Starting With Real Madrid

Begiristain sat in the stands, his brows furrowed, his expression serious.

He was unaware that, not far from him, a group of Italian coaching legends were engaged in a heated discussion about how tonight's match resembled the iconic battle fifteen years ago.

But deep down, he couldn't shake the same thought.

It really did feel like that match.

And with every passing moment, the similarities grew stronger.

Although he was a Barcelona legend and now the club's technical director, Begiristain wasn't actually Catalan.

Born in the Basque Country, he started his career at Real Sociedad before joining Barcelona, where he played for seven years and witnessed the rise and fall of the Dream Team. After that, he moved back north to Deportivo La Coruña before eventually heading to Japan.

Many regarded him as a key figure in Cruyff's golden era, but in reality, his footballing philosophy differed in many ways from his former manager's. The Basque lion's blood still flowed in his veins.

It gave him a broader perspective.

Back in Athens, Barcelona had been completely dismantled.

Despite AC Milan missing their two main center-backs, Baresi and Costacurta, Barcelona's attack was completely nullified. The Italian side's meticulous defensive structure and suffocating press choked the life out of Barcelona's rhythm.

Romário and Stoichkov, usually so lethal, played like individuals, unable to bring the team's familiar fluidity into the game.

Yes—rhythm.

Whether it was Cruyff or Guardiola, their football relied on a specific tempo, a controlled flow.

As long as they dictated the pace, their teams played beautifully, unstoppable.

But when an opponent forced them out of their rhythm, their adaptability was shockingly poor. At times, it seemed as if they didn't even know how to play football anymore.

In Athens, Capello's Milan shut down Barcelona's offense in the first half and hit them with two deadly counterattacks.

Milan relaxed. Barcelona panicked.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Savicevic lobbed a stunning goal from an impossible angle—3-0.

At that moment, Barcelona completely collapsed.

Begiristain still vividly remembered how, shortly after that goal, Cruyff subbed him off.

His replacement? Eusebio Sacristán, a smaller, more technical midfielder, meant to shore up control and steady the midfield.

Ironically, just a few minutes later, Albertini assisted Desailly to make it 4-0.

The very midfield Cruyff had hoped to strengthen was ripped apart yet again.

That final was, without a doubt, one of the most painful defeats in Barcelona's history. Begiristain could still recall the sheer powerlessness every Barcelona player felt on the pitch.

And now, in Rome, against Napoli, that same feeling was creeping in.

Already two goals down, Barcelona had to attack.

But the game's rhythm had been completely hijacked. Napoli defended comfortably, yet at any moment, they could strike with a devastating counterattack.

Attacking meant exposing themselves.

Not attacking meant accepting defeat.

The worst part?

As a team built on possession football, Barcelona's greatest enemy was panic.

Patience was a fundamental requirement for their style of play.

But trailing 2-0 in a Champions League final, how could they possibly stay calm?

How could they not be nervous?

How could they avoid rushing their passes, forcing their attacks, falling into frustration?

The truth was—they couldn't.

Players weren't machines.

This contradiction was unavoidable.

At times, Begiristain felt that Guardiola was eerily similar to Cruyff.

Both were philosophers, thinkers, obsessed with complex ideas, relentlessly chasing the perfect version of football.

But there was one key difference.

Before that Athens final, Cruyff had been overconfident, dismissing Milan outright, believing Barcelona's victory was inevitable.

Guardiola?

From the start, he had doubted himself against Gao Shen's Napoli.

And Begiristain understood why.

Guardiola had been deeply influenced by Gao Shen.

If he suffered another crushing defeat tonight, it might haunt him for the rest of his career.

…

…

With a two-goal lead, Napoli had one hand on the Champions League trophy.

This second goal had delivered a devastating psychological blow to Barcelona.

Yet Guardiola made no tactical adjustments.

In truth, he didn't know how.

Switching back to 4-3-3 meant reverting to their first-half struggles and without Yaya Touré, the defensive stability wasn't there.

Making such a change would only shatter the team's morale further.

The real issue now was midfield control.

Barcelona couldn't contain Napoli, especially with referee's lenient approach to physical challenges, far different from La Liga's officiating standards.

Napoli took full advantage, engaging in aggressive duels, disrupting Barcelona's flow without crossing the line into reckless fouls.

