After taking the lead, United changed the rhythm.
They stopped attacking with the same recklessness and settled into a more compact shape for several minutes.
Mourinho expected Juventus to react emotionally.
Teams that conceded at home often pushed forward too quickly, leaving their spacing disorganized and their defenders exposed.
United intended to let that frustration create the next counterattack.
In the 29th minute, Bernardeschi received near the right touchline.
Grealish closed him down.
The Italian dragged the ball backward sharply and escaped the first challenge.
Three years earlier, Bernardeschi had produced fourteen goals and five assists for Fiorentina, earning a major transfer to Juventus.
He had once been considered one of Italy's most exciting attacking talents.
Supporters jokingly grouped him among a trio of highly rated players whose surnames began with B.
At Juventus, however, his development had stalled.
This time, he made the correct decision quickly.
Before Matić could step across, Bernardeschi passed inside toward Pogba.
The Frenchman received with Kanté approaching.
Pogba understood how to use the physical difference between them.
He protected the ball with his larger frame, lifted his head, and spotted the forward movement ahead.
Then he produced a pass very few midfielders would attempt.
CRACK!
The ball climbed over Kanté and descended behind United's midfield in one sweeping arc.
Higuaín held off Maguire and flicked it toward Cristiano on the right.
The Allianz Stadium held its breath.
Cristiano's career had contained several transformations.
At Manchester United, he evolved from an extravagant winger into a devastating attacker.
At Real Madrid, he became one of the most efficient goal scorers football had ever seen.
At Juventus, age forced another adaptation.
The team around him lacked the speed and creativity of Madrid, so Cristiano had reduced some of his muscle mass, attempting to become lighter and more mobile.
The change helped him move more freely.
It also reduced some of the strength that once made him an almost unstoppable focal point inside the penalty area.
Thiago Silva stepped forward.
The Brazilian had faced Cristiano often enough to recognize the danger.
A sudden acceleration.
Half a yard of space.
Then a shot delivered with almost no backlift.
Allowing Cristiano to dictate the confrontation would be fatal.
So Thiago attacked first.
Cristiano feinted with his right foot and shifted the ball sharply across his body.
Both veterans exploded into the duel.
Cristiano found his opening.
His right leg swung through.
BOOM!
The ball flew toward the top corner.
Juventus supporters were already beginning to rise.
De Gea launched himself across goal and reached upward with one hand.
His palm struck the ball and forced it over the crossbar.
The home crowd released a collective cry of disbelief.
Peter Drury nearly shouted over it.
"RONALDO UNLEASHES—DE GEA FLIES!"
"A strike carrying all the old violence, and a save delivered with the reflexes of lightning!"
"Juventus's number 7 has done almost everything right."
"Manchester United's goalkeeper has done one thing better."
Beglin watched the angle behind the goal.
"That is an exceptional save."
"Thiago Silva forces Cristiano to shoot slightly earlier than he wants, but the strike still travels with tremendous power."
"De Gea's footwork is perfect. Without the first adjustment, he never reaches it."
The stadium screen displayed the recorded speed of the shot.
Ninety-one kilometers per hour.
The distance had been short enough to leave De Gea barely a fraction of a second to react.
Neville stared at the replay.
"Everyone talks about Mourinho parking the bus, but with De Gea in this form, United have one permanently stationed in front of goal."
During the season, Ling's performances had become so overwhelming that the quality of the players around him was occasionally forgotten.
De Gea remained one of the finest goalkeepers in football.
Kanté remained the world's premier defensive midfielder.
Thiago Silva remained an elite reader of the game.
United were not merely Ling and ten supporting figures.
They were a squad filled with world-class players, led by the brightest of them.
De Gea climbed to his feet and punched the air.
A save like that felt almost as satisfying as scoring.
Cristiano stamped the turf in frustration.
'How did he stop that?'
The strike had felt perfect!
He wanted to dismiss the save as luck.
Football offered no distinction on the scoreboard.
A lucky save counted exactly the same as a brilliant one.
"David!" Maguire shouted.
He wrapped both arms around the goalkeeper and ruffled his hair.
De Gea disappeared inside the embrace of a center-back weighing close to one hundred kilograms.
A hand smacked the back of Maguire's head as he turned to see Ling stared at him.
"He needs to breathe."
Maguire chuckled awkwardly and released the goalkeeper.
...
Juventus prepared another corner.
United altered their marking approach.
Rather than attempt to challenge Cristiano purely at the highest point, Maguire used his body to guide him away from the preferred jumping lane.
De Ligt and Bonucci entered the penalty area as well.
Pjanić stood over the ball.
