I build a giant in the Premier League

Chapter 337 We Won! Four Consecutive Champions League Titles! A War of Superstars! Let Platini Present Me with the Award! [Please Subscribe]

The "home team" locker room at the Berlin Olympic Stadium.

The Manchester City players were all seated.

Some looked relaxed and chatted casually, such as Messi, Kompany, and Yaya Touré.

They have all experienced many Champions League finals.

Although not all of them are in Manchester.

Others had solemn and serious expressions, clearly preparing for the upcoming finals.

Some of them are already seasoned veterans, nearing the end of their professional careers.

But before going on stage, everyone was full of anticipation for the upcoming final.

Just now, Chairman Mubarak, accompanied by General Manager Soriano, Technical Director Begiristain, and others, came to the locker room to cheer on all the players.

After Guardiola saw them out of the locker room, they chatted outside for a while longer.

Back in the locker room, everyone immediately looked up.

Guardiola pursed his lips, smiled, and walked up to the players.

It's almost time.

The final mobilization has begun.

"Tonight will be a very special Champions League final!"

Guardiola looked at the players in front of him and said calmly.

"I believe everyone has already seen the news outside. The situation is very... very chaotic."

Guardiola paused for a moment before coming up with a more suitable adjective.

"The chairman, as well as Ferran and the others, just told me about this. They share the same idea as me: as players and coaches, we don't need to concern ourselves with anything else."

"I only care about this football match!"

The players immediately nodded in agreement.

"I don't know what will happen on the field later. Maybe it will, maybe it won't, but it doesn't matter!"

"As professional coaches and professional players, our mission is to give our all to help Manchester City win tonight's game, no matter who our opponent is, understand?"

Guardiola's question was met with nods of approval from everyone.

"The Chinese from Baswater are a very respectable opponent. We have players from that team, some of whom have been rivals for many years. I believe no one will disagree with my point of view."

Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, Lionel Messi, and others all nodded in agreement.

"They did something that I think is remarkable and great, but it has nothing to do with tonight's game!"

"We respect this opponent, so we will do everything in our power to defeat them!"

“Yang Cheng and I are very good friends. We often chat. Every time he goes to London or Manchester for a match, we drink together. I think he said something very good.”

"Yes, or no!"

"We must persist in doing what our values ​​deem right."

"Tonight, we won't discuss FIFA or UEFA matters; we're only concerned with the upcoming match."

"We insist on doing what we believe is right, and that is the greatest support and affirmation we can give to Yang Cheng!"

Guardiola's words were once again met with nods of agreement from all the Manchester City players.

FIFA and UEFA are not actually that far away for them.

They also frequently experience problems and pressure from these management agencies.

As players, although they may not be as deeply aware of the corruption as the club, they are still well aware of all the bribery and corruption.

Nobody likes these!

Therefore, they all emotionally agree with and support Yang Cheng.

Including Messi.

The Panama Papers mention an Argentinian named Julio Grondona.

In the summer of 2014, Messi attended Julio Grondona's funeral.

He is a very complex and contradictory person.

All Argentinians say he was a tyrant.

That's right, he ruled Argentine football for more than 30 years. He and his son made a mess of the football environment in Argentina and the Argentine Football Association.

Everyone despises it!
However, everyone also acknowledges that without Grondona speaking up for Argentina on the international stage, the situation of football in Argentina might be many times worse than it is now.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the most glorious World Cup champions and runners-up in Argentine football history, everyone only remembered Maradona.

But few people know that when Maradona was harassed by Napoli and was likely unable to represent Argentina in the World Cup, it was Grondona who stepped in to mediate and even threatened to use his family resources to support Boca Juniors in buying Maradona back.

It was only after negotiations with the Italian Football Federation that Maradona was able to participate in the World Cup.

That's how Argentina won the championship!

On the other hand, he, his two sons, and his family controlled Argentine football, blindly pushing for shareholding reforms and turning the entire Argentine league into a mess.

For more than a decade, Argentine players have been getting worse with each generation.

So when Grondona passed away, many Argentine football fans attended his funeral while chanting: "The sun is rising."

The real world is always complex and contradictory.

