Chapter 1 The Course of Events

In the midweek Champions League games, Liverpool played at home first and then away, while Barcelona was the other way around.

The schedule was more favorable to Barcelona—everyone knew that playing away first and then at home was advantageous.

Liverpool fielded their strongest lineup at home against Dortmund, aiming for more than just a win, but a resounding victory. Only by scoring several goals at home could they make the away leg easier.

If they struggled to win at home, the away game would be even more uncertain.

So Martin O'Neill sent out his strongest lineup.

Götze would start this game, his first time facing his former team since leaving Dortmund.

Meanwhile, Barcelona, despite being away, did not field their full strength.

PSV Eindhoven was simply too weak. They were lucky to reach the quarterfinals because their opponent in the round of sixteen was even weaker.

PSV Eindhoven had eliminated Levski Sofia from Bulgaria.

And Levski Sofia's presence in the round of sixteen was also a matter of luck…

In short, the two weakest teams in the round of sixteen were drawn together. PSV Eindhoven, with slightly more strength, more experience, and a bit of Dutch football pedigree, eliminated Levski Sofia and reached the quarterfinals.

Looking at the other seven teams—Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Manchester United, and Juventus—all renowned powerhouses, PSV Eindhoven seemed out of place.

Many felt that if PSV Eindhoven had any sense of shame, they should commit suicide rather than wait for Barcelona to humiliate them completely.

Since the opponent was so weak, Barcelona naturally had no reason to go all out.

Guardiola fielded many young players and substitutes, focusing his attention on the revenge match against Liverpool.

He had absolute confidence in his team to eliminate PSV Eindhoven without any problems. He also believed that Liverpool wouldn't stumble against Dortmund.

Therefore, the two teams would inevitably meet.

He needed to prepare early, not waiting until the last minute to figure out how to deal with Liverpool. The team also needed specific training, which took time.

In fact, after the draw results were announced, Guardiola had already started incorporating training content against Liverpool into their sessions, allowing the players to adapt gradually.

As for PSV Eindhoven? He only watched a few of their game recordings to understand their condition and level of strength, and he had a clear idea.

Eliminating this team wouldn't take much effort. And the less effort Barcelona exerted in the quarterfinals, the greater their advantage in the semifinals.

Liverpool's quarterfinal schedule, playing at home first and then away, was unfavorable. They would definitely face big trouble in the final away game. Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion was a renowned hellish home stadium in European football, and Dortmund's fans were known for their wildness and loyalty.

Guardiola believed that Liverpool would encounter strong resistance from both the Dortmund team and fans in this stadium.

Meanwhile, his second leg would be at the Camp Nou, without the fatigue of travel, ensuring physical strength. Furthermore, they might have already dealt with PSV Eindhoven in the first leg, turning the second leg into a mere formality.

In short, the situation was more favorable to Barcelona.

Guardiola would make good use of this advantage.

※※※

The two quarterfinal matches in the upper bracket kicked off at the same time.

Liverpool welcomed last season's Bundesliga runner-up, Dortmund, to their home, while Barcelona traveled to challenge the vulnerable PSV Eindhoven.

"The highly anticipated warm-up match for the semi-finals has officially begun!"

Even the commentators said so, showing where everyone's minds were.

Liverpool launched a fierce attack on Dortmund from the start, in line with their tactical requirements.

Dortmund seemed prepared for Liverpool's fierce offensive, not pressing forward at all but retreating into their penalty area from the beginning. They covered their heads with their hands, squatting in the corner, looking like they were ready to be beaten.

They hoped to hold on to a decent result by defending desperately.

Even if they lost the game, as long as they conceded fewer than two goals, that would be fine.

For example, losing 0-1 would still give them hope at home.

Just one step away from reaching the semifinals, no one wanted to give up.

Bayer Leverkusen's performance against Barcelona had already made the Bundesliga a laughingstock throughout European football. A team from one of the top five leagues, acting so subservient against Barcelona, was met with disgust within the Bundesliga.

If we had known they would perform like that, we would have gone instead!

—This was the sentiment of many teams.

Therefore, Dortmund had no intention of surrendering early, even against Liverpool.

※※※

This was what Guardiola wanted to see most: the two teams fighting to the death, while he reaped the benefits.

At this moment, he sat in the away team's dugout at PSV Eindhoven's Philips Stadion, with his legs crossed, truly looking like a fisherman waiting to profit.

