Chapter 610: 8-0! An Epic Disaster Shocks the Entire Football World!
Although Lin Quan didn't pay much attention to Džeko's hostility, his brilliance in this match was simply too bright to be ignored.
In the 15th minute of the first half, Lin Quan dribbled laterally across the edge of the box, moving from the left side to the right. Single-handedly, he disrupted Roma's defense, ultimately slipping through a perfect pass that allowed Agüero to easily score.
Manchester City 1:0 Roma!
City's goal was simple and direct, with no unnecessary flourishes.
After falling behind, Roma attempted to fight back and equalize the score. However, they were quickly met with a harsh blow.
In the 26th minute, during one of Roma's attacks that left their defense exposed, City launched a quick counterattack. Lin Quan dropped back to collect the ball and passed it to De Bruyne on the wing. De Bruyne took a glance at his teammates in the forward positions and sent a perfectly weighted long pass to Mbappé, who was sprinting down the wing like lightning.
Mbappé used his speed to outpace the defenders, cut inside, and was quickly confronted by a Roma defender trying to block his shot. However, Mbappé's shot was just a feint. After fooling the defender, he nudged the ball forward, and a figure sped past him—it was Lin Quan, charging down the center line.
Mbappé's pass was perfectly weighted, sparing Lin Quan from having to control the ball. Lin Quan opted for a first-time shot, and Roma's goalkeeper, Alisson, was helpless as the ball once again hit the back of his net.
Despite Alisson's excellent form this season, even a top keeper couldn't have saved such a close-range shot, especially when it was delivered by a player like Lin Quan.
Before the 30th minute, Manchester City had already scored two goals. The match was unfolding just as many experts had predicted—Roma, the dark horse of the competition, was no match for the mighty City, who dominated with ease.
"If this keeps up, Manchester City will keep scoring. This could turn into a slaughter!" commented the two announcers in the studio, shaking their heads as they predicted a grim outlook for Roma.
"Exactly. City has started off strong, and with this being the first leg at their home ground, they won't be holding back. They'll aim to settle the tie in this match," added another.
"And after seeing Barcelona's shocking defeat, City knows that Roma is a resilient team. If they don't seize this opportunity to finish them off completely, they could find themselves facing a comeback in the second leg."
Their predictions were spot on, and Manchester City's goal spree in the first half was far from over.
During stoppage time in the first half, just when Roma's players let their guard down, thinking they could make it to halftime, City launched one final quick attack. One moment, the ball was being passed around City's defense, and the next, it had been played forward through a couple of rapid passes, landing just outside Roma's penalty area.
Lin Quan took the ball and made a direct charge into the box. Roma defenders Fazio and Manolas were caught off guard, unable to stop him.
Alisson was shocked by the speed of the attack and wasn't fully prepared. Seeing Lin Quan wind up to shoot, Alisson tried to guess the direction of the shot, but it was a feint. Lin Quan calmly slotted the ball to the other side, completely outsmarting the keeper.
Alisson had guessed wrong and could only watch as the ball rolled into the net.
Halftime: Manchester City 3:0 Roma.
The scoreline was already overwhelming. Roma's players looked dejected as they left the pitch, clearly not expecting to take such a heavy beating in the first half. The traveling Roma fans, who had come all the way from Italy to support their team, were heartbroken by the score.
These fans were Roma's die-hards, having traveled such a long way with high hopes, especially after seeing their team's stunning 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the previous round. They believed that if Roma could defeat a giant like Barcelona, they could at least put up a fight against Manchester City.
But what they witnessed was a complete dismantling of their team.
In the first half alone, it was clear that the two teams weren't even on the same level. City's overall strength, speed in transitioning from defense to attack, and success rate were far superior. Roma had no answers for City's relentless high pressing and patient passing game.
Every time Roma managed to win the ball, they struggled to launch an attack before City quickly won it back. City's pressing was so effective that unless Roma's players passed the ball immediately after winning it, they had no chance to move it forward.
Among the Roma players, only former City player Aleksandar Kolarov seemed able to cope with City's pressing. The rest of the team couldn't handle it and kept losing possession.
Worse still, whenever City regained the ball, they either immediately launched a counterattack or maintained patient possession, whereas Roma couldn't replicate the same when they tried to press City. Once City's players had the ball, it was extremely difficult to take it away from them.
City played like a team that just didn't give the ball away. Roma couldn't understand why, but Liverpool fans watching knew the reason.
Having faced two grueling matches against Liverpool, a team that specializes in high pressing, City's players had improved their ball retention under pressure.
Now, when City faced aggressive pressing, they remained calm, making quick decisions and accurate passes, significantly reducing the chance of errors.
After a quick 15-minute break, the second half began. Roma made some adjustments, substituting their smaller central midfielder Ünder for 6'3" target man Schick.
This substitution left City baffled. Did Roma really think that simply changing their forward would solve their problems? Were they planning to bombard City with crosses and headers?
