Soccer: Maxed-out ball control, the skill is too overpowered.

Bayer Leverkusen's comeback victory against Arsenal in the first leg brought joy to fans both domestically and internationally for a week.

When they were down 0-2, almost everyone was desperate, and some even turned off their TVs and closed the live stream at halftime.

Who could have imagined that Lu Xiao would orchestrate such a stunning comeback in the second half?

They scored 3 goals in a row to come back from behind!

Fans and media are still immersed in this classic first leg battle.

Lu Xiao and the entire Leverkusen team only had a short one-day break before returning to intensive training.

Because just four days later, in the 21st round of the Bundesliga...

Bayer Leverkusen will face a strong opponent at home, their previous rival in the race for the top four – Schalke 04!

In the previous two seasons, these two teams went back and forth, fighting tooth and nail for a top-four finish.

Even in the first half of the 2013-2014 season,

Schalke 04 and Bayer Leverkusen are both busy fighting for a top-four finish.

At the opponent's home ground, the Veltins-Arena, Schalke 04 were leading by one goal.

In the second half, 16-year-old Lu Xiao came on as a substitute and completed his second Bundesliga match.

As a result, Lu Xiao scored twice, helping his team to turn the tide against Schalke!

The next round will be at the BayArena.

The circumstances of both teams have changed dramatically.

Schalke 04 is still vying for fourth place with Borussia Mönchengladbach, Wolfsburg, Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, and Augsburg.

Several mid-to-upper-tier teams played so fiercely they were practically brain-dead, with most teams separated by only one point or tied.

The competition is fierce and the race for fourth place will remain suspenseful for a long time.

But Leverkusen is no longer a team vying for a top-four finish; they are now closely trailing Bayern Munich.

Bayer Leverkusen is now a prestigious title contender! How could Schalke 04 possibly compete with them?

At Schalke 04's pre-match press conference, head coach Jens Keller and player Farfan were still clamoring for revenge.

"I admit that Leverkusen is a very competitive team now, and they defeated the powerful Arsenal."

However, they had just finished playing in the Champions League, and many key players were rested.

This might be our chance for revenge!

According to the pre-match starting lineup, Lu Xiao has been temporarily placed on the bench. As long as the rising star Lu Xiao is not on the field, Schalke 04 definitely has a chance to challenge him.

Schalke 04 played very aggressively after the match started.

Huntelaar, Farfan, and Obasi formed a formidable attacking trident that frequently threatened Leverkusen's goal.

"Hentelaar!! Try a shot inside the penalty area—"

"Leno made a crucial save! He made a near-miss from point-blank range!"

"...Farfan!! So fast!! Cut inside and attack directly!"

"Blocked by Toprak!"

"Hunter's back again! Suddenly calling Draxler!!"

"He bursts into the penalty area from the flank!!! Oh no!! Draxler hesitated! He couldn't shoot immediately!"

"He took another shot at the second opportunity, but he had already missed his best chance to score."

Leverkusen's defense certainly looks precarious.

However, having experienced the Arsenal baptism, Schalke 04's level of attack posed no real threat.

During this period, the Leverkusen coaching staff also urgently conducted drills to consolidate their defensive tactics, specifically addressing the issues with the back line.

Each player's defensive positioning and teamwork have been strengthened again.

Head coach Hyypia instructed them to communicate more and remind their teammates more when defending.

When a teammate is pulled out of position, someone needs to retreat in time to protect them.

Captain Rolfes also needs to frequently drop back to the center-back position to help maintain the integrity of the defense.

The new defensive strategy had only been in place for a few days, and everyone was still getting used to it on the training field.

The match against Schalke 04 will be a good opportunity for them to get used to the game and practice.

"Not bad, they are young after all, and they learn quite quickly."

"Yes, but now that the defense is solved, what about the offense?"

"Well……"

The profound question posed by Hyypia left Sasha Lewandowski speechless.

Yes, what about attacking?

Without Lu Xiao acting as a pivot in the attacking third to control the ball and make plays,

As a result, the left and right flanks struggle to create enough threats.

Guardado on the left was no less capable than Son Heung-min at his peak, but his training attitude was poor, his professional form was not maintained, and his performance declined significantly.

As the lone striker, Derdiyok was surrounded by Schalke 04's defense and found it difficult to make any significant impact.

