Chapter 826: Liu Yimei Is About to Give Birth!
Manchester United's first match in December was the fifth round of the Champions League group stage, hosting Ajax at home.
For Manchester United, this was a crucial match.
If they could defeat Ajax at Old Trafford, then regardless of the outcome of the game between Atalanta and Midtjylland, Manchester United would secure qualification for the knockout stage one round early.
If they were held to a draw by Ajax, while Atalanta defeated Midtjylland at home, United's first-place spot in the group would be endangered—they would have to fight tooth and nail away to Midtjylland in the final round to ensure progression.
Of course, in the worst-case scenario, if Manchester United lost at home again, they could even drop to third in the standings after this round, putting their prospects of advancing in serious jeopardy.
So, to seize control of their destiny, Manchester United had to beat Ajax at home.
However, once the match began, people were stunned to see Bruno Fernández, Harry Kane, İlkay Gündoğan, and Kylian Mbappé all sitting on the bench. Marcus Rashford wasn't even included in the squad. Mason Greenwood, Juan Mata, and Riyad Mahrez started the match instead.
The opening phase of the game was anything but smooth. Eager to claim victory away at United and fight for a spot in the knockout stage, Ajax took the initiative at the Theatre of Dreams, controlling possession for long stretches. Their ball possession reached as high as sixty-five percent in the first twenty minutes. But Manchester United's defense held firm.
Although José Mourinho rotated almost the entire attacking and midfield lineup, the backline remained stable. João Cancelo, Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk, and Luke Shaw formed a solid defensive wall, not giving Ajax many opportunities. Youngster Jude Bellingham also excelled in midfield.
...
With solid defense came counterattack chances.
Thus, the match became quite interesting—Ajax dominated possession, but Manchester United created the more dangerous chances. The Dutch side barely managed any threatening attacks.
Bruno, sitting on the bench, watched the match unfold with a mix of emotion and admiration.
This was the disparity in overall strength!
Facing a so-called Eredivisie powerhouse, Manchester United fielded half of their reserve lineup yet held their ground impressively. Although they had less possession, their attacks were far more threatening.
That was the gulf between the elites of Europe's top four leagues and those of the Dutch league. Ajax's famous attacking combinations, so deadly in domestic competition, posed no threat at all to Manchester United.
Dutch prodigy Antony Santos was completely silenced, contributing little aside from pointless dribbling.
"Our problem is still in counterattacks. If Scott McTominay were as good as Harry Kane, we could target him with high balls and have teammates fight for second possessions around him—we'd have scored already," Gündoğan said confidently.
From the match, it was clear that Ajax's strength simply couldn't compare to Manchester United's.
But after the second half began, Ajax suddenly surged, launching a spell of aggressive attacks and creating dangerous chances in the 59th and 61st minutes.
...
"It's almost my turn now," Gündoğan said with a smile after warming up.
It was prearranged—Gündoğan would replace Fred.
The rotation was part of the plan to conserve energy for the grueling Christmas fixture run.
"The Dutch league always favors man-marking, especially during open play. Now that Ajax is pressing high, that's good news for us," Bruno leaned in and said to Gündoğan. "So, make the teammates move more—interchanging runs, breaking their defensive lines, then cutting diagonally into the open spaces. That'll create chances. Man-marking has that flaw."
After several encounters with Ajax over the past few years, Bruno had gained quite a few insights on how to play against them.
Gündoğan nodded firmly.
Soon, Faria came over to signal that Gündoğan was about to go on.
The German approached the touchline to receive Mourinho's instructions. After saying a few words, Mourinho turned to glance at Bruno deeply, then nodded toward Gündoğan.
Once Gündoğan came on, Manchester United gradually took control of the game, leaving Bruno baffled on the sideline.
It was an utterly incomprehensible phenomenon.
Except for Gündoğan replacing Fred, the lineup hadn't changed, yet somehow, United's midfield became more organized and composed, even orchestrating several attacks.
Just five minutes later, Greenwood made a brilliant run through the center and unleashed a powerful shot, almost piercing Ajax's net.
...
Ten minutes after Gündoğan came on, Mbappé replaced Mahrez.
Only three minutes later, Cancelo crossed from the right, Greenwood found another chance, and his shot went narrowly wide.
Then came Mata's effort from the left side.
Time ticked away, with both Ajax and Manchester United using two substitution slots.
