"Just three minutes into the second half, Manchester United have once again extended their lead, and the goalscorer is their number 7, Ling!" Peter Drury announced.
"Di Francesco's tactics were indeed brilliant, but Lady Luck was not on Roma's side today. Both goals had a bit of fortune involved."
Jim Beglin added, "However, in a sport like football, luck is also a very important factor."
"Perhaps Man United will easily win this away game today, but I don't know why I'm suddenly a little panicked for them. It feels too easy."
Drury wasn't as happy as one might expect.
Perhaps it was because of Barcelona's precedent.
They had also won the first leg with ease, only to transform into a laughingstock in the second leg, shocking the entire world.
Beglin chuckled and said, "A miracle is called a miracle precisely because it cannot be replicated."
"Although both of Man United's goals had a certain element of luck, they are also a reflection of Man United's superiority over Roma, because every one of their attacks has been effective."
"For example, when Ling just bulldozed past Florenzi, that's a weakness in ability that technique cannot compensate for."
"However, I'm looking forward to Di Francesco's adjustments. He will probably try to find a way to limit Ling's range of movement and launch attacks with more precise tactics."
Twitter was buzzing with reactions as the goal went in.
@TacticalGuru: Jim Beglin is spot on! Ling's physicality against Florenzi was a mismatch. Technique matters, but sometimes power wins.
@UCLStats: It's a shame Ling's first shot didn't go in; otherwise, he could have competed for the top three on the Champions League top scorers list. Still, a rebound goal counts just the same!
@LFCFan: Speaking of the top scorers list, Firmino, Salah, and Mane are all in the top five. Liverpool is just ridiculous! See you in the final?
@RealMadridFan: Don't get your hopes up. In a two-legged tie, no team can beat Real Madrid at the moment. If it were a single-leg final, maybe, but over two legs? No chance.
@LingFanClub: Hope Man United keeps it up, and hope Ling can become the second Chinese player to win the Champions League!
@DongFangzhuo: Dong was such a pity. If we could see two Chinese players fighting side by side, that would be a beautiful sight. But Ling is carrying the torch now.
While discussions raged online, Ling celebrated with a knee slide amidst the cheers, even casting a provocative glance at the Roma fans.
There was no need for a more aggressive celebration.
After all, that would risk a booking.
Although previous yellow cards were wiped clean before the Round of 16, if something unexpected happened in the next match, he could still miss the Champions League final.
So, Ling decided to be a bit more cautious.
Behind him, his Man United teammates came running over.
Every face was beaming with a happy smile.
After Mourinho's pep talk at halftime, they had been somewhat worried.
Now, with two away goals in hand, the rest of the match would be much easier to play.
"Ling, that was some good luck! Don't forget to treat us when we get back!" Lingard said excitedly.
Pogba wasn't too happy, sighing inexplicably, "He even managed to save that! Unbelievable save."
Hearing this, Ling patted his shoulder but didn't offer any words of comfort.
Doing so would feel a bit like rubbing it in, and with Pogba's emotional intelligence, he might even think Ling was showing off to him.
So, it was better to let it be.
On the sidelines.
Di Francesco frowned deeply and said in a low voice towards the bench.
"Cengiz Ünder, warm up and get ready to come on."
Since the dual-striker formation wasn't producing the desired effect, it was better to make a change sooner rather than later.
Replacing Schick with Ünder, who had stronger physical and scoring abilities, would create a classic "big man-fast man" combination with Dzeko, allowing them to better exploit the gaps in the opponent's defensive line.
Di Francesco felt a tinge of regret; perhaps starting Ünder would have been a better choice.
But there was no time to waste on such emotions now. He continuously issued instructions to the players on the field.
On the other side, Mourinho retracted his gaze.
He was accustomed to paying attention to the movements on the opponent's bench to anticipate their tactical adjustments.
He was once famously involved in an embarrassing incident where he was shown a yellow card by the referee for peeking at the opponent's tactics.
For example, in the 2010 Champions League semi-final, while Guardiola was explaining tactics to Ibrahimović, Mourinho had quietly snuck over to eavesdrop.
After the match restarted.
Roma took advantage of a dead ball to substitute Ünder for Schick.
They continued to attack from the wings but strengthened the link-up play between the flanks and the center.
Ünder constantly made penetrating runs, pushing Roma's overall formation forward.
This season, after losing Antonio Rüdiger and Mohamed Salah, Roma had spent nearly 100 million euros on as many as 13 players, preparing to gamble with a "scratch-off ticket" approach.
Among them, Ünder was the second most expensive player.
It turned out Roma's luck wasn't bad.
Ünder combined the technical characteristics of Lionel Messi and Arjen Robben, making him Roma's strongest explosive point on the right wing, even ranking among the best in Serie A.
Fans who often play video games were very familiar with him, as he was a famous wonderkid in FIFA and Football Manager.
His name was also quite significant.
It was the Turkified spelling of "Genghis Khan," seeming to hint at his future conquering potential.
In the 69th minute of the match.
Ünder received a pass from Florenzi, controlled it, and dribbled past Matic in one motion, completing the breakthrough with agility.
He then charged directly towards the penalty area.
He had grown up watching tapes of Messi's games and had dreamed of becoming the team's hero. The thought made him extremely excited.
He ignored Dzeko, who was loudly calling for the ball.
Facing the onrushing Ashley Young, Ünder increased his touch frequency by another gear.
A simple Matthews Shoulder Drop Dribble!
Amidst the cheers of the Roma fans.
Ünder looked up at the goal and, from the edge of the penalty area, decisively took a curling shot.
Bang!
With a crisp sound, the ball spun violently, heading straight for the left side of the goal.
De Gea stretched his body to the absolute limit, but even so, he was still half a body short.
Clang~
The ball struck the inside of the post and bounced into the goal.
1-2!
The Roma fans in the stands leaped to their feet, roaring wildly.
"Beautiful!" Drury cried out.
"Cengiz Ünder pulls one back for Roma! It's said that both Arsenal and Bayern Munich have made inquiries for him exceeding 50 million euros. He can be considered the most valuable player in the Roma squad right now."
"He and Dzeko have a natural chemistry as a 'big man-fast man' duo, which is one of Roma's most reliable tactics up front."
After retrieving the ball, Ünder urged his teammates to run back to their own half.
Surprisingly, the Man United players' expressions were calm, seemingly not too affected.
But Mourinho's next move was puzzling.
Despite having the advantage on the pitch, he brought on Ander Herrera for Juan Mata, starting to strengthen the defense early.
In truth, he had wanted to bring on a defensive player for a while.
After all, Man United had a Premier League match in two days, and it was against Arsenal.
Perhaps due to Arsène Wenger's impending departure, the Arsenal players were all in fiery form, seemingly wanting to give their legendary manager a respectable finish.
If nothing else.
They at least wanted to surpass Liverpool to finish fourth and return to the Champions League.
They had recently defeated Southampton, Newcastle United, and West Ham United in succession and were on a roll.
So, Mourinho wanted to conserve as much energy as possible to face Arsenal in the best condition.
Two away goals were enough for him.
After the 75th minute.
Man United successively substituted off Ling and Lingard, continuing to reinforce their midfield and defense.
Time ticked away as Roma attacked in vain.
Beep—Beep beep!
Finally, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match.