Chapter 217 The Triple Crown Winner!

"Gooooal!" the commentator roared excitedly, "Cabrini has scored twice, extending Real Madrid's lead. Returning to the attacking midfield position, Cabrini has showcased his attacking talent to the fullest. Whether it's organizing the play or passing and shooting, he does it all with fluidity and ease."

The commentator remarked, "After dropping back into midfield, Cabrini doesn't shoot directly very often, but his goal-scoring efficiency is extremely high. This shows that he only chooses to shoot when he has a very high chance of success. This player is incredibly rational, more so than a player his age. He knows when to pass and when to shoot, and he will never take a reckless shot. This appreciation for attacking opportunities is something every player should learn from."

After taking the lead again, Mourinho on the sidelines excitedly shouted "Gooooal!" before turning to Adebayor to warm up.

He needs to replace Higuain.

Higuain is a technically good player with a high goal-scoring efficiency. Initially, Mourinho valued Higuain more than Benzema.

In the first few months of the season, Higuain kept Benzema firmly on the bench, and Benzema rarely had the opportunity to play. Even after Higuain suffered a lumbar spine injury in November, Mourinho still didn't trust Benzema much, so he loaned Adebayor during the winter break.

When Higuain returned from injury, Real Madrid was just beginning a grueling schedule of four matches against Barcelona, ​​interspersed with Sevilla, Valencia, and Villarreal, three teams that were in the top five of the La Liga standings this season.

Logically, this should have been a perfect opportunity for Higuain to shine, but his performance against these strong teams was rather mediocre. Initially, Mourinho thought he hadn't regained his form after recovering from injury, but around the same time, he was able to dominate against weaker La Liga teams.

This truly puzzled Mourinho.

In this match, Mourinho placed Higuain in the starting center forward position because of his trust in Higuain's skills and statistics. However, Higuain's wasted chances made Mourinho have other ideas.

Perhaps Higuain is only good at beating weaker teams, and his legs go weak against tough opponents. Before his injury in the first half of the season, Real Madrid didn't face many strong teams, so he racked up excellent stats, perfectly masking this weakness. But when he returned from injury in April, 80% of Real Madrid's opponents were very strong, and Higuain's weaknesses were exposed.

Mourinho doesn't know if his deduction is correct, but based on Higuain's performance in this match, he should be substituted.

In the 52nd minute, taking advantage of a dead ball, Real Madrid used their first substitution, replacing Higuain with Adebayor.

Ferguson also used a substitution, replacing Fabio, who was struggling to defend against Ronaldo, with the versatile O'Shea.

O'Shea is also an interesting player. He is similar to Fino in that he can play multiple positions on the field. He is good at left and right back, center back, and can also play as a defensive midfielder. He replaced Rooney as the center forward in the Manchester derby and scored the winning goal against Liverpool. He also replaced the injured Van der Sar in goal and kept a clean sheet against Tottenham.

After bringing on O'Shea, Ferguson considered bringing on the more defensively capable Fletcher in midfield. Manchester United's current midfield pairing was struggling against Real Madrid's double pivot and the deep-lying Finno. However, after some deliberation, he decided against it.

On one hand, Manchester United are currently trailing, and equalizing as soon as possible is crucial, requiring them to keep a more attacking midfielder on the field. On the other hand, Fletcher has been suffering from a strange gastrointestinal illness and has just returned from a two-month absence, making his fitness uncertain. It's unwise to gamble on Fletcher's condition in such a critical match.

For the next twenty minutes or so, Manchester United played tenaciously, trying to resist Real Madrid's attacks while also attempting to equalize the game.

Manchester United, trailing in the match, were under immense pressure, while Real Madrid, in the lead, dared not relax their efforts either.

A one-goal lead is not secure; the players are constantly on edge, fearing a comeback by their opponents. Moreover, Manchester United is a team known for its tenacity and resilience, and equalizing or even taking the lead in the final moments of a match is one of Ferguson's specialties.

Under Fino's direction, Real Madrid carefully outmaneuvered Manchester United, and the score remained unchanged for more than twenty minutes.

Mourinho, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Having Fino on the field was truly a relief; it was as if a calculator was embedded in his brain, always able to make the right choice in a very short time and then issue instructions to the other players.

In the 76th minute, Valencia received the ball on the right wing near the center line. Alonso and Marcelo both pressed forward to press him. Unable to break through, Valencia could only pass back to Carrick, who immediately launched a long diagonal pass. The ball crossed the entire field and arrived at Park Ji-sung's feet on the left wing.

Fino and Ramos immediately closed in, but Park Ji-sung didn't underestimate the situation. After controlling the ball, he quickly passed it, aiming to get Rooney moving on the left flank.

Rooney dribbled forward along the left flank, with Ramos and Fino close behind, and Pepe and Carvalho also coming from near the penalty area.

After Rooney dribbled down the wing, he prepared to pass the ball directly to Hernandez in the penalty area, but it bounced off Carvalho and back.

Giggs made a run forward and took a shot from outside the penalty area, but he couldn't control it and the ball grazed the crossbar and flew into the stands.

On the sidelines, Ferguson shook his head slightly and used his second substitution at this moment, replacing Park Ji-sung, who provided key support for Manchester United's attacking and defensive balance through tireless running, with Nani, who has stronger dribbling ability and creativity.

