Chapter 182: Hellish Start! Wembley's New Darling! The Man Who Bakes the Big Cake
"Hello, Florentino!"
When Yang Cheng quietly arrived at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, the first thing he did was pay a visit to the president of Real Madrid.
"Hello, Yang, it's a pleasure to see you!"
Florentino greeted him with a smile and a handshake.
Though the two clubs clashed fiercely on the pitch, their private relationship was actually quite cordial.
Even being drawn into the same group didn't change that.
For top clubs, winning and losing was part of the game.
What mattered more was that big matches between giants brought commercial benefits to both sides.
Yang Cheng also shook hands with José Ángel Sánchez, the man beside Florentino.
He was a heavyweight in his own right.
Back in 2003, when Real Madrid signed Beckham from Manchester United, The Sun had snapped a photo outside the hotel showing United CEO Peter Kenyon meeting with a Real Madrid representative.
The man in that photo was none other than José Ángel Sánchez.
Since then, his career skyrocketed.
Even during the Calderón and Mijatović era, when they replaced Florentino and cleared out nearly all the senior executives at Real Madrid, Sánchez remained the only core figure to stay on as commercial director.
Once Florentino returned to power, Sánchez was promoted even further.
"I saw your new stadium from the car on the way in—absolutely spectacular, very impressive!"
Florentino said, a hint of envy in his tone.
Now that he was president of Real Madrid again, his two main goals were clear:
First, to lead the club back to greatness.
Second, to become the greatest Real Madrid president since Mendoza or even Santiago Bernabéu.
Renovating—or even rebuilding—the Bernabéu had always been one of his dreams.
"Thank you," Yang Cheng replied politely. "We really gave it everything, broke the bank."
Florentino chuckled. "But I heard your team's doing quite well this season."
"We've dropped to eighth in the league. You call that good?" Yang Cheng replied with self-deprecation.
Florentino and Sánchez both laughed.
Everyone knew Bayswater Chinese's eighth place in the standings was highly misleading.
"So can I take that to mean first place in our group is ours for the taking?" Florentino joked.
Yang Cheng laughed along. "Well, we'll see after we play."
The three of them burst into laughter.
Joking aside, Florentino humbly asked Yang Cheng for his thoughts on Real Madrid's current squad.
Yang Cheng acknowledged the squad's strength but said it wasn't yet ready to win big titles.
"In the league, it's all about midfield. In big matches, it's the back and front lines that make the difference."
Yang Cheng looked Florentino directly in the eyes, not holding back.
"From what I see, your front line is indeed phenomenal, but the midfield isn't strong enough. The Lass Diarra–Xabi Alonso pairing is solid, but still not enough."
"And the back line—well, that's Real Madrid's weak point."
A flicker of surprise crossed Florentino's face, but he quickly nodded repeatedly.
Clearly, Real Madrid's technical team, led by Valdano and Zidane, had already told him the same thing.
It was just like Bayswater Chinese this season. Why did Yang Cheng still say they were aiming for the title?
Because their midfield was still strong!
Rakitic and Modrić had been through fire last season.
Matić and Javi Martínez just needed to slot in smoothly, and the midfield could be even better than before.
Add in Matuidi, Aaron Ramsey, and Kanté—whom Yang Cheng had recently promoted to the first team for training—
and you had a group of players who were all a year more experienced and a tier stronger.
As long as the midfield could keep supplying ammunition to the attack, there would be no shortage of goals.
To put it bluntly, if Yang Cheng wanted to, even Andy Carroll could be fed into the next Drogba!
Seriously, don't doubt it.
The key was whether it was worth the investment.
Just like Dortmund's youth development strategy back in the day.
But in top-level matches, where both midfields were equally strong, the game was decided at the front and back ends.
It came down to whether a team leaned into offense or defense.
Real Madrid's current situation?
No real defense—had to rely on offense.
And let's be honest—defense had never been part of Real Madrid's DNA.
Same went for Barcelona.
Past, present, and for years to come, Barça's defense had never truly been solid.
They relied on their midfield and attack, on their possession-based system to keep things together.
The problem for Real Madrid right now was that their midfield lacked creativity and control.
Sure, Guti and Van der Vaart could provide some flair and passing ability.
But with them, the midfield still lacked balance.
That might not be obvious against weak opponents,
but in big matches, those weaknesses would be exposed immediately.
That's why Yang Cheng said Real Madrid's time hadn't come yet.
After offering just enough of his opinion on other clubs, Yang Cheng smoothly shifted the conversation toward the International Champions Cup.
That was, after all, the real reason for this gathering.
