Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"Beautiful!! Lance!! You're a god!"
"God!!"
"My god, oh my god!!"
"Lance, how did you do it?!"
"Take it easy, you guys! Are you trying to kill me?"
It wasn't that Lance was antisocial, but he didn't want to celebrate with this bunch of barbarians. They were so rough, using more force than an old master at a blind massage parlor. After a whole match, he hadn't been injured by his opponents, but was instead nearly given internal injuries by his teammates' heavy-handed slaps.
But the good news was, it was 2-1! They were finally leading! While there's always hope to equalize when trailing, no one actually wants to be behind! If you can lead 2-1, why bother being on edge at 0-4?
Lance's assist combined with Hazard's goal brought immense confidence to the whole team! Belgium's morale broke through historical peaks!
"This is the first time the Belgium Team has reached the final of a major international tournament! And there's hope to break history in one go and create the national team's best result ever!"
Since the team was founded in 1895, Belgium has always been known as the "Red Devils of Europe," and they have had decent results throughout history. However, there are too many European powerhouses and too many world powerhouses. Most of the time, Belgium couldn't even make a name for itself.
Their only achievement that could be considered a "championship" dates back to 1920! That year they won the Olympic gold medal, which was the peak of the Belgium National Team. Since then, they achieved third place in the 1927 European Cup and were runners-up in the 1980 European Cup, and that was it. In the original timeline, third place in the 2018 World Cup was already considered a very good result. No one dared to imagine what it would look like if the Belgium Team won the championship.
Before the final, a carnival atmosphere had already formed within Belgium, with almost every bar packed with tipsy patrons. Television screens continuously played highlights of Lance leading the team all the way to the final. Even if it was just a replay, whenever Lance scored, the bars would erupt in cheers.
On the day of the final, there wasn't a single empty seat in bars across Belgium, large or small; almost everyone had come out. The entire population of over 10 million in Belgium was watching the match! The whole country was shaken!
If Lance, as a Chinese player joining the Belgian Football Association, had initially faced quite a lot of skepticism from domestic fans, now Lance was the god of the Belgians. Whatever treatment Elkeson, Goulart, Conca, and others received at Guangzhou Evergrande, Lance's popularity and prestige would only be infinitely multiplied.
Before the final, King Philippe publicly stated on Twitter:
"Lance is a hero of Belgium. Regardless of today's match outcome, I will represent the entire country after the game to award Mr. Lance the Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold."
The tweet hit the trending charts in less than an hour. Lance would become the first foreigner to be awarded the country's highest honor by the King.
At the same time, Duan Xuan, the commentator for Belgium's national TV station, was also deeply moved, shouting with a choked voice:
"2 to 1!! Lance, he can not only score goals, but he can also create perfect opportunities!"
"I never believed a 19-year-old Chinese player could reach such an insurmountable peak!"
"The most terrifying thing is that the miracles that have happened in the past are not Lance's limit! You can always believe that he will continuously surpass himself!"
"Who says football is just a sport?"
"Lance's existence has already significantly influenced two nations!"
Duan Xuan wasn't exaggerating at all. With prestige reaching the level of Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lance, one is already a well-known public figure with international influence. Drogba was able to stop a ceasefire in Côte d'Ivoire with just one sentence.
Off the pitch, the small Western nation and China had already quietly begun a series of exchanges. Across the ocean, the "Eagle" lost a little brother; that little brother had already gradually turned "red" because of a superstar like Lance.
Duan Xuan reflected briefly on the situation off the field. When the match restarted, he brought the fans' attention back to the game. With the championship only one step away, neither side would let their guard down! The second half would be the most intense and heated phase!
Sure enough, after just a few minutes, referee Clattenburg quickly blew the whistle to stop the game.
"Oh, who is that?"
Old Instructor Zhang's heart clenched as a Belgian player in a red jersey lay painfully on the grass.
"Midfielder number 4, Nainggolan, was injured in a challenge with Pepe. It looks like it'll be hard for him to continue."
Nainggolan was carried off on a stretcher, clutching his face in agony.
"Lance... I'm sorry, I..."
"Don't say anything. Recover well; we will win the championship!"
"I believe in you guys!"
Nainggolan was a tough guy on the Serie A fields, an unyielding warrior in the Roma midfield! During the European Cup, he had intercepted opponents' attacks many times, running tirelessly. He provided protection for the front trio. Unfortunately, the toughest warrior still fell under the fierce challenges of the Portugal Team. João Mário, who made the tackle, was also shown a yellow card. This was the 6th yellow card of the match. Nainggolan, Witsel, Pepe, Nani, Lukaku, and Jan Vertonghen had all received yellow cards.
Compared to the smooth flow of the first half, fouls increased on both sides in the second half, and the game was frequently interrupted.
"Lance!!!"
When Lance was tackled to the ground by Portuguese defensive midfielder William Carvalho, hundreds of millions of people around the world couldn't help but gasp!
"My god!!!"
The young girl Chloe in the VIP box wished she could rush onto the field immediately to hold Lance. She wouldn't even care if Belgium lost the championship; she would rather Lance be healthy.
But looking at it from another perspective, if it were Lance himself, he would likely rather be injured and win the championship. No one knew just how strong his obsession with victory was!
"This fool..."
Chloe's deep blue eyes were filled with tears as she gripped the cross on her chest, silently praying for the young man.
"This is bad. William Carvalho's studs went straight into Lance's calf; I even saw his knee deform a bit."
The moment Lance lost his balance, his foot got caught, and his knee was definitely twisted. If it was a "cruciate ligament tear," the injury football players fear most, his professional career would be affected!
"..."
Cristiano Ronaldo frowned, his heart conflicted. If Lance was injured, his first reaction was happiness, since it would finally be a chance to win the title. But seeing such an excellent opponent destroyed, Ronaldo wouldn't feel lucky; instead, he would feel it was meaningless. Compared to an opponent falling due to injury, the conceited Ronaldo would rather become stronger himself and defeat the other fairly and squarely!
Just as the whole world was anxious over Lance's injury, Lance stood up like a hero!
At this moment, in the Stade de France, more than 80,000 people stood up simultaneously to applaud Lance! Including the opposing Portuguese fans! A respectable warrior! This 19-year-old Chinese player was a true hero!
"Lance!! When the team needed him most, he didn't give up!"
Duan Xuan was moved nearly to tears.
Everyone thought Lance was persevering through an injury, but in reality, Lance was a bit amused.
"It seems the atmosphere has gone a bit overboard."
"I'm not injured at all!"
The last [Substitute Paper Figurine] in his backpack had silently borne everything.
Not only was Belgium not demoralized, but they also earned a free kick from a good angle, 26 meters from the goal. As Lance stood before the ball, measuring his steps and getting ready, commentators from various countries were still talking about how scary Lance's injury just was. Little did they know, the ones most afraid were the Portuguese players.
Cristiano Ronaldo stood in the wall, protecting his vitals, suddenly having a panicked intuition.
"It couldn't be..."
Beep.
Before Ronaldo could think further, Lance had already started his run-up, his right leg swinging in a standard posture, striking the ball! The inside of his right foot curled a perfect arc, bypassing the wall!
"Lance!!!! Crescent Blade!!"
The artistic arc, like a blade of light, tore through the night sky!
"Goal!!! It's in!!!"
"A brace!!! Lance's magical performance continues!"
"3 to 1!!"
"The Belgium Team extends their lead in the 73rd minute of the second half!"
"Getting closer and closer to the first European Cup title in team history!"