Chapter 144: King of Finals! Yang, You Actually Did It!
As Yang Cheng and Ferguson shook hands and returned to their respective benches to await kickoff, both teams had already lined up on the field.
Manchester United, wearing their red kits, were set to kick off the first half.
Yang Cheng kept his eyes fixed on United's formation.
Tevez and Rooney stood at the center circle to take the kickoff.
Carrick and Scholes were positioned deep, at the base of midfield.
Hargreaves was out wide on the right.
Cristiano Ronaldo was out wide on the left.
"What the hell is this?" Brian Kidd looked rattled.
Bayswater Chinese's coaching staff had misjudged United's starting tactics and player positions.
No one expected Ferguson to put Ronaldo on the left.
And Hargreaves—he'd been pushed all the way out to the right? What was the plan here?
"Looks like they're trying to shut down our opening press," Yang Cheng said calmly.
It was a tactic, and a smart one at that—
counter a pressing team by attacking first, leaving them no time to press at all.
It wasn't just a theory—it was a real threat.
But what caught Yang Cheng's attention most was Ronaldo on the left.
Ferguson clearly wanted to suppress Maicon.
"This doesn't match the scouting we had," Brian Kidd muttered.
No doubt about it—Ferguson was up to his old tricks again.
Yang Cheng focused on the game.
The match was officiated by Slovak referee Ľuboš Micheľ.
He'd previously handled Bayswater Chinese's home match against Real Madrid, which they won 4–2.
So the team had a general idea of his style.
United kicked off, sending a long ball toward the front.
Pepe headed it down and passed to Yaya Touré,
but United's high pressing came in fast.
Touré quickly sent the ball back to Neuer.
But just as Neuer stepped out of his box to receive it—near the penalty spot—
Cristiano Ronaldo exploded into a sprint, chasing him down at full speed.
The German keeper stopped the ball with his foot—
but Ronaldo came in so fast and unexpectedly that Neuer didn't have time to bend down.
In a panic, he had no choice but to clear it out of bounds, giving United a throw-in.
The United fans erupted.
Yang Cheng clapped vigorously from the sidelines, gave Neuer a thumbs-up, and motioned for the team to stay calm.
They were nervous. Still too tense. Not playing freely yet.
Most of those early-match blunders fans see are rooted in nerves.
And on a night like the Champions League final?
Even someone as composed as Neuer was feeling it.
Just over a minute in, United got off the first shot of the match—a long-range effort.
But the pressure didn't let up.
Cristiano Ronaldo stayed on the left flank in the early stages, matching up directly with Maicon.
In the 2nd minute, just as he tried to accelerate—Maicon fouled him.
It happened near the halfway line.
Evra looked especially aggressive.
When Scholes took the quick free kick, Ronaldo cut inside from the left channel.
Evra overlapped him at pace.
Lass Diarra stuck tight to Ronaldo, forcing him to pass wide to Evra.
Maicon followed and slid in with a crunching tackle, sending the ball out of bounds.
"Both teams are going all-out on United's left flank early on," said the commentators.
"Looks like both sides have designated this as the main battlefield."
"Here comes the United throw-in."
"It's launched into the box—Pepe heads it clear."
"Yaya Touré boots it long toward midfield."
On the right side of the halfway line, Džeko dropped back to contest the ball.
Vidic pushed up hard to challenge him.
Vidic won the header, sending the ball back toward the Bayswater half—
but Bayswater Chinese were quicker to the second ball and regained possession.
United immediately pressed high again.
Lass Diarra passed to Maicon.
The Brazilian whipped a ball upfield—
right to Džeko, who was making a run down the right wing.
Vidic, having just pushed up, was still trying to track him.
That meant United's entire defensive line had also been drawn forward.
Džeko's burst triggered Bayswater's first real counterattack.
Arshavin and Di María both sprinted up the center and left flank.
Džeko reached the right side of United's box, slowed down, stopped sharply, cut inside—
and sent a low cross with his left foot.