Time is running out for Manchester United; it's time to go all out. Ferguson needs Nani to tear apart Real Madrid's defense and pierce their heart like a sharp blade.

Seeing this, Mourinho also used his second substitution, replacing Ronaldo with full-back Arbeloa, with Ramos moving to center-back and Arbeloa taking charge of the right flank.

Fino returned to the defensive midfield position, and the three center-backs plus three defensive midfielders completely blocked Real Madrid's goal.

Ferguson glanced at Mourinho, who smiled and gestured for him to proceed, his expression utterly smug. Mourinho's meaning was clear: the Mourinho bus was deployed; come and try to break through it!

In the final ten minutes of the match, Manchester United launched a fierce counterattack, with Nani on the left wing and Valencia on the right wing flying high, and the defense frequently pushing forward to participate in the attack, looking very imposing.

But it was only "appearances" that Manchester United's attack didn't achieve much against Real Madrid's impenetrable defense. The ball was often stopped by Fino's second line of defense before it even entered Real Madrid's backfield.

In the 87th minute, Lass Diarra cut off the link between Nani and Rooney and passed the ball to Fino.

Fino observed the situation in Manchester United's half and decisively chose to attack, putting more pressure on Manchester United.

Fino passed the ball to Kaká on the right wing, gestured forward, and then sprinted towards Manchester United's half from the right flank. Alonso, Lass Diarra, Marcelo, and Arbeloa followed behind Fino, heading towards Manchester United's half.

The three center-backs remained firmly in front of Real Madrid's goal, protecting Casillas behind them and guarding against Manchester United's quick counter-attacks.

"In the final moments of the match, Cabrini did not follow Mourinho's instructions to park the bus all the way down the court. Instead, after receiving the ball, he directed his teammates to launch another attack. Was he not satisfied with a one-goal lead?" the commentator exclaimed.

Mourinho remained expressionless on the sidelines, believing that Fino must have his reasons.

Amid the commotion of Real Madrid fans at the stadium, Kaká dribbled along the right sideline and, as Evra came to intercept, passed the ball to Fino.

Just as the ball was about to reach Fino's feet, Carrick slid in and tackled it away, sending it rolling towards the sideline. Kaká saw this and rushed forward, managing to retrieve the ball before it went out of play, then passed it back to Fino.

After receiving the ball, Fino turned and cut inside, instantly bringing the ball to the outside of Manchester United's penalty arc. Before Giggs could get close, he took a long-range shot.

This sudden acceleration, cut inside, and shot caught Manchester United players off guard. The four Manchester United defenders had clearly retreated to their positions, but they had no time to react. The ball passed between Ferdinand and Vidic and went directly into the left side of the goal.

Because Vidic was positioned in a way that blocked Van der Sar's view, Van der Sar didn't see when Fino kicked the ball. By the time he saw the ball flying towards him at lightning speed, it was too late. By the time he made his save, the ball had already gone into the goal.

3-1, Fino completed his hat-trick, extending Real Madrid's lead once again.

"Goooooal!" the commentator shouted. "Cabrini has completed a hat-trick in the Champions League final. This goal has almost killed the game, and the scales of victory have completely tipped in Real Madrid's favor!"

The Real Madrid fans in the stadium went wild. With less than 5 minutes left in the game, including stoppage time, Real Madrid were leading by two goals, which practically sealed Manchester United's fate.

The Real Madrid players on the field went wild, with Alonso being the first to rush over and pick up Fino.

Fino quickly wrapped his legs around Alonso's waist, placed his hands on Alonso's shoulders, leaned back slightly, and looked into Alonso's eyes, smiling happily.

The smile was bright, vibrant, and full of spirit.

Alonso seemed even more excited than Fino, and he roared, "Fino, you are the sunshine that spreads hope, the dazzling miracle, the omnipotent hero!"

Fino stroked Alonso's face and planted a deep kiss on his forehead.

After the game restarted, Manchester United's attack became even more frantic, but it was more like a death throes, and everyone knew that Manchester United's fate was sealed.

In stoppage time, Mourinho used his last substitution, replacing Fino with Granero, allowing Real Madrid's biggest hero of the match to leave the field in glory amidst the cheers of tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans.

The score remained 3-1 until the end of the match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the referee blew the final whistle, witnessed by over 87,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League champions were officially crowned. Real Madrid lifted the Champions League trophy again after nine years, marking their tenth title in history. Congratulations to Real Madrid, congratulations to Mourinho, and congratulations to all the Real Madrid players—they are the winners of this season's Champions League..."

"Triple Crown! Triple Crown! Triple Crown..."

Amidst the cheers of the Merlin fans, Casillas raised the Champions League trophy high.

Silver-white sequins rained down, immersing all Real Madrid fans in a pure white, mesmerizing reverie.

Fino reached out and caught a few silvery-white sequins, then blew them from his palm.

The frenzied atmosphere reminded him of the night in Rome two years ago, when, amidst deafening cheers, Maldini raised the Champions League trophy high.

That very night, while his teammates were sharing happiness and joy with their families, Alonso stayed by his side all night.

He knew it was time for him to take that step.

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Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support! [cheering emoji]