Dear Gua
Chapter 154 Waterloo Bridge of Souls?
In the eighteenth century, there was a tributary of the Thames River called Stamford Creek.
There were two bridges over the creek: Sandford Bridge and Stan Bridge.
Stamford Bridge was established in 1876, but for the first few decades, football was nowhere to be seen.
In 1904, there were two rich second-generation heirs: the Mears brothers.
They worked hard to lose money, but they just couldn't spend all of the huge inheritance left by their father.
Spending money is a complex science.
The brothers traveled around Europe and found that football was very popular.
If they invested in a football stadium in London and leased it out, the return on investment would be pretty good, right?
So, they bought Stamford Bridge and a large area of surrounding land.
The brothers hired legendary architect Archibald Leitch.
As a result, Stamford Bridge was expanded and transformed into a bowl-shaped open-air football stadium that could accommodate 100,000 spectators.
The business idea was simple: to trick Fulham Club into renting the stadium and watch them develop into a top team step by step.
...
"Farmers, do you want Fulham to have a top-notch, luxurious home stadium? Stamford Bridge is worthy of your status!"
Fulham's reply was simple: "No need."
The Mears brothers panicked. They then contacted Tottenham and Arsenal, and were almost beaten out.
Was all that white paper money about to turn into bubbles?
They couldn't rent it out.
They couldn't sell it.
What to do?
The Great Western Railway Company jumped out: "Sell Stamford Bridge to us and build a factory!"
The Mears were disheartened and decided to cut their losses and leave.
Another partner, Parker, quickly persuaded the brothers not to give up.
While they were chatting, Parker was bitten by a dog, but he remained unmoved and continued to persuade the two brothers.
The Mears brothers were greatly moved.
They immediately decided: the stadium is already here, so let's start our own club!
And so.
Chelsea was born.
A century-old blue song began its chapter.
....
The Bayer Leverkusen club bus slowly drove into Stamford Bridge.
Old Man Toppmöller and Dino, guided by the staff, arrived at the press conference.
Reporters eagerly asked questions:
"Mr. Toppmöller, are you confident about Chelsea? Has the team's defense problem been solved?"
"What do you think of the sympathy that the major European media outlets have shown towards Bayer Leverkusen?"
Old Man Toppmöller looked calm and collected: "Chelsea is a burly and strong blue giant. They have an away goal advantage from North Rhine. Bayer Leverkusen is ready to fight to the death!"
"Fourteen years ago, we stumbled and stumbled all the way, successively eliminating Manchester United and Liverpool to enter the Champions League final."
"The script is very similar, isn't it?"
The reporters applauded and turned to the Chelsea coach.
"Mr. Hiddink, will Chelsea still choose the most conservative defensive counter-attack tactics when playing against Bayer Leverkusen at home?"
"The difference in strength between the two teams is too great."
"During Mourinho's tenure, he would launch a fierce attack against weaker teams!"
Hiddink frowned.
He didn't answer the question directly.
He said slowly: "Chelsea's goal is the Champions League title!"
....
Player tunnel.
The atmosphere was heavy.
With a life-and-death battle imminent, the players on both sides did not communicate at all.
The fans outside the stadium sang "Blue is the Colour" in unison.
The cheerful tune sounded like a children's song.
Li Kang chewed on a green orange-flavored bubble gum, and a small ball boy looked up and made a face at him.
The queue moved.
The referee team led the players from both sides out of the tunnel.
The passionate Champions League theme song suddenly sounded.
Staff members spread out on the green field, waving blue flags!
In the stands, a huge Chelsea team flag was lowered!
"Keep the Blue flag flying high!!!"
"Keep the Blue flag flying high!!!"
"Keep the Blue flag flying high!!!"
Occasionally interspersed with a sentence: "We hate Tottenham, Chelsea!"
Li Kang looked around.
It was all a sea of blue.
This Blue Bridge, which has witnessed Chelsea's century of rise and fall and carries countless honors and disgrace.
At this moment, it seemed like a blue, wild beast, completely swallowing the tiny him.
....
[Ding, treasure chest mission triggered: Trample the Blue Bridge!]
[Mission introduction: The arrogant Hiddink cannot tolerate your肆无忌惮 (sìwújìdàn - wantonness) in front of the Blues' penalty area. You are not facing Mourinho, but the Dutch coach's anger! Everything will be simple, won't it?]
[Mission reward: Premier League Legend · Mysterious Treasure Chest!]
...
VIP box.
Abramovich crossed his legs and watched Bayer Leverkusen's number 10 on the green field.
Admiration was hidden in his eyes.
"Next season, I want to see him wear a blue jersey!"
...
"Ctv5! Ctv5! Good evening, audience friends!"
"Welcome to the second leg of the 2015/16 Champions League quarter-final."
