Chapter 581: Bale's Unwillingness
After getting past Carvajal, Mbappé found himself with another one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper.
Seeing that Real Madrid's goalkeeper was trying to use the same strategy as before, Mbappé remembered the advice Lin Quan had given him.
Courtois noticed Mbappé slowing down and thought he was about to shoot, so he quickly lowered his center of gravity, spreading his arms wide to cover as much space as possible.
This kid is still too young, Courtois thought.
In this situation, unless Mbappé could aim for a very tricky angle or attempt a chip shot, Courtois believed he had a high chance of stopping him. Mbappé had played well so far, but the thought of stopping him twice in one-on-one situations made Courtois feel smug.
However, just as Courtois thought he had the situation under control, he saw Mbappé change his movement, shifting the ball sideways instead of shooting.
What!? He learned that move?
Courtois realized too late that his low stance had compromised his ability to move quickly, and in desperation, he stretched out his leg to intercept the ball. But it was too late—he failed.
Although Mbappé's first attempt at this move wasn't perfect, as he had kicked the ball too far ahead, by the time he caught up to it, the shooting angle had become very tight. Luckily, the goal was wide open in front of him. Despite the small angle, he calmly slotted the ball into the net.
The score became 2–1, and Manchester City had taken the lead!
"Goal!!!!"
"The 18-year-old Manchester City youngster, Kylian Mbappé, in his first-ever Champions League final, made an incredible run and scored a goal that fans will remember for a long time!"
"I think from this moment on, fans around the world will remember his name—Kylian Mbappé, the rising star of Manchester City!"
Following Mbappé's goal, commentators from every major TV station bombarded their audiences with endless praise for him, like rapid-fire machine guns.
Mbappé certainly deserved the accolades. If it weren't for Lin Quan, Mbappé's goal would have broken Patrick Kluivert's record for the youngest scorer in a Champions League final, set in the 1994–1995 season.
In the stands, Manchester City fans were ecstatic after Mbappé's goal. Not only had his goal given their team the lead in the Champions League final, but it also showed them that their club had unearthed another true talent.
In fact, more than the goal itself, it was Mbappé's potential and talent that excited the fans even more.
As Manchester City fans celebrated wildly, the cameras zoomed in on a special spectator in the stands. Many people quickly recognized him: it was Didier Deschamps, the coach of the French national team.
Deschamps, noticing that he was on the big screen, smiled and waved at the camera.
His reason for attending the match was simple: to assess the performance of the French players on both teams.
With the World Cup coming up next year, and the European qualifying matches reaching their most critical phase, Deschamps needed to evaluate his players. In France's Group A, they were facing strong opposition from the Netherlands, a team known as the "Uncrowned Kings." So the pressure on France to qualify was immense.
In just six days, France would be heading to play Sweden, the third-place team in their group. Considering that Sweden had a star player like Zlatan Ibrahimović and a strong overall team, Deschamps knew the match would be no easy win for France.
For a match that could determine their World Cup qualification, Deschamps was taking no chances. He needed to make sure that the players he brought along were in their best form and capable of being key starters.
It was no surprise that Deschamps was focusing on players from Real Madrid and Manchester City, the two strongest teams in world football at the moment. The players starting for both sides were undoubtedly among the elite.
Among those Deschamps was particularly interested in were Real Madrid's striker Benzema, defender Varane, and Manchester City's midfielder Kanté.
Initially, Deschamps hadn't expected Mbappé, given his youth, to play much in such an important match. But after De Bruyne's unexpected injury, Mbappé not only got the chance to play but was essentially starting the game.
As long as Mbappé wasn't subbed off or sent off, he would play at least 70 minutes in this final!
What surprised and delighted Deschamps even more was that Mbappé didn't just get on the field—he also stunned the world with a brilliant goal.
Deschamps could hardly contain his excitement. He had already planned to bring Mbappé to next year's World Cup, even if only to give him a taste of the big stage. In Deschamps' mind, Mbappé would be one of the pillars of the French team in a few years.
But now, Deschamps realized that he might not have to wait years. Mbappé could be a key player for France at next year's World Cup.
France's midfield was already stacked with talent—Griezmann, Pogba, and Kanté were all there. With these players, Mbappé wouldn't need to worry about receiving quality passes.
In set-play situations, they could rely on Benzema, while in open play, Mbappé's speed and agility would be deadly. With this combination, Deschamps felt confident about their chances.
France had suffered a humiliating group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. But next year, they would be going to the tournament with their eyes on the trophy, not just to make up the numbers.
…
Unaware that Deschamps was watching from the stands, Mbappé was so overjoyed after scoring that his mind went blank. In his excitement, he instinctively ran toward the loudest section of the crowd before suddenly remembering the celebration move he had planned: the famous "Ninja Turtle" pose.
When he neared the sideline, he stopped abruptly, crossed his arms over his chest, and struck the pose unique to him.
The photographers at the stadium clicked their cameras furiously, capturing the moment as Mbappé struck the pose, making him feel over the moon.
But before he could fully enjoy the attention, his teammates rushed over in a wave. Some ruffled his hair, others jumped on his back, and one even smacked him on the behind, making Mbappé feel an uncomfortable twinge.
Something's not right. Could there be a joker among us?
"Well done, Ninja!"
"What a beautiful goal!"
"Ninja, we're so proud of you!"
Before Mbappé could figure out who the joker was, his teammates' loud praise left him confused.
