Chapter 175: Only Another Goalkeeper Can Defeat a Great Keeper
By conventional thinking, nobody expected Xia Qi to suddenly shoot from 40 meters — not even Philipp Lahm.
When Lahm saw Xia Qi's eyes fixed like torches, staring intently at the goal, his heart pounded like a drum. A rising sense that something was terribly wrong urged him to launch himself toward Xia Qi as fast as he could...
Under his gaze, Xia Qi adjusted his stride, took a deep breath, and in a flash struck the ball.
Xia Qi drove with his leg, the instep taut, channeling all his power into his foot.
The struck ball sped out like a projectile from a cannon.
Lahm didn't hesitate; he threw himself to try to intercept midair.
No miracle — he's not an Iron Dome and the ball is not a rocket.
The interception failed!
The ball traced a beautiful arc through the air, slicing with a wind-cutting hiss over Lahm's diving head, streaking like a meteor straight for the goal.
That shot from Xia Qi — in power, speed and angle — was virtually flawless; it made people gasp in admiration.
It turned out strength and technique can fuse perfectly!
A fraction of a second earlier,
Manuel Neuer, locking eyes with Xia Qi, felt a flicker of alertness.
He quickly judged Xia Qi was going to try a long-range strike!
Shit!
A 40-meter thunderbolt!
If it went in, it would rank among the longest-range goals in the world — a strike that would be replayed across the major news outlets.
A wall?
Absolutely not!
Neuer told himself he must not let Xia Qi succeed.
He rapidly tracked the ball's flight and then sprang like an eagle spreading its wings.
In midair Neubur's focus was absolute — he fixed his eyes on the speeding ball and missed no detail.
Relying on rich experience and sharp reaction, he adjusted position and posture, striving for perfection in every element.
As the ball closed in, Neuer threw every ounce of power into the save. Each movement showed strength and determination, as if racing time itself, fighting fate.
Yet the ball seemed to have a life of its own. Before Neuer's "Buddha palm" could land, the ball suddenly dipped — slipping beyond the reach of Neuer's palm defenses and dropping toward the net,
as though it had already locked onto that target and was determined to hit it.
In the air Neuer cursed: "Shit! A dipping shot! Shit! Shit! Shit!"
"40-meter screamer!!!"
"A world-class long-range strike!"
"Goal!!!"
"Xia Qi has smashed a 40-meter wonder goal. The longest recorded goal in the world was Colombia's keeper Óscar Córdoba/goalkeeper Martínez? — a 100-meter clearance that ended in a goal for Poland." (commentary comparison)
"The next spots aren't clearly ranked; Beckham's midfield lob, Xu Liang's long-distance strike for Beijing Guoan against Dalian Shide were around 60 meters. Xia Qi's strike might not crack the top five for distance but likely sits in the top ten. Moreover, compared with predecessors' lobs, Xia Qi's strike has more technique — it hides a dipping swerve, is highly watchable, and could be a contender for this round's Champions League Goal of the Week."
On the pitch,
the instant the ball hit the net Xia Qi's passion ignited.
He sprinted like a cheetah, arms raised high, releasing his joy. A broad, radiant smile lit his face; his eyes flashed with excitement.
Neuer, at the moment the ball went in, simply shook his head in resignation — but he quickly composed himself.
He walked slowly back toward his goal, raised his hand to his teammates, encouraging them to keep fighting.
Then he planted his hands on his hips, eyes resolute, as if telling his teammates: "The match is not over; we still have a chance."
At the Allianz Arena,
the Bayern supporters who had been singing their anthem fell silent, staring blankly at the celebrating Arsenal players on the field.
This scene did not match their script.
In Bayern fans' version, Arsenal would flap about like headless chickens, tire themselves out, and then Bayern would seize an opening to score the deciding goal.
"3–2! Match time 60', Xia Qi completes a hat-trick and Arsenal have taken the lead again."
Play resumed.
Bayern still supplied ammunition to both wings through midfield passes.
Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben continued probing Arsenal's defense as they had in the first half.
Per Wenger's plan, with Xia Qi dropping into midfield Arsenal's midfield thickness increased — Xia Qi's tough defensive ability could make Arsenal's center hard to breach.
If Bayern's midfield lost possession, their wings would be starved of support...
