Chapter 138: Shimmering Blue Moonlight (Part II)

After Manchester City kicked off from the center circle, Villarreal consciously slowed down the pace of the game. Neither side was looking for a surprise attack. Although trailing by a goal, the Manchester City players were not anxious, passing the ball back and forth in midfield. Having played a match just a few days prior, they had rested for two days and needed time to find their rhythm on the pitch.

Manchester City possessed absolute confidence in themselves; they believed that once they found their form and controlled the tempo, they would essentially dictate the outcome of the match. Villarreal, however, knew that if the rhythm were controlled by their opponents, they would undoubtedly fall into a disadvantageous position—a scenario they could not tolerate. Therefore, while Villarreal did not launch an aggressive offensive, they intensified their pressing on Manchester City’s midfield.

In the 27th minute, Kevin De Bruyne had the ball dispossessed by Bruno. Even though Villarreal knew Manchester City’s defensive line was prepared, they did not look to pass and probe for gaps; instead, they let Dos Santos charge forward blindly with the ball. Facing a well-prepared Manchester City defense, Dos Santos found no better breakthrough opportunity, so he sent a cross toward the front court, hoping the City backline would commit an error under pressure.

Fernandinho intercepted the ball ahead of Dai Zhiwei and Bakambu, and the momentum of the game shifted instantly. Fernandinho looked up and saw that with only three midfielders and the team pushing up to support the attack, Villarreal’s midfield was suddenly empty. He immediately sent a long pass into the middle of the field. De Bruyne deftly brought the ball down. With the entire midfield now wide open, he pushed the ball forward without hesitation. Although De Bruyne’s speed was not his strongest suit, it was sufficient not to hinder a counterattack. He drove through the center and crossed the halfway line. By this time, the Villarreal defensive line had finally reacted and began to shift rapidly.

The fans at the Etihad Stadium grew excited; they realized this was a golden opportunity for Manchester City to equalize! De Bruyne pushed forward through the center, with Leroy Sané and David Silva sprinting down the flanks, while strikers Sergio Agüero and Raheem Sterling charged into the penalty area. In contrast, Villarreal was in a highly passive position. Their three-man defensive line had to guard against the energetic Sterling and Agüero while also worrying about De Bruyne’s drives and the support from Sané and Silva. As for their midfield, they were lucky to even track back in time!

De Bruyne was accustomed to looking up to observe the situation during his runs. After discerning the chaotic state of the Villarreal penalty area, he launched a sudden long pass that drew gasps from the Etihad crowd. The ball traced a beautiful arc in the air, gliding nearly thirty meters before dropping into the Villarreal box. The Villarreal defense fell into disarray. Although Ruiz tried his best to hold onto Sterling’s jersey, Sterling surged ahead with his pace, nudged the ball forward, and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper!

The Etihad Stadium went silent for a moment as everyone looked to the linesman on the sideline—no flag, no offside! The Manchester City fans erupted into thunderous cheers! 1-1! With Sterling’s powerful strike finding the back of the Villarreal net, Manchester City had equalized just six minutes after conceding. The Etihad was filled with jubilation; when it came to attacking, this team meticulously crafted by Guardiola was inferior to none!

"They really are difficult to deal with!" Dai Zhiwei stood near the center circle with his hands on his hips, waiting to restart the game. Manchester City was already a team of Champions League-contending caliber, and Guardiola’s arrival had only made them more formidable. In the world of football today, there was no one who could claim to be certain of beating this Manchester City side.

The remainder of the match remained tepid. Although they had been pegged back, under Escribá's instructions, Villarreal remained focused on defense—an away goal was enough for them! Meanwhile, although Manchester City craved a resounding victory at home, they adhered to Guardiola's instructions to keep the tempo down rather than launching an all-out assault, as Villarreal had reinforced their defensive stance. Manchester City had not played against Spanish teams often, but Guardiola was intimately familiar with the top teams of La Liga. He was playing a game of baiting, waiting for Villarreal to take the hook before swallowing them whole!

Guardiola sought to settle the outcome of this knockout round in a single match.

"Guys, you did very well in the first half. I hope you can maintain this state!" Escribá said with a smile to the Villarreal players in the locker room during halftime. "You need to continue to treat your opponents with sufficient respect in the second half. A match consists of ninety minutes; no one knows the final result until the very last moment. Therefore, we cannot afford any mistakes in the second half. I need you to strengthen your defense, starting from the forwards. As soon as you lose the ball, launch an immediate counter-press."

The second half followed the script of the first. Both sides were consciously wary of the other's attacks, so their offensive efforts were tentative. Of course, the slightly weaker Villarreal did not mind the match continuing at this pace; after all, they already had an away goal. If they could force a draw on the road, it would undoubtedly be a wonderful result.

However, Manchester City had no desire for a draw at home. They were desperate for a goal, and in the 50th minute, receiving a signal from Guardiola, they began an all-out offensive! In the 52nd minute, De Bruyne shook off Bruno in the middle and played a through ball into the box. Agüero, under pressure from Musacchio, forced a shot that flew high over the crossbar. Six minutes later, Manchester City stormed the Villarreal area again. Silva struck a volley from a Sané cross, but fortunately, Asenjo was focused and smothered the ball.

Manchester City’s fierce offensive made the Villarreal fans nervous. Seeing their team pinned back in their own half under a barrage of attacks, the cheers and chants from the Blue Moon faithful echoed throughout the Etihad! Escribá could clearly no longer sit still. He made a change, calling Alfred N'Diaye from the bench to warm up, clearly hoping to stabilize the situation by strengthening the defense.

