Chapter 382 Two goals in 3 minutes, defeating Bayern!
"Heynckes is very bold and plays so proactively in an away game!"
At the end of the first half, the score was 0:0.
During the halftime break, commentators and guests from major TV stations were discussing the game.
"Bayern's tactics seem to be very successful. Their offense poses a big threat to Manchester City. As long as they score a goal, Manchester City will be in a very passive situation!"
"Yes, away goals are so crucial. I think it is probably because of this that Manchester City did not dare to attack with all their strength in the first half, for fear of being scored by the opponent, right?"
Guests and commentators believed that Manchester City was worried about losing away goals to Bayern, so they did not invest heavily in offense.
Otherwise, with Manchester City's attacking power, the score should not be 0:0.
This guess is correct or not. Manchester City really does not want to give away goals to their opponents, but they did not attack in the first half.
The real strength of Bayern under Heynckes is that they not only have strong offensive capabilities, but also have top-notch defensive abilities.
Bayern's layers of interceptions, retreats and full-court press made it difficult for Manchester City's offense to threaten.
If adjustments are not made in the second half, it will be difficult for Manchester City's offense to improve.
In this kind of game between top teams, scoring goals is very difficult.
When both sides are defensive, it is difficult to score as exaggerated as a normal game.
A score like Bayern's 8:1 massacre of Porto is absolutely impossible to happen to Manchester City.
Correspondingly, Manchester City often achieves a six or seven goal difference in the league, and it is impossible for Bayern to happen.
With the defensive quality of the two teams in the first half, it is not easy to score 2 goals in the second half!
During the halftime break, Guardiola made some tactical adjustments in response to the team's problems in the first half.
He moved Kroos' position slightly back so that he would be less threatened by the opponent's pressing.
In addition, Guardiola also made adjustments to Lin Quan's position.
"Lin, you appear in this position more often in the second half!"
Guardiola pointed at the tactical board and then explained:
"The opponent's defensive strength is good, but Xabi Alonso has a yellow card on his back, and he is older, so his physical fitness will be a big problem!"
Bayern's overall physical fitness is better than Manchester City, which is the main reason why they were able to suppress Manchester City in the first half.
If we analyze the running distance of the players from both teams in the first half, then the total running distance of Bayern's 11 players may be about 10-15 kilometers more than that of Manchester City's 11 players.
On average, each person ran almost one thousand meters more!
In other words, they used 11 people to achieve the effect of 12 people, which is equivalent to adding one more person on the court out of thin air.
Manchester City definitely can't afford Bayern's running style.
Therefore, it is normal for the situation to be at a disadvantage, but not everyone in Bayern's lineup can run so well.
Not like their midfielder Xavi Alonso!
Xavi Alonso is 34 years old this year. For such a veteran, in such a high-intensity game, it is definitely impossible to expect him to play the entire game in full condition.
Therefore, Guardiola speculates that Heynckes is likely to replace him in the second half, and what Manchester City has to do is to seize the time before the opponent's substitution and seize Xavi Alonso's point to beat him to death!
Speaking of which, Guardiola would also like to thank Hoeness. If he hadn't insisted on selling Kroos, Bayern's current main midfielder would definitely be Kroos.
Although Kroos's defensive ability is not as strong as Xabi Alonso, he is younger and definitely much better than the latter in terms of physical fitness and running ability.
But under Hoeness's short-sightedness, Kroos was sold to Manchester City, which not only weakened Bayern, but also greatly strengthened Manchester City.
Under the circumstances, Manchester City has a chance of defeating its opponents.
The intermission ended quickly and the game resumed.
Manchester City clearly strengthened their offense in the second half, especially Lin Quan, who became more active than in the first half.
Bayern pays special attention to Lin Quan's threat, and he is always followed by at least two players.
However, unlike the first half, Lin Quan's active area in the second half was the area where Bayern's back line and midfielder line connected.
This makes Bayern feel very embarrassed when defending. If they only send the midfielder to defend, they may not be able to stop him one-on-one.
However, if the defender and the defensive midfielder are sent to intercept at the same time, the defensive layering will be lost. If the opponent completes the breakthrough, it is very likely to get a single opportunity.
This dilemma made Bayern's players very confused and didn't know what to do.