However, Xia Qi was not in his Al mode. Though he defended actively, he was not a defensive rock like Torres with a cheat-state boost; at this moment he resembled an attack-strong/defense-weak Cristiano Ronaldo, quite different from the Xia Qi when Al powered him — in fact, they felt like two separate players.
Before long Bayern created an excellent chance.
Robben slipped a pass from the left; Serge Aurier made a clearance error at the near post, mis-kicking and nudging the ball toward goal.
A clearance turned into an assist.
Thomas Müller, lurking in the box, gratefully received the gift and tapped it in from about five meters.
Serge Aurier sprinted across and heroically threw his body in front to block — a perfect redemption.
Although no goal resulted, Bayern's morale was boosted by the attack.
Müller then took a corner; Jérôme Boateng attacked the first post and the ball flew over the crossbar.
Arsenal countered: after Xia Qi's wing surge, he swung the ball across to the edge of the area.
Mario Balotelli unleashed a world-class strike from twenty meters; Dante blocked it away.
Arsenal players raised their hands and appealed to the referee, claiming Dante's arm handled it and demanding a penalty.
But the Russian ref waved them down.
Slow-motion replay showed the ball did hit Dante's arm, but his forearms were tight to his body.
By the rules, the referee could lawfully refrain from awarding a penalty.
Arsenal players disagreed — they felt victimized by a "home-bias" call.
That mood affected the remainder somewhat.
Play continued.
Bayern, unable to accept the deficit, gradually intensified their attack and increasingly took control.
They fashioned threat after threat.
In the 68th minute, Bayern attacked.
Defensive midfielder Javi Martínez slipped a 45-degree pass; Ribéry at the left corner of the box let it run through and the ball rolled to the left channel.
David Alaba, arriving at the back post, cut it inside and, without hesitation, smashed a shot.
It was an ungentle strike — but brilliantly struck.
Although Martínez leaped with all his might, he couldn't keep it out.
The ball passed the fingertips of Martínez and began to fall.
Just as everyone expected Bayern to level, the post came to Arsenal's rescue — a crisp clang denied them.
That sound shattered the hearts of Bayern fans who were about to celebrate.
"Oh!" commentator Zhang Lu lamented, "Just that little bit more — sometimes you need luck to score."
Alaba screamed in frustration, hands on his head, staring at the sky.
Although it didn't go in, the attack raised Bayern's hopes.
As the match progressed, Arsenal players began to pay the price for their "mad dog" style.
Their stamina started to decline; defensive actions were increasingly mistimed.
The earlier lapse on Alaba was proof.
Wenger, the players and the fans were all on edge, oscillating between fear and hope.
Attack, and worry the defense wouldn't recover in time and Bayern would sneak one in;
defend, and leading by only one felt insecure even for the remainder of the match.
Under that tense psychology, Arsenal played cautiously — a completely different team from their first-half selves.
Wenger knew he could not allow his players to exhaust themselves. If there was still fuel left in the tank, expand the lead, then substitute fresh legs and switch to a parking-the-bus defense.
He stood on the touchline urging players on; Arsenal's anxious, confused mentality gradually calmed and they found their rhythm.
In the 75th minute, Xia Qi carried the ball from deep and sprinted a long way. Arriving at Bayern's area, he fed Serge Gnabry on the right.
Gnabry beat David Alaba and cut to the byline to cross.
The cross was poor — somewhere between a shot and a pass.
The ball flew over Manuel Neuer at the near post but struck the far post and rebounded.
Mario Balotelli, surging to follow up, just missed the ball.
"Arsenal's counterattack — Gnabry's near-zero-angle shot missed, Balotelli couldn't get the first touch on the rebound. Arsenal missed a chance to double the lead."
Balotelli angrily slapped the turf — had he reached that ball, it likely would have gone in and Arsenal would have been two up, essentially sealing the tie and giving them the advantage for qualification.
Seeing Arsenal miss their best opportunity, Pep Guardiola made substitutions quickly, emptying his three change slots.
Not only to equalize but to try to overturn the tie.
He put grudges aside: Mario Mandžukić on for Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger on for Thiago, Claudio Pizarro for Mario Götze.
Bayern's formation shifted from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3.