But Messi felt that Yang Cheng's courage to speak out at this time was commendable and praiseworthy.

Therefore, he agrees with what Guardiola said.

The best way to support and endorse Yang Cheng is to defeat him in the next match!

"at last!"

When the referee rang the bell to signal the start of the match, Guardiola clapped loudly, signaling everyone to stand up.

"I'd like to add one more thing: I hope tonight will be a great and clean football match!"

"And also, do everything in our power to bring the championship back!"

All the players cheered in unison!

……

"I'm so sorry, everyone!"

Forty meters away, in another locker room, Yang Cheng apologized to everyone before giving a pep talk.

"Because of some things that happened between me and the club, it may have affected everyone, especially before the final."

Yang Cheng helplessly spread his hands and said with a wry smile, "I don't know what will happen in the upcoming Champions League final. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I can't be sure."

"But what I want to say is that I never regret the choices I made or the words I said."

"The only apology I need is from you!"

"You are the best players in the world, you are the best team in the world, and I think you deserve to win everything."

"I am so proud of you!"

"I sincerely hope that things off the field will not interfere with or affect your performance on the field."

"I know it's difficult, but I really hope that you can focus wholeheartedly and give your best performance and form for the next match!"

"I believe you can win the championship!"

"We should win the championship!"

Just as Yang Cheng was about to say something, Modric, who had been keeping his head down and tying his shoelaces, suddenly raised his head, looked directly at Yang Cheng, and asked loudly, "Boss, don't you trust us at all?"

One sentence rendered Yang Cheng speechless, leaving him unable to utter a single word he had prepared.

The locker room fell completely silent.

“I came to London when I was 18, and I’m almost 30 now.”

"I've played football with you for 12 years, and now you're telling me this?"

Modric first looked at his teammates on either side, then at Yang Cheng, and said, "Besides, I never thought you did anything wrong."

"On the contrary, as your player, as a member of the Chinese community at Baswater, I am proud of you and of our team!"

"So, you don't need to say anything. When the match starts, just stand on the sidelines and watch how we help you win the championship back!"

"Well said, Luca!"

Tony Cross also spoke out in support of his partner.

"Boss, you did what you thought was right, and so did we. And now, the most important thing for us to do is win the game and take the championship!"

Gareth Bell jumped up at that moment.

"Platini should be here tonight too, right?"

Everyone saw a Welsh star eager to make his mark.

Everyone still remembers how Platini treated Gareth Bale six months ago.

Although he later apologized.

But once a grudge has been formed, can it really be resolved with just an apology?

"Boss, I'll help you win the championship back in a bit. I'm going to show Platini whether I deserve the Ballon d'Or or not, and I'll make him put the Champions League medal around my neck himself!"

This is the Welsh people's revenge!

Other players also voiced their support.

Everyone's attitude was the same.

Yang Cheng is right!

They had heard of, or even experienced firsthand, the corruption and shady dealings within FIFA and UEFA.

Yang Cheng dared to stand up; he is a hero!
As members of the Chinese community at Baswater, they were not affected by the outside world, nor were they afraid of what might happen in the upcoming match. They only had one thought in mind.

For Yang Cheng, bring the championship back!
……

Yang Cheng was quite moved by the player's statement.

Before we knew it, these guys had all matured quite a bit.

Especially Modric.

Yang Cheng still remembers that when this shepherd boy first came to London, he was skin and bones, looking like he would fall apart at the slightest bump. But now he is the team's meritorious captain and a legendary star.

At this time, having the support of the players gave Yang Cheng more confidence.

Of course, he wasn't completely unprepared for the upcoming match.

After the players, including Brian Kidd and Flick, left the locker room, Yang Cheng ran into Adam Crozier, who was rushing over, in the player tunnel. Crozier quietly told Yang Cheng what was going on.

“I met with both David Gill and Collina and learned about them.”

David Gill, needless to say, has been actively seeking connections to prepare for his candidacy for FIFA vice president.

That is, the spot left by Julio Grondona.

After Grondona's death, Blatter and FIFA, following convention, did not hold another election and directly appointed Figueiredo as his successor.

But now that his term is up, he needs to be re-elected.

