Chapter 195: Showdown at the Top, Manchester City vs Bayern Munich

Chapter 195: Showdown at the Top, Manchester City vs Bayern Munich

On October 2nd, the second round of the Champions League group stage began.

In the other match of the group played first, CSKA Moscow won 3-2 at home against Viktoria Plzen thanks to an own goal from the opponent, obtaining three valuable points.

Manchester City paid close attention to this match because if they fail to beat Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow would be their main competitor in the group.

"Moscow doesn't seem that strong, right?"

"Sure, if it weren't for the own goal, who knows how the match would have ended."

"We can't be overconfident; they haven't played at home with all their strength yet."

"Yes, when we have to play against them, the temperature in Moscow will be much lower, everything will be more complicated then."

Everyone nodded. A long trip and bad weather make that away match very difficult.

"Well, don't dwell on that. Let's play well this match, and if we win, we won't have to depend on others; it will be others who have to worry about us."

"Exactly, if we beat Bayern, not only will we advance to the next round, but we'll also become title contenders."

"Haha, thinking about the championship is too much; I'll be happy just to reach the quarter-finals this year."

"Don't underestimate yourself, with our capability, as long as we don't face the strongest teams in the knockout stage, we have a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals."

In this round of the Champions League, there are several highly anticipated matches.

In the group of death, the match between Arsenal and Napoli, in group C, PSG against Benfica, and in group G, Porto against Atletico Madrid, are encounters where the teams are quite balanced, and the results are difficult to predict.

Moreover, these matches are crucial for the qualification of each group. Whoever wins these direct duels will have a significant advantage to progress to the next round.

However, compared to these matches, the showdown between Manchester City and Bayern Munich is even more attractive.

There are many points of interest in this match; first, both teams have many stars.

According to transfer market data, if we add up the value of the players from both teams, the total exceeds 1000 million euros.

This figure is very impressive and reflects how luxurious the squads of both teams are.

Furthermore, it is a duel between a historic team and an emerging team.

Bayern is a historic club in the Bundesliga, while Manchester City is a nouveau riche of the Premier League.

One has decades of history and glory, the other has just emerged, and its list of honors is almost empty.

These two types of teams represent the clash between the old and new forces of modern football.

Who will win, the team with tradition and depth or the new rich with great financial power?

This is a major point of interest in the match.

Additionally, there is another point of interest:

It is the first official encounter between Guardiola and Lin Quan, considered as father and son. Everyone is curious to see who will prevail.

"It will be Guardiola, right? There's no doubt."

"Yes, how can the strength of Bayern be compared to that of City?"

"Bayern has barely changed their starting eleven this season and has reinforced the team with players like Gotze and Thiago. With Guardiola as coach, they can be even stronger than last year. I don't see how they could lose."

In online surveys before the match, most fans were betting on a Bayern victory.

Objectively, Bayern is clearly stronger.

Additionally, Bayern has much more experience in the Champions League.

Manchester City has only participated three times, and in the first two, they didn't even advance from the group stage. In terms of experience, they are far behind the Champions League winners.

However, there are also those who support Manchester City.

"I trust Lin; if he could lead Werder Bremen to beat Bayern, there's no reason he can't do it now at City."

"Exactly, although Bayern is very strong, football is unpredictable. In the group stage of the last Champions League, Bayern lost to BATE Borisov."

"Furthermore, there's an important point: Guardiola has adjusted Bayern's tactics, but he hasn't had enough time to fully implement them, which could weaken Bayern. So Bayern might not be as strong as we think."

In summary, although there is support for Manchester City, fewer believe in their victory.

The betting houses also showed greater confidence in Bayern's away victory.

This further affected public perception, as betting houses are often more expert than ordinary fans.

...

An hour and a half before the match, the buses of Manchester City and Bayern left almost simultaneously from Carrington training ground to the Etihad Stadium.

The streets were filled with City fans dressed in sky blue.

"Play well, we have to win!"

"Lin, show what you're worth!"

"Aguero, score several goals, show no mercy!"

The fans shouted, cheering on the players.

On their faces, it could be seen that the City fans were also nervous.

They knew that this match could be the most important of the season for City.

If they don't win at home, they could repeat the failures of the last two seasons and be eliminated in the group stage of the Champions League again.

That's why many fans came to support the team, hoping to help them win.

The enthusiasm and expectation of the fans put an invisible pressure on the City players.

The tension began to be felt in the team.

Upon arrival at the stadium, the players changed and took to the field for the pre-match warm-up.

The fans also began to enter the stadium, dyeing the Etihad blue, except for a small red area in the visiting stands, where the 3000 Bayern fans were located.

It wasn't easy for them, as English hooligans are famous.

Watching an away match in England always carries the risk of clashes with local fans, and if there are fights, Bayern fans, being fewer, could come out on the losing side.

However, UEFA was prepared, with a large deployment of security and police patrolling outside the stadium.

The existence of hooligans not only threatens security in Manchester but also damages England's reputation, so they have always been dealt with firmly.

19:40 Both teams' players, led by the main referee and accompanied by the stadium kids, entered the field.

The match hadn't started yet, but the Etihad Stadium was already resonating with Manchester City's song, "Blue Moon."

This song isn't energetic or exciting; instead, it has a smooth and emotive rhythm.

However, at that moment, with that soft and emotive melody, the restlessness and nervousness in the hearts of the City players began to calm.

