Chapter 563: Bernabeu, the Great War Begins
The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Champions League matchday. Semi-finals, Real Madrid vs Manchester United!
The 80,000-seat Bernabeu Stadium was packed up tonight! Real Madrid flags fluttered everywhere and the Bernabeu turned into a sea of white.
In this game, Dunphy and Fat Bob, the big-mouthed Dunphy of SKY TV, came to the Bernabeu Stadium to do live commentary.
The big-mouthed Dunphy said: "Manchester United's real test is finally here! This is the first of five of United's five most important games of the summer! Can Manchester United get away goals at the Bernabeu? Can the old lieutenant who has made a comeback perform brilliantly? We'll see! β
Fat Bob said: "We've got the starting line-up for this game! On Manchester United's side, the starting goalkeeper David De Gea, the four defenders Hummels, Bailly, Bellerin, Felipe. Pogba at the back two partnered Nemanja Matic. Marcus Rashford up front. On the front line are old lieutenants Liu, Lewandowski, and Qu. Ibrahimovic was on the bench for the game. β
The big-mouthed Dunphy said: "On the Real Madrid side, goalkeeper Navas; four defenders: Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; three midfielders: Luka Modric, Casemiro, Isco; On the front line is the BBC combination, Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema! This is the strongest lineup that Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane can come up with! Both sides are the strongest lineups, and I think this match must be like a battle between David and Goliath! β
Manchester United's dressing room.
Jose Mourinho made his final pre-match mobilization: "What are our goals? β
The Red Devils shouted in unison: "Quadruple champions! β
Mourinho's voice raised an octave: "Real Madrid is the hardest stumbling block on our way to the quadruple! Now, they're in the locker room next door! Go to the turf at the Bernabeu and beat them! Get rid of this difficult stumbling block! β
Captain Liu Yun led the Manchester United players into the tunnel of the players.
In the player's tunnel, Ronaldo asked Liu Yun in a friendly manner: "Hey, old guy, how is your right leg?" β
Ronaldo and Liu Yun have a good relationship. Luo always jokingly called Liu Yun "old guy".
Liu Yun easily joked with Ronaldo. He patted his right leg: "Mr. 7, be careful for a while I will pass you with a rainbow!" β
Ronaldo shrugged his shoulders: "Is the rainbow too good?" Don't, you're going to humiliate my teammates with rainbow passes. β
Ronaldo glanced at Bale behind him with bad intentions.
As the saying goes, a mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, unless one male and one female.
Ronaldo and Bale, the male tigers, have not been in the team for a day or two.
This season, Bale has been in great form, overshadowing Cristiano Ronaldo. The contradictions between the two sides have intensified. However, both superstars know that it is not good for either side to really tear their faces. Zidane saw through this, gave the two a step down, invited them to dinner several times, and mediated the conflict between them. These two benevolent brothers borrowed the slope to get off the donkey, ostensibly reconciled. In fact, it is a discord between the face and the heart.
Both sides entered. After shaking hands, exchanging team flags, taking a group photo, and picking edges, the game officially begins!
In the first 20 minutes of the game, Real Madrid and Manchester United were arguably in the middle of the pack. Both sides did not invest much in the offensive. Both teams have been exceptionally solid at the back.
The big-mouthed Dunphy commented: "It's all said that there is no good game in the knockout round. Real Madrid and Manchester United played conservatively in the first 20 minutes of the game. β
"That's what competitive sports are," Fat Bob said. Especially in the two-legged cup knockout rounds, the result is far more important than the process. β
The two were thinking that the game was a bit dull, and Real Madrid broke the dull situation!
Bale received a pass from Luka Modric on the wing, and he slotted forward to sprint!
Bellerin was just attached to Bell like a dogskin plaster.
Bellerin is one of only a handful of full-backs in Europe who can match Gareth Bale in terms of pace.
Seeing that there was no hope of forcibly overtaking, Bell suddenly made an emergency stop and cut inward!
Bellerin's speed just now was too fast, and he didn't brake the car for a while, and was passed by Bell!
Bale flicked a crotch-through ball past Pogba and into a 45-degree angle at the edge of the penalty area.
At this time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema had already run into the Manchester United penalty area.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays the ball to the middle of the box, is Bale's best bet.
However, Bale opted for a long-range shot!
Bale's long-range shot is excellent! The ball flies straight to the top right corner of the goal! De Gea jumped up but couldn't save the tricky shot.
βduangοΌβ Bale's shot hit the post and bounced into the box!
Benzema relied on his keen sense of smell in front of goal to grab the first point of supplemental shot!
It was a half-high ball that flew straight to the left of the United goal.
De Gea just jumped and fell on the right side of the goal, and he didn't have time to get up and pounce on the left side of the goal!
It's almost a must-score!
At the critical moment, the steady Hummels made a meritorious service! His positive running made a big difference for Manchester United! Hummels ghostly appeared on the left post of the goal, almost blocking the ball with his leg at the goal line!
The ball flew out of the box and Nemanja Matic cleared the ball and flew off the right touchline.
Throw-in!
At the moment when the referee awarded the throw-in, Benzema, Ronaldo, and Marcelo surrounded the referee and signaled that the ball had just gone into the goal line!
The referee shook his head firmly. He had just seen the ball blocked by Hummels just outside the goal line. The linesman also told the referee through a headset that it was indeed a save from outside the goal line.
The referee pressed his hand to the pocket on his chest. That means: if you pester me again, you're going to pull out the cards!
Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo are all big players. They knew in their hearts that if they pestered the referee, the referee would not change the decision to score for Real Madrid. This is just putting pressure on the referee to favour Real Madrid a little bit in the following decisions.
The shots of Bale and Benzema shocked Mourinho in the coach's box in a cold sweat.
The big-mouthed Dunphy commented: "Real Madrid's two shots just now were very threatening! Thankfully, the conscientious Hummels pulled United back from the precipice again! Manchester United's move to bring him in at the start of the season was undoubtedly a good deal! Now the Manchester United backline composed of Hummels, Bailly, Felipe and Bellerin has made a qualitative leap compared to last season! Last season's Manchester United were fierce in attack and full of holes at the back. This season, Manchester United's performance in both the forward line and the back line is amazing! This may be the reason why Manchester United have won so many games this season! β
Fat Bob said: "Bell is really good as a person! Whether it is speed, foot technique, or archery, it is top-notch. Just now he tried to get rid of Bellerin with speed, but he didn't succeed, and directly cut inside after a sharp stop! However, the ball just now, Bale's best option does not seem to be a long-range shot. If he had given the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo, it might have been different. β
The big-mouthed Dunphy said: "According to the grapevine of The Sun, at the end of this season, Real Madrid will send Cristiano Ronaldo to La Liga. At that point, Bale will be the real boss of Real Madrid's striker! β