Starting With Real Madrid

"O'Shea missed it!"

From the sidelines, Gao Shen shouted urgently, trying to alert his players on the field.

Whether in the first leg or the second leg, Manchester United's right-back had been struggling.

At the San Paolo, he had been completely torched by Di Maria, leading to Napoli's equalizer.

Back at Old Trafford, Di Maria had once again bypassed him effortlessly, setting up Napoli's counterattack that led to the goal just moments ago.

His role in these two games had been tragic.

But that didn't mean O'Shea lacked ability.

Far from it, any player who secured a starting spot at Manchester United had to be talented.

O'Shea was no exception.

But Napoli's tactical discipline was making life extremely difficult for United.

To what extent was Napoli controlling the game?

By the 25th minute, they had completely suppressed Manchester United's midfield, cutting off their passing lanes.

At minute 29, Ferdinand received the ball near United's own 30-meter area.

He looked around, searching for an open pass but found nothing.

Up front, Cavani moved slowly in front of Vidic, just enough to make Ferdinand hesitant.

If he passed to Vidic, Cavani would sprint forward and intercept—disaster.

Ahead, Rakitic positioned himself between Carrick and Fletcher.

To the right, Di Maria shadowed O'Shea, keeping him under pressure.

Ferdinand turned left no option.

Turned right still no option.

Looked forward still nothing.

For nearly ten seconds, he shifted back and forth, unable to move the ball forward.

In desperation, he finally saw Park Ji-sung making a run and launched a long pass.

But Park hadn't truly pushed forward he had actually dropped back.

The ball sailed into Napoli's half, where Vargas easily intercepted it, passing back to Handanović.

It was a textbook example of Napoli's defensive suppression.

Just a minute later, Ferdinand had the ball again.

This time, Di Maria had moved closer to him, and O'Shea had slipped free.

Gao Shen saw it instantly.

"O'Shea is open!" He shouted.

But Ferdinand's pass was already on its way.

O'Shea drove past the halfway line on the right, delivering a diagonal ball behind Napoli's defense, straight into the penalty area.

Cristiano Ronaldo sprinted forward.

At that moment, the Portuguese forward's speed and explosiveness were on full display.

O'Shea's pass was well-placed, landing just inside the penalty area.

But Handanović had read the danger early.

The Napoli goalkeeper charged out, diving low to claim the ball before Ronaldo could reach it.

On the sidelines, Gao Shen called over Di Maria, reminding him to watch his positioning.

From a distance, the Argentine raised his hand in acknowledgment, he knew he had let his guard down.

United, however, used this moment to push their defensive line higher, looking to relieve pressure and gain control of the midfield.

Their intent was clear: apply pressure, force mistakes, and spark a wave of attacks.

Soon, Ronaldo dropped into space, received the ball, and drove forward on the left toward Napoli's box.

But instead of linking up with Rooney, he spotted a gap outside the area and fired a long-range shot.

The ball missed again.

From the touchline, Gao Shen clapped forcefully, urging his players to stay focused and tighten their marking on Ronaldo.

He hadn't counted Ronaldo's total shots, but none had been on target.

Still, he was United's only consistent attacking outlet.

And if they kept allowing him space, sooner or later, he might find the net.

Ferguson responded.

When Ronaldo dropped deep, Anderson pushed forward.

At minute 33, Ronaldo's movement distracted Napoli's defense.

Anderson slipped into the gap between Napoli's center-backs and Thiago Motta.

Fletcher picked him out with a through pass, sending the ball into the box.

Rooney broke in from the left, arriving at the same time as Handanović.

The Napoli keeper rushed out, diving low to smother Rooney's shot in his arms.

Both players tumbled to the ground in a heap.

A frustrated sigh echoed through Old Trafford.

Another golden chance wasted!

Gao Shen immediately shouted instructions to Thiago Motta and David Luiz, particularly Luiz.

There had been a miscommunication.

Luiz hadn't followed Ronaldo instead, Thiago Motta had.

So when Anderson surged forward, Luiz failed to step out in time to close him down.

The Brazilian center-back had improved significantly in Serie A, but he still had moments of poor concentration or misjudgment.

Gao Shen, Bonucci, and others had to constantly remind him.

United's attack continued until the 39th minute.

During this period, the two teams traded attacks, but United were the more aggressive.

Napoli, however, remained disciplined and composed.

They denied United clean shooting chances, keeping their defensive shape rock solid.

Then, at minute 40, United eased off the intensity slightly and Napoli struck back.

