Chapter 178: Even If Clouds Cover the Sun, I Will Draw My Sword and Pierce the Sky
Momentarily, that UEFA Champions League anthem that had made Xia Qi feel so ill-omened came to an end.
The famous Italian referee — Nicola Rizzoli (who officiated the World Cup final in Brazil) — glanced at his watch, then nodded to the two captains, Lahm and Xia Qi, signaling them to lead their teams onto the pitch.
As the players emerged from the tunnel, the stadium DJ loudly announced each player's name.
Every Arsenal player's name was met with fierce applause and rapturous cheers. Among them, the cheers for Xia Qi were particularly thunderous…
The cheers could even be heard in the Penguin streaming room.
When the Bayern players were announced, only boos remained…
The DJ was skilful: he announced a Bayern player's name, paused three or four seconds, then announced an Arsenal player's name.
The pre-match rituals proceeded amid alternating boos, applause, and cheers.
…
With a whistle from referee Rizzoli, the match began.
Franck Ribéry kicked off for Bayern.
Last season Ribéry had been explosive; he missed advancing to the final round of Ballon d'Or voting by a single vote.
German media felt he was wronged and believed he deserved to go to Zurich more than Lionel Messi.
Ribéry himself believed Bayern's elimination from the Champions League last season was the main reason he didn't reach the Ballon d'Or final shortlist.
So this season he intended to avenge it.
Bayern controlled possession while Arsenal fans booed at maximum decibels.
However, the boos did not unsettle Ribéry; instead they energized him.
Bastian Schweinsteiger dribbled on the flank, drew Theo Walcott's attention, then played a short pass to Mario Götze nearby, who immediately redistributed it.
Ribéry received the ball on the front left flank.
Facing Arsenal's defense, Ribéry did not try to force his pace; he slightly slowed to control the ball while reading his teammates' runs.
Aurier did not relax despite Ribéry's deceleration — he knew something was off.
He positioned himself like facing a serious threat, lowered his center of gravity, and prepared.
Ribéry began a series of quick step-overs; Aurier remained unmoved, fixating on Ribéry's shoulders.
High-level defending often watches body language — shoulders, eyes — rather than just the feet and the ball.
Suddenly Ribéry dipped his shoulder slightly down-left. Aurier's eyes lit up — the long-awaited opportunity appeared, and he immediately shifted and lunged to his right…
But
Ribéry was like lightning; the ball moved with him in perfect sync, and he accelerated away before Aurier could intercept.
"Wow, fleeting light and shadow! Aurier read it correctly, but it's still hard to stop — much like many left-backs struggle to defend Robben's cut-ins."
After completing the breakthrough,
Ribéry accelerated inside; Mertesacker stepped up to cover. Ribéry didn't try to bully through but instead nudged the ball with his instep.
In the center of the box, Mario Mandžukić used his body to hold off Samuel Umtiti and with his left foot slid the ball behind Mertesacker.
At the same time Ribéry ghosted past Mertesacker toward the ball and in the left channel of the box struck a fierce shot!
At the crucial moment, Umtiti rushed across, leapt, and with a two-footed block flicked the ball slightly — redirecting it and sending it out for a corner.
The Emirates erupted in applause.
Ribéry and Mandžukić's link-up had been exquisite, and Umtiti's clearance was superb.
Bayern won a corner on the left.
"Bayern the visiting force are dangerous — almost scored on their first attack. Ribéry is in outstanding form; his dribbling and shooting are top-class."
"Bayern's wings have not weakened under Guardiola; if anything they're more efficient."
"Due to contractual reasons, Arsenal's early-season signing Gustavo cannot play."
"Coach Zhang, Gustavo can't play in the Champions League, right?"
"He can't play against his former club."
"There's such a rule?"
"That's not a football rule but a clause between the clubs — you can say Rummenigge and Kahn are shrewd, and Wenger is too honest."
"That affects Arsenal's defense a lot!"
"Yes — and it's part of why Bayern's wings are so active. Last season, after playing Bayern, Xia Qi dropped back to defend and performed more like a defensive midfielder, which was key to Arsenal beating Bayern. But this season Xia Qi's defensive intensity has dropped.
