Chapter 257: Champions League Draw, Facing Real Madrid in the Semifinals!
As the whistle blew, the Etihad Stadium erupted with Manchester City fans.
"We won!"
"We're going to the semifinals!"
Manchester City fans were ecstatic, witnessing history at their home ground.
But the Barcelona fans, who had traveled a long way, were shedding tears of regret.
If we had beaten Manchester City at home, we might have been the ones advancing!
On the field, Messi stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the bright red numbers on the scoreboard, unmoving for a long time.
Barcelona had lost, once again falling in the Champions League.
Last time it was in the semifinals, this time in the quarterfinals.
Their performance was getting worse each year.
Thinking about this, Messi sighed and looked towards the other half of the field.
Over there, the excited Manchester City players were tossing their hero, Lin Quan, into the air, celebrating wildly.
Iniesta walked up to Messi, patted his shoulder, and comforted him:
"Leo, don't be sad, we'll come back next year!"
Messi nodded but couldn't help doubting in his heart.
Barcelona's squad was aging year by year, and with Xavi likely retiring next season, the team's strength would decline further.
Will we really come back next year?
For the first time, Messi doubted the future.
Last game, Xavi had pre-ordered Lin Quan's jersey early, but this time, after the match, Fabregas was the first to find him, asking to swap jerseys.
"Lin, congratulations!"
Fabregas took off his jersey, handing it to Lin Quan while chatting with him.
To be honest, Fabregas felt a bit envious of Lin Quan.
During the winter break, there were rumors linking him to Manchester City.
But the transfer didn't happen, and Manchester City brought in De Bruyne and Kroos instead.
If the deal had gone through, Fabregas might have been part of Manchester City's celebration team now!
Unfortunately, there's no "if"!
"Thank you, and I hope you win the league!"
Lin Quan quickly took off his jersey and exchanged it with Fabregas, also sending his best wishes.
"Heh, thanks!"
Fabregas forced a smile at Lin Quan's good wishes.
With Barcelona's current form, he was pessimistic about winning the league.
In the last round, they would face Atletico Madrid at home, and with Atletico's form this season, Barcelona had no guarantee of beating them.
Simeone's team's high pressing and iron defense were a tough match for Barcelona. Under the pressure of falling behind, they would have to go all out on the attack at home.
But their attack might play right into Atletico's hands.
So, if they couldn't reverse the score before the final round, from trailing Atletico to leading them, then in the last round, Barcelona would lose the title if they didn't win.
Fabregas had experienced such pressure several times at Arsenal.
...
Manchester City's owner, Mansour, also attended the match.
Watching his team eliminate Barcelona and make history by reaching the semifinals, Mansour felt very happy.
Having invested so much money in the team, he finally saw some returns today.
On such a happy day, he decided to share his joy.
So, he had his assistant bring over several pre-prepared suitcases.
These suitcases were filled with cash, totaling 5 million pounds!
He planned to give this money as a bonus to the team for reaching the semifinals!
When Manchester City's players finished celebrating and returned to the locker room, they saw the pile of cash stacked like a small mountain.
"Wow! So much money!"
"Did someone rob a bank? Where did all this money come from?"
"Hey, if I sneak some, no one will notice, right?"
Negredo pretended to sneak some money, facing the crowd while trying to take some behind his back.
"There are no cameras here, so as long as you can fool these dozen pairs of eyes, take as much as you want!"
Kolarov and others stared at him, making Negredo feel uneasy.
"Just kidding, just kidding, I'm such an honest and friendly person, how could I do such a thing?"
Negredo awkwardly put the money back, annoyed that he was wearing a jersey.
Who designed these damn jerseys with no pockets to hide money in?
Seeing Negredo's antics, vice-captain Zabaleta tapped his head and laughed:
"With our owner's style, this should be our bonus, right?"
Zabaleta had been with Manchester City for six years, joining when the Middle Eastern consortium took over.
So he was familiar with the generous ways of their owner.
Bringing out so much money at once could only be the boss.
"Bonus? Hehe, does that mean we can split it now?"
Hearing it was a bonus, the players' eyes lit up.
"You say that, I'm not sleepy anymore, ha!"
