Chapter 97 — Even a Hat-trick Couldn't Douse Bayern's Confidence to Advance
At the Emirates Stadium,
Thomas Müller, who had opened the scoring for Bayern, shoved aside the "shorter one" Philipp Lahm, pushed away the "handsomer one" Arjen Robben, shoved off the "darker-skinned" Luiz Gustavo… pushed away every teammate who wanted to celebrate with him…
He… sprinted wildly toward the sideline and hurled himself into Jupp Heynckes' arms.
With the assistant coaches' help Heynckes barely managed to brace himself… thus avoiding the master-and-pupil rolling into a heap.
"Thank you, boss!"
Heynckes panted heavily:
"You must have taken a liking to my daughter! Trying to make me die young and get both person and money…"
"Can I really? Boss, how much is your estate worth?"
"Get lost!"
"Alright then, can I go back now?"
"…"
After a long while, the match resumed.
Bayern, trailing, should have valued every second, but the second-half tactical switch was something they had never practiced; Müller's goal served as a calming pill…
Firsts are always extra thrilling, so they celebrated for a long time.
After Bayern's players finished celebrating and returned, Arsenal restarted.
Xia Qi passed the ball to Kevin De Bruyne and surged forward himself.
As the most dangerous player on Arsenal at the moment, his forward runs drew defenders like moths to a flame.
Toni Kroos and Javi Martínez, who were supposed to drop back to keep midfield and defense connected, instead left their posts to double-team Xia Qi to stop his break.
In an instant a gap appeared between Bayern's midfield and defense, and De Bruyne keenly noticed the change.
He immediately sent a sharp, precise ground pass.
Meanwhile Lukas Podolski made a forward run on the left, drove into the space and charged unopposed toward Bayern's penalty area, only to be stopped by Jérôme Boateng.
The two had been teammates and knew each other's game; Bayern's players assumed Lahm or Boateng would handle the one-on-one.
But Podolski had upped his game — with a change of rhythm he beat Boateng and cut inside into the box.
Now Boateng and Dante panicked. One had to stay on Mario Balotelli, the other had to pick up Podolski.
After forcing Boateng to step up, Podolski immediately laid a return pass across, giving Xia Qi a head start.
Xia Qi shot forward like a race car roaring out of the blocks, leaving Kroos and Javi Martínez in his wake.
In that instant,
Boateng, who had lunged toward Podolski, quickly changed direction to close down Xia Qi, but it was futile.
As Xia Qi charged, he neatly nudged the ball between Boateng's legs.
Don't think Boateng is rubbish!
He is excellent!
First, his change-of-direction recovery is extremely fast.
Second, his read on Xia Qi's run was accurate.
Although Xia Qi nutmegged him, Boateng still managed to block in front of him.
That's quality!
Boateng saw Xia Qi charging at him like a T-Rex.
"Damn!"
The Bundesliga-traveling Boateng felt slighted and swore under his breath.
In his mind Xia Qi was more arrogant than Cristiano Ronaldo!
Because,
Xia Qi showed absolutely no intention of changing direction!
What was that?
Boateng felt a little wronged — he wouldn't claim to be the world's number one center-back, but he was surely top five!
Top-five center-back in the world — not bragging!
But Xia Qi seemed not to have noticed him. After the nutmeg there was no outside overtaking — Xia Qi barreled straight on.
Boateng's mind raced to work out defensive options and he concluded Xia Qi was unstoppable… his most reasonable defensive choice was a tactical foul.
That made Boateng even angrier, but he had no choice. If Xia Qi got through, Arsenal would be three v two in the box…
Boateng couldn't take that risk!
Without hesitation he reached out his "dragon claw" and grabbed Xia Qi's shirt.
"Tactical foul!"
"Boateng pulls and tugs at the accelerating Xia Qi!"
"Oh! Didn't quite get him!"
"Slanted-clip just saw its market value rise thanks to Xia Qi's double shot, but damn this shitty jersey quality — back to square one…"
Crunch…
Xia Qi's shirt was torn…
The European division president of Slanted-Clip suffered a cardiac arrest at the same moment…
Boateng saw a scrap of fabric in his palm; his eyes widened in disbelief, time seemed to freeze, his feelings churned: with that one grab he'd just pulled off millions of dollars?
The Emirates erupted!
Arsenal fans shouted at the top of their lungs: "Charge!"
Compared to the fans' passion, the two head coaches understood better: ripping the shirt meant Xia Qi's forward momentum must be enormous.
Both men looked stunned, mouths forming a perfect "O" that could fit a whole egg, eyes round as copper gongs, frozen like statues on the touchline.
Manuel Neuer stifled the urge to rush out of his box and go mano a mano with Xia Qi.
He shouted: "Get back! Quickly, get back!"
