Start with R9 Template

In the 63rd minute, Juventus made a change.

Aaron Ramsey replaced Pjanić.

"That is an interesting substitution," Beglin said. "Pjanić is Juventus's main controller. Ramsey will bring more running and movement into the box, but they may lose some passing quality."

Drury added dryly:

"Ramsey once acquired the rather unfortunate internet nickname 'the Reaper,' after several of his goals coincided with the deaths of famous public figures."

"Juventus would prefer him to end Manchester United's lead rather than anyone's life."

Ramsey's arrival initially improved the movement around Pogba.

He made forward runs beyond the Frenchman and attempted to connect midfield with the attack.

Herrera followed him relentlessly.

Ramsey possessed intelligence and technique, but not enough physical strength to escape United's pressure consistently.

Rabiot eventually became the next outlet.

He received from Ramsey, shaped as though he would attack the outside, then delivered an early ball through Wan-Bissaka's legs.

It reached Cristiano in the inside-left channel.

Cristiano shifted the ball onto his right foot.

He shot.

Thiago Silva stepped across and blocked it.

"Cristiano tries to surprise De Gea at the near post," Beglin said. "Thiago reads it exceptionally well."

The deflection went behind.

Juventus corner.

Ramsey stood over the ball, raised one hand, and curled it toward the near post.

Cristiano attacked the delivery.

Ling had followed him into the penalty area.

Both number 7s jumped together.

Shoulder met shoulder, neither gave an inch.

Ling reached the ball first and headed it away.

"LING BEATS RONALDO IN THE AIR!" Drury exclaimed. "The scorer at one end becomes the defender at the other!"

Beglin placed the duel in context.

"Cristiano's timing remains magnificent, but the age difference matters when both players begin from similar positions."

"Ling has the fresher legs and greater elevation."

The clearance dropped toward Wan-Bissaka.

Juventus immediately counterpressed.

"Clear it!" Maguire shouted.

Normally, removing the ball from danger would have been the obvious decision.

But Ling had dropped all the way into his own penalty area. United had nobody remaining in the attacking half.

A long clearance would simply hand Juventus possession again.

From the touchline, Mourinho recognized the trap.

Juventus appeared to be pressing forward, but their defensive line was already retreating. Sarri wanted Wan-Bissaka to panic and clear long, eliminating United's chance to counterattack.

Wan-Bissaka drew back his foot.

"To me!"

He heard Ling's voice.

He abandoned the clearance and passed inside.

Ling received and surged forward.

Cristiano tried to lean into him from the side but Ling shook him off.

Then he accelerated.

Juventus's midfield recovered rapidly and formed a compact barrier across the center.

Ling looked up.

No teammate could keep pace with him. Grealish, Havertz, and the midfielders were still emerging from United's defensive third.

There were only two choices.

Slow down and retain possession.

Or attack alone.

Ling decided instantly.

He pushed the ball forward.

Pogba recognized the danger.

He had trained beside Ling for years and understood what the change in stride meant.

"Close him!" Pogba shouted.

Rather than diving into a tackle, he positioned himself in front of Ling and attempted to force him to reduce his speed.

Ramsey sprinted back from the side, preparing to time the challenge.

Ling slowed.

For a moment, it appeared he had accepted that the counterattack was over.

Then he cut sharply inside.

The entire angle of the attack changed.

Ramsey stretched one leg toward the ball.

Pogba slid from the opposite side.

Pogba made contact.

The ball deflected away and bounced straight back into Ling's path.

Ramsey collided with Pogba but somehow remained upright. He reached again, trying desperately to disrupt the next touch.

Ling spun with the momentum and guided the ball forward.

Ramsey's foot swept through empty air.

"I've got him!" Bonucci shouted.

The veteran charged from the defensive line.

Ling nudged the ball toward the right with the inside of his foot.

Tap!

Then he exploded!

The distance between them vanished in less than a second.

Bonucci turned.

Ling was already beyond him.

The Juventus supporters stopped breathing.

United's number 7 tore through the defensive half like a gale.

On the bench, Buffon watched Szczęsny remain close to his line and felt panic rise inside him.

'Come out. Close the space.'

The goalkeeper hesitated.

Ling had nutmegged too many keepers during his career. Advancing recklessly could turn Szczęsny into the next victim.

That doubt kept him rooted.

Ling entered shooting range.

He looked toward the opening on the left and drove the ball through it!

BOOM!

Szczęsny threw himself across.

Too late.

0–2!

The away section erupted.

Peter Drury was on his feet.

