Simeone furiously questioned the fourth official to no avail, and had no choice but to substitute Lucas with Filipe.
For Atletico Madrid, who pursue high pressing intensity, every substitution slot is extremely precious and must be used at critical moments.
But now it had to be used early due to injury.
Simeone had never imagined that his own player would be taken out by an opponent, leaving him deeply frustrated.
After coming on, Filipe glared fiercely at Ling.
Players like Ronaldo and Messi had often fallen victim to his dirty tackles.
Stepping on opponents' feet during challenges, using his body to deliberately collide—these petty moves were second nature to him.
He refused to believe he couldn't handle a young player.
Noticing this, Ling pointed two fingers at his own eyes.
The meaning was clear.
Bring it on—he wasn't afraid of bullies who preyed on the weak.
If it came down to it, he was ready to fight fire with fire.
Sometimes violence doesn't solve problems, but sometimes only violence can solve them.
If Lucas hadn't been unexpectedly forced off, Ling would have retaliated sooner or later anyway!
"The match has finally resumed."
"Conflicts on the pitch are common. Even amateur players can lose their temper, let alone professionals."
"But from the start, Atletico Madrid has had one goal in mind: how to injure their opponents. Their tactical fouls are executed with the utmost ferocity, which is truly despicable and has cost them all public sympathy."
"And it's not just this match. In games against Real Madrid, Barcelona, or other teams, Atletico has repeatedly been involved in large-scale conflicts."
"If Simeone takes pride in this, then I have nothing more to say."
Zhan Jun's anger hadn't subsided as he continued to voice his opinions.
Zhang Lu quickly steered the conversation to avoid stirring up controversy.
"Let's take a look at Man United's free kick on the right!"
The penalty area was a battlefield, with players from both sides clashing fiercely and countless underhanded tactics at play.
Peep! Peep!
The whistle blew twice in quick succession.
The first was for Giménez knocking down Rashford, the second for Godín tugging at Ling's jersey.
The Referee was drenched in sweat—the match was slipping out of his control.
He knew he had to tighten his officiating and calm the players down, issuing stern verbal warnings.
Mahrez finally took the free kick.
This time, he'd learned his lesson and aimed the pass toward the outer edge.
Ling swiftly moved to the landing spot, colliding forcefully with the 187cm, 80kg Godín, and firmly secured his position.
Godín considered repeating his earlier tricks but, wary of a potential booking, abandoned the idea of pulling Ling back.
But the next moment, he would deeply regret it!
...
At the center of the scene.
Man United's number 7, his jersey fluttering in the wind like blazing flames, was surrounded by several Atletico players!
Oblak panicked at the sight, shouting, "Don't let him jump!"
But before his words faded.
Ling pushed off violently, his studs digging deep into the turf.
The flames soared into the summer breeze.
Like a burst of red fireworks, standing alone and brilliant under the spotlight.
It was the perfect fusion of power and beauty!
Then, his core twisted and coiled, unleashing the pent-up force in a explosive motion.
The force was unstoppable, uncontrollable, all channeled into the ball!
At that moment, the entire stadium held its breath.
In their vision, it seemed as if a deity had descended to the mortal realm!
Thump!
With a dull thud, the ball roared toward the top right corner of the goal!
Even with Oblak stretching his body to the limit, he couldn't save a shot aimed at the top corner, helplessly crashing to the ground.
"GOAL!!!"
"In the 43rd minute of the first half, Jeremy Ling equalizes for Man United!"
"Look at his incredible physicality—he managed to jump after shrugging off Godín and keenly tracked the ball's trajectory!"
"This is a perfect goal!"
The Man United fans were ignited, wildly raising their arms and cheering.
As devoted supporters of the Red Devils, they firmly believed their team could overcome any adversity, no matter how dirty the opponent played.
Because they had been reborn from the flames of life and death!
Then they turned their taunts toward the neighboring stands.
"Damn Spanish bastards! Why so quiet now?"
"We have four Champions League trophies to sleep on. What about you? Don't tell me you still don't have one? Surely not, right?"
"Maybe it's because you've never won the Champions League that you care so much about the European Super Cup!"
"Put nicely, you reached the final twice in three years. Put bluntly, you just don't have what it takes to win the Champions League!"
"Hurry back to Spain and cry about it!"
"The Real Madrid you could never beat in your lifetime ultimately fell before us!"
"..."
Having traded insults with Liverpool fans for decades, Man United supporters had honed their combat skills, expertly targeting Atletico's sore spots.
The Atletico fans trembled with rage, itching to climb over the barriers and fight.
The Champions League and Real Madrid were Atletico's deepest wounds—the trophies that had eluded them by a hair's breadth, keeping them just shy of greatness.
Riot police swiftly intervened, blocking the Atletico fans.
Just as the Atletico supporters began to settle down, they saw Ling sprint to the corner flag and gesture for them to shut up!
Instantly, they erupted into fury again!
The assistant referee quickly stepped in front of Ling, warning him.
"Don't provoke the fans!"
Ling simply smiled without arguing, exchanging high-fives with his arriving teammates.
