Chapter 179: Penalties Are Poisoned — We Need a Hero
"The match has only been going ten minutes and each side already has a goal — is tonight going to be another goalfest?"
Two goals in ten minutes made almost everyone believe the evening would become a scoring frenzy. The players on the pitch seemed to think so too: after leveling 1–1, as if by prior agreement, both teams simultaneously upped the tempo and pushed the match into the fast lane…
"Robben cuts inside, shoots!"
"Ow — over!"
"Xia Qi flicked it back, Mario Balotelli volleys!!!"
"Xia Qi and Mario Balotelli did a wall-pass inside the box, but Xia Qi's shot was pushed away by Manuel Neuer."
"That combination was fantastic, but Neuer was even more miraculous."
"Robben again — no shot, he passes!"
"Mario Mandžukić flicks it on — ah, just a little wide."
"Bastian Schweinsteiger's long pass from deep, Mandžukić headers it on, Franck Ribéry!!!"
"Ribéry was half a beat late and couldn't get a touch — if he had, it would have been dangerous."
"..."
At the stadium, the visiting Bayern Munich earned the match's second corner.
This time Bayern ran a set-piece routine.
Mario Götze didn't whip it directly into the box but instead played it to Arjen Robben on the right flank.
Arjen Robben dribbled inside, drew Arsenal defenders' attention, and then played the ball to the area near the penalty spot.
Mario Mandžukić appeared at the landing spot and swung his left foot.
Samuel Umtiti reacted decisively with a sliding challenge aimed at Mandžukić's foot.
Mandžukić's left foot hadn't immediately struck the ball — he adjusted and took the ball onto his right foot.
The next moment, Umtiti's sliding tackle contacted his left foot; Mandžukić immediately dropped without hesitation.
"Penalty!" A not-small contingent of Bayern fans at the Emirates shouted loudly enough to be heard around the ground.
Arsenal supporters were furious, shouting, "That's a dive!"
"Beep!"
Referee Nicola Rizzoli blew his whistle, pointed to the spot, and pulled a yellow card from his pocket to show Samuel Umtiti.
In an instant, cries of "biased ref!" rang repeatedly around the Emirates.
Arsenal players surged forward to protest, but Rizzoli was unmoved and stuck to his decision.
In the Penguin live stream, the two commentators backing Xia Qi both voiced their doubts:
"Mario Mandžukić — that big guy just fell? It looks a bit fake."
"Umtiti did slide at the ball, but Mandžukić adjusted his foot…"
German TV commentators were unequivocal and yelled: "Penalty! It's a penalty, indisputable!"
"Mandžukić has earned a penalty. This is our chance to go ahead and seal qualification."
"A double over Arsenal is right in front of us!"
The stadium's LED screen immediately showed the slow-motion replay; in principle this penalty looked correct — Umtiti did clip Mandžukić's left foot.
After watching the replay, commentator Zhan Jun on the Penguin stream was even angrier.
"The penalty is legitimate, but Mandžukić seemed to anticipate Umtiti's move — he could have shot immediately but performed an extra step to change feet. That feels like simulation to win a penalty."
Zhan Jun's view echoed many Arsenal fans' opinion: Mandžukić saw bodies in the box and couldn't get a clean strike, so he waited for Umtiti to foolishly provide the opportunity.
Confident they'd seen through the truth, many were furious and their shouts against the referee grew louder.
But no matter how angry, it wouldn't change the call. Even if Mandžukić intended to win the spot, it's still an exploitation of the rules.
On the touchline Arsène Wenger angrily protested to the fourth official; in his eyes Mandžukić's intent to dive was obvious.
Pep Guardiola scrambled to sort out who would take the penalty — his first choice was Thomas Müller, but Müller sat on the bench, so he planned Franck Ribéry to step up.
However, Mandžukić himself didn't see it that way. He got up from the turf, waved his arms and marched to the ball, picked it up and tucked it under his arm.
Guardiola on the sidelines put his hands to his head in disbelief.
At Barcelona players obeyed orders; at Bayern there was a maverick like Mario Mandžukić.