Wenger still hadn't used any subs; he wanted to increase the lead first then bring fresh legs on.
He trusted his starting eleven on the pitch.
After substitutions were made, play resumed.
Substitutions are like changing weapons.
After three or four minutes of adjustment, Bayern orchestrated an attack.
Ribéry burst down the left and cut a pass into the central area near the top of the box.
Freshly on, Claudio Pizarro struck an exquisitely angled shot with the outside of his right foot.
Martínez produced an impossible, world-class save to parry it out,
but in Arsenal's box there was now an extra opposing striker.
Mario Mandžukić shoved Per Mertesacker aside and, meeting the dropping ball, swept it home with a side-foot volley.
Martínez made a double save — he got to the ball but could not prevent it from crossing the line.
3–3 — level!
Mandžukić and Pizarro, just on the pitch, combined to net a goal.
Mandžukić was mobbed on the turf by his teammates.
"Pep Guardiola deserves credit — his substitutions paid instant dividends!"
"Mandžukić's goal could change Guardiola's bias against center-forwards. Traditional strikers and classical No.10s may be fading, but strikers like Kane and Lewandowski are still needed — Mandžukić immediately altered the game."
On the sideline Pep finally showed a long-missing smile. Wenger's face was complex — he realized he had made things more complicated...
Three minutes after Mandžukić's goal,
Arsenal intercepted a Bayern attack in their defensive third and launched a counter.
Santi Cazorla and Kevin De Bruyne exchanged a couple of one-twos in midfield; Cazorla got the ball back and passed to Balotelli.
Balotelli held the ball with his back to goal, tried to turn but couldn't, so he leaned on Dante and flicked it to Xia Qi.
Seeing Xia Qi take possession,
Once bitten, twice shy — Manuel Neuer shouted, "Don't let him shoot!"
On the sideline Pep yelled, "Watch out for his long-range shot!"
At the calls, Jérôme Boateng and Philipp Lahm lunged at Xia Qi from left and right.
Xia Qi feinted to shoot, but as his right foot came down his ankle twisted and he laid the ball across instead.
In the center, De Bruyne followed up with a first-time strike; the ball flew toward goal.
Neuer leapt high but didn't catch it, and in the instant of his despair the sound of a thud rang out.
The ball struck the crossbar and bounced out.
Wenger no longer hesitated: he made substitutions. Balotelli and Gnabry were both withdrawn; veteran Thomas Vermaelen and the recovered Theo Walcott came on.
Arsenal then set up to defend and counter.
Seeing Arsenal switch to conservative defense, Guardiola muttered a rare expletive: "Shit!"
When Arsenal defended with everything they had, Bayern — still learning Guardiola's tactical nuances — found it hard to break through.
For the next several minutes neither side created a major chance and soon the match moved into added time.
In the 93rd minute, just before the final whistle, Bayern earned a right-side corner.
Neuer abandoned his goal and rushed into the box to attack the header, driving Pep Guardiola on the sideline to stamp his feet in frustration!
This is a double-edged sword!
In Guardiola's first season at Bayern his authority wasn't yet absolute. Neuer feigned ignorance of the coach's fury; he acted as if he hadn't seen it, and others followed suit.
Seeing captain Lahm not holding back, the others refused to be the lone bad guy.
Amid Guardiola's angry gestures and shouts, Schweinsteiger swung the corner in.
Dante missed at the near post.
Mandžukić and Vermaelen clashed at the far post; neither connected cleanly.
The ball dropped to the very back post and was falling right in front of Manuel Neuer.
It was impossibly lucky!
Neuer didn't shift his weight or attempt a feint; he simply instinctively poked the ball forward with the toe of his boot —
a forward poke at the spot.
A striker's natural instinct.
That poke had little arc and was extremely subtle; the low shot skimmed the turf and threaded out of the chaotic crowd.
Arsenal's goalkeeper Martínez had his view blocked; by the time the ball slipped out of the scrum, there was no time to react.
"Goal!"
"A last-gasp winner!"
"Neuer completes the miracle — Bayern's dramatic comeback in stoppage time!!!!"
"Only another great goalkeeper can beat a great goalkeeper. Neuer has sealed his legend in a single match! The world's top attacking goalkeeper — No. 1! Undisputed!"
(END CHAPTER)
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