Arshavin arrived at the top-right edge of the penalty arc and struck a first-time side-footed shot.
At that moment, a thought flashed through Yang Cheng's mind:
If that were Toni Kroos, it'd be in the back of the net.
But Arshavin's shot flew just wide of the right post.
Still, it was enough to give United a real scare.
A wave of applause rippled through the stadium.
Not even three minutes in, and Bayswater Chinese had already fired back with a dangerous shot of their own.
…
"What do you make of that?"
Ferguson turned to his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, on the United bench.
"Same as us—strength versus strength," Queiroz replied with a grin.
Ferguson had kept his cards close to his chest before the match—
but in the end, he followed Queiroz's advice and started Ronaldo on the left,
specifically to target Maicon.
And Yang Cheng?
He'd pulled Džeko out wide to counter Evra.
Now United had a decision to make.
Should Evra keep pushing forward?
If he did, the left flank would have to be covered by Vidic.
But that would open up space in the middle and right.
Wes Brown could shift inward, sure—
but don't forget, Di María was lurking on the right wing.
If Vidic didn't pull wide, Džeko would have free reign to attack down the wing.
Ferguson had shuffled his front three;
Yang Cheng was doing the same.
Not even three minutes into the match, and the two managers were already clashing head-to-head.
For Ferguson, the question now was:
should Evra stop pushing forward?
After a moment of hesitation, the legendary manager shook his head.
"Ten minutes," he muttered. "I told them before kickoff—press hard for the first ten minutes.
No matter what happens, Evra pulls back after that."
Queiroz nodded.
With United's quality, ten minutes wouldn't break them.
And if they could score early and take the initiative, everything would change.
Queiroz figured—it was a gamble worth taking.
…
From the very first minute, both teams were playing at that high-speed, high-intensity pace that defined the Premier League.
It made for a thrilling spectacle.
But United's press in midfield and up front—
especially Ronaldo and Evra's combinations down the left,
combined with the harassing work of Hargreaves, Scholes, and Carrick—
was causing real problems for Bayswater Chinese.
Hargreaves, in particular, was wreaking havoc.
The English midfielder had full freedom of movement—he wasn't limited to the center.
He even pressured all the way out to Baines' side on the left.
And Ferguson's pressing wasn't just about winning the ball.
No—his players were there to disrupt.
Yes, disrupt.
Every time Bayswater Chinese touched the ball, United swarmed.
Whether it was body contact, fouls, or clogging passing lanes—
they weren't necessarily trying to win possession.
They were trying to break Bayswater Chinese's rhythm at all costs.
In short, if they could disrupt the game, United would disrupt it.
Add to that the rain falling in Moscow tonight and the wet, slippery surface at Luzhniki Stadium, and it became very difficult for Bayswater Chinese's usual pass-and-move system to function smoothly.
By contrast, Manchester United were playing with sharp, direct efficiency.
After being shifted to the left wing, Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed far more freedom.
A right-footed player on the left side, with pace and excellent footwork—
every time he got the ball, whether cutting inside or driving to the byline, it was easy for him to shoot.
Since being established as United's main scorer and given the tactical green light to shoot at will, the Portuguese star never hesitated.
If there was space, he fired.
Most of those efforts, though, were long-range shots.
Yaya Touré, in the holding midfield role, was doing a solid job shielding the backline.
On United's left, with Lass Diarra and Maicon providing cover, Bayswater Chinese weren't too concerned.
As for Tevez and Rooney, they spent most of their time battling Bayswater's center-backs in the middle.
Tevez often dropped deep,
but since most of United's play was flowing through Ronaldo on the left,
he rarely saw the ball.
Bayswater Chinese weren't having it any easier.
Every time they gained possession, United's aggressive pressing disrupted their rhythm.
Their usual fluid passing combinations just wouldn't click.
On the pitch, it was clear—
United's high pressing was suffocating Bayswater Chinese.
Even the commentators noted,
"Ferguson's opening high press is working perfectly."
