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

Chapter 990: Beautiful front court and De Gea in the back court
The television broadcast is replaying Bruno's goal, showcasing its brilliance from multiple angles.

"There were so many people in the penalty area, and four Manchester City players were in the path of the ball, but none of them touched it. There was only one path from Bruno to the goal, and he caught it. He didn't put much power into the shot, but the ball was still very fast, which is related to the swing of his lower leg. Many players might choose to shoot with force in this situation, but the effect is not as good as this skillful shot..." Andy Gray analyzed why this shot was so good, "Bruno's control of the ball when he shot was just perfect!"

One shot, taken from above, perfectly captures the trajectory of the ball.

Bruno's shot didn't actually have a very large curve; if it had been too large, the ball would have collided with a Manchester City player in the penalty area. But this relatively subtle curve perfectly avoided all obstacles. It was like a classic escape scene from a Hollywood movie. The ball was like the protagonist's spaceship, trying to pass through a series of closing gates. Just when all the spectators were on the edge of their seats, the spaceship burst through the gap just as the last gate was about to close, escaping to safety.

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Of course, some Manchester City fans will disagree with Andy Gray's statement, thinking he's exaggerating. What do you mean by "perfect control"? This is clearly a classic example of "survivorship bias"!
If Bruno's shot hadn't gone in, but instead hit a Manchester City player or went wide, would that mean he had terrible control of the ball?

Using a goal to prove Bruno's precise footwork is hardly convincing; it's just a way of saying that because the goal was scored.

Everyone believed that Bruno must have had many more shots from that position, but those shots didn't go in and therefore wouldn't be on everyone's radar. Only this one shot went in, making it a 100% success story.

Manchester City fans believe there's only one reasonable explanation for Bruno's goal: Bruno just got incredibly lucky, he was so lucky that he just randomly kicked the ball in!

However, luck plays a very important role in the creation of any world-class goal.

No goal scorer can guarantee success in repeating the same attempts under the same circumstances.

Goals always involve an element of luck, and it's unfair to simply and crudely dismiss the technical ability of the goal scorer based on luck alone.

However, whether it was luck or skill, one fact remains unchanged: with just a few minutes left in the game, Manchester City were tied by Manchester United!

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The late goal conceded was a big blow to Manchester City, but an even bigger blow might come from another thought: Is it possible that no matter how hard they try, they will have a hard time beating this team?

This time, we were about to win, but at the last moment, the opponent managed to stay alive!

If they got lucky, then why does Lady Luck only favor them and not us?

In the instant the goal was conceded, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola became emotional, angrily clenching his fist. This punch wasn't aimed at his own players, but at Lady Luck: "Are you bullying the honest ones? Why do you always give me hope, only to leave me in despair in the end?"
Mourinho appeared even more agitated. He rushed onto the pitch, swinging his fists wildly as if he were beating an unseen opponent.

After venting his emotions, he returned to the coaching bench and hugged everyone he saw tightly, his teeth clenched and his face contorted in rage.

This isn't actually joy, but rather the expression of someone who has narrowly escaped death.

Bruno's goal can truly be described as a "narrow escape from death".

He knew, of course, that the season was still long and that the outcome of a single match couldn't determine the ultimate champion. But this was a match against Manchester City. Eliminating Manchester City from the Champions League would have a completely different impact on the team's confidence and morale, while also dealing a greater blow to Manchester City, instilling a sense of despair that "they can't beat them under any circumstances."

This psychological impact is what Mourinho values ​​most. The battle between Manchester United and Manchester City for the league title has entered its most intense phase, and what often determines the outcome is not strength, but mentality.

Bruno's kick was like planting a time bomb in the hearts of Manchester City players, which would explode at a crucial moment.

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After the game restarted, Manchester City, unwilling to let Bruno's incredibly lucky shot equalize the score, launched a fierce attack on Manchester United's goal.

Under the onslaught of their fierce attacks, Manchester United retreated to defense, and this time Mourinho did not confront Manchester City head-on.

In the 90th minute, Van Dijk received his second yellow card while defending, resulting in a red card and his dismissal.

In the ensuing stoppage time, Manchester United had to play with ten men, which undoubtedly gave Manchester City renewed hope of defeating Manchester United and advancing to the Champions League semi-finals.

Mourinho made a substitution immediately, replacing Rashford with center-back Lindelof.

