Chapter 328
On the day of the game, the Borussia Park Stadium was already crowded.
The fans of Monchengladbach, wearing the team's jerseys, holding the team flags, and shouting the team's slogans, cheered for their beloved team.
"Monchengladbach! Monchengladbach!" The fans' uniform shouts echoed over the stadium.
Li Lei stood at the side of the stadium, watching all this, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.
This is the charm of European football. No matter where you come from, no matter which team you support, when you are in such an atmosphere, you will be infected by this enthusiasm and be excited.
"Kevin, are you ready?" Li Lei came to De Bruyne and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be nervous, this is no different from previous games." Li Lei said as a veteran after seeing the somewhat nervous De Bruyne.
"Of course!" De Bruyne shrugged his shoulders and said.
The game started soon.
Li Lei stood on the court, feeling the enthusiasm of the fans and the trust of his teammates.
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a strong opponent, especially at home, they are even more difficult to beat.
But Li Lei believes that as long as Manchester City is united and everyone gives their best performance, they will definitely win.
The game was extremely intense.
Borussia Mönchengladbach's players, cheered by the home fans, performed extremely tenaciously. They
continued to threaten Manchester City's goal, putting Manchester City's defense under tremendous pressure.
But Manchester City's players did not show weakness.
Through tacit cooperation and precise passes, they continued to create dangers for Borussia Mönchengladbach's goal.
Li Lei performed even better. He kept threading the needle in the midfield and creating opportunities for his teammates. His performance won applause from the fans.
The final whistle blew and the score was fixed at 2-1.
Manchester City defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach hard away.
Li Lei lay on the grass and breathed a sigh of relief. This time he played the full 90 minutes of the game, and Guardiola did not let him be replaced at halftime.
"Li, you performed so well today!" Silva came over and gave Li Lei a big hug.
After winning the Champions League away game, Manchester City's players hastily ended the celebration.
They knew clearly that time was tight. On October 3, two days later, they still had a league game to play to meet the challenge of Newcastle United.
Li Lei followed the team and returned to Manchester overnight.
On the plane, the players were in different states.
Some players, like Aguero and Sterling, had fallen asleep and were reminiscing about the victory just now in their dreams.
Some players, like De Bruyne and Silva, wore headphones and seemed to be listening to music to relax themselves.
Li Lei, on the other hand, sat quietly in his seat, looking at the night sky outside the window.
In his mind, the scenes of the game kept replaying.
Every touch of the ball, every pass, every shot, he analyzed and summarized in his mind.
"Hey, Li, what are you thinking about?" A voice interrupted Li Lei's thoughts.
Li Lei turned around and saw De Bruyne.
Li Lei smiled and said, "Nothing, Kevin, I was just thinking about the game."
Captain Kompany interrupted and said, "You performed very well today, Li, I believe you will definitely become a great player."
Li Lei looked at the captain gratefully. It meant a lot to him to be recognized by the captain.
"Thank you, captain." Li Lei said, "I will continue to work hard. I know I still have a long way to go."
"I believe this! But Kevin, you are a little nervous today!" Captain Kompany turned his head and said to De Bruyne.
The latter touched the back of his head a little embarrassedly.
Kompany patted De Bruyne on the shoulder and said, "I believe in you, we all believe in you."
"Remember, you are not fighting alone."
"We, Manchester City, are always a whole."
Li Lei nodded and felt a warm current flowing in his heart.
Yes, he is not alone.
He has teammates, coaches, clubs, and fans.
They are all his driving force.
The plane finally landed.
Manchester City's players, dragging their tired bodies, got off the plane.
Two days later, Newcastle United will come to Manchester to challenge them, and they need to take time to rest to maintain their peak condition.
After a day and a night of rest, Manchester City players' physical condition returned to their peak again.
Guardiola made detailed tactical deployments for the team, and everyone knew their tasks.
GameThe day came soon.
Li Lei stood in the stadium corridor, feeling the sound coming from the stadium.
He took a deep breath and walked onto the stadium.
The lights, the cheers, and the familiar blue jersey.
Everything made Li Lei feel extremely excited.
At this time, in the live broadcast room of Sky Sports, host Keane and guest Jones had already started the pre-match commentary.
"Welcome to the Manchester City Stadium. Today we will witness the wonderful match between Manchester City and Newcastle United."
"From the lineup, Guardiola continues to trust the young Li Lei on the Manchester City side and let him start the game."
"And Newcastle United, led by Mitrovic, hopes to take away three points away from home."
"Let's wait and see! The director in front has sent the starting list of both sides." Host Keane explained.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Hart
Defenders: Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov
Midfielders: De Bruyne, Silva, Li Lei, Sterling, Fernandinho
Forward: Aguero
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Krul
Defenders: Mbabu, Kolocchini, Mbemba, Janmaat
Midfielders: Wijnaldum, Perez, Sissoko, Gufrán, Anita
Forward: Mitrovic
"Yes, Keane, today's game is very important for both teams."
"Manchester City needs a win to consolidate its position in the standings, while Newcastle United hopes to get points away from home to improve their current ranking."
"We can see that Manchester City's starting lineup is very strong, especially in the midfield, Aguero, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling, plus Li Lei, this is a very creative combination."
"Yes, Jones, Manchester City's midfield is indeed very good, but we can't ignore Newcastle United."
"Although they are not ranked high, their players' individual abilities are still very good."
"Wijnaldum, Perez, Sissoko, these players are all capable of causing trouble."
"And Mitrovic is a very powerful shooter."
"Manchester City's defense will probably face a severe test today."
"Yes, although Newcastle United is not a strong team, they are definitely capable of causing trouble for any team."
"Manchester City must not be careless today, especially Li Lei, the young Chinese superstar, who will start today. We are also looking forward to his performance."