"Chelsea vs. Bayer Leverkusen!"
"This match has attracted much attention, and the media from 26 countries and regions around the world will broadcast it live!"
"It is worth mentioning that the mascots of both teams are lions!"
"Their names are Stamford and Brian!"
"I am the commentator for this game, Duan Xuan!"
"I am He Wei!"
Bender and Terry came to the referee and began tossing a coin to choose sides.
The fans in front of the TV only then noticed that there were two familiar and unfamiliar names on Chelsea's starting list.
Old Man Toppmöller stood in the command area with a solemn expression.
Dino was full of confidence.
For this life-or-death battle, the entire Bayer Leverkusen club had made the most thorough preparations.
Hiddink sat on the coach's bench, crossed his legs, his eyes full of determination.
...
"Now I will introduce the starting lineup of both sides!"
"Chelsea is fielding a 4-4-2 formation!"
"Goalkeeper: Courtois!"
"Left Back: Azpilicueta!"
"Center Back: Cahill, Terry!"
"Right Back: Ivanovic!"
"Double Defensive Midfielders: Mikel, Fabregas!"
"Central Midfielders: Hazard, William!"
"Forwards: Pato, Remy!"
Live broadcast room.
Barrages of comments flew across the screen.
-[Hiddink isn't just randomly picking players, did you notice this forward line? Two fast horses with speed and impact! If Leverkusen wants to advance, they can only press up and attack! They will be blown away by Pato and Remy's counterattacks in minutes!]
-[Pato? Didn't this fallen European Golden Boy return to the Brazilian league?]
-[He's only 27 years old this year, his career hasn't been executed yet!]
-[I think Pato is the male lead template for movies and novels, a Milan teenager shining brightly, shining in Europe, scoring two goals in the Champions League to reverse Real Madrid and defeat Barcelona. How could Li Mingdeng be as popular as he was at 17 years old?]
-[Football is a team sport, don't you look at who Pato's teammates were back then? Li Mingdeng carried Bayer Leverkusen to Stamford Bridge on his own.]
...
"Bayer Leverkusen is wearing their second away white jersey today!"
"They are fielding a 4-3-3 formation."
"Goalkeeper:..."
...
With the referee's whistle.
The game officially began!
Stamford Bridge erupted in cheers.
Remy kicked off and passed it horizontally to Pato.
Bayer Leverkusen launched a frantic high press.
Pato quickly passed the ball back to Fabregas' feet.
Just as the latter stopped the ball, he saw a tall figure approaching quickly.
Havertz!
He replaced Kießling in the starting lineup of the factory team.
"The pressing is fierce!"
"You can't tell at all that he's a 17-year-old youngster!"
"Oh! That was close!"
...
Fabregas was unsure of Havertz's characteristics.
Just as he was about to dribble past the opponent,
Pa!
Havertz's left foot swept the football!
A genius with extremely strong rhythm changes isn't bothered by physical hardware on both ends of the field.
Fabregas looked dumbfounded: How are this kid's legs so long?
The football rolled towards Chelsea's backfield.
He quickly turned around and blocked Havertz's forward momentum.
Mikel supported in time and passed the ball back to Courtois.
The Chelsea goalkeeper did not delay.
He kicked the ball out, accurately finding William in the frontcourt.
...
William seemed to have been affected by the Sevilla battle.
He stopped the ball with his chest, squeezed past Brandt.
And suddenly kicked a diagonal pass!
The football's trajectory cleverly cut through Bayer Leverkusen's midfield interception line!
"Danger!"
"Bayer Leverkusen is pressing too deep!"
"Pato!"
"A man and ball pass!"
...
Near the center circle.
Pato led the ball with his left foot.
Jonathan Tah tried to block the opponent's position.
Kramer decisively assisted in defense.
With a pa sound.
The football flew past their sides!
Pato rushed forward, bypassing their defense.
Running wildly!
A man and ball pass!
"Wonderful!"
"Bayer Leverkusen's backfield is very open!"
"Pato!"
"Chasing the wind and chasing the electricity, like thunder!"
"Is he going to replicate the feat of a 24-second flash against Barcelona back then?"
Stamford Bridge suddenly boiled.
That landslide and tsunami-like cheering.
Sounded like a hellish elegy in Old Man Toppmöller's ears!
Dino trembled all over.
Hiddink clenched his fists, preparing to celebrate.
The Dutchman knew very well: his decision to use people was not wrong, Bayer Leverkusen's defense was about to collapse!
....
Remy's speed is also very fast!
His explosiveness is extremely amazing.
He quickly formed a pincer formation with Pato!
Killing towards Bayer Leverkusen's penalty area!
Van Dijk dragged at the back of the formation.
While retreating, he blocked the passing connection between Pato and Remy.
And raised his hand to signal Leno not to attack.
