Chapter 793: The Collapse of the Dynasty
After defeating Juventus, Manchester City rushed back to Manchester overnight. They not only had to prepare for the upcoming Premier League match but also to face the second-leg match against the Bianconeri, who traveled a long way for the encounter.
"This victory doesn't guarantee our complete advancement," Pep Guardiola poured cold water on the players on the plane, "We need to focus entirely to ensure no mistakes."
"Of course, I don't think such obvious biased refereeing will happen again."
Hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly. The controversial penalty after the match had sparked heated discussions online, especially involving Wang Feng. As a legend who emerged from trials and tribulations, throughout his entire career, he not only fought against players but also against unfairness.
Every time, he could uprightly make the schemers lose face. Yet, not only did he fail to achieve his goals, but he also ended up in trouble.
On April 15th, in the 33rd round of the Premier League, Manchester City challenged Southampton away.
The Saints sought revenge for their League Cup final defeat, and City had to field a rotated squad, resulting in an intense contest between the two sides.
The home team took the lead in the first half, and it wasn't until the 87th minute of the second half that Foden assisted Sterling to equalize, eventually ending the match in a 1-1 draw.
On April 18th, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester City hosted Juventus at home.
With no other distractions, even if the Bianconeri wanted to make a desperate attempt, they could only get entangled endlessly with the Sky Blues.
The score remained 0-0 until the 90th minute of injury time. Wang Feng received a direct pass from Silva in the frontcourt, dribbled past Chiellini, and suddenly took a long shot.
The ball blasted past Buffon's outstretched hands like a cannonball, sealing Manchester City's 4-1 aggregate victory over Juventus, advancing to the Champions League semi-finals.
This was Manchester City's third time reaching the Champions League semi-finals! After the match, the Manchester media extensively covered the event.
From both competitive and economic perspectives, it was fortunate for a city to have two high-level football teams.
Like Milan, Madrid, and others, derbies attract a lot of attention every year, bringing substantial additional revenue.
No one would question that Manchester United is one of Europe's biggest clubs. Their vast fan base spans the globe, while Manchester City has always lagged behind.
But as long as the Sky Blues could lift the Champions League trophy, they would make a qualitative leap and qualify as a great club alongside the Red Devils.
This was something to be praised for every Manchester citizen. Therefore, in the absence of Manchester United's European campaigns, most people would choose to focus on Manchester City.
The Manchester Evening News believed that the Sky Blues had broken their own barriers. This series victory not only showcased individual outstanding performances but also the overall strength of the team.
Individual performance undoubtedly referred to Wang Feng. With two goals and one assist, he always rose to the occasion, almost single-handedly turning the tide in crucial moments.
The team's strength was demonstrated by the unity and perseverance of the entire team, especially in the first-leg clash with Juventus, where they faced unfavorable refereeing decisions and a stubborn opponent.
At that time, the team displayed unity to the fullest, as if victory was the only thing in everyone's eyes, disregarding personal gains and losses.
"This is something rarely seen in the club's previous campaigns, so even though they made it to the semi-finals, it gave people a feeling of exhaustion and inability to continue."
"This year is completely different; the unstoppable momentum seems to be telling everyone that they can really make history and become the new Champions League winners!"
The Guardian stated that Manchester City was now stronger than ever before, making it an excellent opportunity to challenge for the title.
"Approaching his 34th birthday, Wang Feng still possesses boundless energy. He can roam freely on the front line, organize and command in midfield, and contribute defensively."
"This makes Manchester City appear to be in control. So far, they have defeated the French champions and the Italian champions. We believe that no matter who they encounter next, the Sky Blues will not be intimidated."
The report also mentioned the Manchester City team led by Cristiano Ronaldo. It was undeniable that they were outstanding at the time, but there was always a limit to their success.
"Cristiano is strong; he is an excellent finisher, but that's about it. He couldn't fundamentally save the team."
This statement sparked discussions among netizens, with many supporters of the Portuguese star feeling dissatisfied.
Although not as miraculous as the miracle-maker Wang Feng, Cristiano Ronaldo had also experienced many instances of turning the tide against adversity. Why say he couldn't save the team?
However, this argument was soon validated during Real Madrid's showdown with Bayern Munich.
In the first leg, the Galacticos won 2-1 at home, and in the second leg, the Bavarians returned the favor with a 2-1 victory.
With the aggregate score tied and the same number of away goals, the two teams had to settle the result through a cruel penalty shootout.
Bayern goalkeeper Neuer heroically saved Benzema's penalty, allowing the Bundesliga giants to advance after a tough battle.
This officially marked the collapse of the decade-long European dynasty of Real Madrid!
Was it because Cristiano Ronaldo didn't perform heroically in this series? Not exactly. He scored all three goals for the team and even scored a crucial goal to send the match into extra time.
Did other players underperform? Not entirely, although the Galacticos' defense was as vulnerable as ever, their midfield trio performed well on both ends of the field.
If forced to pinpoint the reason for failure, it was as the Manchester Evening News said, the Galacticos were exhausted, something that had never happened in the past decade.
On the top tier of the Allianz Arena, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez clasped his hands in front of him, exhaling deeply.
Finally, it came to an end. The Spaniard knew this day would eventually come, but not this soon, and not so thoroughly.
Compared to the past decade, Real Madrid's performance this season could be described as a complete failure. They were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals, knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao, and their league title hopes were also slim.
They were left empty-handed. This phrase seemed like something from a previous life for the Galacticos, but Florentino Perez wasn't suffering from dementia. He vividly remembered that before 2006, that is, before signing Wang Feng, the team's results were like this.
At that time, he was even forced to the edge of the cliff, almost facing dismissal. He waited desperately for the Chinese superstar for a year before experiencing an unparalleled era of glory.
Now was not like back then. Even if the results were poor, he could still firmly hold onto his position, but deep down, he felt a sense of loss. Sliding from the peak was never easy to bear.
Seeing Florentino Perez's complex expression, Bernaldo asked, "We've already won enough glory. If it's not possible this year, we can continue next year."
"I understand, but it's just a bit sad. In the final moments of the game just now, I kept praying for a miracle."
"I did the same thing for the past ten years, and every time, I received a response. But now, miracles have left us, or rather, we gave up on miracles."
"The team can be rebuilt continuously, glory can be continuously pursued, but there will only be one king, past, present, and future. Real Madrid will never have such a magical player again."
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