Chapter 388: Lin Quan Raises His Jersey, Manchester City Advances to the Finals!

Chapter 388: Lin Quan Raises His Jersey, Manchester City Advances to the Finals!

Silence, a death-like silence.

At that moment, it seemed as though Bayern's fans had forgotten how to speak, each staring blankly at the pitch. To them, the figure wearing Manchester City's number 10 jersey loomed larger than life, like a deity in cleats. It wasn't just the fans who felt this way; even Bayern's players on the field felt an overwhelming sense of defeat.

They had scored six goals in this match—a Champions League semi-final, no less! Scoring six goals in such a high-caliber match is an extraordinary feat. Under normal circumstances, scoring six goals in a semi-final would almost guarantee a spot in the finals. But here they were, having scored six goals, yet still facing the possibility of elimination.

The aggregate score was tied at 6-6, but Manchester City held the advantage with away goals. Bayern needed one more goal to advance to the finals.

"Strike while the iron is hot, second efforts fail, and third efforts exhaust." Bayern had tried three times already, each time thwarted by Manchester City's tenacity. This series of failures had severely dented Bayern's morale. They could still score, but guarding against Lin Quan seemed a task too difficult. What was the point of scoring if they couldn't stop him?

Heinckes wasn't one to sit idly by; his team had managed to even the score. With just one more goal needed, giving up now would mean wasting 80 minutes of effort. Decisively, he made substitutions: Götze came on for Müller, Martínez for Schweinsteiger, and Shaqiri for Lahm. Clearly, Heinckes was ready to go all in.

With the match in its 80th minute, only a dozen minutes remained. Regardless of Manchester City's plays, Bayern had to seize every opportunity to attack. Score one more, then defend vehemently to secure the win. But failing to breach City's defenses would mean watching their opponents advance to the finals on their home turf.

Bayern displayed a desperate posture; Guardiola was not about to back down either. He subbed out a fatigued David Silva and Agüero for Navas and Jovetić.

"Come on, let's see who can outlast who!"

Seeing the frenzied substitutions by both teams in the final moments, the fans watching were ecstatic.

"This is intense!"

"Guardiola and Heinckes are both going all out in these final moments. It's a fight to the finish!"

"It looks like both teams plan to settle this with offense."

In the last stage of the match, the pace of attack was rapid, but with many players running on fumes after more than eighty minutes, physical errors increased. Bayern's physical conditioning—long their ace in the hole both in domestic and European competitions—was expected to be their key advantage as the game wore on.

As the match drew near its end, they thought City's stamina was spent, a perfect moment for them to press their physical edge and crush their opponents. However, they were shocked to find City's resistance not only unchanged but stronger.

Kanté, not long with City and previously benched often, had minimal fatigue. At 24, he was at his physical peak, with reserves of stamina and rapid recovery. Like an indefatigable iron man, he still sprinted energetically after eighty minutes, showing no signs of slowing down.

His interceptions turned Bayern's central attacks into fruitless efforts. While Kroos and De Bruyne had played more and weren't as fresh as Kanté, their youth and football intelligence helped them distribute their energy efficiently, keeping them competitive deep into the match.

Navas and Jovetić, fired up from watching most of the game from the bench, unleashed their energy in wild dashes, pressing Bayern's players relentlessly. City's front line, with their dogged pressing, midfield layers of defense, and Kanté's immovable presence, thwarted Bayern's urgent assaults.

If it were just their staunch defense, it would be one thing. But City's attacks were as formidable as their defense.

In the 83rd minute, a City interception in their half led to Kroos launching a long ball over 40 meters. Bayern's players initially dismissed the threat, believing the long pass was just ceding possession. Yet, they were stunned to see a blue figure sprinting from City's half, crossing midfield like lightning to meet the still-airborne ball.

Who was this?

After more than eighty minutes, who had the stamina for such a burst of speed?

Shock coursed through Bayern as they recognized the number on the jersey racing towards the ball: City's number 10, Lin Quan. The player who should have been most drained was surging with undiminished energy.

"How is this possible?"

"How can he still have so much energy?"

At a mansion in Barcelona, watching Messi, a star who knew all too well the physical demands of such explosive runs, felt a twinge of apprehension at the sight.

Such speed! Such terrifying stamina!

Messi, familiar with the physical toll of their playing style, knew all too well the vast energy these bursts consumed. Yet Lin Quan was defying all expectations.

Seeing this, Messi felt a mix of wariness and resolve: "Lin, it seems we'll meet in the finals. This time, I won't let the championship slip through my fingers."

Even Messi doubted a one-on-one advantage, but football is a team sport, not individual combat. As long as Barcelona played better collectively than City, they could still prevail.

