Chapter 144: Slashing The Fallen Leaves In The Sky! The Law Of Karma Is So Unreasonable! Su Luo's retreat to the midfield position made Allegri quite crazy.
Su Luo's retreat to the midfield position drove Allegri mad.
The heavy defense he set up in the penalty area became a joke.
After scoring two goals in quick succession, Union Berlin fortified their defense and allowed Juventus to take the initiative.
As a result, Juventus grew increasingly frustrated, unable to break through Union Berlin's defensive line.
Mandzukic and Morata were invisible in the penalty area, just as they had been last week.
Juventus' hopes for an equalizer rested solely on Pogba. His breakthroughs and surprising passes often created opportunities.
However, with his mind set on transferring to a bigger club, Pogba was playing carelessly, knowing top teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona would still want him.
Why would Pogba push himself hard?
Khedira and Marchisio were strong midfielders, excellent at running, intercepting, linking play, and taking long shots.
But they lacked creativity, causing Juventus' efforts in the front to be repeatedly thwarted and leaving them vulnerable to Union Berlin's counterattacks.
In the 69th minute, Union Berlin advanced into the frontcourt. Su Luo, channeling De Bruyne, sent a precise ground pass while dribbling at high speed!
Zhan Jun watched the football bypass Bonucci and Barzagli with an exaggerated curve, landing perfectly at Mahrez's feet!
"Su Luo's perfect assist! Mahrez is through one-on-one with Buffon!!!"
However, faced with Buffon, Mahrez's shot struck the keeper's leg and bounced away. Su Luo's great pass was wasted!
Neuhaus was furious and immediately replaced Mahrez with the faster Quinnine, aiming for a more aggressive attack.
With Quinnine on the field, Union Berlin made slight adjustments. Su Luo and Forsberg dropped back a bit, while Quinnine led the attack. The positions of the three players were fluid; anyone could pull to the side or move forward.
Union's counterattacks became more flexible and unpredictable, making Juventus' defense look helpless.
Zhang Lu chuckled after watching for a few minutes.
"With Quinnine on, it's a whole new game."
"They're playing a fluid front three, similar to Barcelona's style, with Su Luo in a free role like Messi."
"Forsberg is playing the role of an inside forward, while Quinnine is like Suarez."
As Union Berlin's front trio continued to create chances, Allegri made a bold move, replacing Pogba with Dybala and adding more forwards. Dybala had the passing skills to support Morata and Mandzukic up front.
Indeed, after Pogba left, Juve's offense sharpened. In the 77th minute, Dybala sent a cross from the side!
Mandzukic overpowered Alex and scored with a powerful header!
"Mandzukic!!! Pulls one back!"
"Juventus still has hope! The game isn't over yet!"
The Italian commentator was excited, sensing a possible comeback.
In the second half, Juventus had over 70% possession! They were poised to dominate their lower-ranked opponent!
But less than five minutes after Mandzukic's goal, in the 80th minute, Union Berlin launched a high-quality counterattack!
Su Luo and Forsberg played a quick one-two, bypassing the midfield barrier! Bonucci stepped up to contain Su Luo, but Chiellini hadn't yet filled the gap.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Luo cleverly used a toe-poke pass through Bonucci's legs, sending the ball straight into the middle!
The pass caught Juventus off guard, instantly penetrating their defense and rolling swiftly into the penalty area!
Buffon moved to claim it, but—
Su Luo smirked slightly.
"This ball should be easy for you to get, right?"
Sure enough, as Juventus players relaxed, a red blur, like The Flash, sped past Chiellini!
"Christopher Quinn!!!"
Allegri's last coherent thought was wondering where this kid had come from before his mind went blank.
Quinnine rushed into the penalty area without needing to adjust, simply lifting his foot and striking!
Even against Buffon, the world's best goalkeeper, Quinnine didn't hesitate!
With a powerful close-range shot aimed at the top corner, Buffon could only hope Quinnine overhit it.
But the ball grazed the underside of the crossbar and went straight into the net!
Quinnine, now unstoppable, was on fire!
"Goooooooal!!!"
The home announcer and more than 20,000 fans witnessed Quinnine's growth.
This once-overlooked youth player had now scored in a crucial Champions League match against Juventus!
"Let's shout his name together!"
"Christopher---"
"Quinnine---"
After scoring, Quinnine rushed to Su Luo. This season, 90% of his goals were assisted by Su Luo!
Su Luo had single-handedly increased Quinnine's value by at least 15 million euros!
Quinnine, with nothing else to offer, could only repay Su Luo by continuing to use the celebratory gesture of shining his shoes, showing his loyalty to the King of the Iron Alliance!
