"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"Just over six minutes into the game, Manchester City scores the opening goal!"
"Gareth Bale with the header!"
After the Welshman found the back of the net, he turned around immediately, sprinted out of the stadium bounds, ran all the way while shouting, his expression twisted with intensity, looking almost ferocious.
These are Manchester City players.
Each and every one of them, highly trained and aggressive, turns into a beast the moment they step on the pitch.
"From various angles, we can see that Manchester City's counterattack was well thought out. It's clear they aimed to exploit Bayern's left wing and Contento in particular."
"We have every reason to believe Heynckes was aware of this and even prepared countermeasures. But when the match actually began, all the players were drawn away by Robben and David Silva, leaving the left wing wide open."
"Lichtsteiner made a sudden run from deep, and no Bayern player was in position to track back and defend."
The commentator didn't call anyone out by name, but it was clear to all that Ribery had failed to track back in time.
In other words, his defensive effort wasn't aggressive enough.
"Gareth Bale's sprinting speed is incredible, and his jumping ability is nothing short of monstrous. Lahm looked like a Mini Cooper crashing into a heavy tank. They're just not in the same weight class."
"And the header was beautifully executed, placed in the opposite direction. Butt had no chance."
The camera cuts back to the pitch.
After celebrating wildly on the sidelines, the Manchester City players were showered with cheers from their supporters.
Gareth Bale raised his arms high, looking incredibly confident, as if victory was already his.
"Since winning the Champions League last season, you can clearly feel the confidence exuding from this Manchester City side."
"Gareth Bale is one of the best wingers in world football today. Some even claim he's better than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. While he doesn't score as many goals, his tactical value is far more evident."
"Legendary coach Sacchi even wrote a column specifically about Gareth Bale, focusing on Gao Shen's tactical use and transformation of him, praising how it maximized Bale's strengths while improving Manchester City's overall balance."
"Robben is undoubtedly an important offensive weapon on the right, but Gareth Bale on the left is just as dangerous."
As Bale ran back, he headed toward the dugout and high-fived head coach Gao Shen.
The cameras caught a glimpse of Gao Shen shouting, reminding him to stay calm and composed, while also urging the rest of the team to stay focused.
"Manchester City have started the game superbly."
"Taking the lead within six minutes, it's now a difficult situation for Bayern."
…
Heynckes obviously understood all this.
After the restart, Bayern tried to press high and apply pressure on Manchester City, but it was hard for them to win the ball back.
In terms of ball control and passing, Manchester City might not be on the level of Barcelona, but aside from the Catalan giants, no team dares to play possession football in front of them—not even Arsenal, who've played that way for over a decade.
Ultimately, this Manchester City squad possesses an extremely high level of technical and tactical ability.
Even someone like Gareth Bale, who isn't known for intricate footwork, has outstanding physicality, ball shielding, and explosive impact. And frankly, he doesn't need the finesse.
When he gets the ball and sees space, he just sprints forward. Why waste time playing fancy football?
If he has the space, why would he stay and play ticky-tacky football with you?
Both sides were playing at a high tempo, with frequent possession changes, but Manchester City still held 60% possession.
This gave them a clear advantage.
However, after conceding a goal, Bayern tightened up defensively, especially when it came to protecting Contento's side.
Not only that, Lahm on the right, wary of Gareth Bale's threat, also started cutting down on his forward runs.
As a result, the match entered a stalemate.
It wasn't until the 33rd minute that Manchester City seized another opportunity. They launched a high-intensity pressing attack in the final third, forcing Bayern to retreat and pass back to goalkeeper Butt.
Suarez immediately charged at Butt, forcing him to clear the ball long under pressure.
The ball dropped in the backfield, where Kompany stepped up and contested the aerial challenge with Gomez.
Gomez judged the flight well and won the header, but no one was there to receive the second ball.
Ribery's follow-up was a step slow.
David Luiz, arriving from behind, collected the loose ball, took a couple of strides forward, and immediately sent a vertical pass.
Rakitic, positioned slightly to the right of the center circle, received it on the turn and pushed it forward to Robben.
The pass slipped perfectly between two Bayern defenders—Contento and Schweinsteiger. Robben timed his run from behind them, caught up with the ball, and broke into Bayern's 30-meter area. Before Contento could catch up, he suddenly halted and passed the ball backward toward David Silva near the edge of the box.
