Chapter 127: Equalizer, Last-Gasp Winner — A Tale of Ice and Fire
0–5! Aggregate 5–6!
Arsenal had just produced the largest margin ever at the Bernabéu!
This was Real Madrid's shame, and also Cristiano Ronaldo's shame!
The white tide in the Bernabéu receded — the "Hala Madrid" anthems no longer blew on the wind; despair filled the hearts of Real supporters…
Even José Mourinho was thrown into turmoil; he bent his head and frantically searched his notebook for an answer to turn things around…
But on the pitch there was one man who was different from the rest.
His hunger for victory stood like an immovable mountain.
The adversity of the match did not make him retreat a step; instead it ignited an even fiercer fighting flame in his heart.
He was Cristiano Ronaldo!
Short: CR7!
Nickname: the Mule!
When the scoreboard showed a bloodied 0–5 that stabbed their nerves, that king of the Champions League returned!
This Portuguese star, a world-level megastar,
a fierce warlike look now carved across his face — the best answer to that moment, and a silent mockery of the difficulty.
His gaze showed resolve and determination, as if to tell the world: the match is not over — as long as time still moves, chances for victory remain.
On the other side of the pitch, Arsenal's new king — with Cristiano's awakening as Champions League monarch — gave off a faint "demon king" aura.
"Detected: an opponent has triggered the [King of Adversity] attribute. Now matching the host with the [Throat-Sealing Strike] attribute."
"[Throat-Sealing Strike] treats all dissent; the stronger the opponent, the sharper the strike."
"Please choose 'Autonomous Mode' or 'One-Click AFK Mode'."
"Warm tip: During AFK, the system will automatically complete all metric actions for the host."
"One-Click AFK!"
"Relaxed AFK, one-click automatic completion, free your feet and bring the host a relaxed and joyful pitch experience! Match experience officially begins."
After that, an irresistible majesty flashed through Xia Qi's eyes, as though he were a swordsman who had seen through the world and whose heart was already calm…
Play restarted,
and the trailing Real Madrid surged forward madly!
In the 78th minute, Kaká and Xabi Alonso combined in a two-on-two to pierce Arsenal's midfield; a 45-degree lofted pass arrived at the right upper corner of the box.
Cristiano flew toward the near post, his leap about 2.7–2.8 meters high — half a body higher than Per Mertesacker's jump.
How could Mertesacker defend that?
He could only use underhanded contact to try to disturb Cristiano's shot accuracy.
The ball crashed against the crossbar and bounced out.
On landing, Cristiano shot Mertesacker a fierce glare, then complained to the referee about Mertesacker's little tricks.
The referee ignored him, and harsh whistles filled the Bernabéu.
Four minutes later, Cristiano returned.
At the edge of the box he received Alonso's through-ball to the far post, didn't take a touch, and fired a left-footed long-range strike — it brushed the post and went out.
Cristiano's two shots — both misses by the smallest margin.
Real fans at the Bernabéu became even more dispirited, while Arsenal cheers rose wave after wave…
"Damn the Brits, so bloody defensive! Leading and just parking the bus — weren't you Arsenal supposed to be an attacking team? Come on, attack!"
"Almighty God! Give us one goal — I'll go a month, cough, a week without touching men; you know I can't live without men…"
"Benzema! Why didn't you lay it off to Cristiano? Are you a traitor sent by the Frenchmen?"
"God! Has the Galácticos ship been cursed? Why do we fail in the Champions League year after year?"
As Real fans sank into despair, things got worse…
Arsenal, who had been under pressure from Real, suddenly launched a rapid counterattack. Xia Qi combined twice wall-passes with Mario Balotelli through the center, burst into the box, and successfully feinted past Pepe. Just as he was about to shoot, Sergio Ramos slid in from the side and took him down.
Xia Qi didn't understand why Al hadn't had him dodge — normally Al would calculate Ramos's sliding tackle.
Xia Qi guessed maybe Al thought getting a penalty in this situation would be fine!
But it hadn't accounted for human nature: in this scenario the referee dared not award the spot-kick.
For a moment,
Arsenal erupted in fury; harsh whistles rang out over the Bernabéu again — this time from Arsenal fans aimed at the referee.
Wenger rose to argue with the fourth official, but Pat Rice grabbed him: "Arsène, calm down — you've already been warned. Go again and you'll get a yellow and be sent to the stand."
Seeing the referee turn a blind eye to Ramos's sliding tackle in the box, many Real fans wiped cold sweat from their brows.