Maguire slung an arm around Ling's shoulders. "Jeremy, that move was way too cool! Can you teach me?"
"You'd need to lose at least 8 kilograms first, or you'd never jump that high!" Mahrez said with a laugh.
Maguire rubbed his large head. "Forget it, then."
Ashley Young, acting captain for the match, reminded his teammates, "We've only just equalized. Don't let your guard down now—the rest of the game will only get tougher."
The Man United players responded in unison.
Given Atletico's dirty playing style, they weren't about to make things easy for their opponents.
Nearby, the Atletico players' faces darkened with anger.
With Lucas on his way to the hospital, they had conceded a goal just before halftime—and to that detestable bastard, no less.
Filipe's eyes gleamed with menace.
...
Soon, the match resumed.
When Correa committed another tactical foul, tripping Mahrez, Marciniak showed no leniency, promptly brandishing a yellow card.
Just three minutes later... Griezmann received the ball on the wing and attempted to break through, but Wan-Bissaka charged straight for the ball without targeting the player, sending him crashing into the pitch-side advertising boards.
The referee also showed a yellow card.
Due to the lengthy interruptions earlier in the match, the referee allocated considerable stoppage time.
However, after two consecutive yellow cards, players from both sides seemed to calm down, tacitly navigating the final moments of the first half.
There were constant minor fouls but no major clashes.
Atletico Madrid's head coach Simeone stood by the touchline, no longer as composed as before, his expression growing increasingly grave.
Having lacked high-quality pre-season friendlies and with most players just returning from World Cup duty, Atletico's overall form wasn't as sharp as expected—several passing and clearance errors had already occurred.
Their positioning during offensive-defensive transitions also fell short of last season's standards.
Meanwhile, Manchester United's tactical adjustments made every attack effective, allowing them to suppress Atletico in return.
This was an unfavorable trend, prompting Simeone to instruct his players to strengthen their defense.
On the opposite side, Mourinho was mentally reviewing the first half.
He planned to exploit Atletico's limited substitution options by making targeted adjustments at critical junctures—most likely around the 60th minute, or possibly after the 80th, depending on whether Simeone opted to park the bus or go all-out.
Soon the referee's whistle signaled the end of the first half.
There was no interaction between players from either team, including De Gea and Pogba—teammates internationally but opponents in this club fixture.
Even they knew better than to blur those lines.
Back in the dressing room, Simeone immediately launched into his trademark motivational masterclass—an area where his prowess is arguably unmatched, perhaps even surpassing Mourinho and Klopp.
"Before I took charge at Atletico, my son asked me: 'Will you coach Falcao? Will you face Messi? Confront Ronaldo?'"
"Honestly, I lacked confidence then. We lost my first three matches in charge, failing to score even once."
"But I knew my strengths. Having played for Atletico for five and a half years, I knew not just the club president but every kit manager and staff member here."
"I knew every seat at the Vicente Calderón, and the person in it. These experiences made me understand from day one what they truly wanted."
Simeone slammed the table and roared:
"A resilient defensive team! One excelling in counter-attacks, capable of tormenting superclubs!"
"..."
As Simeone stated, he understood what Atletico fans craved and what his players needed—how to make them follow his commands.
Then leave everything on the pitch!
During his playing days, Simeone was infamous as a "hardman," his ferocious defending a nightmare for opposition attackers.
Now he has instilled that same identity into Atletico.
The dressing room atmosphere grew increasingly fervent, every player fired up and ready to sacrifice everything for Simeone immediately.
Simeone raised his hands to quiet them before continuing.
"In football, victory is everything!"
"June 30, 1998, Saint-Étienne, France. English players sat dejected on their bus, forced to watch us celebrate wildly as losers!"
"Scholes nearly broke down because of it at the time, and Beckham became a national villain."
"And me? They called me the Dark Mage, the villain in the pantomime—clever, cold, and cruel!"
"To be honest, I appreciate such comments. I'm delighted that Beckham fell into my trap!"
"I believe only those who value victory above all else can bring the most honors to both the team and themselves!"
"..."
In the adjacent locker room.
Mourinho appeared much calmer, as he was learning to change himself.
Compared to verbal stimulation, fostering self-motivation in players might be better.
This was the shining quality he had observed in Ling.
"You all know Simeone once targeted Beckham, but the fact remains Argentina emerged victorious in the end."
"So I hope you can control your emotions, just like Beckham did in 2002. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't fight back!"
"There's one thing Simeone said that I strongly agree with - on the pitch, you need to act more like a bastard to protect yourself and your teammates from harm."
"Finally, I want to tell you that victory isn't the most important thing. Health, family, and such matters are."
"So protect yourselves as much as possible - that's my biggest request of you!"
"..."
Mourinho then briefly reviewed the first half and informed the players about adjustments for the second half.
Ling leaned against the locker room door with his eyes closed, having already suppressed his earlier emotions.
He too possessed an unparalleled desire for victory.
But never at the cost of intentionally harming others!
The fifteen minutes passed quickly. Ling slowly opened his eyes and returned to the pitch with his teammates.