As for the game in front of him…

It didn't seem intense. PSV Eindhoven didn't show great fighting spirit just because they were playing at home. And Barcelona, fielding too many young players, seemed a bit raw.

But none of that mattered. In Guardiola's view, once his players gradually adapted to the rhythm of the game, PSV Eindhoven would be doomed.

He was only concerned with the result of the other game.

His assistant coach, Vilanova, sat next to him. Vilanova had briefly served as the team's head coach for one season but was utterly defeated by Mourinho's Real Madrid. Cruyff himself had to step in and invite Guardiola back. Vilanova knew his role well. When Guardiola returned, he willingly stepped down and resumed his role as Guardiola's assistant.

Vilanova was now wearing headphones connected to a miniature radio, listening to the live broadcast of the other game.

Any event there could affect Barcelona's strategy and tactics.

Therefore, Guardiola demanded that Vilanova inform him of any changes in that game immediately.

※※※

Dortmund's defense was thorough, but in the past two seasons, Liverpool's players had seen plenty of teams defending desperately. As Liverpool's reputation grew, most of their opponents chose to defend. For these teams, getting a draw against Liverpool was considered a good result.

Winning… forget about it!

As a result, Liverpool had accumulated rich experience in dealing with these defensive tactics.

Especially since they had Chen Hero, the world's most powerful siege weapon. Even if the opponent closed the city gates and defended, they had a way to blast open their strong walls and gates!

Just like now…

Only eleven minutes into the game, Dortmund's castle walls and gates were shaking under Liverpool's repeated attacks, as if they could collapse at any moment.

Tremendous psychological pressure weighed on everyone's minds, shocking them.

This was their first time playing against Liverpool, and they didn't expect Liverpool to be so strong! It seemed the media reports weren't exaggerated hype but facts…

Faced with such a powerful Liverpool, some Dortmund players were already beginning to doubt whether they could complete the task assigned by the coach before the game…

Finally, in the twelfth minute, after a series of attacks, Liverpool suddenly increased their strength, launching an all-out offensive!

Under Liverpool's offensive, Dortmund's city walls collapsed with a roar!

A breach appeared!

Chen Hero, holding Liverpool's red flag high, appeared at that breach.

Götze sent the ball over.

Facing his old team, Götze showed no mercy! This through ball was both precise and subtle.

When Chen Hero received the ball, the Dortmund players finally reacted!

But it was too late to stop him!

Chen Hero easily broke into the penalty area and fired a low shot with his left foot!

The ball flew past the Dortmund goalkeeper's hand and into the lower right corner of the goal!

Goal!

Scored!!

※※※

Vilanova was listening intently to the radio because it was noisy in the Philips Stadion at this time, the fans were very loud, he had to lower his head, close his eyes, and try to focus his attention on his ears. Listening to the enemy's movements was the task Guardiola assigned him, and he knew the importance of this task, so he did not dare to neglect it. But even with headphones on, the sound was not very clear. Because it was too noisy outside…

He frowned and muttered, "Damn, why is it suddenly so noisy!"

He buried his head even lower…

But next to him, Guardiola was the opposite. He was raising his head, raising it higher, even leaning his body forward, his hands clenched tighter and tighter unconsciously.

His whole body was straining.

His eyes dared not leave the field for even a second, so he didn't even blink.

The ball had flown in front of the goal, and there was chaos in front of the goal, the situation looked very critical.

But this ball was not flying in front of PSV Eindhoven's goal, but… flying in front of Barcelona's goal!

Yes, PSV Eindhoven's attack caused chaos in front of Barcelona's goal!

Then, in this chaos.

The ball was touched by someone, Guardiola's position was really bad, he couldn't see clearly, unlike watching TV broadcasts, which had close-ups.

Anyway, none of this mattered. The ball was touched by someone, and then… it flew into Barcelona's goal!

At that moment, Guardiola thought he had seen it wrong, that the ball had not actually flown into the goal, but had brushed past the post and side netting, flying out of bounds…

But the huge cheers in the Philips Stadion shattered the hope in his heart.

Barcelona had conceded a goal!

At the same time, Vilanova next to him suddenly stood up from his seat, startling him.

"Pep!" Vilanova's voice was urgent.

He raised his head to report the latest situation to Guardiola, but suddenly saw Guardiola's ashen face.

Only then did he notice the abnormality around him—the cheers in the stadium stands had obviously increased, while the people around him were silent, looking very frustrated.

"Uh… what's going on?"