Chapter 314: The Divine Punisher from Heaven (Part 1)
With 3 points from both games and no goals conceded (6 points), one assist (2 points), and 8 days of training and extra practice (32 points), Chen Xiaoliang gained a total of 40 training points (34→74) and 2 additional stamina recovery cards (1→3).
After much deliberation, and considering that in the event of a draw in the cup match there would be a penalty shootout, Chen Xiaoliang spent 60 points to increase the number of penalties from 10 to 13.
Training value 74 → 14
With the war approaching, the media has turned their attention to it.
Unlike the first round, the theme of the second round became "reversal".
Compared to Liverpool's 2-5 defeat to Real Madrid at home, everyone is more willing to look forward to whether Roma, who lost 1-0, can stage a comeback at home.
At the press conference the day before the game, Dortmund head coach Terzic announced a "good news" that right winger Brandt had a torn muscle fiber. Whether veteran Reus or American teenager Reina would be sent out would depend on the condition of the two.
In addition to the "good news", there is of course bad news, that is, Dortmund is not afraid of offensive attacks, nor does it care whether to play defense and counterattack. He also told reporters that goalkeeper Kerber, who was assisted by God in the first round, has been in very good condition in training in recent days. The team is fully confident that they can achieve a clean sheet away from home and then advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Mourinho's response to Terzic's confident statement is very interesting:
"Since he already knows the result of the game, I congratulate him in advance."
After saying that, he gave a meaningful smile.
On the evening of March 2, at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, when both sides walked out of the player tunnel, a string of numbers appeared on the big screen of the stadium.
71,257 people.
This means that the stadium, with a total open seating capacity of 73,261, had an attendance rate of over 97%.
In response to Dortmund's decision to only give 3,000 away tickets, Roma only gave Dortmund 2,000 away tickets on the grounds of security.
After witnessing the huge TIFO at the Westfalen Stadium and the devilish atmosphere of yellow smoke everywhere in the first leg, the Roma fans also worked hard at home.
It would take some time to come up with something like TIFO, but the number of meter-long team flags waving in the stands was nearly doubled compared to the past.
As for fireworks, since the Olympic Stadium is not owned by the Roma Club, the stadium security does not allow fans to bring in flammable items according to the city government's legal requirements. However, the club made a plan in advance and prepared a large amount of red smoke on the runway under the surrounding stands.
Finally, it's about momentum. It might be difficult for the Italian diehards to train to lift the TIFO in a short period of time, but every Roman has the awareness that they must cheer with all their might tonight.
As expected, Mourinho fielded the same starting lineup as in the first leg, and Dortmund did not make many changes. The starting center forward became the Ivorian player Haller, and veteran Reus was sent to the right winger. The rest was the same as in the first leg.
Reus, who served as the captain of the game, and Chen Xiaoliang guessed the sides, and Roma kicked off first.
“Beep!”
Zhan Jun: "With the referee's whistle, dear audience! The second round of this season's Champions League quarter-finals, Roma's home game against Dortmund, has officially begun!"
"The people who will be explaining this game for you are me, Zhan Jun, Zhang Lu and Coach Zhang."
"The referee for this match is Gzubyuk, who is from the Netherlands, just like Markel in the first round."
"After Roma kicked off from the center circle, they immediately launched a strong attack!"
As Zhan Jun said, after Cesco pushed the ball back to Cristante, Cristante passed it directly to the left, behind Dortmund's right-back Wolf.
Kwa rushed forward and successfully caught Wolff by surprise.
Wolf immediately caught up, Kva suddenly stopped and changed direction, then rushed diagonally towards the penalty area line. Wolf turned around and chased again. Kva saw Cesco was in position and made a cross with his right foot.
Cesco was ready to jump in the middle, but goalkeeper Kerber had already rushed out and punched the ball out of the penalty area!
One tried to block outside, the other rushed inside, and the two men collided heavily and fell to the ground one after another.
The referee Gzubyuk immediately blew the whistle to stop the game and checked if either player was injured. Fortunately, it was a false alarm and Cesco was called for a collision foul.
Zhan Jun: "Roma launched a strong attack at the start. It seems that they will not use the tactic of parking the bus and playing defensive counterattack at home today!"