Previously, Xia Qing had commissioned a third-party firm to conduct a market analysis report, which Yang Cheng had already handed out to the others. They'd all read it by now.
And the market was huge!
"We all know Real Madrid is a club with a long and respected history."
"You were one of the founding members of the European Cup—a historic move that reshaped the face of European football."
"Today, European football needs a new transformation. Even the Ballon d'Or has gone global. As clubs, we must keep up with the times."
"The International Champions Cup is our answer."
Florentino was visibly pleased with Yang Cheng's words.
Real Madrid's legacy was indeed legendary.
And if this International Champions Cup could truly reshape the football world like the European Cup did half a century ago,
it would be a glittering achievement in Florentino's résumé as Real Madrid president.
Even more importantly, it aligned perfectly with Real Madrid's global expansion strategy.
"You made quite a splash in the U.S. this summer. I heard you had over 90,000 people at one match in Los Angeles?"
This time, it wasn't Florentino, but José Ángel Sánchez who spoke up.
"That's right. Ticket revenue for that match alone topped 10 million dollars."
Sánchez believed it—numbers like that were hard to fake.
"Mr. Yang, do you think this year's World Football Challenge will at least break even?"
"It shouldn't be a problem, but as for how the U.S. side is handling things exactly, I can't say."
After a pause, Yang Cheng added,
"Even if we don't turn a profit the first year, if we can keep the momentum going for a few years—turn it into a consistent summer event, brand it as a tournament IP—
can you imagine how valuable that would be?"
Sánchez had clearly run the numbers himself.
Breaking even wasn't certain,
but the long-term potential was immense.
"Mr. Yang, let me ask you this—there's already a summer tournament in the U.S. Why do we need to start a new one instead of working with the Americans?"
Yang Cheng's eyes lit up.
Now that was the real core issue.
In fact, many of the top clubs—Real Madrid included—shared this exact concern.
"Simple," Yang Cheng said with a smile,
"because Americans don't understand football, and they sure as hell can't run it properly!"
"I'll Even Say It Boldly—This Tournament Was Doomed from the Start!"
"I'll even say it boldly—
even if we didn't relaunch our own tournament, the World Football Challenge was doomed to fail from the beginning!"
Yang Cheng's words left Florentino and José Ángel Sánchez stunned.
Sure, the tournament was new, but it had drawn a lot of attention and buzz.
The U.S. organizers were working hard to win over Europe's top clubs, hoping to invite them for next year's edition.
The numbers were impressive—on the surface, it looked like a success.
So why did Yang Cheng say it was doomed from the start?
Seeing the confusion in their eyes, Yang Cheng was more than prepared.
"Because every decision the Americans made from the start had one purpose: to make money.
They never intended to build the football market for the long term. All they wanted was quick profit."
"I've heard that they plan to skip the 2010 edition, but in 2011, they want a massive expansion."
"And what's the cost of that expansion? When they haven't even organized this year's tournament properly, they already want to expand blindly. Have they considered the quality and standard of the matches?"
Yang Cheng listed out all the problems that had been exposed during the World Football Challenge this year—
issues that had already been repeatedly reported by the media.
Simply put, the organization was a mess.
And instead of learning from their mistakes, the American organizers wanted to expand even further.
Just imagine what the match quality would be like.
"Why do they want to expand so quickly?"
"Because their only goal is to make money—and fast."
"Bring together Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayswater Chinese—
then throw in some teams from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada,
mix them all into one tournament."
"They think American fans will pay just for that."
"But think about it—what are they really doing? They're using our club brands to endorse their tournament—
even to take the fall if it flops."
"What do American fans really want to see? It's clashes between European giants.
They want to see the world's biggest stars face off—
not Real Madrid playing some no-name Mexican side, or a random MLS team."
"They structured it this way for two reasons:
First, because they couldn't invite all the top clubs at once.
Second, because teams from Mexico and the U.S. are cheap."
Yang Cheng wasn't exaggerating.
This was the reality of how the U.S. organizers operated.
And the consequences?
In Yang Cheng's previous life, the 2009 edition of the World Football Challenge featured 6 matches with an average attendance of 56,135—
a smashing debut.
But in 2011, after expanding to 14 matches, average attendance dropped to 41,697.
Many top clubs, including Juventus, openly criticized the organizers.
Because when big clubs traveled to North America, it wasn't just about money—
they also wanted to develop new markets and play competitive warm-up games.
But what kind of matches were they getting?
Fans were disappointed, and the media joined the complaints.
By 2012, Juventus didn't participate.
That year, the average attendance across 9 matches dropped to just 33,809.
Clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Liverpool were playing against teams like Celtic, D.C. United, LA Galaxy, and Seattle Sounders…
In 2013, the American organizers finally found investors and set up a company called RSG,
rebranding the World Football Challenge as the International Champions Cup—
and the tournament started improving.
Over the next two years, they invited stronger teams,
but the lineup still included clubs like Everton, Olympiacos, and LA Galaxy.
Attendance started to recover, reaching an average of 45,471 in 2014.
But in 2015, the organizers once again made a reckless move—
they expanded beyond North America, adding tournaments in China and Australia.
In both regions, they sold off the rights and left all operations to local organizers.
In China, for example, the tournament was handed to LeSports—who completely botched it.
The big clubs may have gotten paid,
but they were still filled with complaints.
Many teams had to travel across the globe on exhausting schedules.
Real Madrid, for instance, had to fly from Australia to China for matches.
And the root cause of all this chaos?
The Americans' obsession with fast expansion and quick cash.
The end result: they ruined it.
Quality plummeted, top clubs were frustrated, and the level of play dropped significantly.
In many matches, the big clubs didn't even send out their best players—
they fielded backups just to fulfill the fixture.
Fans weren't happy.
Sponsors weren't happy.
And neither were the teams.
So how could this continue?
Even with the brand power of Europe's elite clubs, attendance continued to decline year after year.
Sponsorship revenue shrank.
And by 2019, the tournament was already on its last legs.
Come 2020, the pandemic hit—
and it shut down entirely.
"When Americans try to run football tournaments like they do their other sports, it simply doesn't work!"
"And in this situation, I believe we need to step up and take this golden opportunity—
our clubs should take the lead and run this tournament ourselves!"
Yang Cheng paused for a moment, then took the chance to poke Florentino a bit.
"Just like when the European Cup was created, despite UEFA's fierce opposition—
and look at what the Champions League has become now…"
He didn't need to finish.
Everyone knew the rest.
And Florentino clearly felt the spark.
What had been the original goal of the G14 group?
To challenge UEFA's dominance.
Why did it fail and disband in 2008?
Because the member clubs had no common interest—
so Platini was able to break them apart one by one.
But now, if there were a tournament capable of bringing these top clubs together—
and once mature, even expanding to include more strong teams across Europe—
and aligning all of them through shared interests…
How massive would that tournament's influence be?
How powerful would the collective voice of these clubs become?
Would UEFA and FIFA still dare to treat them however they pleased?
Would they still dare to summon and overuse the clubs' star players at will?
At that thought, Florentino once again fixed his gaze on Yang Cheng.
After a long silence, the Real Madrid president finally stood up and solemnly extended his hand.
"On this matter, I speak on behalf of Real Madrid—
we stand with Bayswater Chinese!"
Beside him, José Ángel Sánchez nodded in agreement.
He could see that Yang Cheng had thought everything through—
all the interests, all the moving parts.
At the very least, it sounded far more reliable than anything the Americans had offered.
"What do you think of this guy?"
Florentino asked Sánchez after Yang Cheng had left.
"A young man with vision, drive, ambition, and capability—
and more importantly, with the network and resources to back it up.
Forget the Americans—
I think even UEFA's going to suffer at his hands one day."
"But most importantly," Sánchez added, "he knows how to bake the cake."
Florentino nodded again and again.
G14's failure had stemmed from not knowing how to bake the cake.
The big clubs had only been fighting over slices of the existing pie—
relying on the Champions League to survive,
which let UEFA divide and conquer.
But Yang Cheng wanted to bake a whole new cake—
so UEFA's old tricks wouldn't work anymore.
North America and Asia—
those markets were massive, and every European giant was drooling over them.
That's why, in recent years, everyone had been scrambling to break into those regions.
Now, Yang Cheng had raised a banner—
calling on the top clubs to unite and carve up the North American and Asian market together.
Who in their right mind would say no to that?
After leaving Florentino's room, Yang Cheng went on to visit Joan Laporta of Barcelona, Uli Hoeneß of Bayern, Adriano Galliani of AC Milan, and Junior Moratti of Inter Milan.
The topics they discussed were all more or less the same as with Florentino.
Yang Cheng's pitch was also nearly identical.
The International Champions Cup was, without a doubt, highly appealing.
The fact that so many major clubs had gathered here already showed significant interest. Yang Cheng was merely the final push that helped them make up their minds.
The only exception came during his visit to Hoeneß's room.
Back when Yang Cheng sold Ribéry to Bayern, he'd built a decent relationship with Hoeneß.
But this summer, Bayern had failed to land Robben, which was clearly a missed opportunity they regretted.
Hoeneß seemed disappointed about it.
