From the man behind the football king to the football king.

Chapter 1006 Masters Game
Because of the late goal conceded, Manchester United players were not in high spirits when they left the field, most of them walking hurriedly with their heads down.

Meanwhile, the Real Madrid players seemed to be leisurely chatting as they walked away. They were undoubtedly dreaming about the second half, how they could equalize, continue their pursuit of Manchester United, and achieve their revenge.

In retrospect, Manchester United's goal in the opening eleven minutes was just an illusion. Their players must have been exhausted from the packed schedule, and Real Madrid were initially intimidated by Manchester United's aggressive attack. Thinking about it now, it's really... embarrassing.

But it's okay, everything will be back to normal in the second half.

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During halftime in the home team's locker room, Mourinho didn't criticize Maguire for his mistake. Instead, he praised the entire team's performance in the first half. This surprised the players, who all expected a harsh scolding. Many hunched their shoulders and lowered their heads as soon as they sat down, anticipating a reprimand, but nothing came of it.

Mourinho simply asked everyone one question: "Right now, how many people still believe we can beat them?"

Bruno was the first to raise his hand: "I believe it."

"Okay, you tell me, why do you still believe it?" Mourinho called on Bruno.

Bruno didn't mince words and stood up, saying, "I don't know if everyone noticed, but at the end of the first half, the Real Madrid players were chatting and laughing as they left the field. What does that mean? It means they were relaxed and felt the game was back to the rhythm they wanted. They must have thought that if they put even a little pressure on us in the second half, we would collapse."

"If that's really what they think, then it's good news for us. Because this goal we conceded was just bad luck and doesn't prove anything. Our performance in other aspects was impeccable, so I firmly believe that as long as we continue to play like we did in the first half, we will score again and we will definitely win."

After saying that, Bruno sat down.

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Mourinho looked at him, smiled, and nodded, saying, "That's right, Bruno is right. That's what I wanted to tell you all: don't lose faith easily. The reason I'm praising you isn't just to encourage you, but because you truly deserve it. That goal in the first half showed me a united and invincible Manchester United. I'm happy, guys, keep playing like this, there's no championship we can't win!"

After verbally praising and encouraging the players, Mourinho did more than just talk; he also made some adjustments and more detailed arrangements for the tactics in the second half.

For example, Real Madrid has just equalized and is riding high. Ancelotti might unleash his team's full-on attack in the second half, aiming to completely crush Manchester United. After all, Real Madrid's pre-match slogan was revenge, both for the night in Kyiv four years ago and for their defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16 two years ago.

If it's about revenge, then it needs to be done with the attitude of revenge. Now that the team has equalized, why can't Real Madrid attack and defeat Manchester United in one fell swoop?

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Real Madrid is going all out on the attack, and the usual strategy would be to counter them, but Mourinho is no ordinary man.

Mourinho is known as "The Madman" for his unique personality, and there's a reason for that.

Although Mourinho has always been perceived as conservative, and his "Mourinho's Parker" strategy is renowned throughout the world of football, he is absolutely capable of going all out, even to the point of being ruthless, when necessary. He has used four or even five strikers, not to mention his ability to launch direct attacks against opponents.

Therefore, facing Real Madrid's intention to press forward and attack, Mourinho's tactics for Manchester United were not defensive counter-attacking.

"We'll fight them head-on!"

"In the second half, I hope each of you will put in double the effort, using more aggressive running and covering a larger area to create opportunities. When Real Madrid attacks, their defense will face tremendous pressure, and the current Real Madrid defense cannot withstand that pressure. As long as we keep putting pressure on them, they will collapse!"

Mourinho said through gritted teeth, and his players felt a surge of heat coursing through their bodies.

………………

After the two sides switched sides in the second half, just as Mourinho analyzed, Real Madrid, having equalized, were in high spirits and quickly launched an attack on Manchester United after the start of the match.

Manchester United, on the other hand, showed no weakness and engaged in an attacking battle with Real Madrid.

In an all-out attack, the final competition isn't about the stability of the defense. In an all-out attack, defensive lapses are inevitable, leading to goals conceded. But at that point, nobody cares about conceding goals; the competition is about who has the stronger attack and who can score first.

In this respect, Mourinho is still very confident in his team.