In the first leg, when he retreated he essentially disappeared, which is why he was heavily criticized afterward."
"Let's watch the corner — Götze to take it."
On the pitch Götze stood at the corner, looking into the box.
The tall Mandžukić had become Arsenal's defensive focus; he and Umtiti were jostling for position, pulling and shoving.
Referee Rizzoli blew the whistle and gave both a verbal warning.
After the warning, not only did those two calm down, but others curtailed their small games too.
Götze signalled a coded routine and told his teammates which set to run.
Almost on the whistle, as Götze struck the ball,
the often-overlooked "short" Ribéry suddenly dropped back to the top of the box.
Aurier, who had been marking Ribéry tightly, was caught out by his younger exuberance and didn't follow at once.
The ball flew toward Arsenal's goal. Mandžukić rose in the box; Umtiti jumped to block and positioned himself between Mandžukić and goal.
Then, to Umtiti and Aurier's shocked looks, Mandžukić didn't go for a direct header on goal but instead headed a flick-on.
The ball flew to the edge of the penalty arc,
there,
Ribéry swung his thirty-meter, ravenous thigh and hammered it…
"A volleyed strike!!!"
"Ribéry's shot!!"
The ball traced an extremely deceptive curve, evaded everyone, and flew into the top-right corner of the net.
On the goal line, Arsenal goalkeeper Martínez had been deceived by Mandžukić's jump; when he realized who the real striker was, it was half a beat too late.
He could only watch the ball enter the top-right corner.
"Goal!"
"Bayern used corner routines and Ribéry finished it off."
"This is a 50-million-euro goal — Bayern lead Arsenal 2–0. Arsenal are teetering on the edge of the cliff…"
At the moment Ribéry scored, a German TV commentator in the Emirates pumped his fist and roared: "Goooooal! Arsenal are finished — we've eliminated them, perfect revenge."
At the same time, in bars across Munich, Bayern fans raised their glasses shouting: "Bayern, kings of London!!!"
In the Penguin stream, Zhan Jun ruefully said: "How could Aurier leave Ribéry free? He's a striker who can score twenty-something goals a season!"
"Bayern dream start, Arsenal's nightmare begins, but there's still plenty of time — they still have a chance."
Ribéry ran to the corner flag and made a take-off celebration…
On the touchline, Guardiola couldn't contain his excitement and left the bench to join the players' celebration.
Wenger clapped strongly, shouting to his players not to be affected by conceding and to continue their rhythm.
Xia Qi walked back slowly to the center circle. He didn't think Aurier alone was to blame — players of Ribéry's calibre are hard to stop.
Compared to Aurier, losing Al and the "superpower" left him at least one-third responsible. If he could be omnipotent like Al,
Bayern's wings would have been clipped and there'd be no corner.
Xia Qi stared at Bayern's goal, fingers tightening into fists as his emotions stirred.
No Al — so what!
My fate is mine, not Al's!!!
Stop Bayern from advancing!
I swear!!!
Unconsciously his fingernails bit into the flesh; the pain only stoked Xia Qi's fighting spirit.
In the fifth minute, Arsenal kicked off in the center.
After conceding, Arsenal pressed toward Bayern's goal.
But haste makes waste.
Just after crossing the halfway line, Kevin De Bruyne was caught in a double challenge;
the ball at his feet was intercepted by Schweinsteiger and passed to Ribéry.
Ribéry intended to burst forward, but at that instant he had a gut feeling — a sixth sense honed by years — telling him not to hesitate.
He passed quickly.
As the ball left his foot, Xia Qi slid in and his tackle brushed just in front of De Bruyne.
Xia Qi, having missed, angrily slapped the turf and shouted inside: Xia Qi, you can do it — without Al you can still do it. Again!!!
…
The ball reached Mandžukić and Cazorla closed him down.
Mandžukić layed it off to Robben, but Arsenal's defense pressed fiercely.
Robben tried to control the tempo and passed to Götze.
Götze saw the ball and Xia Qi arriving almost simultaneously; he didn't want to stay to receive, so he ran toward the ball and without controlling, sent it back to the defense with a backward pass,
playing a reverse triangle and returning it to the fullback.
Xia Qi didn't give up; he changed direction and continued to chase the ball.
