Chapter 392: The Champions League Final Begins - The Ultimate Showdown!
On June 7th, at the Berlin Olympic Stadium.
Two years ago, Lin Quan lifted the German Cup here with his Werder Bremen teammates. Returning to this venue two years later felt completely different.
"Time flies so fast!" De Bruyne exclaimed during the pre-match warm-up, hands on his hips, looking around the half-filled stadium.
"Yeah, it does!" Lin Quan nodded. Two years ago, he and De Bruyne were unknown players competing in the German Cup. Now, they were top stars, with Lin Quan even having the chance to become the best in the world. Their status compared to two years ago was worlds apart.
Time had passed, but the bond between people remained unchanged. Lin Quan saw a group of Werder Bremen fans in the stands, wearing their green jerseys. Most jerseys bore the number 10, which Lin Quan wore at Werder Bremen, and number 6, worn by De Bruyne. In a sea of blue and red-blue, the green jerseys stood out, making Lin Quan and De Bruyne very emotional.
"Dad, Dad, Lin Quan saw us!" 12-year-old Grane excitedly waved his arms, shouting. Next to him were Mr. William, Mrs. Anna, and his sister Angel. Lin Quan had stayed with their family for a year while on loan at Werder Bremen.
"Quick, show the banner we made!" Mr. William instructed, and they unfurled a banner that read, "Werder Bremen will always be your home!"
Seeing the heartfelt banner, Lin Quan and De Bruyne were very touched. Lin Quan had an idea and ran to the sidelines to get a marker and a soccer ball. The audience was curious about what he was doing.
The spectators wondered who the lucky fan would be to receive a signed ball from Lin Quan before the match even started. Cameras focused on Lin Quan as he signed the ball and let the ink dry. He then placed the ball on the grass near the stands, took a few steps back, and kicked it accurately into the section where the Werder Bremen fans were.
Grane saw a black shadow flying towards him and instinctively reached out, catching the ball easily. The precision and control of Lin Quan's kick amazed the fans, who cheered for him. Mr. William was also shocked by Lin Quan's improved skills, realizing his worries about the ball hitting someone were unnecessary.
Meanwhile, in the other half, Barcelona's players were warming up. After finishing a set of drills, Messi looked towards the other half, searching for Lin Quan. Seeing Lin Quan's gesture, Messi was stunned: Lin Quan's skills had reached a terrifying level.
Sensing Messi's gaze, Lin Quan turned and made a fist-pumping gesture, indicating he wanted both to perform their best. Messi, full of confidence, nodded and returned the gesture. Both were determined to win, but only one could be victorious.
At 18:00, the referee blew the whistle, and the match began. The referee, Cüneyt Çakır from Turkey, had a controversial history of favoring Real Madrid, raising concerns for both teams. Early on, Barcelona's doubts were alleviated when Rakitic's offside goal was allowed. Manchester City players protested, but the decision stood, and their captain Kompany was booked.
Despite trailing, Lin Quan urged calm, and they quickly equalized through a defensive counterattack. Lin Quan's goal brought Manchester City level, and the stadium erupted with joy. Guardiola knew Enrique's plan to have Messi and Lin Quan neutralize each other was flawed, but he remained focused.
The match continued with intense back-and-forth action, both sides creating chances but unable to score. By the 40th minute, it was still 1-1. Manchester City's defensive strategy involving De Bruyne, Lin Quan, and Kanté effectively stifled Messi, frustrating Barcelona.
Enrique, recognizing the need for a tactical shift, signaled Messi to change positions. With Manchester City's defense stretched thin, Messi found space on the right and began exploiting it, creating more opportunities for Barcelona.
Despite the adjustments, both teams maintained a stalemate. The match's outcome hinged on who could capitalize on the next opportunity. As the first half ended, anticipation built for a thrilling conclusion in the second half.
Originally, they had a lot of tactical options, but now that they were behind, Manchester City had no other choice but to attack. This was very different from their approach against Bayern at the Allianz Arena.
Back then, they dared to play offensively against Bayern because they had a 2-goal advantage and were psychologically in a better position. Plus, they were the away team, so scoring away goals was more beneficial. But now, the situation was completely different. This was the Champions League final, a single match to decide the winner, with no home or away advantage.
