Chapter 608: Barcelona Suffers a Stunning Comeback, Real Madrid Narrowly Escapes
Unlike the last match, this time Liverpool, playing away, didn't have the same momentum they had before. On the other hand, Manchester City, playing at home, scored a lightning-fast goal. With the cheers of tens of thousands of home fans, City launched a suffocating wave of attacks, putting Liverpool's defense under immense pressure.
Liverpool had to resort to tactical fouls to stop City. In just over ten minutes, they had picked up three yellow cards. Their rough and aggressive play fired up City as well, with some of the City players also receiving yellow cards due to either retaliatory fouls or simply losing control of their actions.
In the 14th minute, Liverpool's forward Sadio Mané even got into a scuffle with City's goalkeeper Ederson. The two nearly came to blows, and the referee, showing no leniency, gave both players a yellow card to cool them down.
"Ederson has quite the temper," Guardiola frowned as he spoke to Arteta.
Arteta nodded, "He's young and hot-headed, it's inevitable."
Manchester City is a team that typically plays with a technical style, quite different from more aggressive, physically-driven teams. Arteta didn't completely dismiss other styles though, thinking there could be value in adopting a bit of fire and aggression, especially if they maintained their technical advantage.
For example, if this City team could combine their technical superiority with a bit more aggression, their fighting spirit would surely increase, making them even stronger.
Arteta didn't say this explicitly, but Guardiola understood what he meant. In the past, Manchester United had players like Cantona and Keane—tough leaders with bad tempers, who frequently committed rough fouls. These players often provoked their opponents and even got into fights, but they also greatly inspired their teammates. Their fierce presence made United a more aggressive and resilient team.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United had a famous slogan: "No comeback, no Red Devils." United was known for frequently pulling off incredible comebacks. Even when they were down, they fought back with relentless spirit and determination, often overturning deficits to win games.
Compared to that historic United team, today's Manchester United seemed far weaker.
Neither side scored for the rest of the first half. In the second half, after about 15 minutes, Guardiola, sensing that the game was firmly in hand, began sending substitutes to warm up, preparing to swap out some of his key players around the 65th minute. After eliminating Liverpool, City still had even tougher opponents waiting for them, so it was essential to preserve the main players, avoiding injuries and saving their energy to go further in the Champions League.
But before Guardiola could make his substitutions, Liverpool scored.
The goal came from a counterattack starting in Liverpool's defensive half. After a cross from the wing, Salah made a quick pass to Mané, who carried the ball into the box. Despite pressure from the defender, Mané powered through and got off a shot. Ederson had already rushed out and made a save, but he couldn't push the ball far enough away. Salah, following up, took control of the loose ball, adjusted, and scored with his second shot. Ederson had no chance this time, and could only watch as the ball sailed into the net.
After scoring, Salah wasted no time celebrating. He immediately rushed into City's goal, grabbed the ball from the net, and signaled for his teammates to hurry back. Clearly, Liverpool hadn't given up hope; they were still trying to equalize.
With that goal, the aggregate score was now reduced to just a one-goal difference. However, Liverpool was at a disadvantage due to City's multiple away goals. To win, they would need to score two more goals.
At this point, the match was already in the 60th minute, leaving only half an hour of game time. Scoring two more goals at City's home ground would be no easy task.
But Salah, riding a hot streak, was filled with confidence after his goal. He firmly believed he could lead his team to a comeback.
"Salah again! It's always Salah! He has a way of stepping up when the team needs him most, saving them from disaster!"
"Liverpool hasn't given up yet; they still have a chance!"
In the stands, Liverpool fans were ecstatic. Many of them had been filled with despair after Lin Quan's earlier goal, but now Salah had rekindled their hope.
"Salah is incredible! What a great signing!"
"I suggest the club give him a pay raise immediately! We can't afford to lose a player this good to another team like we did before!"
Last season, Coutinho had also performed outstandingly for Liverpool, but Barcelona had poached him with a massive transfer fee. Although Liverpool received a significant amount of money in compensation, they lost a key player. Many fans felt that the trade wasn't worth it.
Of course, years later, when Coutinho's form had declined and his value dropped, they might have thought differently. But for now, the loss of Coutinho reminded Liverpool fans that they needed to keep hold of Salah to maintain stability in their squad, especially if they wanted to complete their revival under Klopp.
After all, it had been nearly 30 years since Liverpool last won a league title.
Although Liverpool's goal had surprised Guardiola a bit, he wasn't too concerned. He proceeded with his substitutions in the 65th minute, bringing on Bernardo Silva to replace David Silva, and Gundogan to replace Fernandinho.
These were straight swaps, and City's formation remained unchanged. With fresh legs on the pitch, especially Bernardo Silva, City's attack became even more lively.
In the 67th minute, Bernardo quickly got involved in the attack. After Lin Quan passed the ball through the middle, it was sent out wide. Sané took the ball, cut inside, and shot from a tight angle. However, Liverpool's goalkeeper Karius, well-positioned, made an easy save.
After collecting the ball, Karius immediately looked up, hoping to launch a counterattack by passing it to his teammate. However, in his eagerness, he failed to notice the Manchester City player nearby.
As Karius threw the ball out, it was intercepted mid-air by none other than City's No. 10, Lin Quan, standing right on the edge of the penalty area!
