Starting with saving Manchester United

Chapter 112 The Art of Law Enforcement by World-Renowned Referees

Something is wrong!

Something's very wrong!

As soon as the game started, both the fans at the stadium and the viewers watching the live broadcast could immediately tell that something was wrong.

As everyone expected, Real Madrid, with their overwhelming strength, should have dominated their opponents from the very beginning.

Using the formidable strength of the BBC, they directly crushed Manchester United.

At the very least, control the game.

In fact, Real Madrid did want to do just that.

However, Manchester United did not opt ​​for a defensive counter-attacking strategy at the start of the game.

"Unexpectedly, Manchester United took the initiative and pressed forward."

"Look at this time, Real Madrid made a long pass from their own half."

"Phil Jones headed the ball to Vidic."

"It failed to pose a threat."

The next moment, Manchester United launched a counter-attack.

Ashley Young received the ball on the left wing, but was pressured by Gareth Bale, and passed it to Fellaini with his right foot.

Fellaini, with his back to the attacking direction, hesitated slightly when controlling the ball with his chest, and was dispossessed by Chidric.

However, after conceding the goal, Manchester United immediately launched a counter-pressing offensive.

Whether it was Fellaini, Van Persie, Ashley Young, or Cleverley, they all rushed forward, forcing Pepe to launch another long pass.

Gareth Bale sped along the right flank.

Standing in front of the home team's coaching bench, Yang Fan could see Gareth Bale's simple, direct, and brutal speed from afar, and his adrenaline surged.

That's incredibly sharp!

Smalling rushed out decisively and headed the ball back before Gareth Bale could react.

Unfortunately, Ashley Young stopped the ball out of bounds when he caught it.

From a series of details such as ball control, receiving, and passing, it is clear that Manchester United players are indeed inferior to Real Madrid players in terms of individual technical skills.

However, after Carvajal threw the ball in, Manchester United's players rushed forward again.

Especially Fellaini.

The Belgian felt guilty about his mistake and rushed towards Pepe.

After Pepe passed the ball back to Casillas, he immediately rushed into the penalty area and lunged at Casillas.

Rooney stayed outside the penalty area but kept Ramos under control.

But Van Persie was right near the top of the penalty area, so he couldn't pass the ball to him at all.

As Fellaini drew closer, Casillas didn't hesitate. After controlling the ball, he pulled it towards the left side of his own penalty area, then chased after it and launched a long ball down the left flank, aiming to find Coentrao.

But at the very moment the pass was made, Carrick suddenly appeared.

Coentrao stayed close to the left sideline, waiting for the ball to fall, ready to receive it and launch an attack.

Unexpectedly, Carrick intercepted the ball midway, took it away, and then chased after it, rushing into Real Madrid's 30-meter zone.

This sudden interception took everyone at Real Madrid by surprise.

Xabi Alonso immediately rushed over to intercept, and was even ready to commit a foul.

But Carrick reacted quickly, pushing the ball forward with his right foot.

The ball rolled past Xabi Alonso and slid towards the right side of the penalty spot inside the penalty area.

Van Persie made a quick diagonal run from the top of the arc.

At the same time, Pepe rushed across from the left side of the penalty spot, while Casillas quickly rushed out from inside the six-yard box to meet Carrick's pass.

Two Real Madrid players, one in white and one in green, rushed over at the same time, sandwiching Van Persie between them.

The final result was that all three of them fell to the ground at the same time.

The entire Bright Stadium erupted in cheers!

"Penalty! Penalty!!!"

Yang Fan stood on the sidelines, and without thinking twice, he shouted first.

The Manchester United players on the pitch also reacted quickly.

Rooney, who was closest to the referee, rushed over and pressured the Dutch referee, Keppers, pointing at Van Persie on the ground and repeatedly saying: "This is a penalty."

Van Persie, Pepe, and Casillas all remained inside the penalty area.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid players like Ramos rushed over, constantly defending their teammates.

"From the slow-motion replay, we can clearly see that Van Persie's left foot did indeed touch the ball first and protected it."

"Casillas didn't get the ball, but he did get a foot from Van Persie."

"Let's try looking at it from another angle. Pepe's hands also make obvious movements."

"It should be said that this was indeed a penalty kick."

"But the game has only been going on for one minute now. In the Champions League final, to award a penalty after only one minute is a real test of the referee's mental fortitude."

"It has to be said that Manchester United's relentless pressing from the start caught Real Madrid off guard and left them unaccustomed to it."

"Keppers did not award a penalty, nor did he call a foul, nor did he call Van Persie for diving."

"The ball was in Casillas's hands, and Keppers immediately signaled for play to continue."

"Heh heh, that's the art of law enforcement!"

"Giving a penalty right at the start, hehe, that reduces the suspense of the game a lot, and the referee is also afraid of being criticized."

The game has restarted.

Manchester United continued their relentless pressing and pressure on Real Madrid.

Especially in the attacking third.

Yang Fan had been closely monitoring the situation from the sidelines the whole time.

Whenever the ball is in Real Madrid's backfield, two of the three players – Van Persie, Rooney, and Fellaini – will press forward, while the other will mark Xabi Alonso.

Meanwhile, Cleverley also followed up with Modric.

This relentless pressing tactic made it difficult for Real Madrid's midfield to function effectively.

Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric, in particular, had a very difficult time playing.

Should we take the side road?

The same tactics Manchester United used to contain Barcelona and Bayern Munich would be even more effective against Real Madrid's flanks.

Therefore, Real Madrid often launches long balls directly from their own half to the front.

Manchester United patiently waited for their opportunity.

Manchester United seized another opportunity just four minutes into the game.

