Chapter 129 Little Pea Vs. Lima? It's My Turn To Perform!

After two rounds of the Champions League, the Bundesliga was in mourning.

The German national team won the World Cup last year, which should have ushered in a period of glory. However, Bundesliga clubs have struggled in European competitions over the past two years. Even Guardiola's strong Bayern Munich team could only make it to the semi-finals at best. Other teams had difficulty even qualifying from the group stage.

This year was no different. The Bundesliga's prospects in the group stage looked grim.

In the second round of the group stage, Wolfsburg was defeated by Manchester United 2-1 away; Leverkusen lost to Barcelona 2-1 at Camp Nou; and even Bayern Munich faltered, losing 2-0 away to "bloodthirsty" Arsenal. Of the four Bundesliga teams, only Union Berlin completed a shocking comeback at home, finally beating Manchester City and securing a precious victory. Last season's double crown winner seemed to be the face of the Bundesliga!

However, some pro-Bayern media were not convinced. The Munich Evening News commented:

"The other three teams had tough away games, so losing isn't too surprising. Union Berlin almost lost at home, and they weren't as strong as everyone says."

Berlin netizens were not pleased and took to social media to voice their complaints.

"Manchester City's overall value is almost three times that of Union Berlin! Isn't it worth bragging about winning?"

"Leverkusen lost to Barcelona, and Wolfsburg lost to Manchester United. Those are understandable."

"Isn't Bayern's loss to Arsenal a rollover? Didn't they claim to be Arsenal's nemesis before?"

Bayern supporters replied:

"Don't you know that Arsenal at the beginning of the season is tough to beat?"

"Only the spring Arsenal can be bullied!"

As a result, Arsenal fans were also drawn into the argument, and various netizens quarreled intensely.

Meanwhile, the bicycle kick relay goal by Su Luo and Quinn was made into a gif and widely circulated. Before this, only the Roma Lazio Derby in the 94/95 season had seen such an impressive bicycle kick relay by Favalli and Casiraghi. But now, Su Luo had also secured a place in football history with this goal, which would be replayed countless times.

A thrilling comeback victory boosted Union Berlin's morale, but it also took a toll on the main players. Just two days later, they had to face the strong Bayer Leverkusen away. Leverkusen had rested a day earlier and recovered their fitness ahead of schedule. Most of Union Berlin's players had not fully recovered, leading to a tough confrontation at the BayArena.

"Little Pea, Hernandez!! Chicharito!!!"

"Leverkusen opened the scoring in the 21st minute of the first half!"

"The striker from Manchester United suddenly appeared in the box unmarked!"

"He didn't even need to jump, and easily scored with a header!"

"The home team Leverkusen takes the lead!"

In this game, Su Luo was temporarily placed on the bench to rest. Silvio, Ozbek, Matuschka, Soren Brandi, and Quinn started. The central defense featured Alex, returning from injury, paired with 17-year-old Lisandro Martinez.

From the bench, Su Luo could see clearly. Lisandro, the future backbone of Manchester United's defense, was already showing his talent. His 1v1 anticipation and positional sense were excellent but lacked experience, being only 17 years old. Facing the elusive Hernandez, Lisandro struggled. The conceded goal was due to Hernandez's erratic movement, causing Lisandro to make a fatal mistake by focusing on the ball and neglecting his man, allowing Hernandez to score easily.

But it wasn't over yet. Hernandez was on fire! Before the end of the first half, he timed his run perfectly and succeeded in an offside trap, calmly pushing the ball into the far corner past Fabianski.

"Leading by 2 goals! Hernandez is back to his Ferguson-era form!"

"He helped Leverkusen extend their advantage in the first half!"

"Union Berlin's midfield defense is too open, giving Bellarabi an easy chance to pass!"

In the second half, Union Berlin did not make significant changes.

"Hat trick! Chicharitoooo!!"

The baby-faced striker from Mexico was no longer a teenager. Exiled by Manchester United and having left the Bundesliga, he still ran tirelessly on the field, using his killer instinct to find weak points in the defense. When Calhanoglu crossed from the left, Lisandro was already paying attention to Hernandez's position. But Hernandez was still a step ahead, poking the ball into the goal, making it 3-0!

Union Berlin suffered a major blow. Coach Neuhaus couldn't watch anymore and substituted three players: Lisandro, Ozbek, and Silvio. Su Luo, Kimmich, and Rudiger took the field. Europe's premier central axis was back!

When Lisandro left the field, he was quite lonely and blamed himself. At 17, his debut in the Bundesliga was supposed to be a moment of glory, but he felt he had ruined it. During the substitution, Su Luo deliberately held him.

"Lisandro, you will become a world-class defender in the future! You will become a mainstay for the giants, believe me."

"Eh?" Lisandro was surprised.

Before he could ask more, Su Luo had already entered the field. Coach Neuhaus didn't blame Lisandro but comforted him.

"Lisandro, you did well. Put on your clothes and have a good rest."

Lisandro was slightly relieved, thinking he hadn't done too badly. Back on the bench, Pickford asked in English,

"Lisandro, what did Su say to you?"