The fans in the stadium also chanted Su Luo's name in unison.
"Lord! Lord! Lord!"
"He leads the Iron Union, conquering Europe from Berlin's east!"
"Our Captain Huaxia represents the power of the people!"
"Unstoppable in attack, invincible in battle!"
At least three versions of "Song of Su Luo" were circulating among the fans.
Currently, the most popular song among fans celebrates Su Luo's position in East Berlin, comparable to Messi in Catalonia and Maradona in Naples.
Quinnine's goal completely sealed the victory. Union Berlin defeated Juventus 3-1 at home, securing their place in the knockout stages with 12 points from 4 victories. They also secured the top spot in their group, with Juventus only having a theoretical chance to overtake them. For that to happen, Berlin would need to lose both games, and Juventus would need to win both to reach 13 points and take first place.
But will Manchester City give them such an easy chance?
Union Berlin remained confident, and the last 10 minutes of the game turned into a celebration in East Berlin. The fans created a sea of red waves in the stands, making for a spectacular scene. Their singing continued, and the impassioned melody, combined with the fierce German spirit, silenced the Italian fans.
Juventus seemed reluctant to fight on, already planning for their next two crucial matches.
The only suspense left was whether Su Luo could create a unique record in the world—the first player to score four consecutive hat-tricks in Champions League history! Su Luo already held the record for three consecutive hat-tricks, a feat not ruled out for someone as extraordinary as him, though Messi and Ronaldo could potentially achieve it too.
But four consecutive hat-tricks in the Champions League? That might remain unbroken for the next 50 or 100 years. The name of the Chinese player would be etched in world football history forever.
He had already scored twice in this match, just one goal away from the record.
Union Berlin fans were well aware of this, and every time Su Luo got the ball in the frontcourt, more than 20,000 people shouted in unison, "Schießen!!!" (Shoot!!!)
No matter his position, Su Luo responded to the fans, taking shots whenever he had the chance.
In the 83rd and 85th minutes, he took two powerful shots, one from 26 meters out at the top of the arc and another from the left edge of the penalty area. Unfortunately, both were saved by Buffon.
With the entire Juventus team seemingly unwilling to fight, only the 37-year-old veteran Buffon was still giving his all, defending Juventus' honor until the last moment.
"Buffon has really worked hard. If it weren't for him, the score could have been much worse," Zhan Jun said, full of respect for Buffon.
"Union Berlin attempted 8 counterattacks in the second half, with 6 of them on target. Buffon couldn't do anything about the two goals conceded, and he saved the rest, including Mahrez's one-on-one."
But Buffon encountered an extraordinary player—the biggest sensation in world football!
As the game entered stoppage time, Juventus' frontcourt play became increasingly sloppy. Morata's weak shot was easily caught by Fabianski. Seeing Su Luo rushing forward, Fabianski quickly got up and made a long kick!
The ball had a low trajectory, quickly passing over half the field and heading toward Su Luo!
Chiellini frantically tugged at Su Luo's jersey.
"This time I won't let you get past me again!"
Su Luo was on the right side of the front field, 39 meters from the goal, about to receive the ball. Bonucci and Marchisio were also closing in. As long as he stopped the ball, he would be surrounded!
"Schießen!!!" The fans in the stadium shouted "Shoot" in unison!
Neuhaus laughed. How could Su Luo shoot from here? The fans were really putting him in a tough spot… but wait, what?
As the ball flew over Su Luo's head and was about to land in front of him, he had no intention of stopping it! The familiar feeling surged within him!
Karma buff activated!
Who can stop me?
Su Luo used Chiellini's push to step forward and volley the ball without hesitation!
Boom!
The instep of his foot connected solidly with the bottom of the ball. This wasn't Su's Cannon—it was the Fallen Leaf Slash!
The ball curved strangely in the air, seemingly heading out of bounds. Buffon felt uneasy and jumped up quickly, but the ball's descent was beyond his expectation! It brushed against Buffon's fingertips, hit the lower edge of the crossbar, and fell precisely into the net!
The stadium erupted like a volcano!
"Zhei kicked in!!!"
"Falling Leaf Slash is earth-shattering!"
"Su Luo scored a hat-trick in stoppage time! He created another miracle!"
"The only player in Champions League history to complete four consecutive hat-tricks! There's never been anyone like him!"
As Su Luo ran more than 20 meters to celebrate, Buffon sat on the ground, holding his knees, dazed. This was the only player who had humiliated him with six goals yet earned his admiration.
"Come on, Yin. I hope you can make it to the end," Buffon thought, watching Su Luo.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
Patreon have 40+ advanced chapters for you guys
Your help will be greatly appreciated.