David Gill admitted that he was very confident.

Platini and Villar both supported his candidacy for the vice-presidential position, which would allow him to manage FIFA's treasury.

This is preparation for the next step: taking the helm of FIFA.

"David Gill said that UEFA has been in chaos for the past two days. Platini, Infantino and Villar all arrived in Berlin at noon and probably haven't seen Collina."

Italian bald referee Collina joined UEFA's referee committee after retiring from football.

This committee is quite interesting.

It has always been held by Italians.

Even with the huge uproar caused by scandals like the Calciopoli scandal, it remains the exclusive domain of the Italians.

This is actually more like a division of power.

Of course, the Italian referees are indeed very skilled.

In the real world, there is no such thing as black and white.

Just like Collina, as a referee, his achievements are quite high, right?

Even after he joined UEFA's referee committee, he still did things that challenged the values ​​of ordinary fans.

For example, there are also appointments of officials in the areas of referee support and selection.

There are many gray areas in this.

Therefore, in recent years, the relationship with referees has also been a key aspect of the club's external relations.

The Chinese at Basworth have always maintained good relationships with referees in the Premier League, Europe, and even some internationally.

Especially in tournaments like the International Champions Cup, the referees are all world-class, and their appearance fees are very high.

Of course, many of the actions taken by the Chinese in Besworth are defensive in nature.

Simply put, it means not actively criticizing others, but rather avoiding being criticized by others.

Sometimes, clubs are so thick-skinned that they don't really pursue the matter even if someone criticizes them.

For example, in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, a penalty was not awarded, and a goal was scored against them. In the end, the Chinese players at Besworth didn't say anything.

After the match, the referee was treated the same as usual, and souvenirs were given as usual; everything proceeded as normal.

Because often, referees are also under pressure when making decisions, and sometimes they are not in control of their own destiny.

If you show some understanding this time, he might repay you in any way he can in the future.

Just like this time.

“We met with Collina in public, and his exact words were that the Turkish referees had a very high level of officiating.”

Yang Cheng understood.

That proves that Platini, Infantino, and others are indeed currently unable to spare any resources.

This also relieved Yang Cheng.

……

With the whistle blown by Turkish referee Kakir, this highly anticipated match officially began.

The number of fans who came to the Berlin Olympic Stadium reached 70442.

Before the match, the television cameras were specifically switched to the stands.

Prince William and his wife, representatives of the British royal family, Prime Minister David Cameron, London Mayor Ken Livingstone, as well as the British Minister for Sport, the Football Association, the Premier League, and many other officials, were all present in the stands.

After all, both teams in the final are from the English Premier League.

UEFA President Michel Platini, accompanied by Secretary General Gianni Infantino and others, also sat on the podium.

Perhaps due to specific instructions, the commentator did not mention anything about the pre-match disputes.

But that feels a bit like burying your head in the sand.

Both sides fielded their strongest lineups for this match.

Manchester City continued to use a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Ter Stegen;

Defense: Chiellini, Kompany, Jerome Boateng and Zabaleta;

Midfield: Yaya Toure plays deep, with David Silva and Verratti up front;

Forwards: Reus, Aguero, and Messi.

In this match, Guardiola made two different player selections than usual for the same positions.

One is a left-back.

Layton Baines is 30 years old.

Before the match, many people were worried about whether Leighton Baines could contain Gareth Bale.

Many even predicted that the two flanks would be the key areas for the Chinese to attack from Besworth.

Therefore, Guardiola's decision to play Chiellini on the left wing was partly to use the Italian to defend against Gareth Bale.

However, as a center-back, Chiellini, despite being a left-back by training, may not be able to adapt, which is also a question.

And then there's the midfield.

Guardiola has frequently used Xabi Alonso as a deep-lying midfielder this season.

But everyone knows that with Xabi Alonso playing as a lone defensive midfielder, defense will be a major problem.

Yaya Touré plays as a lone defensive midfielder, which presents some defensive vulnerabilities, but at least he has the ability to deliver high balls and maintain intensity.

Moreover, making late runs into the box is one of Yaya Touré's specialties.

However, in passing, especially long passes and playmaking, Yaya Touré is not as good as Xabi Alonso.

