Chapter 198: Wenger the Avenger Takes on Mourinho's Second Stint
"Hang time?!!!"
"This is a chance!"
"Volley!"
"Goal! Xia Qi completes a hat-trick!"
"Wow! Vicente Calderón thunders with applause! Atlético fans are on their feet applauding Xia Qi! Xia Qi has won them over!!"
On the touchline, Diego Simeone sat rigid on the bench, his face buried in his hands.
He had no face to show the world — the fans who loved him had "switched allegiance" tonight and were applauding the opponent.
The LED board above the pitch showed the bloody 1–4 that announced the match was effectively over.
With fewer than twenty minutes remaining, Atlético would have to score four goals to advance — an impossible task, especially with one player short.
After Atlético fans rose to applaud, Atlético's players lost their fighting spirit,
whereas Arsenal were buoyed by the opponent's crowd and grew bolder.
In the 80th minute, Mario Balotelli converted a Theo Walcott assist to score his second of the night, making it 1–5!
Seeing victory within reach, Arsène Wenger signaled Xia Qi and Balotelli to clock out.
Arsenal's goalscoring luck wasn't finished: with 58 seconds left on the clock, Kevin De Bruyne and Theo Walcott swapped positions on the right and combined to tap in an empty-net finish.
Atlético, who drew 3–3 with Arsenal in the previous tie, were massacred at home.
1–6 was the final score.
…
…
Post-match press conference:
Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager: "Tonight's match was terrific; our players performed brilliantly.
Facing a strong Atlético side, they showed tenacity and exquisite skill.
Xia Qi's goals in particular helped seal the result.
That red card was beyond doubt; it may have been the fuse for Atlético's collapse, but it's not an excuse for their failure.
Finally, I want to thank my players for their huge efforts. Of course, this victory also couldn't have happened without the fans — they are always our solid backbone."
Diego Simeone, Atlético manager: "This was a disappointing match; we suffered a painful defeat at home.
The opponent's performance deserves praise — they seized on our mistakes.
But I'm proud of my players; they gave their all.
We faced some difficulties in the match, including being a player short and some players not at their best, but these are not excuses for the loss.
We will seriously reflect, learn lessons, and strive for better results in future matches."
When he learned that in the other match Real Madrid had eliminated Borussia Dortmund and advanced to the final, Simeone sourly responded: "The match between us and Arsenal was the real Champions League final.
If you watched this game, don't waste your money going to the Luz Stadium — that match is destined to be a tedious contest. Arsenal will dominate and likely retain the title."
Simeone's words angered the extremely strong Real Madrid.
Unlike the original timeline, this Real Madrid had almost no obvious weaknesses.
The front line was the BBC — Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo; the midfield was a classic controlling unit; the defense featured world-class full-back/center-back Sergio Ramos; and the goalkeeper was the world-class keeper Iker Casillas.
They had virtually no obvious flaws — almost invincible.
When Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager, heard Simeone's comments, he said to the media:
"What right does a loser have to criticize our match?
If not for injuries, if not for focusing more on the Champions League, we would already be top of La Liga right now.
"He says our match is boring? Absurd! Real Madrid matches have always been full of passion and charm; every moment is enough to stir up excitement!
As for whether Arsenal can dominate and retain the trophy — that will only be decided on the pitch."
Real Madrid's top star Cristiano Ronaldo also expressed his displeasure:
"Our squad's strength is obvious to everyone.
On the front line, my teammates and I will prove everything with goals; in midfield our lads can control matches; the defenders are rock-solid. We don't have glaring weaknesses — we're a formidable force!
We have unmatched ability and team spirit. In every match we give our all and won't leave opponents an opening."
"Diego Simeone should focus on his own team instead of belittling others to lift himself. Real Madrid will shut him up with actions!"
Finally, Cristiano spoke emotionally:
"Lisbon is not just a beautiful city — it's where my football dream began; Sporting Clube de Portugal (Sporting Lisbon) is my boyhood club.
In June 2009 I was fortunate to join Real Madrid, and on that day I vowed to win Europe's highest honor for this club.
In two months, I will fulfill that promise in the place where my dream started.
Glory belongs to Real Madrid and to Sporting — their child has come back…"
"Back to where the dream began…" — the sentiment was so stirring that Cristiano moved thousands of boys and girls.
Many people supported Cristiano to win the cup, and among them were plenty of Atlético, Barcelona and Arsenal fans.
Xia Qi and the others of course disagreed — why should they bankroll your dream?
