As the ball was kicked off, both sides began to probe each other, playing cautiously in the early stages of the final.
In the 3rd minute, Real Madrid organized an attack.
Tchouaméni passed the ball to the right wing. Mazraoui, facing Rashford, calmly sent the ball forward.
Rodrygo received the ball but gained no advantage in his encounter with Luke Shaw.
After nearly being knocked down, Rodrygo passed back to Mazraoui.
Looking up at Kane in the penalty area, Mazraoui delivered a 45-degree cross.
Niklas Süle, as Zhan Jun had said, was tightly marking Harry Kane.
Pulling and pushing, the struggle in Manchester United's penalty area began to intensify.
Süle finally pushed Kane aside and headed the flying ball to the left. Luke Shaw received the ball, and Rodrygo immediately pressed him.
Seeing the opponents retreat quickly, Luke Shaw did not rush to push forward and passed the ball back to the goalkeeper.
Nübel was a bit eager. Seeing an open space in front of Gao Nuo, he wanted to kick the ball with a long pass towards the center circle.
“Roar—!”
Real Madrid fans roared.
Nübel's long pass hit Pau Torres's back, and the ball bounced to Harry Kane's feet.
“What the hell is going on?”
Pau Torres's recent performance had been unsatisfactory, and he was even more nervous on the final stage. Kicked by Nübel's inexplicable pass, he was stunned for a moment.
“Damn it, I can't take the blame for this!”
Pau Torres, realizing what had happened, angrily charged towards Kane.
Harry Kane had just received an unexpected gift when Süle blocked him.
Immediately seeing the menacing Pau Torres, Kane abandoned the idea of a direct shot and chipped the ball towards the left side of the goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Manchester United's goal was completely open.
Vinicius sprinted towards the ball, leaving Vanderson behind.
Nübel was on high alert; he had to pay for his elementary mistake.
Vinicius caught up to the ball before it went out of bounds. After controlling it, Vanderson had already caught up from behind, and Nübel blocked the near post by standing next to it.
Vinicius made a decisive move, curling the ball with his right foot. The ball spun intensely, curving around Nübel towards the far corner of the goal.
“Thud!” A crisp sound rang out as the ball hit the post and bounced out of bounds. Manchester United narrowly escaped.
“Oh—!”
Amidst the disappointed cries of Real Madrid fans, the big screen showed the replay.
“Let's take a look at that last play.”
“Nübel's long pass went awry, and Kane luckily gained possession. Manchester United's closing down was very timely, forcing Kane to chip the ball to the left.”
“Vinicius was too fast; Vanderson couldn't keep up at all. He stopped the ball at the byline and immediately chose to shoot. It was a zero-angle curl, and it almost went into the net.”
“Ah, Vinicius's shot was very decisive. Vanderson behind him didn't give him a chance to adjust. The quality of this shot was already very high; it was just a very difficult angle.”
“Exactly. Manchester United needs to be more focused. Making such elementary mistakes against Real Madrid, they won't be so lucky next time.”
Not long after Zhan Jun and Zhang finished speaking, Manchester United's defense gifted another opportunity.
In the 8th minute, Real Madrid took a corner kick from the right. Pau Torres got to the ball before Kane and cleared it out of the penalty area.
Camavinga received the ball and passed it back to the right. David Alaba, who took the corner, miscontrolled the ball, and it rolled towards the goal.
“Oh no, I overhit it!” Alaba had put too much power into his touch and could only quickly chase after it.
Luke Shaw was sprinting towards the wing at full speed. He hadn't expected his opponent to miscontrol the ball.
The ball quickly rolled to his feet. Luke Shaw was a bit slow to react. After stopping the ball, he couldn't immediately stop his forward momentum.
Luke Shaw's body was still rushing forward, while his mind was pulling in the opposite direction.
With such a shift in his center of gravity, his footwork was a beat slow. Before Luke Shaw could kick the ball out of the penalty area, Alaba rushed up and swept the ball towards the goal first.
Harry Kane held off Pau Torres and got to the ball a step ahead.
He was too close to the goal. Nübel had no time to react and could only pray that luck would favor Manchester United once more.
“Roar—!”
Harry Kane's poke shot was perfect.
Goal!
Real Madrid led Manchester United 1-0.
The Real Madrid fans who traveled with the team cheered joyfully. Less than 10 minutes into the match, their team had established an early lead, as if one hand was already on the Champions League trophy.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines covered his mouth with his hand, speaking to his assistant coach.
“Two mistakes! What does our defense want to do? How can we play this game now?”
The assistant coach immediately took out a tactics board, drawing and writing on it to calm the head coach.
“In the 8th minute, Real Madrid broke through Manchester United's goal. The scorer was Harry Kane.”
“Ah! The situation is very unfavorable for Manchester United. Since the start of the match, Real Madrid has had two excellent chances and scored one goal, while Manchester United hasn't even had a decent attack.”
“Yes, at this rate, Manchester United's goal is in danger. Let's first look at the replay of the goal.”
Zhan Jun and Zhang were still discussing the goal, while the live stream's bullet comments had already started to flood in with criticism.
“Alaba's skill to dribble past a player was amazing; only Luke Shaw could barely stop the ball.”
“The person upstairs must be a unscrupulous reporter, right? Your ability to twist facts is too strong!”
“Damn it, Alaba clearly overhit it, and Luke Shaw wasn't nimble either. Both former best left-backs are nothing now!”
“What kind of defense is Manchester United's? Just disband already.”
“I beg you, Zhan Jun, stop talking. You're definitely a jinx today!”
“Holy cow, you're really something. Can this goal be blamed on the commentator?”
Gao Nuo, standing over the ball, looked a bit serious. This was his second touch of the game. Who would have thought that the top contender for the Champions League Golden Boot, in the first 10 minutes, would only have two touches, both of which were kick-offs from the center circle.
Looking at Bruno Fernandes, who was shouting loudly, Gao Nuo felt a deep sense of unease.
“Damn it, I simulated so many matches, and I never conceded so early. This is a bit bad. If Bruno also gets anxious, the team might fall into disarray.”
Seeing the Referee's signal, Gao Nuo kicked off and ran towards the attacking half, casting his worries aside. He needed to calm down first.
In the 16th minute, Rice carried the ball, organizing an attack.
“Here! Quicker!”
Bruno Fernandes's loud shout not only brought him a pass from a teammate but also attracted defensive attention.
Bellingham immediately came behind Bruno and poked the ball through his legs.
Camavinga ran towards the ball, constantly looking up to observe his teammates' positions.
Vinicius and Rodrygo surged forward at high speed from both sides; Real Madrid's counter-attack was equally threatening.
If this pass was sent, Manchester United would once again be in danger.