The fourth match… the Champions League final!
As the players of both teams were led out of the tunnel by Portuguese referee Pedro Proença, the assistant referees had already taken their positions on the pitch. Gao Shen stood alone at the top of the tunnel stairs, looking out toward the "hole" in the distance.
Out there was a brand-new world.
People bustled back and forth around him, but no one came up to disturb Gao Shen.
The decisive battle was about to begin. No one knew what he might be thinking about at this moment.
In truth, Gao Shen was simply feeling emotional.
From Real Madrid to Napoli, and now to Manchester City. Time had flown by.
For the past few years, he had barely taken a break. Day after day, constantly busy.
The days had been full and productive, but now, looking back, he suddenly had a realization.
Time flies.
He was starting to feel sentimental.
Was he getting old?
…
"Hey, Gao, welcome to the Allianz Arena!"
As Gao Shen walked out of the tunnel, the deafening roar of the crowd engulfed him. He was greeted by Heynckes' hearty laugh and a familiar pat on the shoulder from the German coach.
The two had known each other for quite some time and got along well. Heynckes always seemed a bit overly familiar, but he had a charm to him.
He often said that he liked talking to young people the most.
To be honest, the first time Gao Shen heard that, it gave him goosebumps.
Fine, you win!
"Come on, we're the home team tonight, okay?" Gao Shen pointed at Heynckes and joked.
The German coach didn't mind at all. "What's yours, what's ours? Tonight, everything belongs to everyone."
Damn. That actually made a lot of sense.
"Hey, you seem to be in a great mood. Aren't you nervous?" Gao Shen asked curiously.
"Nervous? Of course I'm nervous. But what's the point?" Heynckes responded with a smile.
He had been smiling the entire time, clearly in high spirits.
"Let me guess. Did Bayern offer you a contract extension?" Gao Shen asked, testing the waters.
Heynckes chuckled. "Do I look like that kind of guy?"
Look at your face. It's probably true.
"Don't try to be friendly with me. I'm not letting you off tonight," Gao Shen warned.
"Then you'd better watch out too. I'm no pushover," Heynckes replied meaningfully.
Gao Shen was clearly caught off guard for a moment. The old man sounded really confident.
Something's up.
…
Bayern's starting lineup was exactly what Gao Shen had expected.
The only change was at left-back. Contento replaced young Alaba, who was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.
Bayern's management had previously suggested that UEFA implement a rule to wipe yellow cards before the Champions League final, a proposal that Gao Shen had fully supported.
Although Manchester City had fielded all their key players in this match, it was mostly precautionary.
This is the advantage of having squad depth.
Gao Shen could rotate and adjust players when matches were under control to avoid suspensions.
Of course, players could also tactically earn a yellow card early.
But Mourinho's way of doing it was too blatant. It openly challenged UEFA's rules and lacked any subtlety—something a true master would never do.
We are gentlemen. So we do things the gentleman's way.
"Keep a close eye on Bayern's early movements," Gao Shen reminded Carlos Vargas as he headed to the bench.
"Understood," the chief analyst replied and immediately went to pass along the instruction.
Meanwhile, in the stands of the Allianz Arena, Manchester City's analysis team was still hard at work.
"Any problems?" Carlo came over, his voice filled with concern.
He had always been cautious. A good trait in an assistant—he could spot flaws, plug gaps, and remain grounded in critical moments. But he wasn't head coach material.
A head coach is the spine of the team. They cannot be timid.
Gao Shen even suspected that Heynckes' cheerful demeanor was all for show—designed to let Bayern's players see that their head coach could still laugh and chat confidently even when facing Gao Shen.
See that?
Total theater.
…
There was no suspense in Manchester City's starting lineup tonight either.
Goalkeeper: Neuer.
Defense: Felipe, David Luiz, Kompany, and Lichtsteiner.
Midfield: Javi Martinez sat deep, with David Silva and Rakitic positioned further forward.
Attack: Gareth Bale, Suarez, and Robben.
Manchester City kicked off the match.
After Suarez and Gareth Bale tapped the ball to start, they quickly played it back, sending it to the backline.
Bayern's forwards pressed immediately. David Luiz, under pressure, didn't hesitate. Before Gomez could close him down, he launched a long pass upfield toward Suarez.
But Van Buyten anticipated it and headed the ball away.
Manchester City collected the second ball, but Bayern pressed hard near the halfway line and successfully intercepted it, swinging it left to Ribery.
The French winger carried the ball forward, crossed the halfway line, and fed it diagonally to Toni Kroos.
Javi Martinez closed in quickly, used his body to block Kroos, and clipped the ball away.
Rakitic immediately passed back to Lichtsteiner, who gave it to Kompany, and then on to David Luiz...
