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Dominating Football with Perfect Ball Control

Chapter 228. The strongest shield · Oct 28, 2026

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Chapter List (460)

Page number / 10

201 Chapter 201. Old and New Grudges 2026-10-28
202 Chapter 202. Playing with Ronaldo 2026-10-28
203 Chapter 203. Real Madrid loses all four major titles 2026-10-28
204 Chapter 204. 0-degree angle extreme attack! 2026-10-28
205 Chapter 205. Barcelona mouthpiece: Leverkusen is very strong! 2026-10-28
206 Chapter 206. Guardiola’s ultimatum 2026-10-28
207 Chapter 207. Leverkusen players have grown up! 2026-10-28
208 Chapter 208. Tyranny of Rome! 2026-10-28
209 Chapter 209. How did Son Heung-min and De Bruyne get together? 2026-10-28
210 Chapter 210. Harry Maguire’s poor performance 2026-10-28
211 Chapter 211. Kicked Ronaldo to the point of doubting his life 2026-10-28
212 Chapter 212. Double victory over Real Madrid! 2026-10-28
213 Chapter 213. Playing against Real Madrid has become a hot topic? 2026-10-28
214 Chapter 214. Substitute Surprise! Son Heung-min is defeated 2026-10-28
215 Chapter 215. The tough battle for the Bundesliga title 2026-10-28
216 Chapter 216. The confidence to defeat Bayern! 2026-10-28
217 Chapter 217. Son Heung-min feels ashamed of himself 2026-10-28
218 Chapter 218. Lewandowski Can’t Figure It Out 2026-10-28
219 Chapter 219. Monster Mode 2026-10-28
220 Chapter 220. The final blow that shocked the world! 2026-10-28
221 Chapter 221. Hat Trick! 2026-10-28
222 Chapter 222. Encountering the Champions League champion right from the start? 2026-10-28
223 Chapter 223. Lance is the lucky star of the Chinese national football team? 2026-10-28
224 Chapter 224. Revenge on Dortmund! 2026-10-28
225 Chapter 225. The Chinese Derby is coming! 2026-10-28
226 Chapter 226. The youngest captain in history! 2026-10-28
227 Chapter 227. Guardiola hates Ten Hag 2026-10-28
228 Chapter 228. The strongest shield 2026-10-28
229 Chapter 229. Defending his own people 2026-10-28
230 Chapter 230. The tacit understanding between Lance and De Bruyne 2026-10-28
231 Chapter 231. Leverkusen’s Championship Crisis 2026-10-28
232 Chapter 232. Hot pursuit! 2026-10-28
233 Chapter 233. New template unlocked! 2026-10-28
234 Chapter 234. Hinata Kojiro shows off his skills! 2026-10-28
235 Chapter 235. Damn! Lance is too strong today! 2026-10-28
236 Chapter 236. A hat trick that shocked Europe! 2026-10-28
237 Chapter 237. Do you want to face Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Champions League? 2026-10-28
238 Chapter 238. The most unlucky team in the history of the Champions League is born 2026-10-28
239 Chapter 239. Item System! 2026-10-28
240 Chapter 240. Violent Shot! Big Victory over Schalke! 2026-10-28
241 Chapter 241. Guardiola: He is on par with Messi 2026-10-28
242 Chapter 242. Career-Affecting Injury? 2026-10-28
243 Chapter 243. Is today a date? 2026-10-28
244 Chapter 244. Final Preview! 2026-10-28
245 Chapter 245. Neuer is scared to death! 2026-10-28
246 Chapter 246. A strong comeback! 2026-10-28
247 Chapter 247. Guardiola was stunned 2026-10-28
248 Chapter 248. Is the charm of Lance really that great? 2026-10-28
249 Chapter 249. Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lance! Third Battle! 2026-10-28
250 Chapter 250. A volley! A goal that shocked the world! 2026-10-28

Chapter 228: 228. The strongest shield

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

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2014-2015 season, 24 hours before the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.

When Griezmann warned Koke, Koke didn’t quite believe him.