"Stop him; don't let him get the ball!" Heinckes, unable to contain his urgency, stood up, yelling instructions to his defense.

Alaba had just moved up to assist, but at this moment, Lin Quan left him behind. Clenching his teeth, Alaba sprinted at full speed trying to catch up. However, Lin Quan's speed only increased, making Alaba's legs feel as heavy as if they were filled with lead. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't catch up and was left further behind. Hearing Coach Heynckes shouting, Martinez quickly charged towards Lin Quan. After glancing at his teammates rushing back, he knew he might have to face Lin Quan alone.

As a teammate of Lin Quan on the national team, Martinez knew better than anyone how difficult it was to defend against him when he controlled the ball. Therefore, he didn't plan to take the ball from Lin's feet but rather intended to commit a foul, accepting a yellow card to disrupt Manchester City's counterattack.

Yet, it seemed Lin anticipated his plan. As Martinez approached, Lin seamlessly blended catching, stopping, and passing in one motion, nudging the ball past Martinez. It was Bale's signature move—passing the ball to himself three seconds ahead!

Martinez is strong in head-on defense but suffers from the common issue of tall players: slow turning speed. Although not as cumbersome as an aircraft carrier turning, compared to a shorter player like Lin, his turning speed was significantly slower. Moreover, Lin faced the goal while Martinez had his back to it.

Thus, without needing to turn or even slow down, Lin sped up after executing the triple move, overtaking Martinez on the outside. In the first second, they were side by side; by the second, Lin had moved ahead by a body length; by the third, he had completely outpaced Martinez, creating a half-meter gap.

As Martinez turned, he tried to push Lin but couldn't knock him down; instead, he only pushed Lin off the pitch. Lin's physical resilience exceeded his expectations; he had become much tougher than before. Even off the pitch and further from the ball, Lin still reached it before Martinez.

Martinez didn't give up and kept chasing. Both dashed into the penalty area, and Neuer also left his goal, planning to collaborate with his teammate to block Lin's angle completely. However, Lin managed a low-angle shot during the run. The ball perfectly passed beneath Neuer—who guarded the front but not below—into the net.

The score changed to 6:5, and the aggregate to 7:6, with Manchester City regaining the lead. Lin scored his fourth goal of the match, achieving a great feat at Allianz Arena. At the moment of the goal, Lin rushed towards the Manchester City fans, took off his jersey, and proudly displayed it to the cameras and fans. The jersey bore the prominent number 10—the symbol of the team's spirit and core.

Manchester City fans, initially stunned, went wild with cheers that echoed throughout the stadium, while Bayern fans fell silent, unable to believe their eyes. Their team was losing, and one man had scored four goals against them at Allianz Arena—an unprecedented humiliation. The stadium resounded with boos, mostly directed at Lin; if not for security, some fans seemed ready to confront him physically.

Lin, undisturbed by Bayern fans' restlessness, stayed near the Manchester City supporters, confident that any inappropriate action from Bayern fans wouldn't be ignored. But before he could celebrate much longer, his teammates swarmed him, tackling him joyously. Guardiola, too, was ecstatic, sliding across the field then rushing to join the heap of celebrating players, screaming in excitement.

He cared deeply about this match—a fight for his reputation. By defeating his former team, he proved himself. Manchester City was now almost guaranteed a spot in the final. If they won the Champions League again under his leadership, Guardiola would step out of Barcelona's shadow once and for all, silencing any claims that his success depended solely on his time at Barcelona.

Watching their opponents celebrate wildly on their home ground, Bayern fans felt a mix of anger and confusion. Staring at the scoreboard's glaring red numbers, many felt a deep sense of despair. Was this the end for them? No, they couldn't give up. They were Bayern Munich—invincible. Slowly, the stadium filled with the sound of their anthem, 'Forever Number One,' growing louder as more joined in, rallying the players who gradually overcame their despair, their eyes hardening with resolve to never yield.

Surprised by the unbroken spirit of his opponents, Guardiola quickly made tactical substitutions to bolster his defense. Bayern, seeing this, intensified their attacks, but Manchester City, well-drilled in defense, kept them at bay. Lin's sporadic counterattacks continued to threaten. As time ticked away, the match concluded with the referee's whistle, confirming Bayern's defeat at 6:5, stopping at the semi-finals despite an aggregate loss of 6:7.

This marked Bayern's fourth consecutive year reaching the Champions League semi-finals, a testament to their consistently high level of performance. For Manchester City, reaching the finals again set them up potentially to be the first team to defend their title since the Champions League's restructuring. Compared to being shut out by Atletico Madrid the previous year, Bayern at least won a match this time, showing improvement. However, this form of elimination was likely to haunt their fans for many years, especially if Manchester City clinched the championship.