Manchester City passed the ball continuously and calmly moved it out of danger.
Bayern continued pressing high.
Even after City stretched their shape, their sharp one-touch passing and off-the-ball movement prevented Bayern's press from having its intended effect. Still, the German side kept applying pressure in midfield and the final third.
…
Gao Shen stood on the touchline, watching quietly.
He had made an adjustment to his wing setup for this match.
Gareth Bale was positioned deeper on the left, mainly because of Lahm's overlapping runs.
Thomas Müller's off-the-ball movement was exceptional. Felipe would need to expend a lot of energy on him, and if Lahm joined in, the overload could be dangerous.
This was one of Bayern's signature weapons this season, and Lahm had been outstanding.
So Gao Shen dropped Gareth Bale deeper. That allowed him to exploit his pace while also supporting Felipe and containing Lahm.
On the right, Robben stayed high, while Rakitic sat deeper.
Toni Kroos was a contradictory player who still hadn't found his ideal position. But when he played best at Leverkusen, it was as a left-sided attacking midfielder.
In that role, he orchestrated the entire front-third attack for Leverkusen.
Heynckes, who coached Leverkusen at the time, had tailored that position for him.
But at Bayern, Kroos couldn't play that role—Ribery already occupied that space.
And Bayern's 4-2-3-1 didn't include a designated left attacking midfielder.
Still, Kroos frequently drifted into that area to link up with Ribery, so Gao Shen had Rakitic drop deeper on that side for defensive cover.
With Rakitic backing him, Lichtsteiner could push forward more confidently when needed.
Gao Shen's key target tonight was Contento.
…
After kickoff, Manchester City didn't adopt a slow, methodical possession approach. Instead, they pushed the tempo right away.
Transitions between attack and defense were rapid. Possession switched hands repeatedly.
But overall, Manchester City's defensive structure and midfield pressing were stronger.
Their defensive block focused on the halfway line.
Every time Bayern advanced beyond midfield, they were immediately swarmed by City's pressing trap.
Bayern couldn't find an effective build-up route and resorted to long balls aimed at Gomez, hoping to use his physicality to create chances.
In the 6th minute, Bayern attacked down the right. Lahm and Thomas Müller failed to link up and were forced to retreat. Tymoshchuk lofted a long ball to Gomez.
Javi Martinez used his strength to win the aerial duel, heading the ball back into midfield.
David Silva received it just inside his own half, chesting the ball down near the center circle.
Gustavo immediately charged from behind, applying physical pressure, trying to win the ball. He leaned in fully, knocking David Silva over from behind.
Silva, slight and not particularly strong, relied on his footwork. Even while falling, he kept the ball close, then quickly got back up, played it right, and sent a pass downfield to Robben on the wing.
Just as referee Proença was about to blow the whistle, he saw Manchester City had launched a counterattack and held off.
The principle of advantage in play.
Manchester City's counter was rapid.
The moment Robben took control, the midfield and front line began to sprint in unison.
"That's Manchester City's classic counterattack!"
"A direct transition, full commitment. Just look at that attacking move."
"Robben is driving forward, drawing in the defense, hinting at a cut inside."
"David Silva overlaps. They look like they're going to combine."
"But suddenly, the ball is switched wide!"
"Bayern's right flank is exposed."
"Lichtsteiner surges forward. Contento moves to cover…"
City's right-back stepped up, brought the ball under control, and glanced toward the box.
Robben was on the right side of the penalty area, but two defenders had closed him down.
Suarez had just entered the box, but both center-backs were positioned ahead of him.
Gareth Bale was at a similar depth, slightly left of Suarez, with only Lahm marking him.
Schweinsteiger was lurking outside the box, watching David Silva.
Gustavo, after fouling David Silva, had lost balance and was trailing the play.
The whole picture was crystal clear.
Lichtsteiner didn't wait for Contento to close down. He took a stance and whipped in a 45-degree cross with his right foot.
The ball arced high across the penalty area, sailing past everyone, and dropped near the far post.
"Danger!!"
Everyone realized it—Heynckes, the Bayern bench, the players.
Who was marking?
Lahm stood only 1.7 meters tall.
But facing him was Gareth Bale—lightning fast, 1.85 meters tall, and physically dominant!
As expected, just as Lichtsteiner's cross left his foot, Bale exploded forward, brushed Lahm aside, and surged toward the far post. He rose high, connected perfectly with the ball, and powered a header into the far corner.
As soon as the diagonal cross came in, goalkeeper Butt sensed the danger and raced across from the right side of the goal to cover the left.
But Gareth Bale's header redirected the ball into the opposite corner.
Butt tried desperately to adjust and dive, stretching as far as he could.
But there was no stopping it.
(To be continued.)
***
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