Chapter 616: Bale Scores Twice, Divine Intervention!
Bale's stunning bicycle kick was so incredible that even Lin Quan, despite being on the opposing team, couldn't help but give him a nod of approval.
It was such a difficult and spectacular goal that even if Bale tried again, he might not be able to replicate it with the same perfection.
With Bale's goal, the score was tied again, and Real Madrid's spirits were soaring. They immediately launched an aggressive attack on Manchester City, hoping to capitalize on the momentum.
Their attacks indeed put City's defense under a lot of pressure, with Bale's enthusiasm and Ronaldo's determination to score causing chaos in City's backline.
However, Manchester City quickly adjusted. Their forwards dropped back to help the midfield, strengthening their interceptions in the middle of the pitch. The defensive midfielders and full-backs applied pressure on Madrid's wingers, stopping their crosses.
As a result, Real Madrid's attacking threat gradually diminished, and the game stabilized once again.
During this period, both teams had some chances. In the 69th minute, Manchester City completed a series of quick one-two passes near the penalty area. Lin Quan carried the ball across the edge of the box and suddenly unleashed a low shot toward the bottom right corner of the goal.
Courtois' height, usually an advantage, became a disadvantage in this situation. His slower reaction to low shots meant he couldn't get down quickly enough to stop the ball.
Just as City's players near the penalty box were raising their hands in celebration, thinking Courtois was beaten, a loud thunk echoed through the stadium. The ball hit the post and bounced back into play.
The Manchester City fans groaned in frustration. Once again, the goalpost had denied them! How many times would the post stop them in this match?
While the City fans despaired and the Madrid fans sighed in relief, thinking they had narrowly escaped disaster, a blue blur darted forward. Before the Madrid defenders could clear it, the ball was slammed into the net.
Raphaël Varane, who had tried to clear the ball, missed completely, falling onto the ground. Despite the pain from the fall, his immediate reaction was to check who had snatched the ball from his feet.
What he saw was the number 10 on the back of Lin Quan's jersey.
The person who had scored wasn't just anyone—it was Lin Quan himself. Anticipating the possibility of the ball not going in, Lin had been ready to pounce for a rebound, and his instinct paid off.
As they say, what's meant to be yours will eventually come to you.
Far off, Ronaldo shook his head in disbelief. Really? he thought. Perhaps he needed to be more aggressive, searching for these kinds of rebound opportunities himself.
Lin Quan's goal shifted the momentum of the match once again. The score was now 2-1, with Manchester City regaining the lead. By this point, the game had reached the 70-minute mark, leaving just about 20 minutes of regular time.
Time was running out for Real Madrid.
"Attack! Everyone, attack!" Zidane shouted anxiously as he looked at the clock, pulling off his tie in frustration—it was too tight, and he felt like he could barely breathe.
The Real Madrid players on the field understood the urgency of the situation and pushed harder to find an equalizer. But City had started to tighten up their defense, and Madrid's desperate attempts to force a goal only helped solidify City's formation.
Top teams rarely resort to parking the bus, but in the final 20 minutes of a Champions League final, they'd even block the entire goal with a bus if the rules allowed it.
With City's deep defensive setup, Madrid's quick counterattacks became ineffective, and their short passing game through the center wasn't yielding results either. Their remaining options were set pieces and aerial duels, which was Ronaldo's specialty.
Starting from the 70th minute, Ronaldo became hyperactive. He was involved in every header inside the box and stepped up for every free kick.
Unfortunately for him, he was being marked by City's defensive titan, Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk matched Ronaldo in height, strength, and jumping ability, and he was younger too.
With Van Dijk's tight marking, Ronaldo struggled to make any clean headers despite giving his all in each jump. He never got a comfortable chance to aim a header on target.
As the clock ticked on, the Real Madrid players grew increasingly impatient, their tackles becoming rougher.
In the 82nd minute, Marcelo fouled Mbappé on the wing. Manchester City quickly took the free kick, and De Bruyne, advancing with the ball, glanced up to spot Lin Quan's position. He then delivered one of his trademark diagonal passes from the left side of the pitch.
The pass was perfect, curling past the Madrid defenders and landing right in front of Lin, allowing him to collect the ball without losing speed.
"What a pass!" Lin thought, silently praising De Bruyne. Only De Bruyne could deliver such a precise and powerful pass.
Varane, realizing he couldn't intercept the ball, panicked and grabbed at Lin's jersey. But he seemed to forget that they were in the penalty area.
The referee had already brought the whistle to his mouth, ready to blow for a penalty.
But Lin Quan wasn't brought down by Varane's pull. He shook off the defender's grip, planted his right foot firmly on the ground, and swung his left foot at the ball just before Courtois could close him down.
The ball flew like a bullet, zooming past Courtois and crossing the goal line into the back of the net.
Such was the force behind the shot that the ball pushed the net backward as if trying to break free from it!
The score was now 3-1!
Manchester City had come alive in the second half, scoring two quick goals and leaving Real Madrid reeling.
After his goal, Lin Quan sprinted toward the corner flag, spreading his arms wide, resembling a god descending to Earth.
This celebration was popularized by Jude Bellingham, but long before him, many footballers had used it to mark their moments of glory.
As Lin stood before the stands, the fans erupted in deafening cheers. The roof of the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv felt like it would be blown off by the sheer force of their roar.
"Lin!"
"Lin!"
"Lin!"
