Bab 484: Ronaldinho’s Magic: A Goal Beyond Borders
Bayern Munich's fans in the stands witnessed the one thing they dreaded most—a goal conceded on home soil.
In games of this caliber, where every pass and touch is magnified, the line between glory and heartbreak is often razor-thin.
An away goal carries enormous weight—practically equivalent to scoring twice in some scenarios.
Aldrich stood on the sidelines, his eyes sharp and his presence commanding.
Now, Bayern Munich has been pushed to the edge.
A year ago, Millwall suffered heartbreak here, eliminated in a penalty shootout and tasting their first-ever European defeat.
However, Bayern must not forget—they left London last time empty-handed, without a single goal or even a draw.
Hitzfeld cast a worried glance at his players. Under Effenberg's leadership, Bayern Munich's spirits remained unbroken by the solitary goal. Yet the precarious on-field dynamics could not escape Hitzfeld's notice.
The root of Bayern's struggles lay in their three-centre-back formation—a consequence of Matthäus's absence from the squad due to age. Matthäus had once offered tactical flexibility, switching fluidly between attack and defense. His replacement, Anderson, simply couldn't replicate this role.
At this stage, Bayern Munich must depend on their overall cohesion. Millwall, however, isn't a minor Bundesliga team that they can steamroll with individual brilliance.
The reality is that Bayern's attacking players lack the individual star power to rival Europe's elite. They have a few skilled players, but no genuine superstars.
Salihamidzic, Scholl, Elber, and Effenberg—great in Germany, no doubt. But stack them up against players in their positions at Europe's elite clubs, and they just don't shine as brightly. Effenberg? He's unique, but that's more because of his grit and leadership than pure technical ability.
Last season, Millwall was eliminated after 180 minutes of regular time and 30 minutes of extra time, with the two sides evenly matched throughout. Bayern Munich's strength lies in their cohesion, unity, and mental toughness, rather than any overwhelming dominance on the pitch.
Their equalizer to level the aggregate score came from a corner kick. When Matthäus, their libero, wasn't on the field, Bayern's overall strength, no matter how united, inevitably dropped.
Hitzfeld chose not to make any changes, preferring to take a wait-and-see approach.
Even though Bayern Munich's attack was limited by the defensive reinforcement of three center-backs, he did not opt to make a change.
While change may sound simple, putting it into action carries its own risks.
For a team that values cohesion above all else, any significant adjustment to one aspect of play could trigger unpredictable consequences.
The first half ended without further goals. Bayern Munich had been on the back foot for nearly the entire 45 minutes.
Bayern Munich couldn't create any significant offensive threat through their front four in the positional game. The full-backs made runs forward, but this left them open to counterattacks.
Especially against Millwall, who exploited the space left by the advancing full-backs, Bayern's defense was under constant pressure, with their goal always at risk.
"Half-time here at the Olympiastadion, and Millwall leads 1-0. The standout players in the first half all come from Millwall. First, Gareth Southgate, with five precise interceptions, has been the backbone of their defense. Second, Andrea Pirlo, whose pinpoint passing and composure have been pivotal in both their build-up play and counterattacks. His assist has allowed Thierry Henry to draw level with Rivaldo and Raúl in the Champions League scoring charts, just behind Jardel. Lastly, Ronaldinho, whose attacking flair has stifled Jeremies, forcing him to hold back from joining the attack. This has left Bayern's midfield uncharacteristically passive. This scoreline is ideal for Millwall, but will Bayern Munich respond after the break? We'll see!"
During the break, Aldrich praised his team but cautioned against any complacency. He also made a few tactical adjustments to prepare for the second half.
When play resumed, Hitzfeld refrained from altering Bayern's overall structure but encouraged his full-backs to venture forward more boldly.
Drastic changes were too risky for a system built on a three-centre-back foundation reinforced by wing-backs. Sudden adjustments could disrupt the balance. Instead, the full-backs were tasked with adding width and pressure in the attack.
In the 55th minute, as the attack unfolded, Hitzfeld furrowed his brow.
Nedvěd, the Millwall midfielder, surprisingly hadn't dropped back to help in the defensive half.
On the right flank, Babbel surged forward, outpacing Zambrotta as Salihamidžić cut inside. However, Southgate quickly neutralized Salihamidžić's threat. Despite numerical superiority in defense, Millwall maintained control, thanks in part to Pirlo's calm presence in midfield.
Babbel's cross was aimed at Elber but was cleared by Materazzi's towering header.
The ball found its way to Makelele, who nodded it forward to Pirlo. Before Effenberg could close him down, Pirlo delivered a sharp through ball upfield.
Ronaldinho had his back to goal, and Jeremies quickly dropped his center of gravity, ready to stop him from turning.
But what did Ronaldinho do? It was like he had eyes in the back of his head! With a cheeky flick of his heel, he sent the ball right through Jeremies' legs.
Jeremies was completely caught off guard. Who was that pass for? Henry, maybe?
But as he spun around, his jaw nearly hit the floor.
It was Nedvěd, swooping in from behind him to collect the ball!
Meanwhile, Ronaldinho was already darting toward the left side of the box, looking to get into position.
Nedvěd moving into the attacking midfield role and Ronaldinho wide on the left wing.
The two had switched positions in the blink of an eye!
As Jeremies lunged forward to tackle the ball from Nedvěd, the latter passed it to Ronaldinho before he could be intercepted.