"He's using Bayswater Chinese's greatest strength against them."
"The key now is whether United can turn that advantage into a goal."
On the touchline, Yang Cheng remained calm,
constantly signaling adjustments to his players' positioning and roles.
For example, he kept instructing Džeko to drift out wide when possible.
Evra was critical to United's attacking width.
Among the front three, neither Tevez nor Rooney were true wide players.
And Ronaldo—no matter where he started—would inevitably cut inside toward the penalty area.
That meant United's width came mostly from their fullbacks.
Wes Brown didn't have the attacking ability.
He was mainly there to defend.
So Evra became even more important.
Yang Cheng didn't want to assign anyone specifically to mark him.
Instead, he had Džeko pull wide.
The benefit was clear—Evra wouldn't dare to push forward too freely,
which freed up Arshavin.
The Russian no longer needed to waste energy in direct battles with United's midfield.
If you paid attention to his positioning,
Arshavin was constantly drifting in the space between United's two center-backs and Carrick.
This was his designated zone—assigned by Yang Cheng.
Whenever Carrick had the ball, Arshavin would immediately press.
So United's buildup wasn't exactly smooth either.
Seeing that his team still couldn't connect passes,
in the 6th minute, Yang Cheng signaled for Arshavin to drop slightly deeper,
closer to Modrić.
That link was crucial.
These two players could always wriggle out of pressure—
turning difficult situations into simple ones.
They weren't afraid of the press.
They could receive in tight spots and create order out of chaos.
Of course, Arshavin couldn't drop too deep.
He needed to be close enough to make a late run when Džeko received the ball.
Di María wasn't a natural goal scorer.
Leaving him as the sole attacking focal point made Yang Cheng uneasy.
The Argentine's key job was to pin Wes Brown.
Keep him occupied.
In the 8th minute, Yang Cheng called out to Modrić,
instructing him to drift more toward the right.
He noticed that Hargreaves was often pushing high,
and since the English midfielder tended to position himself on the right side—Bayswater's left—
Modrić would have more space on the opposite flank.
Yang Cheng wasn't worried about Hargreaves.
Leighton Baines was holding his own defensively.
Sometimes, the difference between success and failure was a single step.
A single step could mean a passing lane. A shooting chance.
As long as the general structure held, Yang Cheng only needed to make micro-adjustments.
Then in the 10th minute, he noticed something.
Scholes had stopped pushing forward with urgency.
United's midfield was subtly slowing the pace.
He understood immediately.
After years of watching teams open matches with heavy pressing to counter his side's famous blitz starts,
Yang Cheng could tell exactly what Ferguson was doing.
Ferguson's plan was to press early, force errors, try to grab a lead quickly.
But did he know?
The period after their own opening blitz was when Bayswater Chinese were most vulnerable.
So Yang Cheng signaled for his team to pick up the tempo.
Push the midfield higher.
In other words—stick to United.
Don't let them retreat.
And sure enough, in the 13th minute, the two sides clashed near midfield.
Evra stayed high, pressing immediately instead of dropping back.
He collided with a Bayswater Chinese player in a hard challenge.
Yaya Touré calmly rolled the ball toward Carrick.
Arshavin, already dropping deep, positioned himself between Carrick and Scholes,
received the ball with his back to goal, turned, and laid it off to Modrić.
The Croatian moved laterally to the right, evading Scholes,
then pinged a diagonal pass.
The ball slipped past Scholes, past Evra—
landing near the right touchline, perfectly in line with United's defensive line.
Vidic was slightly tucked inside.
Evra, hugging the left sideline, was still near midfield.
That left a pocket of space on United's left.
Džeko had seen it coming.
He sprinted into the gap and took off down the right wing.
The Bosnian forward pushed with everything he had—
tall frame, long stride, surprisingly fast once he got going.
He beat Vidic to the ball and entered the box from the right.
Vidic took a cautious half-step back,
clearly trying to avoid physical contact.
But Džeko wasn't hesitating.
