Chapter 376: The Whirlwind Boy of Juventus Stadium!
"Is Manchester City's number 13 one of our Frenchmen?"
After unexpectedly discovering the gem that is Kanté, Deschamps quickly asked his assistant for confirmation. Kanté had played for lower-ranked teams with weak performances, and he himself wasn't very well-known, so the French national team didn't have much information about him.
The assistant looked up some information and confirmed that Kanté was indeed French.
"Great! Add his name to the next national team training camp. We're in need of a defensive midfielder, and he fits perfectly!"
Deschamps couldn't wait to see Kanté's performance with the national team. If he performed well, Deschamps' ideal lineup would be close to completion.
As the second half began, both Manchester City and Juventus chose to speed up the game. Clearly, neither side was satisfied with the current score.
Juventus focused their attacks on the wings, frequently using their full-backs to create pressure on Manchester City's goal.
In the 58th minute, Juventus sent another cross from the left. Morata got to the ball but his header was saved by Navas.
Manchester City quickly launched a counterattack, passing the ball swiftly to Lin Quan. He evaded Vidal's pressure and drove the ball towards the penalty area. Chiellini immediately abandoned Agüero and rushed towards Lin Quan.
The two had faced off in the Confederations Cup before, where Chiellini had failed to stop Lin Quan.
Learning from that experience, Chiellini didn't rush in but held his position, preventing Lin Quan from easily breaking through.
Seeing Chiellini restrict Lin Quan, Buffon gave his teammate a thumbs up in his mind.
Well done, Giorgio!
However, Chiellini's positioning only delayed Lin Quan's advance, not stopping him completely.
Lin Quan used a feint to shift Chiellini's balance, quickly moving the ball sideways. David Silva came up from the wing, and Lin Quan discreetly passed the ball to him, then darted forward, faking a breakthrough.
Chiellini took the bait and chased Lin Quan.
But after two steps, he realized in horror that the ball wasn't at Lin Quan's feet. Where was it?
Bang!
A muffled sound came from behind Chiellini. Seeing Lin Quan draw away the defenders, Silva decisively shot.
The shot was very sudden, and with Lin Quan and Chiellini blocking the view, Buffon didn't see it in time.
But Buffon, the world's best goalkeeper, managed to make an effective save thanks to his excellent positioning.
The ball was saved!
Juventus fans breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Buffon save the shot. Lin Quan's dribbling had really scared them.
Fortunately, Chiellini had tightly marked Lin Quan, preventing him from shooting. If Lin Quan had taken that shot, the outcome might have been different.
David Silva shook his head in disbelief. He thought the shot was a sure goal, but Buffon had saved it. Truly, Buffon lived up to his reputation.
Having survived a scare, Juventus immediately counterattacked from the wings with another cross into the box for their forwards to contest.
Their attack strategy seemed somewhat one-dimensional compared to Manchester City's.
It wasn't that Allegri only knew this one tactic; he had other attacking strategies. But against Manchester City, those tactics weren't effective because City's midfield was too strong defensively.
City's defensive midfielders, Fernandinho and Kanté, covered a lot of ground and were very effective defensively.
Nine out of ten of Juventus' midfield attacks were thwarted by these two, forcing them to rely on wing play. However, with the defensive midfielders covering, Juventus' full-backs could only dribble to the byline without cutting inside for shots.
These crosses looked promising but were highly inefficient against City's tight marking, resulting in repeated failed attempts.
Juventus couldn't create effective attacks, and Manchester City also struggled to break down Juventus' defense. Italian teams are known for their strong defensive play, and Juventus' four midfielders had great stamina and coverage.
As a result, both teams relied on wing play, but Manchester City's wingers could cut inside and shoot, unlike Juventus'.
As the game progressed, City's wing attacks became more threatening, putting Juventus at a disadvantage.
In the 71st minute, City launched another counterattack. Lin Quan and De Bruyne executed a one-two pass, and Lin Quan cut inside. This time, Chiellini couldn't get close enough to mark him. Lin Quan accelerated, executing a rapid dribble move to bypass Chiellini and enter the penalty area.
Lin Quan aimed at the goal and shot. Buffon judged the direction correctly and dove, but the ball deflected off Bonucci's leg and flew into the net from another angle.
Buffon and Bonucci were both stunned!
Lin Quan hesitated for a moment but then sprinted around the field in celebration upon seeing the ball in the net.
"Well done!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola clenched his fists, half-raised in anticipation. When Lin Quan scored, he let out a triumphant yell, pumping his fist in excitement.
This away goal was crucial for Manchester City. With it, they took the lead in the two-leg match, greatly increasing their chances of reaching the semifinals.
With little time left in the match, if Juventus didn't equalize, City's chances of advancing would exceed 70%.
"Attack! Full-out attack!"
The goal drove Allegri crazy. This was their home ground, and Juventus couldn't accept losing at home. They had no choice but to go all out in attack.
Proving their strength, Juventus pressed forward with relentless attacks. City felt immense pressure as Juventus' offensive became more aggressive, with tougher challenges and more decisive fouls.
