Chapter 216 A Second Blossom
After falling behind, Manchester United became more aggressive in midfield, with Rooney dropping very deep and frequently putting pressure on Real Madrid's defensive midfield pairing along with Carrick and Giggs.
Upon seeing this, Fino immediately joined Lass Diarra and Alonso in midfield defense to prevent Manchester United from gaining a numerical advantage by playing with one less player.
In the 23rd minute, Fino and Alonso combined to dispossess Carrick, giving Real Madrid another excellent attacking opportunity.
Fino, Alonso, and Marcelo, who had made a run down the left flank, worked together to pass the ball back to Manchester United's defense. About 25 meters from the edge of the penalty area, Fino suddenly launched a long diagonal pass, chipping the ball over the top to Ronaldo on the left side of the Manchester United penalty area.
After receiving the ball, Ronaldo immediately began to cut inside. Fabio, who was marking him, was only 20 years old and lost his composure in his panic. Ronaldo easily broke past him.
Ferdinand rushed over to intercept, but Ronaldo, contrary to his usual behavior, dribbled the ball away from the penalty area. At this moment, Fino ran over from the middle, followed by Vidic.
In the instant Ronaldo and Fino met, Ronaldo gently passed the ball to Fino, who dribbled into the Manchester United penalty area. Ferdinand and Fabio braked sharply and turned back, while Evra also rushed in from the right side of the penalty area, and Manchester United's four defenders surrounded Fino.
Fino didn't give them a chance to close the gap, passing the ball straight behind Evra, where Kaká broke through from the right wing unmarked.
Evra was shocked and quickly turned to block Kaká's shot. Ferdinand also moved between Fino and Kaká to prevent Kaká from passing the ball back to Fino, and at the same time, he and Evra double-teamed Kaká.
Kaka made a quick decision, sending a long pass over the top to Higuain, who was near the penalty arc. Higuain received the ball and shot directly, but the ball hit Vidic and deflected towards the left side of the penalty area.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the ball and passed it over the top again, chipping it towards the goal. At this moment, Higuain had already flashed into the penalty area and headed the ball before Van der Sar could make a save, but unfortunately the ball went wide of the right post.
Real Madrid's attack ended in failure.
Higuain shook his head in disappointment, gave a thumbs-up to both Ronaldo and Kaká to thank them for the good passes, but unfortunately he failed to capitalize on the chances twice in a row. Then he left the Manchester United penalty area with his arm around Fino's shoulder.
While waiting for Van der Sar to take the goal kick, Fino saw Ferdinand angrily berating Fabio for letting Ronaldo pass so easily and for not keeping a close eye on Higuain.
Fino thought to himself, "Great! I'll continue attacking Fabio's side later. Of course, I'll pick the weakest one to take the hit."
A few minutes later, Ramos intercepted the ball from Park Ji-sung on the right wing, and Real Madrid launched another attack.
Fino, Alonso, and Kaká combined to advance through the middle, with Manchester United's midfield defense constantly harassing them, while their backline gradually retreated as Fino and the others advanced.
When Real Madrid's attack advanced to within about 10 meters of Manchester United's penalty area, Vidic's Manchester United defense had already retreated to the vicinity of the penalty area line.
Vidic's heart tightened; he could no longer retreat, or Van der Sar's goal would be in danger.
Fortunately, Fino wasn't planning to push forward any further; he wanted to leave enough space for the next attack.
Fino pushed the ball between Fabio and Ferdinand toward the left side of Manchester United's penalty area. The moment Fino touched the ball, Ronaldo, who was positioned almost parallel to Fabio and others, suddenly darted out.
Fino gave Ronaldo just the right amount of space, and when Fabio and Ferdinand came to intercept, he had already adjusted his posture and calmly raised his foot to shoot.
The ball passed by Ferdinand, who raised his leg to block it but missed.
At the critical moment, Van der Sar, who had reached the near post of the goal, made a miraculous save, pushing the ball out of bounds.
Van der Sar clenched his fists and let out a triumphant roar.
Through the first twenty minutes of offensive and defensive maneuvering, Fino gained a preliminary understanding of his opponent's strength.
This Manchester United team on the field has a sharp attack and a relatively solid defense, but its biggest weakness is in midfield. The midfield trio of Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, and Park Ji-sung works very hard, but hard work doesn't necessarily translate to good results. This midfield trio lacks control and is prone to losing possession under Real Madrid's pressure in attack, while they are not difficult to penetrate in defense.
Having realized this, Fino directed his teammates to launch several attacks for the remainder of the first half. Most of the time, they penetrated from midfield, going head-to-head with Manchester United's midfield. Occasionally, they would launch surprise attacks, sending long passes to Ronaldo and Kaká who were making runs down the flanks, and then launch quick attacks.
This inconsistent pace caused immense suffering for the Manchester United players, and Sir Alex Ferguson on the sidelines was also quite helpless.
Manchester United's "weak midfield" problem has been around for a long time. He has been trying his best to make up for it through tactics and functional player combinations, but sometimes, even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!
Look at Real Madrid on the other side, they have two playmakers who excel in both attack and defense, Fino and Alonso, it's incredibly luxurious, why can't they give one to Manchester United? He's not greedy, he just wants one Fino!