He drove straight to the byline, took one more touch,
then stopped cold.
He turned and cut the ball back with his right foot—
a classic pullback to the penalty spot area.
And in that moment—
no United midfielder had made it back in time!
Evra was the closest, but he couldn't intercept the pass.
It was almost identical to Bayswater's third-minute chance—
but this time, instead of a square pass, it was a cutback.
And once again, the man on the end of it was Arshavin.
The Russian surged into the box, stopped the ball with his left foot, pushing it slightly forward—
then, just as Ferdinand turned to react,
he stepped in and smashed a low drive.
The shot flew like a bullet—
slamming into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Neither Ferdinand nor Van der Sar could react in time.
Wes Brown?
He'd been dragged to the right by Di María and wasn't in position to help.
"GOAL!!!!!"
"Utterly sudden!"
"Completely unexpected!"
"13th minute—Bayswater Chinese have scored first against Manchester United!"
"What a stunning finish!"
"That's only their second shot of the match—
and they've broken the deadlock!"
"Back in the third minute, we already saw cracks in United's defense."
"Ferguson didn't fix them. He just kept pressing."
"Now he's paid the price for that arrogance!"
"1–0!"
"United have taken six shots—but not a single one on target."
"Bayswater Chinese? Two shots. One goal."
"That's what we call efficiency."
As Arshavin sprinted off the field to celebrate, the entire stadium erupted with cheers from Bayswater Chinese supporters.
Even many Russian fans in attendance joined in, roaring in support of Arshavin.
Every single Bayswater Chinese player rushed forward to celebrate—
completely overwhelmed with joy.
No one expected the goal to come so suddenly.
But that's football!
…
Yang Cheng calmly raised his right fist in the air.
But within seconds, Brian Kidd and the others swarmed him from behind.
Everyone was ecstatic.
Especially Brian Kidd.
He'd had enough of Ferguson's damned arrogance.
Going for the treble?
In your dreams.
At that moment, Brian Kidd completely lost his cool. He grabbed Yang Cheng, shouting over and over:
"Oh my God—you actually did it!"
"You were right! You said that was the weak point—and it worked!"
Both shots on goal came directly from Yang Cheng's pre-match tactical instructions.
Same setup, same patterns—
the only difference was the players' execution in the moment.
After all, no one could predict exactly how defenders would react.
But it worked.
Just 13 minutes in, and they were ahead!
…
"Wooohooo!!"
In the stands, surrounded by Bayswater Chinese fans and sitting with the players' families,
Xia Xi couldn't contain himself.
He jumped to his feet like everyone else, letting out a cheer of pure joy.
"Nice one, Yang Cheng!"
At first, his girlfriend felt a bit embarrassed, reaching to pull him back down.
But seeing the entire section erupting, even more excited than he was,
she gave up trying.
Xia Qing, Xia Anmin, and the others were also standing, clapping enthusiastically.
"This is what we call 'to capture, you must first release'—straight out of our Chinese military strategy," Xia Anmin said with a hearty laugh.
"That kid's got nerves of steel," he added.
"He let them press early, stayed patient, and then—bam! The perfect strike!"
Yang Jianguo was just as excited.
"Outsmarting Ferguson—now that's something. Our ancestors' wisdom still works!"
"Isn't that the truth?" Xia Anmin grinned proudly.
If you asked Xia Xi, his dad was the ultimate football philosopher.
And right now, combining the beautiful game with ancient Chinese war strategy,
he was in his element.
Xia Xi and Xia Qing exchanged amused glances.
As Yang Cheng always said,
everyone has their own interpretation of football—and their own way of experiencing it.
But in the end, it's all the same game.
Meanwhile, Li Hongying and Cao Wenhui, who never really cared for football,
sat next to each other shaking their heads.
"My heart nearly jumped out of my chest—it's too intense!"
"I thought they were going to score on us a few times already," Cao Wenhui confessed.
"Ah Cheng is incredible," she added, full of praise.