In Xia Qi's internal broadcast soundtrack with Neuer, Xia Qi provided a new line: "Hurry! Assassin approaching! Escort! Protect the keeper!"
Dante heard Neuer's call, saw his teammates sprint to the box, and also saw Xia Qi's unstoppable surge…
But to buy time for his teammates, Dante charged at Xia Qi without hesitation.
When he caught sight of the white line of the penalty area in his peripheral vision, Dante spread his arms and wrapped them around Xia Qi's waist.
But mid-charge Xia Qi suddenly accelerated again!
His shoulder slammed into Dante's chest.
The close-up sound system reproduced
a crushing physical impact and Dante's scream… echoed throughout the stadium… each cry testifying to Xia Qi's terror; everyone felt a pang in their own chest.
Bayern fans and players screamed to the referee:
"Foul!"
"Foul!"
Heynckes stormed to the fourth official and roared: "Foul! Why didn't you blow the whistle?"
"Yes, Dante did commit a foul, but the attack is advantageous now."
"I'm saying that damned No. 9 is a butcher; my players are getting injured."
"Calm down. The referee will make a decision…"
On the pitch, after Xia Qi had knocked Dante away, the referee made a forward-sweeping gesture, indicating play on — the attack stood.
Roars reverberated through the Emirates.
In a flash,
Neuer lost cover and was exposed in the firing line of Xia Qi.
Slow down,
plant the foot,
strike at the ball.
"Boom!"
The sound of the strike was not just like a race-car engine's roar; it thrilled the nerves of the 70,000-plus crowd.
"Shoo—t…" (voice cracking)!
The crowd's passion went hoarse in that cracked shout.
The ball streaked like a white comet toward the goal.
Instantly,
Neuer leapt with all his might, elegantly unfurling his body in the air, his motion smooth and natural like a peacock displaying.
However,
machines fear reverse thinking more than you having the ability…
The ball, under the gaze of Bayern's relieved players, suddenly shivered in the air, described an arc, and twisted to the other side.
Bayern's relief turned into horror!
"S-ball!"
Despair surged into every Bayern heart!
Midway through his save, confident Neuer froze; it was as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar, his once-beautiful stretch became rigid,
thud!
The ice sculpture crashed to the ground!
Moments later there was the sound of the net bulging — faint but like thunder in Neuer's ears.
In an instant,
a sick churning rose in the stomach, like bile at the mouth.
Suffocating!
Neuer felt he couldn't breathe — what Messi or Ronaldo? In Neuer's mind no one was as scary as Xia Qi!
This was the only player in the world who could put a hat-trick past him in two consecutive matches.
Why be brilliant if you are born with such an opponent?
Was Xia Qi sent by God to torment him?
[Whoa! Is there a chip in the ball? It curves on its own!]
[I tell myself to stay calm; this is Xia Qi's usual trick, but I can't stop trembling…]
[I too — goosebumps all over.]
[Brothers, can we petition the education department to drop physics? What's the point of learning it?]
[Arsenal are certain to progress. Xia Qi is too brutal. Bayern get a glimmer of life and he snuffs it out.]
[Neuer looks ashen; first time seeing the great Neuer so downcast.]
[There's no need to be like this — he won't be the first nor the last to fall under Xia Qi's blade.]
The broadcast director replayed the goal from multiple angles, especially Xia Qi knocking Dante aside — it was replayed at least four times.
Everything was clean and fair; even Dante himself couldn't find fault.
He looked up at the big screen and thought only one thing: damn, that's badass!
Boateng also looked up at the screen, muttering to himself: "Slanted-clip jerseys really are crap!"
The only chance to stop Xia Qi's shot was ruined by that market-stall quality top… Boateng was resentful. That shirt must be made in some Indian factory!
After the goal, Xia Qi ran under the stands behind Bayern's goal.
Now it was the second half and the teams had swapped ends; behind Bayern's goal the stands were full of Arsenal diehards.
Jack, the head of Xia Qi's host family, was in those stands.
Xia Qi first made a "Li Jinyu" bow-and-shoot celebration pose, then asked the female reporter behind the advertising hoard for her lipstick, tore off his shredded shirt and signed it, grabbed a ball from the ball boy, wrapped the shirt around it, then turned his back to the stands.
The fans instantly understood…
They erupted even louder than at the goal.
From the stands: "Throw it higher."
"Xia, a little to the left."
"Right, right!"
"Lower."
"Don't throw it — hand it to me directly, I'll give you a child."
The adjacent stands were green with envy.
[Xia Qi really pampers his fans!]
[People like this deserve to be famous...]
The ball itself flew toward the fifth tier of the stand, but from the fourth tier a young man leapt up and cupped it with one hand, launching himself toward the eighth tier; on the way the ball and the shirt separated.