Zhang Lu: "I think it's not a big problem for Roma to score a goal, but Dortmund came here with the determination to win today. I think Roma's defense needs to be more careful."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kerber kicked the ball across half court to launch an attack.
Allais retreated and headed the ball to Bellingham, who passed the ball to Reus on the right before Chen Xiaoliang got close. Although he is already 33 years old and his physical fitness has obviously declined, Reus' skills and awareness still enable him to play a key role in the team at critical moments.
Facing Malaysia's defense, Reus passed the ball to Bellingham who came to support, pretending to rush forward and make a two-on-one pass. Malaysia immediately retreated a few steps, and Bellingham passed the ball back to Reus. Reus immediately passed the ball to Adeyemi who was unguarded in the penalty area without stopping the ball, and volleyed it with his right foot, and the ball hit the second-tier stands directly.
Zhan Jun: "It's a pity that the ball was hit directly into an anti-aircraft gun. There was plenty of time to stop and adjust before shooting again."
Zhang Lu: "Hehe, he should still be confident in his footwork. But he missed all of this. Celik was still looking at Guerrero outside and didn't follow back to defend, while Smalling only saw Allais in front of him and didn't notice that Adeyemi was already in position behind him."
Mourinho on the sidelines couldn't sit still anymore, he immediately stood up and walked to the sidelines and yelled at Celik, asking him to pay attention to retracting in time.
The two sides started the game with a wave of attacks, which took the director several minutes to focus the camera on the famous players who came to watch the game in the stands.
Needless to say, the two souls of the team, Totti and De Rossi, will not miss such a game.
On the Dortmund side, the meritorious goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, the team's legendary captain and the club's current sports director Michel Zorc also came to the scene to support.
In addition to these celebrities, there were also the head coaches of several national teams. Italy's head coach Roberto Mancini was definitely present, as it was his job to inspect his country's players on site. The Dutch coach Van Gaal, who left office after the World Cup, also appeared on the scene. It is said that he liked Chen Xiaoliang's playing style very much and called him the hexagonal warrior who had finally reappeared in world football after Gullit and Matthäus.
Gerrard sent a text message to Chen Xiaoliang before the game. Liverpool was trailing by a large margin, and it was not appropriate for him to leave the home team and go to watch the game in Rome. If it was shown on camera, he would be criticized by his own fans. But he told Chen Xiaoliang that he would definitely turn on two screens at home and watch both the games between Real Madrid and Liverpool and between Roma and Dortmund at the same time, and he also wished Chen Xiaoliang good luck.
Ten minutes had passed on the field. Many fans had thought that after 10 minutes, the offensive and defensive actions of both teams would pause for a while and adjust the rhythm. However, they did not expect that the first 10 minutes were just a warm-up, and both teams were attacking more and more fiercely.
At 10 minutes and 44 seconds, Chen Xiaoliang advanced in the midfield and made a long pass before Bellingham and Ozcan double-teamed him. Cesco relied on tacit understanding and instant high-speed breakthrough to complete the offside, and completed a single-handed shot before Sule caught up with him and stretched his legs to block, but was again blocked by Kerber who fell to the ground.
Zhang Lu: "Dortmund played as if they were at home today, as if they were still at the Westfalenstadion. There was a lot of space behind them. Roma had already played the ball directly behind the center forward twice. If this continues, there will be problems."
Zhan Jun: "It seems that Terzic has great confidence in Kerber's condition! Perhaps from his perspective, if he can score the first goal today, he will have a 2-goal advantage and the possibility of advancing will be greatly increased. If he just defends, it will not be in line with the team's usual tactical style and may not be able to defend."
Zhang Lu: "Oh, it's raining really hard. Why does it feel like there are so many rainy games in Rome recently? It seemed like it was raining heavily during the last match against Naples."
Zhan Jun: "But Zhang Zhi, last time it rained heavily, Roma won the league's decisive battle without any danger. I wonder if today's heavy rain can bring the same good luck!"
Cesco was very disappointed that he failed to score a one-on-one goal. He yelled twice and kept shaking his head.
Chen Xiaoliang shouted at him from behind, then gestured to him to calm down.
In the locker room before the game, as the captain, he had made it very clear in his words of encouragement: tonight is revenge, tonight is to defend the home court, tonight must advance! And all everyone has to do is to take out all the routines in the usual training and games, and send the ball into the opponent's goal again and again!