In fact, Guardiola's choice of this position is very extravagant.

Also, Fernandinho and Fernando.

Both players are defensively oriented.

But Guardiola didn't use either of them, only starting Yaya Toure and leaving Xabi Alonso on the bench.

As for Italian veteran Pirlo, he has gradually lost his place.

There have been persistent rumors that he might transfer back to Italy this summer, or even retire.

The Chinese team at Besworth also adopted a 4-3-3 formation.

Goalkeeper: Courtois;
Defense: Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Van Dijk and Piszczek;

Midfield: Matic drops deep, Toni Kroos and Modric are in the center;
Forwards: Hazard, Giroud and Gareth Bale.

This is basically the standard setup that Yang Cheng often uses in the Champions League.

The defensive midfielders Matic and Casemiro often rotate.

Although Casemiro has performed exceptionally well this season, Matic is noticeably more composed in crucial moments.

As for center-backs, Thiago Silva, Pepe, and Van Dijk have all performed exceptionally well this season.

Yang Cheng and the coaching staff both felt that Van Dijk should be given the opportunity to appear in key matches.

The Dutch seem to be ready!

From the start of the match, both sides immediately engaged in a typical Premier League-style fast-paced attack and defense.

The pace of the game was immediately accelerated.

Manchester City kicked off first.

From the first attack, we can see some of the strategies of both sides.

Manchester City did not control the ball in midfield for long, but instead opted for quick ball distribution.

The team mostly passed the ball forward, leaving Reus, Aguero, and Messi to orchestrate the attack.

All three players possess strong individual abilities.

As soon as one person gets the ball, the other two immediately run after them, forming a coordinated attack.

David Silva will follow immediately.

This style of play is largely the same as Guardiola's tactics at Manchester City this season.

The biggest difference lies in ball control.

From the very beginning, it was clear from Manchester City's tactics that Guardiola wasn't very confident about possession in this match.

The trio of Toni Kroos, Matic, and Modric all possess exceptional ball control and passing abilities.

More importantly, they worked together very well.

Yang Cheng's confidence also stemmed from this.

The midfield trio remained stable, maintaining a balance between offense and defense.

The three players in the attacking third pressed aggressively.

When Manchester City plays a quick ball forward, the Chinese defenders at Besworth tend to focus on compressing the space they have to receive the ball, rather than directly confronting Manchester City's attacking trident.

This is also a very rational strategy.

Given the strength of the Chinese defenders at Besworth, as long as they don't try to steal the ball easily and instead focus on compressing the opponent's space, it won't be easy for Manchester City's attacking trio to get past them.

But Messi is an exception.

Argentinians' ability to break through defenses is such that one person simply cannot stop them.

So, after the start of the game, once Manchester City realized this, possession moved to the attacking third and gradually shifted towards Messi.

But every time the Argentinian got the ball, he would be surrounded by defenders who would block his path forward.

Even Marcelo wasn't very active in attacking anymore.

Although Messi is officially a right winger, he actually plays a more free-roaming role in matches.

For the Chinese at Besworth, how to defend against Messi is not a foreign concept.

It can be said that both sides have put a lot of effort into their targeted tactics and have studied various offensive attempts based on the opponent's formation.

The first threatening attack of the match came from Messi.

In the 11th minute, the Argentine dropped back to the center of midfield to receive the ball.

At that time, Manchester City's entire midfield was dominated by the Chinese player, Besworth.

After receiving the ball, Messi turned and shook off Matic's marking. Although he couldn't completely break through with the ball, he delivered a through pass behind the defense.

Aguero made a quick forward run, getting ahead of Messi's pass, and dribbled towards the right side of the penalty area.

Thiago Silva gave chase and successfully kept up with Aguero.

With Courtois coming out to challenge, the two of them, working together, are confident of locking down Aguero's shooting angle.

Unexpectedly, the Argentine suddenly stopped and passed the ball across to Reus on the left side of the penalty spot with his right foot.

At this critical moment, Van Dijk rushed back to his own penalty area and made a crucial sliding tackle to block Reus's shot.