Just then, Pellegrini walked in.
"How about we distribute the bonus based on the contributions each player made in these two games?" he suggested.
Everyone looked at him and noticed the club chairman, Fahim, standing beside him. Clearly, this arrangement was his idea.
Everyone nodded in agreement. More work, more reward—everyone understood this simple principle.
So, Pellegrini distributed the money based on playing time, goals, assists, and performances in attack and defense. The main players like Lin Quan got the first tier, which was 300,000 pounds. Those who played but didn't start received the second tier, 100,000 pounds. Finally, those who didn't play at all each got 50,000 pounds. The coaching staff shared the remaining 1 million pounds. This way, the 5 million pounds were evenly distributed.
After receiving their shares, everyone was in high spirits. They wished for such good fortune in every match, thinking that just the bonuses could almost match their annual salaries! Of course, for someone like Lin Quan, whose annual salary was 20 million pounds, these bonuses were still relatively small.
"Alright, now that you've got your money, go home and rest. We have a match at Anfield the day after tomorrow. I don't want to see any scandals about you in tomorrow's headlines!" Pellegrini advised before leaving the locker room.
The Manchester City players were obedient; they hadn't won the league title yet, so they couldn't relax. At least not until they defeated Liverpool away.
After quickly showering and changing in the locker room, Lin Quan drove home. On the way, he checked the score of another match. Manchester United had been beaten 3-1 by Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, losing 4-2 on aggregate and being knocked out.
Bayern had shown strong dominance in that game, taking a 2-0 lead in the first half and extending it with another goal from Robben in the second half. Guardiola then substituted key players like Robben and Ribery after the 75th minute, seemingly underestimating Manchester United. United, feeling insulted, launched a counterattack and scored in the 85th minute but couldn't turn the game around.
This defeat marked another failure for United this season. They were out of the Champions League at the quarterfinals, ranked 7th in the league, seven points behind 4th place Arsenal, and unlikely to qualify for next season's Champions League. They had also been eliminated early in both the League Cup and FA Cup, leaving them with nothing to show for the season.
The dismal results frustrated both fans and the club, with rumors suggesting that Moyes' departure from Old Trafford was imminent. But who would replace him? Whether they admitted it or not, Ferguson's departure marked the end of an era for United. Could any coach lead them to success? Lin Quan doubted it, knowing that, in another timeline, United struggled for a decade without clear improvement...
After Manchester City's home and away wins against Barcelona, the football world was stunned! The internet, TV stations, and newspapers were buzzing.
"Did the mighty Barca just fall?"
"City is amazing, defeating Barcelona twice! Incredible!"
"Before the game, everyone was praising Barca's pedigree and dismissing City, but look who's laughing now?"
"Who would have thought a team that had never reached the Champions League knockout stage could beat Barca, with Messi no less!"
"But City has Lin Quan, who scored three goals in the two matches, more than Messi!"
"To be fair, Lin Quan outperformed Messi in these games!"
"Messi seemed off. He only ran 6000 meters in the whole match—too little, right?"
"Yes, modern players usually cover at least 9000 meters if they play the full game."
"Maybe Messi doesn't have defensive duties, so he runs less?"
"Or maybe his stamina is lacking? He seemed to walk a lot on the field."
"How much did Lin Quan run? He was sprinting all over!"
"13,000 meters, I think!"
"13,000 meters? That's insane! Almost double Messi's!"
"He's even more tireless than Park Ji-sung!"
Before the matches, everyone favored the traditional powerhouse Barca, but City proved them wrong by defeating Barca convincingly. The media, initially dismissive, now praised City.
The Guardian: "City's win over Barca wasn't an upset. They seized their opportunities and won the game. We are witnessing the birth of a great team!"
The Times: "Full of ambition, courage, and hunger, City deserved their victory. Congratulations to them!"
BBC: "Barca played painfully. Without the help of the post, they would've been demolished in the first half. City's win is a triumph of strength and tactics. They might have shown a way to counter Barca's tiki-taka style."
Mundo Deportivo: "Defeat is always bitter, but Barca's season isn't over yet. They have five more league matches. Hopefully, they can recover from this and defend their title!"