The crowd chanted Lin Quan's name as if worshiping a savior, their voices full of admiration and awe.
Among the neutral fans in the stadium, many were Lin Quan's supporters. For them, watching such an incredible game live and seeing their favorite player put on such a spectacular performance was worth every penny they spent on tickets.
Some even hoped to witness Lin's signature celebration—raising his collar in triumph.
"Score one more!"
Someone in the crowd started chanting, and soon, calls for Lin to score another goal echoed throughout the stadium.
Lin smiled at the crowd, glancing toward Madrid's goal. Another goal?
It would be tough. There wasn't much time left, and he might not get another chance.
But being the fan-pleaser that he was, Lin decided to give it a try.
Courtois, sensing Lin's intense gaze, shivered involuntarily. Uh-oh, it feels like I've just been targeted by a beast!
Lin's second goal had drastically changed the match. Real Madrid, who had been in such a favorable position 20 minutes ago, were now in a dire situation.
Even the most optimistic Real Madrid fans were starting to feel panicked. There were less than 10 minutes of regular time left, and even with added time, they had only about 13 or 14 minutes to play.
Scoring two goals to equalize or three goals to win in such a short time seemed almost impossible, even for a team as great as Real Madrid.
The fans felt a deep sense of bitterness. Is the trophy we fought so hard to take from Manchester City last year going back to them?
It was a feeling that weighed heavily on the Real Madrid players too, especially Ronaldo and Bale.
Bale, who had just entered the game and was eager to keep playing, couldn't believe they were about to lose so soon.
As for Ronaldo, Lin Quan had already scored two goals, while he hadn't scored even once.
It was especially frustrating for Ronaldo, considering this was his farewell match for Real Madrid. Losing the match and leaving the team like this was something he couldn't accept.
He didn't want to be remembered as a player who fled after a loss.
Fueled by determination, both Ronaldo and Bale set aside any prior frustrations, united by a common goal: to win this game.
Perhaps due to Manchester City's comfortable two-goal lead, their players began to relax a little.
In the 84th minute, Real Madrid won the ball near the center circle, and Bale sprinted down the wing. Cutting inside near the edge of the box, he chipped the ball toward Ronaldo, who was waiting in the penalty area.
The pass wasn't perfect—it was a bit high, making it difficult for Ronaldo to control.
But Ronaldo, refusing to let the chance slip away, stopped abruptly, bent forward, and awkwardly headed the ball toward the goal.
It was so close to the goal that Navas had almost no time to react, and to make matters worse, he dove in the wrong direction.
Ronaldo's header found the back of the net, bringing the score to 3-2!
Real Madrid had pulled one back, and Ronaldo had finally scored the goal he had been desperately seeking!
"What a pass!"
After getting up, Ronaldo glanced back at City's goal, confirmed the goal was good, and leaped into the air with joy. He pointed across the field to Bale, signaling him to join the celebration.
Bale, looking a little shy, smiled back. In the past, he might have simply clapped and not actively participated in the celebration, but this time, he ran over to Ronaldo and embraced him passionately.
Bale, knowing he was one of Florentino Perez's favorites, seemed to understand something important.
For the first time, the relationship between Ronaldo and Bale had improved.
"Well done! As expected from the best!"
"The savior always shows up when it matters most!"
"Who could resist loving a player like him?"
Ronaldo's fans were over the moon after seeing their idol score, showering him with endless praise.
Scoring in a Champions League final is tough enough, but to score such a crucial goal when your team is trailing, and under immense pressure, makes it even more remarkable.
Zidane and the Real Madrid players, after Ronaldo's goal, began to believe they still had a chance.
They were now only one goal behind, and with no away goals rule in the final, one more goal would push the game into extra time.
In the last Champions League final, Real Madrid had won by pushing the game to extra time and eventually a penalty shootout.
If they could drag City into extra time again, they might have a shot at repeating last year's success.
But with Real Madrid's confidence soaring, Manchester City began to feel the pressure.
A two-goal lead brings a sense of security and relaxation, but when that lead is cut to just one goal, the leading team becomes tense.
A single-goal lead can be erased at any moment, giving no comfort to the leading team. In fact, the fear of losing that narrow lead can cause them to play more cautiously and defensively, ultimately making it harder to maintain their advantage.
But playing too defensively against a fired-up opponent is dangerous. Without posing any attacking threat, the opposing team can throw everything forward without fear of a counterattack.
With Real Madrid's momentum building, purely defensive tactics would be the wrong move.
Lin Quan knew this, so after the game resumed, he immediately called for the ball. His intention was to keep the pressure on and prevent his teammates from retreating too much.
At this point, everyone on the team was feeling the weight of the pressure. Players began passing the ball backward more frequently, trying to keep it in safer areas.
If Madrid applied enough pressure, they could force a mistake and win the ball back near City's goal.
If that happened, Madrid could take a shot immediately, and City's defense and goalkeeper would have almost no time to react.
On the sidelines, Guardiola also realized that they couldn't afford to sit back.
Seeing Lin Quan's actions, Guardiola shouted at his players to push forward and support him.
If Lin Quan attacked alone, Madrid's players would swarm him, and even someone as talented as Lin Quan would eventually lose the ball.
By this point, Real Madrid were playing as if possessed. Whenever they got possession, they immediately sent the ball forward, focusing solely on attack.
There was no way Manchester City could let them control the ball. They had to keep possession at all costs.
(End of Chapter)