novelraw Chapter 627 - 432: C Luo’s Hat-Trick Reverses Bayern! Is Guardiola’s Manchester City Position in Jeopardy?
Chapter 627 - 432: C Luo’s Hat-Trick Reverses Bayern! Is Guardiola’s Manchester City Position in Jeopardy?
After the flight landed, all Manchester City players dismissed on the spot.
Some impatient young players, like Iheanacho, didn’t even go home and stayed at the airport, meeting with his girlfriend to catch a red-eye flight for a vacation abroad.
More players went home joyfully and had a good sleep.
Tang Long had a new discovery, not feeling sleepy at all; he trained at the AI Cloud Training Ground until late at night, only sleeping at dawn.
...
A week later.
May 29th, 2016.
Italy, Meazza Stadium.
The Champions League final begins!
Bayern Munich VS Real Madrid.
Ronaldo got four tickets and gave them to Tang Long, Bonazzoli, and Ranocchia. The four sat in the stands at Meazza Stadium to watch the match.
During this week, Tang Long took advantage of the offseason and invested days into training at the AI Cloud Training Ground.
He must finish all 100 hours of special training before next month’s summer training begins.
However, the Champions League final is something not to be missed under any circumstances!
Especially since the match is at Meazza Stadium, where Tang Long and Ranocchia revisit after the Champions League quarter-finals.
The tickets were very tight, and Ronaldo only managed to get four consecutive seats on the regular stands; once seated, they attracted attention from people around, with continuous group photos.
But once the match started, all fans immersed themselves in this Bundesliga and La Liga showdown.
"Who do you think will win?" Ronaldo asked.
Tang Long and Ranocchia both thought it would be Bayern, because in the two-leg clash with Manchester City, Bayern showed unmatched passing and control tactics, surpassing Manchester City, and their coach Guardiola had won two Champions Leagues with Barça, with rich Champions League experience.
Bonazzoli, however, was ambiguous, saying anyone could win.
Ronaldo laughed heartily, believing Real Madrid had a greater chance!
"Guardiola is indeed strong, and Bayern players are also very strong, but Real Madrid has C Luo, the kind of player who can play a decisive role."
Ranocchia said: "C Luo is already 31 years old, his stamina and running ability are declining, may not withstand Bayern’s defense."
Ronaldo gave him a look and said: "What do you know? Nowadays, players have much better medical conditions than in my time, and C Luo’s self-discipline makes him younger in real age. Otherwise, how could he dominate the Champions League top scorer this season?"
Tang Long nodded and said: "That’s true, C Luo has already scored 14 Champions League goals, his scoring efficiency is very high, especially in the Champions League."
Ranocchia refuted: "Perhaps because I’m a defender, I think it’s good to have outstanding individual ability, but the match still relies on overall strength confrontation, especially in a strong dialogue like the Champions League final. Plus, Real Madrid’s coach Zidane just took office this January, winning the Champions League in six months, that’s too unbelievable, right?"
...
The process of this match was downright tumultuous!
Bayern, with their strong control ability, firmly kept the ball at their feet from the first minute of the match.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, pragmatically played their familiar defense and counterattack.
A few years ago, when Mourinho took over Real Madrid, he instilled a mature counterattacking style in the players. Relying on this tactic, they successfully defeated the then-flourishing Barça, known as the Cosmos team, in the 2011-2012 season, winning the La Liga championship.
Zidane, although a fresh face in office, had never served as head coach in the top five leagues before managing Real Madrid, and his tactical accomplishment was not comparable to his mentor Ancelotti.
But in this match, Real Madrid showcased a performance bordering on mystical, giving Guardiola a headache.
The key is that every time Bayern scores first, Real Madrid can always quickly equalize!
In the 15th minute of the first half, Bayern’s front line made a series of short passes and drew Real Madrid’s formation over. Then, fullback Lahm suddenly surged forward against offside, successfully crossed to the center, and Lewandowski gratefully took the open goal, allowing Bayern to gain an early 1-0 lead.
But just 5 minutes later, C Luo violently headed Modric’s corner kick pass into the net in the center of the box!
Into the second half, Bayern exhibited great patience, passing nearly 20 balls in the backfield before using Diego’s sudden rhythm through ball in the attacking midfield position to assist Lewandowski’s solo goal.
However, just 4 minutes later, C Luo received the ball in his familiar left wing, performed his trademark cut inside, and shot low with the right foot into the bottom right corner of the goal, leaving Neuer to watch in dismay!
"Interesting, too interesting!" Ronaldo clapped laughing, "Look, although Real Madrid doesn’t have the upper hand in possession, their shots on target are fewer than Bayern’s, but the score is tied fiercely with Bayern. If Real Madrid wants the Champions League, they have to rely on C Luo!"
After this, Guardiola made live adjustments, making the formation more compact, reducing the chances for Real Madrid quick counterattacks, and C Luo fell into the offside trap three times in a row.
In a flash, the time reached after 80 minutes.
