very high.

Originally, he didn't have full confidence to stop Li Kang.

But he instantly understood that Mbappe's defensive interception was intended to interfere with Li Kang's left foot.

Without hesitating for too long.

His eyes stared at Li Kang's stride frequency and ball-touching distance.

Decisively tackled.

Seal his right foot!

....

Mbappe had extraordinary self-confidence.

But he also understood that his role on the defensive end was very small.

He wasn't stupid.

He couldn't stop Arsenal's number 10.

But he had to cooperate with his teammates to interfere with his passing and block passing space.

Who was the strongest young player after Messi and Ronaldo?

Pogba?

No.

Mbappe thought it was himself... and Li Kang!

"Wonderful!"

"Mbappe's speed is too terrifying! He caught up with Li Kang!"

"The ages of the two European stars are only three months apart."

...

After the battle of Tottenham.

The legendary module Li Kang possessed seemed to be exhausted and temporarily unable to manifest.

The only thing that stayed with him was the "Eye of Truth."

When the thick black mist gushed out.

Li Kang observed Fabinho's center of gravity change.

A sudden stop.

Avoided the opponent's foot coming from the front.

But he also lost the right-side connection line with Morata.

The momentum he possessed also vanished.

Mbappe followed closely behind.

The bronze forehead, reflecting the spotlight, and the dark, long legs cut off the passing path on the left.

"Is he going to pass it back?"

"If he rushes over, this ball might..."

The sea breeze lifted the hem of the number 10 jersey.

The phantom of the number 19 in white, condensed like a sandstorm.

Modric.

An aura of controlling the entire field and looking down on the heroes spread wildly.

Li Kang captured the passing line in an instant.

Ankle locked tight.

Toes tucked in.

Lifted upwards.

The moment of touching the ball, the body and the phantom completely overlapped.

...

Pa!

A hint of surprise flashed in Fabinho's eyes: Was Li going to pass it hard?

The Brazilian defensive midfielder didn't have time to make a second tackle.

He watched helplessly as Arsenal's number 10's right instep hit the lower middle of the ball.

The slightly raised toes...

Made his eyes filled with fear!

Outside instep pass!

A rainbow-like arc lit up in the Stade Louis II.

"Wow!"

"An unexpected outside instep pass!"

"A perfect, natural line, breaking through Mbappe and Fabinho's block..."

"Violent spin!"

"Amazing ball speed!"

"A trajectory as mesmerizing as the world-famous painting Mona Lisa!"

"Butlerservice landing point."

Jardim looked horrified.

Boulde was dumbfounded.

Wenger's hand reaching into his pocket froze instantly.

....

Not only did it break through the block.

The rainbow-like trajectory also tore apart Monaco's defense.

Jemerson and Glik sighed in dismay.

At the landing point, a black bald head suddenly protruded, making all Monaco fans feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave!

Welbeck!

Thump!

Accompanied by a muffled sound.

The ball hit his head without a difference.

Then it refracted the goal at a faster speed!

The violent spin didn't stop.

Goalkeeper Subasic was a little dazed.

Wasn't this motherfucker Modric's signature outside instep? The shooting line was difficult to judge after the refraction!

He subconsciously reached out his hand, but didn't touch anything.

Looking back again.

The ball had already crossed the goal line, the violent spin didn't stop, and it was frantically entangled with the net.

0:1!

The whole stadium sighed.

...

"Gorgeous!"

"Like a sparkling gem!"

"This ball is in!"

"Li Kang, with his left and right sealed off, sent an impeccable outside instep arc long pass!"

"Welbeck scores with a header!"

"They helped Arsenal get off to a perfect start in the second half!"

"Too tacit!"

"Monaco's defense is helpless in the face of such a sultry outside instep."

"We have witnessed a wonderful moment."

"We have witnessed Li Kang moving step by step towards the peak of midfield masters!"

....

Livestream.

The barrage flew.

-[Li Mingdeng is so handsome!]

-[Arsenal +1.]

-[Welbeck couldn't spit this pancake out no matter what, Little Li forced it into his head!]

-[I thought the protagonist would be Mbappe...]

-[Li Mingdeng is awesome, directing while running, and he can send an impeccable outside instep long pass when sealed off! A new generation of feeding cake masters!]

-[The teammates' running position is also good, and the two Monaco center backs have to defend against Chamberlain and Cazorla's insertion.]

-[Fabinho: Didn't you say you were going to hit the top of my head? Why don't you hit it?]

-[Arsenal is so terrible this season, will they still be eliminated in the Champions League Round of 16? I don't believe it!]

-[It's hard to say, if you encounter Ancelotti's Bayern, Simeone's Atletico Madrid... it's going to be difficult. It's really possible to encounter them! They used all substitutes in the first two rounds of the Champions League, focusing on preparing for the key battle of the league, and may not be able to get the top spot in the group!]

-[According to the Champions League Round of 16 draw rules... for example: if the first place in Group C is Arsenal, then the draw will only draw the second place in other groups!]

-[Don't be crowing! Bayern is Arsenal's real nemesis... if they meet in the Round of 16, it's really a bit suspenseful.]

.....

Most of the Arsenal fans watching the game live were from Gunners fan organizations across Europe.

At the moment of the goal, they shouted with all their strength:

"Co

Boulde and the substitute players waved their hands.

"Li is in control of everything!"

"There was no problem with Monaco's defensive arrangement, but they neglected Li's outside instep..."

"When did Li learn this trick?"

"Pay attention to Li's gestures!"

"Still want to continue beating Fabinho at this point? Don't interrupt! Listen to Li!"

Wenger tried hard to restrain the joy in his heart.

Mmm.

Must maintain composure.

Facing the old club, he couldn't celebrate too exaggeratedly.

Should he show a look of regret?

When Monaco eliminated him last time, the fans sang to comfort him.

On the other side.

Jardim quickly dismissed his frustrated emotions.

He gestured and roared at his disciples.

It was just one goal behind.

There was still a chance!

As long as Lemar or Mbappe got the ball in the frontcourt...

Gradually.

The Monaco coach was a little sad: When did he have to consider whether the offensive players could get the ball... He hadn't considered it when facing Greater Paris, and he hadn't considered it when facing Barcelona...

....

VIP box.

Monaco royal family members couldn't help but applaud and cheer.

There wasn't a hint of sorrow on their faces.

"It's a pity we don't have a princess of the right age!"

"Otherwise, Monaco will be able to break into the Champions League final next season!"

"What are you thinking? Exchange a princess for a Champions League title? But if it's Li... he will definitely bring endless wealth and prestige to the royal family like his grandmother!"

"It doesn't matter, players who grew up on the Iberian Peninsula all like women who are more than ten years older than them."

"I heard that Li's private life is very clean, he is not addicted to London's wine and nightlife..."

Everyone seemed to have forgotten that the team was behind.

Of course, as long as Monaco didn't suffer a big defeat, they were still very likely to qualify for the group stage in second place with a goal difference.

....

The referee urged the Arsenal players to end the celebration quickly.

Li Kang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his jersey.

Modric's incomplete module... seemed to be quite useful, with very little burden on the body, and it didn't produce any negative emotions.

It was also very versatile.

Not only could it be used for passing, but also for long shots...