Their relationship had never been smooth, and now the rift was made public.
Guardiola was still establishing absolute authority over his star-studded squad; Ribéry and Robben, feeling their touches reduced, weren't fully behind him. And Ribéry didn't think Mandžukić would miss.
The likelihood of a penalty being missed is much lower than being scored.
If it can be scored, who takes it shouldn't matter.
So Guardiola's shouts went unheard; he didn't stop Mandžukić from walking to the spot.
Mandžukić stood at the spot; Arsenal goalkeeper Martínez spread his arms and prepared.
The two instantly became the center of attention, carrying the hopes of everyone in the stadium.
The most nervous were, of course, Arsenal fans — many stood up and crossed themselves.
Some went further and dared not even breathe, reciting prayers in their heads.
Referee Nicola Rizzoli blew his whistle.
Mandžukić took his run-up and shot!
A chipped penalty!
A delicate Panenka-styled chip!
Martínez leapt high and cradled the floating, feather-soft ball in his arms.
"Panenka!"
"Martínez's save! He's the hero!"
"He guessed right!"
"He saved Arsenal!!!"
"Mario Mandžukić has missed! Bayern lost a golden chance to retake the lead — this could be the decisive moment that shapes the outcome of the tie."
On the touchline, Pep Guardiola was infuriated, roaring at his players and gesturing in disbelief that they'd ignored his instructions.
Bayern players regretted it, but there's no remedy for regret.
…
…
Play continued.
After missing that penalty Bayern's morale sagged; their play became impatient and the team lacked cohesion.
On the pitch Arsenal took the initiative, but neither Xia Qi's efforts nor other attempts could find a breakthrough.
The half ended with the score still 1–1.
That result left some fans disappointed — the promised goalfest had petered out?
At halftime, the German commentator was still lamenting Mario Mandžukić's missed penalty but optimistically noted: "In the latter stages of the first half Arsenal had the upper hand but couldn't score. If Bayern's players regain their composure in the second half, they won't let Arsenal succeed. Overall, advantage is with us; the aggregate situation is not good for Arsenal."
All Arsenal supporters fretted.
On the Penguin stream's chat the cries were loud — many asked: where is that pin-point shooter? Where is he??
Although unnamed, everyone knew they meant Xia Qi.
The highly efficient Xia Qi seemed gone — though his performance wasn't poor (after all, his goal had leveled the score), it wasn't enough.
Most chatters voiced worry, but die-hards still trusted Xia Qi to lead Arsenal forward.
"Since Xia Qi debuted he's never let us down. I still believe in him — he's never disappointed me, how could I disappoint him first?"
"Believe in Xia Qi and be saved!"
"I support Xia Qi and Arsenal. Arsenal will mount a comeback in the second half: we're invincible."
…
…
The fifteen-minute break passed quickly.
Before the second half, Arsène Wenger made a change: he substituted a forward — Serge Gnabry — for holding midfielder Mikel Arteta.
The double pivot became a single anchor; the front three turned into a three-pronged attack with a shadow striker.
Xia Qi moved to the shadow striker role, Serge Gnabry to the left wing.
Wenger committed to an all-out offensive.
It was expected Guardiola might substitute the contentious Mandžukić at halftime, but he didn't.
The German commentator praised this: "A calm decision. Mandžukić may defy instructions, but his on-field contribution is obvious…don't change a winning formula; reacting to change by staying steady is correct."
…
…
After the restart Arsenal's adjustments brought better attacking rhythm.
In the 55th minute Xia Qi received the ball centrally and played a through ball; Mario Balotelli controlled inside the box, turned and unleashed a ferocious shot but was brought down by Jérôme Boateng.
Referee Nicola Rizzoli's whistle sounded and he awarded Arsenal a penalty for Boateng's foul.
Instantly the Emirates erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. The chants replaced the earlier shouts of "biased ref."
"What? A penalty?" Pep Guardiola dashed to the fourth official and demanded: "Is this an even whistle?"
Guardiola's emotion reflected Bayern's players and fans.
