Chapter 1 The Suspense Arrives

The Led scoreboard hung high in the semi-air of Old Trafford Stadium.

The time was 88:49.

2:1.

Looking at Leverkusen's number 10 on the field.

Manchester United fans were inexplicably a little nervous.

Leverkusen fans were a little excited.

Everyone knew the long-range shooting power of the Dragon Descendant.

But the level of set pieces was a mystery.

Modern football has developed to this day, and the technical gap between long shots and free kicks is like a mule and a stallion!

"The suspense of the game is here."

"Çalhanoğlu on the bench must be eager to try again when he sees this scene!"

"If Leverkusen can seize this free kick opportunity, they will tie the score!"

"Difficult! De Gea is in good shape, even Çalhanoğlu's free kick couldn't break through his goal!"

"Judging from the position of the wall, Li Kang can't blast a direct free kick, he should pass to Kießling!"

.....

Beep!

The referee blew his whistle.

Li Kang still had a calm expression on his face.

He started his run-up.

From God's perspective.

The passage of time seemed to slow down several times.

The shadow area in his brain spread crazily.

In front of him.

A black phantom wearing a number 11 jersey suddenly appeared.

With each step he took.

The black phantom became clearer.

Its movements and posture were impeccable.

The negative emotions it emitted were also crazily devouring Li Kang's consciousness.

Upheaval.

Disintegration.

Shattered.

Unwillingness.

Regret.

That was the last elegy of Yugoslavian football.

Li Kang's steps and movements gradually synchronized with the phantom.

Arriving in front of the ball.

He completely overlapped with the black phantom.

From God's perspective.

A smoky shooting path suddenly appeared!

....

There was no exaggerated shooting posture.

There was no explosive sound of a heavy artillery shot.

There was no dashing turn of a banana kick.

Old Trafford Stadium was silent.

All the spectators and staff were staring at the trajectory of the football!

That terrifying and bizarre arc!

It was as if it wanted to strangle all the players in the wall!!!

De Gea was on high alert, moving his feet.

At the moment the football crossed the wall.

He stomped hard on the turf!

All arc shots.

Just like Çalhanoğlu's free kicks.

Were useless to him!

...

Just as the red gloves were about to pick off the ball.

The trajectory of the football changed.

De Gea's pupils shrank!

Sudden acceleration.

Sudden plunge.

It quietly brushed past his fingertips.

Hugging the post.

It slammed into the goal.

2:2.

The whole place was silent.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Then.

Old Trafford Stadium erupted in exclamations.

Even the commentators were shocked into incoherence.

"A free kick that cannot be described in words!"

"It violates the laws of physics!"

"How superb must one's footwork be! To make the football change direction after crossing the wall!"

"A 17-year-old boy actually possesses such exquisite free kick skills!!!"

"Li Kang! A direct free kick! He helped Leverkusen tie the score!"

Dragon Country Live Room.

The big screen replayed the goal in slow motion.

Only then did the fans realize.

The spin of the football was extremely violent!!!

The barrage went crazy!

-[Damn! Only in slow motion can you feel how awesome this free kick is!]

-[It's like a work of art! Unpredictable!]

-[Only Mihajlović and Juninho could kick such free kicks, right?]

-[Who are these two people? When it comes to free kicks, Carlos and Beckham are the best, the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword and the Crescent Scimitar!]

-[Pay attention to the replay, Li Kang's free kick action...]

.....

The moment he scored.

All the negative emotions in Li Kang's consciousness also dissipated in an instant.

He looked up at the game time.

Again, he refused his teammates' celebrations.

Picking up the football from the net.

He ran towards the center circle.

The Manchester United fans at the scene obviously hadn't completely recovered from the shock.

The Leverkusen fans in front of the TV were stunned.

Many fans who had criticized the club because of the number 10 jersey incident were secretly ashamed.

Who said Çalhanoğlu was the free kick king of the new generation?

.....

On the sidelines.

Van Gaal angrily crushed a mineral water bottle.

"Damn it! Can't we even hold on for the last few minutes?"

"Is that kid Balotelli? Or does he think tying the score isn't enough?"

"Damn it! We're going up too!"

Giggs quickly handed over a new bottle of mineral water.

On the other side.

Bellarabi and Çalhanoğlu buried their heads deeply.

As normal human beings, embarrassment occupied the joy of tying the score.

Schmidt and the assistant coach celebrated wildly.

"Defense! We must hold on to this draw!"

"How long is the stoppage time? Quick! Let the players defend to the death!"

...

The fourth official raised the stoppage time sign at the center circle sideline.

3 minutes.

The game restarted at the center circle.

Martial passed the ball back to Herrera.

Manchester United's formation advanced crazily!

Being tied twice in the final stage of the game brought too much psychological shadow!

Unfortunately.

Fellaini, that big rough guy, made a small mistake in cooperation with his teammates during the advance.

Son Heung-min completed the steal.

He immediately sent the ball to Li Kang's feet.

Li Kang made a gesture to advance.

But no teammates cut forward to run.

Captain Bender shouted loudly from the backfield: "Pass it back! Li!"

Schmidt and the assistant coach were also roaring frantically: "Defense!"

They were very satisfied to be able to tie the score.

....

Modern football is not a one-man sport.

A trace of negative emotion arose in Li Kang's mind.

The Manchester United players pressed forward crazily.

There were already big gaps in the backfield.

This was the best counter-attack opportunity.

He could only pass the ball back to Kramer.

"Leverkusen is not in a hurry after tying the score, they want to slow down the pace of the game."

"Schmidt may want to return to the second leg with the advantage of two away goals!"

-[Leverkusen's coach still wants to blow up Manchester United in the second leg? Rooney and Mata haven't come on yet!]

-[They just stare at this little away goal advantage, utilitarian football is really disgusting.]

-[Li Kang just brought out the team's momentum, but it was cut off by this idiot coach!]

...

The last three minutes.

Li Kang was still the focus of Old Trafford Stadium.

Manchester United launched a crazy offensive.

Possession changed several times.

But Leverkusen's number 10 could always appear in the most suitable position at the most critical moment, thereby hindering the opponent's advance.

Manchester United's passing cooperation in a small space.

Would also be easily seen through the passing route by him.

Lingard and Martial on the front line were completely dumbfounded.

It seemed that their running intentions.

Were also in the grasp of Leverkusen's Dragon Descendant.

Van Gaal crushed another bottle of mineral water: "This kid is too evil!"

....

In the end.

The referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Manchester United 2:2 Leverkusen.

The moods of both fans were very complicated.