The defense was threatened, which quickly affected Bayern's frontcourt offense.
Because they were restrained by Lin Quan, Bayern's full-backs did not dare to press too far forward like before when attacking.
If they charge forward but are counterattacked by their opponents, the road they are guarding will be empty.
But if the full-backs don't step up, then the threat will be greatly reduced by relying solely on the wingers to attack the opponent's defense.
After Bayern's offensive threat decreased, Manchester City's defensive pressure was greatly reduced. They began to free up their hands and invest more troops in launching a counterattack.
In the 55th minute, after Lin Quan passed Xabi Alonso, he and De Bruyne hit the wall and rushed into the penalty area to complete a shot before the defensive player intercepted it.
Neuer was very focused and saved the ball with one hand.
This shot poses a great threat. If Neuer hadn't played bravely, Bayern's goal might have been lost.
Lin Quan's shot scared the Bayern fans into a cold sweat, and they couldn't help but recall the fear of being dominated by Lin Quan.
This guy, when facing Bayern, maintained a record of scoring goals in every game. He is the person Bayern fears the most, no one!
Although Heynckes was a little worried, he still did not order the players to retreat on all fronts.
Facing a team with strong offensive capabilities like Manchester City, if you just defend passively, your opponent will score a goal sooner or later.
Only by continuously putting pressure on your opponent can you win the game.
Now it depends on who of the two sides can score first!
Bayern can accept an away defeat, but Manchester City absolutely cannot accept a home defeat. Therefore, Guardiola should be the one who can't calm down!
Bayern's counterattack came quickly.
In the 67th minute, Franck Ribery broke through with the ball, and Bayern's left back Alaba stepped in resolutely.
After being intercepted by Zabaleta, Ribery half-turned and passed back to Alaba. Alaba did not dribble the ball down the bottom, but quickly passed it back to Ribery.
With the help of Alaba's cover, Ribery got rid of Zabaleta's blockage. He used his strong explosive power to lead Zabaleta by half a position. After receiving Alaba's pass, he quickly cut inside to the center.
Lewandowski had already reached for the ball in the penalty area, but Ribery did not pass it to him, but to his old buddy Robben.
Robben didn't pass the ball again this time, he staged his trademark cut-in shot.
The whole world knew what Robben was going to do, but no one could guard him.
Kolarov had no way to stop the opponent from hitting the goal, so he could only use his body to interfere.
After Robben completed the shot, his eyes were fixed on the Manchester City goal. He felt that the shot was of high quality and was likely to go in.
However, when he saw the extremely stretched figure in front of Manchester City's goal, he couldn't help but wave his fist unluckily.
Damn it, why is it him again?
Navas blocks Robben's shot!
This save was very beautiful, and Navas showed his identity as the best goalkeeper in La Liga.
When facing the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga, Navas used an even better performance to gain the upper hand.
"The opponent's goalkeeper is too abominable. He blocked two of our goals!"
Bayern fans were furious after seeing Navas save Robben's shot.
Originally, Bayern didn't have many chances to score, but Navas performed so well, saving their must-goal goals again and again.
The goal they were looking forward to has yet to arrive!
"But it doesn't matter. Judging from the scene, we are not at a disadvantage. Manchester City can't prevent our attack. Maybe they will score next time!"
Bayern fans' guess was accurate, and the deadlock on the court was quickly broken.
However, it was not Bayern that scored the goal, but Manchester City.
In the 69th minute, Kanter completed the steal of Muller and Manchester City quickly launched a counterattack.
The ball quickly came to Lin Quan's feet. After receiving the ball, he passed Xabi Alonso's interception, and then passed Boateng, who was dragging behind the defender. He went to the meeting alone and challenged Bayern goalkeeper Neuer.
Neuer recalled the experience of playing against Lin Quan. It was not a matter of him attacking from this distance, or not attacking. As a result, as soon as he hesitated, Lin Quan shot.
Although Neuer made the save immediately, his speed was still half a beat, and the football almost flew into Bayern's goal past his fingertips!
The score became 1:0, and Manchester City, playing at home, finally took the lead!
The moment Lin Quan scored, the Etihad Stadium suddenly erupted into cheers like a tsunami.
Manchester City fans, who had been suppressing for more than an hour, could finally vent their emotions.