Guardiola, having played in Serie A, knew exactly how Italian teams manipulated the rules.

They understood when to foul, where to foul, and how to avoid bookings.

The proof?

Over 60 minutes played only one yellow card.

And that was Piqué's foul on Cavani.

Napoli had committed plenty of fouls yet not a single booking.

Outrageous? Maybe.

But that was reality.

If Webb had been biased toward Napoli, Barcelona could have protested.

But in truth, Napoli had simply mastered the referee's standard of enforcement.

They knew exactly when to push the limit and when to pull back.

And in this aspect, Barcelona was clearly outmatched.

There was no solution, except to complain to the referee and hope for leniency.

But Guardiola had a vague sense that referee did not appreciate Barcelona's protests.

Thinking about this, he felt helpless.

Even worse, time was slipping away for Barcelona.

Guardiola had considered going all-out against Napoli, but he lacked confidence.

With their strong defensive structure, Napoli could withstand pressure. Even if Barcelona pushed forward aggressively, breaking through their defensive line would be extremely difficult. Meanwhile, Barcelona's own defense…

…

As Guardiola wrestled with his thoughts, Messi dropped deep to receive the ball, only to be immediately closed down by Thiago Motta.

The Brazilian midfielder had been outstanding tonight. Though Messi managed to keep possession, he was forced into a backward pass to Iniesta. But before Iniesta could settle, Rakitic pressed him immediately, forcing him to shift the ball left toward Sylvinho.

Just as Sylvinho received the pass, Sánchez sprang forward out of nowhere, intercepting the ball!

Both Sylvinho and Iniesta were stunned and immediately tried to win it back.

But Sánchez stayed calm, taking a step back before playing a quick pass to Rakitic, who had moved into space. Then, without hesitation, he turned and sprinted forward.

Iniesta abandoned Sánchez and rushed toward Rakitic.

The Croatian midfielder spotted the incoming pressure and played a first-time pass into the middle, where Thiago Motta stepped up to receive it.

Motta stopped the ball, glanced forward, and delivered a lofted pass toward the edge of the penalty area.

Cavani was surrounded.

To his right was Piqué, Busquets was behind him, Puyol was to his left, and Xavi was sprinting back from the front.

But the Uruguayan striker had positioned himself perfectly.

He controlled Motta's pass with his chest, using his body to shield the ball from Piqué and Busquets behind him. Before Xavi could close him down, Cavani gently flicked the ball left, into Puyol's zone.

Puyol reacted instantly, charging in to cut off Cavani's path.

But just as he reached him, Cavani executed a brilliant move, with his right foot, he shifted the ball into the penalty area while facing sideways to goal!

The pass cut through Barcelona's defense.

Almost simultaneously, Sánchez who had won the ball moments ago, raced past Puyol like a flash of lightning!

The Barcelona captain had no time to turn and chase.

Sánchez burst into the penalty area, arriving just as Valdés rushed forward to close him down.

With incredible composure, the Chilean winger nudged the ball past Valdés, avoiding the keeper's challenge.

From there, it was simple.

Sánchez chased down the ball near the goal line and slotted it into the empty net.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"

"3-0!!!"

"THREE-NIL!!!"

"Another devastating Napoli counterattack, superb combination play between the striker and the winger!"

"Sánchez gets Napoli's third goal!"

"What a brilliant goal!"

Sánchez sprinted toward the Napoli fans, dropping to his knees and celebrating wildly.

Behind him, Napoli players rushed over one by one, even the substitutes stormed out from the bench, surrounding him in a frenzied celebration.

3-0!!

The game had reached the 70th minute.

Napoli had one hand on the Champions League trophy!

The Napoli fans erupted, cheering wildly!

They first chanted Sánchez's name, then Cavani's, and soon every player's name echoed through the stadium.

As Sánchez and his teammates jogged back toward the bench, he ran to Gao Shen, exchanging high-fives and hugs with the manager.

Nearly 30,000 Napoli fans inside the stadium roared in unison, chanting Gao Shen's name.

3-0!

No one had expected this before the match.

But it had happened.

Napoli, with just 30% possession, had shattered Barcelona's defense time and time again with their devastating counterattacks.

And at the heart of it all—Gao Shen.

He was the soul of this Napoli team!