The following morning, Ling ate breakfast while the television recapped the latest Premier League results.
đ° BBC Sport: Manchester United Beat Everton 3â1 at Goodison Park to Remain Top
đ° Sky Sports: Ling Scores Twice as United Overcome Ancelotti's Resurgent Everton
đ° Manchester Evening News: Maguire Adds Third After Richarlison Briefly Threatens Comeback
Manchester United had eventually turned their early lead into a 3â1 victory.
Ling scored twice, Maguire added the other, while Richarlison provided Everton's reply by escaping the center-back and beating De Gea from outside the penalty area.
After the match, Ancelotti sounded reasonably satisfied.
"We competed well against the strongest team in the league," he told reporters. "The result is disappointing, but much of the performance met my expectations."
Asked for his opinion of Ling, the Italian smiled.
"He is the player every coach dreams of having."
Ling listened while working his way through a carefully measured nutritional meal.
His weight had dropped slightly over the previous weeks, prompting United's medical department to conduct a thorough examination.
For a forward, gaining a little weight during an intense season was normal.
Unexpected weight loss was more concerning, particularly when it might suggest illness or excessive physical strain.
Fortunately, the explanation was simple.
Ling was training too hard and eating too little to replace the energy he burned.
His schedule had therefore been increased from five meals per day to six, along with additional supplements carefully planned by the club's nutritionists.
Maguire had called it the greatest medical diagnosis in history.
Ling was now under professional orders to eat more.
...
Only two days after the Everton match, Manchester United faced Derby County in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
With the second leg against Real Madrid approaching, Mourinho rotated almost the entire team.
Ling was not even included in the travelling squad, allowing him to remain at Carrington and concentrate on recovery.
United had won 2â0 at the BernabĂ©u, but nobody inside the club considered the tie finished.
Real Madrid's European history was filled with improbable recoveries, late goals, and victories achieved when defeat seemed unavoidable.
Complacency would be unforgivable.
Even with a heavily rotated lineup, United defeated Derby 2â0 through goals from Luke Shaw and Mason Greenwood, securing a place in the FA Cup quarterfinals.
The draw paired them with Championship opposition again, this time Norwich City.
Ling stared at the result in disbelief.
Manchester United's cup luck was becoming ridiculous!
...
March 8th, 2020.
Old Trafford.
From above, the stadium appeared to sit inside an ocean of red.
Supporters filled Matt Busby Way hours before kickoff, waving scarves, singing club songs, and welcoming the team bus beneath a haze of flares.
A small island of white occupied one corner of the ground.
Real Madrid's travelling supporters had arrived in considerable numbers, waving enormous flags and singing their anthem without pause.
Winning the tie mattered, but so did showing that Madrid's pride had survived the defeat at the Bernabéu.
Peter Drury's voice accompanied the first sweeping view of the stadium.
"Real Madrid arrive at the Theatre of Dreams burdened by two goals, yet sustained by a history that has taught them never to accept the inevitable."
"Manchester United hold the advantage, the away goals, and the memory of victory in Madrid."
"But against the kings of Europe, comfort can be a dangerous illusion."
Jim Beglin introduced the teams.
"Mourinho retains the 4-3-1-2, although Bruno Fernandes misses out after suffering a minor muscle strain against Everton. Havertz replaces him behind Ling and Mahrez."
"Real Madrid remain in their 4-3-3. Hazard is unavailable after the injury he sustained in the first leg, so VinĂcius starts on the left, Rodrygo on the right, and Benzema through the middle."
The camera moved toward the directors' section.
Hazard sat among the Madrid delegation wearing a cap pulled low over his forehead. One hand remained suspiciously hidden inside his coat.
Beglin laughed.
"He appears to be concealing something."
Drury sounded equally amused.
"A new Burger King recently opened near Old Trafford, and Hazard has appeared in advertising for it alongside Ling. We will allow the viewers to draw their own conclusions."
Hazard noticed the camera and immediately removed his hand from his pocket.
The attention returned to the pitch.
"Manchester United possess a two-goal advantage."
"Real Madrid require a resurrection."
"And Old Trafford awaits the answer."
BEEP!
Ling rolled the kickoff backward.
Madrid surged forward immediately.
