Chapter 532 142 — Manchester vS Bayern (II)

Slowly, United started winning the middle.

Demien changed where he received. Instead of always dropping beside the center-backs, he started standing just behind Goretzka's line of pressure. Mainoo dropped deeper on a few possessions, which forced Musiala to decide whether to go with him.

When Musiala followed Mainoo, Varane found Demien.

Kimmich stepped out immediately.

Demien laid it into Bruno and kept running.

Bruno gave it back first time.

Kimmich was now behind him.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Cesc Fàbregas — Final Ball Specialist」

Højlund was already starting his run between Upamecano and Kim. Demien slid the pass through the gap before Bayern could close it.

Højlund got there.

Neuer came rushing off his line.

Højlund shot low.

Neuer spread himself and blocked it with his legs.

Old Trafford rose and groaned in the same second.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Clear Chances Created: 1/3」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 3/8」

Demien pointed at Højlund as he jogged back. Good run.

Højlund held up one finger. Another one.

Demien nodded.

On Bayern's side, Upamecano started standing a yard closer to Højlund after that, no longer stepping up so aggressively toward Bruno. That created a small pocket for United's midfield in front of him.

Demien noticed.

Around twenty minutes in, United had their first real spell of pressure.

Demien moved the ball from right to left twice, patiently, using Mainoo and Varane rather than hunting for the killer pass. Bayern's front four slid together each time.

On the second switch, Coman was slow getting back to cover Shaw.

Demien found Garnacho on the left. Mazraoui blocked the inside route, so Garnacho turned and rolled it back to Shaw, who had space in front of him.

Shaw hit it from outside the box.

Neuer punched it away.

The ball dropped outside Bayern's area.

Demien got there before Goretzka.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Ball Winner」

「Midfield Recoveries: 1/4」

He didn't shoot. He moved it straight to Antony and kept Bayern defending.

The crowd got louder. United were pushing Bayern back.

During the next stoppage, the commentators noticed it too.

"It's hard for Bayern to lock on to Walter," the co-commentator said. "He's not in one position. Sometimes he's next to Mainoo, sometimes he's in front of him, sometimes he drifts wide to get away from Goretzka. Every time Bayern think they've found him, he's moved."

"He's making them think," the commentator said. "That's the word."

Bayern answered with their best players.

Kimmich started finding Kane earlier, before Demien had set United's midfield. Kane received with Demien closing and flicked it around the corner to Musiala.

Musiala turned.

For the first time all night, Mainoo was beaten on the turn.

Musiala was running at United's center-backs.

Demien recovered alongside him. He didn't dive in. He ran shoulder to shoulder with Musiala, squeezing the space.

Musiala tried to shift the ball onto his stronger side.

Demien leaned into him — just enough, no foul — and closed that route.

Musiala released Sané instead.

Sané got into the box and tried to cut it back, but Dalot slid across and intercepted.

Mainoo was already running back toward him, breathing hard. "Sorry — he just went. I didn't even see him turn."

"Nobody sees him turn," Demien said. "Next one, get tighter before the ball arrives. Not after."

"Yeah." Mainoo nodded once, jaw tight. "Yeah."

The clearance fell to Demien.

Bayern pressed immediately.

Goretzka closing from the front. Musiala coming from behind. Kimmich waiting a few yards away for whatever escape pass came next.

Demien saw all of it in a single look.

The touchline on one side. Two players closing. Mainoo shadowed. Bruno marked by Kimmich.

This is the trap. This one's built for me.

He didn't try to turn through two world-class midfielders.

He took his first touch backward.

Goretzka followed him.

Then Demien pivoted around Musiala's challenge and hit the ball across the pitch to Dalot on the other side.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」

「Successful Pressure Escapes: 3/6」

The stadium roared.

Dalot released Antony straight away. United were countering before Bayern could reset. Antony cut inside and gave it to Bruno, and Bruno tried to slip Højlund through, but Kim read it and intercepted.

No goal.

But Bayern's press had just been beaten at full speed.

From there, Demien started running the game.

He didn't nutmeg anyone. He didn't beat three men.

