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

Chapter 1008: Fear of Being Dominated by Bruno

Faced with Manchester United's pressing, Real Madrid struggled to mount effective attacks. Whether it was Modric, Toni Kroos, or Casemiro, they all looked overwhelmed by United's relentless pressure.

In this match, Ancelotti fielded the world-famous ceremonial three midfielders, aiming to challenge Manchester United in midfield.

As it turns out, the results haven't been good; Real Madrid's midfield still can't control the game under Manchester United's pressing.

Manchester United's performance has made many people realize that the pre-match rumors that the Manchester United starting lineup was in very poor physical condition may not be true. Or even if they were true, after a week of rest, these Manchester United players have recovered their physical condition and may even be stronger than usual!
Under these circumstances, Real Madrid may need to adjust their goals, from beating Manchester United away to holding onto a 1-2 score until the final whistle.

When the Spanish commentator realized Manchester United were in good form, he said, "Perhaps at this point, Ancelotti should be thinking about defense rather than scoring. What if they concede more goals if this attacking style continues? A 1-2 score isn't a bad result; it keeps the second leg suspenseful, and in some ways, it even gives Real Madrid a slight advantage..."

Many teams treat a 1-2 deficit as a victory when playing away from home.

But Ancelotti did not do that. He stood on the sidelines, showing no intention of making any adjustments, and let the two teams on the field attack each other.

Perhaps in his view, conceding defeat is more terrifying than losing the game by a large margin.

Furthermore, he believes his team might not necessarily lose by a large margin!

………………

Lineker was delighted with Manchester United's performance, saying, "I don't know why, but this Manchester United team feels familiar and pleasing. This is the Manchester United we love! Their attack is passionate and threatening! This is great news for Manchester United fans, because they will continue to see that incredibly strong Manchester United team in the final stretch of the season!"

Manchester United, relying on their superior stamina and running ability, gained the upper hand and launched numerous attacks, threatening Real Madrid's goal.

This series of attacks left Real Madrid's defense struggling to cope. Under such circumstances, the defenders lost their composure and, more often than not, could only rely on their physical instincts to defend.

Bruno orchestrated the attack from midfield with a series of passes, constantly sending Real Madrid players running around and exhausting themselves.

He then passed the ball to Greenwood, who, relying on his individual technical advantage, broke past Ferland Mendy and crossed the ball.

However, his cross was headed away by Varane.

The ball landed next to Bruno, who tamped it with his foot. At that moment, Casemiro rushed up.

Facing the onrushing Casemiro, Bruno swung his leg in a wide arc, preparing to unleash a powerful shot.

Casemiro didn't have time to think at that moment; he instinctively jumped up and used his back to block the shot.

As a result, when he turned his back to Bruno, he didn't see that Bruno's swinging foot didn't shoot, but instead swerved the ball to the left, towards the middle!

Casemiro was in mid-air at that moment, and even if he saw Bruno's series of actions, he was powerless to do anything about it.

………………

Bruno easily dodged Casemiro, caught up with the ball, and this time, he swung his right foot again.

After dodging Casemiro with a feint, this long-range shot should finally be for real, right?

This was the thought of many people, including Real Madrid's other midfielder, Toni Kroos, who rushed forward, intending to use his body to block Bruno's shot.

However, he learned his lesson this time. Instead of turning his back to Bruno like Casemiro, he faced Bruno, intending to use his chest to block Bruno's shot.

Meanwhile, Alaba, Varane, goalkeeper Courtois, and others also focused their attention on Bruno's "shot," concentrating on defending against his long-range effort.

Unexpectedly, Bruno swung his right foot high, but all he managed to do was flick the ball with his toe, and it rolled past Toni Kroos and headed straight for Harry Kane!

Harry Kane was making a diagonal run before Bruno passed the ball, and just as he got there, Bruno passed the ball to him. He didn't even need to adjust his position; he shot directly without stopping the ball!
The quick transition caught Courtois off guard; by the time he lunged for the ball, it was clearly too late.

Of course, Bruno also deserves credit. Courtois's attention was initially focused on Bruno's long-range shot. Bruno's shot looked like a powerful volley, and before he passed the ball to Laiwan, the action was flawless, leaving no room for speculation...