On the right is Sidney Sam, a German winger of Black descent.

It is fast and has explosive power.

However, he previously played for Kaiserslautern in the German second division and then for Bayer Leverkusen for several seasons, but he was always a substitute and rotation player, and his potential ceiling was unlikely to be that of a starter.

The technique is too rough; the passing and dribbling details are lacking.

This has resulted in Leverkusen's right-wing attack being consistently crippled.

The first half ended in a 0-0 draw, but the coaching staff couldn't take it anymore in the second half.

They brought on Son Heung-min and Julian Brandt to strengthen their offense.

It must be said that Julian Brandt improved very quickly in the second half of the season.

Having frequently organized extra training sessions with Lu Xiao, he has already developed a certain dribbling talent.

In addition to his excellent physical qualities,

Julian Brandt clearly possesses the potential to be a top-tier Bundesliga player.

"How come I never noticed before? This brat is actually quite good."

"Indeed, he's probably been training extra with Lue lately, and he's really trying hard to change."

"I used to think he was hopeless, but now it seems I judged him too early..."

Both coaches were quite impressed.

Just now, Julian Brandt made a breakthrough from the right wing, cut inside, and attempted a shot.

He is right-footed and theoretically adept at breaking through from the left and cutting inside.

Cutting inside from the right and shooting would be awkward.

However, Julian Brandt's shot from outside the penalty area was quite threatening and was saved by Schalke 04's veteran goalkeeper Hildebrand!

"Julian Brandt—"

His name resounded throughout the Bayern Arena.

When Lu Xiao wasn't on stage, Julian Brandt had a rare feeling of being a rock star.

He wasn't smug; he was just envious of Lu Xiao.

"Does this kid always play this well at home?"

However, the presence of Son Heung-min and Julian Brandt did not change much.

Atsuto Uchida has temporarily restrained Brother Sun.

It's also difficult to break through on the left flank.

The key issue is the lack of a threatening ball-carrying point near the penalty area; Schalke 04 only needs to focus on defending the flanks.

At this point, commentator Sauer raised a question:

"Has Leverkusen developed a dependence on Lu Xiao? Without Lu Xiao, it feels like the whole team is incapable of delivering a fatal blow."

"Indeed, when Lu Xiao is on the field, their attacking conversion rate is arguably the highest in the Bundesliga."

But now, Leverkusen has launched many brilliant attacks, but they haven't been able to convert them into goals...

Kahn also agreed with this view.

The two coaches simultaneously realized the problem and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Sasha, do you think we really have a Lu Xiao dependency?"

"It's hard to say..."

To verify this, Sasha Lewandowski substituted Lu Xiao in the 83rd minute of the match.

The score has remained 0-0 until now, and it's time for someone to break it.

Otherwise, if they draw and get one point, Bayern Munich will widen the gap in points.

Sure enough, when Lu Xiao took the stage,

Leverkusen's attack instantly went from "threatening" to "deadly"!

It's like waving an unsharpened sword in front of your opponent; it looks dangerous, but you're not actually worried.

Let us sharpen this precious sword!

The opposing fans were in a state of constant panic!

"Look at this ball!!"

Julian Brandt attempted a speed breakthrough on the right, but failed to shake off Schalke 04's left-back Kolasinac.

Unexpectedly, Julian Brandt suddenly stopped, cut inside, and passed the ball across the edge of the penalty area!

Lu Xiao arrived just in time, skillfully controlled the ball with the instep of his right foot, then hooked it and turned, using a graceful movement to evade defender Matip!

This quick stop and dribble caught Schalke 04's defense completely off guard!

No one restricted Lu Xiao's location immediately.

So much so that he can shoot freely inside the penalty area!

"Luuu Shaaaaw——"

"Goooooooal!!!"

"As expected, it has to be Lu Xiao!! His 84-minute brilliant performance broke the deadlock!"

"His 26th league goal! This miracle-making striker continues his performance!"

Seeing the young Lu Xiao rush to the corner flag area, tear down the corner flag, and enjoy the cheers of the whole stadium like a rock star.

Head coach Sasha Lewandowski could neither tell whether he was smiling bitterly nor happily.

"As expected, we really do have a dependence on Lu Xiao."