Atlético Madrid fans felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar upon hearing the piercing whistle.
Manchester United fans in the away end erupted into fervent, chaotic cheers.
Ally McCoist: "Penalty! It has to be, Clive! And for Godin's malicious act of pulling him down as the last man, he could easily be shown a straight red card as well!"
Clive Tyldesley: "It certainly depends on the referee... but wait! Zwayer is covering his earpiece! The Video Assistant Referee is in his ear!"
"This season's Champions League knockout stages have fully introduced the Video Assistant Referee," Clive explained to the viewers as the tension mounted.
"When the on-field referee's decision is questionable, the VAR will promptly notify them, asking them to review the footage and ultimately reach a fair verdict. Although VAR technology can effectively avoid misjudgments, it greatly impacts the raw emotion of the game. But alas, it is an indispensable tool in the modern era."
Ling and his teammates stood outside Atlético's penalty area, anxiously awaiting the final outcome.
"Ling, when he pulled you down, were you definitely inside or outside the penalty area?" Rashford couldn't help but ask nervously.
"My focus was entirely on the ball at the time, Marcus. I didn't notice whether I had crossed the white line or not," Ling shook his head, looking at the ripped fabric of his shirt. "We'll find out in a moment."
The brief wait felt like an absolute eternity for everyone in the stadium.
Finally, referee Zwayer returned to the pitch, gestured with his hands to mimic a television screen, and then shockingly signaled that the penalty was canceled.
It was changed to a free kick just outside the box.
"Damn it!" Ling shook his hand in deep frustration.
Even though he knew VAR rarely made factual mistakes regarding lines, losing a crucial away penalty that was within reach was hardly something to be happy about.
And this VAR assistant referee seemed a bit biased tonight.
Atlético Madrid players had committed numerous malicious fouls earlier, yet VAR hadn't chosen to intervene once to suggest a red card.
Originally, this new technology could have been used to heavily target Atlético's "dirty" playing style, forcing them to rein it in and compete fairly on the green pitch with genuine skill.
But now...
Atlético players and fans breathed a massive, collective sigh of relief, immensely grateful to the "fair and just" VAR.
The immense weight in Diego Godin's heart also lifted.
Although he couldn't escape a yellow card for the cynical foul, at least he hadn't given away a penalty or received a red card.
"What kind of absolute dogshit decision is this? VAR It's not even good enough to be used properly," Mahrez complained to the referee.
"Marcus, you take this one," Ling waved to Rashford, stepping away from the ball.
Recently, Rashford's free-kick skills had improved rapidly in training, highly reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo during his peak Real Madrid days.
Run-up, swing, shot—a beautiful, dipping knuckleball was struck!
But due to the extremely close distance to the goal, the difficulty of getting the ball up and down quickly increased by more than a notch, and the ball still sailed inches over Jan Oblak's crossbar.
Ling jogged over to the touchline to change into a new jersey, then returned to continue the match.
..
@UtdFaithful: That is a clear red card for Godin! He was the last man! VAR is a joke.
@AtletiEnglish: Justice! The foul clearly started outside the box. Nothing to see here.
@TacticsNerd: Simeone's dark arts survive VAR. Godin knew exactly what he was doing pulling him down a millimeter before the line.
..
Manchester United's attack had failed to yield a vital away goal, so they began to tactically tighten their formation and focus heavily on defense to weather the post-attack fatigue period.
Atlético, on the other hand, grew much bolder, aggressively advancing from both flanks and combining with rapid passes through the center, constantly probing and tearing at Manchester United's defensive line.
Ally McCoist: "Simeone's intention is quite clear now, Clive. He wants to draw fouls and create set-piece opportunities through aggressive midfield and forward attacks."
Clive Tyldesley: "His strategy is absolutely correct, Ally. When two teams that are both incredibly adept at deep defense meet, set pieces are by far the most likely key to unlock the door!"
Ally McCoist: "Moreover, with Manchester United missing the tireless Kante tonight, their sweeping range in the midfield is insufficient. Nemanja Matic simply can't provide timely defensive support to both flanks simultaneously."
"Here it comes!"
The ball was transferred cleanly to Saul Niguez's feet.
The excellent Spanish midfielder excels at recycling possession calmly under high-intensity pressure and also possesses incredible stamina.
His mental attributes are also elite.
Pogba aggressively tried to use physical confrontation to disrupt Saul, but after bumping into him, the Frenchman realized he couldn't easily shake the sturdy opponent off the ball.
Instead, Saul cleverly took advantage of Pogba's momentum to push the ball past him.
Luke Shaw had no choice but to step up out of the defensive line to cover the gap, but Juanfran had already overlapped dangerously on the wing. Saul accurately passed the ball into his path.
