Chapter 15 Half-Time

The first half ended.

Van Gaal stormed into the player tunnel.

Giggs followed closely behind.

The Manchester United coaching staff seemed a little lost.

The opponent had the advantage of two away goals.

Now they were leading by two goals.

Not to mention being down a man.

The game was becoming increasingly difficult.

The Manchester United players looked dejected.

If they couldn't break into the Champions League proper this season, it would be a disgrace for the Red Devils!

...

After celebrating, the Leverkusen players slowly walked off the field to the applause of the fans.

Topp hurried to meet Li Kang, asking about his physical condition with concern.

Dino quickly handed him a dry towel and water.

Li Kang smiled and shook his head.

He was a little puzzled: even with God's perspective, he couldn't see through Van Gaal's tactical system, but Manchester United didn't seem very strong.

....

Dragon Country live broadcast.

The big screen showed the various statistics of both teams in the first half.

"Leverkusen's passing success rate in previous games was only 70%!"

"But in this first half, the success rate of threatening passes alone reached 81%! This doesn't even include the safe passes in their own half."

-【Passing for the sake of passing, what do you mean by safe passes?】

-【Looking back at the replay, Li Kang doesn't seem to hog the ball at all during the attacking phase. It's not Barcelona's tiki-taka passing control, nor is it Arsenal's passing and movement. The most important thing is that he's stable on the ball!】

-【He seems to have Spanish nationality. I guess in a few years, the Spanish football dynasty will be revived!】

-【Brothers! Keep supporting Leverkusen in the second half! With Li Mingdeng (Li the Beacon) here! It's definitely stable!】

......

Leverkusen locker room.

Topp moved the little flags on the tactical board.

"After Depay was sent off, Manchester United's formation became 4-4-1! At least seven players will be involved in the defensive pressing in front of the penalty area. Bellarabi, you can't be so possessive of the ball during the attack!"

"Mata's defense and pressing are weak, but this kid has a strong sense of position. Pay attention, at the end of the first half, he was always able to cut off the connection between Li and the wing!"

"We can't predict what changes Van Gaal will make in the second half. In short, maintain the rhythm of the first half and don't let their defensive pressure throw you off balance! We can't let them have the opportunity to organize a counterattack!"

"The goddess of victory is smiling at us!"

The players nodded seriously.

Although many people thought that what the coach said earlier was nonsense: as long as Li Kang was there, Manchester United, playing with one less player, would only be suppressed by Leverkusen.

But the old man's last sentence was very inspiring!

The goddess of victory is smiling!

We are only 45 minutes away from breaking into the Champions League proper!

....

The fifteen-minute half-time break ended quickly.

The players from both sides returned to the field.

"Good evening, viewers, welcome back. We are now broadcasting the second half of the 2015/16 Champions League play-off!"

"We see that both sides have made personnel adjustments!"

"For Manchester United, Martial replaces Rooney!"

"For Leverkusen, Brandt replaces Li Kang!"

"With the referee's whistle, the second half officially begins!"

The following game was uneventful.

Leverkusen in the second half didn't frantically suppress Manchester United like in the first half.

Instead, they made the game fragmented.

The ball kept flying out of bounds.

Manchester United simply couldn't advance the ball past the center circle.

The 19-year-old Brandt had already demonstrated the characteristics of a versatile player.

His defensive ability wasn't strong, and his elegant style was more like a South American player.

But he was extremely fast, and moving from winger to a deep-lying midfielder made him the nemesis of players like Martial and Lingard.

Manchester United's Mata was also closely marked by Kramer.

Son Heung-min and Bellarabi also participated in the team's defense.

The Leverkusen fans then realized: without Çalhanoğlu, their team's defense...

...

The game time passed minute by minute.

Soon it came to the final stoppage time.

Van Gaal squeezed the mineral water bottle and said helplessly: "That old fox Topp is too shameless. He's just using this method to delay the game!"

Then he looked at the bench.

He sighed.

The current Manchester United had the old, the young, and the injured, and there was really no one available.

Giggs hesitated: "Boss..."

Van Gaal shook his head: "If we can't beat this Leverkusen, then even if we get into the Champions League proper, can we break out of the group stage?"

Giggs was stunned.

He seemed to have to accept the reality before him.

This year... we won't be playing in the Champions League.

