Chapter 617
Lin Feng leads the team to victory, Ronaldo sheds tears
As the match entered its final stages, Real Madrid continued to attack, and as Manchester United players became increasingly anxious and committed more players to the attack, Real Madrid's attacking opportunities actually increased.
In the 77th minute, Lin Feng moved to the left wing and played a combination play with Marcelo, who then dribbled down the wing.
Inside the penalty area, Benzema and others were already in position to make runs, but Marcelo did not pass the ball into the penalty area. Instead, he passed it back in a triangular pass to the edge of the penalty area.
Lin Feng, who charged in from the left flank, arrived on horseback and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot, which Van der Sar brilliantly tipped over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, it was Marcelo again on the left wing. This time he passed the ball into the penalty area, but Benzema lost the aerial duel with Ferdinand and the ball was cleared by Manchester United.
If Manchester United threatened Real Madrid in the first half by using Ronaldo's right flank, then in the second half, Real Madrid almost simply copied the same strategy.
Lin Feng keenly observed that Ronaldo's eagerness to score made it difficult for him to get back to defense in time after attacking, so he began to focus on targeting the side where Ronaldo was located.
Cristiano Ronaldo's playing style is quite different from that of the former Manchester United director, or what might be called the "old man's style." Although he is Manchester United's star player, he still has to shoulder a significant defensive responsibility.
This can be seen from his position on the field; Ronaldo plays as a right midfielder, not a right winger.
However, as Ronaldo's stamina declined, he had to choose between offense and defense, making it difficult for him to balance both as he did in the first half.
Clearly, Manchester United needs goals more right now, so Ronaldo is focusing his main energy on attacking.
However, this exposed Manchester United's weakness of being outnumbered on the right flank, which Real Madrid seized upon and exploited.
Faced with this situation, the on-site director focused the camera on Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, seemingly hoping he could come up with a solution.
But unexpectedly, Ferguson's hands were seen trembling slightly, which made many people sigh with regret.
[Alas, even the lord is getting old!]
Yes, the old man is 68 this year; he won't be able to take care of things for many more years.
Failing to win this tournament will likely be a lifelong regret for Sir Alex Ferguson!
[There's nothing we can do. It's not that the Red Devils players weren't trying hard enough, it's just that the opposing team was too dominant!]
[It's not Real Madrid that's abnormal, it's Lin Feng. If he hadn't played, Manchester United would have won this game!]
Even Lin Feng's fans felt that Manchester United was indeed unlucky, having encountered Lin Feng, their nemesis, in the Champions League for three consecutive years and suffering defeats three times in a row.
Some Manchester United fans even felt that their chances of winning might have been better if their opponent in the final had been Barcelona.
Trailing by two goals and under pressure from the opponent, with time ticking away, Manchester United has entered a death countdown.
But Ronaldo is still unwilling to give up, and he continues to try to create scoring opportunities.
In the 82nd minute, Berbatov finally got to work, leaving the penalty area and moving to the wing. After receiving a pass from his teammate, he swept the ball into the penalty area from the right side.
Cristiano Ronaldo stepped out from the crowd and unleashed a shot from just 7 meters out at the near post.
As soon as Ronaldo took the shot, Manchester United fans jumped to their feet, craning their necks to look into the penalty area. Some even had their arms half-raised, as if preparing to celebrate.
However, it seems that even Lady Luck is on Real Madrid's side.
Cristiano Ronaldo's shot was deflected by another Manchester United player, Carlos Tevez, who was also making a run into the box, and was then collected by Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
An uproar erupted as the four Manchester United players who had rushed into the penalty area clutched their heads in shock.
Cristiano Ronaldo was trembling with anger, his eyes glaring at Tevez as if he wanted to kill him.
If Tevez hadn't intervened, Ronaldo's shot would most likely have been a goal.
There were 8 minutes left in the game, and including injury time, there were about ten minutes left.
If this ball goes in, Manchester United, who are only one goal behind, will have a real chance to equalize in the remaining ten minutes or so, or even take the lead and win the game!
But all hope vanished as Tevez's actions backfired.
[Holy crap, that ball didn't go in!?]
[Damn it, why is Tevez here?]
Is this idiot a mole on the other side?