From his hints, Yang Cheng picked up that he might be interested in Di María.
Not surprising at all.
The Argentine's performance had been widely praised.
Yang Cheng couldn't help but find it amusing.
You're eyeing my Di María?
Well, I've been watching your Toni Kroos.
Didn't expect that, huh?
I made my move a long time ago!
"Actually, you're not short on talented attackers. Thomas Müller, for example, has been performing really well."
"And that Toni Kroos—I hear Jupp Heynckes rates him highly."
Heynckes had taken over Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
But so far, Kroos hadn't become a regular starter.
He was loaned out to Leverkusen last season, but spent most of it on the bench with minimal playing time.
Even now, under Heynckes, they were still figuring out how to use him.
Most importantly, Leverkusen didn't even have a proper No.10 role in their system.
Heynckes preferred a classic 4-4-2 formation, relying on two big, tall center-forwards: Stefan Kießling and Eren Derdiyok, both over 1.9 meters.
In the Bundesliga, a pair of such target men was still highly dangerous.
Especially two at once.
In this 4-4-2 setup, Toni Kroos' role was awkward.
After four rounds of Bundesliga, Kroos had only played 101 minutes in total.
In the fourth round against Bochum, he came on as a substitute and was deployed as a left midfielder—where he managed to provide an assist.
Yang Cheng was confident that Heynckes, being the coach he was, would soon realize that Kroos' most suitable role in a 4-4-2 was indeed on the left.
"Thomas Müller is definitely a talent. We're all excited about what he can become," Hoeneß said, a proud smile breaking out as if speaking about his own son.
"But Toni Kroos still needs a bit of polishing."
Yang Cheng nodded. "I read in the German media that you'd already earmarked him as Bayern's future centerpiece for the next decade?"
"That's just the media twisting things," Hoeneß laughed.
"That kid's got a lot of pride and a bit of a temper. His current level's not quite there yet, and we haven't really found his position."
Yang Cheng nodded again. "Understandable. Young players need time."
And this wasn't just Kroos' issue.
In Yang Cheng's previous life, Modrić also spent years with an unclear role.
Even Xavi, before Rijkaard came along at Barcelona, was being developed as a holding midfielder.
Iniesta played in all kinds of positions.
Pirlo even transitioned from attacking midfielder to deep-lying playmaker.
In short, creative and technically gifted midfielders almost always had to go through this process.
"Oh right, Yang—have you considered selling Neuer?"
Yang Cheng's brow furrowed almost reflexively. He looked at Hoeneß and didn't respond right away.
"Don't get me wrong—we haven't had any special contact with Neuer. Just met a few times at domestic events, that's all."
Yang Cheng's frown deepened.
"Normal contact?"
Right.
That's what every unfaithful guy says before he cheats.
Hoeneß realized his explanation sounded weak—maybe even more suspicious the more he said.
The German media had been spinning this story for months.
"Let me be straight with you. You know how it is—Germany's national team keepers have pretty much always come from Bayern.
So of course, we'd love to bring Neuer back to Germany."
Yang Cheng's mind instantly cycled through several scenarios—
and ended with a long sigh.
"Sorry, Uli. You've seen it too—Neuer is one of the most important players in our team. And being a goalkeeper, it's a unique position.
We have no intention of selling him."
Hoeneß smiled faintly. "I understand, Yang. But please give it some thought. We're genuinely serious."
"I'm sorry, but we really won't consider it," Yang Cheng said, firmly.
After he spoke, Yang Cheng noticed the disappointment flash in Hoeneß's eyes—
and he couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
The smartest hunter often shows up looking like the prey.
If a woman gives in too easily, the playboy won't cherish her.
That's why you have to keep them hooked—
a little yes, a little no—and eventually, you can call all the shots.
From that conversation, Yang Cheng could now be 100% certain:
Bayern had already made contact with Neuer.
They might've even discussed it at length.
And it wasn't shocking.
Back in the day, Ferguson even invited Michael Owen to Carrington to talk about moving from Liverpool to Manchester United.
Owen turned it down out of concern for how Liverpool fans would react.
So Bayern approaching Neuer?
That's nothing new.
The real question was—
when would Bayern actually make their move?
With Rensing out of favor and Butt already 36 years old,
it couldn't be long.
Yang Cheng was thrilled inside.
But outwardly, he remained cold as ever.
…
That evening, in the high-end conference room of the Royal Lancaster Hotel,
representatives and executives from all twelve elite clubs gathered together.
As the newly appointed CEO of ICC (International Champions Cup), David Penzer delivered an impressive presentation.
