Perhaps, it is an indisputable fact that the 36-year-old Zhang Shujie's skills, speed, start-up power and explosiveness are not as good as at his peak, but there is one thing that should not be ignored by everyone, that is, his ability to break goals is still there. It's just that his age makes his physical strength unable to fully support the whole season, otherwise his current goal count would have exceeded the 40 mark.

AC Milan, who have a goal in hand, also has more confidence, while Barcelona has started a more frantic counterattack. Although it may seem like it's early, AC Milan have been doing a good job defensively and, more importantly, they have a hanging Donnarumma, and if Barcelona don't press up for the attack, it's hard to say.

AC Milan still put up a defensive formation, and even Zhang Shujie retreated to the vicinity of the penalty area to participate in the defense, which looks like Milan is a bit like a bus defensive style.

This style of play is contrary to the aesthetics of football, but Inzaghi doesn't care about it, anyway, now that the score is ahead, find a way to keep the score first, and then see if there is a chance to fight back. If Milan hadn't scored that goal, their defensive formation would certainly not have tightened so tightly.

This is football, whether the scene is good or not is only secondary, the key is to see if you can win. That's why strikers are always the brightest stars on the football pitch, because often the team wins or loses under their feet.

In the 70th minute, Inzaghi decided to make a substitution, he replaced Chen Zihua and Xu Ziyi at the same time, and removed Locatelli and Kessie. When the two came out, they were applauded by AC Milan fans and neutral fans, as well as some Barcelona fans.

"Now that Chen Zihua and Xu Ziyi are on the pitch, we can clearly hear the applause from the fans in attendance, and this will be the last time the two will represent AC Milan. At present, Milan is leading Barcelona 1:0, and the appearance of the twins can not only strengthen the defense of the midfield and backfield to a certain extent, but also provide Zhang Shujie with a fatal pass when counterattacking. ”

Inzaghi wasn't worried about the age of the duo, after all, he didn't let the duo play the full game, and with the remaining twenty minutes, the duo had enough fitness to keep them in top shape.

The duo are now on the pitch with the aim of supporting the team in defence. As for attacking, don't think about it for a while when you don't get a chance to counter-attack. As an all-around midfielder, they can definitely do this.

AC Milan's iron bucket formation has had a good effect, and no matter what method Barcelona use, they have never been able to score. Over time, their players were a little anxious, and when they couldn't get the ball, they took fouls to grab the ball. Between the 75th and 80th minutes, they received a total of three yellow cards, all of which were for fouls after possession was stolen.

'Barcelona are starting to get anxious, they have received three yellow cards in just five minutes, and if it weren't for the referee's mercy, they might have one less person now. ”

In the eighty-sixth minute of the game, AC Milan counterattacked again, first Xu Ziyi broke the ball from the feet of Dembele in the backfield, and then passed the ball to Chen Zihua, Chen Zihua wanted to give Zhang Shujie the first kick, but was blocked by the opponent's defender, but he got the second drop point, and then he distributed the ball to the right side, and Mbappe stopped the ball.

As with the previous goal, Mbappe continued to run wildly on the flank, and Barcelona was clearly a little jealous, and the two men stepped forward to attack. Mbappe knocked the ball to Zhang Shujie when they were not fully encircled, and ran towards the front court, and Zhang Shujie passed the ball diagonally back and passed it back to Mbappe.

Mbappe stopped the ball outside the box, took a small step into the box, pushed a right-footed shot into the far corner of the goal, and the ball jumped on the turf towards the goal and jumped over the goal line.

2:0! AC Milan leads Barcelona by two goals!

All AC Milan fans were thrilled, and now the clock was in the 86th minute, but Milan had already scored two goals and victory was getting closer and closer to them. Although Barcelona are strong, if they can score two goals in the remaining minutes, don't say if anyone else can do it, ask them if they believe it or not.

"Mbappe's goal was very deadly, he completely deprived Barcelona of the opportunity to turn defeat into victory. You must know that there are only seven or eight minutes left at most when you count injury time, and unless a miracle happens, Barcelona will not be able to reach the winner's podium after the game. ”

Shortly after Milan's goal, Inzaghi was replaced by Vázquez, and the short-term veteran finally made his debut in his final Champions League game, albeit a little later.

Barcelona, who are two goals behind, are also a little discouraged, and they have nothing to do with AC Milan's iron bucket formation. In stoppage time, Dembele was also sent off for a red card for kicking Yan Tao, and his actions almost caused AC Milan players to besiege him. Zhang Shujie, Chen Zihua, Xu Ziyi, Romagnoli and other players surrounded him, if it weren't for the referee and Barcelona players to come to clear the siege, Dembele may not be so easy to walk out of the field.

When Xu Ziyi kicked the ball out of bounds, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game without waiting for Barcelona to throw the throw-in, and AC Milan beat Barcelona 2-0 to win the Champions League in the 2025/2026 season.

This should have been a moment full of joy, but in the Milan team, it revealed a touch of sadness, and the departure of many veterans also marked the end of AC Milan's former dynasty time. Before this, there were already veterans such as Bonucci who left, and now, it is the turn of Chen Zihua and Xu Ziyi.

Above the stands, many fans pulled out a banner with their portraits and their names written on them, hoping that they would not leave. However, they still have to go. Seeing that the fans could be so reluctant to them, several people also had tears in the corners of their eyes. It didn't seem like a Champions League final, it felt like a farewell match.

Xu Ziyi walked up to Chen Zihua and asked, "How do you feel?"

Chen Zihua said: "It's complicated. I didn't expect to be able to say goodbye to the fans in such a final, and although I was reluctant to leave them, I decided that it was time for me to leave. ”

Xu Ziyi smiled and did not speak. It's just that in this smile, there is a hint of bitterness.

He knows he'll be away from the mainstream league from next season and he knows it's the last Champions League he can win. This is the best gift the team can give them.

He took a deep breath, looked at the stands and waved his hands at the adorable Milan fans. It's a greeting and a farewell.

(End of chapter)