Leo Lin lay flat on the ground, his chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths.
To complete that clearance, his abdomen had slammed hard into Lovren's. Even with his solid abs absorbing some of the impact, the pain came in waves, sharp and suffocating, leaving his chest tight and his lungs struggling for air.
This kind of raw physical pain was far more direct than any psychological blow.
At that moment, Leo Lin would rather hear the words, "She never truly loved you," than endure this very real agony.
Liverpool's medical staff sprinted onto the pitch, first clearing away the surrounding players before quickly laying Leo Lin flat. They repeatedly massaged his abdomen to help him release the trapped air.
A full three minutes passed before Leo Lin gradually settled down. His rapid, shallow breathing slowly shifted into deep, steady breaths as he carefully adjusted his condition.
The biggest concern for the medical staff was whether he had suffered any real injury. After repeated checks and firm palpation, they confirmed it was just a heavy knock. Lovren was fine as well, hovering nearby, clearly worried that Leo Lin might be hurt.
"Thankfully, it looks like Leo Lin isn't injured."
"I think every Liverpool fan just let out a huge sigh of relief."
Seeing that he was alright, the Liverpool supporters finally relaxed.
Leo Lin walked to the touchline, waiting to be waved back on. As soon as play resumed, the referee signaled for him to re-enter.
In the remaining minutes of the half, Liverpool controlled the tempo and denied Juventus any further openings. The match went into halftime at 1–0.
"We head into the break with Liverpool leading 1–0. They've been excellent."
"Leo Lin's breakthrough forced Chiellini into a red-card challenge—that was the turning point. And Chiellini will miss the second leg due to suspension."
"If Liverpool can take advantage of the extra man in the second half and make it 2–0, the balance of this tie will swing heavily in their favor."
In the dressing room, Klopp didn't focus on attacking. Juventus' late first-half counterattack had clearly rattled him.
"A one-goal lead is acceptable. A draw is absolutely not."
"So the priority is defense. Everyone—especially those in midfield and at the back—must stay sharp."
"Raise the tempo when we attack, slow it down when we defend. We control the rhythm."
"We have the extra man. We have the ability. We have the opportunity."
On the other side, Allegri emphasized the counterattack.
"We still have a chance!"
"We just need one counterattack—just one—to equalize. Then we lock it down!"
"We'll take this to the second leg. We only need one goal!"
It was the first time the Juventus players had seen Allegri roar like this in the dressing room. He was throwing everything into lifting their spirits.
"Just one goal! That's all we need!"
"Let Liverpool see what a Serie A champion really looks like!"
"We—"
"—are the masters of this stadium!"
...
"Break down the flank—Arnold!"
"Cross!"
"Strike!"
"Firmino's effort is straight at him—Buffon gathers comfortably!"
"Quick throw to launch the counterattack—Juventus have a chance!"
"Higuaín drops deep—flicked header to Dybala!"
"Past Robertson!"
"To the byline—cross toward the far post!"
"Douglas Costa dives in—Lovren gets there first to clear!"
"The tempo has been relentless since the restart. Juventus aren't holding back—they're sprinting everywhere, trying to make up for being a man down with sheer work rate."
After the restart, Juventus relied on constant movement to offset their numerical disadvantage.
That intensity kept them from falling too far behind in the overall balance of play.
But Liverpool weren't panicking. They allowed Juventus to expend that energy.
Klopp knew this approach was draining. Liverpool just had to wait—wait for the moment Juventus ran out of gas.
As the clock ticked toward the 70th minute, Leo Lin could clearly see it: Dybala, Douglas Costa, and the rest of the Juventus players were slowing down.
Leo Lin immediately waved his arm.
Liverpool's once measured shape surged forward as a unit. The tempo jumped to another level.
Now it was Liverpool's time.
76th minute!
"The pace is electric! Liverpool pushing up in numbers—both wings flying forward!"
"Leo Lin with a precise long ball to Mané!"
"Mané cushions it and drives on! Robertson overlaps—another cross!"
"Into the middle! Firmino with the header!!!"
"Buffon gets a strong palm to it!"
Buffon had been outstanding all night—but Leo Lin spotted a gap.
After a quick exchange of whispers with Firmino, the Brazilian began dropping deeper into the attacking midfield area.
79th minute!
Higuaín tries his luck from distance—blazes it over. Mignolet collects and rolls it short to Lovren to build from the back.
A perfectly weighted through ball finds Leo Lin dropping off to receive.
He turns immediately and slides it forward. Firmino acts as the pivot, cushions it, then with the outside of his left foot flicks a clever through pass into space—perfectly timed for Leo Lin's late run!
Leo Lin explodes forward, eyes locked on the ball!
His off-the-ball run first shakes off Sandro. He takes it in stride, a delicate touch with the toe to control, then cuts inside smoothly!
One sharp movement—Barzagli beaten!
Now one-on-one with Buffon.
Leo Lin strikes firmly!
Even Buffon, hailed as a goalkeeping icon, cannot rescue the Turin stadium!
Leo Lin nearly slips after scoring, but instinctively braces himself against Firmino, then springs upright and pumps his fist in celebration.
From the goal to the near stumble to the seamless celebration—the entire sequence flows without a break.
The ultimate showman revealed.
Derek Rae roars!
"A solo run!!!"
"A brace!!!"
"Leo Lin!!!"
"Leo Lin strikes down the Bianconeri!"
"Stepping over Juventus—eyeing the Champions League semifinals!"
"Leo Lin's sudden burst down the right—past two defenders—and a composed low finish!"
"Juventus pay the price for shifting Khedira from defensive midfield into center back!"
"Khedira stepping up left space behind him—space Leo Lin exploited with that late surge."
"He shouldn't have vacated that position. As a natural defensive midfielder, he made the kind of mistake even experienced center backs can make."
"But let's not overlook Firmino's assist—that was world-class."
"The control, the turn, the vision to release Leo Lin."
"Absolutely top level."
"80th minute—Liverpool score again!"
"2–0 away at Juventus—they've silenced the Turin stadium!"
"And the standout performer tonight, without question, is Leo Lin."
"So young—and already delivering performances like this."
"Liverpool now hold a commanding advantage. All that remains is to see out the final ten minutes and return to Anfield with a two-goal cushion!"
...
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