Soon, an opportunity presented itself to him.
In the 16th minute, Roma won a corner kick on the right side. After Dybala kicked the ball, Chen Xiaoliang, who switched positions with Wijnaldum and directly participated in the attack in the penalty area, jumped up near the goal post to win the ball and wanted to pass it to his teammate in the middle.
Unexpectedly, after leaving his head, the ball hit Dortmund midfielder Ozcan's outstretched arms when he jumped and bounced onto the grass!
All the Roma players raised their hands, and the Roma fans in the closer stands also shouted "Eh! Eh!" at the same time, telling the referee that the opposing player had committed handball!
The referee Gzubyuk first consulted the video referee team, then to be on the safe side, he ran to the sidelines to check the VAR himself, and finally, amid the anxious and nervous waiting of the entire audience, he ran back, blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot!
After the whole process, more than 4 minutes had passed. When Dybala stood behind the penalty spot, it was already the 19th minute.
Players from both sides were distributed on the penalty area line, holding their breath.
"Beep! A short whistle sounded, attracting the attention of tens of thousands of people in the venue.
Dybala starts his run-up.
Although this man scored a penalty kick under tremendous pressure in the World Cup final, helping the team win the World Cup trophy, he still couldn't help feeling nervous when facing the crucial penalty kick that could decide whether the team could advance.
He swung his left foot back and hit the ball with great force!
Just like in the World Cup final, I chose to play in the middle!
Zhan Jun: "It's out! Amazing Kerber!"
Zhang Lu: "And..."
Zhan Jun: "Follow-up shot! This ball goes in! It's Xiaoliang! The ball was cleared to the left, and he was the first to rush in and hit the top corner with his left foot!"
"Xiao Liang didn't celebrate! He rushed directly into the goal, picked up the ball and ran towards the center circle!"
"Kerber saved the penalty bravely, but his clean sheet streak was finally broken! You could see he was very upset and kicked the post hard."
Zhang Lu: "This ball was not his fault. It was amazing that he could save it in the first place. Xiaoliang's reaction and speed were too fast. Bellingham next to him just started to move, and Xiaoliang had already run more than 2 meters in."
Zhan Jun: "His hand brushed the goal post with regret, his light steps made people worried! Xiaoliang's speed once again became Roma's weapon to capture the city! And this goal was his 18th goal in all competitions this season. With 22 assists, he has created 40 goals for Roma! And there are still two and a half months until the end of this season!"
"Zhang Zhi, with this kind of performance, it shouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is the best all-around midfielder in the top five leagues."
Zhang Lu: "Hehe, I believe that at least in China and in Rome, the vast majority of fans should agree with it."
The Roma players on the field originally wanted to find Chen Xiaoliang to celebrate, but when they saw him returning to the center circle with the ball in his arms with a serious face, they realized that their captain was not going to let the opponent go tonight.
Although they lost the ball in 19 minutes, Dortmund's tactical arrangements were not disrupted. Whether it was a quick counterattack, high-pressure defense, or a large number of passes through the back, there were always 4-6 of the 10 players active in Roma's half.
Roma's solution to Dortmund's high-pressure defensive situation is also very simple, which is long passes.
Whether it was a long pass to Kvadrat or a long pass through the middle to find Cesco, the whole thing was to go as directly as possible through Dortmund's midfield to make their forward pressure ineffective.
Just two minutes later, in the 22nd minute, Patricio kicked the ball from the backcourt, and Chen Xiaoliang, who had been very forward in the attack today, won the header battle with Emre Can.
He pushed the ball forward and caught up with the ball in two or three steps after landing. Before Hummels came out to block it, he made a powerful shot at the ball that bounced off the grass from 3 meters outside the top of the arc.
The ball hit by the outside of the foot first flew to the left, then made an obvious turn and flew to the right.
Kerber adjusted his pace and jumped up to save the ball, but did not touch it!
"Bang!" The ball hit the crossbar and bounced back!
But just as Kerber tried to get up, he looked up and saw a tall figure rushing over and leaping up, then gliding with his head to head the bouncing ball towards the goal behind him!
