Chapter 215 Champions League Final: Real Madrid vs. Manchester United...
On the evening of May 28, 2011, at Wembley Stadium in London, the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League final was about to begin.
Because Real Madrid's home kit is white, and Manchester United's away kit is also white, Manchester United were able to wear their red home kit.
Manchester United suffered a severe injury crisis this season, but Ferguson minimized the impact of injuries with his excellent tactical arrangements, winning the Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final.
Faced with such an opponent, Mourinho did not continue to use the more defensive three-man midfielder tactic in this match, but instead returned to the balanced 4-2-3-1 formation.
The starting goalkeeper is undoubtedly Casillas. The four defenders, from right to left, are Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, and Marcelo. The two holding midfielders are Lass Diarra and Alonso. Fino has returned to the attacking midfield position and will take on more of the task of organizing attacks. The left and right wingers are Ronaldo and Kaká, and Higuain is the lone striker at the front.
Ferguson fielded a 4-4-1-1 formation, with 40-year-old Dutch veteran Van der Sar in goal. The four defenders, from right to left, were Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra. In midfield, Carrick and Giggs anchored the center, with Park Ji-sung and Valencia on the wings. Hernandez played as the striker, with Rooney lurking behind him as a shadow striker.
As the players entered the field, Mourinho and Ferguson exchanged a glance, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.
As a Premier League team, Wembley Stadium is considered Manchester United's semi-home ground. With a slight home advantage, Manchester United players got into the game early and launched a fierce attack immediately after the start of the match.
Park Ji-sung and Rooney faced off against Lass Diarra and Alonso near the halfway line. After a fierce battle, Rooney passed the ball to Carrick, who then broke through down the middle.
Before Pepe could meet him, Carrick passed the ball to Hernandez on the left wing, and Ramos immediately moved closer to Hernandez.
Under Ramos's tight marking, Hernandez couldn't find an opportunity to break into the penalty area, so he passed the ball back to Park Ji-sung, who was making a run down the left flank.
After enduring four consecutive El Clásico matches, Real Madrid's defensive capabilities have improved by many levels. Without Casillas's instructions, the four defenders and two defensive midfielders instinctively block the penalty area, keeping danger out of reach.
Under Real Madrid's tight defense, Manchester United players could only dribble around the perimeter, unable to find any opportunity to break into the penalty area. Moreover, under the pressure from Real Madrid players, Manchester United was at risk of losing possession at any moment. After several probing attacks, Rooney hastily took a long-range shot from the left edge of the penalty area. The shot was rather inaccurate, flying high over the crossbar and heading towards the stands.
One minute later, Manchester United launched another attack.
Left-back Evra dribbled down the left flank, but Ramos tackled him, and the ball was then collected by Carvalho near the edge of the penalty area. Before Carvalho could pass the ball, Hernandez made a clean sliding tackle, sending the ball toward Carrick, who was now facing the Real Madrid goal and had a chance to shoot.
Carvalho and Pepe immediately took their positions, blocking Carrick's path.
However, Carrick did not choose to shoot directly, but passed the ball back to Hernandez. Hernandez took a shot, but the ball hit Pepe, bounced out of the penalty area, and returned to Hernandez's feet.
At this moment, Ramos also came back and, together with Pepe and Carvalho, completely blocked Hernandez's shooting angle.
Seeing no opportunity to shoot, Hernandez passed the ball to Rooney on the left, then squeezed into the Real Madrid penalty area between Pepe and Carvalho. Rooney received the ball and chipped it over Ramos's head, aiming directly at Hernandez who had just entered the Real Madrid penalty area.
The moment Hernandez received the ball, Ramos, Pepe, and Carvalho immediately surrounded him, giving him no chance to turn and face the goal, making it difficult for him to protect and pass the ball.
Surrounded and squeezed by three Real Madrid defenders, Hernandez was gradually pushed out of the penalty area. Just as he was about to be pushed out of bounds, Hernandez finally found an opportunity and passed the ball to Rooney.
At this moment, Lass Diarra and Alonso both dropped back to the vicinity of the penalty area, joining Real Madrid's defense in the backfield. Ramos and his two teammates also quickly retreated to the vicinity of the penalty area after Hernandez passed the ball. Rooney did not find a good shooting opportunity and could only pass the ball back towards midfield.
After being passed around in Manchester United's midfield, the ball was then used to attack down the right flank. Ferdinand, making a forward run, sent a long pass to Valencia. As Valencia dribbled into Real Madrid's penalty area, Marcelo and Carvalho combined to clear the ball away.
At this point, only 3 minutes into the game, Manchester United had already given Real Madrid two impressive performances, but both were all bark and no bite, posing no threat to Real Madrid's goal.
Ferguson looked rather grim on the sidelines.
What concerned him was not Manchester United's two failed attacks—that's perfectly normal—but Real Madrid's response to Manchester United's early pressing. Real Madrid's players were very composed and unperturbed, and their teamwork was excellent.
