Chapter 400: A Break That Was Never Meant to Be Peaceful

Juventus returned to the locker room at halftime burdened with low morale and rising doubts about their tactics.

The entire first half had been a nightmare for them.

Forget about the pre-match plan of limiting Li Ang’s influence —

their own midfield core, Pogba, had been completely dominated.

After 45 minutes, apart from a few early long passes, what did Pogba even contribute?

Losses of possession, defensive positioning errors —

zero impact in attack, and even worse, he still refused to lower his pride and defend properly.

Friendships were one thing, but this was the Champions League final.

Everyone was pouring their hearts out for the title, while Pogba threw a tantrum and refused to defend —

what, did he think he was already a world-class superstar?

Many Juventus starters were deeply disappointed in him.

They wouldn’t tear him down publicly, but the locker room atmosphere was undoubtedly affected.

Allegri didn’t have time to worry about that.

Two goals down,

Juventus had no choice but to think of ways to attack in the second half.

He couldn’t afford to substitute Pogba now.

At most, he gave him a few token criticisms before diving into tactical adjustments.

Juventus had already tried 4-5-1 and 4-3-3 —

neither offered control, let alone effective offense.

Thus, Allegri decided to scrap the first-half plan altogether.

In the second half, he would start with a “retro” but lineup-suited 4-4-2.

If that didn’t work, he still had a 3-5-2 formation as his last card —

something, anything, to turn the tide!

Standing in the center of the locker room, passionately outlining the tactical changes,

Allegri gave everything he had to spark a comeback.

But the expressions on the faces around him varied greatly.

In stark contrast, the Chelsea locker room was filled with quiet joy.

Not unbridled, mind you —

Mourinho’s stern presence kept things under control.

But every Chelsea player wore a relaxed, confident smile, their eyes burning with the dream of lifting the Champions League trophy.

Li Ang, meanwhile, appeared even calmer.

A true big-match veteran, he knew exactly how to manage his emotions.

Instead of wasting energy celebrating,

he sipped an energy drink,

changed into a fresh kit,

then sat quietly, focusing on physical recovery.

Mourinho stood in the center, reviewing some of the minor tactical mistakes from the first half.

Li Ang listened, but his mind was already preparing for Juventus’ adjustments.

Switching perspectives, he predicted Allegri would shuffle his midfield —

maybe drop Pogba deeper to organize, push Khedira higher to attack.

That would free up Pogba’s long-range passing, and if Li Ang followed him too far forward,

Marchisio could quietly take over distribution.

It would be a problem, yes.

But with a two-goal lead,

Chelsea could even afford to go into a full-out attack.

Li Ang quickly ran through countermeasures in his mind.

Just as Mourinho finished his review and looked over,

Li Ang caught his eye —

a simple, confident look that said:

“Relax. I’m ready.”

Mourinho smiled and turned to the team, reminding them again of two priorities for the second half:

Control the midfield.

Focus on defense.

Chelsea didn’t need to make the first move.

Let Allegri show his hand —

then counter accordingly.

After all, with Li Ang on the pitch,

Chelsea always had the ability to adapt instantly.

The halftime break flew by.

Soon, both teams returned to the battlefield.

Chelsea, full of fighting spirit, faced Juventus’ fierce opening surge without flinching, building three lines of defense.

First line: Suárez and Hazard,

pressing the ball carriers near midfield.

Second line: De Bruyne, Kroos, Li Ang, and Matić, forming a solid midfield shield.

Li Ang and Matić, as the double pivot, absolutely stuffed Juventus’ central attacks.

Even when Juventus somehow broke through the first two lines, they still had to deal with Chelsea’s rock-solid center-backs —

Maguire and Thiago Silva.

Maguire, now one of Europe’s top defenders, was cautious, precise, and dominant in duels.

Paired with the ever-reliable Thiago Silva, they formed one of the world’s top three defensive partnerships.

After ten minutes of futile pounding,

Juventus’ forwards finally realized just how monstrous Chelsea’s defense was.

Only Dybala, brave despite his slim frame, still dared to challenge the wall, earning a few set-piece chances.

But whether it was Morata with his aerial prowess, or Chiellini with his set-piece savvy, none could break through Chelsea’s wall.

As he had done all season in England against players like Kane,

Maguire snuffed them out.

He dominated the penalty box, and Sky Sports’ commentators practically lost their minds praising him.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s counters were slow to develop, giving Maguire ample time to show off.

He seized the spotlight spectacularly.

For Juventus, it might have seemed a blessing that Li Ang no longer focused solely on marking Pogba.

But they soon discovered that Li Ang’s new role — dropping deep as a shield —

was an even greater nightmare.

Alongside Matić, he anchored a midfield wall that Juventus simply couldn’t break through.

Juventus’ offense crumbled again and again.

Despite having numerous attacking phases, Juventus never managed to truly break into Chelsea’s penalty area.

What was the point of padding passing stats without creating real chances?

Fifteen minutes of the second half had passed, and every attacking variation had been tried.