After intercepting the ball in midfield, Rakitic launched a long, defense-splitting pass forward.

The ball whipped through the space between Ferdinand and O'Shea.

Both Manchester United defenders were stationed near the halfway line, leaving a huge gap behind them.

Rakitic delivered the pass with precision and pace.

As Cavani dropped deep, Di Maria surged forward, shaking off O'Shea and sprinting past him.

But Van der Sar reacted instantly, rushing off his line to clear the ball before Di Maria could reach it.

Just a minute later, Manchester United struck back.

Ferdinand sent a long ball toward the edge of Napoli's penalty area, aiming for Ronaldo's run.

This time, however, Bonucci was ready.

The center-back positioned himself perfectly, shielding the ball before calmly passing it back to Handanović.

"The match is getting intense, but it's still a tactical battle."

"Both teams are showing their resilience."

"Manchester United and Napoli clearly have an incredible desire to win."

"Overall, Napoli has the upper hand right now, but United are still fighting hard."

"The biggest issue for United is their lack of a clear attacking path. Their offensive plays aren't creating real danger they're relying too much on Ronaldo's long shots, which is proving to be ineffective."

"Napoli's defensive setup has been highly disciplined and tactically sound."

"We can see Gao Shen constantly signaling to his players to push forward."

"It's clear that Napoli wants another goal."

"If they score again, the away goals rule means United would have to score three times to qualify. That would be a massive blow to the Red Devils and possibly the decisive moment of the match."

"Gao Shen's tactical approach and in-game adjustments tonight have been impressive. Against the legendary Ferguson, he looks just as sharp, and Napoli have shown incredible competitiveness."

"Look at this attack, Napoli is advancing as a unit."

On the left flank, Vargas and Di Maria combined.

It seemed obvious that they would launch an attack down the wing, United's defense reacted accordingly.

Di Maria initially feinted inside, only to pass back out wide, allowing Vargas to drive forward.

O'Shea responded quickly, closing Vargas down and trapping him near the touchline.

Di Maria dropped back to the corner of the penalty area, receiving Vargas' pass.

Fletcher sprinted over, looking to double-team him alongside Park Ji-sung.

But Di Maria stayed composed.

He took a quick glance at Vargas ahead, then at the middle of the pitch.

Then, with a sudden flick of his left foot, he lofted the ball behind Fletcher, sending it toward the edge of the box.

A moment later, a sky-blue blur burst forward, Rakitic sprinting from deep!

The Croatian took the pass in stride, pushing it forward without losing momentum, driving straight into the penalty area.

Old Trafford erupted in shock!

Just as Rakitic surged into the box, Carrick lunged in from behind, crashing into him.

The midfielder went down inside the penalty area.

Carrick immediately threw up his hands, protesting his innocence.

But the referee's whistle had already blown.

PENALTY!

"From the slow-motion replay, it's clear that Rakitic's sudden forward run caught Manchester United's defense off guard."

"Carrick reacted late and collided into him from behind."

"Replays from different angles confirm that Rakitic was inside the penalty area when contact occurred."

"There's no doubt, it's a clear penalty."

"The referee has shown a yellow card and pointed to the spot!"

Manchester United's players protested.

They argued that the foul happened outside the box and that Rakitic simply fell forward into the area.

But the referee stood firm.

"From the replay, the contact clearly occurred inside the penalty area, this is the right call."

"Gao Shen's decision to position Rakitic on the left tonight has proven to be a masterstroke. The Croatian has played brilliantly, and this late run into the box has completely unsettled United's defense."

"Now, the big question, who will take the penalty?"

On the sidelines, Gao Shen watched in silence as the Napoli players gathered, deciding who would take the spot-kick.

Next to him, Ferguson was fuming, still voicing his frustration to the officials.

He knew it—if Napoli scored this penalty, it would be a crushing blow to United.

Possibly even a fatal one.

But there was nothing he could do.

It was a clear penalty.

Lucas, watching the live broadcast, confirmed that the TV kept replaying the moment, further validating the call.

As for who would take the penalty?

Gao Shen had a good guess.

Rakitic wasn't the type to steal the spotlight, he would likely step aside for a teammate.

And the one player who wanted to score most for Napoli right now was undoubtedly Cavani.

Sure enough—Cavani stepped up.

One by one, Napoli's players approached him, offering hugs and words of encouragement.

Behind the goal, the Manchester United fans roared, trying to rattle Cavani.

In the stands, over 76,000 fans were holding their breath.

At this moment, every single one of them was praying.

"God, please stop him!"

***

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