Chapter 404 Champions League Final Opponent

Allianz Arena.

In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, Bayern faced Paris Saint-Germain.

The eyes of fans all over the world are focused here, waiting for the birth of another final spot, and the situation on the court is extremely tense.

Since the two teams tied 1-1 in the first leg and Bayern conceded a valuable away goal, they did not choose to defend and counterattack, but instead pressed high in the frontcourt.

The reason is not only because they are behind, but also because Paris Saint-Germain's midfield and backcourt passing system is still imperfect, and it is easy to make low-level mistakes under high pressure.

On this basis, Bayern's offense was mainly launched from the two flanks. Through the continuous attacks of the players, they always held the initiative in the offense.

Coupled with the involvement of Lewandowski and Muller in the middle, many opportunities were created at the beginning.

However, there were no omissions in the deployment of the troops by Paris Saint-Germain head coach Tuchel. Not only did he dare to humble himself and put out three defensive midfielders for a steady defense and counterattack, but even within the overall framework of the 4-3-3 system, except for Neymar who could stay in the frontcourt, the rest of the players had to actively return to defense on the defensive end.

On the offensive end, a clear "dividing line" appeared between the three midfielders and the three forwards.

That is, the midfield is only responsible for defense and simple ball passing, and does not participate too much in the offense. Counterattacks are entirely dependent on the individual capabilities of the trident.

"Paris Saint-Germain's tactics are very familiar. They are similar to those of Manchester United, but the difference is that Paris Saint-Germain has a trident, while Manchester United has a doublet with Chu Feng as the main force."

"Wow, great steal by Bertner, Kimmich couldn't get past him!"

"Paris switched from defense to offense. The midfield did not have much passing or holding the ball. Paredes made a long diagonal pass to Mbappe who was running forward at high speed!"

On the field, the French supercar was running at full speed, speeding along the sidelines.

Kimmich's advance was too deep, resulting in a large gap on the right side of Bayern. When Boateng rushed over to make up for the loss, Mbappe had already reached the 30-meter line.

Without too many fancy moves, he just shook his center of gravity to burst out powerfully and forced a breakthrough from the outside.

With the cheers of Paris Saint-Germain fans, Mbappe shot from a distance at the front of the penalty area! But the next moment, Neuer made an extreme save, which made the French supercar look shocked.

"Beautiful! Neuer! He accurately judged Mbappe's intention and even made a fake move in front of the goal!"

"I've seen forwards deceive goalkeepers, but I've never seen goalkeepers deceive forwards!"

"Even though he is 34 years old this year, he is still one of the top goalkeepers. He defended Bayern's goal!"

At the Carrington training base, Chu Feng and his teammates couldn't help but sigh after seeing it.

Although Manchester United had defeated Bayern before, Bayern was in a period of chaos at that time.

Now that Flick has taken office, the offensive system has been re-established: pressure.

By pressing high up the pitch at all costs, players can gain more ball possession and offensive opportunities, and compensate for deficiencies in individual abilities by piling up the number of offensive attempts.

This is crucial for a team that lacks an absolute explosive point.

"I feel that Paris Saint-Germain is easier to play against. I hope they can advance to the final," Maguire said.

For a defender like him, the most annoying thing is high pressure, because his movement speed is slow and it is difficult for him to pass the ball in a short time.

Moreover, if he accidentally loses the ball and the opponent launches an attack, he won't be able to catch up.

"Well, but Paris Saint-Germain is not as weak as imagined. The coordinated advancement of Neymar and the other two players has a great advantage in the two-round match."

Chu Feng analyzed the game carefully.

In fact, for him, it should be easier to play against Bayern because high pressure means space.

Manchester United is a team that excels at defensive counterattacks. As long as they set up a layered defense in the backcourt, they will be able to block Bayern's repeated attacks.

And when he fights back, that's when he performs.

While everyone was chatting, the situation on the field changed.

Boateng seemed to have sprained his ankle while defending. After diagnosis by the team doctor, he was unable to continue the game and was replaced by the tall player Hummels.

Then the situation became stalemate, and Paris Saint-Germain created many opportunities.

"Neymar receives a pass from Mbappe and shoots low! Neuer makes another world-class save!"

“.”

"Neymar's back pass was blocked by Neuer again!"

"Today Neuer was like a god of war, blocking Paris Saint-Germain's most expensive striker in Europe! No one could break through his defense and score!"

However, before Bayern fans could cheer, the situation took a turn for the better in the 45th minute.

At 195cm tall and weighing 99kg, Hummels is taller, wider and thicker than Maguire, but this also makes his turning speed very slow, even slower than an aircraft carrier turning around.