Ferguson knew perfectly well that Manchester United were weak in midfield control. He gestured to his players, asking them to be patient, solidify their defense, and then look for opportunities through counter-attacks and set pieces.
In the 42nd minute, after Kaká's shot was saved by Van der Sar, Manchester United launched a quick counter-attack.
Van der Sar launched a long ball, Rooney knocked Marcelo aside on the right wing, got to the ball, and then dribbled inside.
At this moment, Real Madrid only had Pepe and Carvalho as center-backs near the penalty area, as the other players had not yet been able to return to defense due to the previous attack.
After Rooney cut inside to a position near the edge of the penalty area, he passed the ball directly to Hernandez, who had made a run into the Real Madrid penalty area. Carvalho and Pepe rushed forward to block him, and Casillas also came to the near post of the goal to prepare for the save.
Hernandez did not continue to break through or shoot, but instead passed the ball back to Rooney near the penalty arc. Rooney immediately raised his foot to shoot, but Pepe had already turned and used his body to block the shot. Casillas also rushed towards the ball, but unfortunately, both of them were a step too late, and the ball went smoothly into the net from the left side of the goal.
1-1, Rooney equalized for Manchester United.
Casillas sighed and retrieved the ball from the goal. Manchester United's counter-attack was too sudden; his teammates who had been attacking in front of the goal hadn't been able to retreat in time, which was unavoidable.
Cheers erupted from Wembley Stadium as Manchester United fans roared. Ferguson clenched his fists with a smile, while an excited Rooney slid to his knees before being tackled to the ground by his teammates.
The score remained 1-1 until the end of the first half, with both sides still on equal footing.
The relationship between Real Madrid and Manchester United is quite good, not only between the clubs but also between the fans.
During halftime, fans from both sides took turns singing their team anthems to cheer on their players. While one side's fans were singing, the other side's fans politely remained silent, with neither side interfering with the other and each enjoying themselves.
Although Manchester United equalized in the final stages of the first half, Real Madrid fans were relatively satisfied with their players' performance, and even somewhat moved – after overcoming the formidable Barcelona, Real Madrid finally began to launch a more aggressive attack.
When Real Madrid's starting lineup was announced, fans expected another three-man midfield, but besides sighing, there was nothing they could do. Mourinho's defensive philosophy had indeed brought Real Madrid victory; having reached the Champions League final, how could they not aim for win?
Judging from Real Madrid's performance in the first half, they were clearly not playing with three defensive midfielders, but rather a 4-2-3-1 formation. Fino moved back from the defensive midfield position to the attacking midfield position and was very active in the attack.
The Real Madrid fans were practically weeping with joy. Real Madrid had finally abandoned their "ugly defense" and started their "magnificent offense."
The Merlin players have even forgotten that at the beginning of the season, they were fiercely criticizing Mourinho's meticulously crafted 4-2-3-1 formation, deeming it too conservative. But after getting used to the extreme defense with three defensive midfielders, returning to the 4-2-3-1 formation, which they once considered too conservative, now feels like "magnificent attacking play."
Sure enough, when others disagreed with you opening the window, you claimed you would tear down the roof, and they agreed to let you open the window.
Mourinho's PUA tactics are truly terrifying!
After the start of the second half, it was Real Madrid who gave their opponents a shock.
In the 47th minute, Alonso dribbled the ball from the backfield to the center circle and then passed it to Fino on the right flank.
Because it was in midfield, Manchester United's marking wasn't tight. Fino stepped on the ball, observed the situation in the attacking third, and then launched a long pass between Park Ji-sung and Giggs, targeting Kaká on the right wing.
Kaka received the ball and immediately began to cut inside. Carrick stayed close to him, looking for an opportunity to intercept the ball, but he couldn't find a chance.
As Kaká dribbled inside to the edge of the penalty arc, Ferdinand and Vidic came up to meet him. Kaká then passed the ball across to Ronaldo on the left wing. After receiving the ball, Ronaldo dribbled past Fabio and broke into the Manchester United penalty area. Ferdinand immediately turned around to block Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't give his former Manchester United senior a chance to shine. After breaking into the Manchester United penalty area, he immediately took a shot, but Van der Sar made a brilliant save.
The ball flew towards the left side of the center. Marcelo won the battle with Valencia for the ball's landing point and passed it to Fino with his back to goal. Before Vidic could intercept, Fino flicked the ball back into the Manchester United penalty area, aiming for the unmarked Higuain.
Higuain leaped high to head the ball, but he was unlucky today; the ball hit the post and was cleared out of the penalty area by Ferdinand.
Real Madrid's attack was not over yet. Ferdinand's clearance was too hasty, and he didn't pay attention to the direction at all. The ball landed right between Fino and Vidic.
Vidic quickly tried to control the ball, but Fino was faster. With a quick stop and a hook, he firmly controlled the ball at his feet.
He didn't pass the ball again because he had already seen a perfect shooting path.
He kicked, shot, and it went into the net—all in one smooth motion.
The ball grazed Van der Sar's fingertips and nestled into the bottom right corner of the goal.
2-1, Fino scored twice in the Champions League final.
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Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support~ [hugs]
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