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2014-2015 season, 24 hours before the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.
When Griezmann warned Koke, Koke didn't quite believe him.
Could a mere 17-year-old Asian lad be that terrifying?
Just because Real Sociedad couldn't win a match doesn't mean Atlético Madrid can't.
We, Atlético Madrid, are the reigning Champions League champions!
Logically, Real Madrid > Bayer Leverkusen, and Atlético Madrid > Real Madrid.
Therefore, Atlético Madrid > Bayer Leverkusen.
No problem.
The entire Atlético Madrid team was full of confidence for today's match...
Two hours before the first leg of the knockout stage, both teams' starting lineups had been announced via their official websites and Twitter accounts.
Tens of thousands of Atlético Madrid fans had gathered at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, ready for this crucial battle!
This match attracted the attention of Spanish National Television.
As one of Spain's few free-to-air channels, Spanish National Television chose to support Atlético Madrid, broadcasting the match live and sending a team of reporters for interviews.
"Hola! Viewers, the long-awaited Champions League knockout stage is about to begin!"
"Three La Liga teams are competing in the Champions League, about to face their respective opponents."
"Compared to Real Madrid against Schalke 04, and Barcelona against Manchester City, Atlético Madrid's match against Bayer Leverkusen is equally crucial!"
"Madrid fans have already gathered around the stadium, let's hear what they have to say... Excuse me, do you think Atlético Madrid can defeat the team from Germany today?"
In front of the live camera, the Spanish fans looked incredibly fervent.
"Of course!!! We must win today! 4-0 to end the battle!"
Before the reporter could even ask, fans wearing Atlético Madrid's red and white striped shirts surrounded him.
"3-0! At least 3-0!"
"Bayer Leverkusen is still tough to deal with. I predict a narrow 2-1 win. Then a 0-0 draw in the second leg to knock them out."
"1-0 is enough."
"We have Griezmann, Torres!! Torres will lead us to victory!"
It was clear that not all Atlético Madrid fans were fanatics.
Most people were well aware of Atlético Madrid's characteristics: one of the strongest defences in all of Europe.
Last year, they won the championship purely through defence.
Under the leadership of Simeone, Atlético Madrid's low block in the midfield and defence was almost unresolvable.
Their 'mad dog' style of fierce tackling and rough defensive actions were often criticised by other teams.
But as long as they could win, that was enough.
Goals wouldn't be plentiful, usually ending 1-0, but it would leave opponents feeling desperate, lamenting in front of the goal.
Just look at Atlético Madrid's starting lineup announced on Twitter today, it's definitely solid!
Atlético Madrid 4-4-2
Goalkeeper: Oblak
Defenders: Juanfran, Miranda, Godín, Ricardo Rodríguez
Midfielders: Arda Turan, Gabi, Koke, Saúl
Forwards: Griezmann, Fernando Torres
The midfield and defence were the original Champions League winning lineup, so there's no need to elaborate.
Just looking at the two stars upfront, Atlético Madrid had no reason to lose.
The rising French prodigy, Griezmann, whose ability to link up the attack in the final third was unmatched in La Liga.
Plus, the former Atlético Madrid golden boy, Torres, who returned to Atlético Madrid after a stint in the Premier League and was experiencing a second spring!
Atlético Madrid fans were brimming with confidence!
One hour before the match, looking at Atlético Madrid's starting lineup, Zhan Jun also frowned.
"Zhang Zhidao, do you think there's a chance today?"
"Hehehe, I think... it still feels a bit difficult. Today will be a test for Bayer Leverkusen."
After the turbulence at the beginning of the season, Bayer Leverkusen seemed to have regained its strength from last season in the second half.
But their coordination in the midfield and defence always had strange errors, especially in tough matches.
Maguire and Rüdiger had both made elementary mistakes.
Van Dijk seemed relatively stable, his 1v1 defensive anticipation was unbeatable.
But when opponents combined short passes and penetrative play, he was still very difficult to defend.
Comparatively, Atlético Madrid's defence was truly impregnable, having conceded only 29 goals all season.
