Chapter 152 Champions League Knockout Draw! Strong Duel!
Manchester, Cloud_23 Bar.
Jack Grealish sat at the bar with a lonely expression, downing glass after glass of Scotch. Manchester City, once touted as Champions League contenders, had been eliminated in the group stage. It was truly embarrassing. Union Berlin had become their nightmare, causing the entire group stage to be quite a disaster for them. Juventus, fighting fiercely for second place, played more aggressively than they did in last year's Champions League final. Manchester City, unfortunately, ended up as cannon fodder, finishing fourth in the group. Sevilla, despite losing to Juventus, managed to secure third place.
"Damn it! We should have gone all out in that last attack! It's better to die standing than to die like this!" Grealish muttered drunkenly to himself.
Behind him, someone answered a phone call.
"Yeah, I think so too."
Turning around, he recognized the familiar face. It was De Bruyne!
"What are you doing here? You don't drink," Grealish said, surprised. De Bruyne never joined him for a night out; he was always focused on football, with no other interests. He usually went straight home after training, seeming a bit lonely at the club.
"My heart is troubled. I thought I'd give it a try," De Bruyne replied, looking a bit embarrassed at the unexpected encounter.
Grealish quickly called over the bartender. "One more shot of whiskey, my treat."
De Bruyne took the strong single malt and downed it in one go, his face flushing from the alcohol.
"Are you still drinking?" Grealish asked, amused.
"Of course!"
The two of them drank another round as the TV at the bar broadcast the UEFA Champions League draw ceremony. The surrounding drinkers gathered around, filling the bar with anticipation.
"Who's playing who this time?" someone asked.
"Who cares? Only Chelsea and Arsenal are left for the Premier League."
Indeed, with both Manchester teams out, the local fans were feeling down.
"What did City do to deserve this? Getting beaten by a team from nowhere," one fan grumbled.
"Hey, they are double Bundesliga champions now," another replied.
"Yeah, those guys are strong, and City didn't deserve to lose like that."
"I think our forwards didn't perform well. They didn't cooperate," another fan suggested.
Grealish and De Bruyne remained silent, trying not to be recognized and subsequently accosted by passionate fans. Luckily, they were tucked away in a corner, and everyone's attention was on the TV.
Real Madrid legend Luis Figo was at the draw ceremony, and he began the announcements.
"The round of 16 draw results are truly unexpected!" Figo said.
"The eight group winners are Real Madrid, Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid, Union Berlin, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Zenit St. Petersburg."
"The eight runners-up are Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Juventus, Roma, Arsenal, Dynamo Kiev, and Gent!"
La Liga and the Bundesliga were the big winners, each sending three teams to the knockout stage as group winners! Only two Premier League and Serie A teams made it through. Ligue 1 had one representative, and the rest were from second-tier leagues. The draw ensured that teams from the same league and group wouldn't face each other.
Grealish and De Bruyne stopped chatting to focus on the live broadcast. Meanwhile, far away in Berlin, Captain Su Luo hosted a party at his mansion to watch the draw ceremony. The entire first-team squad was there, including Sane, who was on crutches. Sane had been recovering well and could walk on his own, but it would be a while before he could run again. The team would need his sharp breakthroughs if they advanced further.
Su Luo had set up a giant screen on the spacious lawn, with professional grillers and bartenders serving everyone. The atmosphere was lively, with players eating barbecue and drinking cocktails, chatting and laughing while they watched the ceremony.
If Grealish saw this scene, he might truly regret his transfer.
"Okay, let's announce the first matchup for the round of 16!" Figo said, reaching into the lottery box and pulling out a small ball. He unfolded the slip of paper inside, revealing the name of the first team.
"The first team is the least conspicuous one, Gent."
"Wow, what a draw!" Quinin exclaimed, causing bursts of laughter.
Indeed, drawing Gent was almost like a bye. The Belgian team was considered the weakest of the top 16, making it almost impossible to lose against them.
"Su, do you want us to draw Gent?" Sane asked suddenly.
The teammates were curious about Su Luo's thoughts.
Su Luo didn't hesitate. "No. I hope we get a stronger opponent."
"I think so too," Sane nodded in agreement.
Kimmich, Keita, Pickford, Rudiger, Mahrez, and the others also nodded. It seemed everyone shared the same sentiment. Facing strong teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona was more meaningful. Even if they got eliminated in the end, it would be worth it to compete at that level. Playing against tough opponents was much more interesting than bullying weaker teams.
Fortunately, Figo's next pick was not Union Berlin.
"Wolfsburg!"
Ghent vs Wolfsburg! Wolfsburg had hit the jackpot.
The remaining teams were not easy opponents!
Soon, a giant appeared in the second group of matchups.
"Real Madrid!"
Everyone took a deep breath. Despite their earlier bravado, facing Real Madrid made them nervous. It was like watching a horror movie—scary, but they couldn't look away.
However, the unlucky team facing Real Madrid in the round of 16 was not Union Berlin.
"Roma!" Figo read out the name with a smile.
Real Madrid vs Roma! Real Madrid essentially had a walk to the top 8.
"Next is the third matchup! The first team is Paris Saint-Germain."
"Who will their opponent be?"
Against Paris, Union Berlin would have a fighting chance. It was a good matchup.
But Paris's opponent was soon revealed.
"Chelsea FC!"
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea! There was a bit of suspense in this matchup, with odds almost even.
"The fourth matchup, let's see who it will be... Juventus!"
Since Juventus and Union Berlin were in the same group, they couldn't draw each other. No one paid much attention.
But then...
"Bayern Munich!"
Whoosh!
Everyone's attention was caught. This was the highlight of the top 16 battles!
Juventus vs Bayern Munich, a thrilling matchup! The players couldn't help but gloat.
"Bayern are unlucky this time. They've drawn the strongest second-place team!"
"There's going to be a good show!"
"Hahaha, Juventus will give them a tough time!"
The two heavyweight battles with Juventus would definitely affect the league, a beneficial draw for Union Berlin.
But soon, the Union Berlin players couldn't laugh anymore. They were up next.
"Union Berlin! This team is simply the biggest dark horse in the Champions League."
The host of the draw ceremony praised Union Berlin highly.
"Everyone thought the competition in the group of death would be fierce, but this workers' team won all 6 games!"
"The matches against Juventus and Manchester City were classics, unforgettable!"
"Let's see who their opponent is!"
The Union Berlin players held their breath, and the atmosphere became tense.
The remaining teams were PSV, Benfica, Dynamo Kiev, and... Arsenal!
"Could it be Arsenal?" Quinn murmured.
Su Luo also stared intently at the small ball in Figo's hand. Figo unpacked it, revealing the note inside.
The familiar words read: "Arsenal!"
It was Arsenal!
Union Berlin vs Arsenal! Another exciting round of 16 matchup!
Far away in London, fans cheered in bars of all sizes.
According to the usual script, Arsenal would face teams like Barcelona in the knockout rounds. It was always Bayern or Barcelona—fans were tired of it!
This time, they drew a seemingly less formidable German team.
What if Union Berlin were Bundesliga double champions? What about their win over Manchester City? Arsenal was invincible!
In England, this was seen as a good sign. Both Berlin and Arsenal fans were happy with the draw.
Perhaps only Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wore a mask of concern.
He would have preferred Barcelona over Berlin!
"Well, it seems it's my turn to solve this problem... I'll give it a shot before I retire! Let's tackle this unsolvable Su Luo puzzle!"
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