"FROM HIS OWN PENALTY AREA TO THE JUVENTUS NET!"

"Cristiano could not hold him. Pogba could not stop him. Ramsey could not reach him. Bonucci was left behind!"

"JEREMY LING HAS RUN THROUGH TURIN!"

"A COUNTERATTACK OF ONE MAN, A GOAL OF COLOSSAL WILL—AND MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE TWO!"

Beglin watched the replay in astonishment.

"This begins with Ling defending a corner inside his own six-yard area."

"Pogba actually makes the tackle. On another night, that ends the move. The ball falls kindly, but everything after that is extraordinary."

"The spin removes Ramsey, the acceleration destroys Bonucci, and Szczęsny's hesitation gives Ling the corner."

Drury added the historical consequence.

"Seventeen Champions League goals this season."

"Jeremy Ling has drawn level with Cristiano Ronaldo's single-season record—while Cristiano watches from the other side of the pitch."

Ling ran toward the travelling supporters, both arms spread.

Behind him, Pogba remained on the grass.

Bonucci stood motionless.

Cristiano stared toward the scoreboard.

Juventus 0.

Manchester United 2.

The reigning champions had placed one foot in the final!

...

"THE BALL IS IN!"

"A solo run stretching almost the entire length of the pitch—from his own penalty area, through the heart of Juventus, and into the net!"

Peter Drury's voice thundered across the broadcast.

"What does it mean to be the defining superstar of modern football?"

"It means seeing the smallest possibility and forcing it open through sheer ability!"

"Ramsey attacked from one side. Pogba slid from the other. Bonucci stepped forward as the final barrier."

"None of them could stop Jeremy Ling!"

Jim Beglin remained almost as astonished during the replay.

"Juventus actually recover into a reasonable defensive shape. The problem is that the spacing remains imperfect, and Ling possesses the quality to punish every fraction of hesitation."

"Pogba makes contact with the ball. Ramsey gets another opportunity. Bonucci has time to step up."

"Ling survives all three moments, then finishes before Szczęsny can properly set himself."

"It is an extraordinary individual goal."

In the 67th minute, Manchester United led Juventus 2–0 in Turin.

The Allianz Stadium fell almost completely silent.

Thousands of home supporters stared toward the pitch, struggling to process how one player had crossed nearly the entire field and dismantled their team alone.

Then the travelling section erupted.

Ling ran toward the United supporters and raised one clenched fist.

The response crashed over him.

"LING!"

"LING!"

"LING!"

Grealish reached him first and threw an arm around his neck.

"That was unbelievable!"

For Grealish, rejecting Manchester City and choosing United increasingly felt like the best decision of his career.

They were two goals ahead in a Champions League semifinal away from home. Both were away goals, and the final no longer felt like a distant possibility.

He could almost see the trophy.

Maguire arrived next and wrapped Ling in an enormous embrace.

"Incredible!"

When Ling first began carrying the ball out of United's penalty area, Maguire had pushed forward to maintain the defensive spacing.

That plan lasted only a few seconds.

The faster Maguire ran, the farther away Ling became.

By the time United's number 7 reached midfield, the center-back had abandoned any hope of remaining close.

From behind the play, however, he had enjoyed the clearest view of the entire run: Pogba and Ramsey colliding, Bonucci being beaten by the burst of acceleration, and Szczęsny left helpless by the finish.

The sight had inspired something close to awe.

...

Juventus's players wore expressions of disbelief.

How could a team containing some of the world's finest midfielders and forwards be losing this badly at home?

Nobody had an answer.

Pogba stamped the turf twice.

Moments earlier, standing directly in Ling's path, he had felt the pressure approaching like an enormous wave. He knew the forward's habits better than almost anyone, yet that familiarity had not made the duel easier.

It had made him more anxious.

He lost patience and attempted the tackle.

Even after touching the ball, he ended the sequence on the grass while Ling disappeared toward goal.

For someone as proud as Pogba, the humiliation burned.

Bonucci looked equally helpless.

He replayed the decision repeatedly.

Perhaps he should have stepped forward sooner.

Perhaps he should have retreated and delayed the attack until help arrived.

Instead, he had trusted himself to stop Ling directly.

He had overestimated his remaining athleticism and underestimated the forward's acceleration.

Cristiano wanted to encourage the players around him.

The words never came.

After two unanswered goals, empty reassurance would achieve little. His teammates needed to see something that gave them reason to believe.

Cristiano took the ball from Szczęsny, turned, and carried it quickly toward the center circle.

His eyes remained hard.

He would try to create that hope himself.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!