To be honest, before the game, no one expected that the game would be dragged into a penalty shootout.
Real Madrid and Manchester City are both teams with fierce attacking power and scoring many goals.
If two such teams meet, the final result is likely to be that one of them uses attack to defeat the other.
Although judging from the final score, the result of 8 goals seems to be in line with the outside world's expectations of the offensive strength of the two teams.
But what was unexpected was that the eight goals were equally divided between the two teams.
This is outrageous!
The fans of both teams were tortured to death by this game. When they thought about the two sides having to rely on a brutal penalty shootout to decide life and death, the fans now had no choice but to pray to God.
But from the perspective of neutral fans, being able to enjoy such a wonderful Champions League final is definitely a feast for the eyes.
This ups and downs, twists and turns in the game reminded many people of the night in Istanbul 12 years ago.
It was also a goal-scoring battle. Both sides scored 6 goals in regular time. Liverpool staged a desperate counterattack after falling behind by a large margin, and finally defeated the opponent through a penalty shootout, completing the incredible Istanbul Miracle.
In fact, it is not uncommon for penalty shootouts to occur in the Champions League final. There have been two penalty shootouts in the Champions League finals in the past decade.
But whether it was the match between Manchester United and Chelsea in 2008 or the match between Bayern and Chelsea in 2012, there were very few goals in both games and the scores of both games were 1:1.
With fewer goals, the game would not be so exciting, and the plot would not have such twists and turns and constant reversals.
Therefore, many fans believe that this game is the most exciting Champions League final they have seen in the past decade, and it can even be compared with the Istanbul night! No matter which of the two teams wins the championship trophy, for the fans, they are all winners.
…
The fans were looking forward to the final battle with an appreciative and relaxed mood, but the nerves of the players and coaches of both teams were extremely tense.
They were seizing the last moment to discuss the order of appearance in the penalty shootout.
"Lin, you go first!"
Guardiola determined Lin Quan's ranking almost without hesitation, not only because he was the player who took the most and most accurate penalties in Manchester City, but also because he was the captain and backbone of the team.
As the boss, you have to face challenges head-on at critical moments!
The first person to play will be under the greatest psychological pressure and is most likely to miss a penalty.
Therefore, at this time, the player with the best mentality and shooting skills must be arranged to play, and withstand the pressure to score the penalty kick. Otherwise, once the ball is lost, the pressure faced by the players who come on later will only be greater, and they will inevitably be defeated.
Almost at the same time when Guardiola confirmed Lin Quan's first penalty, Zidane made similar arrangements on the Real Madrid side.
Cristiano Ronaldo was also named and placed first.
Ronaldo did not refuse this, although he usually liked to be the fifth to appear, because that way he could stand out and enjoy the spotlight after winning.
But this game is different. Compared to being in the limelight, Ronaldo wants to win more.
He was afraid that he would be the last one to play, and his teammates in front of him would not be able to hold on and would be defeated before it was his turn.
In that case, although he would not be blamed because he had not yet appeared on the court, losing the game and the championship would be a completely unprofitable loss.
After it was confirmed that Ronaldo would be the first to play, the penalty order for Real Madrid was quickly arranged.
Compared to them, Manchester City was a little slower, but they still quickly arranged the order of penalties.
The penalty shootout officially begins.
The first penalty kick was given to Manchester City. Lin Quan walked into the penalty area, placed the ball, then stepped back a few steps, quietly waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.
When Real Madrid fans saw Lin Quan taking the first free throw, they became very nervous and booed desperately to try to disrupt him.
Lin Quan turned a deaf ear to the boos and was not at all disturbed by any outside interference.
On the contrary, Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois became very nervous after hearing the huge boos from the audience.
Any goalkeeper would probably be nervous when facing Lin Quan during a penalty kick.
This guy's penalty kicks are so accurate, I don't think he has ever missed one.
Courtois couldn't help but feel weak in the knees when he thought of the opponent's impressive penalty record.
Seeing that both sides were ready, the referee blew the whistle, indicating that Lin Quan could take the free throw.
Lin Quan did not play any psychological warfare with Courtois, nor did he try any fancy moves during his run-up.
