Chapter 280: The Fatal Strike at the Estadio da Luz, Manchester City 1-0 Atletico Madrid!
Taking advantage of a stoppage in play, Pellegrini called Zabaleta over and gave him some instructions.
Zabaleta nodded repeatedly, and soon Simeone noticed that Manchester City's attacking strategy had changed.
Now, when their two midfielders gained possession, if there wasn't a clear passing opportunity to the forwards, they would pass the ball to the full-backs to handle it.
This choice gave Manchester City better attacking options as Atletico's players found it difficult to press the full-backs immediately, allowing them more space to maneuver.
After this adjustment by Pellegrini, Manchester City's attacking threat began to increase.
In the 52nd minute, after Fernandinho intercepted the ball, he passed to Zabaleta. Zabaleta dribbled a few steps forward and passed back to Fernandinho before the Atletico players could press him.
Fernandinho then passed to Lin Quan, who attracted the opponents' attention before passing to Aguero.
The ball moved in a zigzag pattern down Manchester City's right side, ending up at the forward's feet.
These rapid passes outpaced Atletico's players, even though they were pushing their speed to the limit.
At this moment, Aguero received the ball with only Atletico's defender Godin near him. On his right, Lin Quan was sprinting towards Atletico's penalty area, and on the left, David Silva was doing the same.
Atletico's defenders were rushing back to defend, creating a high-stakes race against Manchester City's attackers.
"This is dangerous! Manchester City's attack from the flank is fast, and Atletico's defense is under tremendous threat!" Commentators around the world raised their voices instinctively.
At first, Manchester City's attack seemed unremarkable, but once they reached the front line, the threat became evident.
With a three-on-three situation up front due to high pressing, most of Atletico's players couldn't return to defend in time.
Though Manchester City didn't have a numerical advantage, their three players were exceptionally skilled.
The fewer players there are, the less impact tactics have, and individual skills become more critical.
Seeing Manchester City's attack, Simeone felt his heart race with a bad premonition.
Godin discreetly bumped into Aguero, trying to push him off balance and steal the ball.
As the last defender, he couldn't risk an obvious foul that would at least earn him a yellow card, or even a red card and expulsion.
Aguero staggered but managed to pass to Lin Quan before losing control of the ball.
As soon as Lin Quan got the ball, he sensed someone rushing from behind. Without looking back, he guessed it was Atletico's full-back, Filipe.
Not giving Filipe a chance to tackle him, Lin Quan quickly cut inside towards Atletico's penalty area.
Filipe had to follow him inside, and Godin, seeing Aguero's pass, left him to another defender, Miranda, and moved to double-team Lin Quan with Filipe.
In a three-on-three situation, the defense is passive but not without hope.
With only one ball in play, forcing the ball handler to pass can give defenders time to double-team the pass recipient.
Especially in a central attack, passing to a wide player limits options: shoot immediately or pass back to the center.
Meanwhile, most of Atletico's players were retreating, so if Manchester City didn't quickly finish this attack, the threat would diminish with every second.
A few seconds later, it would turn into a set-piece battle, which Atletico's defense could handle easily.
By forcing Aguero to pass, the situation started to favor Atletico.
If Godin and Filipe could delay Lin Quan even briefly, their teammates could return, neutralizing the threat.
The pressure was now on Lin Quan. If he got stopped, Manchester City's attack would fail, and Atletico wouldn't give them such an opportunity again.
The game might then revert to a stalemate!
But if he could break through and capitalize on this attack, the game's dynamics could change completely.
At this moment, all eyes in the Estadio da Luz were on Lin Quan.
Everyone waited for his decision!
In the stands, Guardiola's family watched Lin Quan's every move with bated breath.
Though not playing himself, Guardiola felt a shared pressure and concern.
Thinking of the immense challenge and pressure Lin Quan faced, he couldn't help but feel anxious for him.
In the VIP box, Mendes, Ronaldo, and Mourinho also stopped their conversation and looked towards the pitch.
Mendes had high hopes, having heard a lot about Lin Quan's reputation. He was curious and eager to see more from this young rising star.
Regrettably, he hadn't been able to sign Lin Quan last year. Otherwise, he would have two of the world's top three players under his management!
Seeing Lin Quan on the field, Ronaldo recalled watching Spain vs. France in the World Cup qualifiers two years ago when he first noticed Lin Quan.
In just two short years, Lin Quan had grown from an unknown to a top player.
Ronaldo felt immense pressure from this rapid rise.
If Lin Quan could lead his team to victory today, he might even contend for this year's Ballon d'Or!
Mourinho watched with a pure appreciation, observing Lin Quan's every move.
Last year, Mourinho had collected many tapes and analyzed Lin Quan's playing style extensively to try to sign him.
Among the three in the box, Mourinho might know Lin Quan best.
