"Oh dear! What a pity! Reus was too slow!" Lineker said with a regretful expression. "Even a slight touch with the toe, just a slight change in the flight of that pass, would have been enough to send the ball into Sporting Lisbon's goal!"
Jon, sitting next to him, also looked surprised, but his focus was completely different from Lineker's.
“Gary, I admire Lee more and more. How did he even convince Galliani and Ancelotti to sell Kaká to Leeds United?! Seeing Kaká's performance, don't they regret it?! Did you notice just now that Reus was sprinting at full speed off the ball, while Kaká was running while being marked and dribbling the ball? And when the ball crossed the entire penalty area to the far post, Reus, who was sprinting at full speed, didn't even touch it?! Could there be anything more outrageous than that?!?”
Hearing what Jon said.
Lineker blinked, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "I heard it from an Argentinian coach within Leeds United who wishes to remain anonymous. Apparently, Leeds finalized the deal back in the winter, and as we all know, AC Milan were practically carried to the Champions League final by Kaká... I mean, what good would it have done if they backed out then? Kaká was already at Leeds United, hahaha."
Sporting Lisbon's players never expected that what should have been their attacking opportunity would almost turn into a goal for the opposing team on a counter-attack.
Just now, when Kaká's cross swept across the face of Sporting Lisbon's goal...
Both the players on the field and the fans in the Alvalade Stadium were terrified.
However, Leeds United's sudden turn of the game and their attacking prowess did indeed provoke Sporting Lisbon's players.
After Stojkovic took the goal kick, Sporting Lisbon launched another attack.
Having learned from the failed attack just now.
This time, Sporting Lisbon did not attempt to break through Leeds United's defense with short passes.
After passing the ball around in midfield for a while, Moutinho, who was on the right, seized the opportunity and delivered a cross.
Just like Kaka from before.
Moutinho also targeted the far post.
Inside the restricted area.
Liedson drew Kompany's defensive attention, while Hummels seemed inexperienced and misjudged the ball's trajectory.
Moutinho's pass grazed Hummels' scalp.
There, Jalo, who had broken into the penalty area from the left, leaped high, aimed at the Leeds United goal, and slammed his forehead into the ball.
"Jallo!!! A powerful header!!!"
The live commentator at Alvalade Stadium called out at the right moment from the sound system.
Jalo headed that ball very cleverly.
Before jumping, Jalo saw Neuer running towards him, so instead of heading the ball to the near post on the left, he headed it towards the top right corner of the Leeds United goal!
The next second.
Neuer made a movement that violated the laws of human movement.
As the ball left Jallo's head, Neuer immediately made a judgment; he knew that Jallo's shot was aimed at the far post.
So he immediately stopped moving to the left, forcibly adjusted his center of gravity, and pushed off the ground with both legs, making his body bounce backward with difficulty.
Then, with his arm fully extended, his left hand made a final touch to the football flying through the air, pushing the ball away from the goal.
Neuer's action changed the direction of the ball, and although the force was not great, it was pushed so that it grazed the post and flew out of bounds!
The huge cheers from the crowd came to an abrupt end as the football flew out of bounds.
Seeing this, Jalo, who was heading the ball towards the goal, was so distressed that he covered his face with his hands and knelt on the grass.
····
"Manuel Neuer! He made a world-class save!" Jon was the first to shout in the studio. "Unbelievable! Top-notch reaction, top-notch judgment, top-notch coordination! It's hard to believe that a goalkeeper who just turned 21 could make such a save!"
"Yes! That brilliant save prevented Leeds United from falling behind away from home!" Although they had been overtaken, Lineker never missed an opportunity to praise Leeds United. "While everyone was discussing what impact Schmeichel's departure would have on Leeds United's defense, Neuer stepped up and showed everyone with his actions that Schmeichel's departure would not affect Leeds United's backline in any way!"
“Sometimes I really don’t know if Lee will make a mistake.” Jon shook his head, a complicated smile on his face. “I vaguely remember that people used to criticize Lee’s transfer decisions from various perspectives, but so far, he seems to have never made a mistake. Every player he has signed, at least at Leeds United, has performed brilliantly!”
“Of course!” Lineker’s face beamed with pride as a Leeds United fan as he spoke of this. “The nickname ‘Premier League black shop’ wasn’t just given to Leeds United casually, hahaha….”
····
"Holy crap! That's beautiful!" Simone, standing on the sidelines, was also excited, shouting at Li Shiguang, "Boss, Manuel has finally made it!"
Li Shiguang was also very satisfied with Neuer's performance.
With his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face, he said sarcastically, "This is nothing. That save was indeed beautiful, but Manuel still needs to get rid of his rash and impulsive habits to reach the next level!"
Seeing Li Shiguang say this.
Simeone's lips twitched: "Boss, your expectations are too high. Believe it or not, Manuel's performance just now is definitely worthy of being in this round of Champions League save highlights."
"It has to be a bit higher," Li Shiguang said with a smile.
"Why?"
"If you set high standards, you'll be able to get a better price when you sell it later!"
Simone: ? ? ?
····
Sporting Lisbon then took a corner kick, which Neuer caught in mid-air. This time, instead of launching a quick counter-attack, he kept the ball under his body, consciously slowing down the pace of the game.
However, the atmosphere at the scene did not quiet down as the pace of the game slowed down; on the contrary, it became even more exciting.
During this break, Sporting Lisbon fans in the stands of the Alvalade Stadium even started a wave, trying to cheer on their team in this way.
Less than 5 minutes into the game.
Both teams created one dangerous opportunity.
At least for now, the one-sided match predicted by the media has not materialized...
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