Courtois couldn't stop Harry Kane's shot, and the ball rolled into Real Madrid's goal for the third time! ………………

“Harry Kane—unbelievable!!!” Lineker was practically screaming at the top of his lungs. “Hat trick! Hat trick!! Harry Kane has done a hat trick!!! Aa ...

At that moment, the Old and New Trafford stadiums seemed to be experiencing an earthquake. The stands were shaking, the camera lenses were shaking, and the entire stadium was filled with a huge roar, as if it were coming from underground.

In just six minutes, Manchester United extended their lead from one goal to two!
"Harry Kane! Hat-trick! Bruno's brace with an assist!" He Wei exclaimed excitedly. "Bruno's assist was absolutely brilliant. He first faked a shot and then cut inside past Casemiro, then faked another shot and passed to Toni Kroos, delivering a concealed yet sudden pass to Harry Kane... What a magnificent attack!"

Meanwhile, the Spanish television commentator held his head in his hands and complained loudly: "Ah! Ah! I told you to be careful not to concede another goal! And here we are! Ancelotti failed to make timely adjustments, putting Real Madrid in danger! This goal was completely avoidable... Clearly, Ancelotti absolutely did not expect Manchester United to be in such good form, and his on-field command was flawed!"

After conceding the goal, the commentator launched a fierce and merciless critique of Ancelotti, which reflects Ancelotti's image in the Spanish media—he is not a likable person.

………………

The two or three thousand Real Madrid fans who came to the away game were also disappointed. They sat blankly in their seats, looking bewildered.

Before the match, everyone was relaxed, feeling that it was lucky for Real Madrid to play away at a time when Manchester United were exhausted after facing strong opponents like Manchester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal. They believed they could easily defeat Manchester United and advance to the final early.

Once we reach the final, whether we face Liverpool or Villarreal, another La Liga team, we can easily defeat them.

In this way, they can win their thirteenth Champions League title in club history after eight years!
However, the course of the competition after it started was completely different from what they had anticipated.

When Benzema equalized for his team, they felt the game was finally getting back on track, but their excitement lasted for less than twenty minutes. Five minutes into the second half, the game was firmly in Manchester United's rhythm and direction.

Manchester United players were celebrating the goal with great excitement, while Real Madrid players were stunned.

Conceding two goals in six minutes was a huge blow to them.

Many people are once again reminded of the fear of being dominated by Bruno.

Since Bruno's debut, whether playing for Udinese in Serie A or Manchester United, he has never lost to Real Madrid!

This world's best team has an embarrassing record against Bruno in seven matches: one draw and six losses!
Many media outlets say that Bruno is Juventus's nemesis, Liverpool's nemesis, Manchester City's nemesis, Arsenal's nemesis... but few people notice that the team that truly cannot defeat Bruno is Real Madrid!

………………

Many Real Madrid players lamented in their hearts, wondering if Bruno was truly their insurmountable nemesis.

This is probably even more frightening for Real Madrid players than conceding two goals in a row.

Because if you lose the ball in a match, you can come back to win it. But if it's some kind of curse, then it's truly despairing.

They were no longer playing against Manchester United players, but rather against some mysterious force emanating from Bruno…

The television broadcast gave Ancelotti a close-up shot. The Italian coach stood on the sidelines, silently looking at the field, neither communicating with his assistants nor making any gestures to express his emotions, nor making any adjustments or arrangements.

He stood there quietly, like a statue, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The game restarted, and Manchester United, leading by two goals, were in high spirits and showed no signs of letting up. They continued their relentless running, pressing, and attacking play.

In the 62nd minute, Bruno passed the ball to Rashford, who dribbled past two players before unleashing a powerful shot. Courtois made a valiant save, and the ball grazed the crossbar and went out of play.

Rashford's shot almost made Manchester United fans jump out of their seats in excitement, thinking their team was about to win 4-1.

"Rashford! Almost scored! Although Harry Kane scored a hat-trick and was the most eye-catching star, let's not forget that Rashford also delivered a brilliant performance today. He provided an assist for Harry Kane, which was Manchester United's opening goal. And this shot was also of very high quality!" Lineker also praised Rashford.

(End of this chapter)