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

Thanks to Lu Xiao's brace that leveled the score, Leverkusen finally regained their morale.

Although Lu Xiao was substituted off in the 65th minute of the second half due to lack of stamina.

Son Heung-min, Rolfes, Lars Bender, and other teammates all played very well.

In the 76th minute, Son Heung-min cut inside from the left and curled a shot into the far corner of the net.

Bayer Leverkusen narrowly defeated Hamburg 3-2, continuing their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich!

Even Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola and Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp have admitted:

"This season, our title rivals are not only Borussia Dortmund (Bayern Munich), but Bayer Leverkusen are also very strong and competitive."

The outstanding performance of the young players, in particular, is impossible to ignore.

Therefore, we must remain vigilant at all times, strive to secure every point, and avoid being overtaken by Leverkusen.

In the eyes of Guardiola and Klopp

Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will go far in the Champions League.

Bayern Munich, in particular, aim to at least reach the Champions League final.

Therefore, both teams will inevitably have to persevere in competing on multiple fronts for a long time.

Leverkusen didn't consider as many factors.

They'll at best make it to the round of 16, and with the best of luck, they might reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

Want to make it to the semifinals?

impossible.

Therefore, if Leverkusen focuses on the Bundesliga in the second half of the season, they might actually pose a threat to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Both Guardiola and Klopp have gradually come to regard Bayer Leverkusen as an important opponent.

Bayer Leverkusen's head coach Sascha and Hyypia

They haven't realized this yet.

The two of them were having a silly, happy time.

"We finally won by 3 points! Well done, guys!"

Contending for the championship?

I can't think about it for now.

All Bayer Leverkusen can do is try to get as many points as possible and hope to get a favorable draw in the Champions League knockout stage.

We aim to advance several rounds in the Champions League.

Each round of elimination matches can generate tens of millions in revenue!

The final group stage match of the Champions League was against Real Sociedad.

Having already secured first place in the group and qualified for the next round, the coaching staff fielded a rotated lineup for this match.

This will allow players from the reserve team and youth team to experience the atmosphere of the Champions League.

Antoine Griezmann, the future heart of France, is frustrated.

Real Sociedad is destined to be eliminated in the group stage.

Logically speaking, he didn't need to start; he could have just dealt with the last group stage match casually.

But Griezmann wanted revenge!

He wanted to fight Lu Xiao for another three hundred rounds!

After a long and arduous journey to Madrid for a connecting flight, and then flying to Cologne, I still have to take a bus to Leverkusen.

After traveling thousands of kilometers, I was told that Lu Xiao wasn't on the roster?

Griezmann was completely devastated.

Real Sociedad and Bayer Leverkusen ultimately drew 1-1, marking the end of the Champions League group stage.

Bayer Leverkusen have 4 wins and 2 draws, for a total of 14 points;

Manchester United finished second in the group with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, totaling 11 points.

At this point, the results for the other groups in the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League have also been released.

The situation is basically consistent with Lu Xiao's prediction.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Group B: Real Madrid and Galatasaray advance together.

Italian giants Juventus suffered a shock defeat, finishing third in their group and thus relegating them to the Europa League.

Real Madrid have shown the potential to be a strong contender for the title.

This season, former Tottenham Hotspur stars Gareth Bale and Luka Modric joined Real Madrid.

Gareth Bale, in particular, broke the transfer fee record set by Cristiano Ronaldo, arriving at the Bernabéu in a high-profile manner for €1.1 million.

He will form the BBC trio with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

In addition, the midfield boasts a luxurious lineup of Modric, Xabi Alonso, Casemiro, and Khedira.

And the talented center-back Varane, the in-form "Warrior Monk" Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo, Carvajal...

Ancelotti's Real Madrid team has swept away the slump of the previous years.

It once again demonstrated its powerful kingly aura to the world.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Group C has no powerhouses; Paris Saint-Germain, backed by oil tycoons, can barely be considered a near-powerhouse.

The attacking line of Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, and Cavani is quite formidable.

The midfield trio of Verratti, Matuidi, Motta, and Pastore was so-so.

The defense of Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Alex, and Maxwell was barely passable.

