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

Chapter 1014

Manchester United's attack did not end there. Just one minute later, Manchester United got another chance to attack.

Gundogan's sudden interception in the frontcourt caused Modric to lose the ball. After the ball was poked out by Gundogan, it fell at Bruno's feet.

Bruno didn't hesitate at all. He turned around as soon as he received the ball and passed it.

He had just passed the ball when Casemiro bumped into him.

If he was even a tenth of a second late, the ball might not have been passed, or might not have been passed properly.

And now, the football was accurately delivered to Harry Kane's feet!

Because it was a counterattack launched after a steal in the frontcourt, it caught Real Madrid's defense off guard. After receiving the ball, Harry Kane quickly broke into the penalty area from the right and then shot from ten meters away from the goal!
"Harry Kane! Manchester United are here again!"

Amid Lineker's cheers, the football flew towards Real Madrid's goal like a cannonball. Although Courtois made a save, at such a close distance and facing such a powerful shot from Harry Kane, his save was still a little slow. He failed to catch the ball and could only watch the football fly towards the goal behind him.

At that moment, Courtois felt despair: if this ball went in, all the efforts would be in vain, and Real Madrid would be like a deflated ball.

Many Real Madrid fans also widened their eyes and watched in horror what was happening in front of the Real Madrid goal.

Some of them even put their hands on their hearts and prayed silently in their hearts: God, if you can hear our voices, please send down your holy light to save your lost and desperate people!
………………

The prayers of so many people gathered at the same time seemed to be heard by God. The football shot by Harry Kane hit the crossbar with a bang and bounced out!

“Ahhhhhh——!” Lineker screamed, “Crossbar! The crossbar ruthlessly rejected Harry Kane!!”

"Oh!" The Spanish commentator cheered. "It was so close! At the last moment, the crossbar saved Real Madrid! The Bernabéu goalkeeper was the twelfth goalkeeper on the Real Madrid field at that moment! God is on our side today!"

Seeing that his powerful shot was blocked by the crossbar, Harry Kane held his head in disappointment and frustration.

Bruno, who created the opportunity for Harry Kane, was also helpless and regretful.

"Just like at the beginning of the first half, Manchester United also had opportunities to threaten the opponent's goal continuously like Real Madrid, but they did not seize it. Both sides wasted opportunities. I don't know which side will be punished in the end..." said He Wei.

………………

The game continued, and Harry Kane's shot hitting the crossbar was Manchester United's most threatening offensive opportunity.

Subsequently, Real Madrid regained the initiative in the game, while Manchester United, for the sake of stability, stopped attacking actively in the next game and instead retreated to defend.
Real Madrid's possession rate was as high as 67%. However, possession rate does not equal advantage or victory. If the ball cannot open up the situation, then it is useless.

Ancelotti made a substitution in the 57th minute. He replaced left-back Ferland Mendy with Rodrigo and Vinicius with Camavinga.

In this way, Real Madrid only has three defenders in the backcourt, and Real Madrid changes to 343. Ancelotti is planning to go all out.

However, this substitution did not bring immediate results to the team, and was even taken advantage of by Manchester United.

Because a substitution had just been made, the three-back defensive system still needed to adapt, and there was inevitably a lack of coordination between the players.

This situation was immediately caught by the astute Bruno.

In the 62nd minute, he and Rashford made a two-pass wall combination. Rashford advanced on the wing and Bruno quickly passed the ball to him. Then Rashford made a cross from the left side of the penalty area. Gundogan, who entered the penalty area, appeared in an unguarded space.

This gap was caused by the lack of coordination between the players after the adjustment to three defenders!
Gundogan received the ball in the penalty area and shot from less than ten meters away from the goal!
………………

When the football was pushed towards the goal, many Real Madrid fans felt disappointed. With such a close-range shot, a goal was almost inevitable!

At this moment Courtois flew over and bravely blocked the ball!

"Courtois!! A world-class save!" the Spanish TV commentator shouted excitedly.

There was also a cheer from the stands of the Bernabeu.

Although Courtois' save was wonderful, it did not immediately change Real Madrid's passive situation after the substitution.

A minute later, Manchester United made a comeback. Rashford made a cross from the left, and Harry Kane rushed out from behind Nacho and headed the ball on the edge of the small penalty area, but it was slightly off target...