Their front three pressed United's defenders, Kroos and ModriÄ stepped high behind them, and Casemiro moved toward Havertz to prevent the German from receiving between the lines.
United had expected the assault.
Rather than risk playing through it, they passed backward repeatedly until the ball reached De Gea.
The goalkeeper lifted his head and drove a huge clearance beyond Madrid's midfield.
Ling was already beneath it.
Ramos closed from behind.
Instead of trying to turn, Ling stepped backward, protected the space with his body, and headed the ball down toward Havertz.
Then he spun and sprinted toward the penalty area.
Ramos followed him tightly, preventing the return pass.
That movement created space for Havertz.
The German nudged the ball outside with his right foot just as Casemiro stretched to tackle. The touch carried it beyond the Brazilian, who turned and collided heavily with him.
Havertz stayed upright.
He entered shooting range and struck low toward the corner.
"HAVERTZ!"
Courtois dropped quickly and threw out one enormous hand.
The ball was pushed around the post.
"COURTOIS SAVES MADRID!" Drury exclaimed. "United escape the pressure with one direct ball, and Havertz immediately tests the goalkeeper!"
Beglin nodded.
"That is excellent from Havertz. Casemiro makes strong contact, but he survives it, regains his balance, and gets the shot away."
"Courtois and De Gea are two of the finest goal-line goalkeepers in the world. Both may have major roles to play tonight."
Havertz delivered the resulting corner.
Ramos rose above the crowd and headed clear toward ModriÄ.
Madrid had learned from United's approach at the Bernabéu.
Rather than allowing the ball to travel slowly through midfield, ModriÄ immediately struck a diagonal pass toward VinĂcius.
The ball curved beautifully through the air.
VinĂcius controlled it near the left touchline and attacked Wan-Bissaka.
He shaped to move outside, then pushed the ball toward the space between the defender's legs.
Wan-Bissaka reacted late and caught him.
The referee blew his whistle and produced a yellow card.
Only eight minutes had been played.
"An early booking for Wan-Bissaka," Beglin said. "That could become important. VinĂcius will attack him repeatedly now, knowing the defender cannot take the same risks."
Madrid had a free kick from the left.
Ramos, Varane, and Casemiro entered the penalty area.
Kroos stood over the ball.
United expected a delivery toward the far post, but Kroos drove it toward the penalty spot instead.
Benzema suddenly moved sideways.
Maguire followed him.
The movement emptied the central lane.
Ramos charged into it.
The Madrid captain rose with the force of a battering ram and powered his header beyond De Gea.
0â1!
The away section erupted.
Peter Drury's voice followed Ramos toward the corner.
"SERGIO RAMOS HAS LIT THE FUSE!"
"Benzema draws the guard away, Kroos finds the corridor, and Madrid's captain storms through it with the authority of a man who refuses to let this tie die!"
"Real Madrid required an early sign."
"They have received one from the player who has so often dragged them back from the edge."
The travelling supporters began roaring the same number.
"92:48!"
"92:48!"
For Madrid, it was more than a timestamp.
In the 2014 Champions League final, Ramos had equalized against Atlético Madrid after ninety-two minutes and forty-eight seconds, rescuing a match that had seemed lost before Madrid ultimately claimed their long-awaited tenth European Cup.
Since then, 92:48 had become a symbol of their refusal to surrender.
Now Ramos had scored again when his club stood near another European cliff.
"REVENGE!"
"MADRID NEVER DIES!"
"SHOW THEM WHO THE KINGS OF EUROPE ARE!"
Ramos retrieved the ball from De Gea before United's goalkeeper could hold it and sprinted back toward halfway.
Madrid still trailed 2â1 on aggregate.
They needed more.
Ling spat onto the grass in frustration.
The routine had clearly been rehearsed, and United had defended it poorly.
Benzema's movement had pulled Maguire away at exactly the right moment, leaving Ramos free to attack the space behind him.
They had deserved to concede.
"Watch the runners from deep next time!" Ling shouted.
He clapped his hands firmly.
"Forget the goal. We still have the aggregate lead and two away goals. They're nowhere near through yet."
"Come on!"
Maguire shook his head and forced himself to refocus.
The mistake could not be reversed.
He could only ensure it did not happen again!