Chapter 62: The Comeback Against Manchester United
"It's in!!!"
"In the 43rd minute, Franck Ribéry intercepted the ball from Silvestre in the attacking third, equalizing for Bayswater Chinese!"
"1-1!"
"Once again, Ribéry showcases his incredible talent!"
"At a crucial moment, the French winger scored to keep Bayswater Chinese's hopes alive."
The entire Loftus Road stadium erupted as fans stormed from their seats.
Just moments earlier, when United scored from the penalty spot, the home crowd had been crushed with disappointment.
But now? Their excitement was doubled—tenfold even!
Ribéry spun and slid on his knees to the sideline, letting out a primal roar.
Behind him, the rest of the Bayswater Chinese players sprinted over to celebrate.
It was level now!
"Ferguson is furious on the sidelines."
"He has every reason to be enraged by Silvestre's blunder."
"Just before the end of the first half, Bayswater Chinese equalized."
"This goal by Ribéry is not only a testament to his individual brilliance but a turning point in the match."
"Going into halftime at 0–1 or 1–1 has a massive psychological and tactical impact."
"This is what key players do!"
"At the right time, Ribéry delivered a brilliant goal that showed us what he's made of."
All 18,000 fans in the stadium were chanting Ribéry's name in unison.
They were completely won over.
As the Frenchman got up from the ground, he waved toward the stands, drawing another wave of applause.
The first half ended 1–1.
In the League Cup semifinals, unlike the Champions League, the away goals rule does not apply.
So even if the match ends in a draw, it will go to extra time and then penalties if needed.
But Yang Cheng didn't plan to let it go that far.
In the locker room during halftime, Yang Cheng began by singling out Ribéry for praise, followed by Lass Diarra and Joe Hart.
All three had put in impressive performances in the first half.
He also made a point to commend Kevin Foley.
Truthfully, Foley hadn't played that well.
As a right-back, he struggled to contain Ryan Giggs, who was very active.
But this wasn't Foley's fault—he had done his best.
After all, how many right-backs in Europe could confidently say they could shut down Giggs?
Yang Cheng's praise was strategic—he needed Foley to stay confident and focused going into the second half, especially since he planned to sub in Piszczek later.
He needed to manage Foley's mood.
The official reason he gave was "fatigue."
Earlier, Yang Cheng had promised Piszczek some game time against Manchester United—but not as a starter.
He knew United had to play Arsenal at the weekend and were juggling three competitions.
Their schedule and physical load were far heavier than Bayswater Chinese's.
At least for this week, Bayswater had the advantage of rest.
"Like I said before the match: Heinze and Silvestre are exhausted."
"And Roy Keane—he's already 33. Can he really handle this kind of match load?"
This was a strange phenomenon unique to English football.
In England, fatigue is often viewed as something a player can overcome with mental strength.
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish had repeated this belief more than once.
Ferguson, too, was a strong advocate of this mindset.
People often praised Ferguson for being open-minded and a quick learner…
But don't let that fool you—deep down, he was a very conservative Brit.
Yang Cheng had once analyzed why United collapsed so quickly after Ferguson's retirement.
Yes, mismanagement played a role.
But another major reason was the rapid collapse of the player roster.
Why did that happen?
Because Ferguson had over-relied on young local players.
In his final years, he spent big on domestic players rather than more capable EU imports.
This cost Manchester United the best opportunity for a smooth squad transition.
In this context, it wasn't surprising to see a 33-year-old Roy Keane still starting and playing full matches.
As for the younger Heinze and Silvestre, the situation was even worse.
"Let's keep targeting those three in the second half."
"When Ribéry has the ball, Lambert, I want you to pull the defense horizontally—drag Silvestre and Heinze out of position."
"Lennon, keep making diagonal runs—if there's space, penetrate the box."
As Aaron Lennon nodded, Yang Cheng turned to Ribéry.
"Franck, Gary Neville is in good form. When the attack falters, he likes to push forward."
"Don't just take him on down the wing—try getting behind him, attacking the inside channel, or even switching sides."
That gave Ribéry more tactical freedom.
The Frenchman knew the coach valued him, and he nodded with confidence.
Back in 2003, when he first arrived at Bayswater Chinese, he was full of self-doubt.
But under Yang Cheng's guidance, he had improved rapidly and become more confident.
He was still short, still not very good-looking—but on the pitch, he was deadly.
The fans loved him more and more.
And with that, his ambition had grown.
He wanted to take down Manchester United, to prove himself even more.
The second half began with Huddlestone fouling Giggs.
Just 13 seconds in, United won a free kick.
Scholes' direct shot hit the wall, and Gary Neville blasted the rebound over the bar.
Three minutes later, United had another free kick from distance.
Cristiano Ronaldo took it—and again hit the wall.
Yang Cheng smiled on the sideline.
That was Ronaldo's second free kick straight into the wall. Not very effective tonight.
In the 51st minute, a foul by Roy Keane on Modrić caught Yang Cheng's attention.
Stiles showed the United captain a yellow card.
Modrić had trapped the ball and faked out Keane, trying to dribble past him.
Keane came in from behind and chopped him down.
Yang Cheng was sure Ferguson had noticed too.
