Even If You Win the Champions League, You Still Won't Win the Ballon d'Or!
This goal really infuriated Pellegrini!
Before the match, he had considered that Toure's turning ability might be a problem, so he arranged for Toure to stay in the middle as much as possible, allowing Delph to expand his range of movement and try to move to the flanks.
But Robben was really cunning. Toure didn't come near me, I'd dribble the ball straight at him—where could I hide?
Robben's iconic cut inside ignited the Allianz Arena, filling it with passion and excitement!
Manchester City quickly responded with a strong counterattack.
In the 28th minute, it was Tang Long again, and he received the ball in the attacking midfield position.
Bayern's players only had Thiago, who wasn't very fast, making a token pressing effort; the rest were all in their positions, marking every possible passing lane.
Tang Long makes a through pass!
This time, Agüero's run was anticipated, and the much stronger Boateng stretched out a leg to block Agüero and steal the ball.
Guardiola's heart skipped a beat when Tang Long played the through ball;
He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Boateng use his physical advantage to intercept the ball!
Tang Long is unstoppable, so let's stop his teammates instead.
In the next few attacks, Bayern's players allowed Tang Long and Agüero to connect;
Before the match, they had studied Agüero's movement habits in detail. As long as they could lock down Aguero, no matter how well Tang Long passed the ball, the attack would be ended.
Even so, Bayern's penalty area was fraught with danger!
One of the attempts was particularly dangerous. Boateng made a rather aggressive save, and Tang Long's pass was very fast. Agüero easily flicked the ball past him, but unfortunately, his low shot towards the far corner was tipped over the crossbar by Neuer with one hand!
Tang Long, on the other hand, also adopted a wait-and-see approach.
Since you've let me pass it on, then I'll just pass it on as much as I want!
Finally, in the 35th minute, facing Sterling's cutback pass, Tang Long feigned cutting inside to shoot, and at the last moment, he suddenly flicked the ball with his toe. Agüero, looking at the falling rainbow, volleyed it into the goal before Boateng could block it!
The score was 1-1 at halftime.
During halftime.
"That's too dangerous, Pep! We still need to keep an eye on Tang. We can't let him pass the ball so easily!" The assistant coach was getting anxious.
The Bayern players in the locker room also showed a hint of confusion on their faces.
The fact that they didn't mark the opponent's key player is simply unbelievable; it's beyond the professional thinking of the players.
Guardiola was sweating profusely and had wavered at times, wondering if this tactic was too risky.
However, once the arrow is released, there is no turning back. Now that we have made it clear to the players that we will stick to the tactics, there is no reason to give up halfway!
"No, we'll still follow the pre-match plan and play boldly!" Guardiola said firmly.
Guardiola believes that it was precisely because he didn't tightly mark Tang Long that he was able to maintain the integrity of all three lines.
If two or more players are drawn out by Tang Long, and the defensive formation falls apart, then in the first half it won't just be a matter of conceding one goal, but two or three!
Caballero, the Argentina goalkeeper, has been experiencing a dull ache ever since he poked Lewandowski in the forehead with his finger during a high ball just over ten minutes into the game.
It wasn't until I got back to the locker room that I realized I couldn't bend my right index finger anymore.
He took off his goalkeeper gloves and then discovered that his index finger was broken. Frustrated, he threw the gloves on the ground!
Joe Hart came on as a substitute.
This was Hart's only appearance in the UEFA Champions League this season.
This unexpected event has put the Manchester City players on edge.
The Ranocchia, in particular, was covered in sweat.
A cheer erupted at the Allianz Arena as Hart walked from the players' tunnel into the penalty area!
"Hart, Hart actually came out!"
"Robben is definitely going to score, I guarantee it!"
As expected, everyone guessed correctly!
Just five minutes into the game, Robben cut inside from the wing.
When he cuts inside, he's like a locomotive with Toure, Delph, and Sagna hanging around him, cutting from the wing to the center. If he takes a few more steps, Kompany and Ranocchia might also be dragged out.
No more, tuck your left instep to the far corner!
Hart's feet were firmly planted on the ground, his whole body stiff, only his neck could turn as he looked at the football that had slammed into the net!
Comments section.
[That was awesome! That signature cut-in shot from Ronaldo!]
- [Congratulations to Hart for once again becoming the backdrop for a world-class goal!]
-[I'm just wondering, Hart is taller and has longer arms than Caballero, so why can Caballero save shots that Hart can't?]
It's time to leave Manchester City, Hart!
After falling behind 1-2.
Manchester City has no way out.
Since Bayern Munich has only scored one away goal so far, while Bayern has scored three, there's no point in trying to equalize in this match; we absolutely must win!
Everyone, charge in and attack!
The Manchester City players were clearly getting impatient.
The two full-backs Kolarov and Sagna, were originally only attacking on one side, with one going up and the other going down, but now both sides are pushing forward, launching wave after wave of attacks.