"One against two? Can he defend it?"
"Oh no! Why is Pato slowing down!"
...
Van Dijk quickly realized something was wrong.
Pato's ball-touching rhythm and running trajectory gradually became chaotic during the long-distance running process.
The most interesting thing was: the confidence in his eyes was lost.
Yes.
The Dutch center-back likes to look at the other person's eyes during the defensive process.
He couldn't defend Diego Costa and Hazard.
Could he not defend a Golden Boy who wasted his talent?
Pa!
Van Dijk seized the opportunity, stepped out with his right foot, and easily completed the steal!
Pato staggered and fell to the ground!
The cheers of the Chelsea fans came to an abrupt end!
...
Sideline.
Dino waved his fist heavily and roared, "Boss, you are too wise! Don't let Li participate in too much defense!"
Old Man Toppmöller said to himself excitedly: "Damn it, pass the ball quickly, find Li!"
His tone was very soft and his voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing the players' touches on the field.
On the other side.
Hiddink squeezed the mineral water bottle hard, rushed to the sidelines, and roared angrily: "Defend!"
...
Van Dijk passed the ball to Jonathan Tah, who was on his way back to defense.
Although the German little black egg is very bad at defending, his passing ability can be called amazing!
Most players will have regular hair removal.
Some people don't like it.
Clang!
Accompanied by a crisp sound.
The vibrant big black legs, with thick and hard hair... heavily whipped the bottom of the football.
Grass clippings flew!
No one would doubt the passing power of a person who is 1.9 meters tall and weighs 200 pounds!
A rough and ferocious arc was outlined in the sky above Stamford Bridge!
The force was explosive.
The trajectory was erratic.
The landing point was rough.
....
The football slanted towards Chelsea's backfield.
Thirty-meter area.
Cahill rushed towards the landing point.
His judgment of the landing point was very accurate.
The moment he approached the football.
He caught a glimpse of a white figure out of the corner of his eye!
White No. 10!
Li Kang!
"Cahill has the advantage of height!"
"Leverkusen's attack from the backfield this time is a bit casual!"
"Wow!"
....
Relying on God's perspective.
Even if the little black egg's passing trajectory was erratic, Li Kang could find the landing point in the first time.
With a thought.
The shadow in the brain spread frantically!
In the field of vision.
The phantoms of Orange No. 14 and Red and White No. 10 materialized.
Cruyff.
Bergkamp.
A heavenly echo!
....
The moment Cahill jumped, he couldn't help but open his mouth wide.
He witnessed the most unforgettable scene of his career!
Stamford Bridge was silent.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the white No. 10 fluttering in mid-air!
That was an incredible jumping height.
Like a phoenix soaring in the sky.
Pa!
The football touched Li Kang's forehead.
As if it had been given life, it mischievously swept past Terry's slightly bald head and fell towards the tall figure who had cut in!
"A one-on-one!"
"Li Kang's action of stopping the ball with his forehead has transformed into an excellent scoring opportunity!"
"Under the heavenly echo, there is never a steel defense!"
"Havertz!"
...
The moment Li Kang landed, he rushed towards Chelsea's penalty area.
In the first leg, he had felt the style of Chelsea's third line of defense.
Terry didn't have time to turn around.
Ivanovic and Azpilicueta would cut into the penalty area to complete the fill-in!
....
Sideline.
Old Man Toppmöller grabbed Dino's collar tightly.
Trembling all over.
As long as this ball goes in.
Leverkusen will regain the initiative to advance!
On the other side.
Hiddink was terrified!
Monster!
A monster born from the total football system!
....
Courtois was very calm.
He didn't attack, sealing the near corner on the right.
Havertz's connection between stopping the ball and dribbling was perfect.
He interspersed deceptive movements.
But he couldn't deceive the new generation of goalkeeping gods!
Chelsea's goal was as solid as a rock.
...
The moment Havertz shot.
Ivanovic arrived!
Clang!
The near-field sound equipment transmitted a burst of fierce hand-to-hand combat.
The moment Havertz fell to the ground.
He flicked his long legs.
The football rolled lightly towards the left side of the penalty area.
Courtois quickly adjusted his position.
Azpilicueta strode forward, trying to clear the ball.
Vaguely.
He heard an exclamation from the nearby stands.
As far as his eyes could see.
A white figure rushed over.
"Sun... it's Li Kang!"
"He's going to shoot..."
...
The evening wind on the banks of the Thames River blew on the white clothes.
The black-haired boy on the green field was a god descending to earth.
Body tilted.
Arm swing.
Lift the foot.
With all his strength!
At this moment.
It seemed that the entire Stamford Bridge was trembling slightly.
Clang!
A deafening bang.
Tore apart the Blues' steel fortress.
...
This night.
Someone trampled the Blue Bridge.