The Champions breed
The paths towards the impossible are also infinite in twisted football, even more so with the mysterious Madrid in the middle, which in this last chapter of its long history explored new contradictions. From butterfly to larva to continue winning. I can play like I never played before, I can win being worse, I can be great defending like a small team. He said all this in Manchester without lowering his historical pride. His favorite premise is to never give up and the last path he chose was harrowing, as if a gun had been pointed at his head the entire time. It was also sacrificed, with players who ended up with cramps even in their eyelashes. And it was, of course, heroic, with that kind of competitive lust that contains nobility, generosity, perseverance, solidarity... all in the superlative proportions that survival demands. This week, on another day that will last forever, he once again took football a little further.
Without fears or complexes
The story is built with emotions, deeds and statistics. Madrid has plenty of everything in the Champions League. This time, City's impressive display forced them to connect with the game on another level. It required a fanatical concentration that only artists manage to have in moments of creative trance. Between eyebrows, the rivals as invaders and the ball as a threat. The rest did not exist because City did not allow it. The fans were nothing more than background noise. The tactic, information that did not count in the midst of the harassment. The consequences, if everything went wrong, were not even considered in this state of super concentration. Each City play that ended agonizingly seemed to be the last corner of resistance the team had left. But as if the defensive mechanism could be wound up, the next attack found them all in perfect condition.
And again: the faith that persists
Courtois, Militao, Alaba and Tchouaméni were not there. They were a proud team aware of the magical consequences of their psychological power. With a security born of history that even the gods seem to respect and protect. This time not to alter everything in three minutes with a ball as a magic wand, but to work the miracle with pick and shovel for two long hours. City is a blessing of football that subjugates you to the point of death, but Ancelotti already said that Madrid never dies. True: on Wednesday he seemed more prepared to resurrect. Even in the penalty shootout, where Modric missed the first and it hurt us twice, for failing and for being Modric. Then it was Bellingham's turn and those supporting actors who save a movie: Lucas Vázquez and Nacho.
The new heroes
The last one was launched by Rüdiger, a happy and expressive lion adopted by Real Madrid fans. The people celebrated with a joy proportional to the suffering. The strange thing is that Lunin, the person most responsible for that surge, did not flinch even when reaching the summit in the penalty shootout. Presumably that gravedigger's face was nothing more than another feint, since, as Carlo said, there was no one dead. Unmoved by the machine-gunning throughout the game and by firing squad during the penalties, Lunin contributed like no other to lowering the heart rate of the entire team. But he had more credit for lowering his own heart rate in a match that will mark a before and after in his career. Tomorrow, in the Classic, you will have proof of his new football status. Let's not rule out a smile.
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