Chapter 387: Scoring Three Goals and Parading Like a King at the Allianz Arena!
The game's situation changed rapidly. Ten minutes ago, Bayern's fans were confident, thinking the match was secure. Some even fantasized about winning four or five goals against Manchester City at home. But Manchester City's counterattack shattered their illusions.
Bayern's fans began to realize that Manchester City wasn't so easy to deal with.
"Guardiola putting Lin Quan on the right wing as a forward is a stroke of genius!"
"I never expected Lin Quan to be so threatening as a winger. Bayern just can't stop City's attacks!"
"Haha, back in his Bundesliga days, Lin Quan played as a right winger. It's just that after joining City, he became a free-roaming forward, so everyone forgot he had this skill!"
Bayern's coaching staff began to worry about how to handle Manchester City's wing attacks. City had now scored two valuable away goals and held a two-goal aggregate lead. If City continued scoring, Bayern would have no chance.
"Tell Alaba not to push too far forward during attacks and to always keep an eye on their right winger. Cut off his connections with teammates and don't let him get the ball!"
Heynckes recognized the threat posed by Lin Quan on the wing. If Bayern were leading, he would have assigned more players to defend and limit Lin Quan. But now, Bayern needed to attack heavily and didn't have extra players to mark Lin Quan. Thus, they had to balance offense and defense.
Bayern needed goals, and quickly. The longer it took, the lower their chances of winning. The players knew their team's situation and launched even more aggressive attacks after restarting the game.
Lewandowski, who had celebrated wildly after his goal, thinking he was the hero, became even more active. He ran and pulled defenders in the penalty area, trying to create space and shooting opportunities.
Lewandowski was determined not to lose and to reach the Champions League final to fulfill his dream of winning the championship. Plus, having already celebrated, it would be embarrassing not to win the game.
His active performance created many problems for City's defense. Seeing his efforts, Bayern players passed to him, hoping he would save the team.
In the 25th minute, Lahm sent a diagonal pass from the left wing. Lewandowski outjumped Kompany and headed the ball towards the top left corner. It was almost a sure goal, but Navas had anticipated Lewandowski's intention and made an incredible save!
The Allianz Arena was stunned. Both Bayern and City fans were amazed by Navas's miraculous save. Was this even a humanly possible save?
"Well done, Keylor!"
"Great save!"
City defenders thanked their goalkeeper for the fantastic save. Without Navas, Bayern would have scored again.
"This guy's shooting is strong. Don't give him too many chances!" Navas, despite the save, was wary of Lewandowski's ability. Such a world-class player needed to be taken seriously, or he would make them pay.
City's defenders nodded. Kompany and Van Dijk, having faced Lewandowski before, knew his strength and wouldn't underestimate him.
With increased defensive attention on Lewandowski, his offensive threat diminished. Seeing that relying on Lewandowski to break City's defense wasn't working, Bayern's second offensive point—Thomas Müller—began to shine.
Müller, when viewed individually, didn't have top-notch dribbling, wasn't great at breaking through, and his passing wasn't as good as the best midfielders. Such an "average" player should struggle to establish himself in a top club, let alone become a key player.
However, Müller had one outstanding trait—his awareness. He played with his brain, not his body. Müller's perception was exceptional. He could easily spot player positions and movements on the field.
This keen insight allowed him to make the best choices: when to pass, when to carry the ball, where to run, where the gaps were, and how to deliver the ball to create opportunities for teammates. These were Müller's specialties.
Therefore, while Müller seemed average in many aspects, he consistently scored and assisted. Luck might explain one or two instances, but consistently doing so was due to Müller's football intelligence.
Yet, due to lacking top-tier skills, Müller wasn't suited to be the main striker. If targeted, he would quickly lose effectiveness. Müller excelled as a shadow striker or secondary attacker, lurking behind the main striker and capitalizing on opportunities created by teammates distracting defenders.
Now was Müller's time to shine. With Lewandowski tightly marked, Ribery and Robben frequently coordinated with Müller. Müller didn't disappoint, always positioning himself perfectly and making precise passes.
With his support, Ribery and Robben's offensive threats surged.
In the 30th minute, Müller received a pass from Robben and smoothly penetrated the penalty area, scoring from a tight angle!
The score became 3-2. Bayern led again at home. This time, neither the scoring Ribery nor the Bayern fans at the Allianz Arena were overly excited. One goal wasn't enough—they needed at least two more to win!
Ribery didn't waste time celebrating. He rushed into the goal, grabbed the ball, and ran back to the kickoff point.
On the sideline, Guardiola had a complex expression. Much of Müller's abilities were developed after he joined Bayern, initially to help Guardiola dominate. Ironically, these abilities were now used by Heynckes against him. Was this a case of being hoisted by one's own petard?
Müller wasn't truly average. His positioning was excellent, he was ambidextrous, had a decent long shot, a good header, and his finishing, while not as good as Lewandowski's, was still first-class. Crucially, Müller could assist and coordinate with teammates.