With Gündoğan and Mbappé on the field, United's attack became increasingly fierce, yet they still fell short of scoring.
Finally, in the 82nd minute, Mourinho used his third substitution—Bruno replaced Mata.
As Bruno came on, he could faintly hear hisses from Ajax's bench. The players clearly hadn't forgotten the painful memories Bruno had given them before.
They were afraid!
They were terrified!
And Bruno didn't disappoint them.
Mourinho's instruction for him was simple: move, open up the defense, and go for the goal.
Bruno's first touch immediately produced a strong breakthrough down the left, but his cross into the box was cleared by Ajax center-back Perr Schuurs.
Only three minutes later, Bruno received a pass from Gündoğan on the left, suddenly accelerated, and cut inward with the ball.
Mbappé understood instinctively, pulling back from the front as if to receive the pass but actually dragging Schuurs out of position.
Bruno sent a diagonal ball behind the defenders, and Bellingham burst into the box, controlled perfectly, and shot—all in one fluid move!
The ball hit the net!
1–0!
In the 86th minute, Manchester United scored the decisive goal—a Bruno assist to Bellingham!
At 17 years and 124 days old, Bellingham became the youngest player ever to score in the Champions League!
He also became the fifth rising superstar Manchester United had produced in five years, after Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Mbappé, and Greenwood!
...
That was the only goal of the match, as Manchester United defeated Ajax 1–0.
Meanwhile, in the other group fixture, already-eliminated Midtjylland surprisingly held Atalanta to a 1–1 draw away from home.
Thus, after five rounds, Group D's table looked like this:
Manchester United—4 wins, 1 loss, and 12 points, first place;
Atalanta—2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 8 points, second;
Ajax—2 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, 7 points, third;
Midtjylland—1 draw, 4 losses, just 1 point.
With only one round remaining, Manchester United not only secured passage to the knockout stage but also clinched first place in the group.
It was something no one had expected before the game. Not only did the team beat a strong Ajax side, but rival Atalanta also stumbled at home, allowing United to seal the deal perfectly.
It was the most ideal result possible!
And what made Bruno even happier was that, after attending the post-match press conference alongside Mourinho and preparing to drive home, he received a phone call—his legitimate wife Liu Yimei had entered labor.
...
With his wife about to give birth, even the biggest matters could wait. Bruno immediately requested leave from the club and asked Vanessa to arrange a flight to Beijing.
Vanessa herself was over seven months pregnant and not suited for travel, so she wouldn't accompany him to China.
Giaretta didn't know why Bruno suddenly had to leave, but he personally saw him off. On the way to the airport, Giaretta asked, "Bruno, you're leaving in such a hurry—nothing's wrong, is it?"
Bruno smiled and replied, "Nothing at all—I'm just about to become a father, haha…"
"Oh…" Giaretta was delighted for him. "Then congratulations, Bruno!"
"Haha…" Bruno was so happy he couldn't contain it. Upon arrival at the airport, he said goodbye to Giaretta and took the earliest flight back to Beijing.
Liu Lili didn't come herself but sent her assistant to pick Bruno up.
"You… Yimei's about to give birth, and you didn't come earlier! What could possibly be more important than that?" Liu Lili scolded the moment she saw him. Although it was Yimei giving birth, she was more nervous than anyone.
"How is Yimei?" Bruno asked anxiously. It was already past eleven at night when his flight landed.
"She's about to go into surgery. She's waiting for you!" Liu Lili replied.
Bruno rushed into the ward, walked up to Liu Yimei, and said emotionally, "Yimei…"
"Bruno…" Liu Yimei, already dressed in her hospital gown, spoke with tears in her eyes. "You finally came back!"
"Yes, I'm here now!" Bruno held her hand tightly. "Don't be afraid—I'm right here with you."
"Now that Bruno's here, there's nothing to worry about, Yimei. The doctors said everything's fine—cesarean delivery is completely safe. With Bruno by your side, there's nothing to fear," Liu Lili comforted her.
Just then, a nurse came in through the door and asked, "Is the patient ready yet? We've been waiting for a long time—are we going ahead with the cesarean section or not?"
"Yes, of course we are. Nurse, just a moment! Please tell the doctor to wait a little longer—thank you so much," Liu Lili hurried to explain.
The nurse nodded and left the ward.
(END CHAPTER)
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