The European powerhouse Manchester United had never been so down and out.

World-renowned coach Van Gaal had never been so embarrassed.

...

Finally.

The referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Leverkusen 2:0 Manchester United.

With an aggregate score of 4:2, they eliminated their opponents and advanced to the Champions League proper!

"Congratulations to Leverkusen! Congratulations to Li Kang!"

"In the two rounds of the Champions League qualifier, Li Kang single-handedly created four goals, pulling Leverkusen back from the brink of elimination!"

"We can now hear the entire BayArena chanting a Dragon Country name!"

The Leverkusen players rushed madly to the bench.

They lifted Li Kang high into the air!

Undoubtedly.

The mute Dragon Country descendant was the team's hero!

On all four sides of the stands.

The fans also stood up and gave him the warmest applause.

The media reporters instinctively scrambled for interviews.

But they realized that the Leverkusen genius couldn't speak...

Van Gaal shook hands with Topp with a grim face.

He looked at the back of the Dragon Country descendant from afar.

No one knew what he was thinking.

....

At the same time.

A piece of news shocked the entire North Rhine.

《Leverkusen's Genius Midfielder Rejects Barcelona's Buyback!》

In the eyes of ordinary fans.

Barcelona in recent years had been a super powerhouse in its prime.

The peak Dream Team III was no longer dominant with the aging of Xavi.

But the MSN trident still intimidated the European powers.

Messi, Neymar, and Suarez, three historic-level forwards, supported Barcelona's post-Dream Team III era!

This was simply the dream club for ordinary players to join!

The Leverkusen fans in front of the TV were a little unable to digest the amount of information brought by this news for a while.

"Li Kang actually rejected Barcelona?"

"He rejected the championship! He rejected honor! He chose to stay at Leverkusen!"

"Our hero! He's not the second Fabregas!"

Instantly.

The last cloud of gloom in the hearts of the fans was swept away!

.....

Dragon Country.

The news of Leverkusen's elimination of Manchester United didn't attract much traffic.

The news that Li Kang refused to return to Barcelona, however, made headlines in major football media.

《Sports Director Robert: Barcelona Will Wait for Every Child to Return!》

《The Abandoned Son of a Giant Shining in the Bundesliga, Doesn't Want to Go Home!》

《Does Anyone in the World Reject Barcelona? Messi is Stunned!》

The number of likes, comments, and reposts soared.

-【It's a pity, if Li Kang goes back to Barcelona, I will buy his jersey! He doesn't plan his career well! It would be great to go back to Barcelona, you can win a championship by lying on the bench!】

-【I don't think Li Kang would have a chance even if he went back to Barcelona, his acting skills are not good!】

-【Messi is stunned? What a messy title!】

-【I'm a fan, Real Madrid fans say: I appreciate this kind of young genius who doesn't admire the strong the most!】

-【Chelsea fans say they agree!】

-【What do you say, what if Leverkusen meets Barcelona in the Champions League...?】

....

North Rhine.

The entire Leverkusen team returned to the training base.

Topp was beaming.

He announced that all players would have a day off!

Everyone cheered.

Assistant coach Dino also shouted.

Topp patted him on the head: "What are you happy about? Our coaching staff still needs to conduct a game review meeting!"

The players laughed.

They didn't have a very difficult game.

Especially in the first half, Li Kang's control in the backcourt allowed his teammates to barely sweat.

After the coaching staff left.

Captain Bender suddenly said: "Let's go to my house for a drink! It's still early!"

This guy was a rich second generation.

When he came to Leverkusen from Munich 1860 in 2009, his family bought him a big villa in a wealthy area.

Son Heung-min hesitated and said, "My dad won't let me drink..."

Kramer said: "Bender can call a lot of big white girls from magazine covers..."

Son Heung-min quickly took his phone from his backpack and made a call: "Dad, I'll go home after extra training at the club!"

He looked very honest.

In reality, he had been photographed by paparazzi many times in nightclubs.

Bender put his arms around Li Kang and Brandt's shoulders and smiled: "You two minors can drink mineral water!"

Brandt pushed him away unhappily and said, "Who are you looking down on? I'm already 19 years old!"

Li Kang smiled, it seemed that extremely disciplined players were still in the minority.

....

Eleven o'clock in the evening.

Li Kang carried the drunken Brandt back to the first-team dormitory.

