Dominating Football with Perfect Ball Control

Chapter 144: 144. The Bundesliga championship is still up in the air!

Check out advanced Chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari

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Regarding De Bruyne’s transfer, Lance could only provide some reference information and advice from insiders.

The final decision still rested with Bayer Leverkusen’s management. It depended on whether they were willing to spend at least 15 million pounds on a transfer fee and whether they were willing to offer De Bruyne a big contract.

Lance’s words didn’t count for these things, and even the two coaches’ words didn’t count. But if De Bruyne joined, the midfield lineup for the new season, with himself, Son Heung-min, De Bruyne, Julian Brandt, Lars Bender, Simon Rolfes, etc., would actually be quite strong in the Bundesliga.

It wouldn’t feel out of place on a grand stage like the Champions League Final. It’s just that all four defenders were only suitable as substitutes; to truly achieve results, they would need to sign at least one or two reliable defenders.

Anyway, these things should be left for the club management to worry about. All Lance had to do was give his all and win the final Bundesliga match!

Bad news: Bayern Munich had also won a few days ago, beating Hamburger SV 4-1, still retaining a theoretical chance for the title. Good news: SV Werder Bremen was completely out of contention for Europa League qualification.

They were ranked 9th in the Bundesliga, with nothing to play for. In the final Bundesliga match, Bayer Leverkusen should not encounter desperate resistance.

But this was still no reason for Bayer Leverkusen to play poorly; they needed to win this game seriously!

...

Match day! Bundesliga Matchday 34, the final match!

After 33 rounds, Bayer Leverkusen currently stood at 30 wins, 0 draws, and 3 losses, with 90 points, temporarily ranking first! Bayern Munich had 29 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, with 89 points, temporarily ranking second in the Bundesliga.

In the final round of the Bundesliga, all 18 teams played simultaneously. Bayer Leverkusen hosted SV Werder Bremen.

Bayern Munich hosted VfB Stuttgart. For today’s match, both CCTV5 and Sina Sports had promoted it for at least a week in advance.

The hype of ”First Bundesliga Title for a Chinese Player” was attractive enough. According to statistics, the number of viewers on internet or TV platforms would break historical records, with the popularity comparable to World Cup times!

”Did you see it? The Bundesliga final match!”

”What match? Bayern Munich?”

”No, no, no, it’s Bayer Leverkusen and SV Werder Bremen.”

”What’s so good about that?”

”Lance might win the championship!”

”Oh? I might take a look then.”

Similar conversations were happening all over the country. As Lance gradually gained popularity, more and more non-fans also learned about this young player.

Zhan Jun, Huang Jianxiang, Zhang Lu, Dong Lu, Yan Qiang, and many other Weibo big Vs had promoted him. Lance himself was also an active Weibo big V, with his fan count approaching 6 million.

To witness Lance’s first championship, many people turned on their TVs or live streams at 10 PM to witness a historic moment. In the Sina Sports live broadcast room, Zhan Jun had gradually transitioned from a professional Premier League commentator to a Bundesliga commentator.

His voice sounded even more resonant than usual:

”...The Bundesliga title race has remained suspenseful until the final round. Currently, Bayer Leverkusen is temporarily leading Bayern Munich by 1 point. As long as they defeat SV Werder Bremen today, they can lift the Bundesliga salad bowl on their home turf! Alright, both teams’ players are ready! The referee has blown the whistle to start the match, and the Bundesliga Matchday 34 final matches have all kicked off simultaneously!”

...

Perhaps feeling the pressure of an impending championship, Lance clearly felt his teammates’ movements were a bit off. Right after the kickoff in the first half, he passed back to defensive midfielder Lars Bender.

Lars Bender passed back to the goalkeeper, and goalkeeper Bernd Leno kicked a long ball directly out of bounds, needlessly giving possession to SV Werder Bremen.

”Sorry, sorry.”