Not only that, after getting up from the ground, the Dutchman rushed forward again, intercepting the ball before it went out of bounds, turning and launching a long pass out of the penalty area, sending the ball into the attacking third. The Chinese quickly launched a counter-attack against Beswathe.

The entire stadium applauded Van Dijk's brilliant performance!

"This Dutch center-back's performance was truly outstanding!"

"I couldn't believe my eyes."

"Just a moment ago, he was so far away, and now he's rushed over in an instant. He's incredibly fast!"

"The key point is, he's really fierce!"

"I can now say without any doubt that Van Dijk is one of the strongest center-backs in the world today."

……

The back-and-forth attacks from both sides kept all the fans entertained.

There was another aspect of this match that satisfied everyone.

That's what smoothness is.

There were basically no unnecessary small moves from either side, but both sides were giving their all in defense.

It can be said that they are all focused on football.

The same goes for referee Cakir.

He made every call perfectly.

Even the players on both sides were quite polite to each other on the field.

For example, during a defensive play against Reus's dribbling breakthrough, Piszczek tracked back and tackled Reus.

After the Polish defender, who is about to turn 30, tackled the ball out of bounds, he turned around and reached out to help Reus up.

The German winger didn't linger; he grabbed Piszczek's hand and stood up again.

The audience responded with continuous applause.

Clearly, this was a very clean tackle.

Referee Cakir didn't even call a foul, simply awarding Manchester City a throw-in.

"The atmosphere of this match is indeed different from many matches we have seen before."

"It was very smooth and very beautiful, but the most important thing was the spirit of the game shown by both sides."

"I think it's more like a return to the purest form of football."

"Neither side had many tricks or dirty tricks, and their movements were not big or elaborate. In addition, their passing and receiving were very skillful and smooth, so the game was really exciting."

But shortly after the commentator finished praising them, in the 18th minute, the Chinese team launched a quick counterattack against Baswater.

After receiving the ball, Tony Kroos immediately launched a long diagonal pass, transferring the ball to the right flank of the attacking third.

Gareth Bale sprinted off at an extremely fast speed.

The Welsh winger was like a bolt of lightning.

Chiellini was also quite fast and returned to defense very promptly, keeping up with Gareth Bale the whole way.

Gareth Bale rushed to the right side of the Manchester City penalty area, but was closely marked by Chiellini and never had a chance to control the ball.

Just as the ball was about to go out of bounds, Gareth Bale suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He quickly stepped forward and, just before the ball went out of bounds, chipped it towards the right side of the penalty area.

After lobbing the ball, Gareth Bale suddenly stopped abruptly, halting his momentum and immediately cutting inside laterally.

Chiellini was taken aback.

He initially thought the ball was going out of bounds.

But Gareth Bale pulled this stunt.

Just as Chiellini was about to turn around, the Welshman had already blocked his way, shielding Chiellini behind him, and had already rushed into the penalty area.

Kompany has returned to the penalty area, but he is positioned to the right of the penalty spot.

Because he had to consider Giroud's lagging performance.

When Kompany saw Gareth Bale break through Chiellini in this way, he no longer cared about Giroud and immediately pounced on Gareth Bale.

After catching up with the ball he had just chipped out on the right side of the penalty area, the Welshman, without waiting for Kompany to get close, chased down and unleashed a left-footed shot.

Kompany immediately raised his foot to block, but was a beat too slow.

The football flew out of Gareth Bale's left foot at high speed, arced through the air, passed Ter Stegen's hands, and crashed into the goal behind him.

Goal!!!!

"A truly brilliant shot from the right wing after cutting inside!"

"From Gareth Bell!"

"This is the power of a world-class superstar!"

"Gareth Bale single-handedly broke through Chiellini and suddenly unleashed a powerful shot from the right side of the penalty area."

"That was an incredibly powerful shot!"

"That's a classic Bale goal!"

After scoring, Gareth Bale was so excited that he rushed off the pitch.

The Welshman rushed all the way to the side of the stands, excitedly celebrating his goal.

At that very moment, the television broadcast camera also switched to the stadium's presidential stand with a very specific focus.

Platini sat there motionless, his face grim.

But it was clear to everyone that he was very unhappy with Gareth Bale's goal at that moment.