He just went straight ahead and kicked the ball into the absolute blind spot in the upper left corner, cleanly and neatly.
Courtois got up from the ground, walked dejectedly to the left side of the goal, and gave his position to Manchester City goalkeeper Navas.
Recalling the goal just lost, Courtois was in tears.
In fact, he judged the possible direction of the opponent's shot through Lin Quan's steps, but the angle of the opponent's shot was too tricky, and it would be useless even if he predicted it in advance.
If even a goalkeeper with his height, arm span and reaction speed can't save the ball, then there is really no one else in the entire football world who can do it.
Lin Quan's goal made the players very excited, and the nervousness in their hearts also faded a lot.
Seeing the Manchester City players celebrating wildly, the atmosphere in Real Madrid's team seemed a bit depressing.
Seeing Ronaldo appear in the penalty area, Navas and fans from both sides in the stands were a little surprised.
In their impression, Ronaldo is rarely the first to play, he is usually the last to appear.
Could it be that he was stimulated by seeing Lin Quan playing first, so he switched positions with his teammates? However, judging from the expression of the Real Madrid coach on the sidelines, this did not seem to be the case.
Seeing Ronaldo standing in the penalty area, Navas quickly went over the opponent's penalty kick habits in his mind.
In most cases, Ronaldo uses his right foot to take free throws, so most of his kicks are to the right side, and mostly to the lower right corner of the goal.
Thinking of this, Navas decided to take a gamble! However, his luck didn't seem to be very good. Although Ronaldo did use his right foot, this time he didn't kick it to the lower right corner, but a whistle penalty. Navas was deceived! Seeing Ronaldo dare to use a spoon penalty in such an occasion, the fans in the stands exclaimed.
When the Real Madrid players saw Ronaldo score the penalty in this way, they were all very excited and cheered and applauded loudly.
Both teams scored their first goal, and the score was of different levels, making it difficult to tell who was better.
Lin Quan's absolute blind spot is useless no matter who is guarding the goal.
Ronaldo's spoon penalty not only tests his skills, but also his mentality.
Just imagine how Ronaldo would be criticized by the fans if he didn't score the penalty...
The second player to appear for Manchester City was David Silva, who lived up to the expectations of his teammates and fans and scored the penalty kick steadily.
The second player to appear for Real Madrid was Modric, who also scored a goal.
Next came the third round, and Manchester City sent out Sane.
Although Sane plays a bit independently and sometimes doesn't like to pass the ball, his shooting skills are still good.
He scored the free throw steadily.
Manchester City did not concede a goal in the first three rounds, which put Real Madrid under considerable pressure.
The third player to appear in Real Madrid was Morata. Although Morata did not have much playing time in Real Madrid, his shooting skills were not bad. After all, he was the second top scorer in Real Madrid, so he still had some basic skills.
The only question is whether his mentality can withstand it.
Morata did not let him down. He made his third appearance and easily scored the goal with a variation of his run-up.
The pressure is back on Manchester City, and Kante is the fourth player to appear on the field.
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Although Kante takes few penalties, his psychological quality is not bad.
Although Courtois predicted the direction of his shot and even touched the ball, Kanté's powerful shot was so powerful that Courtois only had time to slightly change the flight trajectory of the football and failed to successfully save the ball.
4:3, Manchester City temporarily leads.
The atmosphere at the scene was a bit frozen. The penalty shootout was more intense than everyone expected. So far, neither side had missed a penalty. Was this the case? Everyone turned their attention to Marcelo, the Real Madrid player who came on the field right after him. Was the Brazilian going to put on a big show for everyone?
However, Marcelo disappointed everyone as he withstood the pressure and also scored the penalty.
The two sides tied again in the penalty shootout, and the tension of the game was beyond imagination.
The fifth player to appear for Manchester City was Van Dijk. Although he is young, he is very calm and is the most trusted and relied-upon defensive core of Guardiola.
Abandoning Mbappe and arranging him to be the last to appear on the field shows Guardiola's trust in him.
