Capítulo 483: The Art of the Counterattack
"It seems the starting lineup was spot on. Ronaldinho is indeed playing as an attacking midfielder today, while Nedvěd is positioned as a left winger. So far, Nedvěd's offensive contributions appear minimal, but Ronaldinho has been quite active."
Fifteen minutes into the match, Bayern Munich was visibly on the back foot, primarily due to their lackluster offense.
This was a team built on collective strength, much like Millwall's core football philosophy. However, Millwall had the upper hand at the moment, boasting superior individual attacking talent.
Bayern Munich's attack was relying entirely on their forwards, but once they crossed into the 40-yard zone, the attacking players were quickly left isolated.
Scholl and Salihamidžić tried to break through with individual runs, but neither could make a successful dribble, and their passes kept going astray.
It was clear: Bayern lacked the necessary support up front.
With Elber and Effenberg tightly marked, Jeremies hesitated, unable to push forward, knowing that any error would expose his team.
So, what now?
Aldrich stood with arms crossed, squinting at Bayern's left-back, Lizarazu.
It's your turn!
Why not Babbel?
Because Nedvěd's defensive capabilities were clearly stronger than Larsson's. Babbel's forward thrust wouldn't yield results as effectively as Lizarazu's.
Bayern Munich was caught in a dilemma: they couldn't break through on offense, while Ronaldinho was constantly challenging their central defense. For the first 15 minutes, Ronaldinho dominated the field. However, his performance felt more like flashy moves without substance. Of his three long-range shots, only one was on target.
Thankfully, they hadn't conceded a goal yet. But this was the Munich Olympic Stadium—Bayern Munich's home turf!
The dynamics were different from the teams' encounters last season. Back then, Bayern started away from home. Even if they couldn't finish the tie in 180 minutes, the longer the game dragged on, the better their chances.
This year, the tables had turned. Millwall was playing the first leg away. If Bayern failed to secure a win at home, they'd face an uphill battle in London for the return leg. Would they be in a better position than Millwall as the away team? Highly doubtful.
Lizarazu began to make his way forward into the attack, and it immediately proved effective. On his side, Scholl had the ball, facing Schneider, his German counterpart. Schneider was steadfast, closing down any path for Scholl to cut inside. If Scholl wanted to go down the line, that was fine—Elber was the only option in the middle, and Materazzi could deal with him easily in the air.
But Scholl had something else in mind. He linked up with Lizarazu for a smooth one-two. Scholl passed to Lizarazu, who was wide on the wing. Scholl then made a run inside, and Lizarazu, with perfect timing, passed the ball past Schneider, catching him off guard.
As Scholl was about to collect the ball and turn, the light around him dimmed. Alarm bells rang in his mind as someone closed in, pressing him and successfully poking the ball away.
Who was it?
Southgate!
Millwall's center-backs had different responsibilities on the field today. Materazzi's job was to man-mark Elber, keeping him tightly controlled within the defensive zone, while Southgate's role was more dynamic. He didn't have a fixed assignment; instead, he was quick to react, positioning himself to intercept any attacking moves Bayern Munich made.
As Bayern attacked, Southgate adjusted, moving across the defense to block any threat. He wasn't tied to marking anyone, but rather, he was the safety net, ensuring no one could break through with a quick one-two.
Hitzfeld watched Southgate's third successful interception of the game and realized Aldrich had meticulously prepared for this match.
This was made possible by Millwall's highly efficient intelligence-gathering. Last season, they couldn't play like this because the opposition had two strikers. But now, with only one, Aldrich made a crucial decision between intercepting and holding back, opting for Southgate to focus on the interception. In other words, if Southgate's interception failed, Millwall's defense would likely be breached right at the edge of the penalty area. Therefore, although Southgate wasn't positioned as the last man in front of the goalkeeper, he remained the most pivotal line of defense.
Southgate successfully intercepted and made a direct pass forward to the right, where Larsson, positioned just behind the halfway line, received the ball. He was unmarked, with Lizarazu and Scholl quickly closing in, but they could do nothing but watch as Larsson surged forward along the right wing, charging at full speed.
Jeremais dared not assist with the wing defense. After all, there were three center-backs behind him. If Larsson cut inside, the closest center-back could intercept, meaning there weren't as many defensive gaps as with two center-backs.
But they couldn't just watch Larsson run wild with the ball. Jeremais noticed Effenberg's run and immediately felt reassured—The Efthimov was sprinting full speed to track down Larsson.
Effenberg was just three meters away from Larsson when the Swedish forward suddenly sent the ball behind him. Stumbling for a moment, Effenberg turned to spot Pirlo closing in. Pirlo didn't even need to adjust—he played it straight back to Larsson, who had already opened up the gap, leaving Effenberg in the dust.
Efthimov was fuming, left spinning in circles by the way the opposition toyed with him.
Annoyance crept onto his face as he kept pursuing. but Larsson was already closing in on the penalty area. Lizarazu was getting closer too. Just before reaching the box, Larsson stopped, nudged the ball to the right, and as Lizarazu lunged, he cut inside, heading toward the danger zone!
Just before entering the box, Larsson stopped and lightly passed the ball to the right, then cut inside.
Lizarazu glanced back and saw someone receiving the ball and continuing down the line.
Schneider!
Where did Scholl go?
