Chapter 516: Manchester United is Fair
On the evening of December 5th, the final matchday of the Champions League group stage took place.
Group C, dubbed the "Group of Death," was undoubtedly the group that garnered the most global attention during the group stage. However, by the time the final round came around, it became evident that Group C was not as deadly as its name suggested.
In a group that featured European giants Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, and Roma, Manchester United's performance was nothing short of overwhelming. They secured their place in the knockout stage two rounds early and, even with a substitute lineup in the 5th round, they crushed Qarabag 4-0 away, securing the top spot in the group.
Of course, calling Group C the "Group of Death" wasn't entirely inaccurate because, after five rounds, the other qualification spot was still up for grabs.
After five rounds, the standings in Group C were as follows:
Manchester United: 4 wins, 1 draw, 13 points, 1st place, and already secured top spot in the group.Atletico Madrid: 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss, 6 points, 2nd place.Roma: 1 win, 2 draws, 2 losses, 5 points, 3rd place.Qarabag: 2 draws, 3 losses, 2 points, bottom of the group.
Both Atletico Madrid and Roma still had a chance to claim the second spot in the group. Atletico Madrid had one more point, but they had to visit Old Trafford in the final round, which wasn't going to be an easy task. Roma, on the other hand, would play Qarabag at home, where a victory seemed highly probable.
So, it looked more likely that Roma would advance as the second-placed team.
...
But there was a special circumstance: Manchester United had already secured their place in the knockout stage two rounds early and had also locked in the top spot in the group. Furthermore, Manchester United had just fought a tough battle against Arsenal last weekend, and next weekend, they would face their strongest league rival, Manchester City. Under such circumstances, almost everyone anticipated one possibility: Manchester United would strategically forfeit the match against Atletico Madrid to focus entirely on preparing for the Manchester Derby that weekend.
This possibility seemed almost certain. After all, Manchester United and Manchester City were neck and neck in the Premier League standings. If United couldn't secure a win at home against City, they wouldn't be able to widen the gap in the standings, and if they lost, they might even be overtaken by City.
In such a scenario, even a fool would know what choice Manchester United would make.
However, Roma's coach, Di Francesco, confidently stated in an interview that Manchester United is a team that values fairness and that Mourinho is a coach of high character. He wasn't worried that Manchester United would throw the last group stage match.
The Italian media also repeatedly urged Manchester United and Mourinho to approach the match against Atletico Madrid with fairness and integrity, not to deliberately sabotage Roma.
In short, the Italians used every means possible to pressure Manchester United into not openly abandoning the match.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid and the Spanish media were singing praises for Manchester United and Mourinho, emphasizing that Manchester United is a strong team, but subtly hinting that since they had already qualified and secured first place, they should take it easy in this match. "We will remember your kindness," they implied.
At the pre-match press conference for the Manchester United vs. Atletico Madrid game, an Italian journalist asked Mourinho a very sharp question: Would Manchester United field an all-reserve lineup?
Mourinho didn't give the Italians a satisfactory answer; he simply said that every Manchester United player is outstanding, and there's no distinction between starters and substitutes.
Then, when Manchester United's starting lineup was announced, the Italian journalists were like: "What the heck!"
...
For the match at Old Trafford, Mourinho deployed his usual 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Romero;
Defenders: Darmian, Lindelöf, Smalling, Ashley Young;
Midfielders: Fellaini, Herrera, Bruno;
Forwards: Lingard, McTominay, Mata.
Except for captain Bruno, none of them were Manchester United's regular starters!
But even facing an almost all-reserve Manchester United, Atletico Madrid's coach Simeone didn't take them lightly at all. In fact, he took this reserve United lineup very seriously, treating them as a formidable opponent.
Atletico Madrid even adopted a low stance, using fouls and aggressive tactics to try to limit Manchester United.
On United's side, the double pivot of Herrera and Fellaini was also very tough, leading to numerous physical clashes throughout the match.
The game was intense, with frequent fouls, and the flow of the match was repeatedly interrupted.
Both sides focused more on restricting each other and preventing goals, with their attacks being somewhat stifled.
It wasn't until the 39th minute of the first half that the deadlock was broken.
Atletico Madrid took a corner, and Torres provided an assist with a header. Saúl headed the ball into the top left corner of the goal from close range.
Mourinho clenched his fist in frustration, unable to keep a clean sheet.
He started thinking about how to approach the second half with a 0-1 scoreline.
...
But Mourinho soon found that the tactics and strategies he had just thought up were useless because Manchester United quickly scored to equalize.
Perhaps it was because Atletico Madrid had finally scored, or maybe because the first half was nearing its end, but Atletico's players seemed to relax a bit.
When Manchester United organized this attack and Darmian broke through on the wing, Atletico's defenders surprisingly didn't defend actively. This slack in defense allowed Bruno to receive Darmian's pass at the edge of the box, calmly control the ball, and even more easily turn and shoot. The ball curved into the top corner of the goal.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLL!!!!!!!"
Mourinho was initially stunned, then enthusiastically applauded.
"Well done, Bruno!" He was pleased that his captain stepped up at a crucial moment.
"Atletico Madrid conceded quickly; they only held the lead for three minutes!"
"This goal exposed Atletico's weakness. After scoring, they relaxed, and besides, Gabi is really getting old. He couldn't keep up with Bruno's pace and almost watched as Bruno turned and shot."
The first half ended 1-1.
Ordinarily, a half with two goals and a 1-1 scoreline would give the impression of a relatively exciting first half.
However, the viewers who watched this game would certainly disagree.
Throughout the first half, both sides seemed to focus all their energy on fierce duels and defense, with players constantly hitting the ground.
On the sidelines, Manchester United's coach Mourinho and Atletico Madrid's coach Simeone were also shouting and gesturing, contributing to the tense atmosphere.
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