Bayer Leverkusen might not actually be able to breach their sturdy wall.
Plus, the opponent had the halo of being Champions League champions...
"It's a bit ironic, Atlético Madrid's victory last season was really thanks to Bayer Leverkusen."
"Yes, hahahaha, if Lance hadn't tried hard enough and exhausted Real Madrid so much, Real Madrid might have won in the end."
Reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season delighted all fans.
After being eliminated by Real Madrid, Zhan Jun still felt very sorry for Lance.
He hoped Lance could at least make it to the final... although with Bayer Leverkusen's squad, it was a bit difficult.
But what if he tried hard?
"Zhang Zhidao, then who do you think has a better chance this season?"
"Barcelona."
Zhang Lu thought for a moment, Barcelona was truly invincible.
The MSN trio was unstoppable.
If Atlético Madrid's defence couldn't hold up, how could Bayer Leverkusen?
He just hoped they wouldn't meet Barcelona too early.
For the Champions League matches, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu mainly broadcast on Sina Sports.
At this moment, Bayer Leverkusen's starting lineup was also displayed on the screen.
Bayer Leverkusen 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper: Leno
Defenders: Kimmich, Maguire, Van Dijk, Aké
Midfielders: Rolfes, Lars Bender, De Bruyne, Son Heung-min, Lance
Forward: Firmino
As the match approached, many domestic fans couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
"What should I do, my hands are shaking."
"What do you say today, can we win?"
"We must win! We're taking on the Champions League champions!"
"Bayer Leverkusen is awesome, Lance is awesome!"
"Don't jinx it."
Amidst the shared tension of Western Atlético Madrid fans, German fans, and Chinese fans, time drew closer and closer to the match.
The players from both sides lined up in the player tunnel to enter the pitch.
Then, during the pre-Champions League ceremony, they dispersed to their respective halves.
Ready to go!
Beep —
The first fierce battle of the Champions League knockout stage officially began!
Two legs to determine both superiority and survival!
At this moment, Atlético Madrid vs. Bayer Leverkusen, first half, 34:25.
Koke felt like his lungs were about to explode.
With Atlético Madrid's abundant stamina, averaging 13 kilometres of running per game, should playing Bayer Leverkusen be this stressful?
But clearly, marking the Asian player was giving him a headache!
"Alright, Bayer Leverkusen continues to pass in the final third... Lars Bender, to Lance... Beautiful!! A chip, hey! It's a nutmeg!!"
"Lance breaks through, continues to dribble forward!!"
"A sudden through ball into the ribs!!"
"Beautiful!! Son Heung-min!!"
"That shot went wide!!! Son Heung-min's shot —"
Koke only breathed a sigh of relief when Son Heung-min's shot flew wide.
Recalling Griezmann's warning, Koke realised he hadn't exaggerated.
Today, all of Bayer Leverkusen's attacking threat came from this Asian player in front of him!
As Koke carefully observed Lance, Lance was also observing Koke.
"Damn, is Atlético Madrid this hard to deal with?"
He had long heard about Atlético Madrid's defensive intensity.
Only by personally facing Atlético Madrid in the Champions League did he realise these people were absolute maniacs!
Crazy positioning, crazy pressing, each one like a wild beast, eyes bloodshot.
Pulling jerseys, grabbing arms, tripping people – all sorts of dirty tricks were aimed at him.
Lance rarely experienced such world-class defensive intensity.
Today, in pursuit of individual dribbling breakthroughs, he brought the Bachira Meguru template.
Bad news, no matter who Bachira Meguru was, even if he came in person, it would probably be very difficult to break through Atlético Madrid's defence!
The double pivot in midfield plus the iron curtain defence in the back was one thing.
But there was also a cheat-like god-tier goalkeeper in front of the goal, Atlético Madrid's main man Oblak, forming a 'Wall of Sighs' blocking Lance's path.
Behind him, Torres and Griezmann were constantly threatening his own goal.
Can they win?
Of course, the good news was that the long-stagnant Fusion Value had broken through to 99%!
If they could win this match, Lance might achieve 100% and unlock a new template!