Mbappe held the ball on the wing again, stopped suddenly and passed Kimmich.

Then he suddenly accelerated and shook off the rushing Hummels.

He entered the penalty area and faced Neuer, pretending to shoot but actually knocking the ball sideways. Neymar was very decisive after receiving the ball and pushed it directly into the far corner.

No matter how strong Neuer was, he was out of reach and could only watch helplessly as the ball went into the net.

However, not long after the start of the second half, Paris Saint-Germain made a mistake in the backcourt and passed the ball to Goretzka, who made a direct diagonal pass to Coman.

The latter has good breakthrough ability. He broke through Corey directly, then cooperated with Lewandowski and shot into the goal at the front of the penalty area.

"2-2, if the score continues, the game will go into overtime!"

“That will test the players’ physical fitness and their desire for victory even more!”

“.”

Almost as the commentator predicted, neither team was able to create many good opportunities until the end of regular time.

Paris Saint-Germain's stacked defense held off Bayern's repeated attacks, but right-back Corell performed very poorly.

He was originally a center back, but changed to play as a right back. He was attacked repeatedly by Coman and Alphonso. If other teammates had not made timely backup, Paris Saint-Germain would have conceded a goal.

But when the overtime started, the situation was still in a stalemate. Bayern pressed high for such a long time that their physical strength declined more than that of Paris Saint-Germain.

Plus, they have Neuer, so they are not afraid of penalty shootouts.

The camera is focused on the sidelines of the court.

Tuchel was not standing, not because he didn't want to, but because he accidentally broke his big toe during training a few days ago.

It’s quite funny when you think about it.

None of the players were injured, but the coach was.

Sitting in the coaching booth with his right foot in a cast, Tuchel's face looked indescribably solemn. In fact, he also wanted to enter the penalty shootout.

Why? Because Mbappe, Neymar, Di Maria and others are all masters of penalty kicks.

The former was young and courageous. He was given three penalty kick opportunities, but he dared to shoot in the same direction all the time.

Neymar has superb free throw skills and his success rate of feinting with a jump step is very high.

"The extra time is over and the game goes into a penalty shootout. This is also the first penalty shootout in this Champions League knockout stage!"

"Let's see who will take the first penalty?"

"Lewandowski. People say that he either scores a goal or is penalized when taking penalties. The unstoppable penalty taker faces former Real Madrid goalkeeper Navas! Wow, it turns out that Navas moved ahead of time, and Lewandowski took the penalty again. Oh, this time he pushed the ball in the opposite direction and scored!"

"Look at Neymar again, he uses a similar small jump-step pause technique, waiting for Neuer's center of gravity to move, and then pushes the ball to the other side to score a goal!"

“.”

In the first three rounds, Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria of Paris Saint-Germain, and Lewandowski, Muller and Coman of Bayern all scored penalties.

When Alaba played in the fourth round, the ball shot towards the lower right corner of the goal was not fast enough and was easily intercepted by Navas.

With Paris Saint-Germain fans cheering, Marquinhos stood on the penalty spot. The Brazilian defender had a strong mentality.

He was not disturbed by Neuer and shot directly into the upper left corner.

No one can stop this kind of shooting.

For Bayern, the fifth player to kick was Kimmich, the future leader of Bayern Munich. He lowered his head to kiss the football and took deep breaths to calm down.

After the whistle sounded, he decisively shot to the left, but Navas saved the ball resolutely, as if he wanted to make up for the regret.

What regret? The regret of losing the penalty shootout in the 2017-18 Champions League final when Real Madrid and Manchester United tied in extra time.

When his fingers touched the football, it hit the post and made a crisp sound.

The Allianz Arena fell into a moment of silence, followed by cheers from Paris Saint-Germain fans.

"The game is over! The game is over!"

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

“The result of the 2019-20 Champions League final is out: Manchester United vs. Paris Saint-Germain!”

"The world's most expensive striker versus the world's strongest striker!"

"Whoever has the sharper spear will win the Champions League this season!"

At the Allianz Arena, Mbappe looked up at the sky. He had waited for this day for too long.

Now, he wants both the European Cup and the Champions League, and uses the championship of both tournaments as bargaining chips to compete for the highest honor in football: the Ballon d'Or.

Neymar was also lost in memories. He still remembered how he was questioned by fans when he left Barcelona two years ago.

Now that he has the opportunity to dispel doubts, he naturally wants to prove something, such as he is not inferior to Messi, and he also has the ability to reach the top.

