Chapter 614: Ramos Plays His Tricks Again
Real Madrid allowing Lin Quan to get the ball in that position was a huge test for their defense. As the backbone of Madrid's midfield defense, Casemiro wasted no time after seeing Modric get beaten. He immediately rushed toward Lin Quan, fully aware of the danger that letting Lin Quan advance toward their penalty area posed.
Casemiro knew he needed to create another defensive barrier before the backline, to stop the threat in midfield. Not just Casemiro, but Isco and Carvajal also realized how dangerous it would be if Lin Quan continued to exploit that space. Along with Modric, who had just gotten back on his feet, Real Madrid quickly constructed a multi-player trap around Lin Quan to suffocate his options.
As long as Casemiro could delay Lin Quan for a second or two, the four players would be able to block off all his passing and dribbling lanes, neutralizing Manchester City's attack.
"Real Madrid is showing textbook defense," said commentator He Wei from the CCTV studio. "It looks like Manchester City has fallen into Madrid's trap. Lin Quan is surrounded; this might be the end of the attack!"
He Wei was filled with admiration, noting how impressive Madrid's defense had been this season, especially the coordination between the trio in midfield. It was as if they shared one brain, perfectly understanding each other's moves. Their positioning was impeccable, leaving no gaps to exploit.
Lin Quan quickly realized the danger but didn't panic. Instead, he immediately began to think of a solution. Casemiro was an excellent interceptor, and while Lin Quan was confident he could get past him one-on-one, simply beating Casemiro wouldn't help much. Madrid's other players would quickly close in and cover any gaps. Plus, while he was dribbling, defenders from the sides or behind could try to tackle him, making it difficult to keep the ball under control.
The best solution was to pass the ball. But Toni Kroos had already anticipated this, cutting off Lin Quan's passing lanes, leaving him without a clear target.
In this situation, most players would give up. But Lin Quan, with his sharp vision, quickly spotted a gap in Madrid's defense. He saw Kroos' positioning and shifted the ball horizontally, moving toward the space Kroos was occupying.
Both Casemiro and Kroos immediately realized something was wrong. What had been a dead end suddenly came alive with Lin Quan's lateral movement. By moving to the right, he exposed a weakness in Madrid's defense on that side, where their setup was thinner due to the concentration of players on the left.
Moreover, Manchester City's right winger and right-back, seeing Lin Quan's decision, pushed forward decisively. This gave City a numerical advantage on the right side, with Madrid's left-back Marcelo and Kroos being the only ones defending against three City players.
As for Casemiro, he was supposed to follow Lin Quan's movement. However, with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne now filling the space Casemiro had vacated, he had to focus on them. Casemiro couldn't risk abandoning those two, as it was possible that Lin Quan's move to the right was just a feint, and he might pass the ball back to Silva or De Bruyne. If either was left unmarked, they could easily deliver a killer pass to City's forwards.
With Casemiro stuck in place, Real Madrid's defense was now outnumbered on the right.
On the sidelines, Zinedine Zidane couldn't help but regret his decision to play a 4-3-1-2 formation. Why hadn't he just stuck to the 4-3-3? When one side of the midfield shifted, the other side was left vulnerable—especially against a team like Manchester City!
Zidane fixed his eyes on Lin Quan. That pesky kid had instantly found the flaw in Madrid's formation!
He shot a jealous glance at Pep Guardiola, envious of his "brilliant son." If only my son were as talented as Lin Quan, Zidane thought.
...
Casemiro wasn't overthinking things; Lin Quan really did have a plan in mind. If Casemiro had followed him to the right, Lin Quan would have passed the ball back to De Bruyne, hitting Madrid with a sudden counterattack. De Bruyne could then pass to a forward, and if Sergio Agüero didn't find a shooting opportunity, Lin Quan could surge into the box for a return pass and finish the attack himself.
Unless Casemiro marked him the whole time, City's attacking play would be highly likely to result in a goal. But Casemiro didn't fall for it, choosing to stay with De Bruyne instead.
With no other choice, Lin Quan decided to pass the ball wide to right-back Kyle Walker. Walker slowed down, surveyed his teammates' positions, and passed the ball back to Lin Quan, who had drifted inside.
Madrid's left-back Marcelo now found himself in a tough spot. He wasn't sure whether to mark the winger on the outside or focus on Lin Quan. Time was running out, so Marcelo made a quick decision to go after Lin Quan, who was closer to the penalty area and within shooting range. If he didn't close him down, Lin Quan might take a shot.
Marcelo's choice wasn't wrong, but the moment he locked onto Lin Quan, Lin Quan passed the ball again—this time to Kylian Mbappé, who was unmarked. Mbappé received the ball and immediately cut inside.
Real Madrid's goalkeeper rushed out to narrow the angle. Mbappé didn't have much of a shooting angle to begin with, and with the goalkeeper advancing, it shrank even further. In this situation, players can either shoot themselves or selflessly pass to a teammate. Mbappé chose the latter—he was desperate to win.
Last year's loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final still haunted him. If he couldn't get revenge on Madrid, it might become a psychological burden that could follow him for the rest of his career.
Mbappé sent a fast pass into the middle. It was hard to tell whether it was a shot or a cross, but the ball traveled at speed toward the goal.
