The first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals has concluded.

APOEL 0:5 Real Madrid.

Marseille 0:2 Bayern Munich.

Benfica 0:1 Chelsea.

AC Milan 0:1 Barcelona.

In the first leg, all home teams lost.

This also demonstrated the dominance of these European giants in the Champions League.

Without a doubt, Real Madrid had the most outstanding performance in the first leg, defeating APOEL with strong match control and virtually no suspense.

Additionally, in the match between Bayern Munich and Marseille, each team scored one goal in each half.

Despite the low number of goals, Bayern Munich's performance throughout the match was also excellent.

"This season, Bayern Munich will be tough to play against!"

Mourinho frowned slightly as he looked at the results.

In the past, German teams were a bunch of rough, unsophisticated teams with technical skills that were unbearable to watch.

But with the emergence of youth academy talents, a large number of technically skilled players came into being, leading to the current Bayern Munich, which not only possesses strong and intense attacking capabilities but also has enough technical skill to control the game.

For instance, in the first leg of this Champions League knockout stage, Bayern Munich's midfield, composed of Schweinsteiger, Kroos, and Vukojević, coordinated with the attacking midfield in the 65th minute of the second half, making 15 consecutive passes before finally breaking through Marseille's goal.

Throughout the entire process, Marseille was practically led by the nose, left dizzy and disoriented.

And after a sudden change of tempo, Toni Kroos's precise diagonal pass found Franck Ribéry, and after three passes among the front three, Robben cut inside to score the second goal.

This goal fully illustrated Bayern Munich's capabilities in the technical domain.

"I remember the Bundesliga was the first League to lift foreign player restrictions, right?" Faria said.

Mourinho nodded: "They completely lifted foreign player restrictions after 2006, replacing them with a policy to guarantee the development of homegrown players! Initially, it was a 2+2 policy! Now it's a 4+4 policy."

The 2+2 policy states: The first team must guarantee 4 players aged 15-21 who have played for at least three seasons or 36 months at a domestic club, with at least 2 of these players being from the club's own youth academy (regardless of nationality), which is the 2+2 policy.

It later evolved into 4+4, meaning 4 homegrown players and 4 players trained by the club.

It can be said that under these policies, a large number of new German technical players such as Thomas Müller, Götze, and Toni Kroos began to emerge.

At the same time, to increase League competitiveness, the relaxed foreign player restrictions also allowed excellent foreign players like Vukojević and Mandžukić to enter the domestic League.

Of course, they are not considered foreign players, as Croatia joined the European Union in 2009 and is not subject to non-EU foreign player rules.

"So, the Champions League Semi-Finals might be Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Chelsea?"

"Among them, Bayern Munich and Barcelona are the toughest to play against!"

Faria said.

Mourinho nodded: "Prepare well! Most likely, the Semi-Finals and Champions League will be against these two teams!"

On the training ground, Suker and others were also discussing the Champions League.

"Chelsea seems to be playing better and better!"

"They have a lot of tenacity!"

"But they're still so evenly matched with Benfica, how will they contend with other teams in the Champions League Semi-Finals?"

Suker listened to his teammates' remarks, his heart filled with emotion.

Chelsea is definitely the biggest BOSS this season!

The last hurrah of these old boys is not that easy to handle.

Although Chelsea and Benfica played back and forth, without too many outstanding features.

But the problem is, this Chelsea team this season highlights a 'stronger against stronger, weaker against weaker' characteristic!

They were evenly matched with Benfica!

They will also be evenly matched with Barcelona!

In the original timeline, Chelsea climbed over Barcelona and Bayern Munich to ultimately win the Champions League, reaching the pinnacle of the Champions League when almost no one favored them.

Especially when playing Barcelona, after winning the first leg, Chelsea forced Guardiola to adopt an unconventional 3-3-1-3 formation in the second leg, emphasizing passing the ball to Messi.

But at Stamford Bridge, they were forced to a draw by Chelsea, ultimately losing their ticket to the Champions League.