Like Kante, Van Dijk's penalty kick skills may not be the best, but the penalty kick method they choose is the simplest and most practical - just shoot! As long as they are not unlucky enough to kick the ball directly into the goalkeeper, at such a close distance and at such a fast speed, the goalkeeper may not be able to save it.
Courtois judged the direction correctly, but he just couldn't save the ball.
The pressure is back on Real Madrid, but the last player to appear on the field for Real Madrid is not an ordinary player, but their captain - Ramos!
Ramos has participated in penalty shootouts many times for Real Madrid. His mentality and shooting skills are better than Kante and Van Dijk. His penalty kick is not only powerful but also at a tricky angle. Navas failed to save the ball.
After five rounds of penalty shootout, the two sides ended in a tie again.
To be honest, this situation is very rare. Under such great pressure, not a single penalty was saved! Even the experienced referee was a little surprised at this time.
These guys are indeed the best soccer players on the planet, their mentality and skills are ridiculously strong! He immediately announced that the penalty shootout entered the second stage - the sudden death stage!
If both teams lose a goal now, they may lose! Manchester City will still play first. When the players who have already played cannot continue to play, they can only choose from the remaining players.
Mbappe finally appeared in the penalty area!
Mbappe is not a timid person, but the first time he played in the Champions League final on behalf of the team, he was dragged into a penalty shootout, and it entered the second stage of the penalty shootout.
This made the inexperienced Mbappe uneasy. He was worried that he would miss the penalty, which would lead to the team's failure to defend the title and lose the championship.
But the more you fear something, the more likely it will come. Someone has done statistics and found that in a penalty shootout, the pressure will continue to accumulate, and the later the players come on the field, the lower their free throw success rate will be.
When Courtois saw that the opponent was someone who didn't often take penalties, he immediately gained confidence.
He stared at Mbappe with sharp eyes, as if he wanted to see through him.
Mbappe was already feeling a little uneasy, and being stared at by Courtois with such an aggressive look made that feeling of uneasiness even greater.
In order to ensure that the goalkeeper could not save the shot, he focused too much on the angle, but because of his nervousness, he failed to control the strength and the shot went off target!
The ball slipped through the goal, Mbappe was stunned, and there was an uproar! This was the first time someone missed a penalty since the start of the penalty shootout.
Courtois waved his arms excitedly and roared.
Although he did not save the ball, but it was the opponent's mistake, it was still his credit. If he had not put enough psychological pressure on his opponent, how could the opponent have missed the shot?
Sure enough, this guy is too young! Courtois looked at Mbappe with contempt, feeling very contemptuous in his heart.
If your mental quality is this poor, no matter how good your skills are or how fast you are, your ceiling will never be high.
Mbappe returned to the team in a daze, apologizing to his teammates continuously.
Although his teammates were comforting him, he still couldn't let it go.
The consequences of losing are too serious, so serious that Mbappe cannot afford it.
But Manchester City is not completely dead at this time, they still have a little hope.
As long as Navas can save the opponent's shot, both sides will be back to the same starting line.
The sixth player to play for Real Madrid was Casemiro! All the fans in the stands had stood up, craning their necks to stare at the goal. Whether they were Manchester City fans or Real Madrid fans, their hearts were moved by the penalty kick that was about to be taken.
Casemiro started his run-up, Navas predicted the direction of the opponent's shot and made a saving move.
But the football brushed past his fingertips, flew away from him, and hit the net with a swish!
Boom! The stadium was like a tinderbox that had been lit, and it completely exploded at this moment.
Countless Real Madrid fans cried with joy, and some even let out long-suppressed, hoarse roars.
After waiting for so many years, we finally got the tenth championship trophy in team history!
On the field, Real Madrid players rushed to the stands, the coaching seats, and the sidelines like crazy, celebrating wildly in various ways.
Only those who have played on the field know how difficult it was for them to win this game.
The game really went on until the very last minute before the winner was decided.
If Mbappe hadn't made a mistake and missed the penalty because he was too focused on the angle, no one would know how long this penalty shootout would have lasted.
Manchester City is really a formidable and respectable opponent! I hope I will never meet them on the field again! (End of this chapter)
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