…
After the restart, United's players drew on their experience and tried to control the tempo.
Conceding a goal was one thing—
but rushing forward recklessly now would just open the door for Bayswater Chinese to strike again.
But Yang Cheng's side wasn't so cautious.
They pressed high immediately.
Yang Cheng quickly walked to the touchline, signaling for calm.
He wanted them to settle down, stay organized.
Focus on defending first.
Then wear United down gradually.
His call for composure worked.
The players refocused and began circulating the ball patiently.
If United chose to sit back, Bayswater Chinese would gradually take control of midfield.
That's the advantage of having a dominant midfield—of having control in possession.
Even someone like Lass Diarra, nicknamed "The Butcher,"
had solid passing skills and composure under pressure.
On the other hand, Carrick, Scholes, and Hargreaves simply didn't have that same DNA.
Yang Cheng, though, gave one particularly clear instruction:
Džeko should keep drifting wide to the right.
As long as Evra stayed pinned back,
United's attack would lose its width.
That, right there, was the biggest difference in this final:
Yang Cheng could stay calm under pressure—
he even willingly gave up the initiative at times, retreating strategically when United pressed hard.
Ferguson couldn't.
But the United boss adjusted quickly.
Soon, Rooney shifted left to take Ronaldo's place on the wing.
Tevez remained central.
Ronaldo now floated freely.
In midfield, Hargreaves was told to shrink his defensive zone,
dropping back beside Carrick.
Meanwhile, Wes Brown pushed higher.
Clearly, if needed, United's right-back would join the attack.
With these adjustments, United's offense started to regain its rhythm.
Ferguson clearly didn't want Bayswater Chinese to settle into their passing game.
So United kept pushing up—
using disruption as a weapon, just as they had successfully done early in the match.
Yang Cheng signaled for his team to drop slightly deeper.
That shifted the main battleground between the halfway line and Bayswater's 30-meter zone.
"United's intensity is still high."
"They're clearly not rattled by conceding early."
"And that's no surprise—"
"Ferguson said in his pre-match press conference that United's Champions League pedigree runs deep."
"They've reached the final twice before—and won both times."
"This is their third trip to the final."
"The first was in the 1967/68 season—at Wembley, against Benfica."
"Bobby Charlton scored first, but Benfica equalized."
"Then, in extra time, it became the Brian Kidd show."
"The legendary striker notched a goal and an assist, helping United score three in extra time to win 4–1—claiming their first European Cup."
"And tonight, Brian Kidd is in Luzhniki Stadium once again—
but this time, sitting on the opposite bench, next to Yang Cheng."
"He was once Ferguson's trusted assistant during the treble years, before moving to Blackburn."
"And of course, in 1999 under Ferguson, United came from behind again—beating Bayern Munich in one of the greatest Champions League finals ever."
"So yes, it's fair to assume Ferguson prepared his players for the possibility of going down early."
…
After the 15th minute, the game evolved again.
Bayswater Chinese tried to build up more possession,
to reestablish their passing rhythm and control the match—
but United had no intention of letting that happen.
Gradually, United started pressing harder in midfield and up front—
especially targeting Bayswater's backline as they tried to play out.
Evra, once again, became restless.
The French fullback began making overlapping runs down the left,
supporting Ronaldo and Rooney as United looked to break through.
That helped United reclaim some territory in the final third.
But in the 21st minute, Lass Diarra won the ball with a clean interception
and passed it to Pepe.
The Brazilian center-back immediately sent it to Yaya Touré.
Touré took one touch—
then launched a long diagonal ball to the right wing.
Džeko was already on the move,
drifting diagonally toward the right sideline.
Reading the pass perfectly,
he used his chest to bring it down with his back to goal,
then quickly got it under control.
Vidic was now glued to Džeko, shadowing him closely, ready to make a challenge at any moment.
But the Bosnian striker didn't give him that chance. He dropped deeper on his own, dragging Vidic away and avoiding contact. Spotting Arshavin making a forward run, Džeko quickly slipped a pass across to the right channel.