Choosing to go on the offensive now, while already behind, put Manchester City in a psychologically disadvantageous position. This thought made Guardiola fume with anger, wishing he could give the referee a piece of his mind.
On the Barcelona side, the unexpected early lead gave the players and fans a sense of security. Even though many Barcelona players and fans saw that it was an offside goal, since the referee deemed it valid, they accepted this unexpected gift with ease.
"Haha, Manchester City isn't that great after all; they couldn't even hold out for four minutes!" Some Barcelona fans, having benefited, started mocking Manchester City.
Ignoring the offside error, conceding a goal in just four minutes was indeed embarrassing. No team that made it to the Champions League final was weak. Among top teams, being easily breached like this was quite disgraceful.
"I think Manchester City's defense is just so-so. I bet Barcelona will score at least three goals this match!" Barcelona fans were very optimistic, having witnessed the powerful MSN trio's strength time and time again in both the league and Champions League. With such a perfect start, the entire Barcelona team would play more relaxed and perform even better. As long as they played to their full potential, Barcelona fans believed no one could stop them.
Seeing his team score, Enrique didn't get up from his seat, merely clapping lightly, exuding the demeanor of a master. He had prepared meticulously for this match, unlike during Martino's era. Enrique knew very well the importance of Messi to the team and was aware that the opponent would tightly guard against Messi. Therefore, he moved Messi from the right to the left.
This strategy caught the opponent off guard, and Barcelona's goal came from Messi's play on the left. Although Messi's explosive power and breakthrough ability had declined due to injuries, he was still among the top dribblers in the world, with few able to match him. Messi's immense threat meant that as soon as he started moving, two to three opponents would rush to mark him. This greatly disrupted Manchester City's formation, drawing many players away from the middle and giving more space for Rakitic, Iniesta, and others to operate, thereby increasing the threat of Barcelona's central attacks.
The world knows MSN is Barcelona's trident, unstoppable in attack. But if I shift the focus to the attacking midfielders, how will you respond?
With this thought, Enrique eagerly watched Guardiola on the other side. He was curious to see how Guardiola would counter his moves. Guardiola quickly understood the opponent's intention after watching for a few minutes. However, he didn't make major adjustments to the team's formation, only calling Kante over and giving him some instructions.
When Messi played under him, his active area was the right flank, corresponding to Manchester City's left flank. Now, Enrique had moved Messi to the left, corresponding to Manchester City's right flank, which was Lin Quan's usual area. Essentially, Enrique was using a trade-off tactic against Manchester City.
This tactic was clever because, without Messi, Barcelona's remaining players were still half a notch stronger than Manchester City's, especially with Iniesta, Suarez, and Neymar. Even without Messi, these players could still influence the game significantly. So, trading positions with Manchester City was a sure win for Barcelona.
However, Guardiola didn't think so. Before coaching Lin Quan, he might have worried about Lin Quan facing Messi directly and getting outplayed, knowing Messi's terrifying skills better than anyone. But after coaching Lin Quan for half a season, Guardiola realized his concerns were unnecessary. Lin Quan had reached, if not surpassed, Messi's peak abilities. Letting him face Messi head-on might not necessarily be a loss for Manchester City.
Moreover, unlike Messi, who had a balanced but not entirely ambidextrous skill set, Lin Quan's playing style was more versatile. Messi's inside cuts were more predictable, and playing on the left limited his shooting threat, increasing his passing threat instead. So, moving Messi to the left reduced his goal threat but increased his role in playmaking on the left flank, where Neymar and Alba, both strong attackers, were positioned. Messi's presence on the left could provide numerous assists, amplifying their threat and potentially overwhelming Manchester City's right side, minimizing Lin Quan's impact.
Enrique's plan was sound, but the game's development didn't follow his expectations. In the 11th minute, Messi again moved to the left, attempting to replicate the earlier attack. However, Manchester City had anticipated this move. As soon as Messi positioned himself, De Bruyne, Lin Quan, and Kante surrounded him, forming a semi-circle. Messi, used to being double-teamed, didn't worry. He calmly dribbled, suddenly faked with his shoulder, deceived De Bruyne, and swiftly sped past him along the flank.
This was Messi's signature move, switching from slow to fast, often catching defenders off guard. However, this time, Messi made a miscalculation.
(End of Chapter)
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