……

With Baswater's Chinese team taking the lead, the game began to become increasingly open.

Manchester City, in particular.

The forwards have completely let loose.

Argentine Messi is more like a hungry wolf, and every time he gets the ball, he launches a fierce attack on the Chinese defense of Besworth.

Everyone knows that once Messi gets the ball and starts dribbling, it's extremely difficult to stop him.

Sometimes, they even have to resort to fouling.

However, not every foul will be effective.

As the match progressed to the 29th minute, both sides continued to play at a fast pace.

Messi received the ball on the right flank and surged forward, drawing both Matic and Marcelo around him, while continuing to dribble into the penalty area.

This is clearly quite unreasonable.

Marcelo made a crucial tackle, bringing Messi down just outside the right corner of the penalty area.

It was a foul, and although the action was clean, the referee still issued a yellow card and awarded a free kick just outside the right corner of the penalty area.

Verratti ran over to prepare to kick off.

Messi pointed to the space in front of him.

The Italian midfielder kicked the ball over.

As soon as Messi received the ball, he was surrounded by four defenders.

The two in front are Thiago Silva and Marcelo, to his left is Matic, and to his right rear is Toni Kroos.

Four players simultaneously surrounded Messi.

Just when it seemed that Messi was about to sandwich the Argentinian player, preventing him from entering the penalty area, he controlled the ball and started moving, his body swaying from side to side at a very fast pace.

First, he dribbled past Marcelo with his right foot, then dribbled past Thiago Silva with his left.

No one at the scene knew how the Argentinians had managed to do it.

But he managed to dribble the ball out from between four defenders.

And everyone was wondering: How did he do that?
The Argentine player had just broken past Thiago Silva and, without giving the Brazilian center-back a chance to catch up, delivered a cross with his right foot.

The ball was passed to the front of the goal.

Aguero rushed out first, sliding in to shoot and sending the ball into the Baswater Chinese goal.

1 is better than 1!

draw!

The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers once again!
"fantastic!"

"My God, Messi managed to get the ball out even when surrounded by four players."

"The Argentine used his magical footwork to break through the layers of defense of the Chinese team at Beswater, and assisted Aguero to score with a sliding shot in front of the goal, leveling the score!"

"It's now 30 minutes into the match, and both sides are back on equal footing!"

"This is Messi!"

"Unreasonable Messi!"

"Just like Gareth Bale's powerful shot just now, it left the defenders with no way to stop it."

What defines a top superstar?

"That's them!"

Even if you know what they're trying to do, you can't stop them!

……

After Manchester City equalized, the Chinese at Besworth continued to intensify their attacks.

As the game progressed, Yang Cheng's team gradually began to gain the upper hand in the midfield.

In terms of ball possession, the Chinese players from Beswain were surprisingly evenly matched with Manchester City.

In the first 30 minutes, 51% and 49% were almost the same.

Even the number of shots on goal was roughly the same for both sides, with 5 shots each.

According to the commentators, both sides did their best in targeted defense, but their offenses were always able to find some loopholes and create some opportunities.

As the Chinese players from Basworth intensified their attack, they gradually gained some advantage on the field.

But there are also regrets.

In the 37th minute, Gareth Bale dribbled down the right flank, broke through two Manchester City defenders, and crossed the ball across the face of goal with his right foot. Giroud, under pressure from Boateng, poked the ball in front of the goal, but surprisingly, the shot went wide.

There was another header attempt later, also from Giroud, but it went high.

The French center forward is indeed somewhat lacking in shooting efficiency.

Manchester City, on the other hand, strengthened their defense.

Especially the defense against Gareth Bale on the right flank.

Forty minutes later, the Chinese from Beswater began to intensify their attack on the left flank.

Marcelo also began to actively participate in the attack.

In the 44th minute, Hazard and Marcelo completed an attacking combination on the left flank. When the low cross from the byline was delivered to the near post, Boateng once again beat Giroud to it and cleared the ball out of play.

Corner kick.

Tony Cross ran over quickly, picked up the ball, and placed it in the corner area.

At this moment, all of Manchester City's defenders retreated.