No matter how good his condition was, Kerber was still a normal human being. After falling to the ground and not fully getting up, he was unable to jump with all his strength.
Zhan Jun: "This ball goes in! Cesco spreads his wings and heads the ball! In just 2 minutes, Roma achieves a reversal!"
"Wow! The fans in the stands are completely crazy. I believe they are full of confidence in Roma tonight, but such a script should still be beyond their expectations!"
Zhang Lu: "A 4-1-4-1 formation with a single defensive midfielder and two central defenders. The defensive midfielder has to defend Xiao Liang from making a run, and one of the two central defenders has to defend Cesco, which means that Sule has to help defend both Cesco and Xiao Liang."
"There are two powerful players, Kvaratskhelia and Dybala, on both sides. One can break through and the other can shoot. Dortmund's two full-backs dare not leave them alone and move in to help defend."
"Other players rushed forward and pressed high, but Roma made a long pass to bypass them. Not only did they fail to get the ball, but they also widened the distance between the backcourt and the frontcourt, which increased the defensive pressure in disguise. It was really unwise for Terzic to arrange tactics like this away from home. If they continue to play like this, they will lose goals."
Two stars shine in Rome, the two hug each other and celebrate loudly!
Countless fans in the stands held posters or placards with Chen Xiaoliang and Cesco printed on them.
The director's camera was focused on one of the little boys, who was holding up a cardboard sign with the words that imitated those of then-U.S. President Collider in praising the basketball god Michael Jordan:
[This is God playing in the No. 33 jersey]
The situation suddenly changed, and the Dortmund players who were calm just now were really not calm anymore.
Before coming to Rome, they were the leaders, but just over 20 minutes into the game, they became the pursuers.
The desperate pressing and running back and forth between the front and back fields became even more crazy.
In the 26th minute, Gvardiol intercepted the ball from Allais feet and passed it to Smalling. Facing Allais's return, Smalling hastily passed it to Celik on the right.
His pass was a bit too strong, and Celik failed to stop the ball properly, so it bounced over a meter off his feet and was snatched away by Adeyemi who was preparing to press on the side.
Adeyemi quickly changed direction and shook off the dizzy Celik, then rushed into the penalty area from the side.
Smalling pointed to the position in front of him and asked Cristante to retreat to protect the penalty area, while he moved forward to block Adeyemi.
Adeyemi did not stick to the ball, but made a triangle pass back to the middle of the penalty area. Ozcan blocked Chen Xiaoliang with a move almost like a pick-and-roll, creating an opportunity for Bellingham to receive the ball and shoot.
The English genius pushed the ball into the far corner with the inside of his foot. It was a half-high ball. The rotation was not strong, but the speed was very fast!
However, it is not just the 10 teammates in front who are working hard for revenge tonight. Although Patricio, who is guarding the last line of defense, doesn't say much, he also vows to help these young brothers reach the highlight of their careers in the final stage of their careers.
He immediately bent his knees, leaned his body to the left, then kicked his legs and stretched his left hand towards the left goal post!
Zhang Lu: "Ouch! Did this ball... did it go in?"
Zhan Jun: "The ball was cleared out of the sideline by Gvardiol! However, all the Dortmund players raised their hands, but the referee Gzubyuk waved his hand, indicating that the ball did not cross the goal line as a whole!"
Zhang Lu: "Emre Can was anxious and stared at the referee to complain. There was no need to do that. In fact, the goal-line technology is very advanced now, and the probability of misjudgment is very, very low."
Zhan Jun: "Wow! The Hawkeye line chart is out. It's really dangerous. The ball has at least 60% passed the goal line, but it was blocked by Patricio!"
“He, who is always calm and low-key, couldn’t help but clench his fist and yell after he stood up!”
"The Portuguese veteran is reminding people with his actions that Roma also has an excellent goalkeeper!"
"Today's Rome is truly a city of unity and determination!"
"The camera was given to Bellingham. What a pity. The English missed a chance to shine in the ancient city of Rome."
As 25 minutes passed, physical strength began to decline, and Dortmund's overall formation retreated slightly, and the distance between the front, middle and back lines became a little closer.
As the opponent adjusted, Roma also adjusted, using short passes to advance instead of long passes behind them, and slowly organizing the attack forward.