"If he slides someone in the box and doesn't give a red, at least give a yellow!"
"The ref can't — if he does, he'd have to give a penalty."
In the live commentary Zhang Lu saw something but didn't dare to state it outright.
[So corrupt. Slow-motion replay shows Ramos didn't touch the ball — he slid straight into Xia Qi's foot.]
[Haha, now the Madrid dogs can't call Mou Platini's godson, right?]
[Shut up. Yossi rose through his godfather; this mule is better than him. Real's global influence far exceeds Arsenal's. Platini's gang want Real in the final; Platini's manipulation is disgusting.]
[It's normal! If Arsenal made the final, how much would UEFA lose? Everything is economic first, understand!]
…
Play continued.
Saved by the referee's favoritism, Real saw both the bias and Cristiano's fighting spirit.
Those became beacons in the players' hearts.
Led by Cristiano, Real's players rekindled hope.
They followed his steps, united, and launched an assault on Arsenal.
Wenger felt the pressure on Arsenal's midfield and also saw Kevin De Bruyne's defensive weakness.
So he substituted, taking off attacking commander De Bruyne for defender Thomas Vermaelen.
It was a high-stakes move!
A risky play!
De Bruyne may be weak defensively, but his offensive edge is sharp, often delivering surgical passes.
It forced Mourinho not to gamble with an all-out push.
Now,
Mourinho, superior in match tactics, immediately seized on Wenger's mistake. He brought on Sami Khedira for Casemiro.
Although Mourinho was glad Wenger had made an error, he still cursed him.
If he'd known Wenger would play such a daft move, he wouldn't have subbed Modrić earlier — Modrić was far more capable as a playmaker.
Play went on.
Wenger's substitution backfired — the five-man defense proved less stable than the four. For three minutes Xia Qi hadn't received the ball up front.
"Three minutes added, eight minutes left of play. Arsenal will defend all-out to keep their one-goal lead."
"Xia Qi drops back to the left to help defend Cristiano."
Under Real's desperate onslaught,
Luke Shaw and Santi Cazorla couldn't contain the starring Cristiano. In just three minutes Cristiano had two shots.
Wenger had no choice but to go "king vs. king, saint vs. demon!"
He instructed Xia Qi to mark Cristiano, so Xia Qi moved back to left midfield to assist in defense; two minutes later Mario Balotelli also tracked back.
Arsenal had truly become a toothless tiger, and Real's attacks grew increasingly reckless.
Notably, when Xia Qi marked Cristiano, he broke up several of Cristiano's penetrations.
After crashing into a few brick walls, Cristiano began to play around Xia Qi in midfield.
But it was still less effective than earlier.
Time quietly ticked into stoppage.
The match score remained 0–5; aggregate 5–6!
Real fans rose as one — they needed a hero!
The stadium DJ grabbed the mic and shouted:
"Cristiano!"
Bernabéu fans screamed: "Ronaldo!"
"Cristiano!"
"Ronaldo!"
Those shouts, like warm currents poured into Cristiano's nearly-dry heart, giving him boundless strength.
On the touchline Mourinho no longer looked confident; he paced anxiously.
Tactics had been set — now it depended on the players.
Wenger too had lost some of his composed manner; he stood on the sideline shouting for his players to compress the three lines, not to give Real chances!
Many hands make light work.
Real needed Cristiano to step up in a crucial moment, and Cristiano needed support — he was tightly marked by Xia Qi and had little room to operate.
The first player to aid Cristiano was Kaká. He drove through midfield, taking on Balotelli and Arteta, and when about to be surrounded he laid the ball off.
Alonso, to Kaká's left, made the late run to the far post, carrying the ball and continued. Direct charging wasn't Xabi's specialty.
He took a couple steps and then played a 45-degree diagonal through ball into the box.
Waiting in that spot was the usually anonymous Karim Benzema.
Arsenal's defense poured onto him, but Benzema executed a small Marseille-esque turn — with his back to goal and surrounded — and slipped the ball to Kaká at the edge of the area.
Kaká had been left unmarked!
Arsenal fans panicked, players panicked, Wenger panicked. Although everyone knew Kaká wasn't in his old prime, what if he flickered to life?
Vermaelen sprinted forward recklessly to race the ball.
But of course the ball was faster!
However,
Kaká didn't go for a half-volley thunderstrike; he took a touch to control.
That gave Vermaelen a chance.
Vermaelen's eyes lit and he slid in to tackle as the ball arrived.
"Beautiful!"
Seeing Vermaelen win the ball and take the man, commentator Zhang Lu couldn't help but cheer.