Could a mere 17-year-old Asian lad be that terrifying?

Just because Real Sociedad couldn’t win a match doesn’t mean Atlético Madrid can’t.

We, Atlético Madrid, are the reigning Champions League champions!

Logically, Real Madrid > Bayer Leverkusen, and Atlético Madrid > Real Madrid.

Therefore, Atlético Madrid > Bayer Leverkusen.

No problem.

The entire Atlético Madrid team was full of confidence for today’s match...

Two hours before the first leg of the knockout stage, both teams’ starting lineups had been announced via their official websites and Twitter accounts.

Tens of thousands of Atlético Madrid fans had gathered at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, ready for this crucial battle!

This match attracted the attention of Spanish National Television.

As one of Spain’s few free-to-air channels, Spanish National Television chose to support Atlético Madrid, broadcasting the match live and sending a team of reporters for interviews.

”Hola! Viewers, the long-awaited Champions League knockout stage is about to begin!”

”Three La Liga teams are competing in the Champions League, about to face their respective opponents.”

”Compared to Real Madrid against Schalke 04, and Barcelona against Manchester City, Atlético Madrid’s match against Bayer Leverkusen is equally crucial!”

”Madrid fans have already gathered around the stadium, let’s hear what they have to say... Excuse me, do you think Atlético Madrid can defeat the team from Germany today?”

In front of the live camera, the Spanish fans looked incredibly fervent.

”Of course!!! We must win today! 4-0 to end the battle!”

Before the reporter could even ask, fans wearing Atlético Madrid’s red and white striped shirts surrounded him.

”3-0! At least 3-0!”

”Bayer Leverkusen is still tough to deal with. I predict a narrow 2-1 win. Then a 0-0 draw in the second leg to knock them out.”

”1-0 is enough.”

”We have Griezmann, Torres!! Torres will lead us to victory!”

It was clear that not all Atlético Madrid fans were fanatics.

Most people were well aware of Atlético Madrid’s characteristics: one of the strongest defences in all of Europe.

Last year, they won the championship purely through defence.

Under the leadership of Simeone, Atlético Madrid’s low block in the midfield and defence was almost unresolvable.

Their ’mad dog’ style of fierce tackling and rough defensive actions were often criticised by other teams.

But as long as they could win, that was enough.

Goals wouldn’t be plentiful, usually ending 1-0, but it would leave opponents feeling desperate, lamenting in front of the goal.

Just look at Atlético Madrid’s starting lineup announced on Twitter today, it’s definitely solid!

Atlético Madrid 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Oblak

Defenders: Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Ricardo Rodríguez

Midfielders: Arda Turan, Gabi, Koke, Saúl

Forwards: Griezmann, Fernando Torres

The midfield and defence were the original Champions League winning lineup, so there’s no need to elaborate.

Just looking at the two stars upfront, Atlético Madrid had no reason to lose.

The rising French prodigy, Griezmann, whose ability to link up the attack in the final third was unmatched in La Liga.

Plus, the former Atlético Madrid golden boy, Torres, who returned to Atlético Madrid after a stint in the Premier League and was experiencing a second spring!

Atlético Madrid fans were brimming with confidence!

One hour before the match, looking at Atlético Madrid’s starting lineup, Zhan Jun also frowned.

”Zhang Zhidao, do you think there’s a chance today?”

”Hehehe, I think... it still feels a bit difficult. Today will be a test for Bayer Leverkusen.”

After the turbulence at the beginning of the season, Bayer Leverkusen seemed to have regained its strength from last season in the second half.

But their coordination in the midfield and defence always had strange errors, especially in tough matches.

Maguire and Rüdiger had both made elementary mistakes.

Van Dijk seemed relatively stable, his 1v1 defensive anticipation was unbeatable.

But when opponents combined short passes and penetrative play, he was still very difficult to defend.

Comparatively, Atlético Madrid’s defence was truly impregnable, having conceded only 29 goals all season.

Bayer Leverkusen might not actually be able to breach their sturdy wall.

