Chapter 584: Lin Quan and Mbappé Link Up – Manchester City's Deadly Strike
The referee's decision left Cristiano Ronaldo very frustrated, and the rest of the Real Madrid players were equally upset. They crowded around the referee to protest and apply pressure. But the German referee, experienced in handling such situations, waved them back while reaching for his cards.
Seeing that the referee was about to hand out punishments, the Real Madrid players quickly scattered like birds, though Ronaldo, still complaining, was a bit slow to leave and ended up with a yellow card.
Referee Brych was known for being strict with his cards. In the Champions League matches he officiated, he gave out more yellow cards than most referees—and even red cards on several occasions.
He had suspected Ronaldo of diving earlier but didn't have enough evidence to act at the time. Now, Ronaldo had given him the perfect opportunity to punish him as a warning.
Although it wasn't a penalty, the free kick Real Madrid had earned was still in a very dangerous spot.
Real Madrid wasn't about to waste such a golden opportunity. Ronaldo stood just outside the penalty area, preparing to take the free kick himself.
Earlier in the first half, Lin Quan had scored a brilliant free kick from almost the exact same spot, stunning Real Madrid.
Now, the question was whether Ronaldo could do the same.
Standing at the ball, Ronaldo surveyed the wall and the goalkeeper's position, carefully considering how to take the shot.
The distance was a little close, meaning that using his signature "knuckleball" technique might cause the ball to fly too high. If he shot directly at goal, it would be hard to avoid the wall.
His best option, then, was to aim for precision—curl the ball around the wall, just like Lin Quan had done earlier, and hope the goalkeeper couldn't reach it.
Once Ronaldo had his plan, he slowly backed up, spread his legs, and assumed his iconic free-kick stance, his eyes filled with determination.
Both sets of fans held their breath. This free kick could be a turning point in the match.
If Ronaldo scored, he would complete a hat-trick and extend Real Madrid's lead to two goals. With less than 20 minutes left to play, a two-goal lead would be enormous—so much so that Madrid fans could almost start celebrating the title.
It has to go in! Real Madrid fans silently prayed, some even crossing themselves in hopes of divine intervention.
Please don't go in! Manchester City fans were praying too, even more fervently than their opponents.
But it wasn't up to any higher power—it was up to Ronaldo.
He moved.
He began his run-up, gaining speed, took one last look at the wall, and boom—struck the ball.
In the penalty area, City's wall jumped to block the shot, while Real Madrid players rushed into the box, hoping to create chaos and look for a rebound opportunity.
City goalkeeper Keylor Navas had several Madrid players crowding in front of him, but his eyes were fixed on Ronaldo, standing 20 meters away.
As Ronaldo's shot flew toward goal, Navas immediately moved to his left, leaping toward the top left corner of the net.
The ball curled around the wall, climbing slightly before starting to dip. It was a beautiful strike—not only did it bypass the wall, but it also stayed on target, heading for a tricky spot. If the goalkeeper wasn't fully prepared, he'd have no chance of stopping it.
But Navas had anticipated this. He knew Ronaldo might try to curl the ball like Lin Quan had, so he had positioned himself accordingly.
However, Navas had a major limitation—his height.
At just 1.85 meters (6 feet 1 inch), Navas was considered short for a goalkeeper, especially compared to the many 1.90-meter giants in the game. Though his reflexes and positioning were world-class, his height made it harder for him to handle high balls.
Unfortunately for him, Ronaldo's shot was aimed high.
While Navas predicted where the ball would go, his short stature meant he couldn't catch it cleanly. All he could do was punch the ball away, giving Real Madrid a second chance to attack.
The ball fell to Casemiro's feet. Having already scored once, Casemiro wasted no time and shot again immediately.
But this time, his luck wasn't as good.
His shot struck a Manchester City defender. Before City's players could clear the ball, another foot poked it away—it was Modric!
Using his agility, Modric managed to find a gap and shoot, despite being rushed. His shot wasn't particularly powerful, but luck was on his side—it avoided everyone and rolled straight toward the goal.
It looked like City's goal was about to be breached again, but at the last moment, a figure slid across the ground, clearing the ball off the line with a crucial tackle—Fernandinho!
Originally a defensive midfielder, Fernandinho, now playing as a defender, saved the team with a heroic intervention, pulling City back from the brink of disaster.
City's fans exhaled deeply, their hearts racing. It had been far too close—Real Madrid's attack had been incredibly dangerous.
When Modric's second shot came in, most City fans thought it was over for them. But Fernandinho's intervention was nothing short of miraculous, saving City from certain doom.
And this time, the clearance didn't fall to another Madrid player.
City could finally breathe again.
Meanwhile, Madrid's fans held their heads in disbelief. They couldn't believe that such a perfect chance hadn't ended in a goal.
It had been a golden opportunity—had they scored, they could have popped the champagne. But it wasn't to be.
Real Madrid's players, unwilling to let the attack end there, immediately launched into a ferocious press, trying to win the ball back from City in the final third.
Their intense pressing had two aims: to create another scoring chance and to prevent City from launching a counterattack.
During their previous attack, most of Madrid's players had pushed forward, leaving their defense wide open. If City's wingers, with their blistering pace, got the ball and started a counterattack, Madrid would be in serious trouble.
And Madrid's worries weren't unfounded. That was exactly what City planned to do.
The moment a City player gained possession, both Mbappé and Sané began sprinting toward Madrid's half.
Because of the offside rule in the opponent's half, as long as their teammate passed the ball before they crossed the halfway line, they wouldn't be offside.
