Wahahahaha...

On the pitch, Atletico Madrid's two full-backs, Juanfran and Filipe, pushed forward simultaneously. Koke and Saul moved back and forth through midfield, while Gabi stayed behind to provide cover.

Up front, Carrasco, Gameiro, and Griezmann stood at the edge of Liverpool's defensive line like three daggers.

Carrasco in particular had inherited the number 10 shirt after Chen Anno left.

But the mountain left behind by his predecessor, along with the doubts of fans and the media, had placed immense pressure on him.

He wanted to prove himself on the pitch every moment of every day.

Today, he felt he had the perfect opportunity.

So Carrasco played with exceptional drive.

In the twenty-third minute, Liverpool launched an attack.

Chen Anno dropped back into midfield to receive the ball. He had barely turned when Carrasco slid in from the side.

Of course, the tackle was not aimed at the man, but its sheer ferocity forced Chen Anno to poke the ball away early.

The ball reached Coutinho, but Carrasco's momentum from the tackle took him down as well.

The young Belgian winger quickly got back up, reached out to pull Chen Anno to his feet, then turned and raced back to defend.

Saul's forward runs also became more frequent than they had been during the first twenty minutes of the first half.

In the twenty-seventh minute, he received a sideways pass from Koke through the middle and immediately threaded a through ball toward Gameiro in the penalty area.

Van Dijk covered in time, muscled Gameiro aside, and Mignolet rushed out to gather the ball.

Atletico Madrid's attacks came wave after wave, surging toward Liverpool's penalty area like a tide.

Thirty-second minute.

Koke received the ball on the right flank, facing Robertson's defense.

Rather than going down the line, Koke suddenly cut inside.