Chapter 158: Shattered Hopes

Bakambu saw Gaspard’s pass coming, shook off Bonucci, leapt high, and powerfully headed the ball toward the right side of the goal.

Dai Zhiwei was charging forward fiercely at that spot!

But this time, Buffon reminded the world that he was still one of the top three goalkeepers in modern football.

The moment Bakambu’s header came, Buffon dived swiftly to his left, catching the ball securely with both hands, denying Dai Zhiwei any chance to touch it and snuffing out the attack before it could develop.

Rising up, Buffon angrily shouted at his defensive line. The chance given to Bakambu was far too easy—Juventus’s defense had glaring lapses.

Buffon then threw the ball to Pjanic, and Juventus, relying on their exceptional skill and the coordination of their front players, continued to pose frequent threats to Villarreal, disrupting their rhythm.

Most of the time, Dai Zhiwei was exhausted running back and forth in midfield and the attacking zone, unable to get close to the goal. Though there were some good passes, few turned into effective attacks.

Sandro received a pass from Bonucci deep in defense and unleashed a long, powerful kick across midfield, quickly delivering the ball to the advancing Mandžukić.

Mandžukić flicked the ball with his right foot, then feinted, shaking off Bruno’s balance. Instead of moving wide, he cut back toward the center, with Bruno sticking close.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mandžukić spotted a figure sprinting at high speed. He pushed the ball with the instep past Dos Santos’s body, delivering it to the speeding Pjanic.

Without slowing, Pjanic drove forward with the ball, while Lukavina quickly closed in to defend.

As a Bosnian international, Pjanic was a rare midfield maestro in today’s game. Any team acquiring him would gain a powerful boost in midfield—hence why both Real Madrid and Barcelona coveted him.

Seeing Lukavina and Dos Santos nearby, Pjanic hurriedly passed the ball into the space among the three of them, as Bonucci was already making a forward run.

Bonucci surged from deep, received Pjanic’s pass without hesitation, and powerfully sent the ball to the left flank, where Alves was sprinting at full speed.

Using his pace advantage, Alves shook off Costa to claim the ball and dashed freely within Villarreal’s penalty area, poised to deliver a lethal strike. Lukavina decisively moved up to cover.

Though not young anymore, Alves’s breakthroughs remained sharp. Using his speed and skill, he drove the ball forward in front of Lukavina, soon reaching just outside the small box. Fernández, near the goal line, was drawn over to cover Alves’s near post.

Alves feinted as if to break along the sideline; Lukavina shifted his weight accordingly. But Alves suddenly pulled his body back, flicked the ball instantly to his right, and burst forward at a speed far beyond Lukavina’s reaction, cutting sharply to his outside and creating a large gap.

Before Lukavina could stretch out to intercept, Alves had already crossed the ball into the small box, where two Juventus players were closing in, ready to pounce.

“Goooooooooooooooooal! Higuaín got there before Fernández and poked the ball into the net! We’re in the lead, a beautiful breakthrough, a perfect finish—Higuaín is incredibly sharp!”

0-1!

The Italian commentator excitedly shouted as Higuaín suddenly appeared in front of Fernández and slotted the ball home—the deadly pass from Juventus had finally paid off.

“Oh! Higuaín! Juventus!” The home fans in the stadium, finally snapping out of the earlier tension, erupted into a sea of red waves, their cheers deafening to the Villarreal supporters, who longed for their own team’s chance to shout.

“Damn it!” Dai Zhiwei felt frustrated. Villarreal was playing awkwardly, and Juventus’s possession-based style was hard for him to adjust to.

More importantly, Villarreal was now down 0-3 on aggregate—the goal had dealt a heavy blow to their morale.

After the restart, Villarreal launched a fierce counterattack under Dai Zhiwei’s leadership.

Aware that Juventus’s defense had developed a special strategy to counter him, Dai Zhiwei consciously moved closer to Bakambu and the trailing Castillejo to strengthen support.

Receiving a through ball from Castillejo down the middle, Dai Zhiwei shot before Bonucci could block, but Buffon, fully focused, caught the ball.

Bakambu forced his way through the center, faking a shot, but Bonucci cleared the ball right off the goal line.

After a sustained attack with no breakthrough, Villarreal’s defense pushed up. Lukavina frequently combined in midfield with Dos Santos and others to create threats, but this left large gaps in Villarreal’s backline.

Once again, Juventus successfully repelled Villarreal’s attack. Bonucci picked up the ball and immediately passed to Sandro in midfield. Sandro noticed Villarreal’s formation and denied them any chance to intercept, sending the ball directly to Higuaín near the halfway line.

Receiving the ball, Higuaín saw Lukavina closing in, but the space behind him was wide open. Before the defender could approach, Higuaín launched a powerful pass to the right edge of Villarreal’s penalty area.

Costa was desperately tracking back, but someone was faster.

Alves, spotting Sandro’s pass, sprinted instantly down the flank. Higuaín also saw him and fired a long ball that tore through Villarreal’s fragile defense.

Alves took the ball in long strides, smoothly bypassed Costa, and surged ahead—one-on-one with the keeper.

“Goooooooooooooooooal! We’re up 2-0 against Villarreal!”

The Italian commentator was ecstatic as Alves raced into the box and slid the ball under the fallen Fernández, his voice barely stopping as the stadium erupted.

The black-and-white sea engulfed Juventus Stadium once more. Fans wildly waved jerseys and shouted, venting their excitement at the camera.

