April 25, Munich's Allianz Arena.
In the seventeenth minute, Bayern Munich won a corner, but Varane headed the ball clear.
Bayern Munich's defensive line pushed all the way up to the edge of Real Madrid's thirty-meter area, trying to control the ball and quickly organize another attack. But no one expected the lethal Yang Yang to appear in such a lethal position. He got to the ball first and poked it away from Rafinha's feet.
After winning possession, Yang Yang carried the ball forward. But now that he was over thirty, he could no longer run at full speed. After crossing midfield, he was immediately caught by the two fullbacks, Rafinha and Kimmich, while the center backs Hummels and Boateng also rushed back.
Just then, Yang Yang suddenly slipped the ball between Rafinha and Kimmich. The next instant, a figure in a black shirt shot past every Bayern player at almost lightning speed and raced after it.
Near the edge of the penalty area, Mbappé caught up with Yang Yang's brilliant pass and found himself one-on-one. He calmly seized the opportunity and broke through Bayern Munich's goal.
The young Frenchman was so excited that he sprinted right out of the stadium, shouting all the way and venting the exhilaration and excitement in his heart.
This was the Champions League semifinal!
And they had scored the opening goal!
In last season's Champions League semifinal, Mbappé had helped Monaco score once. But that had come only after they had lost the first leg 2–0 and fallen 2–0 behind in the second leg. He had barely managed to score that goal and save Monaco's face.
This time was different. This was the away first leg of Real Madrid's Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich—a goal worth its weight in gold!
Yang Yang was