Scholl was just behind, but as Larsson got boxed in by Lizarazu and Effenberg, he relaxed, thinking it was safe to stop. Little did he know, Schneider blitzed past him, catching up with Larsson in an instant. As the ball came to him, Schneider didn't miss a beat, continuing his run down the wing.
Hitzfeld watched this unfold, his eyes wide in shock, a bad feeling creeping over him.
Effenberg, still in pursuit of Larsson, watched as Lizarazu pushed further down the line to block Schneider's path. If the opposition didn't cross or make an adjustment, Lizarazu would have a solid chance to pin him down.
Larsson made a move inside, but found himself sandwiched between Kuffour and Effenberg, while Henry surged into the center of the box, positioned between Kuffour and Anderson. From the opposite side, Nedved also cut inside, aiming for the far post. Babel and Linke were closing in fast.
Ronaldinho, meanwhile, darted into the box, with Jeremais keeping close to him.
It seemed that every attacking option for Millwall was being tightly covered by Bayern Munich's tactically superior players. And it wasn't just man-to-man marking; Bayern Munich had the numerical advantage in defense.
Schneider, after reaching the byline, opted to deliver a cross.
The ball lifted off the ground, tracing a parabolic curve. From the moment it peaked and started to fall, all eyes in the box followed its trajectory.
Near post, middle, far post...
What the hell? Schneider's missed every single target! Was that on purpose or a mess-up?!
Hitzfeld, able to see the whole picture like the spectators, shook his head in disbelief. "No way," he murmured to himself.
The ball dropped at the far corner of the box, where a Millwall player was ready to receive it.
It was Zambrotta, the left-back!
Zambrotta controlled the ball and immediately passed it back to the edge of the box, where Pirlo was waiting.
The Bayern Munich players were stunned.
Pirlo, after controlling the ball, didn't opt for a long-range shot. At such a crucial moment, he remained unexpectedly calm.
Although the shooting position was ideal, and there were no Bayern Munich players pressing him, there were too many bodies in the box. A long shot would likely be blocked by one of the players unless it was fortunate enough to slip into the net or find a gap, hoping for Kahn to have a rare lapse.
Calm. Observe.
Pirlo scanned the field, needing to make the most accurate judgment in an incredibly brief moment.
Jeremais and Effenberg were closing in on him.
Ronaldinho might have had a chance to receive the ball, but Jeremais blocked the passing lane perfectly.
Schneider was too far out, and Larsson was well covered by Lizarazu.
Nedved was being surrounded by Link and Babel.
Someone's on the move, darting forward, ready to snatch the ball.
Who's that?
It's Anderson!
The central defender, who transferred from the relegated Borussia Mönchengladbach to Bayern Munich this season, hadn't yet experienced many matches of this level.And now, almost out of instinct, he's rushing toward Pirlo. Maybe he thought Pirlo would try a long-range shot, and by charging out, he could make the block with his body, covering more ground.
From a bird's-eye view, Jeremies, Jeremies, Effenberg, and Anderson were all closing in on Pirlo from three different angles. But Pirlo, with calm precision, chose to play a direct through ball.
Anderson instinctively stretched his leg to block, but the ball rolled past him, less than half a meter from his foot.
He turned around in panic, and saw Henry half-turning to meet the ball and unleashing a sweeping shot!
Both Kuffour and Linke were right on top of Henry, and any slight mistake could give them a chance to disrupt him.
But Henry, in one swift movement, turned and fired a shot without hesitation.
From such a close range, Kahn stood no chance—even his legendary reflexes couldn't save that one.
The ball flew into the net while Kahn stretched in vain.
Bayern's players immediately raised their hands for offside, but the linesman was unmoved.
The referee pointed to the center circle—Millwall were ahead, 1-0!
"Henry has broken the deadlock! Millwall lead 1-0 on the road! What a shocker—Millwall, of all teams, have struck first! This goal is a massive blow for Bayern Munich. Not only are they behind, but they've also conceded an away goal. And in a match like this, a single goal can decide everything, especially when it's an away goal—it's gold! Millwall's full-backs pushing up for the assist was a stroke of genius. Was that part of Hall' master plan?"
After scoring, Henry got up from the crowd of players in the box and casually jogged along the byline toward the corner flag. He wasn't celebrating madly, but there was no mistaking the confidence in his stride.
This season has been the one where Henry's confidence has soared. With his tally of goals in the league and the Champions League, he's got every reason to believe he's the best striker in the world!
Aldrich raised his fists, extending his arms.
Leading by one, and it was an away goal.
Although there was still time left, in reality, Bayern Munich was already very close to the brink of crisis.
The fullbacks' bold offensive runs might sound uninspired, but Schneider and Zambrotta's pushes forward were, of course, orchestrated by Aldrich. However, knowing when to push forward was crucial.
In positional play, these two could only advance as far as the halfway line, never further.
But if Millwall counterattacked, they could press forward aggressively, even reaching the opponent's baseline.
The difference was that if Millwall played in positional attack and failed to break through, Bayern Munich would launch a quick counter, putting immense pressure on the defense if the fullbacks were out of position.
"As Millwall pushes on the counter, Bayern Munich quickly shifts from offense to defense, sounding the alarm and pulling everyone back. Disruption is their top priority. The mental shift from defending a counterattack to attacking in a positional game is huge. So, if Millwall has a 70% chance of being caught by Bayern's fast counter in a positional battle, then the chances of Millwall countering Bayern's counter only to be hit by another counter are likely around 20%."
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