Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 499: 4-1 Victory Over Atletico, Manchester City Eyes Third Consecutive Champions League Title!

Simeone, like the fans in the stands, was baffled by Guardiola's tactical arrangement. He had never seen such a strategy before, and the unfamiliarity made him uneasy. Thus, when Fernando came on, Simeone kept a close eye on him, curious about Guardiola's plan.

Fernando was tall and strong. Though using a defensive midfielder as a forward seemed odd, his physique might make it work. His height alone made him a significant aerial threat in the box, more so than Manchester City's shorter forwards like Aguero, Lin Quan, David Silva, De Bruyne, Kante, and Son Heung-min.

Manchester City rarely used aerial balls in attack due to their lack of height. However, with Fernando, they might now have an opportunity to exploit this. Was Guardiola trying a different approach against Atletico's solid defense? Unsure but cautious, Simeone instructed Juanfran to warn his teammates to watch out for aerial threats.

But Simeone was disappointed. Fernando, positioned as a forward, wasn't playing as one. Instead, he continued his role as a defensive midfielder, sweeping and intercepting across a wide area—only he was doing this in Atletico's half. He chased down any Atletico player with the ball, relentlessly pressing like a mad dog.

In normal circumstances, Atletico's players could have passed the ball around to tire him out. But with the game nearing the 80-minute mark and their energy depleted, this wasn't feasible. Plus, Fernando wasn't alone. Manchester City's other players joined in the aggressive pressing.

Atletico found themselves trapped in their own half, unable to break out. Manchester City's players had pushed up into Atletico's half, with even the goalkeeper playing near the center circle, acting as a sweeper.

When only a few players press high, the opposing team can manage. But when the entire team does so, it becomes overwhelming. Theoretically, this was the perfect time for Atletico to counter-attack. But they couldn't. They were exhausted, and Manchester City's relentless pressing had them rattled.

Experiencing high pressing from their opponents, something Atletico usually imposed on others, was a shock. The feeling was dreadful. Struggling with fatigue, Atletico's players couldn't withstand Manchester City's intense pressing. With City players swarming their half, any turnover immediately threatened Atletico's goal.

Atletico's goal came under severe pressure, with Oblak making several critical saves. Despite his heroics, the danger persisted and intensified. Simeone watched in stunned silence. It felt like Guardiola had stolen his tactics and refined them to be even more relentless and terrifying.

"Guardiola's substitutions are baffling, but Manchester City is completely dominating. Atletico's goal is under constant threat!"

As the match entered the 80th minute, Oblak became the busiest player, making save after save against City's continuous attacks. Yet, the inevitable happened.

In the 85th minute, Son Heung-min sent a cross from the wing. Atletico's defenders cleared the initial header, but the ball fell to Kroos outside the box. Kroos took a shot, and Oblak made another spectacular save, tipping the ball over the crossbar. Atletico's defenders rushed to commend their goalkeeper, but City's attack wasn't over.

Lin Quan took the corner, signaling a near-post delivery. Son Heung-min, positioned on the edge of the penalty area, timed his run perfectly, taking advantage of the defenders' focus on City's taller players. Lin Quan's corner met Son's run, and with a slight flick, he redirected the ball into the far corner of the net. (Similar to the second goal in the China vs. South Korea match).

Oblak was helpless against this header. Positioned near post, he couldn't reach the far corner in time. The score became 3-1, restoring City's two-goal lead.

Although a 3-1 lead was less comfortable than 2-0, given Atletico's crucial away goal, Manchester City was not content. They continued their aggressive pressing, further intensifying their efforts against Atletico.

The thousands of Blue Moon fans at the Etihad Stadium roared in support, creating a deafening atmosphere. For Atletico's players, the final moments of the match felt agonizingly prolonged. Each minute dragged on endlessly.

Finally, as the regular 90 minutes ended, the fourth official signaled an additional five minutes of stoppage time. This news was devastating for Atletico's exhausted players.

Why was the stoppage time extended to five minutes? If it were just two or three minutes, they could have gritted their teeth and held on. But five minutes felt like an eternity. Home field bias? This must be a case of the referee being bribed by Manchester City!

However, this was not true. The main reason the referee added so much stoppage time was due to the high number of fouls committed by both teams, which had caused significant delays. There were a total of seven yellow cards issued in this match—more fouls by Atletico in the first half and more by Manchester City in the second half. Given the frequency of fouls and the number of yellow cards, five minutes of stoppage time was quite reasonable. The referee even felt it was too little!