[That was truly idiotic; his block completely extinguished Manchester United's last hope!]
[A petition with thousands of signatures demands that Tevez be kicked out of Manchester United!]
Manchester United fans were furious and wished they could expel Tevez from the team on the spot.
Compared to the fans who were harshly criticizing Tevez, the commentators actually spoke up for him:
"It's a pity about Ronaldo's goal; Tevez's mistake was too big!"
"It can't be entirely his fault. He was also eager to score. If he hadn't been so desperate and had been just a little slower, he wouldn't have had a chance to block Ronaldo's shot."
Tevez, who had made a mistake, covered his face and knelt on the grass, not daring to look up at his teammates.
Clearly, he knew the enormous mistake he had made.
Cristiano Ronaldo, having missed a golden opportunity, gradually lost his composure. In the 84th minute, in his eagerness to win the ball, Ronaldo collided with Ramos near the corner flag and was shown a yellow card by the referee.
Two minutes later, Tevez, trying to redeem himself, made a dangerous tackle on Mascherano and also received a yellow card.
During this period, Manchester United went all out, with everyone pushing into the opponent's half and pressing Real Madrid relentlessly.
If it were Real Madrid in the first half, they might have been overwhelmed by such pressing from their opponents.
However, Real Madrid were much more relaxed after Lin Feng came on.
Lin Feng used his abundant stamina to constantly make runs, receive passes, and position himself in midfield. Whenever the opponent was about to double-team the Real Madrid player with the ball, Lin Feng would always appear near his teammate, giving him a safe passing lane.
Manchester United substituted too many defensive players, leaving only Carrick to mark Lin Feng on the field.
But Carrick had been playing for over eighty minutes, and his stamina had dropped drastically, making it impossible for him to keep up with Lin Feng's speed.
Although Tevez and even Ronaldo sometimes participated in pressing Lin Feng, Lin Feng's range of movement was too large, as if he was deliberately leading them to unfamiliar positions.
The two players cannot run around aimlessly, because if they lose their positions, they will easily expose gaps that Real Madrid can exploit for a counterattack.
Unable to contain Lin Feng, Manchester United's relentless pressing not only failed to achieve its intended effect but also wasted their precious energy.
In the 88th minute, seeing that the opponent's formation was pushed very far forward, Thiago Silva, who received a pass back from Lin Feng, attempted a long pass towards the striker position.
The pass was incredibly long, soaring over everyone's heads and flying almost directly towards the opponent's goal.
Benzema exerted every ounce of his strength, desperately striding towards the opponent's goal.
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who was already near the center circle, was taken aback when he saw the ball fly over his head and quickly turned and sprinted toward his own goal.
The two broke away from the others and began a life-or-death race.
Van der Sar was closer to where the ball would land, but because he had to turn, his initial speed was slightly slower than Benzema's. Benzema, although farther away, accelerated faster, and his speed was now close to full speed.
"Charge, Benzema!"
"Go Van der Sar!"
Fans from both teams were shouting and cheering loudly for their players, hoping to help them run faster.
As the distance between the two players narrowed, it seemed that Benzema could overtake his opponent if given a little more time.
However, the space on the field was limited, and Van der Sar had less stamina than him. After picking up speed, Van der Sar was still one step ahead and cleared the ball out of bounds with a sliding tackle.
Benzema, unable to stop in time, was also tripped by the other driver and fell heavily onto the grass.
The stadium erupted in enthusiastic applause. Manchester United fans cheered for Van der Sar's excellent clearance, while Real Madrid fans applauded Benzema's fighting spirit.
Since Benzema's transfer to Real Madrid, he has not been well received by Real Madrid fans due to his poor performance on the field.
But today, just for his never-give-up spirit on the field, Real Madrid fans have already accepted him.
"Is this guy hurt?"
After falling to the ground, Benzema did not get up for a long time.
The Real Madrid coaching staff on the sidelines couldn't help but worry.
Perhaps knowing they couldn't equalize, or perhaps resigned to their fate, the Manchester United players did not protest to the referee that Benzema was wasting time by lying on the grass.
"How are you? Where are you hurt?"
Although Lin Feng was not the player closest to Benzema, he was the first to arrive at the scene.