But the slow-motion replay vindicated Rizzoli: Boateng did trip Balotelli; Rizzoli's keen eye explained why months later he would be chosen to referee the World Cup final.
Mario Balotelli stepped up to take the penalty — the scene felt familiar, but the Arsenal fans' anxiety was different this time.
Previously they feared conceding a goal.
This time they feared a miss.
Amid prayers and well-wishes the referee's whistle sounded.
Balotelli strolled up in a leisurely run-up, but the shot he struck was powerful and heavy.
The ball screamed toward Manuel Neuer's chest.
Neuer didn't need to move his angle — he dropped to his knees and gathered the ball. Because of the power it bounced, but Neuer's second save quickly pinned it to the turf.
"Oh! What a pity — too central."
"Tonight, what's going on? Are penalties cursed? So both sides' first-choice penalty takers were reluctant to step up?"
Commentator Zhang Lu sighed: "When the situation is urgent, Xia Qi shouldn't have yielded. Xia Qi rarely takes penalties but has never missed. Balotelli's mind is sometimes mercurial — placing the ball into Neuer's arms: was he afraid Neuer wouldn't reach a corner? A food delivery service???!"
Zhang Lu's view resonated with many Chinese fans, who criticized Balotelli for placing the shot down the middle.
To be fair, many players place penalties centrally — missing a penalty is the unforgivable sin.
Seeing Arsenal also miss a penalty, Bayern players and fans rejoiced; they felt exhilarated and even fancied themselves destiny's chosen, thinking who can stop them in this Champions League?
Under that mood, Bayern gradually took control of the match.
In the 60th minute, Mario Götze struck a surprise shot from the top-left of the box — Arsenal's defenders and goalkeeper failed to react. Thankfully the crossbar faithfully blocked the ball.
"The 12th man on the pitch — the crossbar — cleared it. Arsenal escape by the skin of their teeth."
Three minutes later Bayern attacked again: Götze lofted a pass to the edge of the box, Mandžukić received near the penalty spot, dragged and shifted to open a shooting angle, and fired a thunderous strike that Per Mertesacker blocked with his body for a corner.
These minutes saw repeated scares in front of Arsenal's goal. On the Penguin stream Zhang Lu warned:
"The score is still 1–1. Don't say Arsenal will simply be able to hang on — even if they don't concede further, they might still be eliminated. Arsenal must counterattack."
No sooner had he spoken than Arsenal's nightmare began…
In the 74th minute Bayern launched an attack: Bastian Schweinsteiger made a long pass to Arjen Robben on the right. Robben burst down the wing, cut inside, and curled a shot before Luke Shaw could reach to block.
The curling shot traced an arc that surprised every defender.
Martínez was half a beat late but threw himself and stretched his arm and got a hand to it at the crucial moment.
Not being able to fully clear it, he palmed the ball back toward the byline.
The ball changed direction and hit the post, bouncing back toward goal.
A dark figure sprinted at the ball; Per Mertesacker leapt with that figure,
and the black-clad figure headed it back to the near post.
There, Arjen Robben met the regained ball and curled a second shot.
This time the ball flew to the far corner. Serge Aurier leapt at the far post trying to head it clear but missed.
The ball slid over Aurier's head and into the net from the far corner's blind spot.
"Goal!"
"Robben again!"
"Arsenal's box is a mess; every node was lost, and Bayern suppressed them throughout."
"Bayern are rampant — they remind me of that London king side."
"Arsenal are in dire straits. They now trail 1–2 on the night and 4–6 on aggregate — two goals down.
Fortunately they have three away goals from the first leg, so they only need to score twice to turn this tie around. Right now, they need a hero.
In the long night, raise an eternal torch to light the path forward, to illuminate the dream in your heart…"
Usually at moments like this Xia Qi would step up. Tonight — will it be him or someone else? We shall see."
After Robben's goal the Emirates fell quiet, but not for long — the South Stand's Arsenal die-hards began singing "The Xia Qi Song," and soon it swelled into a stadium-wide chorus…
(END CHAPTER)
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