Chapter 560: Manchester City's Explosion
The game reached the 41st minute, and despite continuous passing, United couldn't break through. Bruno unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area! The ball deflected off Fernandinho's thigh, bouncing towards the opposite side of where City's goalkeeper Ederson was diving.
And on that side, there was a United player—Rashford!
This scene shocked the entire stadium of City fans into gasps.
However, Rashford wasn't prepared for the ball to deflect towards him. When it arrived, he hastily attempted to shoot, resulting in the ball hitting his shin and then flying high over the crossbar.
"Oh—" A massive sigh of relief swept through the stands as City fans narrowly escaped danger.
"Rashford! He missed a golden opportunity!"
"What a pity! United had the chance to turn the game around and take the lead before halftime!"
"Rashford didn't expect Bruno's shot to deflect his way and reacted hastily... it's really unfortunate..."
Rashford looked at the ball sailing over the bar and collapsed to his knees, feeling deep regret. Missing such an opportunity, who knows if it might make him the team's scapegoat later in the match?
Bruno also held his head in his hands, but he couldn't dwell on it for long. He quickly ran back to prepare for another attack.
However, until the end of the first half, despite United besieging City, they couldn't score again, and both teams went into the locker rooms with a 1-1 score.
Guardiola's face showed no emotion, making it hard to tell if he was satisfied with the result. In reality, he was very pleased. Given the circumstances after conceding a goal, 1-1 was the best possible outcome; he couldn't ask for more.
Mourinho also felt that the result was decent. He could use the halftime break to make further adjustments and aim to take the lead in the second half.
United's players were generally pleased too. If this match ended in a draw, it would be an acceptable result.
Only Bruno looked worried as he left the pitch. He feared that in the second half, the team might lose the rhythm they had found under City's pressure. After all, they had to take a 15-minute break.
Guardiola glanced at Bruno as he walked off, noting the expression on his face. So, the kid knows my plan? But what can you do? You're just a player, not the coach. There's little you can change.
Guardiola wasn't concerned at all and turned to stride towards the tunnel.
Vanessa finally had a moment to relax. She had been extremely tense as United besieged City in the closing moments of the first half.
She somewhat understood why United, under Bruno's leadership, launched wave after wave of attacks. The halftime break would disrupt their momentum.
But now the score was 1-1, which couldn't be changed. She wondered what adjustments United would make during the break.
After the wild series of events in the first half, things had quieted down around her. She stretched lazily, not wanting to move from her seat.
During this time, she let her mind wander, fantasizing about her upcoming wedding with Bruno. According to their plan, they would get married next summer after their engagement.
However, apart from the certainty of "getting married," she hadn't thought about any other details.
How would the wedding be held? Where? Who would take their wedding photos? Where would the photos be taken? How would the wedding be organized? Would it be a grand affair or a low-key event? Which guests and friends would they invite? Where would they go for their honeymoon? How would they spend it? There were so many details, and Vanessa didn't know where to start.
Although there was more than a year left, the preparations had to begin. A life event like marriage required meticulous planning.
While Vanessa was troubled by wedding preparations, Bruno was worried about the team's second-half strategy.
Mourinho was pleased with the team's performance and optimistic about their prospects, but Bruno wasn't as hopeful.
Coaches and players have different perspectives. Players directly experience the opponent's strength on the field, and Bruno knew how formidable this City team was.
Although they had exploited City's unpreparedness in the first half, this didn't mean they could do the same in the second half.
It was almost certain that Guardiola, being no fool, would adjust his tactics based on United's first-half performance. It would be much harder for United to regain that momentum in the second half.
Bruno's concerns were spot-on. In City's locker room, Guardiola praised the team's first-half performance, especially their resilience under United's late onslaught. This filled him with confidence in his new tactics.
Then, he made some tactical adjustments. He instructed his team to avoid being bewildered by United's quick passing and movement. As long as they maintained a compact and complete defensive formation, United's passing around the perimeter wouldn't pose a direct threat to Ederson's goal.
Guardiola's key instruction was for the team to quickly fall back on defense. The forwards should disrupt up front while the midfielders drop back to defend, effectively conceding the midfield to United. They could pass around outside the 30-meter zone all they wanted, as long as City's defense stayed organized and tight.
As for Bruno, Bernardo Silva was assigned to harass him during defensive phases, preventing him from comfortably orchestrating attacks.
This task originally fell to Fernandinho, but Guardiola decided against it in the second half to avoid disrupting the defensive line. Bernardo Silva, being more agile and familiar with Bruno from their national team duties, was deemed suitable for this role.
Guardiola detailed possible scenarios and instructed the players on how to defend against Bruno in various situations. He hardly mentioned United's other players, focusing instead on neutralizing Bruno.
Mourinho's instructions were for United to continue playing as they did in the latter part of the first half, using their speed to break City's defense.
However, as the second half began, Bruno and his teammates realized this wouldn't be easy. City fell back quickly, with players like Danilo hardly crossing the halfway line to ensure their defense remained solid and tight.
Despite this, City could still launch effective attacks with their three-midfielder setup, and the speed of Sterling and Sané kept United's defense on edge.
Bruno's continuous quick passing failed to create significant opportunities. Wherever he passed the ball, he encountered City's impenetrable defense.
City's defense was much more organized and disciplined than in the first half. Guardiola's halftime adjustments were evident.
Bruno had anticipated this but was powerless to stop Guardiola from making these changes. He could only keep trying different passing patterns and occasionally attempt a long shot.
In the 51st minute, City intercepted a pass from Bruno in their half and launched a quick counterattack. Bernardo Silva passed to Sterling, who used his speed to race downfield. United's defenders couldn't keep up.
As Sterling reached the edge of the box, drawing the attention of all United defenders, he passed instead of shooting.
The ball slipped between Van Dijk and Luke Shaw, landing at Mkhitaryan's feet. With no United players around him and De Gea rushing to the near post to block Sterling's shot, Mkhitaryan coolly slotted the ball into the open net.
The Etihad erupted once more as City took a 2-1 lead!
"City scores again! It looks like they're determined to win this match!"
"Mkhitaryan with the goal! Beautiful! But this goal owes 80% of the credit to Sterling's brilliant run!"
Commentators, who had praised Bruno and United in the first half, now shifted their tone to laud City.
City's players celebrated their goal together, while United's players looked frustrated.
They had focused so much on attacking that they forgot their opponent wasn't a toothless tiger but a fierce beast ready to strike at any moment.
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