Di Maria rubbed his shoulders. He still remembered that after the Champions League semi-final, Messi complained to him frustratedly, saying that he was about to collapse after being kicked by Manchester United and did not want to stay in Barcelona anymore.

As Messi's good brother, he naturally wants to help Messi get revenge. Of course, what's more important is the honor. No one can refuse the Champions League championship.

The Bayern players all lay on the ground.

Kimmich even shed tears on the field. He became the culprit for Bayern's loss of the game and also ruined their chance of entering the Champions League final.

Looking back two years ago, Bayern was eliminated by Manchester United with a slight disadvantage.

All of them wanted revenge and to regain their dignity and face.

But now they are not even qualified to meet Manchester United.

On the sidelines, Tuchel celebrated with a crutch, enjoying the joy of victory.

This is the first time in his coaching career that he has reached the Champions League final. If he can win the Champions League, then Paris Saint-Germain's reputation as a fake giant will be completely eliminated.

He will also become a meritorious coach, and with the hope of breaking Manchester United's three consecutive championships, he will have the opportunity to become the best coach in active service.

Carrington training base.

"It's still Paris Saint-Germain!" Chu Feng sighed.

Although Bayern won the Champions League final, there were too many off-field factors and the young players of Paris Saint-Germain were not in good shape.

But today they defended firmly and their counterattacks were very sharp.

"It's okay, we are not afraid of them!"

Maguire patted his chest to give himself courage.

What is the reality?

Neymar, Mbappe and Di Maria are all players who are skilled with their feet, especially Neymar, who has an outrageous number of fancy moves.

Maguire felt that he didn't even dare to stretch his legs, otherwise he would definitely be beaten into a sieve.

"Don't worry, we are here for you," Kante said warmly.

Facing a team like Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United must play with three defensive midfielders and use a dense double-layer defense to maximize the restrictions on Paris Saint-Germain's trident.

After the results of the Champions League final were announced, the media began to hype it up crazily.

"Four hundred million reckless people versus three hundred million gentlemen!"

"Can Manchester United's dream of winning three consecutive Champions League titles be realized at the Stadium of Light?"

"Paris Saint-Germain is determined to win its first Champions League title in team history!"

Players from both teams also appeared in the media and talked about how they viewed their opponents.

Mbappe: I will do my best to challenge for the highest honor in the club competition. Chu has always been one of my most admired and respected opponents. I have also learned to imitate his breakthrough method. I look forward to competing with him in the Champions League final! Neymar: I want to win the Ballon d'Or, but I am not in a hurry. This is one of my goals and the dream I pursue in my career, but I don't play for personal pursuits.

During the warm-up period for the Champions League final, major leagues are still moving forward.

May 11, 2020.

Old Trafford.

"Premier League Round 35, Manchester United vs. Southampton!"

"Before Manchester United can win three consecutive Champions League titles, they still have one unfinished record to achieve, which is winning three consecutive Premier League titles!"

"At present, only Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City are in the championship race. Whoever loses the game will basically withdraw from the championship race!"

“The game has begun!”

Manchester United played very aggressively at the start, pressing and tackling aggressively, leaving Southampton no chance to breathe.

As Liverpool's younger brother, the latter naturally tried every means to stop Manchester United, so they played very toughly.

Head coach Hasenhuttl was even more outspoken, wanting Manchester United to suffer the frustration of three consecutive Premier League defeats.

But the gap in strength between the two teams is not a little bit.

"Beautiful! In the 30th minute of the game, Havertz made a long diagonal pass to the penalty area. Chu Feng received the ball and leaned against the defender. Cruyff turned around and shot from a small angle to score."

"Southampton fought hard for half an hour but still couldn't stop Manchester United's attack! Then the rest of the game will be very easy."

Manchester United started the defensive counterattack mode. If you don't come out, we will pass the ball back in the backcourt. We don't have the momentum of a Premier League giant at all.

In fact, for Manchester United players, stability means everything.

As the saying goes: A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step.

It has come to the final stage, and if we are not careful, we will lose the Premier League title.

Then everyone would go crazy.

There was no choice but for Southampton to push forward, but there was a large space behind them.

Therefore, in the 67th minute of the second half, Kante received the ball in the midfield and made a straight pass. Chu Feng took the ball and led the way, passing Stephens in one step.

Facing the attack of the Southampton goalkeeper, he moved his center of gravity horizontally twice in a row, easily got rid of the pendulum, and pushed the ball to expand the lead.

In the end, Manchester United beat Southampton 2-0 and won the 35th round of the Premier League.

(End of this chapter)