The Russian burst forward, received the ball, and immediately used a feint to shake off Carrick. Then, with the outside of his left foot, he poked the ball sideways, switching the attack from vertical to diagonal in one fluid movement.
Arshavin carried the ball just a single stride diagonally toward the top of the arc, then sent a perfect through pass into the left side of the penalty area—right by Wes Brown.
Since Vidic had followed Džeko out wide and Ferdinand was also pulled across to cover, Wes Brown had tucked in closer to the penalty spot, keeping his distance.
This opened up the entire left side of United's defensive line.
Di María, who had initially tucked inside, recognized the shift in momentum and exploded into action, darting past Wes Brown on the diagonal.
Arshavin's pass landed perfectly ahead of the Argentine, who sprinted onto it at full speed.
Hargreaves was rushing back hard, but he was a step late.
As Di María charged into the box, he controlled the pass near the left side of the penalty spot with his left foot. Wes Brown was turning, but the timing was off—he'd already lost position.
Hargreaves couldn't catch up.
Van der Sar boldly came off his line.
Di María took another step to follow up his touch. As Van der Sar closed in, he threw a subtle body feint to wrong-foot the keeper, then used the outside of his left foot to flick the ball wide of him.
Another step, and with his body off-balance, he still managed to swing his left leg and fire a low shot at the goal.
Di María collapsed in the box immediately after the shot—
but the ball was already curling behind Van der Sar, slowly rolling toward the net.
"IT'S IN!!!!!!"
"A SECOND GOAL!!"
"From the Argentine forward, Di María!"
"In the 21st minute, Bayswater Chinese double their lead!"
"Manchester United's defense has been one of the strongest in Europe this season."
"But tonight, on this rainy Moscow night, Bayswater Chinese have scored twice in just 21 minutes!"
"2–0!"
On the pitch, every Bayswater Chinese player rushed over to the fallen Di María—
jumping on him, one after another, burying the "Noodle Man" at the very bottom of the pile.
On the touchline, Yang Cheng was visibly more emotional than he had been after the first goal.
If the first strike had put them ahead, this second one had firmly established control.
And it had only been 21 minutes.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but wonder—
Is Di María really the King of Finals?
How else could you explain the fact that he only scored five goals all season—
fewer than Gareth Bale, Walcott, or Lewandowski—
but always seemed to strike in the biggest moments?
Look at that first touch past Wes Brown.
The composure to evade Hargreaves.
The calm flick around Van der Sar.
Absolutely ice cold.
"Arshavin's pass was exquisite," Brian Kidd commented.
"And Di María's follow-up was pure composure."
Yang Cheng nodded.
Credit where credit's due—
this goal was just as much Arshavin's as it was Di María's.
And Džeko played a key role too.
After all, it was his diagonal run that broke through United's midfield in the first place.
Every time Džeko drifted wide, Arshavin would slip into the space between United's center-backs and midfielders,
causing all kinds of headaches for Ferguson's defense.
Just like this time—
Vidic was pulled wide, and if Ferdinand had stepped out to cover Arshavin, who would've handled Džeko?
And Džeko wasn't a static target man—he could pass and beat his man off the dribble.
That created all kinds of problems for United's back line and defensive midfield.
Ferguson stood on the touchline, shaking his head.
Once again—Džeko drifting wide, the threat coming from the left flank.
…
In a private mansion somewhere in Moscow—
Roman Abramovich was watching the game.
He could've attended in person.
For an average fan, tickets to the Champions League final were almost impossible to get.
But for him? Child's play.
Still, he refused to show support for either Manchester United or Bayswater Chinese.
No matter who won, he wouldn't be happy.
So he chose to stay home.
Sitting in his luxurious living room, watching the world's most-watched match.
He had seen Arshavin's goal.
And now, he'd just watched his fellow Russian deliver an assist.
It made him leap to his feet.
"Arshavin…"
Marina Granovskaia, his personal assistant, nodded beside him.
