Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 505: Real Madrid Falls Behind, Zidane Unleashes a Secret Weapon Early!

After Torres missed the penalty, Atlético Madrid's offensive pressure significantly diminished, and they no longer posed much of a threat. Seeing that the game was essentially decided, Guardiola started substituting players, including Lin Quan, in the 75th minute of the second half.

However, just after Lin Quan left the field, Manchester City earned a penalty during one of their attacks. Many fans felt it was unfortunate for Lin Quan, as, had he remained on the pitch, he would have been the one to take the penalty, given his status as the team's primary penalty taker. With his accuracy from the spot, he likely would have scored, completing a hat trick.

Unfortunately, Guardiola made the substitution just a bit too early.

With Lin Quan off the field, Agüero confidently stepped up to take the penalty. However, whether it was due to Torres' earlier miss or something else, Agüero's shot was also saved. Oblak correctly guessed the direction and made a spectacular save, denying Agüero's attempt.

Agüero was left frustrated. It was that man again—Oblak had ruined several of his chances throughout the match. Without him, Agüero could have easily scored two goals by now.

After the missed penalty, Guardiola substituted Agüero as well, bringing on a very young player—17-year-old Kylian Mbappé.

With this substitution, Mbappé, at 17 years and 139 days old, broke Lin Quan's record to become the youngest player in Manchester City's history to feature in a Champions League match.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Quan stood up on the bench and applauded Mbappé. The record Mbappé broke placed him among the top four youngest players ever to appear in the Champions League.

Playing in a competition as intense as the Champions League at such a young age is a significant recognition of a player's talent and potential. If a young player doesn't possess extraordinary skill and potential, they rarely get the chance to feature, even in garbage time.

After coming on, Mbappé played with great enthusiasm, even drawing gasps from the crowd when he used his speed to overtake an Atlético player on the wing.

However, at 17, Mbappé still showed some immaturity. His toolbox was limited—he was incredibly fast, but in other areas, he was less developed. Against a defense as strong as Atlético's, it was hard for him to create anything on his own.

In the end, the score remained 1-2, with Atlético Madrid losing at home to Manchester City, suffering a defeat both home and away in the semifinals. Their Champions League journey came to an end.

Meanwhile, Manchester City made history by reaching the Champions League final for the third consecutive year, becoming only the seventh team in the competition's history—and the first from the Premier League—to achieve this feat.

If City could win the final this year, they would join Real Madrid, Ajax, and Bayern Munich as the only teams to have won three consecutive Champions League titles. They would also become the first team to achieve this in the modern Champions League era.

With so much at stake, all eyes turned to the other semifinal between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich—a clash of giants.

Coincidentally, both teams had previously won three consecutive European titles, making their match even more intriguing. Whoever won would have the daunting task of stopping Manchester City in the final at the San Siro.

In comparison to the City vs. Atlético match, Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich attracted far more attention. The reason was simple: the gap in strength between City and Atlético was too large, and after City's dominant first-leg victory, few expected Atlético to mount a comeback. Most saw the match as a formality.

But the Real Madrid-Bayern Munich match was different. Although Real Madrid had won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a goal from Benzema, a one-goal lead was hardly secure, especially between two teams as offensively potent as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Moreover, with the second leg at Bayern's home ground, many fans believed Bayern would overturn the deficit and advance.

Faced with Bayern's potent attack, Zidane adopted a more cautious approach. Real Madrid lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, aiming to control the midfield while strengthening the defense on the flanks to counter Bayern's wide play.

In contrast, Bayern took a much more aggressive approach. Veteran coach Jupp Heynckes deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation, which greatly boosted their wing play. However, the downside was that it placed enormous defensive pressure on their lone holding midfielder, making them vulnerable to being overrun by Real Madrid's powerful attack.

Still, Heynckes was undeterred by the risks and committed fully to this aggressive setup.

Once the match began, Bayern immediately capitalized on their home advantage, launching wave after wave of attacks on Real Madrid. In the first 30 minutes, Bayern had 11 shots, five of which were on target, but all were saved by Real Madrid's goalkeeper.

That goalkeeper was none other than Thibaut Courtois, who had been loaned to Real Madrid from Chelsea during the winter transfer window. (Note: Normally, players who have already played for one team in the Champions League cannot represent another team in the same season, but for the sake of this story, this rule has been overlooked.)

Courtois had initially felt smug after joining Chelsea, even pushing out the club's veteran keeper Petr Čech through behind-the-scenes maneuvering. However, as Chelsea's fortunes declined in both the Premier League and the Champions League, Courtois grew restless.

Seeing Chelsea struggle while Manchester City dominated the Premier League, Courtois felt that staying in the Premier League offered limited prospects, especially as he feared being dragged down by Chelsea. He began angling for a transfer, even going so far as to refuse to train and play.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich had admired Courtois, which is why he sold Čech and kept Courtois, the younger talent. Faced with Courtois' antics, Abramovich uncharacteristically didn't get angry and refused to sell him. However, Chelsea's coach, Guus Hiddink, didn't want such a disruptive presence in the team, so the club ultimately loaned Courtois to Real Madrid.

At the same time, Real Madrid, having failed to secure David de Gea in the summer transfer window, were in desperate need of a top goalkeeper. The two clubs quickly reached an agreement, and Courtois joined Real Madrid on a one-year loan.

