Chapter 267: Lightning Goal, Reversal of the Reversal!
Although their opponents equalized at the last moment, Ancelotti didn't criticize his players. Instead, he praised their performance in the first half.
"You did great. A 2:2 score is an acceptable result for us. But I believe your performance deserves a victory!"
Hearing Ancelotti's words, the players, who had been worried about criticism, breathed a sigh of relief and even looked at him with gratitude. The attacking players, especially, felt proud after receiving his praise.
Compared to Mourinho's strong personality, Ancelotti was clearly more popular in the locker room. This had a lot to do with his high emotional intelligence and skillful use of language.
Seeing the players' reactions, Ancelotti nodded in satisfaction and continued, "So, keep up the attack in the second half. Beat Manchester City with the attacking prowess they pride themselves on!"
This statement received strong support from attacking players like Ronaldo and Bale. These players excelled in attack but weren't keen on defending. While they would defend if necessary for a win, they certainly preferred not to.
The reason was simple: stars like them could shine brightly in attack, but in defense, they were more likely to make mistakes and look bad. Additionally, wasting too much energy on defense would leave them less capable of performing well in attack.
Ancelotti's plan suited their desires perfectly.
On the home side, Pellegrini couldn't accept a 2:2 result. If they couldn't win at home and allowed two away goals, their chances of advancing in the next round would be less than 30%. If they conceded another goal in the second half and lost at home, they would surely be eliminated.
"We need to strengthen our attack in the second half. Here's the tactical plan..." Pellegrini took out his tactics board and laid out his strategy for the second half.
The players nodded, indicating their understanding. He then explained the defensive strategy for the second half.
"Both Bale and Ronaldo are very strong. If we try to defend both at the same time, we won't be able to. However, they don't seem to coordinate with each other. If they continue to play individually in the second half, whenever one of them has the ball, we can relax our defense on the other and focus on the ball carrier!"
Pellegrini suspected that there might be some friction between Real Madrid's two wingers. Otherwise, why wouldn't they work together? He wasn't sure if Ancelotti was aware of this or could resolve it during the halftime break, but he decided to test this theory.
If Ronaldo and Bale continued to play separately, Manchester City's defensive pressure would be greatly reduced.
The 15-minute halftime break ended quickly, and both teams returned to the field. After switching sides, Manchester City started with the ball.
Lin Quan passed the ball to Aguero and immediately sprinted forward. Aguero made a direct pass back to Lin Quan, who easily got past Benzema and continued charging towards Real Madrid's defense.
Meanwhile, Manchester City players began surging towards Real Madrid's half, clearly aiming for an aggressive start!
"Stop him, don't let him pass the ball!" Ancelotti was startled. He had anticipated that Pellegrini would increase the pressure in the second half but hadn't expected such an aggressive start. Wasn't this a bit too reckless?
In Pellegrini's eyes, Real Madrid's defense was very solid, making it hard to break through. So, he designed this strategy to catch them off guard before they were fully in their rhythm. The risk was high, but the potential reward was very enticing.
Isco and Modric were immediately drawn to Lin Quan, rushing towards him almost simultaneously. Lin Quan faced a wall of Real Madrid players. The defenders assumed he would pass the ball, as challenging their entire defense alone seemed impossible.
Modric blocked Lin Quan's path, while Isco cut off potential passing lanes. But Lin Quan didn't intend to pass. Seeing Isco not coming to double-team him, he chose to force his way past Modric.
Despite Modric's best efforts, he failed to stop Lin Quan. Handling a player as skilled and agile as Lin Quan was beyond Modric's capability. However, Modric wasn't overly worried; he had plenty of teammates behind him. Surely, they could stop Lin Quan!
Real Madrid's players shared this belief. Although they were surprised by Lin Quan dribbling past Benzema and Modric, they didn't think he would actually try to challenge their entire defense.
Normally, no one would do that!
They kept an eye on Lin Quan while being extra cautious of other attacking players like Aguero and De Bruyne. However, not everyone thought this way. Xabi Alonso and Ramos, having been teammates with Lin Quan and having suffered at his hands in the first half, were extremely vigilant.
Both moved towards Lin Quan simultaneously. Ramos blocked Lin Quan's path forward, while Xabi Alonso rushed from the side to try and dispossess him.
Lin Quan didn't abandon his attack. Avoiding both, he continued dribbling towards the right side of the penalty area!
Real Madrid's players initially thought Lin Quan would pass. But seeing him bring the ball into the penalty area without passing, they were shocked. Did he really intend to take on their entire defense alone?
This idea was too crazy to believe. But as Lin Quan charged into the penalty area, they had to accept that it was true!
Now, not only Alonso and Ramos were alarmed; the entire Real Madrid defense was tense. If Lin Quan scored, they would all be ridiculed for failing to stop him.
So, besides Alonso and Ramos, nearly all Real Madrid defenders were drawn to Lin Quan, shifting their defense towards the right side.
With Alonso and Ramos drawn away, Aguero managed to get into Real Madrid's penalty area. This made Pepe very nervous. He urgently called for Arbeloa to help defend.
As Arbeloa moved to help, he sensed something fly over his head. Looking up, he saw it was the football!
