"Beep."
"Beep."
"BEEP!!!"
Derek Rae shouted:
"The match is over! Liverpool's nightmare has finally ended!"
"They endured seventy minutes with just nine players—here at the Allianz Arena, against Bayern Munich, the most potent attacking team in Europe this season—and the game ends 2–0!"
"Although they lost, every Liverpool player can walk off this pitch with their heads held high!"
"Everyone fought until the very last second!"
"Just as I said before—they were burning their very lives out there!"
The broadcast camera cut to the pitch.
The Man of the Match was Ribéry.
As the final whistle sounded, Liverpool players immediately began high-fiving and embracing each other. They all knew they had done everything they possibly could.
Leo Lin suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
Both of his legs cramped at the same time.
Firmino and Henderson rushed to either side of him to help stretch his legs.
Halfway through stretching him out, Henderson suddenly dropped to the turf as well—his legs had cramped too.
The Liverpool players quickly gathered around to help both of them.
"Leo Lin's cramping in both legs!"
"He ran a full 12.8 kilometers in this match!"
"That's unbelievable!"
"Henderson also covered 11.7 kilometers! The two of them practically ran their way through Liverpool's numerical disadvantage in midfield!"
"With nine men united as one, Liverpool avoided what could have been a massacre—and they still keep a slim hope of advancing!"
Klopp didn't say a word.
He simply embraced each player and pounded their backs with force.
Then he and Krawietz supported Leo Lin on both sides as they helped him back to the dressing room, refusing all media interviews along the way.
Leo Lin was completely exhausted.
He could already imagine the full-body soreness waiting for him the next morning.
As soon as they returned to the dressing room, the head physiotherapist immediately began massaging and relaxing Leo Lin's muscles.
When he pressed on Leo Lin's tight calf muscles, his expression turned serious.
At the post-match press conference, Klopp spoke only briefly, his voice trembling slightly.
"Only I know how painful the training has been for these lads as they chased a place in the Champions League final."
"Everyone says Lin is a genius. People say Henderson suddenly figured things out this season."
"But I want to tell you something."
"Those two stay behind after every training session and work for another full hour."
"So I can't blame anyone."
"They gave everything they had tonight."
"Damn it… I'm so proud of these boys!"
Klopp slowly stood up and added:
"We didn't give up."
"Not tonight. And not in the second leg."
"We'll be waiting at Anfield."
"Welcome to Anfield."
After the match, Sky Sports' photo titled "Nine Warriors in the Dead Zone" quickly went viral.
Countless fans—especially Premier League supporters—flooded the post with likes and comments.
"I admit it. From this moment on, Premier League fans are one family. I support Liverpool—I hope they turn it around in the second leg!"
"I'm a Manchester United fan, but this is the first time I truly hope Liverpool win!"
"The Premier League's official account reposted the Sky Sports photo with applause. That's class!"
Even Liverpool themselves hadn't expected that this match would suddenly turn them into the darling of the entire Premier League.
The nine starters who fought until the final whistle didn't train for the next three days.
Their entire routine was simple:
Rest.
Massage.
Rest again.
Then more massage.
Day and night.
On March 29, Liverpool played Watford in Premier League Round 30.
Klopp fielded a completely rotated lineup of substitutes—and still won comfortably 3–0.
Some key starters didn't even appear on the bench.
Everyone understood what Klopp was doing.
He was sharpening the team's blade for a decisive battle with Bayern Munich.
Everyone knew Bayern held a two-goal lead from the first leg.
In Champions League history, comebacks from a two-goal deficit after the first leg were extremely rare.
Almost every media outlet predicted Bayern Munich would advance to the final.
The experienced Heynckes had also rotated his entire squad in the previous Bundesliga match, giving Bayern's starters full rest so they could arrive at Anfield in peak condition.
Major media outlets released their pre-match headlines.
Sky Sports:
"Liverpool will need more than a miracle to overturn this deficit!"
Marca:
"The German war machine will crush Liverpool!"
Bild:
"Bayern Munich reaching the final is inevitable—they have the strength to win the Champions League!"
Everyone knew the situation.
Liverpool had lost 0–2 in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal.
April 2nd.
The day of the second leg.
Outside Anfield.
A sea of Liverpool fans packed the streets around the stadium.
Red smoke flares filled the air.
From above, the broadcast cameras captured a massive ocean of red.
The entire city seemed empty—everyone had gathered outside Anfield.
At 6 PM European time, the Liverpool team bus slowly approached the stadium from the south side of Anfield Road.
Soon the fans closed in.
They surrounded the bus on all sides.
The bus could only inch forward through the crowd.
Inside the back row of the bus, Leo Lin looked out the window.
As far as the eye could see—
Red shirts everywhere.
Liverpool players gathered by the windows, watching the scene unfold.
No one had told them this would happen.
This was a spontaneous show of support organized entirely by the fans themselves.
Leo Lin suddenly felt a surge of energy course through his body.
Goosebumps rose on his arms.
A chilly evening wind swept from west to east across tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters, stirring waves of red smoke that wrapped around the slowly moving team bus.
A young boy, held in his father's arms, managed to squeeze close to the bus.
His tiny hand slapped against its side.
His childish yet determined voice rose into the air alongside the deafening chants of the surrounding supporters.
Each shout struck the sky like a heavy hammer.
"Fight!"
"Fight!!"
"Fight!!!"
...
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