"He said... I can become the main central defender for the giants..." Lisandro felt a bit embarrassed. "It's probably just to comfort me."

"No," Pickford shook his head. "Su is a prophet. He knows mysterious oriental prophecies. You will definitely be a top defender in the future!"

"Eh?" Lisandro was stunned again, but Pickford was convinced. Su Luo had said the same thing to him before, motivating Pickford to train himself to England's No. 1 goalkeeper standard. In recent games, Pickford played with more confidence, believing in Su Luo's prophecy.

Despite the central axis change, there was still a big gap between the team and Leverkusen's main force. This led to frequent penetrations on the flanks. Hernandez succeeded in an offside trap and was tripped by Alex in the penalty area. Leverkusen got a penalty. Calhanoglu scored, making it 4-0.

Soon, Union Berlin got a chance.

They took advantage of a gap in Leverkusen's press, and Su Luo turned on his magic, dribbling past four defenders all the way into the box!

"Su Luo!! He dribbled the ball from the backfield for 60 meters! Passed four players in a row!"

"The long-lost Su Luo moment has appeared!"

"One-on-one with the goalkeeper! It's a pendulum-like move!"

The commentator, Simon, was thrilled.

When he first started commenting on games, continuous long-distance raids and pendulum-like moves were Su Luo's trademarks. However, with more teams adopting defensive strategies, such scenes became rarer, and Su Luo's style of play became more efficient.

When Su Luo used the pendulum move again, it was still impactful. Leverkusen's goalkeeper, Leno, was left flat-footed and fell down on the spot. Su Luo flicked the ball past him and shot into the empty net!

"That's his 14th goal in the league! Su Luo continues his record of scoring in every game!"

"Union Berlin pulls one back and is now 1-4 behind Leverkusen!"

Despite this counterattack, Leverkusen continued to press aggressively. Their 4-1 lead had made them overconfident. This overconfidence led to another goal for Union Berlin just five minutes later.

"Union Berlin strikes back again! Leave it to Su Luo up front!"

"It's a stroke of genius! Su Luo's long-distance through ball has penetrated Leverkusen's defense!"

When Su Luo got the ball, Leverkusen's defense was intact. Soren Brandi was in front of him, and Oldsbeck was to his left. Both were in good positions, and Leverkusen's focus was on them. But Su Luo, with eyes in the back of his head, found the right side with a wide-range pass!

The ball crossed an exaggerated arc, accurately passing through Leverkusen's defenders and finding Quinn, who was moving forward perfectly. The timing, intensity, and passing line were flawless. Quinn didn't need to adjust his step or slow down; he just collected the ball and entered the penalty area. Even the Leverkusen goalkeeper was stunned and rushed out in panic.

"Quinn is not offside! Facing the goalkeeper, he pushes the ball into the far corner—"

Duan Xuan shouted excitedly, seeing that Quinn didn't waste Su Luo's perfect assist. The ball grazed the post and rolled into the net!

"The ball has been scored! What a beautiful goal!"

"Quinn, with an assist from Su Luo, scores another goal!"

"From 4-0 to 4-2, Leverkusen is now only leading by two goals!"

Including the previous Champions League match, Quinn had scored two consecutive goals. When had he ever had such a bright moment in his career? It was all thanks to Su Luo's brilliant assists. Both key goals were delivered to Quinn's feet.

Now, Leverkusen was starting to get scared. Coach Schmidt made three consecutive substitutions, replacing the hat-trick hero Hernandez with defensive players. They added a defensive midfielder and a central defender to shore up their defense.

If they still had Son Heung-min, they might have had a counterattack option, but he had moved to Tottenham in the summer, further reducing Leverkusen's offensive power. The game turned into a half-field defensive battle for Union Berlin.

However, Leverkusen's defensive strategy curbed Union Berlin's attacks. Su Luo, lacking support from his teammates, struggled to create good opportunities. In the 90th minute, Su Luo tried a long shot from outside the penalty area! As if by fate, the ball hit the legs of two defenders, causing it to change direction twice and confuse the goalkeeper. The football rolled into the net!

"4-3!!!"

"Union Berlin has chased three goals in the second half! Su Luo scores twice!"

"15 goals in 7 games, full firepower!"

Duan Xuan pounded the table excitedly. In desperate situations, you could always count on Su Luo! Unfortunately, Leverkusen's players kept falling to the ground with cramps, causing the referee to stop the game several times. Uncle Hans and the away fans booed these time-delaying tactics, but the referee remained silent.

Due to Leverkusen's prolonged delays, the 4 minutes of stoppage time quickly passed, and the final whistle blew. Leverkusen beat Union Berlin 4-3 at home. Until the end, all the fans in the BayArena were on edge. When Su Luo was on the field, the team's fighting power was terrifying. Every time he touched the ball, the home fans held their breath, full of anxiety.

Union Berlin suffered their first defeat of the season, two days after a fierce Champions League battle. Competing on three fronts this season was indeed challenging for this small team.

After the game, head coach Neuhaus said, "Maybe I should have brought Su Luo on earlier, but I wanted him to be fully rested. Losing one game is not a big deal. As long as we have a healthy Su Luo, we can create miracles!"

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