Chapter 597: Mercury-Like Fluidity
During halftime, Zidane analyzed the situation with his players. If Manchester United were truly a weak team, they would be content with reaching the Champions League final and likely play conservatively at 1-1, avoiding further risks and trying to drag the game into extra time or even a penalty shootout. This strategy often gives weaker teams the best chance to pull off an upset.
However, Manchester United was not an ordinary underdog. They were a resurgent powerhouse, having performed well in various competitions over the past two seasons. This gave them ambition—they were not satisfied with just reaching the final; they wanted to win the championship.
Yet, their strength was still not on par with the top teams, so they often had to take risks in matches. This included pushing forward aggressively, almost disregarding the space left behind. They couldn't afford to be cautious because, without pushing forward, their attack couldn't threaten Real Madrid's defense.
Real Madrid's strategy was to let Manchester United push forward and then look for counter-attacking opportunities. Even if United didn't push up, Real Madrid had other ways to solve the problem, but counter-attacking was the most cost-effective method.
Now, Real Madrid carefully guarded against Manchester United's attacks while waiting for the right moment to counter.
After passing the ball to Kante, Bruno ran forward. Kante quickly returned the ball, and although Bruno had gotten past Casemiro and Modric, he still hadn't completely shaken off Real Madrid's defense.
Real Madrid had retreated to their half and compacted their formation, allowing them to press intensely in specific areas. So, even though Bruno had bypassed Casemiro and Modric, he was not safe. They were not scarecrows but live players.
The moment Bruno received Kante's pass, Casemiro continued chasing from behind, while Kroos was in front.
Bruno didn't keep dribbling; he passed the ball to Mbappe, who had come back to support. Instead of continuing to run forward, Bruno moved sideways to the center, positioning himself behind Mbappe. Mbappe returned the ball to him.
If a computer analyzed Manchester United's passing routes, it would clearly show Bruno as the focal point of this attack. No matter what, the ball always ended up with him. Many United players didn't even need to move; their job was simple: receive the ball and pass it.
Bruno did the running, connecting the team by moving from the back to the front, left to right, and then to the center, continually supporting his teammates' passes and distributing the ball.
When Bruno received the ball from Mbappe, he didn't immediately pass it forward, even though many expected him to.
Real Madrid's players glanced to their sides, checking for any gaps Bruno might exploit.
Bruno passed the ball to the wing, and Mbappe crossed it into the center. Harry Kane missed the header, but his presence caused Varane to miss as well, allowing the ball to fly over everyone to the other side.
Rashford controlled the ball on the left wing. Initially planning to pass into the middle, he saw the defenders had covered the space well.
Cancelo was behind Rashford, who turned and passed the ball back to him. Cancelo then transferred the ball to Bruno in the center.
Bruno lowered his center of gravity and controlled the ball with his chest.
Seeing this, Casemiro rushed to press him, so Bruno quickly passed the ball to Kante in the middle, who then transferred it to Mbappe.
The ball circled back to Mbappe.
Mbappe tried to break through the flank but quickly realized it was not possible. He retrieved the ball and shielded it from Marcelo by turning his back.
Under pressure from Marcelo, Mbappe passed the ball back to Bruno.
With Casemiro closely marking him, Bruno used his heel to pass the ball to Kante, then ran around Casemiro, repositioning himself to the left.
Kante didn't immediately receive the ball as Modric had come to press. Kante faked receiving the ball, letting it pass by and turning to chase it. Bruno had repositioned and received the pass.
Bruno didn't stop the ball but directly pushed it to Cancelo.
Manchester United's left-back had advanced, not occupying the wing, which was covered by Rashford, but moving into the channel. He received the ball and made a break down the channel.
Real Madrid's players were familiar with Cancelo's attacking prowess. His breakthroughs and crosses were sharp, so they couldn't let him enter the penalty area.
As Cancelo moved forward, two Real Madrid players closed in to block him. Cancelo tapped the ball to his right, where Bruno received it.
The Real Madrid players turned to see Bruno controlling the ball but didn't rush to press him immediately, trusting Casemiro to handle it. They focused on guarding Cancelo.
While they were thinking this, they suddenly realized that Cancelo had slipped through their ranks!
Cancelo dashed between the two Real Madrid players!
Carvajal, seeing Cancelo running past, didn't dare to foul him since they were in the penalty area. A slight contact could result in a penalty.
Meanwhile, Bruno still controlled the ball.
Carvajal raised his hands to show he wasn't fouling, hoping to avoid giving away a penalty.
Casemiro, understanding Bruno's and Cancelo's intentions, decided to stop Bruno even if it meant committing a foul. He rushed in and successfully knocked Bruno down.
The referee was about to blow his whistle but saw the ball rolling into the penalty area and held back.
Casemiro waited for the whistle but heard nothing. As Bruno disappeared from his view, he saw the ball had just crossed into the penalty area.
"Through pass! Beautiful! Beautiful!!" Wei He exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.
"This is a great opportunity! Bruno passed the ball to Cancelo! Cancelo has broken through!"
Just as Cancelo passed Carvajal and before Bruno fell, he had pushed the ball forward.
Cancelo received the ball behind the entire defense!
"Manchester United's intricate passing finally paid off, finding a lethal gap!"
Cancelo entered the penalty area with the ball. Carvajal tried to interfere, but Real Madrid's defense was a step behind. Manchester United's forwards, anticipating the pass, surged forward, leaving Real Madrid's center-backs trailing.
Realizing he couldn't continue dribbling without getting trapped, Cancelo noticed Navas covering the near post and passed the ball across.
The ball slid past Navas, landing at Harry Kane's feet!
Kane used his left foot to support himself and lightly tapped the ball with the outside of his right foot, redirecting it into Real Madrid's net!
"Manchester United's attack… Rashford crosses! No one touches it…"
"The ball is back with Bruno. Manchester United is besieging Real Madrid, and no Real Madrid player has touched the ball in this sequence…"
"Manchester United is unafraid of Real Madrid and showing their own ball control skills!"
"Manchester United's attack flows like mercury, seamless and all-encompassing!"
The commentators narrated rapidly.
Although the previous attack failed, leaving many United fans disappointed and some even cursing Mbappe's rash cross, believing Bruno would have found a better route, they didn't have to wait long.
"Oh? Through pass! Beautiful! This is a great opportunity! Bruno passed to Cancelo…"
From this moment, TV viewers anticipated and then cheered when Harry Kane scored.
(End of the chapter)
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