Lukasz Fabianski, the Arsenal legend and Poland's No. 2 national goalkeeper.
During his 7 years at Arsenal, Fabianski was mostly a substitute for his compatriot Szczesny. It was usually Szczesny for the league and Fabianski for the cup matches.
Due to Wenger's favor, Fabianski was willing to sit on the bench and wait for his opportunity. In the FA Cup final of the 13/14 season, everyone expected the professor to start with No. 1 goalkeeper Szczesny. However, Wenger trusted Fabianski and gave him the start.
Fabianski conceded two early goals, but fortunately, Cazorla and Koscielny stepped up, dragging the game into overtime. Ramsey played brilliantly and scored the winning goal, securing the FA Cup for Arsenal and ending an 8-year trophy drought.
In that game, Fabianski's performance was mediocre, not as eye-catching as his semifinal performance. Long-term substitution had affected his form, and he had been considering leaving. Thankfully, Union Berlin called him up, and he played as the main goalkeeper for a season. However, the younger Pickford joined and gradually took Fabianski's spot with his outstanding performance.
The Polish goalkeeper was under a lot of pressure. His goal-line responses were excellent, but he often struggled with attacks, occasionally making fatal mistakes. Pickford, though less experienced, was more stable.
Neuhaus planned to strengthen Pickford and let Fabianski be a substitute. Therefore, this match was one of the few opportunities for Fabianski to prove himself. After making several saves, he entered a state of excitement. However, his hesitation in throwing the ball led to a low-level error, which left him stunned.
"It's over...it's over..." he thought, feeling his career might be ending. Such mistakes would make any coach look down on him, and he feared he wouldn't recover from the psychological blow.
As Real Madrid celebrated, Fabianski stood there with his hands on his hips, almost in tears. His teammates were working so hard, yet he felt he was letting them down.
"Damn it!"
"Lukas!"
"Ah?"
"Come on, it's just one goal. It doesn't matter," Su Luo encouraged.
Fabianski, nearly 31 years old, had a mindset no better than a teenager. Su Luo's calmness started to affect him positively. The Polish goalkeeper regained some confidence.
"I... I won't make another mistake."
"Good, I know. The last line of defense depends on you."
Su Luo couldn't blame his teammates. When they make mistakes, it's useless to complain; it only demoralizes them further. As a leader, Su Luo knew he needed to find a way to turn the situation around. He also blamed himself for not reminding his teammates about Benzema's knack for exploiting goalkeeper errors.
Now, with Real Madrid leading, they gave up midfield control to Union Berlin, compressing their advancement space and setting up counterattack opportunities. This Real Madrid configuration was perfect for defensive counterattacks, making it difficult for Union Berlin.
The home team, Union Berlin, had to hold possession and launch positional offensives. To ensure success, they weren't rushing, carefully passing to find an opening.
"Kimmich, pass it to Forsberg... No good options, so he passes to the left."
"Su Luo moves up, but Ake hesitates against Bale's speed. Su Luo will try it himself."
Bale and Carvajal were ready to block Su Luo, aiming to push him to the corner flag. Forsberg was marked by Casemiro, Weghorst by Pepe and Ramos, and Marcelo was following Mahrez.
Su Luo had to decide whether to pass back to Ake or try to dribble down the line. It seemed difficult to create anything.
"Su Luo is heavily marked. Real Madrid knows he's the biggest threat," Zhan Jun commented.
Before the goalkeeper's mistake, Union Berlin had a slight upper hand. But now, Real Madrid controlled the game. Su Luo knew being conservative wouldn't create miracles.
He slowed down, stopped the ball, and looked back at Ake's position, half-turning to pass the ball. Bale anticipated this and moved ahead to block Su Luo's passing route.
"Hmph, have I been read?"
Just as Bale moved, Su Luo's eyes lit up. Now!
He feinted a pass, then quickly snapped the ball back with his right foot, turning and bypassing Bale. With his left foot, he evaded Carvajal's tackle and accelerated!
"Su Luo!! Nice breakthrough! He's into the penalty area, past two defenders!!" Duan Xuan yelled.
