Kiev Olympic Stadium.
Football fans worldwide, whether supporting Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, or AC Milan, were now all clenching their fists and waving them wildly.
Because Man United's players had captured their hearts with fighting spirit.
In their eyes, this was an atypical team, an idealistic team, a team filled with dreams!
They saw the radiant light of order-breaking shining from Man United.
When Jesse Lingard clumsily crawled out of bounds, when Luke Shaw comically headed the ball while lying on the ground... Each moment paved the way for the final equalizer.
Perhaps in the world's eyes, football should naturally see the strong prevail, winners survive, and losers perish!
But when a character displays qualities that defy mainstream trends, people suddenly realize—this is football in its purest form.
Not that Real Madrid didn't deserve to win.
But this match tested not just skill and tactics—it tested spirit, will, desire for glory, and faith in life.
Ronaldo's Tomahawk Header, Casemiro's long-range cannon, Ronaldo's movement like a swimming dragon—which of these wasn't spectacular enough?
But equally, Ling's hat trick was dazzling!
Peter Drury: "Appreciate your formidable opponent; you become stronger because of their presence. Real Madrid have been magnificent, but Manchester United have been immortal!"
"Why do people break through in the face of despair and difficulty? Besides a resilient character, confidence is also a crucial reason. Ling had no energy left to celebrate, lying exhausted on the cold turf, yet his heart burned with unparalleled fervor."
The camera panned back to the field.
Paul Pogba proudly shouted in french, "How about that? Wasn't my final move brilliant? I dribbled past both Casemiro and Toni Kroos—something not every midfielder can do! I bet even Jeremy couldn't pull it off easily!"
But there were few French players in the Man United squad, and Anthony Martial had been sold to PSG.
No one understood what Pogba was saying, so they could only nod incessantly in agreement.
Man United players swarmed over frantically, piling on top of Ling.
In the heat of the moment, he even blurted out his hometown dialect.
"I feel like I could run another ten kilometers!"
Beside him, Jose Mourinho also laughed heartily.
Ever since that impossible penalty shootout against Bayern Munich in 2012, he felt as though he had lost his magic.
What magic? It was the magic of always turning the tide at critical moments, lifting the team from desperate situations.
But now, he felt that lost magic return.
His slightly hunched back straightened instantly, and the smirk at the corner of his mouth grew increasingly arrogant.
On the bench, Lingard tried to crawl back onto the pitch but was mercilessly dragged back by Rui Faria, to which he could only respond with a resentful glare.
Seeing this, Faria burst into laughter and vigorously stretched Lingard's calf.
"Well? Can you play or not? There are still three minutes left in the match!"
After carefully assessing his condition, Lingard excitedly yelled.
"I can!"
...
After the celebrations ended, the match resumed!
The Real Madrid players hadn't easily lost their fighting spirit and tentatively launched an attack.
But with the score tied at 3-3 and heading into a penalty shootout, not everyone had the courage to take such a risky gamble.
If the attack failed and they were countered by Man United's defense, they truly feared Ling would scoring another goal.
Thus, Real Madrid's offensive intensity was not high, and after Lingard returned to the field, Man United hunkered down in their own half, defending with all their might.
For the fans, the short three minutes felt like an eternity.
When the sharp, piercing whistle blew, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Beep-beep-beep!
But then their heartstrings tightened once again.
Because the most thrilling and intense part was about to begin—the penalty shootout!!!
Jim Beglin: "There are no cowards at the penalty spot; all are heroes on the twelve-yard mark. Only when you choose to stand there can you feel the overwhelming pressure, which can truly break a person."
Drury: "For fans, there is always one penalty that lingers in their youth. It could be Roberto Baggio at the Rose Bowl, John Terry in the Moscow rain, David Trezeguet in Berlin. The highs and lows often come in an instant."
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter once proposed abolishing penalty shootouts, reasoning that they breed tragedy and go against the team nature of the sport.
Franz Beckenbauer, however, held the opposing view. "Penalty shootouts should not be canceled. They are incredibly thrilling and add much excitement to the game. It's far better than deciding the outcome with a coin toss."
Of course, in the eyes of fans worldwide, penalty shootouts are necessary.
Because they have the simplest rules yet carry the most complex emotions.
...
Players from both teams quickly gathered at the sidelines, forming a circle to discuss the order.
Mourinho did not assign penalty takers but instead said something seemingly unrelated.
"Life may not be as good as you imagine, but it won't be as bad as you think either."
"There will always be areas in life beyond your capabilities, but if you've given your all within your abilities, then there are no regrets!"
"Regardless of the final outcome, I hope you can hold your heads high, face life's challenges head-on, bravely overcome difficulties, and constantly surpass yourselves."
"Alright, who's going first?"
Zlatan Ibrahimović declared with unshakable confidence, "When I first walked into Ajax, guess what I said?"
The Man United players shook their heads.
"I am Zlatan, who the fuck are you?"
"Hahaha!" Ibrahimović laughed heartily.
Eric Cantona had once told him: "There will only be one king at Man United, and that's me. If you want to be one, you can only be the prince of Man United."
And how did Ibrahimović respond? "I won't become the king of Man United. I'm the fucking God of Man United."
Today, he had the chance to fulfill his bold claim before leaving.
Ibrahimović looked around seriously and said, "Now keep your eyes wide open and cheer for me! I'll take the first penalty. Don't refuse again!"
Then Pogba extended his right hand and said, "I'll take the second one!"
He had many insights into penalty kicks, especially the short steps he had been practicing recently.
"I'll go third. The captain can't hide behind everyone, right? If Carrick finds out, he'll probably lecture me again." Antonio Valencia tightened his captain's armband and smiled.
Domestic fans even affectionately gave him the nickname "The Unsmiling King!"
Next to step up was Nemanja Matic.
This reliable and loyal player was like a resilient warrior.
As for the fifth penalty taker?
Everyone instinctively looked at Ling, as if expecting something.
Ling didn't disappoint, saying with a smile. "Boss, actually I'd like to take the fifth penalty."
Though people always say just do your best, who can truly face failure calmly? Especially in a penalty shootout—if a player makes a mistake at the most critical moment, they might be devastated.
He wanted to shoulder the heaviest burden and pressure, to leave the most glorious moment for his teammates.
Ling genuinely believed that if he made a mistake, he could definitely handle it.
Because he had experienced worse in the past.
Of course, perhaps the reason wasn't so noble and great.
Maybe he just didn't want to wait helplessly until the end, not wanting defeat before his turn came.
He simply wanted to control his own destiny.
Mourinho gazed at the Man United players.
He had already prepared his post-match comments in case of defeat—he would tell the media that he had chosen the penalty takers, and the responsibility lay with him.
David De Gea sprayed adhesive on his gloves while saying.
"If you don't know which way to shoot, just aim down the middle. Goalkeepers rarely stay in place—it would make them look like fools!"
...
Real Madrid had also finalized their order.
Their first five takers were: Benzema, Bale, Modrić, Toni Kroos, Ronaldo.
In the Champions League final two years ago, Real Madrid scored all five penalties.
Benzema had an 86% success rate; Ronaldo, 85%.
Soon, the match reached its final decisive moment.
"The two team captains tossed the coin, and they would choose the goal direction and penalty kick order based on the result," Beglin narrated. "Valencia had good luck, guessing the coin's outcome correctly, and Man United chose to take the first penalty kick!"
The camera then panned to the pitch, where players from both teams stood in a line at the center circle.
Before them, the small 12-yard distance between the penalty spot and the goal now seemed like the boundary between hell and heaven.