"Just before halftime, Manchester United have equalized! Can you believe it!" Martin Tyler's voice cracked, rising to a crescendo that silenced the Allianz Arena.
"What a dramatic goal! When Pogba passed that ball and I saw the dense defensive line in front of Ling, I thought the chance was dead and buried!"
Gary Neville, sitting beside him, took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to process the brilliance he had just witnessed before continuing.
"But Ling has just deceived the entirety of Bavaria with an astonishing Cruyff turn! He has sent Joshua Kimmich back to the academy!"
"Although the follow-up shot wasn't of the highest quality, scuffed slightly off the boot, it was enough to breach Bayern's goal because Ulreich was sold down the river."
"I have to give massive credit to Paul Pogba here," Neville added, circling the Frenchman on his monitor.
"Without him winning the ball back in his own half and delivering that precise, weighted pass, this brilliant goal wouldn't have happened. From the start of the match until now, he's gradually found his rhythm, and the same goes for the rest of this United side."
"Now both teams are back on level terms, but United has gained that precious away goal, giving them a slight overall advantage in the tie."
Jamie Carragher, chiming in from the studio, chuckled in disbelief.
"The director just cut to the replay of the goal, but who on earth thought Ling wouldn't shoot first time? That fake shot and real cut was truly delightful to watch, pure filth!"
"This move might look simple to the naked eye, but it actually demands extreme physical capabilities," Neville analyzed, his voice turning serious. "Just look at the weight transfer alone. To shift your entire momentum from a full sprint shooting stance to a dead stop and turn 90 degrees? That would tear the ACL of an ordinary player."
"It's the perfect combination of feints, explosive power, and flexibility!"
"In the 1974 World Cup here in Germany, Johan Cruyff was the first to perform this move," Tyler mused nostalgically.
"And today, young Ling has perfectly replicated it on German soil. What an incredible coincidence."
During the wait for the restart, the commentators continued to heap praise on Ling, while the global social media feeds were buzzing with excitement.
@RedDevil: "One turn that deceived the entire world! My ankles hurt just watching that."
@TacticalTim: "Haha, Kimmich became the backdrop! He's going to be in highlight reels for the next decade."
@PhysicsGeek: "Look closely at the replay - Ling's body was completely twisted, torque applied to the max, yet he still managed to pull back his foot. Absolutely terrifying core strength!"
@BavarianTears: "Actually, Ulreich should bear most responsibility. He gambled on the far post. You never gamble against a technician."
@ManuelGoat: "If it were Neuer, this goal probably wouldn't have happened. He stays big."
@UCLUpdate: "Unfortunately, Neuer won't recover in time for the second leg either. He can't sacrifice the World Cup for the Champions League."
@Neutral: "The second half will be the most exciting part, with both Heynckes and Mourinho being masters of the dark arts of adjustment."
....
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Manchester United players were still celebrating, huddling together near the corner flag.
This goal meant too much to them.
Having conceded early to a blitzkrieg attack and being suppressed for most of the half, entering the tunnel under such circumstances would have been a psychological blow difficult to recover from.
Nearby, Mats Hummels walked over to a shell-shocked Joshua Kimmich.
The veteran defender brushed grass stains off Kimmich's jersey, grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Don't dwell on it too much, Josh. Just focus on your defensive duties now. I'll ask Javi to shift closer to your side later to double up."
Kimmich pressed his lips together until they turned white.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath.
Accepting the help felt like admitting he was inferior to Ling, a thought that burned his competitive soul, but he knew the team's interests came first on the pitch.
Besides, Hummels meant well, trying to relieve some defensive pressure from him.
"My fault, my fault!" Sven Ulreich shouted, clapping his gloves together and looking apologetically at his defenders.
Though his goalkeeping skills weren't at Manuel Neuer's alien level, Ulreich always owned up to mistakes quickly and with a sincere attitude, leaving no room for criticism from his teammates.
Soon the match resumed from the center circle.
Bayern Munich, stung by the equalizer, became even more formidable, launching fierce attacks with relentless intensity as if insulted by United's audacity.
It was as if the German giants were screaming, "You dare fight back? Let's see you try to survive this!"