The reality was clear:

forcing attacks through Chelsea’s central midfield simply wasn’t a wise strategy.

Yet Juventus’ wing play wasn’t much stronger either.

Dybala, when pushed wide, lacked real pace, and only Cuadrado offered any serious speed.

In Serie A, Juventus could always rely on their superior attacking lineup to overwhelm opponents.

The Milan clubs and Napoli didn’t have particularly strong defensive midfields, so Juventus could dominate centrally with ease.

But against Chelsea —

the strongest defensive side in Europe —

Juventus couldn’t break through the middle, and they couldn’t properly unleash their wings either.

As time ticked away, Allegri was forced to look to his bench.

Apart from Cuadrado, Juventus had no real pace merchants.

Thus, Allegri pinned his hopes on his fullbacks —

specifically Alex Sandro.

Three minutes later,

Alex Sandro came on for the underwhelming Evra.

At the same time, Khedira was replaced by the veteran Barzagli.

Juventus switched to a 3-4-3 formation —

Allegri was going all-in.

This adjustment meant sacrificing midfield defensive solidity, but it did significantly improve Juventus’ wide attack.

If you lacked true wingers, you used attacking fullbacks.

Allegri had played every card he could.

But in Li Ang’s eyes, it all felt desperate.

If only Juventus had invested more in the past two seasons.

If they had a genuine world-class left winger,

Allegri wouldn’t have needed such awkward improvisation.

Now, Juventus had two functional wings — barely.

But would Chelsea be troubled?

Of course not.

Chelsea had already handled the combined force of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale.

Juventus’ flanks posed no greater threat.

Mourinho stayed calmly on the bench.

He didn’t even bother sending substitutes to warm up.

And soon, reality proved him right.

Chelsea’s right side, supposedly Juventus’ main target, was a fortress.

Azpilicueta’s fierce one-on-one defending, plus Li Ang’s intelligent cover, completely nullified Cuadrado and Alex Sandro’s efforts.

On the opposite wing,

Dybala and Lichtsteiner — more organizers than sprinters —

were even less effective.

By the 70th minute,

Allegri felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

Tactically, he had prepared just as thoroughly as Mourinho.

In fact, given the squad disparity, his four tactical shifts during the match were a masterclass in adaptability.

But no matter how good a cook you were, you couldn’t make a feast without ingredients.

Juventus’ starting XI simply wasn’t strong enough to outplay Chelsea.

Since losing Vidal, Juventus had lacked a truly elite defensive midfielder.

Khedira, despite decent performances, was nowhere near Vidal’s level defensively.

With a soft spine and weak flanks,

Juventus were doomed before kickoff.

Allegri understood this.

He was frustrated, yes —

but he also accepted it.

He had already brought Juventus to the Champions League final —

that alone was an achievement.

Had he and Mourinho swapped places tonight, it would have been Mourinho pacing helplessly on the sidelines instead.

A bitter smile curled Allegri’s lips.

As Juventus’ attackers grew increasingly frantic,

Chelsea’s defense grew even calmer.

In the 78th minute,

Li Ang executed a brutal slide tackle on Cuadrado, sending both man and ball flying into touch.

The tackle was hard — too hard to ignore.

The referee had no choice but to book him.

Yet Li Ang didn’t care.

After receiving the yellow card, he raised his arms and roared toward the Chelsea and Milan fans in the stands!

The San Siro exploded in cheers.

The later the match dragged on, the more exuberant Chelsea’s supporters became.

Li Ang’s fierce defending ignited the rest of Chelsea’s back line.

Over the next seven or eight minutes, the match turned into a chaotic, physical brawl.

Matić and De Bruyne were also booked for rough challenges.

Finally, Mourinho made his substitutions.

Carles and Van Ginkel came on, replacing the booked Matić and De Bruyne.

But these weren’t calming substitutions.

Just three minutes later,

Van Ginkel clattered Morata and picked up his own yellow card!

Viewers at home laughed —

this was classic Mourinho football.

In injury time, the ball pinged back and forth across the field.

Desperate, Juventus resorted to long balls.

But Chelsea’s defense, already prepared for such tactics, gave them no chance.

At the sideline,

Holland and Mourinho gestured at the referee to check his watch.

But Li Ang wasn’t worried about the time.

He kept defending relentlessly.

Finally, after helping Maguire double-team and dispossess Morata, he heard the referee’s three sharp whistles.

It was over!

“Boss! We’ve won the title!!!”

Before Li Ang could react,

Maguire grabbed him in a bear hug!

The deafening roar around him crashed down like a tidal wave.

Everywhere he looked —

teammates sprinting, faces lit up with pure joy.

The next thing he knew,

Maguire was spinning him in dizzying circles.

His fatigue vanished.

He laughed, slapping Maguire’s big head.

The season was over.

For Li Ang, and for every Chelsea player, it had been a dream come true.

Ahead of them now —

a victory celebration of epic proportions.

And an offseason that would be anything but peaceful.