Leno quickly raised his hand to apologize. He was indeed a bit nervous.

He had never imagined he could win a championship in his life. When the day came that he had a chance to win, Leno felt his mind go blank, and his scalp and face felt numb.

The defenders were also off; ?mer Toprak missed his mark in defense, allowing the opposing forward to easily get behind him. Fortunately, SV Werder Bremen’s forward Franco Di Santo was a novice.

A shot from close range went high over the bar. Otherwise, if it had been on target, SV Werder Bremen would have already taken the lead.

”That was dangerous!!! Fortunately, Bayer Leverkusen escaped a scare.”

”But it feels like they’re all a bit out of form today... On the contrary, SV Werder Bremen, with nothing to play for, is attacking well, with several counter-attacks threatening Bayer Leverkusen’s goal.”

Zhan Jun couldn’t help but smile wryly backstage. What if, after all this promotion, Bayern Munich ended up turning the tables?

That would be very frustrating.

”Oh? We just received news that at the Allianz Arena, Bayern Munich has scored first!”

”The returning Arjen Robben is playing excellently, scoring with a long-range shot, temporarily leading VfB Stuttgart 1-0.”

At the Allianz Arena, 80,000 people cheered simultaneously. On the live standings, Bayern Munich temporarily led Bayer Leverkusen with 92 points.

If the score held until the end, even if the other team drew 0-0, the championship would belong to Bayern Munich! Bayer Leverkusen needed to win to claim the title!

In an instant, the tables turned! Bayern Munich fans saw a glimmer of hope!

...

Perhaps the pressure from Bayern Munich made Bayer Leverkusen’s performance even worse. In the 26th minute of the first half, Lance attempted a one-two with Eren Derdiyok in the attacking third to break through.

Today, SV Werder Bremen was playing defensive counter-attack, and Lance had equipped the [Nagi Seishiro] template.

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Equipped Template: Nagi Seishiro (Fusion Value 100%)

--Skill: Perfect Ball Control

--Skill: Hardcore Shot

--Skill: Mirror Learning

Rage Value: 37%

Assisting Character: Bachira Meguru - S (Fusion Value 24%)

Assistance Status: On

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As long as they won this match today, according to the reward settlement, he could at least unlock a new skill for [Bachira Meguru]! Whether it was winning the championship or unlocking a skill, Lance had every reason to win!

After a clever stop, he back-heeled the ball to Derdiyok and gritted his teeth, accelerating forward. As long as Derdiyok played a through ball with a small diagonal pass, just like in training, Lance would have a shooting opportunity in the penalty area.

However, the moment Derdiyok received the ball, whether due to nervousness or something else, his first touch was slightly off. He had to take an extra second to control it.

It was this fatal second that allowed SV Werder Bremen’s defense to fill the gap, and Lance had already run into an offside position. Derdiyok, seeing he couldn’t pass, hesitated awkwardly in place.

”What the hell!!”

Lance was speechless and quickly turned back to receive the ball. Derdiyok, in a panic, passed horizontally to the left, trying to find Son Heung-min.

But SV Werder Bremen wasn’t foolish; they had already anticipated Son’s run. A defender easily intercepted the ball by getting in front, stealing it and immediately launching a counter-attack!

”SV Werder Bremen on the counter-attack!! Nils Petersen’s through ball!”

”Great pass! Very clear! Eljero Elia! Very fast!! He’s broken through!!”

”Toprak is too slow to turn!! He’s been beaten into the box!!”

”Cross to the middle!”

”Di Santo!!! That’s a goal! SV Werder Bremen takes the lead!”

”Bayer Leverkusen is temporarily trailing 0-1 at home!!”

”Oh? On the other side, Bayern Munich has scored again! Toni Kroos’s free-kick shot went directly in, Bayern Munich is leading VfB Stuttgart by two goals!”

”Who would have thought that the Bundesliga championship would still be in doubt in the final round!”