But this does not mean that the fight between the two sides has stopped. The temporary change in rhythm is only for another outburst after accumulating strength.
And Bellingham has never forgotten that he must dethrone Chen Xiaoliang tonight and prove that he is the better one.
The two sides fought each other for 20 minutes, and the game entered the first half overtime, with 4 minutes of extra time!
Tonight, Chen Xiaoliang, with a serious and even murderous look on his face, played a back and forth wall pass with Dybala outside the penalty area. After Dybala passed the ball back to him, he fired another powerful shot, but this time the ball was blocked by Hummels who stretched his legs to block it and went out of the baseline.
Dybala took a corner kick and the ball went forward!
Strobeck jumped up before Cesco and touched the ball, but the ball did not go out of the penalty area, but flew to the left side of the penalty spot!
Kwa, who was lurking at the back post, and Chen Xiaoliang, who was wandering near the penalty spot, predicted where the ball would land at the same time and moved over immediately!
Next, the two made a super move that was enough to shock all the Champions League events this season!
They both jumped back at the same time and made back-hook shots with their right feet!
It’s just that Kwa leaned slightly to the left, while Chen Xiaoliang leaned slightly to the right!
At that moment, everyone was stunned!
Mourinho, Terzic, 22 players on the field, and more than 70,000 people in the stadium were stunned!
The 72-year-old coach Van Gaal was so excited that his butt unconsciously left his seat! You know, with his experience in football, what kind of goals has he not seen?
Among all the stunned people, the most fatal one was Dortmund goalkeeper Kerber. With such a shooting method, he was completely unable to rely on his experience to predict, and he had no time to make a save for the back hook shot which was about 5 meters away.
The ball went over the goal line like a volleyball smash, hit the turf hard, and then hit the net .
Zhan Jun: "Incredible, super, super great goal!"
Zhan Jun roared excitedly, while Zhang Lu could only make sounds like "hehehe", "yayaya", and "oh oh oh".
Zhan Jun: "Roma was going crazy today! The total score was 3-1! But the significance of this goal is far more than just Roma widening the gap. It is like a ruthless dagger that pierces directly into Dortmund's heart!"
Zhang Lu: "This kind of ball has a huge impact on the opponent's morale. Hehe, but I'm curious, who should be credited with this ball?"
As Zhang Lu asked the question, the barrage of comments in the live broadcast room were also overwhelming, asking the same question.
Barrage:
[My mother came in just now and asked me why I was kneeling to watch the game]
[Isn't it just a knee? Here you go! ]
[Whose ball is this? ]
[Why not count them as 0.5 each, and then round them up to two?]
[The one who said half, you are really a genius]
…
The fans in the stands were asking questions, but the players on the field didn't care. Chen Xiaoliang and Kwa ran to the sidelines, raised their hands high with other teammates who came over to celebrate, and kept encouraging the fans to cheer louder!
The devil's home ground is not only in Westfalen, Rome is also a hell where anyone who comes will be skinned alive!
Mourinho, who was under great pressure before the game, celebrated wildly at this moment.
In so many years of coaching experience, he understands that if there are 2-3 players in great form in a game, the game will be easy to play. If this number increases to 5-6, it is very likely to be a big victory worth remembering for many years.
But he vaguely discovered today that among the 11 players under his command who are on the field tonight, 8-9 players seem to be in explosive form. He is no longer worried about the result tonight, but instead began to worry whether Dortmund will collapse mentally and be unable to persist in the game.
The depressed
In the end, the official subtitles showed that the goal was credited to Chen Xiaoliang.
It was as if the world 45 minutes ago and the world before my eyes were completely turned upside down.
The score advantage they had maintained for two weeks was completely wiped out, and the psychological advantage they had maintained for less than 20 minutes was also completely shattered.
Bellingham looked at Kerber who was sitting on the ground in silence, then looked at the Serie A MVP wearing No. 33 who was celebrating in the distance, and shook his head helplessly.
The camera captured this scene and gave it a special angle.
Bellingham looked at Chen Xiaoliang, who was raising his hands to celebrate the goal with the fans.
Zhan Jun: "This perspective seems to be telling Bellingham on behalf of Xiao Liang that all you have in your eyes is me, but all I have in my eyes is victory!"