Ronaldinho received the ball on the inside-left channel, came to a quick stop, and made a subtle inward cut with his right foot.
Link immediately halted and pivoted, shifting his weight to block Ronaldinho's anticipated cut. Almost instinctively, he leaned his body leftward. Then, with sheer disbelief, he watched as the trajectory of the ball under Ronaldinho's control suddenly reversed.
Ronaldinho was angled at 45 degrees to the goal, looking like he was going to cut inside and curl one past Link, using his right foot to bring the ball across his body.
But suddenly, with the grace of a magician, he pulled the ball back to the left with the inside of his foot just as his body shifted to the right. In one swift movement, he slid past Link and went straight for the byline!
One touch, two dazzling changes of direction!
It was a flick of the foot—outside, inside—done in a split second, as if by magic!
A "cow's tail" move that had Link fooled and off balance!
The crowd at the Olympic Stadium was absolutely stunned as Ronaldinho left his marker in the dust!
Ronaldinho quickly approached the edge of the small box, having already passed Link. Anderson moved in to cover, but Ronaldinho was one step ahead. He performed a step-over with his right foot before using his left to deftly pass the ball back into the center of the box.
Anderson braked hard, pivoting sharply to pursue the pass. Thankfully, Henry wasn't positioned to capitalize—he had already moved toward the far post, with Kuffour trailing close behind, ready to neutralize the threat.
However, someone else was there, charging toward the central area to meet the pass. Without any hesitation, he struck the ball with a ferocious shot toward Kahn's goal.
From almost the penalty spot, Kahn executed another desperate dive, pushing himself to his absolute limit—but he still couldn't reach the ball.
"Larsson scores! Millwall has struck again in the second half, now leading by two goals! Two vital away goals! If Bayern Munich can't find the back of the net, their elimination is almost certain! No one would believe it, but despite Bayern's power, it looks increasingly unlikely they can go to London and defeat Millwall by two goals. And remember, Millwall has never lost a European match at home—never!"
A great attacking duo must avoid overlapping runs when opportunities arise. If multiple players rush toward the same point, it's a clear sign of a lack of chemistry in the forward line.
Millwall's forwards were in sync.As Henry moved to the far post to make a run, Larsson, whether by design or instinct, made sure he didn't clash with Henry for the same space. Instead, he surged toward the center, completing a switch of positions with Henry. As Henry drew Kuffour away, Larsson made his charge into the center with sheer intent, There was no need to adjust his position when he met the ball, he was running full speed, eyes on the keeper, ready to unleash that shot at the perfect moment.
After scoring, Larsson stood still for a moment, thrusting his right fist into the air with a roar of triumph. Then a grin broke across his face as he pointed to Ronaldinho, marveling at his jaw-dropping display moments earlier.
Ronaldinho's trademark toothy grin appeared as he burst out laughing, leaping into Larsson's arms.
From his elevated vantage point, Ronaldinho looked down at Bayern Munich's players, heads bowed in silence.
A shadow lingered in his heart—a bitter memory born in this very stadium.
For Ronaldinho, Aldrich's philosophy of "no hatred" was incomprehensible. It was too distant, like the gap between saints and mere mortals.
Ronaldinho didn't care about lofty ideals; he was here for revenge. He wanted to bury Bayern Munich with his own hands, hammer down the coffin lid, dig a pit, kick the coffin into it, and cover it with dirt. If that wasn't enough, he'd dance a Samba right on the grave.
The entire Munich Olympic Stadium—whether it was Bayern Munich fans or Millwall supporters—was left in awe by Ronaldinho's cow tail flick, bicycle kick, and cheeky assist in one seamless move.
Was the cow tail flick a novel trick? Not really. But to perform it in a match of this caliber? That was something else entirely. Under the immense pressure and intensity of such a high-stakes game, where every spectator held their breath, waiting for the next moment of brilliance or calamity, Ronaldinho's improvisation was not just dazzling—it was staggering.
It wasn't just flashy; it was effective. Of course, had he botched it, he would have been a laughingstock. But he hadn't. He had nailed it. And that elevated him to a level deserving of pure reverence.
What made it even more ironic was the history tied to the move. German fans were all too familiar with the cow tail flick. The first player ever humiliated by it was none other than Franz Beckenbauer, the Kaiser of German football himself.
And now, on German soil, against the German giants Bayern Munich, in their very own fortress, Ronaldinho delivered a blow far more devastating than any goal.
On the sideline, Aldrich stood with his hands on his hips, glancing around, his face lit with an incredulous smile.
In training, Ronaldinho was known to play with all kinds of flashy tricks—using his shoulder or even the back of his calf to get past players. But training and matches were worlds apart. In the heat of competition, under pressure, and with every second counting, such moves were often impractical. Even something as simple as a bicycle kick could backfire, especially when not paired with a burst of acceleration. Often, such actions delayed the attack and gave the defense time to recover.
Yet, what Ronaldinho had just done was a perfect fusion of artistry and utility.
It was absolutely breathtaking.
As Aldrich turned to survey the stadium, he noticed applause breaking out across the stands. Even Bayern Munich fans couldn't help but clap for Ronaldinho's moment of magic.
Aldrich thought to himself: The Millwall that fell here last year has returned. And not just returned—I've brought back a better Millwall. We stumbled here once, but now, we'll rise again, stronger and more determined. And we'll march all the way to the end of the road—to the championship.
Status Power Mingguan
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