Chapter 2232 - 572: The Dawns Here Are Quiet
"Yes, despite Huang Kaiwen likely facing many ordeals today, his spirit is unwavering. Perhaps he hasn’t had enough of the chase and is ready to take on Bayern!"
[Fireworks] indeed.
"Damn, Huang Kaiwen is just too cool!"
"For sure, I admit Huang Kaiwen is the most flashy today."
"When he sat there, I thought he was some kind of kung fu master!"
"Hahaha, Ramos wished the match wouldn’t start, standing by the player tunnel door, peeking out worriedly. You can see he’s genuinely concerned about Huang Kaiwen."
"Isn’t Kaka the same? I was shocked that Huang Kaiwen could make it to Allianz today. I’m guessing the Bayern players weren’t lightly scared either."
"Damn it, I lost the bet again."
"Serves you right, thinking AC Milan would lose in an upset?"
"No, I bet with my girlfriend that Huang Kaiwen couldn’t make it to Allianz before kickoff. Who would’ve thought he showed up right before the start after the warm-up?"
"What were you betting on? Back then, Huan bet on Huang Kaiwen and ended up breaking up with Shanshan."
"The bet was about holiday plans. If I won, she wouldn’t go home for the summer vacation. We would rent a place here and get a summer job together. But now it’s all ruined, all thanks to Huang Kaiwen!"
"Hahahahaha, it’s your fault for betting recklessly. I’ve realized over the years, Huang Kaiwen never misses important matches. This is the UEFA Champions League final; you were overthinking it!"
The Portuguese referee Pedro Proenza led the players onto the field.
Almost instantly, all players turned to look at Milan’s bench.
Normally, the focus is on the pitch, but as players, they all looked at someone who hasn’t played yet.
Seeing the majestic figure of Huang Kaiwen sitting there, Robben almost buckled and fell on the grass.
"Yay yay yay yay yay yay!!!"
Robin van Persie pumped his fist and shouted, even more excited than when he won the Serie A title.
The reactions of the two Dutch players truly reflected the mindset of both teams’ players.
In these few hours, the players’ emotions have been on a rollercoaster.
The match was about to start, and Huang Kaiwen was nowhere to be seen.
Milan players were worried for his safety.
But now the situation has reversed.
Now it’s Bayern’s turn to be anxious and gloomy.
"The highly anticipated UEFA Champions League final has already begun, but I believe the fans in front of the TV haven’t calmed down."
"Indeed, Huang Kaiwen’s appearance sent the emotions soaring, and now fans might find it hard to perk up."
"Regardless, we still need to look at the starting line-ups for both sides."
Bayern Munich 433 double defensive midfielders:
Goalkeeper: Neuer,
Defenders: Lahm, Boateng, Timoshchuk, Rafinha,
Midfielders: Schweinsteiger, Müller, Xabi Alonso,
Forwards: Ribery, Gomes, Robben.
AC Milan 433 double defensive midfielders:
Goalkeeper: Buffon,
Defenders: Zambrotta, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Ramos,
Midfielders: Rakitic, Kroos, Van Bommel,
Forwards: Hazard, Torres, Messi.
"Huang Kaiwen has expended a lot of energy on the way, and AC Milan had no time to change the starting lineup again, so Huang Kaiwen will be on the bench today."
"Van Persie not starting is unexpected, maybe due to Torres’s good luck with the championship? It’s normal for Hazard to start without Huang Kaiwen, his style is somewhat similar to Messi’s, both have incredible dribbling skills, but Hazard needs to work harder to catch up with Messi."
"Some of Bayern’s adjustments were within our expectations. Lahm moved to the left alongside Schweinsteiger, clearly prepared to tackle Messi. They seemed ready for Huang Kaiwen not to play, but now his presence has added quite a variable. It’s unclear if Heynckes will adjust later."
Heynckes isn’t in the mood for that.
At that moment, Cesare was wiping sweat off Huang Kaiwen, skipping even the handshake routine.
When the captains went to flip the coin, Heynckes stood by the sidelines shouting: "Use your heads. Word is Kevin hasn’t slept all night, his child was just born this morning, he traveled here by car and horseback, his energy is already drained. Even if he plays today, we’ll only face an exhausted Kevin, so keep your spirits up and don’t be intimidated by one person!!!!!"
"Flowers, Bayern choose first!"
The referee opened his hand and said.
Lahm chose the field without hesitation.
This is their home, Allianz, of course, using the preferred half to start the match.
The coach’s words came just in time. He initially wanted to remind his teammates, but now it seems unnecessary.
Nesta shook his head and walked back.
Damn!
Even the coin toss was lost.
Both teams’ players were making final preparations.
Yet still couldn’t help but glance to the sidelines.
Huang Kaiwen raised his right hand, thrusting his thumb upwards.
A cheer erupted from the Milan half.
"For victory!"
"For Kevin!!"
"For Paul!!!"
The referee frequently checked his watch.
At 7:45 PM, he finally blew the kickoff whistle.
Torres quickly passed back after kickoff, and immediately sprinted forward.
Kroos instinctively sent the ball to the left.
Hazard had just received the ball, and Robben was already charging forward.
A fierce, bald player suddenly appeared, scaring Hazard for a moment, but he quickly regained control of the ball, nudging it with his right foot.
Robben was relentless in pursuit.