He didn't drink.

After all, without the system, he was just a waste.

Talent determines the upper limit.

Self-discipline determines the lower limit.

Two security guards quickly took Brandt over.

The two said nervously:

"Li, you should hurry up and rest. If you do extra training, we will have our wages deducted."

"Yes, the fitness trainer said your testosterone..."

Li Kang smiled and returned to his dormitory.

The system prompt sounded quietly:

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task: Advancing to the Champions League proper!]

[Personal evaluation: SSS!]

[Task rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Platinum Treasure Chest!]

He didn't play the whole game, and his personal evaluation was still so high?

The injury immunity module had already proven: platinum treasure chest products are guaranteed to be excellent!

Li Kang couldn't help but look forward to it.

He didn't look at the prize pool this time.

[Platinum Treasure Chest is opening...]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Ambidextrous Feet Module!]

[Additional attribute increase: Speed increased by 2%, ball control increased by 2%, shooting increased by 2%, jumping increased by 2%! Physical contact increased by 2%! ]

The treasure chest floating in mid-air suddenly opened.

A burst of white light enveloped Li Kang's right foot.

There was no pain or abnormality.

After a while.

The white light dissipated.

Li Kang gently stomped his right foot.

He instantly understood why this module would bring about an increase in multiple attributes!

In today's European football.

The most exaggerated ambidextrous player was Arsenal's Cazorla.

Even then-coach Wenger commented: "I really can't tell if his dominant foot is his left or right foot."

He was an underrated Spanish midfield master.

The undifferentiated left and right feet made his ball control and shooting full of unpredictability!

On the defensive end, he could easily shift his center of gravity, maintain his balance, and use his weak and small body to block strong bulldozer players!

He said in an interview: "I have been able to use both feet skillfully and freely since I was a child, without any training."

In short.

For top players, this was a super talent.

A female football player in Dragon Country history also possessed this talent.

Even after removing her meniscus.

She still won countless honors.

She was praised by foreign media as "Maradona in a skirt."

1999 World Cup Golden Boot.

20th Century Best Female Football Player.

Century Football Player.

........

The next morning.

Topp rushed to find Li Kang, who was training.

Dino quickly handed him a set of clothes.

"You kid still came to the training ground on your day off!"

"Hurry up, put on a suit! You are Leverkusen's player representative! We are going to Monaco!"

"Yes! To participate in the Champions League group stage draw!"

Everything seemed very rushed.

Leverkusen only broke into the Champions League proper yesterday.

Völler only discovered this morning that the club's player representative was: Çalhanoğlu?

He quickly crossed it out and changed it to Li Kang's name.

....

Three hours later.

Monte Carlo International Airport.

The three walked out of the arrival gate.

Völler looked at Li Kang and praised: "Not bad, it fits well, it's too much like when I was young! If you grow a small mustache!"

Topp curled his lips: "God! When you were young..."

Before he could finish his complaint.

The fans on both sides of the cordon rushed up madly!

This momentum was obviously not to welcome them!

Li Kang was about to turn around.

Völler pulled him and quickly walked out of the arrival gate.

"Let's go! We can't be late as a third-tier team!"

"It's second-tier!"

Topp corrected.

The three quickly got into the business car prepared by UEFA.

There was a landslide-like roar from outside the car.

"Cristiano!!!"

"Cristiano!!!"

"Cristiano!!!"

Through the car window, Li Kang first saw a tall figure in a blue suit!

Security personnel were working hard to stop the crazy fans.

Then.

Stars walked out of the arrival gate one by one.

Hazard.

Pogba.

Ibrahimovic.

Robben.

David Silva.

...

Dragon Country live broadcast.

The fans were a little excited to see this scene.

-【It's really a Champions League with a gathering of stars!】

-【Not really, it should be a Champions League that connects the past and the future! The Champions League stage where Xavi and Pirlo have left, and a large group of little monsters are starting to emerge!】

-【I'm optimistic about Roma's Pjanic!】

-【Atletico Madrid's Koke also has a lot of potential!】

-【Can Juventus take revenge on Barcelona this year?】

.....

Topp muttered: "What a coincidence, everyone arrived in Monte Carlo together!"

Völler looked at Li Kang and smiled: "In the near future, you will also become a shining star."

"More dazzling than them."