Xia Qi bluntly commented on his Twitter: Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo — do you know you're very handsome? So please don't imagine things too grandly.
He even attached an illustration of the Earth rotating, implying the world will keep turning without any one person.
The media seized the hot topic and launched Champions League 2013–2014 winner predictions; eighty-five percent of fans hoped it would be Real Madrid.
Real Madrid's favored paper Marca launched a column "Fulfilling the Dream with Cristiano Ronaldo" to document Cristiano's next two months of football life.
The column was an instant hit; Marca's circulation surpassed old rival AS.
AS wouldn't be overtaken quietly; they partnered with British media to launch a TV series called "Founders of a Dynasty."
It was a show with a broader audience reach than print.
Arsenal was the only club in Europe's big five leagues that could complete a grand slam; Arsenal had already won the Community Shield and the League Cup, and were still competing on three fronts: the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Champions League.
They were hardly short on headlines.
The TV series had ten episodes, introducing two Arsenal players per episode.
The premiere featured Arsène Wenger and Jack Wilshere; the debut episode drew the highest viewership in all of Europe.
On the show Wilshere said he was in recovery training and hoped to be ready for the World Cup.
The former prodigy from Colney shed tears on air and said, "The Champions League used to be our only pursuit; now building a dynasty is the shared goal of all of us — I'm grateful to be on this path…"
The press rivalry between the two papers kept Champions League final hype rising, but for Arsenal the Real Madrid match was still far away.
Arsenal turned to domestic competitions.
First, in the FA Cup fifth round Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0, while Chelsea edged Manchester City 1–0.
That set up an FA Cup final two weeks later at Wembley between Arsène Wenger's Arsenal and José Mourinho's Chelsea.
If Arsenal won it would be their 11th FA Cup.
If Chelsea won it would be their 8th.
What intrigued the media was the long-running feud between Wenger and Mourinho.
But despite the press flaring it up, both Wenger and Mourinho had little time to indulge.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City began fighting for points in the league. In a week of midweek fixtures, Chelsea and City each notched four straight wins, and Arsenal went on a five-match winning run (Premier League round 27 rescheduled games).
That returned Arsenal to the top of the table, but they had not pulled away from Chelsea and City — they led by only a single point.
At the weekend, at Wembley, Arsenal arrived for the FA Cup final.
…
…
The FA Cup, officially The Football Association Challenge Cup, is the oldest football competition in the world and a hotbed for upsets — classic underdog victories often occur.
The final is always held at Wembley Stadium.
Beyond the match itself, the media and fans were fascinated by the "love story" between the two managers.
Both men were, at heart, pure football men.
But their completely different football philosophies and personalities had made them bitter enemies.
Mourinho is a pragmatist and defense-first strategist; his philosophy is that a 1–0 win is the most perfect victory.
Wenger was the first coach to inject technical, long-passing style into the Premier League — at that time the famed Manchester United of Sir Alex Ferguson was essentially about long balls as well.
The Frenchman's romanticism and Arsenal's traditional resilience forged the Invincibles myth and Arsenal's glory.
On a club level their feelings also pointed in opposite directions.
Mourinho cast himself as a "hired hand" who demanded more from the board — discounts, promotions — like a vampire always wanting more.
Wenger, by contrast, was a great guardian of the club, caring more about the club's legacy and development than short-term results, quietly shouldering the burden.
Their coaching styles and personalities were completely different: one defiant, the other polite; yet both shared the conviction "I'm right, you're wrong."
All this led the two men to be at each other's throats.
However, against Mourinho's first stint, Wenger had been the loser.
Before Mourinho's arrival the Premier League had been a decade-long duel between Ferguson and Wenger.
Both were winners: Ferguson continued Manchester United's dominance, while Wenger elevated Arsenal to new heights.
In the early 2000s Arsenal's mercurial attacking style swept the world and gathered many fans, becoming the world's third most beloved club, behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Only United had more fans in Asia; across Europe and South America Arsenal were dominant in popularity.
But when a Portuguese man arrived at Stamford Bridge and uttered the casual line "the special one," Wenger was driven off his pinnacle.
From then on the Premier League moved from a double-Red rivalry to a Red-and-Blue era.
In Mourinho's first spell, Wenger was the loser.
Mourinho's second spell had just begun — Wenger could not yet be called a winner, but he was definitely a frontrunner.
Thus Wenger cared about the FA Cup not only as a necessary piece for a dynasty but as a chance for the avenger's self-affirmation.
Under that emotion-driven motive, Xia Qi and the others underwent rigorous training and prepared for the showdown!
(END CHAPTER)
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