Chương 221: Who Tripped Me, and Who Did I Trip?
When Götze saw Lin in front of him, he became very alert.
"Are you using me as a breakthrough point? Hmph, I won't let you succeed!"
He got into a defensive stance, focusing intensely on Lin and the ball at his feet.
"It's happening, it's happening! Götze vs. Lin, the showdown that fans have been eagerly waiting for is finally here!"
From the commentary booth, He Wei saw Lin bring the ball straight to Götze and couldn't help but get excited.
Both players were rising stars in recent years. Götze had gained fame earlier, but Lin's momentum was stronger. Fans had long hoped to see a head-to-head battle between the two to determine who was better.
Additionally, both players had some history with Bayern due to their transfers, adding another layer of intrigue. If Götze could win this direct confrontation, it would validate Bayern's scouting decisions. But if Lin outplayed Götze, it would be a humiliation for both Götze and Bayern.
So, when Lin faced Götze, not only were Götze's fans anxious, but even Rummenigge and Hoeness in the box were also a bit tense.
"Come on, Götze, you can do it!"
"Mario, go for it, stop that guy and prove yourself!"
Bayern fans seemed to have forgotten their past fear of Lin, daring to hope that Götze's modest defensive skills could stop him.
Under the intense focus of the crowd, Lin made his move.
He first tapped the ball to the right, shifting Götze's balance, then swiftly brought the ball to his left and smoothly bypassed Götze on the right.
In front of Lin, Götze looked clumsy, like a bear, unable to keep up with Lin's rhythm.
"Idiot!"
On the sidelines, Guardiola cursed inwardly as he saw Götze easily give up his balance.
He had spent a lot of time before the match explaining Lin's dribbling techniques to his players, emphasizing how to defend against him. But Götze seemed to have forgotten everything.
"Stop him!"
Seeing Götze beaten, Kroos quickly moved up to cover.
Kroos knew how dangerous Lin was and understood that he couldn't stop him alone.
He intended to delay Lin, giving his teammates time to come and help double-team him.
Thiago didn't disappoint, quickly moving in to support Kroos.
Seeing his teammate coming to assist, Kroos felt a bit relieved. But then he saw a blue figure flash past his left side.
So fast!
Before he could see clearly who it was, Lin had already passed the ball.
Kroos and Thiago, shocked, instinctively turned to see who was attacking.
It was David Silva!
Silva had been following behind Lin since Lin started his dribble. Bayern's defenders had focused on Lin, ignoring Silva.
As Lin drew all their attention, Silva darted down the flank, becoming City's second point of attack in the final third.
Ahead of him, near the penalty area, Aguero was already in position, signaling for the ball.
Lahm rushed to Silva, trying to break up the attack and prevent a pass.
Meanwhile, Dante and Boateng, like two iron gates, trapped Aguero, not giving him any space to receive the ball.
However, Silva didn't pass to Aguero. He passed to his front, behind Lahm.
Lahm felt a gust of wind on his right and turned to chase, but it was too late!
Lin received the ball but didn't continue down the wing. He cut inside.
"Don't give him a shooting chance!"
Seeing the ball back at Lin's feet, Neuer quickly commanded his teammates to disrupt him.
A player of Lin's caliber, if given space to shoot, posed a significant threat to the goal.
Despite Neuer's prowess, after conceding several times to Lin, he was no longer confident in stopping Lin's precise shots.
Dante and Boateng exchanged a glance. Seeing that Boateng wasn't moving, Dante went up to challenge Lin.
Seeing Dante approach, Lin glanced at his knee.
Dante felt a chill, recalling some unpleasant past experience, sensing something bad was about to happen.
At that moment, Lin began his dribble, starting with his signature cut-back move!
Dante felt a surge of dread, trying his best to match Lin's pace.
But after Lin made three quick cuts, Dante's knee began to buckle.
Boateng, it's up to you now. I can't handle this at thirty years old.
Seeing Dante beaten, Boateng had to leave Aguero and intercept Lin.
Boateng's mind was clear. He was Bayern's last defender.
If he moved, Aguero would be offside. Lin couldn't pass to the forward.
As Boateng faced Lin, the fans started laughing.
"I remember Boateng's classic moment!"
"Boateng: Who tripped me, and who did I trip?"
"Stop, it hurts too much!"
"Haha, this is a battle of destiny!"
"Let's see what position Boateng will fall into this time!"
Even the fans knew the joke. Boateng, the man involved, certainly did too.
He didn't want to face Lin, fearing a repeat of being outmaneuvered at the Allianz Arena.
But with his teammates failing, Boateng had no choice but to step up.
Facing Lin with the ball, Boateng was on high alert.
He didn't dare rush in, knowing Lin's agility and quick movements would make it a suicide mission.
But as he retreated, Lin advanced.
Boateng kept retreating, hoping to buy time for his teammates to catch up and help double-team Lin.
However, his plan failed.
Lin passed the ball to Aguero!
Offside!
Boateng immediately raised his hand to signal offside, but then realized he was behind Aguero.