It looks like tonight's game is going to be a bit tricky.
A few minutes later, Manchester United launched another attack, which was easily thwarted by Real Madrid's defense.
The initial burst of energy faded, the second attempt weakened, and the third attempt exhausted the team. After three consecutive attacks yielded no results, Manchester United's morale began to wane. Considering the physical demands of continuous sprints, and given that the match had only just begun, Ferguson gestured for the players to slow their attack. Manchester United gradually reduced their offensive pace.
On the other side, Real Madrid, having withstood Manchester United's early onslaught, became more active in attack, and the situation on the field changed.
In the 11th minute, Alonso launched a long pass from the backfield. Fino received the ball near the center circle and passed it to Kaká on the right front before making a run down the middle.
After dribbling forward a few steps, Kaká encountered Giggs, and both men were reminded of a "chokehold" incident. Four years ago, Kaká was also dressed in white, but things have changed; he has shed the impulsiveness and naivety of his younger days.
Kaká didn't give Giggs a chance to entangle him, playing a one-two with Fino, slipping past Giggs, and continuing his advance into the Manchester United penalty area. Before Evra and Vidic could close in, Kaká crossed the ball again, passing it to Fino.
At this moment, Fino had arrived near Manchester United's penalty arc, and in front of him, besides center-back Ferdinand, was only Van der Sar in front of the goal.
Ferdinand was on high alert. This wasn't the first time he'd faced Fino. In the 2008/09 Champions League semi-final, Fino capitalized on Ferdinand's lapse in concentration to score, and he was severely reprimanded by Ferguson at halftime. This time, however, he wasn't distracted; he was determined to mark Fino tightly!
Fino had no idea what Ferdinand was thinking. After receiving Kaká's pass, he didn't hesitate at all and dribbled the ball directly into the Manchester United penalty area.
Ferdinand stepped forward, eager to avenge his earlier defeat. But he and Fino only exchanged a single glance before Fino darted past him on the right. As for the ball, it slipped between Ferdinand's feet—yes, Fino had executed a nutmeg, moving to the right and passing the ball through his legs.
Ferdinand panicked immediately, frantically turning around to grab the ball, but Fino had anticipated this. After regaining control of the ball, he quickly created distance between himself and Ferdinand laterally, and then took a shot.
Van der Sar, who chose to take the initiative, was a step too slow. By the time he reached Fino's feet, Fino had already shot the ball away.
To avoid stepping on Van der Sar, Fino staggered over Van der Sar's body. Once he regained his balance, he looked up at the Manchester United goal, where the ball was already lying quietly inside.
The whistle blew to signal a goal, 1-0. Just 12 minutes into the game, Fino scored for Real Madrid.
Fino spread his arms behind him and made the long-absent "flying chicken" celebration, running along the sideline where Real Madrid fans were gathered. The Merengues in white screamed, cheered, and then began to clap and shout "Cabrini" in unison.
Immediately afterwards, Fino was surrounded by his teammates, who all hugged and kissed him.
Mourinho excitedly pumped his fist and roared from the sidelines, continuing to put pressure on Ferguson, who was not far away.
Ferguson ignored him, but his heart, which had clearly been fitted with a pacemaker, seemed to skip a beat the instant Fino scored.
Ferguson couldn't help but curse Manchester United's foolish management in his heart.
In the summer he lost Ronaldo, Manchester United had a great chance to sign Fino. He had even convinced Fino, but the stingy management caused them to miss the opportunity. In the past two years, he has watched Fino win the Ballon d'Or, lead Italy to the South Africa World Cup title, achieve two consecutive Ballon d'Ors, and dominate La Liga this season... He has become increasingly unhappy.
When Fino transferred to Real Madrid in 2009, the transfer fee was €50 million plus Huntelaar. Huntelaar was worth a maximum of €15 million, so Fino's transfer fee was approximately €65 million, tying him for fourth in the world with Kaká. Currently, Transfermarkt values Fino at €150 million.
Even though everyone knows that Real Madrid got a great deal when buying Fino because of some internal problems at AC Milan, the speed at which his value skyrocketed still left everyone speechless.
In just two years, Fino's value has more than doubled, far exceeding Cristiano Ronaldo's current record for the world's highest transfer fee - when Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009, the transfer fee was £80 million (approximately €94 million).
Having missed the opportunity in 2009, there was no possibility for Manchester United and Fino to work together again. On the one hand, Fino's price tag was enough to deter Manchester United's management. On the other hand, Real Madrid, with Fino's success both on the field and commercially, would definitely not let him leave easily.
Every time Ferguson thinks about this incident, he curses Manchester United's management. And now, the player he was forced to give up on signing has stabbed his own team in the back during the most important match.
How could Ferguson not hate him!
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support! [starry-eyed]
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