Manchester United's previous momentum was once again disrupted, forcing the entire formation to retreat into their own thirty-meter zone, striving desperately to maintain the scoreline until the sanctuary of halftime.
On the sidelines, Jose Mourinho let out a long sigh of relief, though his face remained stoic.
Every match in the Champions League knockout stages is a chess match played on a minefield.
According to his pragmatist philosophy, playing away requires a conservative approach.
This often results in "anti-football," ugly and grinding.
Recently, many football professionals had proposed abolishing the away goals rule to prevent teams from adopting these overly defensive tactics, arguing it diminished the spectacle.
But for fans, away goals add a layer of excruciating excitement.
The line between heaven and hell is thin—going from trailing to leading often requires just one goal, sometimes without even needing to equalize first.
Mourinho continued to watch the pitch, his eyes narrowing as he saw Juan Mata lose possession again due to a physical disadvantage against Vidal. He rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Soft," Mourinho hissed to his assistant. "Too soft."
He needed a playmaking hub in Manchester United's attack to avoid disjointed offensive plays, someone to link the lines.
However, Mata's weaknesses were glaring: physical duels, defending, and pressing.
This forced Jesse Lingard to cover for the Spaniard with relentless running, sprinting box-to-box like a man possessed, but his stamina had significantly declined, likely reaching its limit by the 70th minute.
Once Lingard's legs went and they could no longer suppress Javi Martinez, Bayern would be free to attack without reservations.
What a headache.
As for moving Ling to the right flank to exploit the space? He had considered it.
But Kimmich's attacking prowess was also lethal, and with Robben and Muller overloading that same side, if Ling wasn't there to force them to focus on defending, the threat they posed would be catastrophic.
On the other side, Jupp Heynckes paid more attention to Ling than anyone else.
The old German master watched the young winger closely.
He noticed the player's excellent positioning, drifting like a ghost between the wing and central areas, constantly switching between horizontal and vertical movements to confuse the markers.
This put immense pressure on Bayern's defenders, who feared Ling might slip past them unnoticed if they blinked.
"He plays like Pippo," Heynckes muttered to his assistant, referencing the legendary Filippo Inzaghi.
"But with pace."
They needed to tighten their marking on Ling in the second half, otherwise, this guy might quietly score another goal and kill the tie.
As Heynckes pondered this, he suddenly saw the fourth official raise the LED board.
3 Minutes Added Time.
Bayern didn't ease their offensive intensity as halftime approached. Instead, they adopted a simpler, more effective tactic: brute force.
"Get it in the mixer!" seemed to be the command.
They attacked from both wings, delivering high crosses into the box.
Bayern had one of the best strikers in modern football.
Although Robert Lewandowski was only 183cm tall, his strong, well-proportioned physique, combined with excellent core strength and flexibility, often gave him an aerial advantage over taller defenders.
In the final minute of stoppage time, disaster nearly struck.
Bayern's high press paid off as Thomas Muller, ever the thief, emerged from Nemanja Matic's blind spot and poked the loose ball to Arjen Robben ahead of him.
Robben cut inside toward the center, the move everyone expected.
But instead of attempting a shot, he immediately whipped a vicious inswinging cross.
The ball curled toward the penalty spot, begging for a touch.
Lewandowski muscled past Chris Smalling, using his forearm to create separation, and powered a header toward the bottom corner!
"Brilliant header!" Martin Tyler screamed. "De Geaaaaa!"
The Spaniard reacted instinctively.
He dropped low to his right, his wrist strong as steel, clawing the ball off the line.
"He made a crucial save, keeping Manchester United's goal intact right at the death!"
"That is why he is the best in the world right now," Neville stated matter-of-factly. "According to the rankings, some say Oblak, some say Neuer, but when Neuer is fit, he is the sweeper, but for pure shot-stopping? David De Gea has no equal."
"Absolutely," Tyler agreed. "He is the only reason United are still in this tie."
Immediately after the save, the whistle blew.
Beep-beep!
The referee ended the first half, granting the players—and the fans—a chance to breathe.
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God damn Mourinho still got it, wtf with that goal keeper goal... anyway madrid make a huge mistake on siding with players instead of Xabi.
Prediction on which team winning UCL this season ?