This lineup is only somewhat competitive in the Champions League; it's good enough to beat weaker teams.

They'll probably have a tough time against strong teams.

The biggest upset in Group C was by Greek powerhouse Olympiacos.

They defeated Benfica and Anderlecht to advance from the group stage and into the knockout rounds.

Olympiacos has become the most desirable draw for all group winners, a truly lucky draw.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

There's no suspense in Group D.

Bayern Munich, group winners, five-time champions, and defending champions.

Guardiola's team may become the only team to defend the Champions League title under the new format.

Second in the group, Manchester City, the new champions of Manchester.

There's no need to even look at the other teams in the group.

It's obvious even to someone with their feet that the teams will qualify.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

There's not much suspense in Group E either.

Premier League giants Chelsea topped their group.

Schalke 04, a strong team in the Bundesliga, finished second in their group.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Group F is actually a fairly balanced group in terms of strength.

Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Napoli, and Marseille are all teams with considerable strength.

But Borussia Dortmund were, after all, the runners-up in last season's Champions League.

Even at their worst, Arsenal is still a team that other European teams can hardly challenge.

Borussia Dortmund ultimately finished first in their group.

Arsenal finished second in their group.

With this, all four Bundesliga teams have qualified for the next round.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In Group G, Atletico Madrid displayed a dominance comparable to Real Madrid.

They advanced from the group stage with 16 points, 5 wins and 1 draw, remaining undefeated.

Zenit St. Petersburg finished second in the group.

Even the notorious European black shops of Porto and Vienna, Austria, cannot compete with them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Group H is also largely a foregone conclusion.

The only two powerhouse teams, Barcelona and AC Milan, both qualified for the knockout stage.

Ajax and Celtic are, in a sense, also elite clubs.

However, teams in the Dutch Eredivisie and Scottish Premiership are falling further and further behind the top five European leagues.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Champions League group winner:

Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona;

Second in the group:

Manchester United, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Manchester City, Schalke 04, Arsenal, Zenit Saint Petersburg, AC Milan

……

……

"Lu, we're planning a barbecue for the Champions League knockout stage draw tonight, wanna join us?"

"Yes, Lu. You're a key contributor to our advancement to the knockout stage, you have to be there."

"That's right, we'll be angry if you don't come."

After the training day ended, Lu Xiao originally planned to go to school for extra classes.

I've been busy with competitions and training lately, and I've fallen behind in my studies. My high school teachers are complaining about it.

"Don't just focus on playing football; you should at least come and study in your spare time, otherwise you'll have a hard time graduating high school."

Lu Xiao's goal is to go to university and at least obtain a bachelor's degree.

This will provide a backup plan after I retire in the future.

But his GPA is currently less than 4.

To get into a top European university, you need a GPA of 2 or higher, or even 1.5 or higher.

The total score for the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) and daily performance is 900 points, and you need to score around 640 points.

Even for a regular university, you need at least a 2.9 score.

A score of 4 is considered quite poor, placing it in the lower-middle range.

No wonder the teacher was worried about Lu Xiao.

He knew that Lu Xiao was quite smart and could easily improve his grades with a little study.

I just practice soccer so hard that I can only catch up on lessons during my free time.

This leaves Lu Xiao with no time to relax with her teammates in private.

Lu Xiao had declined most of the invitations from her teammates.

This time, when the vice-captain Lars Bender organized the barbecue queue, he insisted that Lu Xiao join in.

Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Lu Xiao had no choice but to agree.

"Great! Lu, I'll send you the location later. Remember to bring a PlusOne!"

"What PlusOne?"

"Hey girl! I'm going to get some physical therapy now, we'll talk later."

"Well……"

Lu Xiao knew that people would bring their female relatives to these kinds of parties.

She's either his wife, his girlfriend, or at least a dating partner.

Going there alone as a single person can be a little awkward.

But who should we bring?

Lu Xiao's first thought was of a Barbie doll-like girl.

Chloe, who is the same age as her, often talks about the game.

Would she approve of this kind of activity?

Lu Xiao only knew that she was his fan, but he wasn't really sure if she was willing to be a part of his life.