i am gun king

Chapter 228 Tragic Victory

Cheng Wen said in a documentary made for Li Yuxin:

This semi-final brought lifelong glory to Li Yuxin, as well as lifelong regret. Due to blocking fouls, he got the second yellow card in this Champions League semi-final, which means that he will miss the final due to accumulated yellow cards. With 12 goals in the Champions League, Li Yuxin led Arsenal to the final, but he himself missed the center stage!
If someone asks me, what is Arsenal?
If possible, I hope to open my blood vessels so that he can see clearly the blood flowing on my body, that is the color of Arsenal, that is the blood of Arsenal!

If someone asked me again, when I heard the whistle from the referee, what was the first thought in my mind?
I would answer, despair!
Unprecedented despair!
So at that moment, my trembling legs could no longer bear the weight of my body. I could only struggle and get up from the grass. I hope that no matter what the penalty given by the referee is, I can face it bravely.

I had a hunch at the time, because I felt it as soon as I stepped down.

However, when I saw with my own eyes that the referee ran over and did not point to the penalty spot as expected, my worries were gone, because I knew that he was wise. Cristiano Ronaldo fell to the ground at the front of the penalty area, but his inertia made him fall into the penalty area.

This is an undisputed free kick outside the box!

we won!

However, when I saw him reach into his chest pocket and take out the bright yellow card, I suddenly had a feeling, I seemed to see that my world was collapsing piece by piece, what I insisted on, the goal I was fighting for was in front of me, but I was blocked from it.

My legs could no longer support my body. I fell to my knees on the ground with my head up, but tears poured out of my eyes. I couldn't control them. I really wanted to tell them, be strong and don't be so cheap, but I couldn't.

I love Arsenal, I love Colney, I love everything!
How much I want, time stops at that moment, because at least in this way, I won't be so sad, so heartbroken.

At that moment, the distance between me and heaven was only 1 minute and 47 seconds!

——From XX years later [Li Yuxin's Autobiography]

…………………… Fans all over the world saw a man who was always so strong through the live TV camera, but at this moment he was kneeling on the grass, his head raised, his face was covered with tears, his mouth was wide open, but he couldn’t make any sound, and was choking silently.

At this moment, countless fans will forever remember the name of this player, Li Yuxin!

Beside him, Manchester United players were chasing for a penalty kick, while Cristiano Ronaldo stood up silently from the penalty area. He knew it was not a penalty kick, so he didn't fight for it.

The Arsenal players protested against the referee, thinking that this was not a penalty. Some people even thought that Li Yuxin's action was not a yellow card, because everyone knew that with another yellow card, Li Yuxin would miss the Champions League final.

Arsenal's captain covered his face with his hands, and from the live camera, his tears could be seen dripping from his fingers.

More and more Arsenal players saw this scene, and they gathered around one by one.

Van Persie knelt in front of Li Yuxin, the three Arsenal youth players supported each other, and all around, Arsenal players also surrounded Li Yuxin, giving support and encouragement to the captain.

In the stands, countless Arsenal fans couldn't help but also cried. Countless people were wiping away tears and choked up for Li Yuxin, because he will miss the Champions League final, the Champions League final that he has fought for and fought for all his life.

"Be strong, Li!" Fabregas pulled Li Yuxin tightly.

The latter, already weeping, cuddled up to Cesc Fabregas.

At this moment, I don't know how many Arsenal fans are crying for Li Yuxin.

The referee also realized this, but he didn't show any mercy. He just gave Li Yuxin a little time to calm down, and then signaled for the game to continue.

Manchester United's free kick failed to threaten Arsenal's goal, and the game ended with a goal kick from Arsenal after the free kick was taken, but Li Yuxin fell down on the grass involuntarily again, crying bitterly.

"He is really a tragic hero!" The on-site commentator couldn't help feeling sad, "It was his three goals and one assist that helped Arsenal reach the Champions League final again, but he himself missed the final. To him, this is really a very, very unfair thing."

"But this is the reality. We can't even imagine that if Li Yuxin's tackle didn't go out, maybe he wouldn't get a yellow card, but maybe Manchester United might go through Arsenal's goal, so Arsenal won't even be qualified to reach the final!"

"We can only say that it was Li Yuxin who made Arsenal, but missed a Champions League final that should have belonged to him!"

"Our world always admires incomplete beauty. We will always remember Baggio's back, Van Basten's farewell, and Ballack's helpless absence. Now, we should remember this man again, and remember this classic scene that will forever be recorded in history. His protagonist is called Li Yuxin!"

Wenger walked into the stadium slowly, the whole process was very short, but for some reason, he remembered a lot.