City's players were exhausted from the Manchester derby and the travel. After over 70 minutes of intense play, their stamina waned, weakening their midfield control.
With Juventus gaining control of the midfield, Pirlo began to shine.
In the 75th minute, Pirlo, as if waking up from a nap, lifted his head to survey the positioning of the players in the attacking half. He then sent a long pass forward. The pass was incredibly creative, and Morata, a smart player, understood Pirlo's intent. He quickly made a run, getting behind the defenders to receive the ball.
With a burst of speed, Morata found himself in the penalty box, one-on-one with the keeper.
Navas had sensed the danger the moment Pirlo made the pass and immediately decided to charge out. This decision saved his team.
Facing the onrushing Navas, Morata didn't have much time to think. He had to switch the ball to his left foot and aim for a spot Navas couldn't reach. For most players, this would be a difficult shot, but Morata was equally strong with both feet.
His left-footed shot was extremely threatening. Navas dove but couldn't touch the ball. However, Morata aimed too precisely, and the ball narrowly missed the post.
A collective sigh echoed through the stadium. Juventus fans held their heads in disbelief and frustration. Morata, seeing the ball miss, fell to his knees in the penalty area, pounding the grass in frustration, blaming himself for trying to be too precise.
Behind him, Pirlo also shook his head. He missed his old teammates from Milan who were more clinical in front of goal. Not all number 9s were the same, even if they wore the same number.
It seemed Morata wasn't the only one who forgot his shooting boots. In fact, Morata's performance was the best among them.
In the 81st minute, Tévez had a one-on-one chance, but his shot was saved by Navas. In the 83rd minute, Pogba's long-range shot from outside the box flew over the bar.
For a while, Juventus surrounded Manchester City's goal, creating a siege. Unfortunately, despite their dominance, they couldn't score. They kept wasting chances, failing to change the scoreline.
Seeing his players struggling with fatigue, Guardiola made decisive substitutions.
In the 78th minute, he brought on Fernando for Agüero to strengthen the midfield defense. In the 81st minute, he replaced the exhausted De Bruyne with Milner. In the 87th minute, Guardiola subbed in Rüdiger for Kompany.
With these substitutions, Manchester City's defense became more solid. Despite Juventus' relentless attacks, City's defense stood firm like a rock in a storm. Juventus' attacks were continuously thwarted, and time was running out.
As the first leg of the match neared its end, Juventus players grew increasingly anxious. If they couldn't score soon, they would lose not just the match but also their hopes of advancing. So, all their players, except the goalkeeper, pushed forward, increasing their attacking intensity.
Facing Juventus' all-out assault, Kanté's defensive performance was outstanding. He repeatedly made crucial tackles against Pogba, Vidal, and Pirlo. Pogba, still recovering from an injury, wasn't at his best, and Kanté's relentless pressure capitalized on his slightest mistakes.
On the sidelines, Guardiola admired Kanté's performance more and more. He saw Kanté as a rough diamond, with strong defensive skills. With some training and development of his offensive abilities, Kanté could become the backbone of Manchester City's midfield in the future.
Deschamps, the French national team coach, was also deeply impressed. He couldn't believe this talent had come from a relegation-battling team. Why had he never noticed Kanté's potential before?
Deschamps reflected on his oversight. Most of the French national players were chosen from domestic leagues, so he watched a lot of Ligue 1 and even Ligue 2 matches but missed discovering Kanté. This was clearly a failure on his part.
He admired Guardiola's keen eye and boldness to bring Kanté to the Premier League, providing him a stage to showcase his talents.
Deschamps thought about visiting Manchester City to observe the players under the guise of scouting for the national team. He wanted to discuss with Guardiola and learn from him.
In the 92nd minute of stoppage time, Kanté intercepted the ball from Pogba again. Without pausing to survey his teammates' positions, he kicked the ball long to clear it, hoping to relieve the pressure.
However, someone had different plans!
A figure sprinted towards the ball's path, gaining speed. Juventus fans recognized the jersey number and gasped.
"Stop him!"
"Foul him quickly!"
"Don't let him pass!"
The player charging towards the ball was none other than Lin Quan!
Besides the recently substituted players, most of the starters were exhausted. Only Lin Quan had the energy for such a sprint.
Seeing Lin Quan racing towards their goal, Juventus players were terrified and scrambled to retreat.
From Manchester City, Milner and Fernando, the freshest players, sprinted to support Lin Quan.
However, Lin Quan didn't need much support. He could handle it alone!
The closest player to the ball for Juventus was their goalkeeper Buffon.
Buffon decided to charge towards the ball instead of retreating to the goal. He calculated that he was closer to the ball than the goal and could intercept it before Lin Quan could shoot from long range.
Thus, a high-speed duel began between Manchester City's forward and Juventus' goalkeeper.
Buffon had the closer starting position but reacted later. Lin Quan quickly took the lead, poking the ball past Buffon and sprinting around him, avoiding any chance of a foul. He continued chasing the ball.
Juventus Stadium fell silent. Tens of thousands of fans were struck dumb, many closing their eyes in despair, unable to watch the inevitable outcome.