“Harry Kane, Harry Kane…” Lineker sighed, “So many opportunities, if he had just seized any one of them, he would have killed the game! But alas…” “Wasting opportunities will have consequences!” He Wei added.

After the substitution, instead of taking advantage, the team allowed Manchester United to continuously threaten their goal. If they continue to play like this, Real Madrid is in danger of losing its midfield.

So Ancelotti made his third substitution in the 67th minute, replacing Toni Kroos with Valverde. His task after coming on the court was to form a double defensive midfielder with Casemiro, putting pressure on Bruno in the midfield and preventing him from passing the ball so recklessly.

So after Valverde came on the pitch, he quickly stuck to Bruno and was almost inseparable from him, making it difficult for Bruno to connect the ball, let alone organize the pass.

………………

After containing Bruno, Real Madrid's offense also improved. They began to attack Manchester United's goal continuously, and dangerous situations appeared in front of Manchester United's goal again and again.

In the 68th minute, Rodrigo passed the ball and Mbappe shot diagonally from 18 meters on the left side of the penalty area, but the ball went slightly wide.

In the 70th minute, Camavinga passed the ball and Benzema shot from the edge of the penalty area, but it also went wide.

In the 71st minute, Camavinga made a cross from the right edge of the penalty area, Benzema headed the ball in the middle, and the ball flew to the left. Mbappe appeared at the back post, which cheered up the Real Madrid fans in the stands.

“Mbappé——!”

But amid the exclamations of the Spanish TV commentator, Mbappe, who was rushing forward, was unable to touch the football. He swung his foot out, but because it was a little bit late, his kick missed!
"Oops! Mbappé missed a great chance!"

"How many times has Mbappé wasted a great opportunity today? Manchester United should really be grateful to this former player for not killing him..."

However, Real Madrid fans had no time to feel sorry for Mbappe missing this opportunity, and Manchester United fans also had no time to cheer for Mbappe's grace of not killing him, because Real Madrid's attack came again soon!

In the 72nd minute, Mbappe made a cross from the left, Camavinga entered the penalty area and shot from near the penalty spot, but the ball still went wide of the goal.

In the 73rd minute, Modric made a cross and Valverde took a long shot outside the penalty area, but the ball went over the crossbar.

………………

Real Madrid's attack was like a tide. In just five or six minutes, there were as many as five shots, and many of them were just close to the goal, which made everyone watching terrified.

Real Madrid fans were on the verge of jumping up and cheering at any time, while Manchester United fans' hearts were in their throats.

Manchester United fans in front of the TV were very nervous and dared not breathe, for fear that if they took a deep breath, the football would fly into Manchester United's goal.

But Bruno seemed very calm in the storm. He had anticipated an attack of this intensity.

As the most successful team in the history of the Champions League, Real Madrid always has superior combat effectiveness in the Champions League. It is not easy for any team to escape unscathed at the Bernabeu Stadium.

Especially the disastrous defeat in the first round at the new Old Trafford Stadium has pushed Real Madrid into a desperate situation, which leaves them with no choice but to attack in today's home game.

Real Madrid, which has offensive players such as Benzema, Mbappé, Vinicius, Rodrigo and others, has unquestionable offensive power!

It's been more than 70 minutes and Manchester United has not conceded a goal, which is a very good result for Bruno.

There is less and less time left for Real Madrid, and it will be very difficult for them to score three goals in the remaining time.

Of course, Bruno also knows very well that Manchester United cannot always defend passively. If they allow Real Madrid to attack like this, they will still score a goal, and it will be easy to score again after scoring a goal.

The best result is to counterattack from time to time to disrupt Real Madrid's offensive rhythm.

Therefore, whenever there is an opportunity, we still have to pass the ball forward.

………………

"This period has been extremely difficult for Manchester United. Real Madrid's attack is so fierce that it can be described as a 'storm'. Manchester United's defense is like a small boat in a storm, and it seems to be in danger of capsizing at any time. Fortunately, they have been lucky and have not conceded a goal. But in such a storm, how long Manchester United can hold on is worrying..." said He Wei.

"Now is the 75th minute of the game. There is not much time left for Real Madrid. They will definitely go all out to attack in the remaining 15 minutes. Hold on, Manchester United!" Lineker cheered loudly for Manchester United in the commentary booth.

(End of this chapter)