It seemed like a misguided strategy, as City's defense wasn't vulnerable to aerial attacks. Besides, how could Roma hope to launch such attacks when they could barely hold onto the ball?
Unsurprisingly, the substitution failed to make an impact.
In the 56th minute, City scored again.
This time, Lin Quan provided the assist for Mbappé, bringing the score to 4:0. The outcome was no longer in doubt.
Fans in the stadium and those watching on TV sympathized with Roma while also wondering how many more goals City would score. Judging by their determination, City had no intention of stopping.
After all, Barcelona had won 4-1 at home against Roma, only to be eliminated. A 4-0 scoreline wasn't entirely safe either.
In the 62nd minute, De Bruyne added his name to the scoresheet.
Finding no clear passing options in the box, De Bruyne attempted a long-range shot from outside the penalty area. He probably didn't expect it to be such a perfect strike—a world-class shot. Alisson, despite all his efforts, could only brush the ball with his fingertips as it flew into the net.
5:0.
This was turning into an absolute disaster for Roma.
Although Roma weren't on City's level, they were still one of the top teams in Serie A. While many had expected them to lose, few had predicted they would lose this badly.
And there was still plenty of time left in the match. Given City's pace of scoring a goal every 10 minutes, it seemed likely that Roma would concede even more.
As feared, in the 69th minute, City won a corner.
Lin Quan's delivery found Van Dijk, whose close-range header was saved brilliantly by Alisson. Unfortunately for Roma, the rebound fell to De Bruyne just outside the box. With no defenders around him, De Bruyne calmly took a touch and unleashed another shot.
Alisson, still scrambling to his feet from the first save, leaped to try and stop it. But this shot was even more precise than the last, and once again, De Bruyne found the back of the net.
6:0.
Roma had now equaled their record for their heaviest defeat. But the worst part was, the match wasn't over yet, and City still had plenty of time to break that record.
On the sidelines, Roma legend Francesco Totti, now retired and watching helplessly, looked both anxious and dejected as his team fell apart on the pitch. He probably wished he could jump in and help, but even if he could, it wouldn't change the result.
Unfortunately, this wasn't Roma's first Champions League catastrophe. Eleven years earlier, they had been crushed 7-1 by Manchester United at Old Trafford. In the 2014-2015 Champions League group stage, they had also lost 7-1 at home to Bayern Munich.
On the pitch, Roma's players were on the verge of collapsing emotionally. The coach's shouts from the sidelines and his additional substitutions barely had any effect. The team's spirit was already broken.
Meanwhile, Guardiola, watching his team score goal after goal, began wondering whether it was time to start making substitutions to give his key players some rest.
Guardiola had initially hoped for four goals, and his team had already surpassed that. With six goals in the bag, he decided it was time for a change.
He sent substitutes Sane, Haaland, Foden, Jesus, and Gundogan to warm up. While he didn't plan to change his defense, the forwards had played a lot of matches recently and needed the rest.
In the stands, Manchester City fans, noticing the substitutes warming up, worried that taking off the starters might mean the end of the scoring spree. They began shouting to the players on the field:
"One more!"
"Give them a 7-Up special!"
"Help Roma break a record!"
Their excitement made Roma fans even more nervous. They desperately hoped that City wouldn't score any more goals, as breaking Roma's century-old record for worst defeat would leave an eternal stain on their club's history.
Hearing the fans' chants, Lin Quan and De Bruyne exchanged a smile.
In the 72nd minute, just before being substituted, Lin Quan attempted one last breakthrough. He succeeded in getting past defenders, but his shot went wide.
It was up to the substitutes now to finish the job.
"Don't worry, boss. We'll make sure to set them a new record and send them home with a smile!" Haaland said confidently, thumping his chest.
Lin Quan couldn't help but laugh at his mischievous attitude. Did Haaland really think Roma would go home happy after breaking their record for heaviest defeat? They would remember him with hatred!
The substitutes didn't care about such things. They were eager to make the most of their playing time and were determined to score at least one goal. After all, if they didn't score, how could they challenge for starting positions?
These substitutes were highly motivated, and when they got on the field, they played even harder than the starters.
Roma's players were almost in tears. Who were these hungry wolves?
Though young, these players were relentless.
Guardiola had expected the team's offensive output to drop after the substitutions, but the substitutes' aggressive play quickly proved him wrong.
In the 82nd minute, Haaland set up Jesus, whose shot made it 7:0.
In the 89th minute, Sane burned past Roma's wing-back with his speed, cut into the box, and took a shot. Alisson saved it, but Haaland was there to poke in the rebound.
8:0.
The substitutes had kept their promise, helping Roma break their own record and extending it by two more goals!
News of this match's final score quickly spread across Europe and the world through social media, shocking football fans everywhere.
Even reigning champions Real Madrid were trembling when they heard the result. The thought of facing such a formidable team, hungry for revenge, left them in a state of panic.
(End of Chapter)