Leo Lin started his run from midfield, carrying the ball first to the right, then to the left. Both breakthroughs targeted the weaker points in Paris Saint-Germain's back line.
After breaking into the penalty area, he took the shot and scored.
Scholes shouted for him. Cheered for him.
In that moment, he was with Leo Lin.
Although he was not a Liverpool legend, he had still been conquered by a performance like that.
"This is what a true team core does. The ability he is showing on the pitch is simply on another level."
Beside him, Ashley Cole was a defender himself, so he understood exactly what Kimpembe had just felt.
"It is completely different from what you see from other midfielders. He does not even play like a conventional midfielder, and he is not limited to any single position."
"From anywhere on the pitch, he might suddenly drop back to help defend, or suddenly push forward to join the attack. What allows him to make so many correct decisions is his footballing intelligence."
Ashley Cole had once been known for his footballing intelligence. Although he had come through as a defender, the awareness and reading of the game he showed on the pitch had helped Chelsea through many difficult moments.
When he looked at Leo Lin, he felt as if he were seeing himself back on the pitch. It was exactly the same feeling.
Leo Lin smiled at Wijnaldum. After thinking about it for so long, he had finally settled on a signature celebration of his own, and he had told his teammates about it in training.
Wijnaldum ran toward Leo Lin, then hooked his arm around Leo Lin's neck and jumped up. The two of them broke into a princess carry celebration.
Leo Lin laughed as he held Wijnaldum. From that day on, whenever someone provided him with an assist, Leo Lin would give that player a princess carry.
And anyone who scored from one of his assists would have to give him a princess carry in return.
On the touchline, Krawietz tried to copy him and even wanted to give Klopp a princess carry, only for Klopp to counter him with a quick hold and shove him straight back toward the coaching bench.
"If the reward for an assist is getting a princess carry from Leo Lin, then I'm willing to assist Leo Lin forever!"
"Wake up, mate. If you want to assist Leo Lin, you have to be able to play in the Premier League first!"
"If Leo Lin gave me one princess carry, I'd gladly take three more!"
Seeing Leo Lin's new celebration, the fans in the livestream were full of envy.
Wijnaldum was grinning from ear to ear. He had become the lucky first person to show off Leo Lin's brand-new celebration.
Liverpool were laughing happily, but Paris Saint-Germain could not smile at all. If they lost this match, they would have two wins and two defeats after four rounds, while Napoli behind them would have a chance to overtake them.
They needed at least a draw to make Paris Saint-Germain's qualification situation clearer.
After play resumed, Paris Saint-Germain threw everything into attack, but they were still playing as individuals, and their front line remained a mess.
Mbappe and Cavani shot whenever they had the chance. Di María, on the right, could occasionally create opportunities for his teammates, but that kind of attacking approach could not trouble Liverpool's back line.
As the first half neared its end, Neymar once again carried the ball through the middle. He wanted to break through the center just like Leo Lin had.
Rodri stayed tight to Neymar, held his defensive position, and slowed Neymar's dribbling rhythm.
Wijnaldum dropped back, and Leo Lin tracked back at exactly the right moment. The three of them surrounded Neymar and won the ball, stopping Paris Saint-Germain's attack once again.
The first half then came to an end, and the match went into halftime.
"The first half is over. Paris have quality, but they have not played with enough understanding."
"There are reports that Paris are preparing to sell Cavani, and Manchester United are said to be very interested in him."
"If they keep failing to produce fluid attacking combinations, the Paris head coach's position will also come under threat."
"Paris Saint-Germain have already poured a staggering amount of money into the transfer market. In particular, the way they forced through Neymar's release clause showed just how powerful they are financially."
"But stacking the front line with star players is no guarantee of a breakthrough."
"To truly transform from an upstart into a giant, they need more than money. They need more sensible management, a better-built system, and a more united squad."
"The entire club, from top to bottom, must maintain a healthy atmosphere before it can undergo a fundamental transformation."
Across the first 45 minutes, Paris Saint-Germain's performance against a rotated Liverpool side had clearly disappointed the fans.
Inside Anfield, every home supporter had a smile on their face, leisurely drinking beer as they waited for the second half to begin.
After the short break, the second half resumed.
Liverpool played with even greater cohesion. Leo Lin was stationed in the middle, and every run and every piece of organization from him was supported by his teammates.
Liverpool players did not get stuck with no passing options, and they rarely forced breakthroughs. They only chose to carry the ball forward themselves when there was proper space for a one-on-one.
"Shaqiri on the right, facing Bernat!"
"One-on-one. He turns into space and curls a shot!"
"Buffon makes the save. A shot like that is not going to trouble Buffon. Paris Saint-Germain signed Buffon after he left Juventus because they wanted to make a deeper run in the Champions League. They are relying on his vast experience."
After leaving Juventus, Buffon continued wandering in pursuit of the first Champions League title of his career. He eventually arrived at Paris Saint-Germain, where his performances had been decent.
Liverpool attacked more and more often, and their chances kept increasing.
Paris Saint-Germain gradually began to lose their shape. Their front line relied on individual ability to create chances, but whenever they lost the ball, Liverpool could immediately turn it into a coordinated counterattack.
In the 70th minute.
"Paris Saint-Germain make substitutions. Choupo-Moting comes on for Cavani, and Alves comes on for Correa."
"Correa has been steady but unspectacular since starting this match. He has managed to stop Mané once or twice, but most of the time he has needed Marquinhos to cover for him."
Paris made two substitutions in a row, hoping to find a goal. But Alves, who had just come off the bench, soon made a mistake on the pitch.
In the 77th minute.
"Leo Lin carries the ball and plays it to Rodri, who switches it long to the right."
"Shaqiri squares it into the middle. Wijnaldum drives forward with the ball, and Liverpool have a two-on-one on the left."
"Brilliant switching play."
After a clever sequence of switches moved the ball to the left, Wijnaldum received it and advanced down that flank.
Mané moved close to Alves, creating a two-on-one for Liverpool and allowing them to make use of their local numerical advantage.
Wijnaldum immediately slipped a through ball forward. The aging Alves clearly could not keep up with Mané's burst and instantly lost his defensive position.
He hurriedly turned to block him off, trying to get his body in place before Mané could fully accelerate.
But Mané was smarter.
He placed his back in front of Alves's shoulder, then went down with the contact as Alves barged into him.
The referee immediately blew the whistle.
"Beep!"
"Penalty!"
"Alves commits the foul and gives Liverpool a penalty!"
"Mané has so much experience. That was clever positioning."
The fans immediately looked toward the pitch. Shaqiri ran beyond the touchline to retrieve the ball, then handed it to Leo Lin.
Mané got to his feet, and Wijnaldum stepped forward to brush the dirt off him. Then the Liverpool players gradually left the penalty area, waiting for Leo Lin to step up and take the penalty.
No one fought for it. No one argued. Everything went exactly according to the team's arrangement.
Holding the ball, Leo Lin stepped up to the penalty spot.
"Did you see everything that just happened?" Ashley Cole said admiringly.
"Mané won the penalty, but he did not try to take it himself. After Shaqiri retrieved the ball, he handed it straight to Lin."
"Everyone at Liverpool knows Lin is the team's first-choice penalty taker, so no one argues and no one fights for it."
"The hierarchy is plain to see."
...
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