Manchester City's counterattack was seamless. When David Silva got the ball, Bayern's entire backline had already shifted right, anticipating another attack through Contento's side.
But once the ball landed at David Silva's feet, Bayern's players were caught by surprise.
Contento had been beaten. Central defenders Tymoshchuk and Van Buyten had drifted right, while Lahm had tucked into the center.
At that moment, Lahm was the closest defender to David Silva.
Positioned right at the top of the penalty area, David Silva was well within shooting range.
Lahm, realizing the danger, sprinted toward him with everything he had.
But David Silva didn't wait. With his left foot, he passed the ball to the left flank.
At that very moment, everyone suddenly realized—Gareth Bale had been lurking there the entire time!
The Welshman charged into the penalty area from the left corner, latched onto Silva's pass, and sprinted toward the left edge of the six-yard box. He sent in a low cross with his left foot.
The delivery was fast and unexpected, making it nearly impossible to defend.
One small mistake and it could easily have been an own goal.
All the Bayern defenders panicked, but Suarez didn't hesitate. He lunged in and struck the ball toward goal.
For Suarez, a shot from that range was almost a guaranteed goal.
But this time, the shot lacked power and was slightly off-target—it landed directly in Butt's arms.
The Bayern fans, who had been on edge, burst into relieved cheers, while the Manchester City fans groaned in frustration. What was that?
"Suarez's shot… really hard to describe!"
"That could have sealed the game, Suarez!"
"Look at Gao Shen on the touchline—he's livid. That was a golden chance!"
Suarez got up from the ground, pointed to his boot in frustration, then gestured toward Tymoshchuk, indicating he'd been stepped on.
"His boot came off."
"It really did!"
"Bayern just dodged a bullet."
The live broadcast gave a close-up—Suarez's boot had clearly been stepped on, which caused him to misfire the shot.
Otherwise, from that distance, with that positioning, it should have been an easy goal.
"Manchester City's blend of possession football and lightning-fast counterattacks tonight has made life extremely difficult for Bayern."
"If that ball had gone in, the game would've essentially been over."
"Bayern should be thanking Suarez's boot… and Tymoshchuk's stomp."
…
In just over 30 minutes, Manchester City had already registered eight shots, three dangerous chances, and one goal.
That last one would've been a second if Suarez's boot had stayed on.
Heynckes sat on the bench, shaking his head helplessly.
Manchester City's attacking routes were almost entirely down the flanks, cutting into Bayern's box from wide positions.
Do Bayern not know that?
Of course they do. But there's nothing they can do about it.
Just like this time—Manchester City first attacked down the right, using Robben to draw the defense's focus. Once in the final third, they switched the ball to David Silva, who then played it out left.
Bayern's defense was stretched thin from side to side.
If Lahm hadn't rushed to confront David Silva, the Spaniard might have gone forward himself or taken it into the box to look for a direct assist.
And don't forget, David Silva's pinpoint passes around the penalty area are his trademark.
Once Manchester City reached the final third, Bayern were already on the back foot.
The solution was to prevent the counterattack from developing.
That means, when Rakitic passed to Robben, either Contento or Schweinsteiger had to intercept it or at least contain Robben quickly.
But at the end of the day, it came back to Contento.
What's even more ironic is that after watching the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea, Heynckes had been warning his players to pay close attention to Gareth Bale, recognizing just how terrifying this all-around winger could be.
And yet, both of Manchester City's most threatening attacks came from Gareth Bale.
Starting near the halfway line, he was able to burst into the penalty area within seconds. He's tall, strong, fast, with incredible leaping ability, and now his finishing is getting sharper and sharper.
How do you stop a player like that?
The biggest gap between Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo right now is his right foot.
But Ronaldo lacks Gareth Bale's defensive awareness.
So, the two players each have their own strengths.
What's undeniable is that Gao Shen's ability to develop Gareth Bale into a world-class winger once again showcased his elite managerial skills. You have to admire that.
Facing such a Manchester City, Heynckes really has no answers.
He's already put out Bayern's best lineup. What else can he do?
Gao Shen is practically playing his cards in the open. If you still can't beat him, there's nothing more to say.
"This damn kid really isn't giving us any room to breathe!"
Heynckes was so angry that his teeth ached as he muttered through gritted teeth.
(To be continued.)