Parc des Princes, Paris
80th Minute
The night air in Paris was thick with tension.
PSG was chasing the game, desperate to overturn the deficit. But in the Champions League, there is one rule: never bet against the King.
Casemiro collected a loose ball in the right half-space. He looked up and clipped a teasing cross toward the penalty spot.
The ball hung in the air.
Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing the all-white of Real Madrid, leaped.
He rose above the PSG defenders, his knees level with their heads.
He seemed to pause in mid-air, defying gravity, waiting for the ball to meet him.
Thump.
A tomahawk header!
Violent, precise, unstoppable. The ball rocketed past Areola before the goalkeeper could blink.
1-2 Real Madrid!
Ronaldo landed. He sprinted dozens of meters toward the corner flag, leaped into his signature mid-air turn, and landed with his arms spread wide, back to the crowd.
"SIUUU!"
The roar from the traveling Madridistas was deafening.
"Cristiano! Cristiano!"
They recalled a scene from nine years ago, when a shy young man walked onto the Bernabéu pitch.
Now, at 33, he was becoming a god.
He showed no signs of aging. He was leading Madrid toward a historic "Three-Peat"—a feat no club had achieved in the modern era.
On the sidelines, Zinedine Zidane stroked his smooth head with a slight smirk playing on his lips.
He felt it. The aura.
Madrid could win it all again!
...
Champions League Round of 16 Roundup
Besiktas 1 - 3 Bayern Munich (1-8 Agg) The Bavarian machine was ruthless. Thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski, and Kingsley Coman tore the Turkish champions apart.
Even Mats Hummels got on the scoresheet.
Bayern still looked unsatisfied, hungry for more blood.
Manchester City 1 - 2 Basel (5-2 Agg) At the Etihad, Pep Guardiola rotated his squad.
City lost the match but cruised through on aggregate. In the post-match interview, Guardiola was dismissive.
"We focus on the league now," Guardiola said, his eyes cold. "As for United vs. Liverpool? I hope United lose. We want the title wrapped up."
...
The lineup was set. A gathering of giants.
Premier League: Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United. (if you wondering as why the premier league have 5 teams in ucl, is that Man united qualified because they won Europa league last season).
La Liga: Real Madrid, Barcelona.
Serie A: Juventus, Roma.
Bundesliga: Bayern Munich.
It was a historic field—all teams from the top four leagues.
No underdogs and definitely no easy games.
...
UEFA Headquarters, Nyon March 16th
The atmosphere in the draw hall was suffocating. Club delegates in expensive suits sat nervously.
Back at Carrington, the Manchester United squad gathered around the TV in the canteen.
Ling sat next to Marcus Rashford, chewing his lip.
"We should draw Bayern," Ling muttered.
In his previous life, United had crashed out to Sevilla. This was uncharted territory.
The timeline had shifted.
On the screen, Andriy Shevchenko, the final ambassador, walked onto the stage. He stirred the plastic balls in the glass bowl.
The clattering sound echoed like gunfire.
He picked the first ball.
AS ROMA.
A murmur went through the room.
Roma were the "soft target." An aging squad led by Edin Dzeko and Daniele De Rossi.
Everyone wanted them.
Shevchenko picked the second ball.
FC BARCELONA.
A collective sigh of relief from the other teams.
At the Barcelona training ground, Samuel Umtiti burst out laughing. Gerard Piqué grinned.
It was practically a gift. (lmao)
Next draw.
JUVENTUS.
Massimiliano Allegri straightened his tie. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness.
'Please not them. Anyone but them.'
Shevchenko opened the paper.
REAL MADRID.
Allegri nearly collapsed under the table.
It was a rematch of the previous year's final, where Madrid had crushed them 4-1. And worse, it meant facing Ronaldo—the "Juve Killer." ..... again.
Zidane's expression remained enigmatic. He knew the stats. Ronaldo had faced Juve five times and scored seven goals.
It was destiny.
Two ties left. Four teams. Liverpool. Manchester City. Bayern Munich. Manchester United.
Shevchenko stirred the bowl again.
LIVERPOOL.
Jurgen Klopp leaned forward while Pep Guardiola sat motionless.
MANCHESTER CITY.
An all-English civil war.
Klopp grimaced. Liverpool had lost heavily to City in the league. But this was Europe. This was Anfield.
He would make them bleed.
That left two balls. The inevitability settled over the room.
MANCHESTER UNITED versus BAYERN MUNICH.
Jupp Heynckes, the Bayern manager, let out a long breath.
He had wanted Arsenal (his favorite punching bag), but United was acceptable. Since 2008, Bayern had never been eliminated by an English team.
They had history on their side.
On the other side of the aisle, Mourinho's face was stone cold.
He remembered.
He remembered the 2012 semi-final with Real Madrid.
Losing on penalties to Bayern. Ronaldo, Kaka, Ramos—all missing the shot.
It was the only time Mourinho had cried after a defeat.
'Revenge time huh,' Mourinho thought.
...
Carrington Training Ground
The canteen went silent.
United vs. Bayern.
The history was heavy. 1999. The Treble. But also 2001, 2010, 2014.
Bayern had knocked United out the last two times they met.
"Why is everyone so quiet?" Ling's voice cut through the gloom. "Didn't we beat them in '99? Solskjaer's winner? Fergie Time?"
Zlatan Ibrahimović stood up, his massive body casting a shadow over the table.
"Look at yourselves!" the lion roared. "Does history decide the game? No! We decide the game!"
"If they think we cannot win," Zlatan snarled, "then we must turn the impossible into the possible! We are Manchester United!"
The speech ignited a spark. Heads lifted. Chests puffed out.
Jesse Lingard jumped onto the table, stomping his foot.
"YEAH!" Lingard howled. "First we crush Liverpool on Sunday! Then we take down the Germans! Let's go!"
"LET'S GO!"