Keane was spent—his energy was clearly running low.
But Ferguson still didn't make a change.
In the 53rd minute, Saha took a long shot from about 25 meters on the left side.
In the 55th minute, after being dispossessed by Lass Diarra, Ronaldo retaliated by kicking him in the leg.
Diarra wasn't one to back down—they nearly came to blows.
Both were shown yellow cards.
In the 58th minute, Ferguson finally made a substitution.
He brought on Rooney for Fletcher.
Fletcher was still a young player with an average showing.
With Rooney on, United switched from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 with two strikers.
Scholes and Keane paired up in central midfield.
With the change, Gary Neville began to push forward more aggressively—something United had relied on for years.
In the past, it was the Beckham–Neville combo on the right. Now, it was Ronaldo instead of Beckham.
In the 61st minute, Gary Neville overlapped down the right and crossed into the box for Saha.
Koscielny headed it away—but not far.
Roy Keane rushed up and fired a shot… high over the bar.
"They're mostly shooting from range now," Brian Kidd pointed out as Yang Cheng returned to the bench.
Yang Cheng took note.
It meant United were struggling to break down Bayswater Chinese's defense.
Ever since Beckham left, United's attack had been inconsistent.
From a future perspective, Ferguson was trying to implement Queiroz's tactical revolution—importing continental strategies.
That's why Saha was getting more chances, while Van Nistelrooy looked increasingly out of place.
In the 67th minute, United launched another attack.
Gary Neville crossed into the box.
Rooney made a diagonal run, received the ball under pressure from José Fonte, and shot.
Joe Hart made a brilliant diving save to deflect it wide.
The crowd roared in appreciation.
Joe Hart was truly excellent at shot-stopping.
United's corner didn't pose any danger either.
Yang Cheng checked his watch and told Piszczek to warm up.
Once the Polish player returned, Yang Cheng gave him a single instruction:
"Lambert should keep dragging defenders. Ribéry needs to keep pressure on Neville. Lennon should harass Heinze. You—overlap more and support Lennon."
Yang Cheng didn't explain why—just told him what to do.
Piszczek nodded.
In the 71st minute, Piszczek came on for Kevin Foley, carrying Yang Cheng's latest tactical instructions with him.
Just a routine substitution.
That's what everyone thought when Foley came off.
Ferguson didn't seem concerned.
He just kept pushing his team to press Bayswater Chinese.
Even if they lacked options, he believed that relentless pressure would eventually crack the Championship side's defense.
Bayswater Chinese had already done well to hold out for over an hour.
As for Piszczek—he wasn't a regular starter.
But the Pole's first touch made Ferguson flinch.
He found space on the right, received the ball, took a moment, then sent a diagonal cross behind United's backline.
Lambert sprinted but couldn't reach it.
Howard came off his line and claimed the ball near the penalty spot.
A sigh swept through the stadium.
If that had been Kitson—it would've gone in!
Lambert simply lacked the pace.
Ferguson frowned, eyeing the young newcomer.
Good technique.
As the match progressed, he began to notice a change.
With Piszczek on, Bayswater's right side had transformed.
Lennon had pushed further forward and was now frequently troubling Heinze.
Still, Ferguson didn't adjust.
He believed his players could handle this young opponent.
But in the 76th minute, United attacked down the left, with the ball going to Heinze.
Lennon rushed him.
It all looked routine.
Heinze only needed to pass it away.
But the Argentine, exhausted and sluggish, tried to stop the ball for safety instead.
Lennon, explosive as ever, closed in.
Heinze was a fierce defender, but technique wasn't his strength.
Tired and under pressure, he mishandled the ball.
Lennon pounced.
Heinze tried to recover, even tripping Lennon.
But Lennon managed to pass the ball to Piszczek.
The referee allowed play to continue under the advantage rule.
Piszczek touched the ball left, chased it down, and saw United's defense tilting toward the right.
He switched it with a diagonal pass to the left flank.
Ribéry sprinted forward at top speed.
Gary Neville chased on the inside.
It was a race.
Ribéry got there first, lifting the ball past Neville.
Then came a sudden stop and a cut inside.
Neville tried to grab his shirt—but it was too slippery.
Ribéry caught up with the ball.
Lambert ran diagonally to support, received a pass just outside the box, back to goal.
He shielded from Ferdinand, then laid it off to the incoming Ribéry.
They pulled off a perfect one-two.
Ribéry passed just before Keane reached him, sending it to Modrić at the top right of the box.
Keane and Silvestre immediately focused on Modrić.
They didn't notice Ribéry darting into the box.
Modrić understood, slicing a pass between them—right to Ribéry's feet.
It was perfect.
No adjustment needed—Ribéry nudged it forward.
The ball rolled low and fast, past Howard, into the net.
"It's in!!!"
"Ribéry!"
"Franck Ribéry again!"
"In the 76th minute, a turnover in United's half triggered a lightning counter by Bayswater Chinese. Ribéry finishes from a Modrić assist to put them ahead again!"
"Both of United's goals conceded came from defensive mistakes!"
"A catastrophic situation!"
Loftus Road exploded.
They'd turned it around.
They were beating Manchester United!
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