Chapter 389: The Battle of the Century, the Finals Opponent Revealed
The epic battle between Manchester City and Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena caused a huge sensation in the football world. The two teams scored a combined total of 11 goals in one match, breaking the Champions League's historical record. Since the Champions League's format change, there had never been a semifinal match with more than ten goals scored. This match was the first!
After the game, the entire football world was buzzing with discussions. Major media outlets rushed to report on it, and some even called this match the "Battle of the Century." It's worth noting that the term "Battle of the Century" was previously reserved for the Spanish El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, this clash between Manchester City and Bayern Munich, with its intensity and explosive nature, was no less thrilling than the El Clásico and perhaps even crazier.
"These two teams are truly insane. I've been watching football for over 20 years and have never seen such a crazy match!" "Eleven goals in one game. Anyone would think they were watching a lower league match!" "Ha, even in our Chinese Super League, we've never seen such a score!" "Maybe Guangzhou Evergrande could score six goals in the Chinese Super League, but which team could score five goals against them?" "I remember a few years ago, when Real Madrid came for a friendly, they beat Evergrande 6-1?" "Ahem, I meant Chinese Super League teams. Teams like Real Madrid from the top five European leagues are not comparable; they're on a different level!"
Neither Bayern Munich nor Manchester City are teams known for poor defense. Both teams have conceded very few goals in their respective leagues and the Champions League. However, in this match, both teams broke their season records for goals conceded. It had been a long time since any team scored five goals against Bayern at the Allianz Arena, and similarly for Manchester City, who had not conceded six goals in many years since the Abu Dhabi United Group took over.
Such an intense and spectacular match appearing in the semifinals made many fans feel regretful: "Why wasn't this match the final? If it were, it could rival the Miracle of Istanbul and become one of the greatest finals in history!" "Ha, if this were the final, the teams wouldn't play so openly. The number of goals might be less than a third of this!"
After watching this match, while everyone acknowledged Manchester City's strength, they also felt a bit of sympathy for Bayern Munich: "Bayern was a bit unlucky. They managed to equalize several times and even took the lead at one point, only to fall short in the end." "With Bayern's strength, they could easily have reached the final. They were just unlucky to face Manchester City with Lin Quan!" "If Bayern hadn't met Manchester City, I wonder how they would fare against Real Madrid or Barcelona?"
This year, the four teams in the semifinals were incredibly strong: three of the top clubs in football and last season's defending champion. With such teams facing off, the final outcomes were unpredictable until the matches ended. For instance, despite Real Madrid's 0-3 loss away, no one dared to assert that they would be eliminated for sure. Real Madrid's advancement to the finals depended on how strong they could perform back at the Bernabéu.
Manchester City's match against Bayern took place a day earlier than Barcelona's match against Real Madrid, allowing City to watch their potential final opponent from a comfortable position. However, the timing of the Champions League final was still more than half a month away, so whether a day earlier or later didn't make much difference.
Before the Champions League final, the major leagues had mostly ended, giving both finalists ample time to rest and adjust, ensuring they would be in the best possible condition for the final.
Manchester City didn't stay long in Munich and flew back to Manchester that same night. With the Champions League matches over, they could now focus entirely on the league. There were ten days left in the Premier League season, and City had two more matches to play. If they won these two matches, they would defeat Chelsea and defend their league title.
Manchester City had already lost the League Cup and the FA Cup this year. If they didn't win the Premier League, they would end the domestic season empty-handed. Therefore, Guardiola placed great importance on this title.
"Take a day off. Rest well when you get back. Don't indulge too much. I won't interfere with your personal lives, but if I see anyone not performing well on the field, I won't hesitate to substitute them. Understood?"
After getting off the plane, Guardiola dismissed the team and gave them a day off. With only two days left until the penultimate Premier League match, a day off was the most he could give. The players, knowing the schedule, hadn't expected a break, so they were pleasantly surprised by Guardiola's understanding and all promised to rest well and not go out partying.
Guardiola was somewhat skeptical of their promises. During his time at Barcelona, he had seen Ronaldinho's decline firsthand. Young, famous, and wealthy players found it hardest to resist the temptations of the world. Luckily, he hadn't seen such undisciplined behavior in Lin Quan, which made Guardiola quite satisfied.
Even though it was a day off, workaholic Guardiola couldn't stay idle. Early the next morning, he planned to drive to the airport and take the earliest flight to Madrid to watch the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match in person. Lin Quan had the same idea, so Guardiola decided to reschedule his flight and travel with Lin Quan.
As soon as they arrived in Madrid, they felt the intense atmosphere of the century-long rivalry. The streets of Madrid were plastered with Champions League match posters and portraits of Real Madrid players. The streets were also filled with fans wearing Real Madrid jerseys, with a few Barcelona fans occasionally spotted.
However, Barcelona fans were not welcome in Madrid. Their appearance often incited attacks from Real Madrid fans. The long-standing feud between the two teams had deep roots. Additionally, the increasing influence of Catalan separatism in recent years had added more political significance to their matches. This worsened the relationship between the fans, and street brawls between Real Madrid and Barcelona supporters were common, keeping Madrid police very busy.
"How can they just beat people up?" Seeing Barcelona fans being attacked, Guardiola couldn't help but frown. Even though he had left Barcelona long ago, he still had deep feelings for the club where he spent 20 years.