"Well done!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola was as excited as a child. He slid onto the track regardless of his image and didn't care at all about the brand new suit he wore today.
Guardiola has every reason to be so excited!
The goal at this time is really crucial!
The game is about to reach the 70th minute, and Manchester City, which has been fighting continuously, will soon encounter a physical bottleneck.
When the physical fitness of the players is seriously declining, such a goal is like a shot in the arm, which can greatly stimulate the morale of the players and give them a surge of adrenaline, which can overcome the physical fitness of the players during this period. bottleneck.
Moreover, scoring first means having an advantage in momentum.
Bayern's morale will inevitably be dampened by this. Then Manchester City can even get up to speed and continue to launch a fierce attack, and may have a chance to expand the score!
Facing a top team like Bayern, a one-goal lead is not safe.
Not to mention how crazy Bayern's offense will be at the Allianz Arena, let's just talk about this game.
In the remaining 20 minutes, with Bayern's terrifying offensive capabilities, they had every chance to equalize the score.
Once they are equalized by Bayern, Manchester City's hope of promotion will be very slim.
Heynckes couldn't sit still anymore. He stood up, called Martinez from the bench, and asked him to warm up and prepare to play.
Although he only lost one goal, he saw his team's defensive problems.
Since Xabi Alonso received a yellow card, he has not dared to take action when defending.
Coupled with the decline in physical fitness, he became a loophole in Bayern's defense at this time.
If he is not replaced as soon as possible, Manchester City on the opposite side may still seize this point to make a fuss.
The reason why he was not replaced before was because Xabi Alonso is Bayern's midfield commander and is very important to the team's offense.
Martinez is a defensive midfielder whose organizational ability is much worse than him. Replacing Martinez will weaken Bayern's offensive ability.
But we can't delay it any longer now. The position of the defensive midfielder is too important. If we don't adjust, we may lose the ball later.
Heynckes’ intuition is spot on!
In the 72nd minute, Martinez completed his warm-up and was waiting on the sidelines for a dead ball opportunity to be replaced.
The situation on the field suddenly changed and Manchester City scored their second goal!
It was Lin Quan who scored the goal, and this goal was almost exactly the same as the first goal.
There was still a problem in the middle, and he failed to successfully intercept the ball in the first place, giving Lin Quan a chance to start. Then he passed five levels and killed six generals, breaking through to the end and winning another victory.
If it is said that when Manchester City scored the first goal, Bayern was only in a small disadvantage and could barely accept it.
Then Bayern couldn't accept Lin Quan's second goal!
If they cannot score in the next 10 minutes, then even if they return to their home court in the next round and face a top team like Manchester City, they will not be confident that they can score two goals.
And if there is no away goal in this game, as long as the opponent scores one goal in the next game, they will be sentenced to death.
Therefore, after Lin Quan scored his second goal, the situation suddenly became very unfavorable to Bayern.
Heynckes smells death!
"After playing, keep an eye on Lin Quan and don't give him any chance!"
Heynckes' face was ashen and he only gave one order to Martinez.
This score is already very unfavorable and we cannot allow the opponent to score any more goals.
And only after Lin Quan is killed and the problem of the defense is solved, Bayern can devote more troops to attack.
After Martinez came on the field, Bayern's midfield was indeed much more stable.
After the defense was solid, Bayern used the last minute of the game to launch the craziest attack against Manchester City.
As soon as Guardiola saw that the opponent was desperate, he immediately began to make substitutions.
He replaced Cross, De Bruyne and Aguero in the 82nd, 85th and 88th minutes.
All the players replaced are defensive players!
These three substitutions are not only to strengthen the defense, but also to delay time, allowing the Manchester City players who are almost exhausted on the field to have time to breathe.
The players who were substituted obviously knew Guardiola's purpose very well, so they dilly-dallyed when they came off the field, delaying as much time as possible.
Bayern's players protested to the referee, who pointed to his watch and indicated that he would extend the injury time as appropriate.
He did what he said, and after the regular time, the referee gave 7 minutes of injury time.
This caused strong dissatisfaction among the Manchester City fans at the scene, and boos filled the entire stadium.
However, even with such a long injury time, Bayern still could not break through Manchester City's defense.
In the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, the final score of Manchester City VS Bayern was fixed at 2:0!