Everyone knew that Atletico had a strong defense. But what many overlooked was that Atletico's strong defense was built on relentless running. However, the seeds sown must be reaped. The consequence of high-intensity pressing is fatigue in the latter stages of the match. The longer the match dragged on, the worse the fatigue became.

By the 75th minute of the second half, Atletico's players were starting to cramp up. By the 80th minute, this became more frequent. They were genuinely exhausted and also trying to use delaying tactics.

Regardless, it was clear to everyone that Atletico's players could barely run. In contrast, Manchester City, who had conserved their energy in the first half and made fresh substitutions in the second, were in much better shape. Their defenders were also tired, but the attacking players, most of whom had come on in the second half, were full of energy and highly motivated.

Taking advantage of Atletico's fatigue and drop in defensive quality, Manchester City launched a relentless assault during stoppage time. In the 93rd minute of stoppage time, De Bruyne, a substitute, scored with a world-class strike, sealing the score at 4-1!

This scoreline essentially confirmed Manchester City's place in the final. Historically, only one team had ever come back from a three-goal first-leg deficit in the Champions League: Deportivo La Coruña in the 2003-2004 quarterfinals, where they overcame a 1-4 loss in the first leg to beat AC Milan 4-0 at home.

Other teams facing such a deficit had invariably failed. Recent examples included Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 2012-2013 semifinals, where both teams lost by three goals in the first leg and failed to overturn the deficit in the second leg—Real Madrid came close, while Barcelona was humiliated 7-0 by Bayern Munich on aggregate.

If powerhouses like Real Madrid and Barcelona couldn't pull off a miracle, it highlighted how difficult it was to break this curse. For a team like Atletico, whose defense outshone their attack, scoring three or more goals in a single match was an almost impossible task.

Atletico's players knew what this scoreline meant. When the referee blew the final whistle, Griezmann, their number 7, couldn't help but tear up. The taste of defeat was so bitter that he struggled to hold back his tears.

Griezmann hadn't performed well in this match. Although he had a threatening long-range shot in the first half, once Manchester City assigned Kante to mark him, his effectiveness was severely diminished. This performance clearly didn't match his status and price tag as a key player.

Comparing him to Lin Quan, who was also a key player, the difference was stark. Lin Quan had an outstanding game with one goal and two assists, even though Atletico had made many tactical adjustments to limit him. This was what frustrated Griezmann the most.

As Griezmann wiped his tears, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he was surprised to see Lin Quan.

"Would you like to exchange jerseys?" Lin Quan asked with a smile.

Griezmann was taken aback but quickly realized the opportunity. Who knew when he'd get another chance to face Lin Quan again?

"Sure!" Griezmann quickly took off his jersey and handed it to Lin Quan.

"You played well. Keep working hard. I look forward to our next match!" Lin Quan encouraged.

"I will. I won't lose to you next time!" Griezmann replied, clenching his fist, determined not to show weakness in front of his idol.

After exchanging jerseys, Lin Quan nodded and started to leave but then turned back, adding seriously, "If Barcelona wants to buy you, think carefully about it."

With that, Lin Quan walked away. His brief advice was enough. Although he wasn't close to Griezmann, he believed Griezmann was smart enough to realize that joining Barcelona, where his role would overlap with Messi's, wouldn't benefit him. As long as Messi was at Barcelona, it would be hard for anyone to take his place tactically.

After Manchester City's big win over Atletico, the media was abuzz with coverage, and fans were passionately discussing the match on forums and social media.

"I thought City would win, but I never expected such a scoreline!"

"Yeah, that's Atletico, the best defensive team in La Liga and arguably in all the major European leagues. Even Bayern couldn't score against them, yet City put four past them. What kind of monsters are these City players?"

"The first 75 minutes were evenly matched, but City took full advantage of Atletico's fatigue in the final stages, delivering a knockout blow."

"Guardiola holds grudges, huh? After being shut out by Atletico with Bayern, he not only got revenge but did so mercilessly. The last ten minutes were brutal—City was rubbing Atletico's face in the dirt. I actually felt sorry for Atletico!"

"Poor Griezmann, he was in tears after the match!"

"Sympathy for Griezmann!"

"With this scoreline, Atletico's next match will be tough."

With the 4-1 result, the outlook for Atletico was bleak. Some optimistic City fans were already celebrating prematurely:

"Heh, I declare the semifinals over. Manchester City is on their way to a third consecutive Champions League title!"

Happy New Year friends, thank you for your support this year, I hope to continue counting on your support this new year.