Even when disadvantaged, Su Luo didn't hesitate. He dared to take risks and sought opportunities.
Breaking through the two defenders disrupted Real Madrid's defense. Pepe, alarmed, quickly moved to intercept.
Facing Pepe, Su Luo remained calm and passed the ball to Weghorst!
Weghorst, holding the ball with his back to the goal and Ramos blocking the shooting angle, didn't intend to shoot. Instead, he made a gentle pass!
Su Luo, after passing the ball, kept running, deliberately avoiding Casemiro's interception.
"Hey! Verhorst shoots, and Su Luo is right there!"
Zhan Jun took a deep breath. Could it be...?
Sure enough, Su Luo ran into the passing lane and, without any adjustments, struck the ball!
In the face of masters, any hesitation can mean missed opportunities.
Boom!
From the edge of the penalty area, Su Luo took a powerful shot aimed at the near corner!
Navas reacted quickly, diving to make the save!
In fact, Su Luo's shot went slightly wide of the post, but Navas, being cautious, still managed to get a touch on it.
"Brilliant shot! This is the third corner for Union Berlin in the first half!"
Real Madrid defended the attack once again, and their players breathed a sigh of relief. This young Chinese player had them sweating bullets!
It's so intense!
Forsberg took the ball and headed to the corner flag for the penalty kick. As Su Luo prepared to position himself, he felt a familiar sensation creeping up his spine. The buff was here!
The reason he had shot so decisively earlier was to build up the buff. With a long shot and a header already blocked, he had accumulated two layers. He thought he'd need another one or two more, but the law of causality activated early in such a tense situation!
No matter how tight Real Madrid's defense was, the law of cause and effect was unbeatable. When Su Luo declared he would score, even the king of heaven couldn't stop him.
He quietly gestured to Forsberg to move forward. Forsberg nodded and casually kicked the ball into the open space ahead.
With Rudiger, Verhorst, and other tall players being marked, Ronaldo was the only one defending the front. He intended to clear the ball with a header and launch a counterattack. Suddenly, a red blur flashed in front of him!
"What the hell?"
Ronaldo was stunned. Where did this guy come from?
Then, he heard a loud bang as the player in front of him executed a perfect overhead kick!
Ronaldo, his mouth agape, turned around to see the ball had already rocketed into the net.
???
Did that just happen?
The man in front landed lightly after his acrobatic kick. Who else could it be?
Ronaldo couldn't forget this Chinese player even if he turned to ashes. It was Su Luo!
"Damn! He's showing off!"
Union Berlin 0:1 Real Madrid.
All Chinese fans felt a weight in their hearts. Even some Real Madrid fans found themselves rooting for Su Luo after witnessing his spirited play. When Su Luo's determined shot earned a corner kick, it seemed like the attack was over.
But then, all 20,000 fans in the stadium watched in shock as Su Luo, who had been lurking outside the penalty area, sprinted toward the spot. He suddenly changed direction, losing Toni Kroos, and burst into the front!
In the next instant, everyone saw Su Luo perform an incredible overhead kick over Ronaldo!
"Su Luo!! Overhead kick—"
"The goal is in!!! In the 27th minute of the first half, Su Luo scores with an astonishing overhead kick!"
"Union Berlin draws 1-1 with Real Madrid!"
"This is Su Luo, the player who keeps creating miracles!"
"It's not terrible to fall behind or make mistakes, because you can always trust him to rise again!"
After scoring, Su Luo celebrated enthusiastically. In front of Ronaldo, he sprinted to the North Stand, leaping and striking his signature pose. The entire stadium erupted with more than 20,000 Berlin fans shouting in unison!
"Siu——"
"Hahaha, Su Luo is celebrating like Ronaldo!"
"In this clash of two global superstars, Su Luo is momentarily ahead!"
Meanwhile, Ronaldo glared at the back of Su Luo's red No. 10 jersey with a livid expression. Not only did Su Luo score an overhead kick right in front of him, but even his celebration was rubbing it in!
A true show of skill and spirit!
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