In the Champions League, they also battled Bayern Munich for 120 minutes, finally winning in a penalty shootout.

These 'old boys' have experience, technical skill, and mentality.

They are particularly skilled at prolonging match time and then defeating you with their ample experience.

Therefore, facing this Chelsea team, you have to knock them down in one go.

As soon as the match starts, you have to fight their defensive line to the death, not giving them any time to breathe.

Once you let them catch their breath, they will play like an old master practicing Tai Chi, slowly eroding the rhythm with their rich experience, and then gradually turning the match into a situation favorable to themselves.

The Chelsea of the 2011/2012 season truly exemplified the 'older and more cunning club' to the fullest.

There was also a crucial issue, just like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich all viewed each other as their hunting targets for the Champions League.

They didn't pay excessive attention to Chelsea.

The three sides fought fiercely, exposing various tactics and depths, while Chelsea quietly made a fortune.

But before the Champions League, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid battled for 120 minutes, and although they won the penalty shootout, their defensive line was almost completely decimated by Real Madrid.

This made victory even more hopeless.

Suker also greatly admired the Chelsea club.

After Boas's radical reforms, they pulled back from the brink at the end of the season, and the little-known Italian Head Coach Di Matteo took office.

Just like the saying from 'Forrest Gump', life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

Thereafter, Chelsea returned to hard-nosed football, first defeating Naples, then battling Barcelona.

Ronaldinho's 'dry land somersault', Essien's 'iron tree blossoming', Terry's own goal, Eto'o's fatal strike.

Under so many grievances, this showdown began.

But the result was like Mourinho's saying: "We have not seen two games where we had 11 players versus 11, so we have not seen Barcelona win against 11 - that's all I can say,"

Drogba's anger!

Ballack's roar!

The Stamford Bridge tragedy did not happen again; they truly tasted the sweetest piece of chocolate in life.

At this moment, Chelsea truly deserved the title of 'Iron Blood Blues'!

"Hey! Suker!"

Kaka shook Suker, and the latter came back to his senses.

"We should go, training is over!" Kaka pointed to the door.

Suker slowly got up, a hint of determination in his eyes.

Chelsea is certainly admirable, but this season, Real Madrid will also not fall in the Semi-Finals.

Suker clenched his fist tightly.

One match at a time, win them all!

On April 5th, in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid hosted APOEL.

Having won the away leg by 5 goals, Real Madrid had virtually secured their place in the Semi-Finals.

But in this match, Real Madrid still unleashed a furious offensive.

Suker, on the left wing, became the focus of the entire match, with repeated dribbling breakthroughs and precise shooting from outside the penalty area, constantly creating goals for Real Madrid.

In the first half, Suker scored two goals for Real Madrid, completely widening the score difference.

At the same time, Suker also topped the Champions League scoring charts again with 15 goals.

With a total difference of 7 goals over two legs, APOEL lost their fighting spirit and morale; the remaining time was practically garbage time for them.

They could not hope to score seven consecutive goals in the second half.

And indeed, in the 55th minute, Mourinho substituted Suker and Benzema, preparing for the more important matches to come.

Ultimately, Real Madrid defeated APOEL 8:0 over two legs.

They entered the Champions League Semi-Finals with a crushing victory, becoming one of the Champions League final four.

Immediately after, Bayern Munich 2:0 Marseille.

Barcelona 3:1 AC Milan!

Chelsea 2:1 Benfica.

All four Champions League semi-finalists were determined, and the Champions League Semi-Final matchups were also announced.

Real Madrid VS Bayern Munich!

Chelsea VS Barcelona!

From this stage onwards, the Champions League's strong matchups officially began.

Especially the match between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

One is the Galácticos, rampaging through Europe!

The other is the Southern King of the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich!

The direct confrontation between these two teams attracted countless eyes.

Real Madrid performed strongly, and Bayern Munich also showed amazing performance in the Champions League this season.