Piszczek and Marcelo, the two full-backs, retreated from the 30-meter zone.

Because both center-backs, Thiago Silva and Van Dijk, had entered the penalty area and were preparing to contest the header.

Van Dijk's headers are also a very important attacking weapon for the Chinese at Basworth Field.

Manchester City is also on high alert.

Gianni Vio also ran to the sidelines again to direct the game.

Just when everyone thought that Tony Kroos would take the penalty kick directly into the penalty area, he suddenly chose to take it quickly and kicked the ball directly to Hazard.

After passing the ball, Tony Kroos quickly ran towards the penalty area.

Manchester City was prepared.

At the same moment Hazard received the ball, Zabaleta immediately forced him out, compelling the Belgian to retreat.

As Tony Kroos rushed into the penalty area to avoid being offside, he was blocked behind him by Yaya Touré, who reacted quickly.

The German midfielder, constantly observing the surrounding situation, immediately reached out and called out, "Marcelo!"

Hazard immediately sent a pass back.

The ball was passed back along the left flank and found Marcelo, who had made a run into the box.

The Brazilian hadn't even received the ball yet when he saw Toni Kroos's gesture.

It was brought to him.

Although Yaya Toure had Toni Kroos behind him, he also had to be wary of Hazard not passing the ball, but instead dribbling past Zabaleta and cutting diagonally into the penalty area near the byline to cross.

This is extremely dangerous.

Right now, the penalty area is packed with people.

Therefore, Yaya Touré's attention was always on Hazard, Zabaleta, and Tony Cross behind him.

When Tony Cross called out to Marcelo, Yaya Toure almost reflexively glanced at Hazard.

But after just one glance, Tony Kroos quickly circled around behind him, rushed to his left front, and pointed to his front, urging Marcelo to pass the ball quickly.

Yaya Touré followed immediately.

Although he missed a golden opportunity, he was determined to stop Tony Cross.

Marcelo's pass found Toni Kroos perfectly.

But the German midfielder didn't stop the ball; instead, he made a direct block, and the ball passed right through the narrow passage behind Zabaleta and in front of Yaya Toure towards the byline.

Hazard was actually sticking close to Zabaleta, afraid of going offside.

After Tony Kroos passed the ball, he immediately made a forward run, caught up with the pass near the byline, and delivered a high cross with his left foot.

At the near post of the penalty area, Van Dijk suddenly circled forward and headed the ball powerfully into Manchester City's goal from close range!
Goal!!!!

"2 to 1!"

"Just before the end of the first half, the Chinese from Beswain scored again against Manchester City."

"An assist from Hazard, and Van Dijk's header!"

"A brilliant tactical corner kick combination, quite unexpected."

"Everyone thought that the Chinese from Baswater would take a direct corner kick, but unexpectedly, they opted for a quick tactical corner kick and executed a brilliant combination."

"Manchester City's corner kick defense has been completely dismantled!"

……

The first half ended with a score of 2-1.

However, after the break in the second half, Manchester City launched another attack and began to commit more players.

The Chinese players on the Basswaters team began to slow down their pace and try to control the game.

After all, we are in the lead.

Yang Cheng also hopes that the team can take advantage of Manchester City's proactive pressing and try to launch counter-attacks behind the defense.

In the 54th minute, Matic intercepted the ball outside his own penalty area and quickly passed it to Modric.

Modric dribbled forward, and after crossing the halfway line, he immediately sent a mid-range half-high ball directly to the right flank of the attacking third.

Gareth Bale surged forward at top speed, securing the best position and using his body to block Chiellini before controlling the ball with his left foot to Giroud, who was making a run into the box.

The French center forward was a bit slow, slightly behind Gareth Bale. After controlling the ball, he dribbled forward with his left foot and delivered a behind-the-back pass.

The ball was passed between Boateng and Kompany, bounced inside Manchester City's penalty area, and then landed on the left side of the penalty area.

At almost the same time, Hazard made a quick diagonal run into the penalty area.

The Belgian wasn't particularly fast, but Zabaleta was always kept behind him.

Giroud's pass bounced off the ground and landed right in front of Hazard.

In terms of goals, the French center forward's efficiency was indeed average.