Ancelotti hadn't expected Manchester United to press forward and engage in an attacking battle against a Real Madrid side that had intensified their offensive efforts. After his initial surprise, he was relieved—this was exactly what he wanted. It's simply a matter of who can score more goals, isn't it?

In this regard, Ancelotti is also very confident in his team and tactics.

The second half had barely begun when both sides launched an attacking offensive, which immediately pleased the Chinese fans who stayed up late to watch the game. Regardless of the outcome, the exciting match kept them awake all night.

The happiest people were the Real Madrid supporters. When they saw Manchester United, at their home ground, manage to push forward despite Real Madrid's fierce attacks, those Real Madrid fans who couldn't be there to cheer for their team raised their fists in front of their televisions.

The Spanish commentator's excited voice came from the television: "Manchester United has chosen to play an attacking game against Real Madrid at home, which is not a good choice. You know, Real Madrid's fast breaks are very sharp. Given the opportunity, Real Madrid will definitely not hold back!"

Lineker, however, was somewhat worried, believing that it was not wise to go toe-to-toe with the high-spirited Real Madrid. He argued that investing so much energy in attack would inevitably leave too many gaps behind the defense, and what if Madrid seized the opportunity and conceded a goal?
………………

The Manchester United players on the pitch were oblivious to the doubts and concerns raised by the commentators; they continued to walk on the edge of what many considered a "danger zone."

Compared to the first half, every Manchester United player was passing the ball at a faster pace. Often, after just three passes, the ball would reach the vicinity of the center circle.

Bruno received the ball here, and as soon as he received it, he passed the ball to Greenwood on the wing.

After passing the ball, he ran towards Greenwood, making a gesture as if he wanted to cooperate with Greenwood.

Bruno's move attracted the attention of Real Madrid's defenders. Casemiro was the first to close in, while Ferland Mendy, who was originally marking Greenwood, couldn't help but turn his gaze to Bruno.

Although it was only for a moment, it was enough for Greenwood.

As the world's best player and the absolute core of Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes has this kind of intimidating presence in the opponent's half!

Taking advantage of the moment when Ferland Mendy's attention was not on him, Greenwood suddenly used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball to the outside and then accelerated!
By the time Ferran Mendy reacted, Greenwood had already rushed past him, and by the time he turned around, it was too late to regain his speed.

………………

Greenwood surged ahead of Real Madrid into their penalty area!

Greenwood's breakthrough immediately triggered a chain reaction in Real Madrid's defense, with Varane lunging at him, thus reducing the number of Real Madrid defenders in the penalty area.

In addition, Harry Kane also cooperated by pressing forward in front of Real Madrid's goal, bringing Alaba back with him.

Rashford cut inside from the left wing into the penalty area and marked Carvajal closely.

Casemiro, who was originally following Bruno, was also completely drawn to Greenwood's sudden breakthrough. When he turned around to look at Greenwood, Bruno suddenly started from behind him and darted into the penalty area!
Greenwood keenly observed Bruno's forward run and quickly passed the ball back in a triangular pass, which landed very accurately in front of Bruno's running path.

Bruno, in the midst of his sprint, adjusted his pace slightly and swung his right foot directly at the ball. This wasn't a powerful, forceful shot with his instep fully extended, but rather a delicate chip shot using the inside of his right foot to deflect the ball!
………………

"Bruno—!!!" He Wei shouted excitedly. Was Bruno about to break through the goal?

The football arced through the air, heading straight for the top right corner of the goal. Courtois leaped into the air, stretching his body as far as he could, and lunged at the ball.

But he couldn't make the save because the ball didn't hit the goal frame; instead, it grazed the outside of the goalpost and went out of bounds!
"Whoa—!" A gasp rang out from the stands.

"Oh dear! What a pity!" He Wei said this in the studio, holding his head in his hands.

There have been rumors that he is a Real Madrid fan. Regardless of whether the rumors are true or not, at least at this moment, he is behaving as if he has nothing to do with a Real Madrid fan.

"Bruno's shot was beautiful, with a clear curve, but he was a little too focused on the angle, so it went wide of the goal line... Oh! What a pity!"

Lineker exclaimed, "Bruno! He almost put Manchester United ahead again!"

(End of this chapter)