Chapter 171: The Lion’s Roar, the Cheetah’s Snarl
Twenty minutes flew by in Mallorca's match against Bayern. In that time, Mallorca and Bayern engaged in an intense back-and-forth battle, showing no fear and refusing to be outplayed. The stats reflected this balance—Mallorca had taken five shots, two on target, while Bayern had six shots, also with two on target. In terms of threat creation, neither side held a clear advantage.
This was a shock to the commentators. Mallorca had undoubtedly been performing well this season, but their success was typical of a solid mid-table team—not the kind of results that would make a powerhouse like Bayern take notice. Mallorca's home form had been strong, but their away record was less impressive. Their draw at Highbury against Arsenal had largely been due to a defensive approach and a relaxed mentality. Yet here, against Bayern, they were attacking head-on, going toe-to-toe with a European giant for over twenty minutes without faltering.
If Bayern had been playing poorly, that would be one thing. But the commentators—seasoned experts—could see that Bayern was at least performing at their usual level. For Mallorca to still match them spoke volumes about how far they had come.
Bayern was starting to get anxious.
Playing at home and failing to dominate Mallorca was an embarrassing situation. So, after twenty minutes, Bayern intensified their attacks.
Salihamidžić, through relentless movement, finally shook off Kaladze. Effenberg played a well-timed pass, and the Bosnian midfielder took a touch to his right before unleashing a powerful shot from outside the box.
Franco reacted quickly, diving to save the shot, but the ball deflected off his arm and back into the box. Van Buyten, using his long legs, lunged in and cleared the ball just before Elber could reach it, sending it out for a corner.
It was a smart decision—Van Buyten knew he wasn't as fast as Elber. Trying to control the ball first would have been risky; Elber could have stolen it, putting Mallorca in serious danger. A good center-back isn't just about bravery; he must also make smart choices. Sometimes, conceding a corner is better than giving the opposition an open chance in the box.
Sagnol stepped up to take the corner. As Bayern's primary set-piece taker, he delivered a precise ball into the crowded penalty area. Despite lacking height—both central defenders, Kuffour and Kovač, stood only around 1.85 meters—Bayern's aerial ability remained formidable.
Salihamidžić, again, won the first header among the towering defenders, flicking it toward goal!