Lin Quan glanced casually, overhearing Barcelona fans taunting Real Madrid fans about their team being shut out. Some even mentioned the 5-0 match and mocked Real Madrid fans by showing five fingers. Seeing this, Lin Quan's lips twitched slightly as he thought, "Don't start trouble, and you won't get hurt!"
Wearing a Barcelona jersey and openly taunting a crowd of Real Madrid fans in their territory was asking for trouble. Even if it weren't Real Madrid fans, any other fans might have reacted the same way.
"You know how deep the feud between these two teams is. Fights between their fans outside the stadium are normal. Haven't you seen similar scenes on the streets of Barcelona?"
Lin Quan grew up in Barcelona, and he remembers that every time Real Madrid visited Camp Nou, there were always fights between the fans outside the stadium. This wasn't just the case in Spain; fans of both teams had poor relationships all over the world.
Lin Quan also remembered reading a news story about an incident in 2013 in a war-torn country in the Middle East. A Barcelona fan and his Real Madrid-supporting friend got into a fight, which escalated to the point where the Barcelona fan killed his friend with a knife and even beheaded him in public, causing a huge uproar.
Guardiola wanted to help, so he used his connections to ask friends at the Spanish Football Federation to provide some protection for the Barcelona fans. But that was all he could do.
...
May 14, 2015, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
Another "Battle of the Century" between Real Madrid and Barcelona officially began. The last time these two teams faced each other in the Champions League was in the 2010-2011 semifinals. Back then, Real Madrid lost 0-2 at home to Barcelona, handing over the spot in the final to their rivals and watching them lift the Champions League trophy once again. That loss was deeply disappointing for Real Madrid fans because if they had reached the final, their chances of beating Manchester United were quite high. They could have already achieved their dream of winning their tenth Champions League trophy.
But there are no "ifs" in football!
Now, four years later, the two teams met again in the Champions League semifinals. This time, Real Madrid was in a very unfavorable position. They had lost the first leg 0-3, putting them under immense pressure to score. In this match, Real Madrid needed to score at least three goals while ensuring they didn't concede. If Barcelona scored just one goal, Real Madrid would be practically eliminated.
To score as quickly as possible, Real Madrid launched a full-scale attack right from the start. Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema, Isco, and Rodriguez were all sent onto the field by Ancelotti. Barcelona, on the other hand, was not intimidated and also fielded their strongest lineup. Messi, Neymar, and Suárez all started, with Rakitic replacing Xavi in midfield.
Perhaps learning from the previous day's match at the Allianz Arena, Real Madrid focused their attacks on the wings, especially on Bale's side. Bale did not disappoint, repeatedly using his speed to challenge Barcelona's defense.
In the 13th minute, Real Madrid seized an opportunity for a quick counterattack. After breaking through, Bale passed the ball to Benzema, who then passed it back to Ronaldo. The star player for Real Madrid shot the ball fiercely, changing the score to 1-0!
Ronaldo was extremely excited after scoring and ran to the sideline to perform his SIU celebration. The fans responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers.
However, while Ronaldo was busy celebrating, the veteran and main goalkeeper for Real Madrid, Casillas, did not join the celebration. Instead, he rushed to Barcelona's goal, retrieved the ball, placed it back at the kickoff spot, and urged his teammates to get ready to restart. They had only clawed back one goal and were still trailing by two. Time was precious, and until they equalized or took the lead, they couldn't afford to waste any.
The early goal gave Real Madrid fans hope. The difference between a three-goal deficit and a two-goal deficit felt entirely different. If they could score another goal before halftime and reduce the gap to one, it might not be impossible to turn things around at home against Barcelona.
However, just as Real Madrid prepared to replicate their attacking strategy, Barcelona struck back. Although this was the Bernabéu, Barcelona had visited this stadium many times and were no longer intimidated by Real Madrid's home advantage. Real Madrid had a powerful attack, but so did Barcelona.
Under Enrique, Barcelona's defense wasn't particularly outstanding, but their terrifying attacking capability in the front line was unmatched. The MSN combination in the 2014-2015 season was arguably the most fearsome forward lineup in football that year. When they kicked into gear, not even a strong team like Real Madrid could stop them.
In the 19th minute, Messi's signature solo run created a scoring chance. The Argentinian generously passed the ball to his teammate, Suárez, who showcased his qualities as a top striker. After a half-step adjustment, Suárez calmly slotted the ball into the net.
At 1-1, Barcelona had equalized in just six minutes! This was the worst possible outcome for Real Madrid, as Barcelona's goal nullified their previous goal and further widened the gap between the two teams. Barcelona's away goal meant Real Madrid now needed to score four more goals to advance to the final.
Scoring five goals in one match against Barcelona—was that even possible?
The massive deficit made Real Madrid players anxious. They desperately sought to score to reduce the gap. However, this urgency played into Barcelona's hands. In the 29th minute, Barcelona executed a similar play, with Messi initiating the attack and assisting Neymar for another goal. The score became 1-2, Barcelona turned the game around, and the aggregate score was now 5-1!
For Real Madrid to win, they needed to score five more goals in the remaining 60 minutes—an almost impossible task, even for a team as strong as Real Madrid. Despite Ancelotti's timely adjustments and goals from Ronaldo and Bale in the second half, Real Madrid couldn't perform a miracle. When the final whistle blew, the score was 3-2.
Real Madrid lost 5-3 on aggregate to Barcelona and failed to advance to the final.
Thus, the two teams for the 2014-2015 Champions League final were determined. On June 7, the final will be held at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, with Manchester City facing Barcelona! (End of this chapter)