And the direct confrontation between these two teams caused a huge discussion across Europe.

"Who do you think will win, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich?"

In Manchester, Cristiano Ronaldo looked at the fixture list and various data in his hand, and couldn't help but ask Modrić.

"I don't know!"

Modrić shook his head: "Bayern Munich is strong, but Suker…"

Hearing this, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't help but grin.

Real Madrid was secondary, but Suker's dominance in the Champions League was too terrifying.

With three Champions League titles, Suker, after entering the Champions League Semi-Final, was almost an unsolvable problem.

If Bayern Munich wanted to defeat Real Madrid, they had to solve the problem of Suker.

But… this was a problem of the century!

"Regarding your offer, Bayern Munich and Sir Alex Ferguson are still negotiating." Modrić looked at Cristiano Ronaldo and said, "You don't seem to be in a hurry at all!"

Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged, Sir Alex Ferguson had already made it clear to him.

Moreover, he was also willing to trust Sir Alex Ferguson.

Sir Alex Ferguson was almost like a father figure in football to Cristiano Ronaldo.

If he wanted Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson would not continue to contact Bayern Munich.

And Cristiano Ronaldo also learned some information from Mendes.

Sir Alex Ferguson was actively helping him Strive for some benefits at Bayern Munich, although this was advocated by Mendes, it was all Sir Alex Ferguson's intention.

So, from Cristiano Ronaldo's perspective, Bayern Munich losing was a good thing.

Because this would give him more leverage and more initiative.

"Recently, there's been a lot of discussion in the locker room about you leaving…" Modrić said.

Cristiano Ronaldo: "Is it Wayne? He thinks I'm a coward and plan to escape Manchester United, right?"

Modrić nodded: "Yes! But these are Rooney's thoughts, people like Giggs understand you very well."

In fact, Giggs and others felt somewhat guilty towards Cristiano Ronaldo.

Especially Ferdinand, Vidić and others.

Cristiano Ronaldo helped Manchester United score eight goals in the group stage.

He scored eight goals by himself, but Manchester United still failed to enter the knockout stage.

The reason was simple: the defense conceded too many goals.

Therefore, they had no objection to Cristiano Ronaldo's departure.

Even as forwards, if they kept scoring goals upfront while their own defenders kept conceding, their mentality would collapse.

Moreover, they were also very clear about the current situation of Manchester United.

Cristiano Ronaldo was also gradually reaching his peak, and this period was extremely important for him.

If he failed to make good use of this peak period, he would completely lose the chance to compete with Suker and Messi.

Just like Sir Alex Ferguson's words, they also believed that Cristiano Ronaldo deserved a Ballon d'Or.

"Sigh~~~"

Cristiano Ronaldo sighed, shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about these!"

With that, he looked at Modrić and said, "What about you? Do you really not want to go to Bayern Munich?"

Modrić shrugged: "I've said it, I won't leave Manchester United before Sir Alex Ferguson retires!"

Modrić was very grateful to Sir Alex Ferguson.

When he first joined Manchester United, he taught him hand-in-hand how to play football, and constantly emphasized Modrić's tactical positioning.

He was given resources and tactical status, even becoming the core midfielder of a giant club at a young age.

It can be said that Modrić's positioning at Manchester United was the foundation of the team's building.

From some perspectives, he was even more important than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo determined the upper limit!

Modrić determined the lower limit!

Once Modrić left, Manchester United's midfield would be in chaos, and the team would inevitably fall rapidly.

Modrić did not want Sir Alex Ferguson to suffer such a great humiliation in his later years.

In addition, he was not as anxious as Cristiano Ronaldo; he didn't need to compete with Suker and Messi, so staying a bit longer was understandable.

"Let's watch the Champions League Semi-Final together then, I'm also very curious about what kind of performance Suker will put on in the Champions League Semi-Final," Cristiano Ronaldo said.

April 15th, La Liga Matchday 31.

Mallorca hosted Real Madrid.

