The Mystery of Manchester City's Halftime Lead: Alaba Was Dumbfounded, I Really Didn't Expect This!

Bayern immediately retaliated.

Robben received the pass on the right wing. He was as agile as a ghost. Ranocchia knew he was going to cut inside and went up to block him, but he just couldn't stop him!

Old Luo curled a left-footed shot into the far corner!

Bravo quickly dove to the side to make the save, and with a heavy push of his right hand, he managed to put the ball into the air, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

The ball changed its trajectory, heading towards the penalty spot.

Lewandowski reacted quickly, leaping high to head the ball towards the goal!

This time Kompany was more experienced; he jumped earlier, and both players' heads touched the ball simultaneously, sending it flying towards the stands.

"Damn it!" Lewandowski stomped his foot, splashing mud onto the grass and soiling his shin guards.

He Kompany, plotting how to deal with him later.

On the sidelines, Ancelotti remained expressionless, but a hint of regret flickered in his eyes as he quickly jotted down in his notebook. "Lewandowski has no advantage in headers against Kompany."

In the 32nd minute, Manchester City launched a decisive attack that could change the course of the game.

Kolarov, facing the incoming ball, did not choose to continue controlling it, but suddenly crossed the ball, which flew high into the penalty area!

This is a common tactic used by the Serbia: passing the ball directly without stopping it, aiming to catch the opponent off guard.

Hummels makes a valiant header clearance!

But the ball landed right at Tang Long's feet just outside the penalty area.

Tang Long controlled the ball with his chest in one fluid motion. Then, without hesitation, he suddenly turned and unleashed a powerful volley with the outside of his right foot, like a sharp blade!

The football, like an armor-piercing bullet, flew at extremely high speed and at a tricky angle straight towards the bottom right corner of the goal.

Neuer made another amazing save--

He stretched his body almost completely, parallel to the ground, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, and with his right hand outstretched, he successfully tipped the ball out of bounds just as it was about to enter the net.

"Unbelievable!" the Sky Sport commentator exclaimed. "It's like the arm of God! Neuer has saved Bayern again!"

Bayern managed to thwart wave after wave of attacks.

The Etihad fans were on edge, whispering amongst themselves.

"Bayern is really strong, but we just can't score."

"Yeah, I feel like they're even stronger than Barca?"

"This is absolutely UEFA Champions League final-level match. Bayern felt unlucky to be drawn against Bayern, and so did we."

Tang Long keenly noticed that the originally loud team song was gradually losing momentum, so he quickly rushed to the sidelines and made a gesture to the fans to raise their heads.

"Shout it out, everyone!" Tang Long yelled.

Seeing the team's top scorer so passionate, the fans rallied and continued singing, their voices rising once more.

Tang Long is signaling to the fans to continue their agitation!

-[He's displaying great leadership; he's directing the fans.]

-[That's true, it's just that Neuer made a few incredible saves in a row, what's there to be afraid of?]

-[Don't worry, with a strong system and everyone in position, even if we miss, we'll get the hang of it after a few more tries!]

Kolarov takes the corner kick.

Whoosh--

Kompany leaped high in the crowd, outjumping Lewandowski, and headed the ball into the goal!

That's right, he didn't overpower Martinez or Hummels, but Lewandowski.

Before the match, Ancelotti knew that although Manchester City played a possession-based style, they had two tall, excellent headers, Kompany and Ranocchia.

The Italy positioned Lewandowski to drop back during corner kicks to mark Kompany.

If Kompany suffered a complete defeat in his first two encounters with Lewandowski, and the second was a close match, then this third time he achieved an overwhelming victory!

Unfortunately, Neuer once again displayed exceptional reflexes, making a brilliant save.

The ball bounced off the ground and flew towards the left wing...

"They're here!"

The moment Kompany headed the ball towards goal, Tang Long suddenly accelerated, shaking off Alaba and rushing towards the six-yard box.

If I had to describe them in one word, it would be "swift as a rabbit!"

"Tang Long!!!"

"Tang Long scores on a rebound!"

"He appeared where he should have been!"

What is a superior sense of smell?

"This is top-notch olfaction!"

"This time, even the impregnable gate guarded by Neuer has finally fallen!"

The Etihad Stadium erupted instantly, with 60,000 fans chanting "Blue Moon" in unison. The passionate singing and cheers mingled together, creating a powerful sound that seemed to make the grass tremble slightly.

The Blue Moon Tide surges here!

Tang Long rushed towards the corner flag, using the momentum to his side and deliver a flying kick that snapped the corner stick in two!

Agüero picked up the broken flagpole from the ground and hurled it heavily towards the stands. Then, he slammed his chest against Tang Long's, his face contorted with rage as he roared at him, "Kill them!"

Teammates gathered around, hugging and cheering, fully releasing the joy of scoring a goal.

Bayern goalkeeper Neuer got up from the ground, kicked the ball from inside the goal toward midfield in frustration, and complained to Alaba.

"What's wrong with you? Before the game, the coach told you to closely guard Tang, did you even do it?"

Alaba looked apologetic and apologized to Neuer, admitting it was all his fault for giving Tang Long the opportunity to score on the rebound.

But as soon as he turned to leave, and upon closer reflection, a bewildered expression gradually appeared on his face.

(Comrade Liu Xing was very confused)

"How did he know Kompany's ball would be blocked to the left? He was clearly standing in the middle at the beginning. I've seen players kick the ball early, but I've never seen someone start moving early to intercept from such a distance... It's really strange!"

1 to 0.

Thanks to Tang Long's goal, Manchester City took the lead at halftime.

Inside the away team's locker room.

Bayern manager Ancelotti, the renowned Italy coach, subtly hinted that some players' lack of concentration was a key factor in the team's falling behind.

"This is the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, not some preseason training match. Every player who makes it to the knockout stage is a force to be reckoned with!"

Ancelotti glanced at Alaba and said seriously, "If you want to take a nap, go home and sleep. If you can't concentrate, go off the field for a drink of water. Since you're on the field, you must strictly follow the tactics I've laid out. Slacking off is absolutely not allowed!"

Alaba kept his head down, not daring to look at Ancelotti.

"Alaba, lift your head. I'm talking about you and Don. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ancelotti was quite displeased. He disliked it most when people didn't look him in the eye while he was talking to them, seeing it as a sign of cowardice.

The changing room was completely silent.

Bayern's players knew that although Ancelotti was known as a good guy in football, as an Italy coach—or rather, all Italy coaches in the world, regardless of personality—the most taboo thing was players not executing his tactical plans.

This is their Achilles' heel that they cannot touch; this applies to Ancelotti, Lippi, Mancini, and Conte alike.

"I defended, but how was I supposed to know Tang would take the long way around?" Alaba said, looking aggrieved. "That doesn't make sense. How could he go for a follow-up shot like that? He was too lucky, and I was unlucky."

Luck?

Hearing this absurd explanation, Ancelotti flew into a rage!

Ancelotti was standing on the sidelines, too far away to see clearly how Tang Long managed to get around the defense to get a follow-up shot. He only saw that at the moment Tang Long took the shot, Alaba was at least three meters away from him, clearly having failed to keep up.

"Alaba, come down and get some water. Lahm, get ready to come down. In the second half, you'll be guarding Tang!"