But then the broadcast showed the referee's whistle and the yellow card shown to Vermaelen.
"What?"
"That was a good tackle — why a free kick for the front third?"
"From slow-motion replays it's clear he got the ball first!"
On the pitch Arsenal players angrily surrounded the referee, but Vermaelen himself stayed calm and tried to calm his teammates.
As an experienced captain he knew some of the backstage politics; thinking of Drogba's tears and Ballack's roars, he understood.
Now the urgent thing was how to defend this free kick.
A ref can give a chance but can't hand over a final result.
Staying "clean" was more useful; otherwise multiple bookings would make extra time difficult.
Arteta and others agreed: if Real scored the free kick it would lead to a hard extra time, so they must avoid bookings.
On the touchline Wenger grew unusually cold; hands in pockets, he stared at the southern VIP box.
The broadcast zoomed in: the familiar "godfather" figure appeared on the LED — a roar of boos filled the stadium, even from Real fans.
Those who manipulate the game earn contempt regardless of sides.
…
On the pitch,
the free-kick was about 28 meters from goal, slightly to the left — a suitable distance. With a right-footed strike he could aim for the top-left corner.
The taker was naturally Cristiano Ronaldo; now he radiated a stern, unapproachable captain's aura.
Without consulting Kaká who'd earned the free kick, Cristiano took the ball from him as if it were his right.
Cristiano's personality helped him reach the top — and also explains why he has few close club friends; besides Kaká, Cristiano's career has no club chums.
Arsenal set the wall, and the tall Xia Qi went to join the wall.
Cristiano placed the ball in the referee's circle and took several steps back, legs planted, waiting for the whistle.
The referee didn't blow immediately; he double-checked Arsenal's wall alignment to ensure they were correctly positioned, then blew.
At the sound Cristiano began his run-up, and under countless eyes his right foot struck the ball fiercely.
Boom!
A thunderous crack!
The ball cut a white arc from Xia Qi's view and disappeared.
Xia Qi leapt with all his might but touched nothing.
Human Xia Qi inwardly thought:
At that height… it'll probably fly over the bar, right?
Many shared that thought; Wenger's face softened slightly, and several Real fans sat back disappointed…
But after clearing the wall the ball began to plunge down violently!
A "drop-ball" — when the shot loses forward momentum and dives.
When the ball began to fall,
the Bernabéu exploded!
"Ronaldo!"
Over fifty thousand Real fans' voices fused into one word.
"Goal!"
"Martínez misjudged, no reaction."
"In the 90th minute, Cristiano bursts forth from adversity and levels against Arsenal!"
"With that, the score is 1–5 for the match! The tie is 6–6 on aggregate, away goals equal — extra time required."
Cristiano raced to the corner flag…
Arsenal players bowed their heads; only Xia Qi ran to the net, fished the ball out, and placed it on the halfway line.
Sometimes, action is more persuasive than any words.
Vermaelen was first to be galvanized: "Three minutes left. I damn well don't want extra time — I want to fight with Xia Qi."
"Good idea. After equalizing, we kill them off — how could I miss that?" Santi Cazorla chimed in second.
"I'm friends with Xia Qi," Theo Walcott said third.
Mario Balotelli, coolest of all, said nothing; he walked to the center circle, stood before Xia Qi, and made a ridiculous face…
Soon Arsenal players formed up and waited for Real's players to resume.
On the touchline Wenger's frown softened into a smile; Pat Rice leaned an arm on Wenger's shoulder and said with a smile:
"Arsène, you were right. Even if we don't get the Champions League, this is the kids' transformation journey. I won't retire next season — let's do another unbeaten season, shall we?"
"Alright! Old custom: I treat, you pay. I buy you a drink."
"You still have that Fuding white tea in your office?"
"Don't think about that tea — I'll treat, I'll pay…"
"No, it's not that the tea is unaffordable — it's that letting you feel the pinch is higher value…"
"…"
The Bernabéu's once-silent club anthem rose again; the white blocks of fans regained life.
They waved scarves and banners, even started a Mexican wave…
"Arsenal are in position, three minutes of added time remain. Will it go to extra time or will someone score the killer? We'll see."
"Just the thought of an equalizer followed by a killer — it gives me goosebumps."
"Whoever wins or loses, this match will be an eternal classic."
Beep!
"Play has restarted — three minutes to go; theoretically, there can still be a killer."
After the equalizer, that man under God had returned; he waved to his teammates to hold one defensive wave first.
Wear them down once, then their second wind fades.