Such a player couldn't be ignored. At Guardiola's signal, Kante increased his pressing on Müller. Even Kroos often teamed up to double-team Müller. However, Bayern had too many attacking points. Limiting Lewandowski and Müller wasn't enough. Ribery and Robben could still step up and score.
In the 39th minute, Robben once again used his signature move: breaking through on the wing and cutting inside to shoot. Everyone knew what he was going to do but couldn't stop him. Kolarov was left behind by over a meter, unable even to foul. He could only watch as Robben shot and scored against City.
4-2! Bayern scored twice in a row, regaining a two-goal lead and tying the aggregate score at 4-4. But before Bayern fans could finish celebrating, City scored again.
In the 40th minute, City launched a quick counterattack. Lin Quan broke through three Bayern defenders on the wing, entered the penalty area, and confidently slotted the ball past Neuer.
He scored his second goal of the game, just one shy of the hat-trick he had promised! With that goal, the score became 4-3, making the aggregate score 5-4 with Bayern still trailing. The game had turned into a frenzy, and with the first half not even over, the teams had already racked up a total of seven goals. The way things were going, it seemed like the final tally could hit double digits!
Remember, this isn't just a group stage match but a Champions League semi-final—these are not minor games where big teams squash smaller ones. Both Manchester City and Bayern Munich are top European teams, and such an exaggerated scoreline in such a clash underscores just how formidable each team's attack is.
As goals kept coming, the audience was thrilled, feeling the adrenaline rush with every move. The viewership for the match was skyrocketing, quickly breaking past half a billion to reach six or even seven hundred million. This viewership had already set a new record for the Champions League, surpassing even the finals in terms of numbers, underscoring just how sensational the match was.
"To watch this match live really feels like a win. It's been a long time since I've seen such a thrilling game!" one viewer exclaimed.
"Indeed, the level of excitement in this game might just surpass the final itself!" another added.
"It's true. Finals are often cagey affairs with teams playing it safe to win the title, leading to dull matches."
"Here's hoping both teams keep up the pace and score another seven goals in the second half!"
"Wow, if they keep scoring like this, can you imagine how outrageous the scoreline could get?"
"As outrageous as it might be, it's definitely going to be a record-breaking game," a fan noted.
As the fans discussed fervently, the referee blew the whistle to end the first half. Players on both sides were gasping for air after such an intense period of continuous high-speed attacks—a true test of their stamina.
Given the energy expended in the first half, it was unlikely either team could maintain the same pace in the second half. In the locker room, physiotherapists were busy massaging and relaxing the players' muscles, while both coaches were hastily strategizing and setting up tactics for the second half.
"Keep attacking in the second half!" Guardiola decisively set the tone for the upcoming gameplay.
With the aggregate score at 5-4, Manchester City was ahead by one goal, but with the advantage of away goals, it effectively counted as 1.5 goals. Bayern needed to score at least two more goals to overcome City.
Despite the concerns about Guardiola's aggressive tactics before the game, the City players now felt confident. After all, despite Bayern's lead, they were only one goal ahead on the field—nothing too daunting.
"Don't underestimate them; the opponent has better stamina than us. Especially after the 70th minute in the second half, Bayern's physical advantage will become apparent, and we need to be cautious," Guardiola warned, knowing well that keeping up with Bayern's pace was feasible only while his players still had the energy to run and attack.
As the second half began, neither team changed their tactics, immediately resuming their aggressive attacks. The spectators, relieved to see the continuation of the first-half's thrilling gameplay, were glued to their screens, hoping the excitement would persist.
Though the attack intensity remained high, the rate of scoring decreased. By the 65th minute, the score was still 4-3, with no goals in the last twenty minutes. But as the game progressed, this balance was soon disrupted.
In the 68th minute, Xabi Alonso shook off his defender outside the box and took a quick shot that Navas initially blocked but couldn't hold onto. Lewandowski followed up with a shot before the defense could clear, making it 5-3 and evening the aggregate score once again.
As Bayern fans cheered for possibly reaching the finals with just one more goal, history repeated itself. But unlike previous instances where Lin Quan's goals had dashed their hopes, Bayern did not falter this time.
In the 77th minute, Lahm's long shot found the back of the net for the sixth time against City, bringing the score to 6-3 and the aggregate to 6-5—Bayern finally led overall.
Just as Bayern seemed poised to seize their ticket to Berlin, Lin Quan staged another spectacular solo effort on the wing in the 79th minute. Ribery, Alaba, and Thiago couldn't stop him; even as Boateng stumbled in the box, Lin Quan sidestepped Neuer's dive and slotted the ball into the empty net.
The score was now 6-4, tied at 6-6 on aggregate, as Lin Quan completed his hat-trick, strutting around the Allianz Arena like an invincible king surveying his domain.