Since joining Madrid, Courtois had performed exceptionally well, earning the trust and admiration of both his teammates and the club's management. Matches like this, where he made a series of stunning saves, were becoming routine in both La Liga and the Champions League.

The better Courtois played for Madrid, the worse his reputation became among Chelsea fans. After all, anyone with eyes could see that Courtois' performances this season were a world apart from his efforts at Chelsea the previous year. He had clearly been phoning it in back then.

Despite Courtois' brilliance in keeping Bayern's attack at bay, Real Madrid still struggled to mount any meaningful counterattacks. The game remained very much in Bayern's favor, worrying Real Madrid's fans.

And their fears soon became a reality.

In the 34th minute of the first half, Bayern launched another attack. Lewandowski, positioned at the edge of the penalty area, laid the ball off for a trailing teammate, and Xabi Alonso unleashed a powerful strike from distance.

Courtois, executing a trademark diving save, flung himself through the air in a dramatic attempt to stop the shot. However, his effort was in vain as the ball zipped into the net with a swoosh.

Bayern had scored the opening goal, leveling the aggregate score at 1-1, bringing the two teams back to square one.

"Alonso!"

"Alonso!"

"Alonso!"

The Allianz Arena erupted as the fans chanted the veteran's name, showering him with praise. At nearly 35 years old, Xabi Alonso was still Bayern's indispensable midfield maestro.

His precise passing, long-range vision, and ability to control the tempo of the game were vital for Bayern's success. He wasn't just the team's brain in attack; he was also a crucial defensive shield, using his experience to intercept threats and break up opposition play.

For Bayern fans, Alonso's only downside was his age. If only he were 25 instead of 35!

Bayern's lead caused Zidane's expression to turn grim. The Allianz Arena's reputation as a fortress was well-earned. No wonder Manchester City had lost here the previous year!

But Zidane couldn't afford to lose this match. He had spent so much time preparing for a potential showdown with Manchester City in the final. How could he fail before even getting there?

With a wave of his hand, Zidane decided to play his trump card.

"Zidane's going to change the formation!"

In one of the VIP boxes at the Allianz Arena, Guardiola suddenly spoke up. Lin Quan nodded in agreement. With the game slipping away, if Zidane didn't make some adjustments, Real Madrid would be in for a slow, painful defeat.

"What kind of changes do you think he'll make?" Lin Quan asked.

"Real Madrid's strength lies on the wings, so he'll probably focus on that. Also, Ronaldo's position needs adjusting. He should play behind Benzema, not alongside him."

Since his transformation, Ronaldo's finishing ability had become incredibly potent. However, he wasn't a traditional center forward and wasn't particularly good at holding the ball up or playing with his back to goal. If he stayed up top, Bayern's defenders would easily neutralize him.

Ronaldo needed more space to roam, and Benzema could hold up the ball and create opportunities for him to score. It was crucial that they quickly equalize.

"Good point. But I also think Zidane might change Bale or even Isco's position," Lin Quan added. In this match, Ronaldo had been nearly invisible, and aside from Benzema, Real Madrid's attackers had all been underwhelming.

Bale's trademark powerful runs had been absent, and Isco's dribbling and creativity were nowhere to be seen. Modric had played decently, but with his teammates underperforming, there wasn't much he could do.

As for Casemiro, his main job was to defend, so attacking wasn't his concern.

If Zidane couldn't find a way to get these players going, Real Madrid would remain on the back foot for the rest of the game.

Guardiola thought about it and nodded seriously. Lin Quan's analysis made sense.

Soon enough, Zidane made the adjustments, confirming their predictions. However, one of Zidane's moves left Guardiola wide-eyed with surprise.

"A deep-lying playmaker?"

Lin Quan was also taken aback. Zidane had pushed Casemiro up the field, seemingly to support and protect Isco.

Isco's dribbling skills were excellent, but he had a glaring weakness—he couldn't defend. Bayern had been exploiting this weakness all game long.

To cover for Isco, Zidane had pushed Casemiro forward to "clean up" after him. It was a desperate solution to a problem that couldn't be ignored.

But with Casemiro pushed up, who would cover the defensive midfield role?

Was Zidane planning to do what Guardiola often did—have a winger drop into midfield and convert the back four into a back three?

That was a possibility. After all, the back-three system, popularized by Guardiola, had become widespread in Europe, with many teams adopting and tweaking it.

But Lin Quan and Guardiola were both caught off guard when Zidane chose a completely unexpected player to fill that defensive midfield role—Gareth Bale!

"Wait, what? Bale as a defensive midfielder? Did I hear that right?"

"Is Zidane pulling a Guardiola by making a bold move in a big match?"

"If that's the case, Zidane's really taking a huge gamble. If they lose this match, Real Madrid's Champions League dream will be over, and Zidane could get sacked. He's putting everything on the line!"

"I think Zidane has a reason for this decision. It's not just a crazy gamble."

"Right, remember that Bale played as a full-back during his early days at Tottenham. It was only after they discovered his attacking potential that he was moved up to the wing. He originally made his debut as a left-back."

"If he played as a full-back before, then his defensive abilities shouldn't be weak. And now that many teams are having their full-backs drop into midfield, why couldn't Bale do it?"

"But having Bale play as a defensive midfielder seems like a waste of his talents, doesn't it?"

"Maybe... but what if Bale is actually being used as a box-to-box midfielder?"

(End of Chapter)

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