After scoring, Leo Lin sprinted to the sideline, planted his left foot on the advertising board, pointed at his left leg, and kept nodding toward the broadcast camera.
His teammates all rushed over. They crouched beside him with exaggerated seriousness, stared at his left leg, then broke into applause.
That group of born performers had the Liverpool fans roaring with laughter.
Salah, whose stronger foot was also his left, looked at Leo Lin's left foot in that moment. The others might have been joking, but he was genuinely making a wish in his heart. He wanted that same magic in his own left foot.
The broadcast cameras captured the classic celebration from every angle. Without question, this would become another brilliant image of Leo Lin celebrating with his teammates, one the fans would enjoy again and again.
"The Liverpool players' admiration for Lin is written all over their faces. That's exactly why they're so willing to join him in these fun and memorable celebrations."
"We saw this kind of scene more than once last season, and this season, we can definitely expect even more."
Ashley Cole watched the scene in front of him and could not help worrying about his old club, Chelsea.
There was no doubt that if Chelsea wanted to compete for the title this season, they would have to face a Liverpool side this strong.
A two goal lead gave Liverpool even more confidence in their battle with Atlético de Madrid.
Ángel Correa's arrival made Atlético's attacking play simpler and more direct, with more frequent attempts to slip balls in behind the defense.
But the partnership of Van Dijk and Matip showed outstanding Interception and anticipation. Under Matip's command, Liverpool's back line repeatedly pushed up, catching Diego Costa and Ángel Correa offside.
In the 70th minute.
"Griezmann has dropped back into midfield to receive the ball. This is the Spanish wide Attacking midfielder style. Simeone must have borrowed from that idea."
"Griezmann turns with the ball. Henderson presses him aggressively, but there's still space for the pass."
"He forces a through ball through. He's still trying to hit the space behind."
"Van Dijk stretches out a leg to intercept. That's the advantage of those long legs."
Van Dijk should not have been able to reach that ball, but the way he stretched his leg showed off his physical gifts completely.
He quickly nudged the ball to Matip. Matip received it, pretended to pass backward, then spun with his back to goal and carried the ball forward, actually beating Diego Costa as he came in to press.
"Smart move from Matip. That takes real nerve."
"He actually dared to dribble out from there. He didn't have many good options, and Atlético's high press had sealed off Liverpool's passing lanes at the back. But with that clever turn, Matip instantly opened everything up again."
Liverpool's performance on the pitch was visibly improving. They were not just playing. They were communicating. Before each pass, they made their intentions clear to their teammates and built understanding, making sure mistakes were reduced.
Leo Lin felt everything happening around him. Liverpool had achieved huge success last season, but what he felt now was different.
He felt freer, and he felt a tighter, stronger connection with his teammates. It was a kind of chemistry.
Attacking was not Atlético's strength to begin with, and with Liverpool defending intelligently in midfield and at the back, they were not giving Atlético any free kick chances. Atlético simply could not find a clear route to goal.
"Atlético are trapped. They've been trapped by Liverpool's system."
"We're now in the 80th minute. In terms of possession, Liverpool have 57 percent. They also have three more dangerous attacks than Atlético. In passing, they've completed 57 more passes, with a success rate 5 percent higher."
"More passes mean more connection and coordination between Liverpool's players on the pitch."
"That's also the key reason Liverpool have been able to control the match and take the advantage."
In the 82nd minute, Klopp made his changes. Shaqiri came on for Salah, and Rodri came on for Leo Lin.
"Two more new signings are coming on. Rodri replacing Leo Lin is a clear signal that Liverpool want to strengthen their defense, and Salah is also being replaced by Shaqiri."
Rodri looked a little excited. Wearing the number 68 shirt, he adjusted his shin guards, then tucked the hem of his short sleeved top into his shorts. Rodri liked wearing it that way.
Leo Lin high fived Rodri and wished him luck, then the match continued.
Rodri stood in the deepest central midfield position, with Wijnaldum on his left and Henderson on his right. Wijnaldum began taking responsibility for controlling possession and carrying the ball forward.
In the 87th minute.
"Rodri's position is very deep. He's standing right in front of the back line, taking on the role of organizing from the back and controlling the tempo. This is the single Defensive Midfielder role."
"Van Dijk. Short pass."
"Rodri carries the ball toward the left. He should pass now."
"He cuts the ball back and stops sharply, then pushes it forward, looking for Firmino, but Godín makes the Interception."
"That was a little unnecessary. Godín wants to play the through ball directly, but Rodri makes a precise Interception."
"Well, is he trying to pad his stats?"
"Rodri makes the mistake himself, then wins it back himself with a Tackling move."
Scholes laughed at that, while Klopp on the touchline understood exactly why it had happened.
At Atlético de Madrid, Rodri had not played as a single Defensive Midfielder, so his passing choices and distribution speed had not yet reached Premier League standards.
But his anticipation and Interception ability were already at a very high level.
Klopp knew Rodri needed polishing. As long as he sharpened his passing and the speed of his distribution, he would definitely become an excellent single Defensive Midfielder.
Time passed quickly, and the Liverpool players could not stop themselves from celebrating early.
Because the UEFA Super Cup counted as part of last season, winning this trophy would make Liverpool last season's quintuple winners.
Finally, in the 94th minute, stoppage time was up.
Leo Lin was already standing on the sideline, waving to signal that time had run out. The referee blew the final whistle.
"It's over! The match is over!"
"Congratulations to Liverpool! They have won the UEFA Super Cup!"
"They have become another quintuple winning side in football history!"
"This is a rare achievement. Across all of English football, only a handful of clubs have ever become quintuple winners."
"And Liverpool have written their own history in football."
"That is five full championship trophies."
"Crowned as quintuple winners, Liverpool have successfully reached the summit of Europe."
"They were the most successful club in the world last season. They are the biggest winners in English football."
Firmino sprinted onto the pitch, but because he was too excited, he slipped and face planted spectacularly.
Leo Lin pointed at him from behind and laughed like crazy. This guy was completely different on and off the pitch. His football intelligence on the field was as high as his comedy value off it.
Salah laughed and jumped onto Firmino, landing on him like a mountain.
One Liverpool player after another followed, and the wild celebration began.
On the touchline, Klopp stood with his hands on his hips, blowing kisses to the Liverpool fans.
That's right. The hand responsible for blowing the kisses was Krawietz's.
Zubizarreta stood nearby, watching the two of them. He covered his face and shook his head.
"Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful." ... "The fifth championship trophy has been secured. It marks Liverpool as the most successful club of last season, and it also marks Leo Lin, the team's best performer, as the most successful player of last season."
"There is no doubt that giving him the Ballon d'Or is only a matter of time."
Scholes looked at Leo Lin with envy in his eyes. Any professional player would dream of honors like this, and Leo Lin had made that dream real.
The staff immediately began setting up the podium. The exquisite UEFA Super Cup trophy was handed by the UEFA President to captain Henderson.
Then the Liverpool players, especially the newcomers, grew incredibly excited. Most of them had never experienced a trophy lifting moment like this.
As captain Henderson raised the trophy high, Camp Nou was swallowed by cheers.
Liverpool fans had turned the stadium into their own home ground, celebrating wildly.
Leo Lin had his arms around Van Dijk and Salah, jumping and cheering under the lights. His eyes were filled with surprise and satisfaction, and within them was a clear hope for the future.
Liverpool's path to a dynasty.
It had officially begun.
...
...
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