Moving their lips slightly, they began to sing softly.

The players held hands and formed a circle.

There were no claps or shouts.

Just the song flowing gently.

Whistle!

The referee blew his whistle.

The match had begun!

"The match has officially begun. On the field, the home team, Manchester City, dressed in blue, attacks from left to right; the visiting team, Bayern, dressed in red, attacks from right to left."

In the central TV studio, He Wei cheered up. This long-awaited showdown had finally begun.

As he reviewed the line-ups of both teams, he began to comment:

"Before this match, both teams had the same points and the same goal difference, so this match is also for the top spot in group D."

"Exactly, that's why this match is very important for both teams," added Xu Yang.

"Let's see the line-ups. Pellegrini has put Richards in defense, probably to try to stop Bayern's star, Ribery."

"Ribery showed an impressive performance in the Champions League last season. Any team facing Bayern must be very careful with him."

"That's right, and Bayern has also taken precautions. Midfielder Martinez is in the starting eleven, probably to stop Lin Quan."

"Haha, Heynckes has used that tactic before, and it didn't work out very well. We'll see if Guardiola has any surprises."

"City's defense today is very cautious. They haven't attacked recklessly at the beginning, and their formation suggests they don't plan to compete for ball possession with Bayern. Instead, it seems they will focus on defense and counterattack, hoping to capitalize on the opponent's mistakes."

"On the other hand, it's not surprising to see Bayern with a formation without a forward."

"This is Guardiola's usual tactic since his time at Barcelona, but Bayern is not Barcelona. It remains to be seen if this tactic will work at Bayern."

"Many thought Guardiola would opt for a more conservative tactic for this big match, using Heynckes' system, but they were clearly mistaken. Guardiola hasn't been conservative despite the importance of the match."

"This is completely different from Mourinho!"

"Both teams are in good form in their leagues. Bayern has five wins and one draw, while City has six consecutive wins. Both are at their best."

"But there's an interesting fact: Pellegrini, City's coach, has faced Guardiola eight times, with seven losses and one draw, without a win. Although this has to do with the quality of the teams they have managed, it could also indicate a difference in their styles of play."

"Haha, this doesn't seem like good news for City."

On the home bench, Pellegrini's face showed tension.

The commentator wasn't entirely correct. Pellegrini had coached Real Madrid in the 2009-2010 season, and Guardiola's Barça had defeated them both home and away.

Pellegrini has always been cautious with this young and successful coach.

This is the main reason why he opted for a defensive and counterattack strategy at home.

With City's current defensive level, facing a Guardiola team with an attacking approach would be madness.

In the first few minutes, both teams probed each other without making significant attacks.

In the 5th minute, a long shot from Aguero was stopped by Neuer, giving City a corner kick.

Lin Quan headed to the corner area, took a few steps back, and looked towards Bayern's area.

Bayern's defenders were tall and robust, making it difficult for City's forwards to win in the air.

That's why he decided not to aim for the forwards but to send the ball to the far post for captain Kompany to attempt a header.

Lin Quan's corner found Kompany, but his header was directly stopped by Neuer.

Neuer wasted no time, ran out of the box, and quickly threw a pass to a teammate on the wing.

This pass sought Ribery, and at that moment, City's defense was very exposed. If Ribery received the ball, he could quickly advance and threaten City's goal.

Fortunately, Richards was alert and won the ball in the air, clearing it to the touchline, thwarting Bayern's counterattack.

Pellegrini applauded Richards' intervention from the sidelines. Although Ribery was still far from City's goal, if he had received the ball and accelerated, that distance wouldn't have been a problem.

After five minutes of probing, Bayern began to attack more forcefully.

From that moment on, Ribery, Robben, and Muller began to move with greater intensity.

In the 7th minute of the first half, after a series of passes in their own half, Bayern's defender, Rafinha, launched a long pass from the right.

The pass was very precise, finding Ribery directly.

Ribery received the ball, waited a moment, and with a change of pace, he surpassed the City defender marking him, then quickly advanced with the ball towards the center.

Meanwhile, Muller and Robben moved forward, and Bayern attacked with three players, generating great danger in City's area.

Ribery looked at his teammates, apparently ready to pass the ball, but suddenly took a shot.

Joe Hart didn't expect Ribery to shoot to the near post and reacted late to make the save.

Although he managed to touch the ball, Ribery's shot was very powerful, and Hart's fingers couldn't deflect it. He could only watch as the ball entered the net.

Bayern 1-0 Manchester City!

With a surprising shot, Ribery put his team ahead as the visitor.

Ribery celebrated the goal with enthusiasm, running towards the visiting fans' stand and sliding on his knees.

As a key player in Bayern's Champions League conquest, and with no tournaments like the Euros or the World Cup on the horizon, many rumors suggested that Ribery had a great chance of winning the Ballon d'Or this year.

The Ballon d'Or is a highly coveted award by players, and Ribery was no exception.

After five years of Messi and Ronaldo's dominance, if Ribery were to win the Ballon d'Or, his fame would increase significantly, becoming a star on the level of Messi and Ronaldo.

However, for now, they were just rumors. No one will know who will win the Ballon d'Or until the award ceremony.

For Ribery, it was crucial to continue demonstrating his quality before the Ballon d'Or presentation to impress the voters and increase his chances of winning.

And leading his team in the Champions League with outstanding performances was undoubtedly the best way to do it.

(End of chapter)

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