Clive Tyldesley: "Atlético's wing attacks possess a razor-sharp edge! This is one of their signature tactical moves under Simeone, with Juanfran and Filipe Luís, the two attacking full-backs, being the absolute crucial outlets."
Ally McCoist: "However, as both players have aged, their attacking intensity has inevitably declined just a fraction over 90 minutes."
When Diego Costa made a direct, aggressive run toward the back post in the penalty area to drag defenders with him, Maguire quickly followed to defend, leaving a significant, dangerous gap in the central area.
Juanfran seized the moment perfectly and played a precise cut-back pass to the edge of the box.
Griezmann surged forward into the space like lightning, completely ignoring Bailly charging toward him, and swung his left foot to shoot powerfully at an angle.
Boom!
The ball rocketed violently toward the right side of the goal.
At the critical moment, David De Gea jumped slightly in place and lunged fiercely toward his right!
His outstretched fingertips just barely touched the leather, slightly altering its trajectory, and the ball rebounded violently off the post back into the penalty area.
Bailly, still shaken by the speed of the attack, cleared it with a desperate, powerful kick into the empty front field.
Clive Tyldesley: "GRIEZMANN!!! OFF THE POST! The woodwork rescues United! Atlético's counterattack nearly resulted in a sensational goal, but unfortunately for them, they encountered peak David De Gea! A goalkeeper whose reflex shot-stopping ability ranks among the absolute best on the continent!"
Ally McCoist: "But Manchester United must be extremely cautious of Atlético's attacks on that right flank. Pogba's defensive enthusiasm and tracking ability are simply insufficient to sustain the required defensive intensity on that side alone against Saul and Juanfran. Atlético will definitely exploit that weakness relentlessly."
...
@UtdDaily: DE GEA YOU BEAUTIFUL MAN! My heart stopped when Griezmann hit that.
@FrenchAtleti: So close! Griezmann is running the show right now. Pogba needs to track back!
...
Ling clearly sensed Atlético's tactical intentions as well.
He quickly signaled his teammates to stabilize their defensive shape first, then turned to his left-back.
"Luke, hold off on pushing forward to join the attack for now. Focus entirely on covering the space behind Paul," Ling instructed.
"Alright, got it!" Although Shaw felt somewhat dissatisfied with having his attacking instincts curbed, he wouldn't ever vent his frustration at his captain.
"I'll also shift more to the left side to help," Nemanja Matic added, panting heavily.
Ling nodded approvingly and turned to move forward.
He had to aggressively press Atlético's defensive line, even drawing in some of their midfielders with his movement, to significantly alleviate his teammates' defensive pressure in their own half.
But saying it is easy, executing it against this team is exceptionally difficult.
After more than half a season of playing together, Atlético's players had developed a very cohesive, nearly telepathic understanding, especially the two center-backs, Gimenez and Godin.
Although they might not match Van Dijk or Matthijs de Ligt in raw physical attributes or pace, they excelled in vast experience and flawless defensive positioning, leaving Jeremy with very few clear opportunities.
"When we attack later, Riyad, Marcus, move more toward the center and see if you can distract their attention away from me," Ling said to Rashford and Mahrez during a break in play.
His own strength, no matter how great, had its limits, and football is a team sport.
If he only relied on desperate individual efforts against this Simeone defense, he'd never win.
Soon, Manchester United's attack pushed forward from the flanks, which was also Mourinho's intention.
Using the wings to suppress Atlético Madrid's full-backs would allow more time to adjust when possession was inevitably lost and counterattacks ensued.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka's final-third attacking ability was admittedly his weakest trait, so upon crossing the halfway line, he safely passed the ball to Mahrez ahead of him.
Atlético Madrid immediately engaged in intense, brutal physical confrontation—to put it bluntly, they weren't even aiming for the ball.
Filipe Luís and Koke viciously double-teamed Mahrez, and despite his desperate efforts to control the ball and break through the trap, he was eventually tripped by Filipe cynically stepping hard on his foot.
Moreover, Filipe's dirty move was very discreet, using Koke's body to block the referee's line of sight perfectly.
Thus, when Mahrez angrily argued with the referee from the ground, it had no effect.
Fortunately, Wan-Bissaka decisively stepped up to intercept the loose ball, and in the ensuing physical scramble, he managed to clear the ball out of bounds, preventing Atlético from launching a quick counterattack.
Beep—beep!!!
Clive Tyldesley: "And the referee brings a brutal, grueling first half to a close! The score is temporarily 0–0. The theater of the Metropolitano holds its breath. Although both teams had decent chances, neither managed to convert them in this bruising war of attrition."
Ally McCoist: "The first half was incredibly tactical, Clive. Manchester United would certainly be happy to leave Madrid with a draw and no away goals conceded, but Atlético Madrid likely won't agree with that script. Therefore, I expect the second half to be much more exciting as Simeone throws caution to the wind!"
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