This adjustment was necessary to maintain the integrity of the defensive line.

After this substitution, Manchester City had a great opportunity.

Manchester City launched a long ball forward during their attack. Bernardo Silva won the first header and controlled the ball. Phil Foden then made a high-speed run into the box, received the ball, and fired a shot towards the far corner of the Manchester United goal. De Gea couldn't reach the ball, but it didn't go into the net either, veering slightly wide.

Guardiola then substituted Grealish for Sterling.

Grealish created a dangerous opportunity as soon as he came on, tearing apart Manchester United's defense with a through ball. Unfortunately, Foden's shot was brilliantly caught by De Gea, denying the opponent even a chance for a follow-up shot or a corner kick.

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In the 95th minute of the match, Manchester City continued their attack. Bernardo Silva passed the ball to Phil Foden at the corner of the penalty area, who then lobbed it into the net. The shot was very dangerous and looked like it was going in. The Manchester United fans in the stands at Old Trafford were on the edge of their seats, barely able to breathe.

At a crucial moment, Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, who had an outstanding performance in the match, made another brilliant save, giving his all to tip the ball over the crossbar.

"Manchester City have won a corner. This may be Manchester City's last attacking chance of the game. It's now 95 minutes and 37 seconds, and there are six minutes of stoppage time..." Andy Gray said.

As they were talking, the television broadcast cut to a close-up shot of Manchester City's goalkeeper Ederson, who was seen running out of his goal and towards Manchester United's penalty area. He wanted to participate in this corner kick attack. If he could score, Manchester City would win the game against Manchester United in the final moments!

Manchester United also made a substitution, with defensive stalwart Fred replacing Bruno, who was no longer contributing much defensively.

When Bruno left the field, deafening cheers and applause erupted once again from the stands at both Old and New Trafford.

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Manchester City players protested to the referee about Bruno's slow descent, but Bruno remained unmoved and walked off the field at his own pace.

The applause from the stands at both Old and New Trafford grew even louder. Manchester United fans loved seeing the Manchester City players' expressions of frustration and helplessness towards Bruno.

There's really no need to push them any further. Manchester City themselves know this is their last attacking opportunity of the game. If they score from this corner kick, it will be a last-minute equalizer, giving them a chance to go into extra time. If they don't score, it's the final whistle.

At this point, whether Bruno walked faster or slower made no difference. It was their protests that actually reduced the remaining time in the game by a few seconds.

After Manchester United made the substitution, Ederson was already positioned in the Manchester United penalty area, and the corner kick could finally be taken.

The referee blew his whistle, and De Bruyne kicked the ball into the penalty area.

He accurately located Rodri on the edge of the six-yard box, and Rodri leaped high to head the ball into the goal!
The football flew rapidly towards the near corner of the goal!

"nice shot!"

Amidst the cheers of Andy Gray, De Gea, worthy of being called the world's best goalkeeper, leaped into the air like a god descending to earth and slapped the flying ball out of bounds!
"De Gea! He held Manchester United to a draw!"

As soon as Andy Gray finished speaking, the referee blew the final whistle.

With the third whistle, the score was tied at 1-1, and Manchester City failed to defeat Manchester United and achieve their goal of overturning the deficit and eliminating them.

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After the match, the Man of the Match was not Bruno Fernandes, who equalized for Manchester United, nor Kevin De Bruyne, who scored for Manchester City, but Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, who is known as the "world's best goalkeeper".

The result was undoubtedly indisputable, and De Gea deserved the honor. Even Bruno praised De Gea highly in a post-match interview: "I was on the verge of a heart attack watching those last few minutes; David was my lifesaver!"

If it weren't for De Gea's heroic performance in the final moments, Manchester City might have actually won a last-minute victory against Manchester United.

Now, with a draw, Manchester United have narrowly advanced to the Champions League semi-finals this season.

This marks their fifth consecutive appearance in the Champions League semi-finals, bringing the Red Devils one step closer to their fifth consecutive Champions League title. As for Manchester City, once again failing to reach the semi-finals, their pursuit of their first-ever Champions League trophy will have to wait until next year.

However, after six consecutive years without winning the Premier League and Champions League titles, it is difficult to predict whether the Abu Dhabi consortium's white-turbaned members will continue to trust this bald coach.

(End of this chapter)