"A smokescreen!"
"It turned out to be a smokescreen!"
When the first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich kicked off, no one had expected Chen Zhong's appearance to be just a smokescreen.
Alonso did not start Chen Zhong; all that pre-match talk was nothing more than throwing out a smokescreen.
If this away match had been won, then this move from Alonso would have become a much-discussed handbook of pre-match mind games among fans, but unfortunately, Alonso lost, and Real Madrid, facing Bayern Munich, did not produce the performance he had been hoping for.
Kompany and Alonso carried on the grudge from their Bundesliga days, and Alonso handed Kompany a win.
This might not be the most beautiful match Bayern Munich have played since Kompany took charge, but it was certainly the most satisfying and the most important victory—despite this being only the "first half".