They didn't care whether their teammate could make the pass—they just ran. If the pass didn't come, that would be their teammate's fault. If they didn't run when the opportunity was there, that would be their own mistake.
Under heavy pressure from Madrid, Zabaleta had no choice but to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.
Before Navas could receive the pass, Benzema and Ronaldo were already charging at him with full force.
But alongside the Madrid attackers, a City player was also rushing toward the penalty area!
Navas saw who it was and immediately passed the ball to him.
It was Lin Quan!
Lin Quan, having dropped back to help, controlled the ball with a quick touch, smoothly turning past Casemiro and leaving him behind. Now he had the chance to make a forward pass.
His dilemma: should he pass to Sané or Mbappé?
He chose Mbappé!
Because, as Mbappé ran, he suddenly remembered—he was a striker!
He quickly adjusted his run, moving toward the center of the field. Now, running sideways, Mbappé could keep the ball in his peripheral vision and judge where Lin Quan's pass would land without slowing down.
Without hesitation, Lin Quan sent a long pass forward.
"Over to you, Speedy!"
As soon as Lin Quan made the pass, a Madrid player slid in and took him down. But at that moment, all eyes—players on the pitch and fans in the stands—were focused on the ball flying through the air and on Mbappé, who was sprinting at full speed.
Lin Quan's timing was perfect. The moment he made the pass, Mbappé had just crossed the halfway line. Had the pass come half a second later, Mbappé would have been offside.
Even if he had slowed down to stay onside, losing his speed would have made the counterattack much more difficult, especially with Madrid's defenders already catching up.
But now, the nearest Madrid player was several meters behind Mbappé, and the gap was only growing. Mbappé was through on goal!
Courtois, having been beaten by Mbappé earlier in the match, wasn't going to underestimate him again.
The moment Mbappé got the ball, Courtois rushed out of his goal. Realizing he couldn't reach the ball before Mbappé, he quickly retreated, positioning himself to defend against a chip shot.
Mbappé had no intention of attempting a lob. In fact, had he shot from near the halfway line, he might have scored.
But it was too late for that now. Courtois, already tall, had backed into his penalty area. A lob at this point would be nothing but a gift to him.
As Courtois braced for the challenge, Mbappé kept the ball under control and began to slow down. High-speed dribbling limited his ability to execute certain moves—his knees simply couldn't take the strain. He wasn't as robust as Lin Quan in that regard.
Seeing Mbappé slow down, Courtois lowered his body, ready to dive.
Mbappé glanced up at the goal, briefly pausing as if preparing to shoot.
His feint was convincing—so convincing that his right leg had already swung back, seemingly ready to strike the ball.
But just as the crowd and Courtois expected a shot, Mbappé suddenly shifted the ball to his left with a quick touch!
It was a fake shot!
With explosive speed and a deceptive move, Mbappé had pulled away from Courtois, leaving the goalkeeper behind.
Now, it was for real—Mbappé was about to score!
In the VIP box, Real Madrid's president jumped to his feet, his eyes locked on the pitch, his hands trembling slightly.
Whether it was out of awe at Mbappé's skill or anger at seeing his team's lead slip away, it was hard to tell.
Boom!
As Mbappé scored his second goal of the final, the entire stadium erupted like a volcano. The crowd was completely overwhelmed with excitement.
Manchester City fans screamed and jumped for joy, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.
Just a minute ago, they had been holding their breath, fearing for their defense. Now, in the blink of an eye, their team had equalized!
This 18-year-old kid—wow, the more they watched, the more they loved him!
Real Madrid fans, on the other hand, were stunned. How had it gone in?
Why was it so hard for Madrid to score, after so many shots and so much pressure? Yet City scored on a single counterattack?
It felt so unfair!
As the joy of Madrid's lead faded, their fans began to worry.
With the score tied, and after seeing what Mbappé was capable of, they now feared City's counterattacks more than ever.
If Real Madrid kept pushing forward like before, it would be suicidal.
City would punish them over and over again with devastating counterattacks!
But if Madrid didn't attack, what then?
Wait for extra time? A penalty shootout?
In that moment, Madrid's confidence was gone, replaced by deep concern and fear.
This Manchester City team was proving to be a nightmare.
On the sideline, Guardiola was so excited after Mbappé's goal that he ran over to celebrate, wanting to give the young star a big hug.
But Mbappé, already ten meters away, was busy sliding on his knees, completely oblivious to Guardiola's intentions.
Still, Guardiola didn't mind. He bent down and hugged Mbappé's upper body tightly.
"Kylian, well done! That was brilliant!"
He adored this kid. Signing him from Monaco had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made.
At just 18 years old, Mbappé was already performing at such a high level. Guardiola could hardly imagine how much he would grow by the time he reached 20.
With Mbappé in the team, City's attacking options were richer than ever. Guardiola could even start considering counterattacking tactics now—something he had always looked down upon before.
But now? He couldn't deny it: counterattacking was beautiful!
"Well, boss, it was Lin's pass that made it all happen. Even a dog could've scored that!" Mbappé humbly deflected the praise, crediting his teammate Lin Quan.
What a humble kid!
Hearing this, Guardiola's opinion of him rose even higher.
Talent alone wasn't enough—if you didn't have the emotional intelligence to get along with your teammates, it wouldn't matter how good you were. If no one passed you the ball, you'd be useless.
But Mbappé, with both high football IQ and emotional intelligence, was destined for greatness.
(End of chapter)
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