Often described as Pirlo's successor, he possessed the same ability to create unusual flight through his deliveries.
He raised one hand and curled the cross toward the far post.
The ball floated like a falling leaf.
Cristiano began his run.
Maguire stepped across him as the English defender became a wall.
Cristiano tried to move around him, but the direct route had already disappeared.
Higuaín reached the cross instead and headed toward goal.
The ball struck the side netting.
Cristiano's frustration grew.
This kind of blunt physical obstruction had become increasingly difficult for him to overcome.
Earlier in his career, he could have changed direction twice, escaped Maguire, and still reached the delivery.
His mind still saw the route.
His body no longer completed it quite as quickly.
...
United became increasingly conservative as halftime approached.
"Manchester United are showing patience now," Beglin said. "A 1–0 away victory would place them in an excellent position for the return leg."
Pogba attempted another lofted pass.
Maguire stepped out from defense and challenged in front of Kanté.
United had designed the movement deliberately.
Kanté could cover extraordinary ground, win tackles, and anticipate danger earlier than almost anyone.
His height remained an unavoidable limitation.
When Juventus attempted direct aerial passes into midfield, Maguire moved forward to contest them.
That created another question.
Who protected the space behind him?
Mourinho showed little concern.
"If this were Manchester City, it would be dangerous," he told Faria. "They have runners capable of attacking the space instantly."
"Juventus don't."
Cristiano had adjusted his game, but age had removed some of the acceleration required to repeatedly threaten forty yards of open grass.
Higuaín offered even less pace.
Bernardeschi and Cuadrado possessed speed, but neither was making the necessary central runs.
Sarri recognized the problem.
He could not manufacture acceleration that his team did not possess.
Instead, he instructed Juventus to shoot from distance.
Cristiano could strike from range.
So could Pogba and Pjanić.
If United blocked the routes into the penalty area, Juventus would attack the goal from outside it.
...
In the 36th minute, De Ligt stepped forward and helped Cuadrado dispossess Grealish.
The Colombian immediately passed diagonally toward Pogba.
The Frenchman turned under pressure from Kanté.
He protected possession, opened his body, and unleashed a violent strike.
THUMP!
The shot tore through the air.
De Gea positioned himself behind it and caught the ball cleanly against his gloves.
"DE GEA AGAIN!"
Drury sounded almost amused.
"Ling and Cristiano were expected to define this night."
"So far, Manchester United's goalkeeper is attempting to claim it for himself."
Beglin praised the handling.
"Most goalkeepers push that away because of the movement and power."
"De Gea trusts his hands and holds it. That prevents any rebound for Higuaín or Cristiano."
Pogba stared toward goal.
The shot had been good.
De Gea was simply producing a better answer to everything Juventus tried.
...
Five minutes later, Pjanić misplaced a pass near halfway.
Thiago Silva intercepted and immediately lifted a long ball behind De Ligt.
Ling accelerated.
The Dutch defender turned and saw the gap disappearing with terrifying speed.
He could not win the race.
De Ligt reached out and dragged Ling down before United's number 7 could escape completely.
BEEP!
The referee produced a yellow card.
United's players surrounded De Ligt.
Juventus's arrived in support.
For several seconds, both sides pushed and exchanged angry words before the referee forced his way between them.
He called the two captains forward and delivered a stern warning.
Cristiano pulled one teammate away.
Ling did the same.
Neither wanted the semifinal damaged by a pointless red card.
...
During stoppage time, Cristiano dropped into midfield in search of possession.
He received, turned, and attempted an ambitious shot from distance.
The ball climbed far above the crossbar and struck the seats behind the goal.
A few Juventus supporters ducked.
Cristiano remained still for a moment.
The earlier saves had affected his rhythm. He had begun the match feeling almost untouchable, but repeated failure had introduced doubt into the next strike.
The referee checked his watch.
BEEP! BEEP!
Halftime.
Juventus 0–1 Manchester United.
Peter Drury summarized the opening forty-five minutes.
"Jeremy Ling has provided the goal."
"David de Gea has protected it."
"Cristiano Ronaldo has threatened, Pogba has struck, Juventus have pushed—and Manchester United remain standing."
"At the interval in Turin, the champions lead."
Cristiano lifted his shirt and wiped the sweat from his face.
He had played well.
On another night, the header or long-range strike might already have given him a goal.
Tonight, De Gea had stopped everything.
The frustration was beginning to affect his touch. His final attempt had sailed wildly into the crowd.
He needed to reset during halftime.
Cristiano lowered his shirt and walked silently toward the tunnel.
The first half belonged to Manchester United's number 7.
The second remained his opportunity to answer.
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