Chapter 382: Two Goals in Three Minutes, Crushing Bayern!
"Heynckes is really bold, playing so aggressively on an away game!"
At the end of the first half, the score was 0-0. During halftime, commentators and guests on various TV channels were discussing the match.
"Bayern's tactics seem to be working well. Their attacks have posed significant threats to Manchester City. If they manage to score, City will be in a very difficult position!"
"Yeah, away goals are crucial. I think that's why City didn't go all out in attack in the first half. They were probably afraid of conceding."
The commentators and guests believed that City was wary of Bayern scoring an away goal, which is why they didn't commit heavily to their attacks. Otherwise, with City's attacking prowess, the score wouldn't be 0-0.
This guess was both right and wrong. City indeed didn't want to concede an away goal, but it's not that they didn't attack at all in the first half. Heynckes' Bayern was not only strong in attack but also top-tier in defense. Their layered interception, retreating defense, and pressing made it difficult for City to create threatening opportunities.
If City didn't make adjustments in the second half, their attack would struggle. In matches between top teams, goals are inherently hard to come by. When both sides focus on defense, it's difficult to see the kind of lopsided scores that occur in regular matches. Bayern's 8-1 thrashing of Porto would never happen against City, just as City's typical six or seven-goal wins in the league wouldn't happen against Bayern. With the defensive quality shown in the first half, even two goals in the second half would be challenging.
During the halftime break, Guardiola made some tactical adjustments to address the issues City faced in the first half. He moved Kroos's position slightly back to reduce the pressure from Bayern's pressing. He also adjusted Lin Quan's positioning.
"Lin, in the second half, position yourself here more often," Guardiola indicated on the tactical board.
"Although Bayern's defense is strong, Xabi Alonso is carrying a yellow card and, given his age, his stamina will be a significant issue."
Bayern's overall stamina was better than City's, which was why they dominated in the first half. If one analyzed the running distance of both teams, Bayern's players probably covered 10-15 kilometers more than City's players in total, averaging about a kilometer more per player. This meant they effectively played with the intensity of an extra player on the field.
City couldn't keep up with this kind of running, which explained why they struggled. However, not all of Bayern's players could sustain this pace. Xabi Alonso, for example, at 34, couldn't be expected to play at full intensity for the entire match. Guardiola anticipated that Heynckes might substitute him in the second half. City needed to exploit Alonso's weakness before he was taken off.
Guardiola felt a bit grateful to Uli Hoeness. If it weren't for his insistence on selling Kroos, Bayern's current main defensive midfielder would undoubtedly be Kroos. While Kroos's defensive abilities might not be as strong as Alonso's, his youth meant better stamina and running capacity. By selling Kroos to City, Hoeness weakened Bayern while significantly strengthening City.
After the halftime break, the second half began. City noticeably ramped up their attack, especially Lin Quan, who became more active than in the first half. Bayern paid extra attention to Lin Quan, always assigning at least two players to mark him. However, unlike the first half, Lin Quan now operated in the area between Bayern's defensive and midfield lines. This put Bayern's defense in a dilemma. Assigning just a midfielder to mark him was risky, as a one-on-one defense might not be sufficient. But if both a defender and a midfielder marked him, it would disrupt their defensive layers, and a breakthrough by Lin Quan could easily lead to a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
This defensive dilemma affected Bayern's attacking rhythm. Due to Lin Quan's threat, Bayern's full-backs hesitated to press forward aggressively, fearing they might leave gaps for City's counter-attacks. Consequently, Bayern's attacking threat diminished, reducing the pressure on City's defense and allowing them to commit more players to counter-attacks.
In the 55th minute, after dribbling past Xabi Alonso and playing a one-two with De Bruyne, Lin Quan broke into the box and fired a shot just before the defender could intercept. Neuer was alert and managed to save it with one hand. The shot was dangerous, and without Neuer's heroics, Bayern might have conceded.
It was a dangerous shot, and if not for Neuer's quick reflexes, Bayern's goal might have been breached already. Lin's attempt left Bayern fans on edge, reminding them of the fear Lin had instilled in them before. This guy held a record of scoring in every match he played against Bayern—he was Bayern's most feared opponent, without a doubt!
Heynckes , though slightly worried, didn't order his players to retreat. Against a team with City's offensive firepower, playing too defensively would eventually lead to conceding. Only by constantly applying pressure on City could Bayern hope to win.
Now, it was a matter of which side would score first.
Bayern could afford to lose away, but City absolutely couldn't lose at home. Therefore, Guardiola was the one under more pressure to act first!
Bayern quickly launched a counterattack in the 67th minute. Ribéry dribbled down the left flank, with left-back Alaba overlapping decisively behind him. After being stopped by Zabaleta, Ribéry half-turned and passed back to Alaba, who quickly returned the ball to Ribéry. Using Alaba's support, Ribéry escaped Zabaleta's challenge and, with his powerful acceleration, moved ahead and cut into the middle.
In the box, Lewandowski signaled for the ball, but Ribéry passed it to his old partner, Robben.
This time, Robben didn't pass. He executed his signature move: cutting inside and shooting. The whole world knew what Robben was going to do, but no one could stop him.
Kolarov couldn't prevent Robben from shooting; all he could do was try to disrupt him with his body. After taking his shot, Robben locked his eyes on City's goal, confident that his shot was on target and might go in.
When he saw that stretched-out figure in front of Manchester City's goal, he couldn't help but swing his fist in frustration.
"Damn it, why is it him again?"
Navas had denied Robben's shot!
It was a beautiful save, showcasing Navas's status as the best goalkeeper in La Liga.
Facing the best goalkeeper from the Bundesliga, Navas's even better performance had given him the upper hand.
