Militão's anticipation was correct; if Rashford had continued to dribble, he would have certainly run into Militão's outstretched leg.
However, Rashford did not continue forward.
He chipped the ball, and it flew past Militão's face into the penalty area.
Rashford didn't look up, only passed the ball by feel, aiming for the penalty spot in the center.
Gao Nuo pushed Antonio Rüdiger away, then turned to block the opponent, waiting for the ball to drop.
Antonio Rüdiger quickly rushed forward and began to wrestle with Gao Nuo, their arms intertwined.
Their hand movements didn't stop, and their four eyes were fixed on the ball.
With his back to the opponent, Gao Nuo stopped the ball with his foot, then immediately swung his left leg.
Courtois moved towards the left side of the goal; from his perspective, Antonio Rüdiger had turned sideways and extended his leg, blocking Gao Nuo's shooting angle to the right.
"What's happening? Did Gao Nuo take too big a touch? Did he miss the shot?"
Zhan Jun's surprised voice quickly turned incredibly excited.
"Wow! Goal! Gao Nuo scored with a rabona shot! The ball went through Antonio Rüdiger's legs, fooled Courtois, and nestled into the bottom right corner of the goal."
"Not long after the second half started, Manchester United pulled one back! Gao Nuo broke Real Madrid's goal with a beautiful rabona!"
Zhang's commentary also sped up.
"Hey! Beautiful! Gao Nuo's left foot was a feint, then his right foot went around from behind, a rabona! A poke with the toe, and the ball went into the goal."
"Hey! That goal was too beautiful! Gao Nuo used his right foot, which is his weaker foot. This shot was not only imaginative but also incredibly precise."
Gao Nuo, who scored the goal, rushed towards the corner flag.
Rashford was already waiting there and embraced Gao Nuo.
"Roar—!!!"
Manchester United fans, who had been holding their breath for an hour, finally had a chance to vent.
Teammates who arrived later surrounded the two, and Bruno Fernandes seized the opportunity to hold a quick huddle.
"Brothers, we need to hurry and score another goal quickly. That way, Real Madrid's mentality will become anxious, and we need to seize the opportunity to counterattack!"
Everyone nodded in agreement, then ruffled Gao Nuo's spiky short hair before running back to their positions.
Real Madrid 2:1 Manchester United.
There wasn't much time for them to celebrate now.
The match continued, and the atmosphere in the live stream's bullet comments also became much more positive.
"Go Gao Nuo! Go Manchester United!"
"That was a beautiful pass from Rashford, didn't even look up, such great chemistry."
"Gao Nuo's shot was truly spectacular, a rabona, it blew me away!"
"When that goal went in, I sprayed beer out of my mouth."
"What's that? I was holding a beer just now, and when Gao Nuo scored, I accidentally crushed the can! I'm typing to you guys right now while bleeding!"
"A true tough guy, I salute you!"
"Gao Nuo, please accept my kneeling too!"
"Is Manchester United's attack coming back? They must hold on!"
"This match is getting better and better!"
The audience was not disappointed; the match on the field became increasingly intense!
Carlo Ancelotti's midfield setup was surprisingly also an attack; he wanted to further extend the lead in the early stages of the second half.
Unexpectedly, Manchester United struck first. After a brief moment of thought, Carlo Ancelotti decisively signaled to the field for them to continue attacking.
Manchester United, having gained momentum, naturally did not back down, and the two teams began to trade blows.
In the 52nd minute of the match, Real Madrid attacked, with their midfield combination steadily pushing forward.
Harry Kane and Camavinga consciously moved towards the left flank.
Vanderson and Süle became the focus of the attack.
Bellingham shifted the ball to the left, and Alaba, Camavinga, and Harry Kane exchanged passes.
Vinicius cut from the wing into the penalty area, followed by Camavinga's through ball.
Vanderson and Rice both rushed out, leaving only Süle trying hard to intercept, but the ball grazed his toe, just missing by a tiny margin.
In a critical moment, Nübel rushed out from the goal, spreading his body to face Vinicius's shot.
"Bang!"
"Boom!"
Vinicius's powerful shot hit Nübel in the chest with a dull thud. His solid muscles protected his vulnerable body, and the ball flew into the stands.
"Push harder!"
Nübel stood up as if nothing had happened, shouting at his teammates.
"Roar—!!!"
Manchester United fans were ignited once again, shouting along with Nübel on the field.
A goal and a world-class save further boosted Manchester United's morale.
In the 57th minute of the match, Antony dribbled and broke through on the right flank.
Facing Alaba once again, the defiant Brazilian youngster continuously feinted with his feet.
Seeing that the opponent still wasn't reacting, Antony suddenly accelerated and then stopped sharply.
Alaba was still in front, but his balance was a bit unstable.
Not giving the opponent a chance to adjust, Antony once again pushed the ball forward, a nutmeg!
With three consecutive changes in rhythm, Alaba's feet were a beat slow. Although Antony got past him, Alaba still followed closely behind, looking for an opportunity to tackle.
Antony, dribbling to the byline, felt frustrated!
He used all his skills but only managed to gain a half-body length advantage.
A direct cross was not easy, and a pass back was the same; this dribble was somewhat redundant.
"Take a gamble, a bicycle kick for a motorbike!"
Seeing that he had reached the byline, Antony steeled himself, poked the ball to the left with his left foot, then jumped to the left with force, forcefully cutting into the penalty area.
Antony knew that Alaba behind him would definitely try to gain position; he wanted to jump over the opponent!
Sure enough, just as he changed direction, Alaba did not slow down, using his strong body to knock Antony to the ground.
If he couldn't jump over, then he would roll!
After landing, Antony continued to roll towards the byline, one turn, two turns, seven, eight turns!
"Beep—!"
The violent rolling made the Referee blow his whistle.
Alaba spread his hands, standing innocently in place.
Manchester United was awarded a set piece near the right byline.
Antony was slow to get up. Gao Nuo was the first to run over, patting Antony's back.
"Are you okay? It's a free kick, get up!"
"Let me catch my breath!"
Antony sat up; he had rolled too fast, and his head was really a bit dizzy!
Bruno Fernandes stood over the ball, saw Gao Nuo help Antony up, and waved for the two to quickly get into position.
After observing his teammates' positions and receiving a signal from the Referee, Bruno Fernandes played the ball into the penalty area.
Gao Nuo was always surrounded, and pulling and tugging was commonplace. His 192cm height always received special attention, so opportunities to score headers were not many.
Holding off Militão behind him and holding back Antonio Rüdiger in front, Gao Nuo sacrificed himself at the near post to create opportunities for his teammates.
The ball sailed over the near post, and Süle in the central position seized the opportunity, winning the header over Tchouaméni, and heading towards the goal.