"Wait, wait, who's 'Ninja'?" Mbappé asked, exasperated. His face was dark with embarrassment—though, being dark-skinned, nobody noticed.
"That celebration! Don't think we didn't catch that! It's the same move as the Ninja Turtles, right? Besides, you do kind of look like one! So, what else would we call you?"
Mbappé's face darkened even more. This nickname wasn't new to him. Back at Monaco, people had called him the same thing.
He thought that by changing clubs, he could escape the teasing and start fresh. But it seemed even his new teammates had given him the same nickname.
It's over. I guess I'll never get rid of this nickname. If I'd known, I wouldn't have done that celebration.
But it was too late for regrets now. The pose had already been broadcast across Europe, and even the world, thanks to the television cameras. Now, everyone knew that Manchester City had a player who looked like a Ninja Turtle.
…
While Mbappé was being mobbed by his teammates, over on Real Madrid's side, Bale watched the scene with a mix of envy and frustration.
He had once enjoyed moments of glory like Mbappé's. At his peak, Gareth Bale was a player admired by all.
Back then, he was a force to be reckoned with, capable of single-handedly breaking through defenses.
But as his playing style changed, with more defensive duties and an increase in muscle mass leading to frequent injuries, Bale's brilliance began to fade.
Now, Bale had significant defensive responsibilities, often dropping deep, sometimes even playing as a full-back. It was much harder for him to get the chance to attack down the wing like Mbappé.
This reduction in his offensive output, combined with injuries affecting his form, left Bale feeling like he was no longer the player he used to be.
Bale's declining form had even affected his market value. After years of steady growth, his transfer value had dropped by €5 million this year.
Although the decrease wasn't drastic, it was a clear sign: Bale had hit his peak and was now entering the decline of his career.
Perhaps realizing that his form would continue to deteriorate, or maybe feeling resentment toward the young upstart Mbappé for scoring such an important goal, Bale became much more aggressive after the restart. He frequently called for the ball and actively participated in the attack.
Kroos and Modric, noticing Bale's eagerness, passed the ball to him a few times. However, the opportunities weren't great, and Manchester City had prepared well for him.
Although Bale's speed wasn't slower than Mbappé's, his style of play was different. Bale relied on powerful, direct runs. Manchester City had tailored their defense accordingly.
When defending against Bale, they assigned one player to intercept him head-on, while another would immediately attempt to steal the ball from behind.
Bale wasn't one to dribble past players often. He usually relied on his speed to run past defenders. His signature move was to kick the ball ahead and use his speed to catch up, a trick that worked brilliantly when it caught defenders off guard.
But by now, City's defenders were prepared, making it much harder for Bale to surprise them.
Unless there was a perfect opportunity—such as an exposed defense with no cover—it would be difficult for Bale to shine.
Unfortunately for him, those chances were rare. Manchester City's defense ensured that if they couldn't form a layered defense against Bale, they would pressure Real Madrid's midfielders immediately, even fouling them if necessary, to prevent the ball from reaching Bale in the first place.
No matter how fast Bale was, it didn't matter if he couldn't get the ball.
On top of that, Bale's stamina had decreased after adding muscle. His repeated sprints, with little success, not only drained his energy but also strained his calf muscles. After several attempts, he began to feel pain in his legs.
Before Bale could reach his limit, his teammates were already becoming frustrated.
Ronaldo, noticing that his teammates kept passing to Bale, grew irritated.
If Bale had been able to beat defenders on the wing and deliver quality crosses, Ronaldo wouldn't have said a word.
But after watching Bale fail several times and still stubbornly try to break through, wasting scoring opportunities while they were trailing, Ronaldo couldn't stand it any longer. They needed to score to equalize, or even take the lead!
Since Bale couldn't get through, Modric and Kroos began shifting their focus, sending the ball more frequently to the left side.
With Ronaldo now playing as a center-forward, Benzema, who normally played in that position, had to move to the wing to support Ronaldo.
Surprisingly, although Benzema might have looked like a clumsy big guy, his ability to link up play was quite good.
In the 61st minute of the second half, Real Madrid pushed forward. Modric passed the ball to Benzema.
Benzema dribbled down the wing, then suddenly cut into the box. As Stones came over to cover him, Benzema passed the ball to Ronaldo.
By the time Ronaldo received the ball, Van Dijk had already closed him down. It wasn't the best time to shoot, but Ronaldo, growing impatient, took the shot anyway from the edge of the box.
Van Dijk couldn't block the shot, but just as the ball was about to reach the goal, Manchester City's left-back cleared it away.
Ronaldo looked visibly frustrated at not scoring, while Manchester City's fans breathed a sigh of relief as the ball was cleared.
But no one expected the ball to fall at the feet of Real Madrid's defensive midfielder, Casemiro. Rushing in from behind, Casemiro fired a powerful shot from about 27 meters out. The ball flew past Manchester City's defenders and beyond Navas's reach into the net.
Goal!
The score was now 2–2!
No one could have predicted that the game would be tied in such a dramatic way. Both sets of fans were shocked, as was Casemiro, who had scored the goal.
He had simply seen an opportunity and taken a wild shot. To be honest, there were many players between him and the goal, and the fact that the ball hadn't deflected off anyone was sheer luck.
Even luckier was the fact that the goalkeeper's positioning was off, and the ball bounced off the ground during its flight, making it even harder to save. Navas, unprepared, could only watch as the ball hit the back of the net.
Real Madrid had tied the game in a stroke of luck, and once again, both teams were back on even footing!
(End of Chapter)
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