Wait a minute!
Football?
Arbeloa broke into a cold sweat. He quickly looked back at Lin Quan, realizing the ball was no longer at his feet!
Did the attack switch to the right side just as he left? According to Murphy's Law, the worst always happens!
At that moment, a short player wearing Manchester City's blue No. 21 jersey was in the open space on the left and received the pass from Lin Quan.
David Silva controlled the ball, took a quick look at Casillas's position, and shot fiercely before Arbeloa could reach him!
The ball was powerful, flying towards the goal instantly. Casillas barely had time to react before the ball hit the net.
3:2!
Manchester City launched a lightning-fast attack, scoring just 14 seconds into the second half, reversing the score and taking the lead again!
The goal happened so quickly that many fans who went to the restroom during halftime missed it. As they returned, they were jolted by the loud cheers.
"What? We're leading? Who scored?"
Regretting that they missed such a fantastic goal, they asked around to find out who scored.
"It was David Silva. He scored from a pass by Lin Quan!"
"Haha, we're leading again!"
"Look at the expressions on those Real Madrid fans' faces. Don't they look like they just ate something nasty?"
It wasn't just the fans; the coaches and substitutes on Real Madrid's bench had similar reactions.
Manchester City was ruthless, starting with an aggressive attack. Most of their players weren't even fully in the game yet and hadn't touched the ball before conceding a goal!
"Damn it, I underestimated how crazy that old man could be!"
Ancelotti muttered a self-reproachful curse under his breath. This was his mistake; he should have anticipated that Manchester City would do this.
"Arbeloa shouldn't have left his position!"
One of the assistant coaches said angrily.
"It wasn't Arbeloa's fault. Our defense was already pulled out of position by Lin Quan."
Ancelotti didn't blame Arbeloa. While he did have some responsibility, the biggest fault wasn't his.
Lin Quan passed when everyone thought he wouldn't and held the ball when everyone thought he would pass. This unexpected play caught Real Madrid's players off guard and led to their mistake.
The second half had just begun, and the players weren't fully in the game yet, so such mistakes were understandable.
But they couldn't afford to make any more errors. Ancelotti could barely accept a 3:2 score, but if Manchester City scored another and made it 4:2, Real Madrid would be in serious trouble!
Ancelotti hesitated. Should he change tactics and switch to a defensive counter-attack strategy instead of continuing to attack?
Ancelotti's team was very good at playing defensive counter-attacks, and with the defensive strength they had under Mourinho and himself, Manchester City would find it hard to score again.
If they switched to a defensive stance, they might be able to hold the score until the end, preventing Manchester City from extending their lead. Additionally, if Manchester City attacked too aggressively and lost the ball in midfield, Real Madrid could exploit their mistakes with a quick, threatening counter-attack.
Maybe they could even equalize the score?
Ancelotti was torn. He had promised his players to attack in the second half, and changing his mind now would leave them confused.
Ancelotti was right. After Manchester City scored, there was a division of opinion among the Real Madrid players.
Ronaldo, Bale, and other forwards wanted to attack immediately and equalize the score. But the defenders, shaken by Manchester City's aggressive play, wanted to stabilize the situation first before making any further moves.
This internal disagreement caused Real Madrid to become disjointed, failing to attack effectively and struggling to defend.
In contrast, after David Silva's goal, Manchester City was full of energy. The players became very active, launching fierce attacks on Real Madrid.
The home fans, seeing their team dominate the star-studded Real Madrid, were ecstatic, cheering louder and louder, creating an overwhelming atmosphere of support.
Buoyed by their fans, Manchester City completely controlled the game. From the start of the second half until the 55th minute, they kept Real Madrid pinned in their own half, unable to push past the midfield.
If not for the heroic efforts of Real Madrid's goalkeeper, Casillas, who made several crucial saves, they might have fallen far behind by now.
Seeing his team in danger, with their defense on the verge of collapse, Ancelotti finally made up his mind.
He started shouting instructions to his players to change tactics and drop back to play a defensive counter-attack.
This decision brought relief to Real Madrid's defenders. They felt they couldn't hold on much longer without this change.
However, stars like Ronaldo and Bale were visibly displeased upon hearing Ancelotti's orders.
Wasn't it supposed to be attacking football?
Why switch to a defensive counter-attack now?
Bale might have been slightly more accepting, but Ronaldo was clearly unhappy. Before Bale arrived, he was the key player in Real Madrid's counter-attacks. But after Bale came, he took on this role, thanks to his speed advantage in quick counter-attacks.
So, Ancelotti's adjustment greatly reduced Ronaldo's scoring chances while increasing opportunities for Bale!
In reality, Ronaldo was overthinking it. As soon as Real Madrid switched to a defensive counter-attack, Manchester City quickly adjusted their strategy too.
They moved from aggressive, wide-open attacks to controlling the tempo, keeping the ball securely at their feet, and denying Real Madrid any chance to counter-attack.
Seeing this, both Real Madrid's players on the field and their coaches on the sidelines couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.
If Manchester City's players were wearing red and blue jerseys, they might have mistaken them for Barcelona!
(End of chapter)
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