For a moment, Manchester City's two center-backs, Rúben Dias and Stones, along with defensive midfielder Gündoğan, all rushed toward Theodore Bjorn at the same time.
Inside the commentary box, when Rob Palmer saw almost the entire Manchester City defensive line charging toward Theodore, he could not help feeling tense.
"Theodore's moment has arrived," Rob Palmer called. "He's starting to run, and if nothing stops him, he's going to carry the ball into Manchester City's penalty area."
"Rúben Dias, Stones, and Gündoğan are all in position," Terry Gibson said. "This time, can Theodore complete the breakthrough?"
Whether it was the fans in the stands of Estádio do Dragão or those watching the livestream, everyone was cheering Theodore on at this moment.
In truth, over the last few matches, Theodore had consciously changed his playing style.
He had begun reducing the number of times he launched solo runs through an entire defense.
Although that kind of goal was stunning and shocking, it also consumed a huge amount of his body.
Every time he scored in that fashion, Theodore could feel as if his whole body was about to fall apart.
But at this moment, Theodore did not choose to stop his forward momentum.
The match had already reached the 89th minute.
If Theodore could break through Manchester City's goal at this point, it would completely kill the match.
At this moment, City's three defenders had already rushed in front of Theodore.
Theodore performed several stepovers in succession, then quickly pushed the ball forward.
He tried to force his way past Rúben Dias on the right side.
Unfortunately, Manchester City had too many defenders around him, and they did not give Theodore any real chance.
The instant Theodore pushed the ball forward, Rúben Dias and Stones both leaned into him with their bodies, preventing Theodore from fully using his speed advantage.
In the end, Theodore's breakthrough failed.
Rúben Dias and Stones worked together and successfully stole the ball from Theodore's feet.
The next second, Rúben Dias passed the ball to Gündoğan as quickly as possible.
Manchester City's counterattack had arrived!
The moment Gündoğan received the ball, City's front-line players began accelerating.
Mahrez on the right had already charged into Madrid's penalty area.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne, who had originally been pushed up on City's front line, chose to drop back at this moment.
Aside from that, Foden on the left was also waiting to receive the ball.
In other words, Gündoğan had three passing routes.
Left, right, and center all had Manchester City teammates ready to support him.
After thinking for about two seconds, Gündoğan decided to pass the ball to De Bruyne in the middle.
But just as Gündoğan made the passing motion, Theodore's sliding tackle had already arrived.
The tackle was extremely clean and Theodore's legs reached the ball first.
In an instant, possession was once again controlled by a Madrid player.
"Theodore's tackle!" Rob Palmer shouted. "He really is everywhere in this match."
Rob still wanted to praise Theodore a few more times, but before he could continue, Manchester City center-backs Rúben Dias and Stones rushed toward Theodore again.
At the same time, on the touchline, the fourth official had already raised the stoppage-time board.
There would be a total of four minutes of added time in the second half.
For Manchester City, who were trailing, these four minutes would be their final chance.
Rúben Dias and Stones almost stepped in at the same time.
They also realized there was not much time left.
As the team's defenders, the two center-backs had to complete the tackle as quickly as possible.
But Theodore did not give them the chance.
At this critical moment, Theodore chose to use a La Croqueta.
His left foot quickly knocked the ball toward his right, and then his right foot pushed it forward directly.
This time, Theodore made no mistake.
He successfully carved a path through Manchester City's encirclement.
"Theodore has broken through!" Rob Palmer shouted. "The defensive line formed by Rúben Dias and Stones has been broken by Madrid's number ten."
"But right now, Theodore is the only one carrying the ball forward in Manchester City's half," Terry Gibson said. "The rest of Madrid's players are still in their own half watching this attack unfold."
Just as Terry said, this counterattack could only rely on Theodore's individual ability.
Madrid's players were all behind Theodore at this moment, providing so-called protective support.
Theodore carried the ball at incredible speed.
As everyone knew, Theodore's stamina attribute had already reached the limit.
Even in the final moments of the match, there was still plenty of fuel in Theodore's tank.
After getting past Rúben Dias and Stones, he continued driving forward with the ball.
At this moment, in Manchester City's back line, aside from goalkeeper Ederson, the only two defenders left were full-backs Zinchenko and Kyle Walker.
As long as Theodore could get past these two City full-backs, he would have a chance to shoot.
On the live comments, fans were typing with trembling hands, cheering Theodore on.
📱 @TheodoreEra ✔
Stay steady, Theodore!
| ↳ 📱 @Madrid_Insider
| Reply: Maybe just shoot directly. Don't dribble anymore!
📱 @FootballLive ✔
Relax. Theodore getting past Zinchenko and Kyle Walker is as easy as crossing an empty road at four in the morning.
| ↳ 📱 @WhiteShirtFaithful
| Reply: Come on, Theodore. Use your own power to seal the win!
At the top of the penalty arc, Zinchenko and Kyle Walker had already arrived.
But Theodore had also already made the motion to shoot.
Seeing this, the two Manchester City full-backs did not think too much.
They immediately rushed in front of Theodore, trying to block him.
But Theodore did not give the two City full-backs any chance.
The moment Zinchenko and Walker rushed in front of him, Theodore pushed the ball forward again with his right foot.
His terrifying explosiveness was displayed to the fullest in this instant.
Theodore needed only one second to get past both Manchester City defenders.
Although Kyle Walker was also very fast, the match had already reached stoppage time.
Walker did not possess Theodore's terrifying stamina, and the City full-back's legs were already beginning to soften.
He simply did not have enough strength left to chase Theodore.
Just like that, Theodore charged into Manchester City's penalty area.
The moment Theodore got past Kyle Walker, the City full-back even tried to reach out and pull him back, but Theodore's momentum was too fierce.
Walker could not hold him at all and was dragged down to the ground instead.
On the goal line, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson had already rushed out.
Theodore remained extremely calm.
He did not shoot in a hurry. Instead, he pushed the ball forward once more with his right foot, directly taking it past Ederson.
The next second, Theodore calmly completed a placed finish.
The ball flew into the net!
4–2!
Theodore had scored the goal that killed all suspense in the match!