Li Yuxin's hard work throughout the season, his hard work in this game, and his position in the stands behind him at the Emirates Stadium more than ten days ago, he said to Wenger, "Please take us to win a Champions League!"

He regards the Champions League as his dream and pursuit, and he will never forget the spirit and will of Arsenal he inherited and the promise he made to Yaya in his previous life. He fought for it, worked hard for it, but when he felt that he wanted to realize his dream, God made a joke with him, telling him, boy, the dream has nothing to do with you!
"Boss..." Li Yuxin threw himself on Wenger's shoulder after squatting down, and couldn't help crying, "I want to die, I'm so sad that I want to die!"

Wenger patted his shoulder vigorously, his eyes were slightly red, but he didn't cry, he had to be strong.

Men's tears will only flow for things they think are worthwhile, but Li Yuxin's tears are very sad, very sad, and very moving.

plum!plum!plum!
The fans in the stands were singing Arsenal's team song and shouting the name of their new king over and over again. Countless fans raised their scarves high, and even some fans took off their jerseys with Li Yu's signal number and name printed on them, and raised them high above their heads.

"Our king!"

Wenger looked around and patted Li Yuxin on the shoulder, "Be strong, Li, don't cry!"

Li Yuxin sobbed slowly and raised his head, reaching out his hand to wipe away the tears from his eyes. What he saw were his teammates and coaching staff, all standing around Li Yuxin, caring about him.

"Li, although you can't go to Greece, we will definitely help you win that trophy, defeat Liverpool and avenge your revenge. Then you will lead us to the podium!" Fabregas said firmly.

"Yes, Cesc is right, for you, we must bring back the championship!" Van Persie also supported.

"Yes, we must win the championship!"

"Always remember, we are one team, we are one!"

Teammates came up one by one to comfort Li Yuxin. The captain of Arsenal just broke down emotionally, but he soon calmed down and stood up from the ground. Seeing his teammates support him like this, he was a little moved.

"Go, thank our fans!" Wenger said, pointing at the fans.

Li Yuxin nodded, and led his teammates around the stadium, receiving comfort and encouragement from Arsenal fans along the way.

As he walked, tears almost came out of his eyes again, but this time, he desperately held back.

After walking around the court with his teammates, he came to the comprehensive interview area in the corner of the court.

As soon as Li Yuxin, who was wearing the Arsenal captain's armband, came over, the reporters at the scene immediately turned their microphones on him, because he had become the most sympathetic character in this game.

"You played like a god, sent Arsenal to the Champions League final, but you yourself missed the Champions League final because of that yellow card at the last moment, yes

Do you have anything to say about this? "A reporter immediately came over.

Li Yuxin squeezed out a bitter smile, "I have nothing to say, I don't think I am God, our leader, my teammates, they are God, they and I created tonight's victory together."

He bit his lip tightly, obviously suppressing his emotions.

"But you missed the final, do you think it's unfair to you?"

Li Yuxin shook his head vigorously, "No, that is my own choice. As long as Arsenal can reach the final, as long as we can win the final championship, I don't mind what I lose. To me, I am not important, what is important is the team!"

After a pause, Li Yuxin smiled bitterly again, "If God asked me to choose again, in the same situation, in the same situation, I would still choose to play without hesitation. Although this will make me lose my ticket to the final, it can help my beloved team to once again enter the most glorious stage of world football."

Li Yuxin's words received a round of applause from all the reporters present, and even the surrounding Arsenal players who were originally interviewed by the reporters also applauded, expressing their respect and recognition for him.

"Is there anything you want to say to your teammates?" A reporter asked again.

"Don't worry about me, brothers, I can bear all this. At least in my heart, I am more happy. I am happy that our whole team can participate in the Champions League final. On the day of the final, I will definitely sit in the stands and cheer for everyone."

Li Yuxin's sincere confession received another burst of applause. Obviously, he won everyone's respect with this game.

Fabregas came over, "We will definitely win the final championship, we will definitely win!"

"Yes, we must win!"

"Liverpool, here we come!"

"We will help you get rid of Liverpool and let you get on the highest podium!"

In the end, all the Arsenal players gathered together, Qi Qi promised to the camera, "We will definitely defeat Liverpool in Istanbul and take home the European Champions Cup!"

……………… When Wenger walked into the press conference, Ferguson had already arrived, and everyone was waiting for him.

This made him a little apologetic, but at this moment, no one would blame him for anything.

As soon as Wenger took his place, he immediately signaled to the press officer that the press conference could begin.