The ball reached the eighth tier where a man caught it and gave it to a small boy next to him — whether they were known to each other or not, the kid clasped it tightly.
The shirt slid down mid-flight and landed in the hands of a girl. The lucky girl burst into tears, showing the tattered shirt to everyone as she sobbed with joy…
After doing all that, Xia Qi ran back toward the substitutes' bench.
The Emirates' design puts the benches far apart, not like Highbury where you might hear the opponent's tactical talk sitting on your own bench.
The benches also change sides with the teams.
Xia Qi was now on Bayern's half and had to pass the fourth official to return to his side.
He was stopped by the fourth official.
"Sir, my shirt's torn — it's not a strip-tear celebration. You can't give me a yellow card."
Xia Qi already had one yellow; another would make him a byword for stupidity.
"Heh, yellow and red cards are for the referee. My job is to inform you that the match ball is property of the competition committee and you have no right to give it away."
"Sir, I have a hat-trick…"
"Your reward is with him." The official pointed at Neuer.
Xia Qi remembered an online story:
A girl withdrew 2,000 at an ATM and the machine dispensed 4,000. She counted the extra 2,000 on camera, left it on the machine, and the next day the bank demanded she return 2,000, claiming the money left on the ATM was hers. The official's stance was the same logic.
Xia Qi didn't dare be stubborn: "Understood, sir. My mistake."
The fourth official didn't bother with theatrics and produced a sanction form for Xia Qi to sign.
After a small interlude,
the match continued.
Though Bayern's situation was now more difficult,
they did not give up.
Heynckes quickly reshuffled the lineup; Mario Gómez came on for captain Philipp Lahm.
When Lahm left the pitch he handed the captain's armband to Manuel Neuer.
That served as a huge motivation — Neuer was suddenly full of life again.
No — he was more energetic than before.
Bayern, fighting for survival, activated their iron-blooded spirit and an invincible aura surged.
Arsenal, however, returned to a four-goal cushion and their confidence in advancing was through the roof.
After the restart,
Bayern's attacks grew crazier. With Gómez on, Bayern played two strikers up front and three at the back — a "no-holds-barred" all-out effort.
Xia Qi and Kevin De Bruyne ran themselves ragged, intercepting, breaking up play, and winning tackles across the midfield…
With tireless runs and disruptive play they tore the match into fragments…
Back-to-back defensive set-pieces from the back, again and again…
Bayern fans, watching their team get "timbered" time after time, gnawed their teeth in rage and booed desperately…
Arsenal fans wore smug expressions; every year they hear "not much time left for Arsenal…", and this year it was Arsenal doing the hurting.
Toni Kroos's footballing IQ is very high; he quickly shook off his anger.
After being chopped down once, taking advantage of Mario Mandžukić pulling on him, Kroos cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered something into Mandžukić's ear in a quick burst…
Kroos once again took a long free kick from deep; he and Thomas Müller faced away from Arsenal's goal — it looked like a routine backward kick.
Beep!
Kroos sprinted forward, came around the ball, and Müller fed it to him.
Prepared as ever, Kroos met the rolling ball and launched a long pass over the top toward Arsenal's goal.
Xia Qi had been ferocious — so go past midfield and shoot directly, right? Surely that would work!
Arsenal were caught by their habitual thinking.
Mario Mandžukić and Mario Gómez both timed runs perfectly to beat the offside trap — now both were one-on-one with the keeper, creating a deadly twin-front scenario.
The Emirates lost its laughter…
Arsenal keeper Emiliano Martínez was in a bind; he could not sit in his box waiting for the twin assassins — he had to step out to pre-empt the attack.
Mandžukić saw Martínez come out and believed he could reach the ball before the keeper.
But with Martínez in front and defenders chasing back, Mandžukić couldn't be sure of his accuracy.
Yet he wanted to try.
Top strikers have that stubbornness.
But at the exact moment he leapt, he noticed the completely unmarked Mario Gómez — Gómez had his arm raised and was looking hungry.
The two normally had a strained relationship; they were competitors and didn't get on well.
Under normal circumstances Mandžukić's stubborn nature would have led to a headed attempt himself, but now…
A perfect headed lay-off took place.
At that moment in the air Emiliano Martínez knew he'd lost the gamble!
Gómez controlled the ball and, suppressing his excitement, calmly rolled it into the open net.
3–2!
Aggregate 7–4!
At the 62nd minute Bayern still needed three more goals to eliminate Arsenal.
Although the deficit was large, Bayern's players now had unprecedented confidence.
That confidence was borne from the collaboration of two seemingly incompatible strengths…
Arsenal never expected that Xia Qi's hat-trick would not extinguish Bayern's belief in advancing…
(END CHAPTER)
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