Where ability is lacking, hustle makes up for it.
Diligence compensates for clumsiness!
Götze's return pass in full sprint lacked ideal power and angle,
inadvertently tripping up his teammate Jérôme Boateng.
Boateng muttered in his head: Are you cross-eyed, passing it that skewed?
He then gave maximum effort to reach the ball, and just as he prepared to lift his leg to receive it,
Xia Qi rushed past him like a gust of wind and nicked the ball away.
The Emirates detonated!!!
"Xia Qi!" — the name thundered into everyone's ears like a bolt.
Each shout spurred Xia Qi's adrenaline and made him feel invincible.
Lahm quickly stepped up to block, but Xia Qi nudged the ball past him with a deft touch.
Dante slid in; Xia Qi stopped, pulled the ball and turned.
"A Marseille turn!"
"Xia Qi beats another — Bayern's backline is open."
"Xia Qi's pressing created an opportunity — he capitalized on Boateng's mistake, burst through Bayern's defense and is one-on-one with the keeper."
Bayern's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is a man whose life is about playing sweeping, outfield-like goalkeeping.
In this situation he confidently abandoned his line and charged toward Xia Qi.
As Xia Qi spun his Marseille turn, he saw Neuer pounce like a tiger.
With no time to think, almost instinctively he did another turn — a quick drag and step — and let Neuer sail past.
"Neuer came out — another Marseille turn — he's been let past! Chance! Can he shoot? Xia Qi looks a bit dizzy?"
Two consecutive Marseille turns left Xia Qi somewhat off-balance and it looked like he was dazed.
In that state, Xia Qi couldn't shoot immediately,
which gave Neuer the chance to redeem himself; he turned and rushed back in.
By then Xia Qi had regained his balance and raised his right foot to shoot.
Neuer reacted lightning-fast, rebalanced in a flash and positioned himself between Xia Qi and the goal, ready to block with his body.
But unexpectedly,
Xia Qi's shot was a feint.
The striking foot landed on the far side of the ball, pushed it laterally, then touched it with a scooping movement, and using both legs to spring, he darted past Neuer.
"Fuck! A striker who can't beat a keeper isn't a good striker!"
"Xia Qi carried the ball and penetrated into the net — this is literally breaking through Bayern's defense."
"Hey, a confrontation's breaking out."
David Alaba, who was marking Balotelli earlier, angrily shoved Xia Qi and demanded, "Why didn't you shoot?!"
Xia Qi was stunned — in that blink there's no time to think.
In the heat of the moment, after beating the defender he naturally continued forward and ended up inside the net.
Xia Qi had no desire to explain.
He pushed his chest toward Alaba: "I liked it that way!"
"You'll get your comeuppance!"
"You threatening me? I'm from Xiamen University?"
Xia Qi feared no retribution; when Al is dormant he's got a golden-touch immunity.
Players from both sides gathered as the two clashed…
Boos filled the Emirates; Arsenal fans wildly cheered Xia Qi — in their eyes even if Xia Qi was wrong, he was right.
Referee Rizzoli quickly separated the players and booked the pushing Alaba.
A chest-to-chest challenge from Xia Qi didn't merit a card.
"Alaba was a bit impulsive; an early yellow could affect the rest of the match."
"Xia Qi beat the keeper; there's nothing wrong. Bayern are unhappy, of course, but you can't blame the attacker. It's like quick free kicks, rainbow flicks, chipped penalties — defenders will be upset, but escalating to physical contact is low."
"Still young, can't control the temper."
"Xia Qi's goal was crucial — it stemmed the decline and the manner of the goal boosted morale. That's likely why Xia Qi didn't shoot immediately after beating Neuer."
"When Arsenal's path to qualification was bleak, even if clouds cover the sun, I will draw my sword and pierce the heavens! Xia Qi smashed in the equalizer with overwhelming force."
The sides were level at 1–1 on the night, the aggregate score 4–5 with Arsenal temporarily behind.
"Because of away goals advantage, Arsenal need just one more to eliminate Bayern, so both sides have chances — it's still fifty-fifty."
After the referee's decision, Xia Qi ran to the south stand amid his teammates' embrace…
(END CHAPTER)
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