Chapter 386: Manchester City vs Bayern: 4 Goals in 20 Minutes, a Crazy Goal Battle!
From the start, Manchester City went head-to-head with Bayern Munich, surprising everyone who thought they would play defensively.
"Is City crazy? They actually dare to go toe-to-toe with Bayern at Allianz Arena?" "Don't they know what happens when you play offensively against Bayern at their home ground?"
This aggressive choice shocked everyone. Before the game, most people thought Guardiola would adopt a defensive strategy against Bayern, but he chose to be aggressive.
"No wonder Guardiola is so bold!" "Definitely bold. He said he would go head-to-head with Bayern at Allianz Arena, and he actually did it!" "I think Mourinho's 'Special One' title should go to Guardiola!" "Haha, Mourinho is just loud with his words, but his tactics are always super defensive. Guardiola, on the other hand, always brings something unexpected in major games. This kind of fearless innovation deserves the 'Special One' title!"
Fans didn't care about the risks. Seeing City decide to go on the offensive against Bayern, many cheered for Guardiola. This is what makes top-tier teams exciting—an all-out attacking game! Those defense-heavy matches, where hardly any goals are scored, are so boring compared to an exhilarating goal-fest.
Knowing City's offensive strategy, more and more fans were drawn to the match. The global live viewership skyrocketed, quickly surpassing 500 million, almost breaking Champions League viewership records.
On the pitch, both teams immediately pushed the game to its limit, with lightning-fast attacks. One moment it was Bayern on the attack, and in the blink of an eye, City was countering at Bayern's goal.
This high-tempo play created many chances for both sides. In the 2nd minute, Kanté intercepted the ball and passed to De Bruyne, who then fed it to Lin Quan. Lin Quan broke down the flank and crossed to Agüero, who beat the offside trap and burst into the box, shooting from 10 yards out. Neuer made a fantastic save, denying Agüero's powerful shot.
City's ensuing corner didn't result in a goal, and Bayern quickly countered. Robben broke down the flank and passed to an advancing Müller, who cut inside from the left and laid it off. Thiago's 12-yard shot was blocked by a sliding Van Dijk.
This rapid back-and-forth thrilled neutral fans. This was the Champions League semi-final they wanted to see! Both Bayern and City fans were on edge, hearts pounding, afraid to miss any moment that could lead to a goal.
The fans were right—goals came quickly. In the 7th minute, Xabi Alonso's long shot was parried by Navas, earning Bayern a corner. Alonso took it himself, carefully eyeing the players' positions before signaling and sending the ball into the box.
Amidst the chaos of players jostling and tussling, an unmarked Bayern player dashed in from outside the box and headed the ball into the net—Benatia! Bayern's center-back Benatia scored from a well-executed corner routine, with Alonso targeting an unguarded spot for Benatia to exploit. Navas's quick reaction wasn't enough to keep the ball out, and City found themselves 0-1 down.
The aggregate score now stood at 2-1, with City holding a slim one-goal lead. But Bayern had clawed back one goal in just seven minutes, leaving City's lead precarious with over eighty minutes to play. Few believed City could maintain this narrow advantage, especially since they were playing an attacking game against Bayern.
As Bayern's fans celebrated wildly, City fans looked on in stunned silence, worry etched on their faces. At the Allianz Arena, such an early goal for the home team spelled trouble for City.
On the sidelines, Bayern's coaching staff were jubilant, with even Heynckes pumping his fist in excitement. Meanwhile, Guardiola frowned. Conceding a goal at the Allianz Arena was expected, but doing so this early could spell trouble, boosting Bayern's momentum for more relentless attacks that City might struggle to repel.
Guardiola quickly made defensive adjustments, instructing his players to better guard against Bayern's corner routines. One mistake was enough; they couldn't afford another.
Bayern's side assumed Guardiola was changing tactics to be more defensive. But to their surprise, after Guardiola's instructions, City didn't ease up their attack but instead intensified it, sending more players forward.
Heynckes couldn't help but respect Guardiola's resolve, regardless of the tactical prudence—this boldness was rare. Bayern's goal had energized them, and they launched wave after wave of attacks on City. But City, undeterred, defended staunchly and counterattacked fiercely.
Despite Bayern's tight defense and relentless pressing, City created several chances but struggled to convert them into goals. In the 13th minute, Ribéry received a pass from Schweinsteiger near the penalty area, drawing defenders before passing to Thomas Müller.