Sport: "Barca wasted too many chances at the Etihad. If they had a super striker to support Messi, the result might have been different!"
Before the match, Martino had publicly stated that if Barca lost, he would resign. So after the game, many journalists pressed him on this. Martino had hoped to silence critics with a victory but ended up being their target. Embarrassed and frustrated, he left the press conference early. The next day, the media criticized him harshly, calling him conservative, arrogant, and incompetent.
The media had a point; Martino's tactics, player choices, and in-game adjustments were subpar. Although his contract with Barca hadn't expired, it seemed likely he would leave if Barca lost the league title. The only question was whether he would resign or be fired with compensation.
After City's match against Barca, the other Champions League quarterfinal matches were played. Real Madrid comfortably beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 at home, advancing to the semifinals.
In that game, Real Madrid showcased the power of their expensive signings. Bale, in particular, was unstoppable, causing PSG players much distress with his speed. Bale scored in the third minute, putting PSG on the back foot immediately. PSG needed at least two goals to advance!
Under Ibrahimović's leadership, Paris Saint-Germain launched a strong counterattack, attempting to defy fate.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo's goal in the 57th minute completely dashed their hopes of advancing!
In the end, at the Bernabéu, PSG, despite their efforts, fell short in the journey to the semifinals against the mighty Real Madrid.
In another match, Atlético Madrid, playing at home, displayed an extremely tenacious style.
They used stubborn defense and aggressive pressing to limit Borussia Dortmund's attacks. In the second half, they seized an opportunity on the counterattack, with Diego Costa scoring a goal.
This was the only goal in the two-legged tie between the two teams.
But with this priceless goal, Atlético Madrid successfully advanced to the semifinals.
After the match, Simeone's ironclad defense shook all of Europe.
Across Europe, there are few teams capable of stopping Dortmund's attacks, and even top teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona may not be able to do so.
Yet Atlético Madrid managed to keep their opponents scoreless over two legs, astonishing everyone with their defensive ability.
No wonder Atlético Madrid can lead La Liga and seize the opportunity to win against the two top giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Their strength is indeed remarkable!
After this match, Simeone and his coaching at Atlético Madrid gained a huge reputation in Europe, propelling Atlético into the ranks of top teams.
Of course, compared to Manchester City eliminating Barcelona, Simeone and Atlético's popularity is still somewhat less.
After the match on April 11, the draw for the UEFA Champions League semifinals quickly commenced.
After finishing their training that day, Manchester City manager Pellegrini gathered the players at the club to watch the draw ceremony together.
The first team drawn was Bayern Munich, who would face Atlético Madrid.
Bayern's manager Hoeness, present at the scene, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the draw, apparently satisfied with the result.
It's not surprising he felt this way; the current strength shown by Real Madrid has amazed all of Europe, and no one wants to face them prematurely.
Naturally, Bayern didn't want to stir up this hornet's nest either!
As for Manchester City, they had previously encountered Bayern in the group stage.
Bayern had a draw and a loss in the two-legged contest, gaining no advantage at all.
Although Bayern's strength may not necessarily be inferior to Manchester City's, they didn't want to meet them again.
Therefore, among the three opponents, Atlético Madrid was the most suitable opponent for them.
After Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich were drawn to face each other, the remaining two teams were naturally paired together.
Manchester City would face the powerful Real Madrid in the semifinals, with the disadvantage of playing away in the first leg, making the schedule very unfavorable for them.
Seeing this draw result, Manchester City chairman Al Mubarak's smile at the scene froze somewhat.
On the other hand, Real Madrid president Florentino's expression also didn't look too good.
What's UEFA playing at?
They've drawn us against Manchester City just because of some rumors that circulated?
But this result isn't bad. Among the three opponents, Manchester City might be the most suitable for Real Madrid.
They least wanted to encounter Atlético Madrid, followed by Bayern Munich.
This season, Real Madrid faced Atlético Madrid twice, with one draw and one loss, the loss being at their own home ground.
Simeone's Atlético Madrid is like a tough stone in a dung heap, tough and difficult to beat!
Happy Children's Day everyone, wishing you all stay forever young!
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