Both Agüero and Lin Quan, who had just reached the penalty area, dove to the ground, trying to reach the ball and tap it in.
Lin Quan was a bit farther away, and the ball rolled just out of his reach as he slid in. Agüero, who was closer to the goal and more centrally positioned, managed to get a touch on the ball with his outstretched foot. However, the ball's pace was too fast, and Agüero's touch didn't alter its direction enough.
The ball smashed into the far post with a loud thud and bounced back into play, only for Real Madrid defender Raphaël Varane to boot it clear.
A collective sigh echoed from the stands. Manchester City fans and neutral supporters alike, who had been holding their breath, let out groans of disappointment. If that ball had gone in, it could have been one of the fastest goals in Champions League final history.
Real Madrid's fans, on the other hand, were relieved. Many, upon sitting down, realized they had broken into a sweat from the tension.
That was a close one. If Manchester City had scored so early, Real Madrid would've been in serious trouble. Defensive teams like Madrid struggle the most when they fall behind, as they lose control of the game, and their strategy loses effectiveness.
City's early show of strength put Madrid on high alert. For the next ten minutes, they played very cautiously. Even when small chances to attack arose, they chose to play it safe, fearing that City might capitalize on their mistakes with a fast counterattack.
After all, the player who missed a penalty in last year's final had now become a deadly weapon in City's forward line. Madrid couldn't afford to let that happen again.
While Madrid became more conservative, City pushed forward, maintaining possession in Madrid's half. This played right into Madrid's hands, as they began to press aggressively, trying to disrupt City's passing and create opportunities for a counterattack.
When Manchester City's formation was compact, Madrid didn't dare to attack. But now that City had pushed their defense forward, leaving space at the back, Madrid became more confident in pressing.
Madrid's players, despite their superstar status, worked hard to do the dirty, gritty work. Even though City had already faced similar pressure from Liverpool in previous matches, they now seemed even more composed and confident in their build-up play. However, Madrid's pressing was far more intense than Liverpool's. While Liverpool pressed across the entire pitch, Madrid focused on pressing in their own half, making the available space much smaller. The intensity of their press was more than double that of Liverpool's.
City began losing possession, but whenever Madrid launched an attack, they were repeatedly caught offside by City's well-prepared defense.
Clearly, City had come prepared for this match.
In Madrid's front line, only Isco was known for his dribbling and long runs with the ball. Both Ronaldo and Benzema preferred receiving passes after quick bursts of speed, rather than carrying the ball themselves. The best way for them to score was by making runs and finishing passes from their teammates.
However, City's defense was prepared. They focused their efforts on shutting down Isco, who struggled to create meaningful chances under heavy pressure. Without Isco's playmaking, Ronaldo and Benzema's runs kept getting caught in City's offside trap, denying Madrid any clear chances to score.
On the sideline, Zidane frowned. Isco wasn't living up to his expectations, and in the first 15 minutes, his performance had been far below par. Clearly, City had studied Madrid's tactics and were effectively stifling their counterattacks by neutralizing Isco's influence.
Zidane realized that his usual tactics wouldn't work against City. He began considering whether to make adjustments—or even replace Isco entirely.
Zidane glanced at the scoreboard. Only 15 minutes had passed, and making a substitution so early didn't seem right. So, for the moment, he dismissed the idea and used a break in play to pull Isco over and give him instructions.
Isco nodded seriously, knowing that his poor performance had upset the coach, and that he needed to follow Zidane's tactical plans closely from now on.
Zidane hadn't planned to make any substitutions, but sometimes things don't go as expected.
In the 34th minute, Real Madrid's right-back, Dani Carvajal, was injured after a challenge from a City player, hurting his ankle and unable to continue. He was forced off the pitch.
Carvajal left in tears, devastated to miss such an important match. He knew how much his absence would affect the team.
On the sideline, Zidane's expression darkened. This was not going well for Real Madrid. They were already struggling on the pitch, and now one of their key defenders was out injured.
"Does it feel like even God is siding with City today?" Zidane thought to himself.
It seemed like the answer was yes. Just two minutes after Carvajal's departure, Manchester City's David Silva also went down, landing awkwardly on his shoulder in a challenge with Kroos.
The referee called for a stretcher, and it was clear that Silva couldn't continue. Guardiola, visibly frustrated, was forced to replace him with Ilkay Gündogan.
Now, both teams had lost an important player, and the game was back on equal footing.
In the 43rd minute, Manchester City created their most dangerous chance of the first half. Mbappé sent a low cross into the box, and Lin Quan managed to flick it into the goal.
But the referee ruled it offside, disallowing the goal. A replay on the stadium's big screen showed that when Mbappé made his pass, Sergio Ramos had stepped forward just enough to catch Lin Quan in an offside position.
The referee's decision was correct.
Lin Quan, having seen the replay and understanding how he ended up offside, glanced over at Ramos. Coincidentally, Ramos was also looking at him. When their eyes met, Ramos playfully winked at Lin Quan.
This moment was caught on camera, drawing laughter from the crowd.
"Haha, Ramos, you're such a tease!" the fans shouted from the stands. (End of the chapter)
Principio del formulario
Final del formulario