But he did a very good job with his passing.

Just as Hazard caught up, the ball came crashing down again.

The Belgian player, without stopping the ball, unleashed a powerful right-footed shot.

When everyone thought Hazard would shoot into the far corner, the Belgian suddenly chose to shoot into the near corner.

The ball grazed the base of the right post and went into Manchester City's goal.

Ter Stegen's save came a little too late.

"3 to 1!"

"Hazard scores another goal for Baswater!"

"My God, the Chinese counterattack in Bethwater is incredibly fast!"

"From winning the ball to launching a counter-attack, Manchester City's defense didn't even have time to react before their backline was breached once again."

"Right now, Guardiola's team is facing a very troublesome problem."

"If they push forward to attack, the defense behind them will become a problem."

"But if we don't push forward, we're currently behind in the score."

"Now it's up to Guardiola to decide."

……

Guardiola did indeed make substitutions very quickly.

In the 59th minute, Xabi Alonso replaced Zabaleta.

Manchester City have started playing with a three-man defense.

Chiellini, Kompany and Boateng.

The midfield shifted to Xabi Alonso dropping deep, while Yaya Touré gained more freedom to move forward and participate in the attack.

It was precisely this adjustment that led to Yaya Touré receiving a pass from Messi on the edge of the penalty area in the 73rd minute. After using his body to hold off Matic, he delivered a lobbed pass to the right side of the penalty area.

Aguero burst into the right side of the penalty area, controlled the ball, and then fired a low shot that beat Courtois' goal.

2 is better than 3!

This goal reignited the hopes of Manchester City players.

Throughout the match, Messi seemed to be locked in a cage, with little space to get the ball.

But the Argentinians were still able to use their ball control and passing to create opportunities for their teammates.

Both of Manchester City's goals were inseparable from Messi's ball control and playmaking.

Moreover, after narrowing the gap to 2-3, Manchester City players clearly felt they still had a chance.

Manchester City then intensified their attack.

Especially in the 75th minute, Guardiola substituted Thiago for Verratti, who was exhausted.

But it was precisely this substitution that caused problems for Manchester City.

In the 79th minute, Thiago was dribbling in midfield when Modric successfully intercepted the ball and then passed it across to Toni Kroos.

The German midfielder launched a long diagonal pass, sending the ball far behind Manchester City.

At this moment, the entire Blue Moon defense line has pushed past the center line.

Almost simultaneously, Gareth Bale, like a red lightning bolt, swiftly pierced through Manchester City's defense, charging forward relentlessly.

Chiellini desperately chased after Gareth Bale, trying to stay close to him.

But the Welshmen were not intimidated at all.

Especially after they entered Manchester City's half, their speed increased significantly.

Everyone could clearly see that the Welshmen went from being a step behind to gradually catching up.

Once inside Manchester City's 30-meter zone, he overtook Chiellini, caught up with the rebounding ball, and dribbled it into the penalty area.

Chiellini reached out to try and stop Gareth Bale from entering the penalty area.

Even if it means getting a red card, I'm willing to do it!
But when he reached out to grab it, he touched Gareth Bale's wet jersey on the back.

When I reached for the jersey, it slipped.

Not only did he fail to catch it, he also stumbled a bit.

Gareth Bale quickly caught up with the ball he had dribbled out, and calmly chipped it with his right foot over the onrushing Ter Stegen.

As a result, he tripped over Ter Stegen, who was diving to save the ball, lost his balance, fell forward, rolled twice, and went out of bounds.

But after he lobbed the ball high, it went over Ter Stegen's head and slowly fell toward the empty goal.

Turkish referee Cakir also rushed as fast as he could before barely making it to the edge of the penalty area.

There's no way around it, Gareth Bale is just too fast!

But Cakir still blew his whistle directly, indicating that the goal was valid.

4 is better than 2!

The entire stadium erupted in cheers.

Manchester City players did not protest.

Because they all know it very well.

This ball is either a penalty or a goal.

And the score on the scoreboard changed from 2-3 to 2-4!

Yang Cheng clenched his fists excitedly.

Won!

He's starting to look forward to Platini presenting the award!
(End of this chapter)