Unlike previous press conferences where the reporters asked the head coaches of both sides to comment on the game, this press conference, from the very beginning, the reporters took the lead in asking Wenger about Li Yuxin's suspension.

Wenger also looked very annoyed, "I think this is a man-made tragedy!" His words immediately exploded among the reporters, after all, he was attacking UEFA.

"According to the current yellow card rules of the Champions League, if a player receives 3 yellow cards in 3 different games, he will be automatically suspended for one game, and then every time he receives 2 yellow cards, he will be automatically suspended for one game. The yellow cards in the group stage must be brought into the knockout round, or even the final. This is a very regrettable rule!"

"It reminds me of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Ballack missed the final because of this. In an interview at that time, he said that he really couldn't stand it. At that time, I also questioned the yellow card rule, but today, 3 years later, this tragedy is still happening."

Wenger looked really depressed because he couldn't explain the impact of Li Yuxin's absence on Arsenal, but he believed that everyone could see the impact of Li Yuxin's absence on the players themselves.

"For a season, from the first round of the official group stage to the Champions League final, there is no clearing link in the middle. I think this is very, very unreasonable. I even think that this is forcing all teams in the future. They should study the rules of yellow cards. If necessary, they can actively apply for yellow cards to prevent themselves or some of their important players from missing some important games!"

What Wenger was talking about was shuffling the cards. It's not that this kind of thing has never happened in European competitions, but it usually happens in all relatively weak group matches, or some knockout matches where the victory is already determined. It is impossible for this kind of semi-finals to happen.

The reporters all understood Wenger's grievances, because Wenger repeatedly mentioned in the media that Li Yuxin is currently one of the most important players in the Arsenal team, but this player is now missing the Champions League final against Liverpool. This is definitely a fatal loss for Arsenal.

"I hope to call on UEFA to revise the suspension rules, revise the yellow card rules, and add a zero-clearing link. For example, yellow cards in the group stage will not be brought into the knockout round, or yellow cards in the semi-finals will not be brought into the final. I think this will not affect the game at all. On the contrary, it will make the game more exciting and attract fans' attention."

"As the final of one of the most influential club competitions in football today, I believe that all fans around the world would like to see the best players on both sides of the field, but the yellow card suspension system prevents this from happening. I am very sorry for this."

Compared with the lack of staff on Arsenal's side, Liverpool's staff is full, which will undoubtedly make everyone look down on Arsenal.

Although the Red Army is not a big favorite, there is a cup master Benitez, and Liverpool has also created an impressive record of reaching the final 5 times and winning the cup 4 times in history. Therefore, after losing Li Yuxin, Arsenal will undoubtedly fall behind Liverpool in terms of chances of winning.

At least, Li Yuxin's brilliance was too bright before, and many people even suggested that it was Li Yuxin who brought Arsenal to the final alone. From this, it can be seen that Li Yuxin is important to the Arsenal team.

"Mr. Wenger, will Lee's absence affect Arsenal's chances of winning?" asked a reporter.

"This is for sure. Li is one of the most important players in our team. His absence will definitely have a great impact on us, but I believe that we and the players will be able to find the best solution to minimize the impact of Li Yuxin's absence."

The reporters couldn't help but nodded.

"Do you think that Li's yellow card is completely unnecessary? After all, there were Senderos and Kolo Toure in front of Cristiano Ronaldo." A reporter stood up and asked.

Wenger did not allow others to treat his disciples like this, and immediately retorted and asked: "Didn't you notice that Fabregas and Van Persie are surrounded by Inzaghi and Shevchenko?"

The reporter was speechless.

"I won't think about whether the yellow card is necessary or not. This is a very, very stupid question, because I believe that at that moment, Li Yuxin made an action that he thought was the most appropriate. We are all outsiders, and we can't feel the feeling he felt when he was in the same place."

"As Li Yuxin said in an interview after the game, he believes that if time goes back and he chooses to do this again, he will still choose to play. So I believe that his approach is right, and I will always support him!"

Wenger’s protection is well known, let’s not talk about whether Cristiano Ronaldo will threaten Arsenal’s goal if Li Yuxin does not foul, even if there is an unnecessary foul, Wenger will still choose to stand by his players.

"Have you thought about a player to replace Li Yuxin?"

Wenger shook his head. If he had thought about it earlier, then he would not be a human being, but a god.

"But I think, Adebayor, Van Persie,..." Wenger read all the players who can replace Li Yuxin in one breath, "I think they are all very good players, and I also believe that they can well make up for the impact of Li's absence."

Obviously, even now, Wenger has not figured out a set of tactics for the final, not only because of Li Yuxin, but also because Liverpool is a very difficult opponent.

(End of this chapter)