Intercepting the ball left Lin Quan with a clear path to the goal. After taking a couple of steps forward, it became an open goal, as Karius had been left behind.
Initially, Lin Quan hadn't been sure that Karius would make such a mistake, but when he noticed that Karius hadn't spotted him, he slowed down, anticipating the goalkeeper's error. After all, Karius's infamous blunder in the Champions League final had left a lasting impression, giving Lin Quan a sliver of hope that the keeper might mess up again.
Karius did not disappoint. Failing to notice Lin Quan nearby, the keeper effectively gifted him the ball. Lin Quan couldn't believe his luck but wasn't about to refuse the generous offer.
Facing an open goal, Lin Quan calmly tapped the ball in, making it 2-1. Manchester City had retaken the lead, with the aggregate score now at 5-3, restoring City's two-goal advantage.
Karius's error had a devastating effect on Liverpool's morale. The players' heads dropped, and despair washed over their faces. They had fought so hard to pull one goal back, only to see it handed away so easily by their goalkeeper. What were they supposed to think?
On the sidelines, Klopp stood frozen in disbelief. The camera zoomed in for a close-up, showing the German coach, his scruffy beard and untamed hair giving him a weary, disheveled look that made fans feel for him.
Perhaps it was at that very moment that Klopp made up his mind to replace his goalkeeper.
Liverpool's misery was Manchester City's joy. After scoring, Lin Quan didn't celebrate wildly, as it had been an easy goal with little effort required. But his teammates felt differently, laughing and rushing to surround him, some bumping heads with him, others pounding his chest, and a few even embracing him in celebration.
Lin Quan's goal had finally allowed the City players to relax. Scoring at this stage, in this way, was a major blow to Liverpool's morale and would make the rest of the game much easier for City.
Guardiola shared the same opinion, so in the 75th minute, he used his final substitution, bringing on Mbappé to replace Lin Quan, allowing him to receive the full ovation of the crowd.
City's fans didn't disappoint. As Lin Quan left the field, they stood as one, chanting his name and applauding him enthusiastically. As he walked off, Lin Quan clapped back at the fans, acknowledging their support.
After exchanging a high-five with Mbappé, Lin Quan stood by the sidelines and applauded the fans again in gratitude. Guardiola personally handed him a towel and directed him to rest on the bench.
"You're subbing me off now? Aren't you afraid of jinxing it?" Lin Quan teased as he sat down. Haaland, sitting nearby, immediately handed him a water bottle, while a now-relaxed Guardiola sat beside him.
"Their morale is shot. They're no longer a threat. Besides, we've still got Sané and Mbappé out there. If Liverpool dares to get bold just because you're off the field, those two will give them a lesson," Guardiola replied confidently.
His prediction soon proved correct. Liverpool's morale had indeed collapsed after that mistake, and after the restart, it was clear their players had lost much of their intensity. They no longer attacked with the same energy as at the beginning of the match.
Manchester City's substitutes remained eager, but without Lin Quan orchestrating the attack, their offense lost its edge.
The scoreline remained 2-1 until the final whistle.
In the end, Manchester City completed a double victory over Liverpool, winning 5-3 on aggregate and advancing to the semifinals.
As City secured their place in the semifinals, over in Rome, one of the biggest upsets in football history was unfolding.
After losing 4-1 to Barcelona in the first leg, Roma shocked the world in the second leg by winning 3-0 at home, eliminating Barcelona on away goals.
No one saw this result coming, given Barcelona's huge first-leg advantage. Roma's victory was nothing short of miraculous, embarrassing countless pundits and experts.
With the second leg over, Roma progressed to the Champions League semifinals, knocking out Barcelona with the slightest of margins thanks to their away goal.
This served as a stark reminder to never underestimate any team or assume that a commanding first-leg lead guarantees safety in the second leg.
Perhaps inspired by Roma's stunning comeback, Juventus came out swinging in their match against Real Madrid the next day, demolishing the reigning champions.
Just two minutes into the game, Mario Mandzukic scored for Juventus. In the 37th minute, Mandzukic struck again, scoring his second of the night. By the 60th minute, Matuidi had added Juventus's third goal.
With the score now level on aggregate, and even the away goals tied, it seemed like Real Madrid was about to follow in Barcelona's footsteps. If Juventus scored one more, Real Madrid would be eliminated for sure.
But Juventus couldn't seize their chance.
In stoppage time, Real Madrid launched a final attack. In the 93rd minute, a Juventus player committed a foul inside the box, gifting Madrid a penalty.
Furious with the referee's decision, Buffon shoved him and was shown a red card, further complicating matters for Juventus. With their starting goalkeeper sent off, Allegri had no choice but to bring on backup goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny.
But it was too late for Szczęsny to make a difference. Coming on cold, he couldn't stop Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty kick.
In the end, Real Madrid narrowly advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 aggregate win, escaping elimination by the skin of their teeth.
Real Madrid won, but their victory was anything but comfortable. If not for that last-minute penalty, the outcome could have been very different.
After the match, many fans felt a deep sense of regret for Juventus. In recent years, Juventus had performed increasingly well in European competitions, but luck never seemed to be on their side. Whether it was Manchester City or Real Madrid, they always seemed to run into an unstoppable force.
Still, the two matches involving Roma and Juventus showed that after years of decline, Italian football was finally experiencing a revival. (End of Chapter)