Just as Escribá was about to replace Bakambu with N'Diaye to reinforce the backline, the Etihad erupted in cheers—De Bruyne received a pass from Otamendi and sent a cross to the flank. Sané did not hesitate, pushing the ball forward with a heavy touch and chasing it down. Sané had always been a representative of the perfect combination of technique and speed; if given the space to perform, he was an unstoppable winger.

At this moment, Sané cut through the left flank like a hot knife through butter. Costa’s defense was easily bypassed, and he reached the byline without encountering any obstruction. Although Sané wanted to cut into the box, he saw the well-prepared Villarreal defense and suppressed his impulse, opting instead to deliver a precise cross.

De Bruyne, having just stepped into the box, predicted the landing spot of the ball and put his strength into his legs to chase it down. Villarreal defender Ruiz, of course, did not want his opponent to reach the ball, so he chased after it with all his might. Ruiz kept De Bruyne firmly behind him; he was confident he would clear this cross!

But the football pitch is full of drama. No one can guess what will happen next, which is the very charm of the sport. Ruiz, full of self-satisfaction, jumped, believing he had the ball covered. The fans at the Etihad held their breath, then erupted in a massive roar—no one expected Ruiz to misjudge the flight of the ball!

The players who cannot afford to make mistakes are defenders and goalkeepers, because once they do, they are likely to receive a harsh lesson. That was exactly what happened to Ruiz! De Bruyne, though reluctant, had been forced to watch Ruiz keep him behind him, but just as he was about to give up, Ruiz jumped, and the ball sailed just over the top of his head!

De Bruyne was flooded with a surge of joy. He had no time for further celebration; he turned quickly and, albeit a bit unsteadily, brought the ball down. He was already inside the penalty area! Because of Ruiz’s unforgivable error, the Villarreal defense was in chaos. Originally, Sterling and Agüero had been tightly marked, but Ruiz’s error allowed De Bruyne to receive the ball easily. More importantly, De Bruyne was completely unmarked and could shoot at any time!

The Villarreal defense could not make any adjustments in time. Gaspar abandoned Agüero and rushed over desperately, but he was a full five meters away from De Bruyne! De Bruyne had a perfect chance to shoot. He appeared calm, his right leg slightly raised—he was going to shoot! The fans at the Etihad were ecstatic, shouting and cheering for De Bruyne. They could already see the team’s second goal; there would never be a better opportunity!

Just as De Bruyne had built up the momentum for a shot, drawing the attention of every Villarreal player, he suddenly delivered a light, delicate pass toward the front of the goal at the very last moment. Agüero suddenly burst into view. He leaped at high speed and, ahead of the Villarreal goalkeeper Asenjo—who had already knelt down to prepare for the save—gently tapped the ball with his instep. The ball obediently rolled into the net under the mournful gaze of Asenjo.

1-2!

The Etihad Stadium paused for a split second, then erupted in a tide of cheers from the Manchester City fans. Agüero, the hero of the goal, turned and hugged De Bruyne as they began to celebrate wildly! Manchester City had successfully overturned the score!

Dai Zhiwei looked on in frustration as the Manchester City players celebrated wildly. He had not had a single opportunity to perform in the second half. Escribá’s tactics had forced Villarreal to concentrate their forces on defense, leaving too little commitment in the attack. "Are we going to keep defending like this?" Dai Zhiwei worried. "If we just keep defending, we’re going to be torn apart!"

Escribá was conflicted, but Manchester City soon made the decision for him. Just eight minutes later, Manchester City won a corner. Silva delivered the ball, and Agüero swept it into the net from ten yards out. 1-3. This goal declared that Villarreal’s defensive line had been completely destroyed by the firepower of Manchester City!

Villarreal finally made their first substitution of the match—not bringing on the defensive beast N'Diaye, but replacing Roberto Soriano with Samu Castillejo, signaling that the team was going on the offensive! Escribá finally realized that with Villarreal's current defensive strength, blind resistance would inevitably lead to collapse. It was better to go all out and see if there was any hope of scoring a few more away goals.

"It's all up to you now. Don't let me down!" Escribá stared at Dai Zhiwei, who was waiting to kick off. He had placed all his hopes on him.

After the restart, just as Villarreal began to build some momentum, they were dealt a crushing blow! In the 72nd minute, Trigueros's pass to Castillejo was intercepted by Yaya Touré, who orchestrated the attack and passed to Silva, who was sprinting down the flank. Facing a depleted Villarreal backline, Silva drove forward and chipped the ball to the edge of the box. Agüero, having beaten the offside trap, unselfishly squared the ball for Sané, who easily tapped it into an empty net!

1-4!

In the camera lens, one side showed the Manchester City players gathered together in celebration, while the other showed the stunned Villarreal soldiers. Trailing by three goals, they did not know whether to attack or defend. To defend—they couldn't hold them. To attack—what if they conceded another easy goal like that?

"Damn it!" Dai Zhiwei didn't care about decorum anymore. Seeing Manchester City score, he spat firmly onto the turf. This was the most embarrassed he had felt in his professional career. Even when he had led Evergrande to challenge the vastly superior Barcelona in the Club World Cup, he had never been in such a passive position.

As for whether to attack or defend, it was not a question for him. Because as a striker, one attacks, and one is responsible for scoring goals! He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked. "I will never give up. Even if I lose, I will bite a large chunk of meat off them and make them feel the pain!"