"He's special. Clearly a cut above everyone else on the pitch."
He could pass, shoot, control, dribble—
Arshavin was the definition of a complete attacker.
The only knock? He wasn't tall.
But then again, if he were taller, he wouldn't have the same nimbleness, the same mesmerizing footwork.
"Get in touch with Pini," Abramovich said suddenly.
"After the final, I want contact with Bayswater Chinese—and ask about Arshavin."
He was visibly excited.
He could already see the headlines across Russia, Europe—the world—all dominated by Arshavin's name.
His performance tonight had been nothing short of magical.
"Boss, I've heard that Arsenal's Usmanov is also trying to sign him," Marina warned.
At the mention of his "old friend," Abramovich's expression darkened.
He immediately knew what Usmanov was trying to do.
Especially since Arsenal was one of the old giants of London.
He snorted.
"Then let's fight for him. I'm not afraid of him."
…
After going up 2–0, the tempo of the match slowed slightly.
That gave Bayswater Chinese the chance to further solidify their control in midfield.
They tightened up their passing game and gradually dictated the rhythm.
It also meant United started easing off their pressing in midfield and the final third.
And once midfield control shifted, United found it harder to build through the middle.
That's when Yang Cheng got the scenario he was waiting for:
United started resorting to long balls.
Target: Rooney.
But whether in the center or on the left, Rooney had a hard time winning long passes.
Forget Pepe, Thiago Silva, or Yaya Touré—even Maicon could challenge Rooney in the air.
Maicon averaged 1.2 successful aerial duels per game this season.
Rooney? Just 0.8.
Sure, that was over the course of a season—
in a single match, anything could happen.
But it still showed that Maicon was no slouch in the air.
So United's long-ball strategy offered little threat.
After Rooney was locked down, they tried sending a few to Ronaldo.
But the Portuguese star, true to form, shot whenever he had a glimpse of goal.
More than half of United's shots had come from Ronaldo.
But he wasn't a center forward—
his hold-up play wasn't good enough.
Every time he received a long pass under pressure, he struggled to follow up.
After a few failed attempts, United gave up on the long balls.
With that, the game began to stabilize.
Over 30 minutes had passed.
And now, everyone could see it—
Manchester United had no answer for Bayswater Chinese's defense.
Meanwhile, Yang Cheng's team, now in full control of midfield,
started stringing together more and more fluid attacking moves,
forcing United to slowly retreat.
Still, Yang Cheng felt a slight sense of regret.
"Don't you think United have committed too few fouls in their own third tonight?"
He returned to the bench and asked Brian Kidd.
By "their own third," Yang Cheng meant United's defensive third.
Brian Kidd chuckled and pointed at Gianni Vio—no further explanation needed.
With Gianni Vio sitting on Bayswater Chinese's bench,
every team had to think twice about giving away fouls near their box.
The risk was simply too high.
"Besides," Kidd added, "Ferguson's no fool. He knows exactly where his team's problems lie."
Yang Cheng sighed.
He'd prepared several killer moves for this final.
Besides using Džeko out wide, he had one more:
exploiting United's weakness in defending high balls.
Sounds ridiculous, right?
Ferdinand, Vidic, Wes Brown—on paper, all were strong in the air.
United should be one of the best teams at defending crosses.
But in practice?
This season alone, they had conceded multiple goals due to errors on aerial balls.
Let's not even go back too far:
Matchday 33: away at Riverside Stadium—conceded via a high ball.Matchday 34: at home against Arsenal—another one.Matchday 35: away to Blackburn—again.Matchday 36: away to Chelsea—yet another aerial mistake.
It was a mystery to everyone, not just Yang Cheng.
How could a team that looked so solid still be so vulnerable in the air?
So why didn't more teams try to exploit it?
Simple. High balls usually come from long passes or crosses—
inefficient forms of attack, and not always easy to execute cleanly.
Also, Ferdinand and Vidic weren't always poor in the air—just inconsistent.
