Chapter 474: Guardiola: City Cannot Be Without Lin!
Chapter 474: Guardiola: City Cannot Be Without Lin!
Manchester City chose to report the disturbances to the local police and filed a complaint with UEFA. With pressure from both sides, the Kyiv fans had to tone down their antics, and they did not cause any more trouble the next night. However, the disruption had already significantly affected City's preparations for the match.
On the day of the match, the weather was bleak. The sky was overcast, with no sunlight, looking as if it could snow at any moment.
"The temperature in Kyiv is quite low these days; it might snow during the match," the assistant coach told Guardiola worriedly.
"What's the weather forecast?" Guardiola asked, glancing up at the sky with a sigh. If it really started snowing heavily during the match, it would be very disadvantageous for City.
"The forecast says there's a high chance of snow, over 70%," the assistant coach replied. A 70% chance basically meant a snow match was imminent.
According to UEFA regulations, matches can be postponed due to extreme weather like heavy rain or snow. But the worry was if the snow wasn't heavy enough to postpone the match but still significant enough to affect the game, making the field slippery and unfavorable for City's ground-based attack style.
Despite the poor weather, the match attracted a large crowd. Only about 1,000 City fans had traveled to Kyiv, with the rest being Dynamo Kyiv supporters. The Lobanovsky Stadium wasn't large, with a capacity of 16,900. Since it wasn't a dedicated football stadium, a running track surrounded the field, reducing the impact of fan noise on the players.
However, City players were shocked when they stepped onto the field. The Lobanovsky Stadium presented two contrasting scenes:
On one side were a group of bare-chested, muscular men, sweating and beating drums vigorously. Behind them, hundreds of fans clapped rhythmically and waved team scarves. Though their numbers weren't large, they were particularly noticeable. On the other side, a group of fans had somehow brought in large quantities of fireworks, lighting them up in the stands. The orange flames and thick smoke made that section of the stadium look as if it were on fire.
City players, especially those seeing such a scene for the first time, were astonished by the bare-chested fans shouting and cheering in the cold weather. Just looking at them made the City players feel cold.
"Look at them! They're freaking us out! Let's show these weaklings the Ukrainian spirit!" The sight of City players glancing their way emboldened the Kyiv fans, who drummed and shouted even more energetically.
"So, these are Dynamo Kyiv's fans. They sure are crazy!" Guardiola said, pulling his down jacket tighter around himself. The biting cold wind penetrated even his down jacket, making him shiver. How would his players, in their shorts and shirts, handle it on the field? Without proper warming up, they risked frostbite or muscle injuries.
At 9:45 PM, with the referee's whistle, the match officially began. Despite thorough warm-ups, City players had cooled down again during the walk from the locker room to the pitch. At the start of the match, they played cautiously, fearing injuries.
Dynamo Kyiv had anticipated this and launched an aggressive attack right from kickoff, hoping to catch City off guard and score early. Kyiv's plan was solid, and they executed it with determination. However, Guardiola had foreseen this and prepared his team's tactics accordingly. As soon as City noticed Kyiv's aggressive push, they pulled back and solidified their defense.
Kyiv's set-piece offense was not strong, and under City's full defensive effort, they failed to create significant chances. Seeing City's preparedness, Kyiv's coach sighed. After three or four fruitless long shots, he called off the attack.
By the 15th minute, City players had warmed up and adjusted. Just as Kyiv shifted their tactics, City began to push back and counterattack. In the 17th minute, City intercepted the ball in midfield and launched a quick counterattack. Son Heung-min raced down the flank and crossed the ball into the box. Making his first start for City, new signing Jesus was slightly late in his attempt to reach the ball due to a defender's interference, missing a chance to score. Lin also missed the opportunity at the back post, and City squandered a golden chance to take the lead.
Despite the missed opportunity, Guardiola applauded his players. He felt confident that maintaining such a state would inevitably lead to a goal.
Sensing the danger, Kyiv's coach instructed his players to intensify their defense and aggression, resorting to fouls. In the 22nd minute, Son was brought down by a sliding tackle from Kyiv's right-back. Whether intentional or accidental, the tackle struck Son's leg, causing him to roll on the ground in pain.
Seeing their teammate injured, City players surrounded the offending player, demanding justice. "Are we playing football or just trying to injure people?" they shouted. Kyiv players quickly rushed over to defend their teammate, leading to a tense standoff.