However, after a year in the Premier League and Champions League, Lin Quan's style had evolved.
In Werder Bremen, he was purely an attacker, showing great dribbling and shooting from the wing.
At Manchester City, due to their strong attacking firepower, Lin Quan played less on the wing and more in roles like a second striker or attacking midfielder, focusing more on organizing play.
Now back on the wing, it felt like he had returned to his early days, making Mourinho sure Lin Quan would try to dribble past the defenders.
True enough, seeing Godin approaching, Lin Quan quickly assessed the situation.
He shifted left, seemingly moving towards the center.
Godin and Filipe adjusted accordingly, but then Lin Quan feinted left and moved right to break through.
Godin hurriedly turned and reached to grab Lin Quan, trying to prevent him from getting past.
But Lin Quan's move was a fake, and Godin fell for it!
Seeing his teammate fooled, Filipe panicked and pushed Lin Quan hard from behind, hoping to use a tactical foul to stop the attack.
Though he might get a yellow card, it was better than conceding a goal.
However, Lin Quan had anticipated this move.
As Filipe pushed, Lin Quan had already passed the ball.
Feeling the push, Lin Quan staggered forward.
It all happened in a flash. Aguero had just passed the ball, and less than two seconds later, it was back to him.
However, by the time Aguero received the ball, another Atletico defender, Miranda, had already rushed up.
Aguero still had no space to shoot, but he had developed a strong understanding with Lin Quan.
Instead of shooting, Aguero made a quick through pass, completing a one-two with Lin Quan.
Lin Quan, who had regained his balance after a few stumbling steps, entered the penalty area just as Aguero's pass arrived—perfect timing!
Courtois now knew who would take the final shot. Without hesitation, he rushed out from the goal, arms wide, to confront Lin Quan.
Undoubtedly, this was a one-on-one situation.
Courtois couldn't rely on any teammates; he had to stop the shot on his own.
But could he do it?
He had studied Lin Quan's one-on-one success rate before the match, and the results were discouraging!
Lin Quan's success rate in one-on-ones was over 90%, with less than one mistake in ten attempts.
So, being forced into a one-on-one already indicated a defensive failure for Atletico!
Though Courtois was giving his all, he had little confidence.
However, all the Atletico fans and coaching staff pinned their hopes on him.
They hoped Courtois could perform a miracle and once again help the team guard the goal, resolving this crisis!
But no miracle occurred!
Seeing Courtois rushing out, Lin Quan dribbled past him with ease.
Courtois quickly extended his leg to block, but he was a step too slow. He could only watch helplessly as the ball slid past his side.
After dribbling past Courtois, Lin Quan glanced at the ball.
Once he confirmed it would roll into Atletico's goal, he didn't waste time shooting again but spread his arms and sprinted along the goal line!
Boom!
The roar at the Estadio da Luz exploded like a depth charge, sending the entire stadium into a frenzy.
Countless Manchester City fans cried with joy, hugging each other excitedly!
We're leading!
We finally scored!
On the sidelines, the Manchester City coaching staff went wild after seeing the breakthrough. They ran out, celebrating with hugs and fist pumps.
Pellegrini nearly tripped while running out but didn't care at all, leaping into the arms of his colleagues and assistants in celebration.
In the stands near the pitch, Guardiola's heart clenched as he watched Lin Quan stumble after being fouled by the defender, almost falling.
Like many fans, he thought Lin Quan would lose balance and miss this chance.
However, Lin Quan didn't fall. Instead, he stood firm and, at the critical moment, dribbled past the goalkeeper and scored!
It sounds easy, but it was incredibly difficult!
The defender's shove must have used a lot of force, making it hard for Lin Quan to maintain his balance.
The goalkeeper's timely rush left Lin Quan very little time to react and adjust.
In such a short time, even if most players managed to get the ball, they wouldn't have time to adjust. They'd either shoot hastily and be blocked by the goalkeeper or lose the opportunity entirely.
But none of that happened!
In a split second, Lin Quan balanced himself and shot.
Moreover, the final move was so effortlessly executed.
Courtois surely didn't expect such a skillful dribble leading to the goal!
Seeing this, Guardiola smiled, the frustration from being scoreless in the previous two games against Atletico fading away.
Hey, I might not score, but my boy can!
He avenged me!
In the VIP box, Mendes, Ronaldo, and Mourinho couldn't help but praise the goal inwardly.
Ronaldo sighed, knowing that even he might not have handled the situation better. He might not have scored at all.
Mourinho led the applause, thinking, this kid hasn't let me down and performed even better than expected!
This match is going to be tough for Atletico!
Mendes also applauded, looking at Lin Quan with even more admiration.
Lin Quan is only 18, while Ronaldo is 29. If he could sign Lin Quan, he'd have the top player in football for the next decade!
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