Just when Tang Long, Ranocchia, and Bonazzoli were discussing whether C Luo or Lewandowski would first achieve a Champions League final hat trick—
Modric suddenly completed a tackle on Diego in midfield, and immediately passed the ball to C Luo on the left!
Since being shaken off by C Luo with a cut inside and a low shot to score, Bayern’s center back Boateng paid special attention to the middle space;
But C Luo defied expectations, quickly shifting the ball to the left, taking no third step, firmly planting his supporting foot, and striking with his left foot!
As soon as the ball was kicked, with a crisp "snap" sound, Ronaldo stood up, "This one is definitely going in!"
Sure enough, C Luo’s explosive left-footed shot was even more powerful than his right-footed low shot, slamming into the near corner of the goal!
Even Tang Long was amazed by C Luo’s left-footed shot. He said to Bonazzoli:
"Only C Luo’s left foot can deliver such a powerful shot. Just by hearing the sound, I know it’s him without looking."
Ultimately, with C Luo’s hat trick, Real Madrid came from behind after conceding an early goal to overturn Bayern 3:2, claiming the club’s 11th Champions League title!
He passionately celebrated with a commanding "Siu" gesture towards the stands, eliciting a thunderous cheer from the fans.
Bonazzoli’s tone was filled with envy:
"If I remember correctly, this is C Luo’s third Champions League title, absolutely incredible. Inter has only won three Champions Leagues in over 100 years, he alone equals Inter’s entire team!"
Tang Long nodded and said: "C Luo has already won the Champions League and the Champions League Golden Boot. If Portugal performs well in this year’s European Cup, the Golden Ball Award is definitely his."
...
At the post-match press conference, Guardiola’s face was full of regret.
His tone was somewhat heavy, and he felt very dissatisfied with such a situation.
"I can tell you, there was nothing wrong with our match today. I am very satisfied with the lads’ performance; it was the most beautiful Champions League match we’ve played this season."
"But we did something very poorly, and that was our inability to sufficiently restrain C Luo, which did not meet my expectations!"
"For top players like C Luo, if you give him any chance, he will seize it, especially in the Champions League final defense, where no mistakes can be made."
Guardiola left the press conference in dismay.
He was only 45 years old, proud and ambitious, but he didn’t say all of what was on his mind.
At this moment, his feelings were identical to Wenger’s.
The Arsenal led by Wenger lost 2:3 to Manchester City in the League Cup this season.
After the match, Professor Wenger said in frustration: "We didn’t lose to Manchester City, we just lost to Tang alone!"
For Guardiola, wasn’t this exactly how he felt?
The first concession, C Luo’s header in the box, Boateng was clearly marking him, and he was taller than C Luo, yet C Luo jumped higher than Boateng by a whole head, seemingly suppressing him, and headed it in at the top!
And for the second goal, though C Luo cut in and created space, the shot was from a full 25 meters out;
This type of long-range shot was precisely in the defensive range that the tall, long-legged Neuer specialized in, but C Luo’s shot was perfect in both angle and power, and Neuer couldn’t stop it!
And C Luo’s third left-footed shot was the perfect embodiment of his superb shooting and decisiveness.
Neuer thought Boateng had forced C Luo to use his opposite foot, posing little threat, but it was exactly this carelessness by Neuer that caused the big mistake, as C Luo’s left-footed shot was even better than his right!
In comparison to C Luo’s three goals, Guardiola clearly realized that the two goals Bayern’s starting forward Lewandowski scored were much less challenging.
If you handed these three chances to Lewandowski, scoring one would have been a good performance, but C Luo seized all three opportunities.
What embarrassed Guardiola was that C Luo, known for his high number of shots, had only six shots in this Champions League final, averaging a goal every two shots, such high efficiency, how to defend against it?
...
Manchester City Club CEO’s office.
There was a disagreement between the football director Belgistan and the commercial director Belada regarding who should be the head coach of Manchester City next season!
Belgistan advocated for keeping Pellegrini on to complete the remaining two years of his contract with the team.
"Pellegrini couldn’t have done better; he’s won three championships and led the team to the Champions League semifinals, the best achievement in the team’s history. He deserves the club’s respect, we shouldn’t demand more from him."
Belada insisted that the team should honor their verbal agreement with Guardiola, having him take over for Manchester City.
"Abu Dhabi’s consortium’s ambition will not merely stop at the Champions League semifinals! The League Champion is a given; if it’s not won, someone should roll; if it’s won, it’s no surprise. Our sole objective is to vie for the Champions League, and on this point, I believe Guardiola’s ceiling is far higher than Pellegrini’s!"
"But didn’t Guardiola’s Bayern fail to win the Champions League too," Belgistan retorted, "Real Madrid just won the Champions League, why don’t you dig Zidane away?"
Belada, though he sensed a provocative tone in his boss’s voice, remained steadfast in his idea.
His viewpoint was unique, making the other two high-ranking city football group officials present feel refreshed.
"I think precisely because Guardiola lost in the Champions League final this season, only managing to secure a runner-up position, he is better suited for Manchester City!"
"Because next season, he will have endless motivation to prove himself, leading us to the Champions League throne!"