Mallorca was currently on the verge of relegation, so they attached great importance to this match.

Even if they couldn't win the match, they had to at least get a point from a draw.

For this, Mallorca set up a 5-4-1 dense defensive iron barrel formation.

Goalkeeper: Rajković.

Defenders: Maffeo, González, Raíllo, Matija Nastasić, Toni Lato.

Midfielders: Sanchez, Morlanes, Sam Costa, Dani Rodríguez.

Forward: Muriqi.

"Damn it!!"

Suker passed the ball, looking at the dense defensive players in Mallorca's penalty area, and couldn't help but curse.

At this critical moment, you're pulling this on me?

Suker had already scored 49 goals in 30 League matches.

A goal in this match would be crucial for him to reach the 50-goal mark.

But Mallorca was also forced to set up a dense defensive formation.

Nine defenders!

The penalty area was full of people; there was no shooting angle at all.

Mourinho, on the sidelines, looked at the situation and made a direct substitution.

In the 31st minute, Benzema came off, and Di Maria came on.

Di Maria immediately found Suker upon entering the field.

"The coach wants you to play as a striker."

Di Maria began to explain the upcoming tactics.

These were all tricks to break down dense defenses.

First: Cross from the wings, play high balls!

Second: Long-range shots from the front!

Third: Dribble into the box, win a penalty!

It could be said that Mourinho placed Suker in the most threatening position, where he was most likely to score.

And after winning a penalty, Suker was also the first penalty taker.

Suker turned to look at Mourinho and gave him a thumbs-up from afar.

"Mourinho has made a substitution, placing Suker in the center forward position, which is clearly a deliberate change in lineup by Mourinho; he also wants to help Suker break the 50-goal mark!"

Suker stood in front of the penalty area, taking a deep breath.

Next, he would transform into a human bomber!

Suker directly swapped in various cards that favored confrontation, turning himself into a battering ram.

This was beneficial for the upcoming close-quarters combat!

After Suker entered the penalty area, Di Maria and Bale on both wings also continuously lofted balls.

Suker also engaged in fierce physical confrontations with the opposing defenders.

However, due to the numerical disadvantage, it wasn't easy for Suker to win headers.

Secondly, from outside the box, Kaka and Alonso were also constantly attempting long-range shots.

And when the full-backs pushed forward, Di Maria, Bale, Kaka, and others also constantly charged into the penalty area.

They were also well aware of the significance of this match for Suker.

Therefore, they also wanted to help Suker unlock this 50-goal record.

Real Madrid began to effectively target the dense defensive tactics.

Under the relentless bombardment of the entire first half, Mallorca, although holding on, was still on the verge of collapse.

In the second half, Mallorca made a direct substitution, further increasing defensive strength in the backline.

The second round of close-quarters combat between the two teams began.

And as Mallorca's stamina declined, they also had to start blocking Real Madrid's long-range shots.

The match time unknowingly reached 80 minutes.

Real Madrid earned a direct free-kick opportunity.

This position was already within Suker's shooting range.

"Here!"

Kaka handed the ball to Suker without hesitation.

Suker held the ball and placed it on the spot.

"Suker is about to take the free-kick; can he score this goal and reach the record of 50 goals in a single season?!"

González also looked over expectantly.

In Mallorca's home stadium, the fans held their breath.

Suker stood at the penalty spot, took a deep breath, looked towards the goal, and suddenly started his run.

Suker's entire body was exceptionally stretched; at the moment of contact with the ball, he hooked his foot and leaned his body forward.

"Far post!"

The Goalkeeper quickly made a judgment and moved his feet towards the right.

But the ball indeed curved in a strange arc, dropping towards the near post on the left.

At this moment, Mallorca's Goalkeeper could no longer adjust his center of gravity.

He could only turn his head and watch the ball enter the goal.

In the 81st minute, Suker scored from a free-kick.

In the 2011/2012 season, La Liga Matchday 31, Suker officially broke the record of 50 goals in a single season!