Meanwhile, Villarreal’s traveling supporters clutched their heads, faces etched with disbelief and despair.

Escrivá turned back to his coaching bench, frustrated. The 0-4 aggregate score had crushed all hope.

Dai Zhiwei stood with hands on hips, brow furrowed, realizing the Champions League semi-final was effectively over.

For Villarreal to overturn the deficit, they had to score four goals in the next 45 minutes without conceding once—a near impossible task.

Though Dai Zhiwei played valiantly and impressively, Villarreal still lacked balance between attack and defense. He was not yet the kind of “comic book” level super star who could singlehandedly take on a team.

Escrivá pondered his second-half tactics as the first half neared its end.

With the referee’s whistle, halftime arrived. In the final two minutes, both teams played cautiously; Villarreal’s players seemed disheartened, while Juventus, satisfied, did not push to increase their lead.

Escrivá walked back to the locker room with a serious expression, while Villarreal’s players looked dejected—starkly contrasting the relaxed Juventus squad.

Minutes passed swiftly. Villarreal had unified their mindset: protect the goal and try to score at least once to salvage some pride.

As for a complete comeback? They no longer dared to dream.

“Dear viewers, welcome back to the stadium. The players are on the pitch. Please stay tuned for the second half!” The Italian commentator kept up his spirited support for the home team.

Dai Zhiwei’s goal for the second half was clear: to score at least once and break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 goals in a single Champions League season.

Bakambu and Dai Zhiwei pressed hard, intercepting a pass from Higuaín to Alves. Bakambu quickly passed to a midfielder, then he and Dai Zhiwei sprinted deep into Juventus territory.

Dos Santos passed back to Lukavina to open the formation, moving closer to the box. The ball quickly reached Rodrigo’s feet.

Rodrigo carried the ball along the flank as Dybala closed in to press. Seeing Pjanic also coming to converge, Rodrigo passed to Dos Santos.

But Dybala slid in, knocking the ball out for a throw-in. The ball went back and forth in midfield.

Rodrigo launched a long ball to the right, where Bakambu was already in position. Bakambu expertly controlled and cut inside, having already dribbled past Alves, though Alves still stuck close.

Pjanic and Chiellini also converged, ready to encircle.

Bakambu cut toward the edge of the box, drawing Chiellini in. He then tapped the ball past Chiellini’s side and it rolled behind him.

Gaspard, charging forward rapidly, glanced into the box. Dai Zhiwei and Bakambu were already making forward runs. With a long lofted pass, Gaspard sent the ball into the penalty area.

However, the pass was slightly short. Dai Zhiwei missed it, and Bonucci headed it clear—Gaspard’s long run had left him fatigued, and without stopping the ball, he lacked the power on the pass.

More than ten minutes into the second half, Villarreal still hadn’t created a clear chance. Juventus’s defense remained rock solid.

In midfield, Bruno intercepted Mandžukić’s ball and quickly passed to Castillejo, who, without controlling the ball to save time, glanced at Dai Zhiwei and Bakambu’s runs and sent a through ball down the middle.

Bakambu leapt from the right side, shaking off Chiellini, attempting to receive Castillejo’s pass. But Chiellini tugged at him from behind, preventing him from controlling the ball. Buffon easily caught it, and Villarreal’s good counterattack chance was lost.

Bakambu, visibly annoyed, complained to the referee: “He pulled me! Didn’t you see?”

The referee shook his head and gestured for Bakambu to move on.

Bakambu glared angrily at Chiellini and the referee before sulking back into defense.

Escrivá, witnessing the call, spread his hands in disappointment but had no time to argue. He quickly summoned Roberto Soriano to prepare a substitution.

Taking advantage of a stoppage, Escrivá withdrew the team's only true defensive midfielder, Bruno, and brought on Roberto Soriano to bolster the attack.

This bold move stemmed from his observation that Juventus’s attackers lacked the will to expand the lead further.

Bruno, the team captain and defensive midfield anchor, had played almost every match this season except when suspended, exhausting his energy. Escrivá wanted to preserve him for the final league matches.

Before sending Soriano on, Escrivá whispered some instructions and then signaled a formation change to his players. He intended not only to substitute but also to alter the team’s setup.

Upon receiving orders, Villarreal’s players adjusted positions: Bakambu moved to the right flank, and Dai Zhiwei took the central forward spot. The formation shifted to an aggressive 4-2-1-3 as Escrivá prepared for a last-ditch effort.

Meanwhile, Allegri initiated his own changes, removing the injured Khedira and Dybala, replacing them with Marchisio and Cuadrado.

Allegri’s message was clear: instruct the players to take it easy. With qualification nearly secured, there was no need to risk a humiliating scoreline before the final.

After the substitutions, Villarreal remained 0-2 behind Juventus, with less than half an hour left.

Soriano, fresh and energetic, intercepted a ball in defense alongside Rodrigo from Mandžukić, quickly passing to Dos Santos, who was positioned further up.

Seeing Pjanic pressing closely, Dos Santos attempted to dribble but found no way through, so he passed to the arriving Bakambu.

Bakambu, using his strength, broke through and cut inside toward the middle. Glancing at his teammates, he quickly slid a through ball down the center, then moved inward to draw Barzagli away, swapping positions with Dai Zhiwei.

At that moment, Juventus’s defensive structure was unusually stretched and broken apart.