Aguero, initially offside, was now onside due to Boateng's retreat.
Idiot!
Neuer cursed inwardly, rushing towards Aguero. But Aguero passed the ball back to Lin.
Lin, now free from Boateng, shot directly upon receiving the ball.
2:1!
City pulled one back in the 14th minute of the first half.
After Lin scored, Boateng stood in a daze. How had he been beaten again? Could he never defeat this guy?
Neuer angrily kicked the goalpost, feeling the frustration of the goal.
After scoring, Lin celebrated with a front flip.
This was Klose's signature celebration, which Lin had done a few times at Werder Bremen.
Seeing this move, both coaches tensed up.
"Remind Lin not to celebrate like that; it's too dangerous!"
Pellegrini was startled by the risky move. It looked cool if done correctly, but a mistake could cause serious injury, potentially ending his career.
Guardiola instinctively wanted to scold Lin, but then remembered Lin wasn't his player and held back.
"Damn kid, I'll teach you a lesson after the game!"
The game resumed, and with City pulling one back, their morale soared.
Their attacks became increasingly threatening.
After conceding, Bayern became wary of City's offense, no longer attacking recklessly.
The game became more intense, with both teams fighting aggressively and making more fouls.
Milner and Yaya Toure were booked, and Bayern's Dante also received a yellow card.
In this situation, City suffered more.
They were used to the Premier League's lenient refereeing but struggled with the stricter Champions League officiating.
This was a disadvantage for Premier League teams in European competitions.
The intense physical play and lenient officiating in the Premier League increased the league's appeal but caused issues for English teams in Europe, where they had to adapt to stricter refereeing.
According to European competition rules, accumulating three yellow cards leads to a suspension.
After the first suspension, only two yellow cards are needed for another suspension.
This often caused Premier League teams to lose key players in crucial matches, weakening their strength.
Milner's absence was manageable as he was a rotation player.
But Yaya Toure's suspension, being City's main defensive midfielder, was a significant blow.
He already had two yellow cards, and this one meant he'd miss the next match, which would be the first knockout round.
For City, losing their main defensive midfielder in the knockout stages was bad news.
The 2:1 scoreline held until halftime.
This score wasn't ideal for either team.
For Bayern, it meant City would top the group on goal difference.
For City, it meant their unbeaten run in the Champions League would be broken.
So, at the start of the second half, both teams chose to attack.
Both teams excelled in attack, with star-studded midfields.
With both teams abandoning conservative tactics, the game's excitement increased.
Players from both sides exchanged thrilling moves, delighting the fans.
They had paid to see a match like this!
"Wow, is City's strength that strong? They can go toe-to-toe with Bayern!"
"City has many stars; their strength isn't weak!"
"Please, they're losing. How can you say it's toe-to-toe?"
Bayern fans couldn't accept this comparison!
What level?
How could they be on par with Bayern?
Bayern was one of Europe's top clubs, along with Real Madrid and Barcelona. Other top clubs had to respect them. City was a nouveau riche, not even a traditional top club. How could they be on par with Bayern?
"Just wait. Guardiola will make substitutions soon, and then Bayern will step up!"
Guardiola's substitutions this season had been effective, making Bayern fans confident in his changes.
As long as Guardiola made substitutions, everything would get better!
In the
62nd minute, City made a defensive stop.
Yaya Toure quickly passed to Lin, who drove straight at Götze.
Going after the weak spot, Lin targeted Götze this game.
Götze was miserable!
Since Lin targeted him, he had been thoroughly beaten.
Despite his efforts, his defensive skills couldn't match Lin's attacking prowess.
Unsurprisingly, Lin broke through Götze again.
Thiago felt frustrated, rushing to cover while thinking:
Can someone else handle him? I don't want to clean up after this guy!
Before Thiago could position himself, Lin passed the ball and ran forward.
After several wall passes with teammates, Lin broke into the box.
But before he could shoot, Bayern's captain Lahm tripped him from behind.
The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.
The crowd erupted. A penalty at this moment meant their long-held lead was gone.
"Götze is getting destroyed today!"
"It's too brutal. I've counted, and Lin has beaten him eight times!"
"Lin is too harsh, just bullying one person!"
"I wonder how Bayern's management feels now. They could have signed Lin back then!"
"They're probably feeling the sting now!"
In the box, Rummenigge and Hoeness couldn't stay seated as soon as Lin started his attack.
Seeing Lahm's foul resulting in a yellow card and penalty, their expressions darkened.
"Um, Lahm was forced to foul in desperation. It's not his fault!"
Hoeness wiped his sweat, quickly defending Lahm.
Rummenigge huffed, "I'm not blaming Lahm. He played well!"
Hearing this, Hoeness and Sammer exchanged glances.
If it's not Lahm, who is he blaming?
As City's primary penalty taker, Lin stepped up without hesitation.
Facing Germany's top keeper, Lin calmly placed the ball in the bottom right corner.
Neuer guessed right but couldn't reach the fast shot, watching it fly into the net.
In the 62nd minute of the second half, City equalized.
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