Just as a brawl seemed imminent, the referee intervened, giving the offending Kyiv player a yellow card and cautioning several City and Kyiv players for shoving.
Manchester City chose to report the disturbances to the local police and filed a complaint with UEFA. With pressure from both sides, the Kyiv fans had to tone down their antics, and they did not cause any more trouble the next night. However, the disruption had already significantly affected City's preparations for the match.
On the day of the match, the weather was bleak. The sky was overcast, with no sunlight, looking as if it could snow at any moment.
"The temperature in Kyiv is quite low these days; it might snow during the match," the assistant coach told Guardiola worriedly.
"What's the weather forecast?" Guardiola asked, glancing up at the sky with a sigh. If it really started snowing heavily during the match, it would be very disadvantageous for City.
"The forecast says there's a high chance of snow, over 70%," the assistant coach replied. A 70% chance basically meant a snow match was imminent.
According to UEFA regulations, matches can be postponed due to extreme weather like heavy rain or snow. But the worry was if the snow wasn't heavy enough to postpone the match but still significant enough to affect the game, making the field slippery and unfavorable for City's ground-based attack style.
Despite the poor weather, the match attracted a large crowd. Only about 1,000 City fans had traveled to Kyiv, with the rest being Dynamo Kyiv supporters. The Lobanovsky Stadium wasn't large, with a capacity of 16,900. Since it wasn't a dedicated football stadium, a running track surrounded the field, reducing the impact of fan noise on the players.
However, City players were shocked when they stepped onto the field. The Lobanovsky Stadium presented two contrasting scenes:
On one side were a group of bare-chested, muscular men, sweating and beating drums vigorously. Behind them, hundreds of fans clapped rhythmically and waved team scarves. Though their numbers weren't large, they were particularly noticeable. On the other side, a group of fans had somehow brought in large quantities of fireworks, lighting them up in the stands. The orange flames and thick smoke made that section of the stadium look as if it were on fire.
City players, especially those seeing such a scene for the first time, were astonished by the bare-chested fans shouting and cheering in the cold weather. Just looking at them made the City players feel cold.
"Look at them! They're freaking us out! Let's show these weaklings the Ukrainian spirit!" The sight of City players glancing their way emboldened the Kyiv fans, who drummed and shouted even more energetically.
"So, these are Dynamo Kyiv's fans. They sure are crazy!" Guardiola said, pulling his down jacket tighter around himself. The biting cold wind penetrated even his down jacket, making him shiver. How would his players, in their shorts and shirts, handle it on the field? Without proper warming up, they risked frostbite or muscle injuries.
At 9:45 PM, with the referee's whistle, the match officially began. Despite thorough warm-ups, City players had cooled down again during the walk from the locker room to the pitch. At the start of the match, they played cautiously, fearing injuries.
Dynamo Kyiv had anticipated this and launched an aggressive attack right from kickoff, hoping to catch City off guard and score early. Kyiv's plan was solid, and they executed it with determination. However, Guardiola had foreseen this and prepared his team's tactics accordingly. As soon as City noticed Kyiv's aggressive push, they pulled back and solidified their defense.
Kyiv's set-piece offense was not strong, and under City's full defensive effort, they failed to create significant chances. Seeing City's preparedness, Kyiv's coach sighed. After three or four fruitless long shots, he called off the attack.
By the 15th minute, City players had warmed up and adjusted. Just as Kyiv shifted their tactics, City began to push back and counterattack. In the 17th minute, City intercepted the ball in midfield and launched a quick counterattack. Son Heung-min raced down the flank and crossed the ball into the box. Making his first start for City, new signing Jesus was slightly late in his attempt to reach the ball due to a defender's interference, missing a chance to score. Lin also missed the opportunity at the back post, and City squandered a golden chance to take the lead.
Despite the missed opportunity, Guardiola applauded his players. He felt confident that maintaining such a state would inevitably lead to a goal.
Sensing the danger, Kyiv's coach instructed his players to intensify their defense and aggression, resorting to fouls. In the 22nd minute, Son was brought down by a sliding tackle from Kyiv's right-back. Whether intentional or accidental, the tackle struck Son's leg, causing him to roll on the ground in pain.