There's no other reason than one word: speed!
Because he was prepared before the fall, Benzema wasn't seriously injured.
"I'm not injured, but I think I have a cramp. Could you help me massage it?"
Benzema was grimacing, his face showing obvious pain.
The feeling of being completely exhausted after a rapid sprint, followed by leg cramps, is truly excruciating; it feels even more painful than an injury.
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng waved and called over Robben, who was watching the show from the sidelines.
Robben didn't want to come, but seeing that it was Lin Feng greeting him, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and come over.
The two men each grabbed one of Benzema's feet, lifted his legs, and placed his heels against their thighs to help him press down on his legs.
The referee came over, glanced at the scene, and waved to the sidelines, signaling for a stretcher to be brought in to carry the person.
The competition isn't over yet, we can't let the whole world watch you doing leg stretches, can we?
Benzema was carried off the field, forcing Real Madrid to play with 10 men for the time being.
However, since they are missing a striker, it won't have a significant impact on Real Madrid.
At this point, the 90 minutes of regular time had ended, and the fourth official raised the sign indicating that there would be 7 minutes of stoppage time for the match.
Seven minutes is a long time in stoppage time, and he obviously included the time Benzema lost while lying on the grass earlier.
But for Manchester United, the idea of equalizing within seven minutes is nothing short of a pipe dream.
In the 6th minute of stoppage time, Ronaldo made a desperate breakthrough from the wing, cut inside to the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a long-range shot, but the ball went over the crossbar.
This was Ronaldo's final shot and Manchester United's last attack of the match.
A few dozen seconds later, the referee blew the whistle to end the match.
Real Madrid held on to their 3-1 lead until the final whistle, lifting the Champions League trophy once again.
This is Real Madrid's eleventh Champions League title, and the only team to successfully defend their Champions League title since the competition's format change.
When the whistle blew, Cristiano Ronaldo cried his heart out.
They fell to the same team and the same player for two consecutive seasons.
He is so unwilling!
He just wanted to help the team win a championship, why is that so difficult?
Why would a monster like Lin Feng appear?
Why does this guy have to go to Real Madrid to go against me?
Although Cristiano Ronaldo has never read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he felt the same indignation as Zhou Yu at that moment: "Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?"
"It's alright, child, it's alright!"
Ferguson rubbed his red nose, walked onto the pitch, and hugged Ronaldo tightly, gently comforting him from behind.
Like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Alex Ferguson is also very disappointed and saddened at this moment.
Having weathered countless storms and seen countless trials throughout his life, he was not defeated by this little setback.
He's experienced moments far more desperate than this before.
It's a pity he's no longer young. If he had another twenty years, he would definitely have figured out a way to counter Mourinho and La Liga teams, leading Manchester United back to its peak, just like when they defeated the invincible Bayern Munich!
But now he doesn't have time. The old man, who had originally planned to retire after winning the championship, has had to change his plans.
This summer, his team will likely lose their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, which will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the team.
If he, the leader, also retires, then Manchester United will likely never recover.
Therefore, he cannot rest yet. He must persevere for a few more years until he can straighten out the team roster and find a suitable successor before he can hand over the team with peace of mind.
But before that, a very troublesome problem lay before him:
If Ronaldo leaves, where should Manchester United find someone to fill his void?
……
On the other side of the pitch, the moment the whistle blew, the Real Madrid players went into a frenzy of celebration.
The substitutes and coaches on the bench rushed onto the field like madmen and embraced the players on the field.
Lin Feng, a key contributor to the championship victory, was caught by his teammates and tossed high into the air, again and again.
Although it wasn't their first title win, this victory was one that every Real Madrid player will never forget.
Just yesterday, they were extremely pessimistic about the game, thinking they were doomed to lose.
However, just one day later, when Lin Feng returned to the team like a king returning in triumph, all the team members were no longer uneasy.
Even though they were heavily pressured in the first half and even though they were down by one goal, they never panicked.
Because they knew that the man must have a way to lead them to victory!
"The Champions League and La Liga seasons have come to an end, but for Chinese fans, the real highlight is yet to come. Let's look forward to Lin Feng and the other national team players' performance in the World Cup qualifiers. See you on June 8th!" (End of Chapter)