After intercepting the ball near the midline, Ashley Young passed it to Carrick, who was unmarked on the right flank outside the 30-meter zone.

Carrick controlled the ball and moved forward, then delivered another through ball behind the defense.

Van Persie made another forward run, bursting into the penalty area between Pepe and Ramos.

Unfortunately, Van Persie was too slow.

Casillas made a successful save.

No threat was posed.

But Manchester United have already sent the ball into Real Madrid's penalty area twice.

Yang Fan noticed that Ancelotti was waving his hands on the sidelines, signaling to Real Madrid's players to push forward.

A scene that perfectly illustrates Real Madrid's tactical intentions occurred in the 6th minute.

Real Madrid attacked Manchester United's penalty area by passing the ball around continuously.

But they couldn't break through, and finally Carvajal crossed the ball from the right wing into the box.

De Gea rushed out and caught the ball from mid-air.

This pass was almost entirely safe.

After gaining possession of the ball, the Spaniards quickly launched a counter-attack with a throw-in.

From Cleverley to Rooney.

Rooney dribbled the ball across the halfway line and passed it to Van Persie.

When Van Persie controlled the ball on the right side of Real Madrid's 30-meter zone, Real Madrid's defense had already retreated back into the 30-meter zone.

Pepe, Ramos, Coentrao, and Modric are all back.

This is a very iconic scene!

Manchester United's counter-attack speed is too slow!

Three minutes later, Manchester United intercepted the ball outside the penalty area and launched a counter-attack.

Rooney seized the opportunity exceptionally well, dribbling the ball all the way from the edge of his own half's 30-meter zone.

But the result?

Di Maria chased relentlessly all the way to his own half, right up to the 30-meter zone —

About 10 meters from the penalty area, Di Maria caught up with Rooney, clung to him, and successfully tackled the ball away, completing a very impressive defensive play.

Argentinians may look thin and bony, but they are actually very resilient.

Ancelotti continued waving, signaling Real Madrid to press forward.

Given Manchester United's counter-attacking speed, if Real Madrid can suppress them, their threat will be greatly reduced.

"Ancelotti truly deserves his reputation as a world-class coach; his on-field reactions are incredibly quick."

In the Presidential Stand at the Stadium of Light, Ferguson sat next to the Glazer brothers, providing commentary on the match for them.

In particular, the power struggle behind the two head coaches' lineups and on-field commands.

"Yang Fan's start was very bold and effective, catching Real Madrid off guard at one point and almost earning a penalty."

Ferguson was deeply impressed by Van Persie's fall.

If it hadn't happened in the first minute of the match, it would probably have been a penalty.

Unfortunately, it happened in the first minute.

Sometimes, a football match truly requires the right timing, location, and people—all three are indispensable.

"It feels like Real Madrid is gradually improving." Joel Glazer doesn't know much about football, but he can see some general signs.

"Ancelotti's coaching style has always been very balanced and he also attaches great importance to defense. Real Madrid itself is a strong team, and Ramos and Pepe are the best center-back pairing in the world."

Ferguson shook his head at this point and said, "If we can't take advantage of the chaos at the start to break through Real Madrid's defense and let them get back on their feet, the game will be very difficult. Moreover, Ancelotti has pinpointed our weaknesses."

"How so?"

Ferguson pointed onto the pitch and kept waving to Ancelotti, signaling for his team to press forward.

"As long as we push our defense forward and lose possession within 30 meters of our own half, we'll need to sprint at least 70 meters to launch a counter-attack."

rice."

Ferguson shook his head helplessly at this point, saying, "Van Persie, Rooney, and Fellaini can't go that far."

"Rooney made a dash just now, but Di Maria caught up with him."

Most importantly, neither Rooney nor Fellaini are the type of players who can single-handedly dribble past defenders.

Rooney used to be able to do it, but he can't anymore.

Fellaini, on the other hand, has never been good at it.

Ferguson shook his head and sighed, glancing at the time on the scoreboard.

"It's been 10 minutes, it's about time to leave."

But on the pitch, the Manchester United players continued to persevere.

Especially in midfield, they were directly challenging Real Madrid's midfield.

"This game was fast-paced and exciting, but it was very disadvantageous for us," Ferguson shook his head.

As they were talking, they saw Modric receive the ball on the right side of the center circle at the midfield line, and before Cleverley could get close, he suddenly dribbled forward.

Cleverley reached out to foul Modric, but Modric broke free.

The Croatian player delivered a through pass before even reaching the 30-meter zone.

Gareth Bale rushed over and, before Smalling could react, dribbled the ball into the penalty area.

The Welshman quickly started his run and chased into Manchester United's penalty area.

At a crucial moment, Vidic leaped out and blocked Gareth Bale's right-footed shot out of bounds.

Everyone in the audience gasped in surprise.

too fast!

Gareth Bell's acceleration was truly lightning fast!

The subsequent corner kick posed no threat.

But Gareth Bale's dribble into the penalty area sent chills down the spines of everyone at Manchester United.

Two minutes later, Ronaldo unleashed a sudden shot from outside the penalty area, which went just over the crossbar.

Real Madrid gradually turned the tide of the game.

Ferguson was intimidated by Real Madrid's two attacks.

I checked the time; it was a little over 14 minutes.

"It's really time to retire. Continuing to attack Real Madrid head-on will only make our defense too vulnerable."

As if in response to Ferguson's words, Yang Fan walked to the sidelines, waved to the players, and signaled the team to retreat and defend.

Ancelotti put one hand on his hip and waved the other, signaling the team to press forward.

His intention was clear: to take down Manchester United in one fell swoop!

But no one noticed that Fellaini was still plotting something while advancing and retreating.

During the 10-day intensive training, Yang Fan's killer move was not limited to his initial aggressive attack.