Seeing their teammate injured, City players surrounded the offending player, demanding justice. "Are we playing football or just trying to injure people?" they shouted. Kyiv players quickly rushed over to defend their teammate, leading to a tense standoff.
Just as a brawl seemed imminent, the referee intervened, giving the offending Kyiv player a yellow card and cautioning several City and Kyiv players for shoving.
The referee's timely decision prevented a massive brawl between the two teams. However, the players' tempers had flared, and tensions were running high. For the remainder of the match, both sides played aggressively. If one team fouled, the other would quickly retaliate. This chaotic style of play favored Dynamo Kyiv, disrupting Manchester City's momentum and making it difficult for them to organize their ground attacks. The fear of injury and the opponents' rough play caused City's players to hesitate during their offensive efforts.
In the stands, Dynamo Kyiv's fans were loudly mocking City's players.
"What kind of Champions League winners are these? They're nothing special!"
"Heh, we've got this game in the bag. City's morale is shattered; they have no strategy left!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola frowned deeply. The chaotic match was detrimental to City, and his attempts to calm and adjust the team had little effect. He hoped that halftime would provide an opportunity to regroup, but his primary concern was avoiding injuries.
According to Murphy's Law, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Just as Guardiola hoped no one would get injured, a player did. In the 31st minute, Dynamo Kyiv's winger Garmash tackled Lin, and both players went down. Guardiola leaped from his seat, anxiety etched on his face.
At that moment, he wasn't thinking about the match outcome or advancing in the knockout stage. His only concern was Lin's condition.
No way. Lin can't be injured at such a crucial time. City cannot afford to lose him now. With the team already plagued by injuries, losing Lin would be disastrous.
Seeing the opposing team's key player down, Dynamo Kyiv's fans erupted in joy.
"Haha, this is great! We've taken out their key player; this game is ours!"
"If that kid's injury is serious and he can't play the next match, we might even beat City in the return leg!"
"Beating City both home and away is something even top teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Bayern haven't done. And now we might actually achieve it!"
Their excitement was understandable. Everyone knew how crucial Lin was to City. Without him, City's strength would be halved, greatly increasing Dynamo Kyiv's chances of winning at home. The thought of eliminating the defending champions and reaching the quarterfinals had the Kyiv fans ready to celebrate.
In stark contrast, City's fans were filled with dread. Lin's absence would be catastrophic for Manchester City. Many began praying for Lin, hoping he was okay.
Medics from both teams rushed onto the field. Surprisingly, after a checkup, City's medics signaled that Lin was fine. With the help of his teammates, he slowly got up and hobbled to the sidelines. City's fans breathed a sigh of relief, while Dynamo Kyiv's fans were visibly disappointed.
"Did Garmash not eat? Why didn't he manage to injure that guy?"
"He's useless! Can't even take out one player. Garmash should be kicked off the team!"
They seemed to forget that Garmash himself was still lying on the ground, unable to get up. To be safe, Guardiola had Lin undergo a more thorough examination on the sidelines before deciding whether he could continue playing. Relieved that Lin wasn't seriously injured, Guardiola considered substituting him to avoid further risk. Losing the match didn't matter as much as Lin's health.
As Guardiola pondered, Dynamo Kyiv's medics signaled for a substitution. Garmash couldn't continue and needed treatment. This was the first injury-related substitution of the match, and it took the wind out of Kyiv's fans' sails.
This wasn't the expected outcome. Why was our player the one getting injured? Garmash had been the one making the tackle; how did he end up injured instead?
"I get it. Garmash probably made a big foul and pretended to be hurt to avoid the referee's punishment."
"Yeah, that makes sense. That tackle looked pretty nasty. He didn't get the ball but kicked the opponent's ankle hard. A yellow card would be lenient; he might have gotten a red card and a post-match suspension."
If Garmash had heard his fans' comments, he might have cried. He wasn't pretending; he was genuinely hurt. As for why he got injured while making the tackle, even he didn't understand. It felt like he had kicked an iron bar, and the impact felt like his bones were shattering.
Despite Garmash's injury, the referee didn't let him off lightly, showing him a yellow card as he was helped off the field. Given the severity of his tackle, it was lenient. If Lin had been seriously injured and unable to continue, Garmash might have seen red.
Even without a red card, losing a player so early was detrimental to Dynamo Kyiv. Just then, snowflakes began to fall, and the predicted snowy weather finally arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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