Chapter 201: A Young Mallorca, A Young José

As the players entered the locker room, the excitement from Mallorca's unexpected lead had yet to fade. They laughed and chatted, their frustration from the last two matches completely swept away.

But José found himself at a loss. His original plan was simple: hold onto the one-goal lead from the first half, wear down the opponent's morale through patient play in the second half, and then exploit defensive gaps to seal the victory with a late goal, leaving Manchester United no time to mount a comeback.

Yet now, they were leading by two goals—certainly not a problem in itself. The real issue was that a desperate Manchester United would undoubtedly go all out in the second half. Luck had played a part in United scoring three goals against Mallorca in the previous match, but that game also proved just how dangerous they could be. Even against a team focused on defense, they had the firepower to break through.

This was different from the Arsenal match in the UEFA Cup final, where Mallorca had committed entirely to defense. Back then, even if they conceded a goal, they could immediately push forward with everything they had—if they let in another, they'd simply fight to equalize again. But now? If United scored once, things would get tricky. If they scored twice, Mallorca would need three goals to win. In this situation, a deep defensive setup wasn't ideal, but neither was engaging in an open battle.

At the root of the problem was their failure to score more away goals. Had they done so, José wouldn't have been in such a dilemma.

He pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a perfect solution. Finally, once the laughter had died down in the locker room, he cleared his throat.

"In the second half... we keep fighting in midfield. Stay compact, move the ball around, make them run. Tire them out. When the opportunity arises, get the ball to Ronaldinho and the forwards for counterattacks. Our priority is not to concede, but of course, if we can score, even better. Stay focused—believe that we are the best. Win this match and take us into the Champions League quarter-finals. We have a shot at winning the whole thing!"

Ultimately, José decided to maximize his team's technical advantage rather than sit back in fear. At least this way, they had control over the game rather than waiting anxiously for United to strike.

Manchester United didn't have an extremely fast striker, so as long as Mallorca's defense stayed organized, they should be fine.

But José hadn't accounted for one thing—when pushed to the brink, United's wealth of Champions League experience and their ability to rise to the occasion were on a completely different level.

The moment the second half kicked off, United's players threw caution to the wind and pressed aggressively in midfield.

Keane, of course, was tireless, but Beckham's work rate had always been underestimated due to his fame for free kicks and crosses. Giggs, a classic winger, covered both ends of the pitch, while Scholes was as active as ever. Even Verón, known in Serie A for his immense work rate, was constantly in motion. With such relentless pressing and constant physical duels, Mallorca's passing game was severely disrupted.

Beyond the pressing, United's players also committed frequent fouls.

José's strategy of controlling possession to restrict an English team's movement was sound, but everything had a limit. Water, after all, is the natural enemy of fire—but what good is a cup of water against a raging forest fire?

The gap between United and Mallorca wasn't as vast as that analogy suggested, but right now, United's pressing was at least on the level of an old house going up in flames, while Mallorca's passing game felt like nothing more than a garden hose.

The game was constantly interrupted by fouls, United players throwing their bodies into every challenge. The referee's whistle rang frequently, but none of the fouls were severe enough to warrant bookings. And in the Champions League, home advantage in officiating wasn't as pronounced—this was a tournament watched by the whole world, meaning referees were less likely to favor the home team.

As a result, Mallorca's attacking rhythm was repeatedly broken. Instead of slowing United down, they were the ones who had fallen into chaos.

José had no solution. Mallorca did have a player capable of controlling the game's tempo—unfortunately, he was watching from the stands.

From his seat, Thiago Motta looked down at the pitch, utterly helpless.

If he were on the field, Mallorca wouldn't have lost control so easily. But without him, the team's technical quality in midfield had noticeably dropped, allowing United's pressing to completely disrupt them.

José glanced at the bench and then called out a name.

"Novo, get ready to go on."

Novo was momentarily stunned. He was Ronaldinho and Rufete's backup—was he really about to replace one of them?

After finishing his warm-up, Novo received the substitution order that shocked everyone.

Novo came on for Van Buyten.

José's thinking was simple: with Novo on, Kaladze would move to center-back while Novo would sit deeper in midfield to help organize play. He had decent mobility and technical ability, which could add more control to Mallorca's midfield.

But in hindsight, this substitution was criticized as a tactical misstep.

José overlooked one key detail—by shifting Kaladze to center-back, Mallorca's left-side defense weakened significantly. Capdevila was never a particularly strong defender, and Kaladze's presence in front of him had been crucial. Now, Beckham and Gary Neville had complete freedom down that flank.

Ferguson immediately spotted this weakness.

When Keane had to come off after a collision, instead of sending on Nicky Butt to maintain defensive stability, Ferguson introduced Solskjær—adding another goal threat inside the box.

This move was later hailed as a masterstroke.

Compared to the experienced Ferguson, José still seemed a bit raw.

And as if by fate, Solskjær's legendary "super-sub" reputation struck again.

Five minutes after coming on, Verón received a pass from Beckham and, despite Novo's pressure, managed to thread a perfect through ball past Kaladze. Solskjær latched onto it and fired a low left-footed shot past Franco's outstretched arms.

1-2. The aggregate score was now 4-3. United had regained the advantage—and, crucially, they had scored an away goal, nullifying Mallorca's lead.

United, now ahead, surged forward with renewed energy. They didn't sit back; Ferguson didn't bring on Butt for defensive reinforcement. Instead, they kept attacking aggressively.

José reacted too slowly.

He immediately substituted Drogba for Rufete, hoping to add more firepower and claw back the lead. But with a midfield already struggling, this move only made things worse.

The idea was to bypass midfield altogether and launch long balls forward, using Drogba's strength, Eto'o's pace, and Luque's skill to break through United's defense. But Mallorca's players weren't used to this direct style, and it only led to further problems.

And then, disaster struck.

Pablo García, tracking back, brought down Beckham with a tackle and received his second yellow card. He was sent off. Though Beckham also had to leave the field injured, replaced by Butt, Mallorca was now down to ten men.

José had no choice but to use his final substitution—Gamarra replaced Novo, pushing Kaladze back into midfield as a defensive midfielder.

But it was too late.

In the 69th minute, Giggs dribbled in from the left, beating both Campano and captain Nadal before slotting the ball in at the near post.

2-2. Aggregate score: 5-3.

Mallorca's dreams were shattered.

They needed three goals to progress, all while being a man down. Impossible.

Despite a late surge that saw Eto'o and Ronaldinho score to make it 4-2 on the night, it wasn't enough. The final whistle blew.

Aggregate score: 5-5. United advanced on away goals.

As the Mallorca players stood before their fans, some in tears, José sat on the bench, exhausted.

This was his first real setback. He and his team hadn't made it through.

But this was only Mallorca's first Champions League campaign.

He was young—his team was young. There would be more chances.

Someday, he vowed, he would conquer the Champions League—just as he had conquered the UEFA Cup.