He just made the right decision faster than Bayern could adjust.

When Goretzka pressed him, he used Mainoo.

When Musiala shadowed Mainoo, Demien carried the ball himself.

When Kimmich stepped out, Bruno was free.

When Kimmich stayed on Bruno, Demien went forward himself.

When Davies pushed high, Demien switched it in behind him.

When Bayern dropped off, he kept the ball and made them defend another phase.

On one possession he glided past Musiala without any system at all — just a drop of the shoulder and ten yards of grass.

On another—

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Luka Modrić — Outside-Foot Maestro」

—he bent a pass around Goretzka with the outside of his right boot, without ever opening his body toward the left, and it curled into Garnacho's path.

Garnacho got past Mazraoui and squared it for Højlund.

Upamecano slid across and blocked it.

「Clear Chances Created: 2/3」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 5/8」

The ball came back toward Demien. Kimmich charged out at him. Demien took one touch away from him and fed Mainoo. United kept it.

Bayern's players started reacting to him now.

Goretzka pointed at Musiala, telling him to close Demien sooner. Kimmich waved at Coman to come narrower. When the ball went out for a throw, Tuchel stepped to the edge of his technical area and called Kimmich over for a quick word.

"That's a sign of respect from Tuchel," the commentator said. "He's changing things. Bayern don't do that for nothing."

Around the half-hour, Bayern made their best chance of the half.

Coman got the ball on the right and went at Shaw. He beat him and whipped a ball inside. Sané had drifted all the way over from the other wing into the middle while Kane held Varane's attention.

The ball reached Sané inside the area.

His first touch was a fraction heavy.

That was all Dalot needed. He got back just enough to stop the clean finish.

The loose ball squirted out. Demien got there before Musiala.

「Midfield Recoveries: 2/4」

Four Bayern players were around him. He didn't try to launch a counter. He shielded the ball, felt Goretzka's challenge on his back, and went down for the free kick.

United survived.

A few seconds. One overload on the wing. That's all they needed.

We've been better than them for twenty minutes, and they still nearly scored.

Winning the middle doesn't make them go away.

Then came the duel.

United restarted from Onana. Kimmich had pushed several yards higher now. Bayern didn't want Demien receiving the ball without someone on him.

Onana played it into Demien anyway.

Kimmich arrived straight away.

Demien controlled with his back to Bayern's goal. He felt Kimmich against him. He shaped to play it back to Onana.

Kimmich leaned toward that lane.

Demien rolled the ball across himself instead.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Johan Cruyff — Turn Innovator」

He spun away.

Kimmich didn't fall over. He turned and chased immediately, and he was quick. But Demien was already accelerating into open midfield before Goretzka could close.

Bruno moved right. Garnacho ran left. Højlund pinned both center-backs.

Three options.

They'll expect the one down the middle. Højlund. That's what's been hurting them.

So the other side's open.

He shaped to pass to Bruno.

He sent Garnacho down the left instead, into the channel Mazraoui had left.

Garnacho reached the box. Neuer came out to narrow the angle. Garnacho shot.

Neuer saved.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Clear Chances Created: 3/3 — COMPLETE」 「Successful Pressure Escapes: 4/6」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 6/8」

When the ball went out, Old Trafford stood and applauded Demien.

He didn't turn toward them for long.

Kimmich was already talking to Goretzka, hands moving, pointing at the ground in front of him.

In the last ten minutes of the half, Bayern became more careful around him. Goretzka stopped charging at every touch. Kimmich sat deeper. Musiala stayed closer to Mainoo.

Which meant Demien finally had space.

He slowed the game down.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Toni Kroos — Metronome」

Dalot. Back to Varane. Mainoo. Demien. Shaw. Demien again.

It wasn't aimless. Every pass asked Bayern the same question: who's going to leave his position first?

Goretzka answered.

He stepped out.

Demien released Bruno the instant he did.

「Line-Breaking Actions: 7/8」

Bruno turned and combined with Antony, and United were in the final third. Kim won the cross. Demien collected the clearance, and the whole thing started again.

"Bayern can't get their hands on it," the co-commentator said. "It's suffocating."