Plus, the opponent had the halo of being Champions League champions...

”It’s a bit ironic, Atlético Madrid’s victory last season was really thanks to Bayer Leverkusen.”

”Yes, hahahaha, if Lance hadn’t tried hard enough and exhausted Real Madrid so much, Real Madrid might have won in the end.”

Reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season delighted all fans.

After being eliminated by Real Madrid, Zhan Jun still felt very sorry for Lance.

He hoped Lance could at least make it to the final... although with Bayer Leverkusen’s squad, it was a bit difficult.

But what if he tried hard?

”Zhang Zhidao, then who do you think has a better chance this season?”

”Barcelona.”

Zhang Lu thought for a moment, Barcelona was truly invincible.

The MSN trio was unstoppable.

If Atlético Madrid’s defence couldn’t hold up, how could Bayer Leverkusen?

He just hoped they wouldn’t meet Barcelona too early.

For the Champions League matches, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu mainly broadcast on Sina Sports.

At this moment, Bayer Leverkusen’s starting lineup was also displayed on the screen.

Bayer Leverkusen 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Leno

Defenders: Kimmich, Maguire, Van Dijk, Aké

Midfielders: Rolfes, Lars Bender, De Bruyne, Son Heung-min, Lance

Forward: Firmino

As the match approached, many domestic fans couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

”What should I do, my hands are shaking.”

”What do you say today, can we win?”

”We must win! We’re taking on the Champions League champions!”

”Bayer Leverkusen is awesome, Lance is awesome!”

”Don’t jinx it.”

Amidst the shared tension of Western Atlético Madrid fans, German fans, and Chinese fans, time drew closer and closer to the match.

The players from both sides lined up in the player tunnel to enter the pitch.

Then, during the pre-Champions League ceremony, they dispersed to their respective halves.

Ready to go!

Beep —

The first fierce battle of the Champions League knockout stage officially began!

Two legs to determine both superiority and survival!

At this moment, Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, first half, 34:25.

Koke felt like his lungs were about to explode.

With Atlético Madrid’s abundant stamina, averaging 13 kilometres of running per game, should playing Bayer Leverkusen be this stressful?

But clearly, marking the Asian player was giving him a headache!

”Alright, Bayer Leverkusen continues to pass in the final third... Lars Bender, to Lance... Beautiful!! A chip, hey! It’s a nutmeg!!”

”Lance breaks through, continues to dribble forward!!”

”A sudden through ball into the ribs!!”

”Beautiful!! Son Heung-min!!”

”That shot went wide!!! Son Heung-min’s shot —”

Koke only breathed a sigh of relief when Son Heung-min’s shot flew wide.

Recalling Griezmann’s warning, Koke realised he hadn’t exaggerated.

Today, all of Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking threat came from this Asian player in front of him!

As Koke carefully observed Lance, Lance was also observing Koke.

”Damn, is Atlético Madrid this hard to deal with?”

He had long heard about Atlético Madrid’s defensive intensity.

Only by personally facing Atlético Madrid in the Champions League did he realise these people were absolute maniacs!

Crazy positioning, crazy pressing, each one like a wild beast, eyes bloodshot.

Pulling jerseys, grabbing arms, tripping people – all sorts of dirty tricks were aimed at him.

Lance rarely experienced such world-class defensive intensity.

Today, in pursuit of individual dribbling breakthroughs, he brought the Bachira Meguru template.

Bad news, no matter who Bachira Meguru was, even if he came in person, it would probably be very difficult to break through Atlético Madrid’s defence!

The double pivot in midfield plus the iron curtain defence in the back was one thing.

But there was also a cheat-like god-tier goalkeeper in front of the goal, Atlético Madrid’s main man Oblak, forming a ’Wall of Sighs’ blocking Lance’s path.

Behind him, Torres and Griezmann were constantly threatening his own goal.

Can they win?

Of course, the good news was that the long-stagnant Fusion Value had broken through to 99%!

If they could win this match, Lance might achieve 100% and unlock a new template!

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