So teams did try it—but the results varied.
Bayswater Chinese, for their part, didn't rely much on high balls.
Even when they played long to Džeko, it wasn't usually lofted.
Their crossing frequency was relatively low.
In this match, Yang Cheng hadn't yet capitalized on United's aerial weakness.
Gianni Vio had even designed a few specific set-piece routines
to exploit that very flaw in United's defense.
But so far, none had been used.
That's just how football goes.
A manager can spend days preparing a tactic—
but it doesn't mean it'll have a chance to shine.
Sometimes, you prepare five ideas,
and only one of them works out.
Because while you're planning for the opponent,
they're planning for you, too.
…
The first half ended with Bayswater Chinese leading 2–0.
During the break, Yang Cheng first praised his players for their performance,
especially calling out Arshavin and a few others.
He also singled out Lass Diarra for special praise.
In the first half, alongside Maicon on the left,
he'd managed to completely shut down Cristiano Ronaldo.
Eventually, Ronaldo even switched flanks.
So Lass Diarra switched with Modrić and followed him over.
Yang Cheng even mused—
Ronaldo has never gotten the better of Lass. Maybe just seeing the guy gives him a headache.
Too sticky!
And worse—he defended like a veteran.
But after the praise came criticism.
Especially for the closing minutes of the half,
when Bayswater Chinese—up 2–0—began to ease off.
United took advantage and built a late surge.
"If their finishing had been better, we'd be in big trouble!" Yang Cheng barked.
In truth, he wasn't angry.
United hadn't had any truly clear chances.
But he had to kill that mood.
That slackness couldn't be allowed to carry into the second half.
He didn't want to become the next "celebrating-at-halftime" cautionary tale.
"In the second half, I don't want to see this again.
If anyone isn't 100% focused, I'll sub them off.
I don't care who it is!"
The "threat" worked.
When the second half kicked off, Bayswater Chinese came out even sharper—
fully locked in.
Ferguson made no changes at halftime.
And Yang Cheng, thinking from the other side, could understand why.
Who would he sub?
United's tactics this season had leaned too heavily on the front three—
especially Ronaldo.
But the trio didn't complement each other well.
They were devastating on the break, but ineffective in structured attacks.
Originally, Ferguson had pinned his hopes on Louis Saha.
The Frenchman's ability to hold up play made him ideal alongside Rooney and Ronaldo.
But since joining United, Saha had been plagued by injuries and inconsistencies.
That's why, last season, Ferguson had paired Alan Smith with Rooney and Ronaldo.
Trying to recreate what Saha could've offered.
But Alan Smith wasn't Saha.
And United paid the price—losing to Chelsea and surrendering the league title.
Then came Tevez, and the trio started producing.
Ferguson had no reason to change things.
But deep down, he knew—
the trio wasn't balanced.
At least, not enough for high-pressure, high-stakes matches like this.
And tonight proved it.
Down 2–0, losing midfield control,
United's front line could only try to create something through sheer individual brilliance.
But with little effect.
Bayswater Chinese, on the other hand, nearly scored again in the 58th minute.
Maicon delivered a crisp pass down the right.
Džeko controlled it with his back to goal, shielding from Evra,
then cut inside and suddenly let fly with a fierce left-footed shot.
Van der Sar, fully alert, lunged sideways and got a hand to it—
pushing it wide.
Otherwise, it would've been a worldie.
Even so, the near miss dented United's morale.
Ferguson decided to push harder—he called on Ryan Giggs.
Yang Cheng assumed he'd sub off Hargreaves.
But no—Ferguson pulled Scholes.
That meant United were reverting to a 4-4-2.
Giggs on the left, Ronaldo back to the right,
Tevez and Rooney in the middle.
But even that couldn't create danger.
Carrick and Hargreaves simply couldn't handle Bayswater Chinese's midfield.
United's attacking chances were few—
either solo efforts or long-range shots.
Yang Cheng, watching from the sideline, finally allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief.
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