"That goalkeeper is too annoying! He's stopped two of our sure goals!"
Bayern fans gritted their teeth in frustration after seeing Navas save Robben's shot.
Bayern's chances to score had already been limited, and with Navas playing so well, he repeatedly blocked their certain goals.
Their long-awaited goal still hadn't come.
"But it's okay, from the way things are going, we're not being overpowered. Manchester City can't handle our attacks. The next shot might go in!"
Bayern fans were spot-on with their prediction, as the deadlock on the field was soon broken.
However, the goal wasn't Bayern's—it was Manchester City's.
In the 69th minute, Kanté tackled Müller, and Manchester City quickly launched a counterattack.
The ball soon found its way to Lin Quan's feet. After receiving it, he dodged Xabi Alonso's interception, got past Boateng, who was the last line of defense, and found himself one-on-one with Bayern's goalkeeper, Neuer.
Neuer remembered his previous encounters with Lin Quan. In this situation, he was torn between rushing out or staying back, hesitating for just a moment, and Lin Quan took the shot.
Though Neuer moved to make the save, he was just a fraction too slow. The ball grazed his fingertips and flew into Bayern's net!
The score was now 1-0, and Manchester City, playing at home, had finally taken the lead!
As Lin Quan's goal went in, the Etihad Stadium erupted with a thunderous roar of cheers.
Manchester City fans, who had been holding back for over an hour, could finally release their pent-up emotions.
"Well done!"
On the sideline, Guardiola was as excited as a child. He slid across the ground in celebration, not caring at all about the brand-new suit he was wearing that day.
Guardiola had every reason to be so thrilled!
This goal was crucial, coming at such a pivotal moment!
The match was nearing the 70-minute mark, and Manchester City, who had been playing back-to-back matches, were about to hit their physical limits.
In a game where players' stamina was rapidly depleting, a goal like this was a huge boost, like a shot of adrenaline. It would greatly lift their spirits and help them push through the fatigue.
Moreover, scoring first gave them a psychological advantage.
Bayern's morale would inevitably take a hit, and Manchester City could potentially ride this wave of momentum, pressing on to possibly widen the lead!
Against a top team like Bayern, a one-goal lead wasn't safe.
Not to mention that when they got to the Allianz Arena, Bayern's attack would be even more ferocious. But even in this match, with over 20 minutes remaining, Bayern's terrifying offensive power still gave them plenty of chances to equalize.
If Bayern managed to equalize, Manchester City's hopes of advancing would become very slim.
Heynckes , Bayern's coach, couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and called over Martínez from the bench to start warming up for a substitution.
Although they had only conceded one goal, Heynckes had already seen the defensive problem within his team.
Since Xabi Alonso had picked up a yellow card, he hadn't dared to go in for tackles when defending.
Coupled with his declining stamina, Alonso had now become a defensive liability for Bayern.
If he wasn't subbed out quickly, Manchester City might exploit this weakness further.
The reason Alonso hadn't been substituted earlier was because he was Bayern's midfield commander, crucial to their attack.
However, Martínez was a defensive midfielder with far less playmaking ability. Substituting him in would weaken Bayern's attacking strength.
But they couldn't wait any longer—the defensive midfield position was too important. If they didn't make an adjustment soon, they risked conceding another goal.
Heynckes intuition was spot-on!
In the 72nd minute, just as Martínez had finished warming up and was waiting on the sideline for a dead ball to be substituted in, the situation on the field took a dramatic turn. Manchester City scored their second goal!
Once again, the scorer was Lin Quan, and the goal was strikingly similar to the first one.
Once again, Bayern's midfield failed to intercept in time, giving Lin Quan the chance to surge forward. He weaved through Bayern's defense, cutting them open, and netted his second goal.
When Manchester City scored their first goal, Bayern's situation was only slightly disadvantageous—they could still accept it.
But now, Lin Quan's second goal was simply too much for Bayern to bear!
If Bayern couldn't score within the next 10 minutes, even in the second leg back at their home stadium, facing a top-tier team like Manchester City, they wouldn't have the confidence to score two goals.
And if Bayern couldn't get an away goal in this match, in the next game, if City scored even once, it would spell disaster for them.
So, with Lin Quan's second goal, the situation had suddenly turned very unfavorable for Bayern.
Heynckes could smell the scent of defeat!
"When you get on the pitch, mark Lin Quan tightly! Don't give him any more chances!"
Heynckes's face was grim as he gave Martínez a single instruction.
The current scoreline was already highly disadvantageous, and they couldn't afford to let Manchester City score again.
Only by shutting down Lin Quan and solving their defensive problems could Bayern send more players forward to attack.
After Martínez came on, Bayern's midfield did become more solid.
With their defense stabilized, Bayern launched their most ferocious attacks on Manchester City in the final minutes of the game.
Guardiola saw that Bayern was going all out, so he quickly made substitutions.
In the 82nd, 85th, and 88th minutes, he replaced Kroos, De Bruyne, and Agüero with defensive players.
These substitutions were not only to strengthen the defense but also to waste time, giving Manchester City's players, whose stamina was nearly exhausted, some time to catch their breath.
The substituted players knew exactly what Guardiola's intentions were, so they took their time walking off the pitch, delaying as much as possible.
Bayern's players protested to the referee, but the referee pointed to his watch, indicating he would add extra stoppage time accordingly.
True to his word, when regular time ended, the referee added a whopping seven minutes of injury time.
This sparked strong dissatisfaction from the Manchester City fans, whose boos filled the stadium.
However, despite the extended stoppage time, Bayern still couldn't break through Manchester City's defense.
The first leg of the Champions League semifinal between Manchester City and Bayern ended with a 2-0 scoreline!
(End of chapter)