If they burn out Arsenal's edge and reach extra time, aren't we ready to carve them up?
Thinking that, Mourinho crossed his legs and nearly hummed a song.
The match had passed 90 minutes; Arsenal players, unlike glitched Xia Qi, were drained. Their reserves were flat — only one last breath sustained them. They knew Xia Qi needed them — and that was enough to make them fight!
Xia Qi and Balotelli sprinted into the box; Cazorla and Arteta repeatedly tried to loft crosses into the area.
Real closed down the passers.
Arsenal tasted the pain of not having De Bruyne: Cazorla and Arteta's passes required space. When Real pressed closely, those two couldn't get their shots away.
Wenger glanced at the bench — Jack Wilshere leapt up, quickly stripping off his jacket.
But Wenger immediately turned his gaze back to the field.
Wilshere sat down disappointed; De Bruyne patted his back: "You're our secret weapon for extra time…"
Wilshere's feelings were torn — he wanted Xia Qi to score the winner, yet he wanted his own chance to play.
On the pitch, Xia Qi dropped deep to receive.
When he did, Real players dared not slack: Alonso and Khedira immediately closed in on Xia Qi.
Cazorla's pressure eased and he managed to thread a pass out.
The ball slipped into Xia Qi's path.
In an instant, Khedira and Alonso came in low from left and right, nearly simultaneously sliding to tackle.
Such defense may intimidate many, but is ineffective against Al-controlled Xia Qi.
Xia Qi bounced forward in a single hop.
Khedira's tackle clipped the ball and it bounced off Alonso's leg, exactly back to Xia Qi.
Al's calculation was terrifying.
As Xia Qi accelerated he chest-trapped the ball — not a second wasted.
Ramos and Pepe hurried to cover; their recovery was timely and accurate, both positioning themselves before Xia Qi.
Xia Qi didn't evade; he kept the ball and charged forward.
"Pendulum dribble!"
Ramos and Pepe hadn't expected Xia Qi to be so forceful — to simply barrel through.
Originally staggered as one in front and one behind to slow the attacker, they shifted — one stepped half forward, the other half back, closing the gate.
But their shifting center of gravity could not bear the tank's impact; they paid for their wrong decision.
Both toppled outward, in opposite directions thanks to the pendulum motion.
Diego López, behind Pepe and Ramos, had assumed Xia Qi would change direction. Unexpectedly, the rock-solid center pairing's gate was smashed by Xia Qi's power.
In that instant Xia Qi found himself exposed in shooting range.
No way back — the goalkeeper had to come.
Xia Qi continued dribbling; when they were about three meters apart,
Xia Qi leaned left, the ball to his left foot; Diego López scrambled right to cover.
In a heartbeat Xia Qi drew his body back, leaned right, the ball popped up onto the outside of his right foot, and Diego López hurriedly shifted his weight and ended up falling.
Arsenal fans erupted in a tremendous cheer.
Xia Qi slid around the goalkeeper and tapped into an empty net.
At that moment the scoreboard timer read 92:48!
Beep!
The referee pointed to the center circle.
"Pendulum dribble!"
"Just like Ronaldo used to do — wrong-foot the keeper and tap into an empty net."
"Last-gasp winner!"
"Refuse the equalizer! Refuse extra time — we're wage-earners, we don't do overtime!"
"When Real celebrated the equalizer, Arsenal's players quietly waited for the kickoff — I guessed their intent. I got goosebumps then, because this Arsenal is no longer a soft team; it has acquired an unbeaten spirit…"
"Tonight is a miracle night at the Bernabéu…"
After scoring, Xia Qi was immediately swamped by teammates; the substitutes' bench turned into a sea of joy.
The referee didn't let Arsenal celebrate long — he urged both teams to restart. After a few symbolic passes, when Xia Qi intercepted the ball, the referee blew the final whistle.
At that whistle,
the entire Arsenal squad, coaches and staff poured onto the pitch; even Arsenal fans in the stands spilled onto the turf.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match is over. This was a soul-stirring contest: Arsenal beat Real Madrid 6–1 on the night and advance 7–6 on aggregate. Tonight they deserved this victory."
"Congratulations to Arsenal on reaching the final again. In 2005–06 they reached the final but lost 1–2 to Barcelona."
"Their final opponent will be decided tomorrow in the Paris Saint-Germain vs Borussia Dortmund match. Whoever it is, I believe this Arsenal will produce the best result."
"Congratulations to Xia Qi, congratulations to Arsenal's fans."
"See you in the final." (END CHAPTER)
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