However, the players soon discovered that the opponent seemed to have found their Achilles' heel. Tang Long's passes and through balls were flawless, but neither Agüero nor Sterling had any further good shooting opportunities.
Boateng, who made a mistake in the first half, didn't make another mistake after Guardiola said something to him during halftime, I don't know what.
The second half began after the 70th minute.
Manchester City manager Pellegrini then realized what was happening.
He suddenly realized what was happening!
The fact that Bayern's players didn't closely mark Tang Long was definitely not because they weren't following Guardiola's tactical intentions.
It's understandable if one or two people don't do it, but for the whole team to do it means it was definitely a deliberate plan!
The Chile weren't going to take this lying down, and they quickly came up with a countermeasure.
After a moment's hesitation, Pellegrini immediately waved his hand, moving Tang Long up to the forward line.
This move was extremely vicious!
You can leave Tang Long midfield, but can you leave him in attack?
At the same time, Agüero was replaced by Bony, who has more impact and physical strength.
"Manchester City seems to have changed their formation?"
"Tang Long, Bony, and Sterling are all on the front line!"
"The midfield trio are Toure, Delph, and Silva!"
"This is a change from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 formation!"
"It seems that Manchester City, trailing by one goal away from home, has been pushed to the brink!"
"They need to score at least two goals to win the two-legged tie."
In the 81st minute, Manchester City advanced down the right flank;
With Tang Long moving to the forward line, the midfield attacking focal point became the agile Sterling.
He made his way down the right flank, bumping and jostling, before finally delivering a cross!
Bony flicks the ball on with his head at the near post!
Before Bony headed the ball, Alaba had already positioned himself in his zone, in the same spot as Tang Long, with Alaba's hand subtly pulling on Tang Long.
But the moment Bony touched the ball, Tang Long suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the penalty spot in the middle!
Alaba couldn't keep up with Tang Long's prediction at all, and didn't know where the ball would land. Tang Long suddenly rushed forward, and Alaba's hand, which was holding his clothes, was pulled, causing him to fall to the ground. He watched helplessly as Tang Long headed the ball into the goal!
Guardiola touched his bald head and sighed.
We still couldn't stop him!
2 to 2!
Tang Long quickly signaled to the others to get the ball, saving time.
Tang Long's sudden move forward caught Bayern's players off guard.
They knew Tang Long could play in multiple positions, but switching from midfield to striker wasn't part of the team's pre-match plan!
Guardiola's heart tightened suddenly. This was something he hadn't expected, because in his mind, Pellegrini had always been a very conservative manager. However, Guardiola wasn't without a way to deal with it.
"Abandon man-to-man marking and switch to zonal marking!" Guardiola quickly responded.
Guardiola's thinking is that he's not afraid of conceding goals, but he is afraid of his formation being disrupted.
Bayern then made two substitutions.
Boateng, who was exhausted, was replaced by young player Kimmich;
Costa was replaced by Gotze.
The formation changed from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2!
The three defenders are Martinez, Alaba, and Kimmich;
Lahm moved up to the midfield position, while Gotze dropped back to midfield.
This substitution is absolutely brilliant!
Both Kimmich and Lahm are skilled players with excellent footwork and control of the tempo. When combined with talented midfielders like Thiago, Alonso, and Gotze, Bayern's passing and possession ability becomes even stronger.
They took full advantage of Manchester City's desire to score as quickly as possible, constantly passing the ball back and forth in their own half to draw them into pressing.
Many times, just when it seemed like the ball was about to be lost, at the last moment, a teammate would appear out of nowhere to easily break through the encirclement and tackle.
With Pellegrini pushing Tang Long forward, Manchester City's midfield passing game noticeably declined, making them unable to compete with Bayern.
Ultimately, the two sides drew 2-2, making the aggregate score 5-5!
Bayern advanced to the UEFA Champions League final by eliminating Manchester City on away goals.
Blue Moon's UEFA Champions League journey this season ultimately ended in the semi-finals.
After hearing the final whistle, Caballero, who had been substituted due to a finger injury, yelled from the bench:
"Robben got lucky today! If I were still on the field, I would never have let him score with a shot into the far corner. I was marking him!"
The Manchester City players on the field collapsed to the ground, exhausted and panting heavily.
The score was the same, but he was eliminated only because of a better goal difference. This result is really hard to accept.
Tang Long stood alone, hands on his hips, gazing at the roaring Allianz Arena, where the enthusiastic chants of Bayern fans echoed.
Guardiola walked over, shook Tang Long's hand, and the two exchanged pleasantries.
"You don't look very happy, kid. Do you really want to win the UEFA Champions League?"
"Of course, I want to get everything the club can get, and then win the Ballon d'Or."
"No, even if Manchester City wins the league and the UEFA Champions League this season, the Ballon d'Or' Or won't be yours, it will be Agüero's," Guardiola chuckled. "Because you haven't scored enough goals, you're not a striker."