Müller dribbled into the box, but Van Dijk's solid defending cut off his passing options. In a near-impossible situation, Müller used a backheel flick to set up Lewandowski inside the box. Lewandowski, with minimal space and angle, faked out Kompany and spun to fire a half-turn shot into the bottom right corner.
2:0!
Bayern got off to a dream start, leveling the aggregate score within just 13 minutes.
After scoring, Lewandowski excitedly ran to the south stand, taking off his shirt to celebrate and greet the Bayern fans. Lewandowski had already been a top striker in the Bundesliga during his time at Borussia Dortmund. However, since joining Bayern, he has undoubtedly become the best striker in the league.
This season, under Heynckes, he has not only dominated the Bundesliga but also performed brilliantly in the Champions League. With this goal, his tally in the Champions League this season reached 10 goals, placing him second on the top scorers list, only behind Lin Quan.
If Bayern wins this match, leading his team to victory over Lin Quan's Manchester City, Lewandowski has a strong chance of elevating his status from the best striker in the Bundesliga to the best striker in Europe.
For Lewandowski, achieving this goal seems very close!
Bayern's consecutive goals made the fans at Allianz Arena ecstatic. They could already envision Manchester City bowing down before them and proudly advancing to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
"Ha, Guardiola's City is nothing special!" "I think he can lose the title of world-class coach from today on. He's just a mediocrity who rode on the success of peak Barcelona, without any exceptional skills!" "Well said. He doesn't even have basic judgment as a coach. How can such a person be called a top coach?" "From the moment City dared to play offensively against us at Allianz Arena, they were destined to lose!" "Guardiola really doesn't know his limits. Doesn't he, as a former Bayern coach, know how strong Bayern is at Allianz Arena?" "Maybe, during his time coaching Bayern, the home strength wasn't as dominant, giving him the illusion that he could win at Allianz Arena?"
After Bayern equalized, their fans completely discredited Guardiola. In their eyes, Heynckes catching up in just 13 minutes proved he was infinitely superior to Guardiola. They believed Guardiola's success was merely due to his time with a peak Barcelona team.
Neutral fans, although not mocking, began doubting Guardiola and City's strength. How could such a strong advantage be squandered in just 13 minutes? Was Bayern too strong, or was City too weak?
But City has world-class coach Guardiola and superstar Lin Quan. Such a luxurious lineup shouldn't be weak, right? Many turned skeptical eyes towards City's bench, questioning Guardiola's abilities. If City suffered a heavy defeat at Allianz Arena, could Guardiola still be considered a world-class coach?
On the sidelines, Guardiola was concerned after the first goal but became entirely calm after the second. With both teams back to square one, it was now a test of resilience!
Bayern had shown their hand; now it was time for them to witness City's tactics! Guardiola signaled his players to push forward. Upon seeing his gesture, City quickly adjusted. Lin Quan moved to the right wing and stayed there as a right winger. De Bruyne and Kroos also shifted towards the right, supplying Lin Quan with ammunition.
City's attacks began focusing on the right flank, catching Bayern's attention as their left-side defense quickly got overwhelmed. Lin Quan's breakthroughs on the wing were unstoppable; no one could defend him one-on-one. If Bayern committed multiple players to stop him, their attack would suffer, and their defense would have gaps.
Lin Quan was not just a dribbler; his passing was excellent. Exploiting Bayern's defensive gaps with deadly passes could easily lead to goals. The impact of this adjustment was immediate. In the 15th minute, Lin Quan broke through and sent a through ball. Agüero, timing his run perfectly, unselfishly passed across the goal, allowing Lin Quan to easily score into an open net.
City pulled one back, making it 1-2! The aggregate score was now 3-2!
This crucial goal not only stopped City's downward spiral but also gave them a valuable away goal. Although they were leading by just one goal, the away goal meant Bayern now needed at least two more goals to advance. In essence, this goal was worth two.
Bayern's hard-earned two goals were undone by Lin Quan's strike. But it wasn't over yet. Before Bayern could adjust, City exploited the left-side weakness again. In the 19th minute, Kroos delivered a long pass to Lin Quan on the right. Lin Quan crossed the ball, evading Boateng, and David Silva, from 10 yards out, struck it into the bottom left corner!
2-2!
City had equalized, and the aggregate score now stood at 4-2! City regained a two-goal cushion and, with two away goals, Bayern now needed at least three more goals to advance. Three goals seemed possible for Bayern's powerful attack, given they scored twice in the first 13 minutes. However, the challenge was how to stop City from scoring more goals. If Bayern scored one and City also scored, the gap would remain unbridgeable.