In his report, Penzer covered everything: the preparation work for the ICC, the future market prospects, the sponsorship model, and operational plans—all in remarkable detail.
He had even already reached out to two interested broadcasters:
FOX and ESPN.
Why were they interested?
Because FOX didn't currently own any football broadcasting rights.
And ESPN, being an established name in sports broadcasting, wanted to strengthen its position in football.
In the U.S., the Premier League—the most popular league among fans—was still exclusively held by NBC.
Of course, Penzer clarified that negotiations were still early, and so far, only concerned the North American region.
Since the tournament was still in its infancy, the initial broadcasting fees would certainly be low.
In fact, Penzer had even told the broadcasters that he hadn't yet secured the participation of top European clubs.
But when it came to market potential, Penzer was extremely optimistic.
"Summer is the peak holiday season, and most of North America's major sports leagues are either in off-season or pre-season training."
"During this period, both North America and Asia lack top-tier sporting events."
"Our International Champions Cup will fill that golden gap."
Penzer also pointed out that the buzz around the European transfer market would further fuel the ICC's promotional campaigns,
while the clubs could coordinate their own sponsorship drives in North America and Asia alongside the tournament.
The ICC company would do its utmost to support all clubs in facilitating deals and partnerships.
Afterward, Richard Masters—an experienced event organizer known for his marketing and promotional expertise—also presented a report,
this one focused more on the tournament format and match structure.
As a Professional, Masters Approached It from All Angles
As a professional, Richard Masters approached the topic from multiple angles—tournament preparation, participating teams, match venues—thoroughly demonstrating ICC Company's expertise in the field.
One especially important point he emphasized was the playing time of superstars and first-team players.
The purpose of both presentations was singular: to show the executives of the twelve top clubs the time, effort, and commitment ICC had invested in this tournament's preparation.
David Penzer returned to the stage again, full of confidence. He stated that within five years, the International Champions Cup would become the most influential and marketable summer football tournament in the world.
"Our preliminary estimate is that within five years, the IP value of this tournament will exceed 100 million euros, making it one of the most recognized high-level sports competitions worldwide!"
The growth of IP value naturally meant a rise in broadcasting rights and commercial value.
Which meant—money.
Both David Penzer and Richard Masters delivered excellent presentations—well-organized, detailed, and, most importantly, they clearly laid out a development blueprint for the International Champions Cup for the next few years. This gave all the attending club executives a strong dose of confidence.
In addition, Bayswater Chinese demonstrated their sincerity.
Yang Cheng's proposed model for cooperation was that all 12 clubs would receive 5% equity each, based on brand value. That is, 60% of the shares would be distributed equally among the clubs.
The remaining 40% would be held by Yang Cheng.
Meanwhile, tournament operations would be managed by ICC Company. The clubs, as shareholders, would only participate in profit sharing.
This equity structure left the other 11 clubs very satisfied.
They didn't have to invest any money.
However, David Penzer also mentioned that the initial plan for the next three years would cap appearance fees at a maximum of €2 million.
And not all 12 clubs would receive the same amount.
Details on appearance fees would be negotiated further.
But that wasn't a big issue.
None of the clubs raised any serious objections.
Even though many of the clubs present carried prestigious reputations, when operating independently, they didn't command high appearance fees.
Under these circumstances, joining the International Champions Cup—getting paid to play and receiving dividends—was already a great deal.
In the end, with no real disagreements, all twelve clubs signed a memorandum of understanding together.
David Penzer also announced that the inaugural International Champions Cup would launch in 2010.
The preliminary plan included two regions: North America and Asia.
The North American region would be split into East and West conferences, while the Asia region would target China, Japan, and South Korea.
From now until mid-to-late July of next year, ICC and the twelve clubs would operate based on the memorandum to push forward tournament preparations with full force—
aiming to make the debut event a spectacular success!
…
After the meeting, Yang Cheng invited everyone to stay for a dinner banquet at the hotel, celebrating the signing of the MOU.
Everyone was filled with excitement and anticipation for the upcoming tournament.
When the banquet ended, most returned to their rooms to rest.
Yang Cheng, however, had Xia Qing drive them both home.
As they passed the intersection at Queen's Avenue, Yang Cheng turned to look at the new stadium construction site in the distance.
A strong sense of pride surged in his chest.
That was one of his greatest dreams since arriving in this world.
And it was the foundation of transforming Bayswater Chinese into an elite club.
Now, he had the International Champions Cup to add to it.
If the tournament succeeded, Yang Cheng wouldn't just be making a fortune—
Bayswater Chinese would officially be among the ranks of elite clubs, standing shoulder to shoulder with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United.
"I told my dad about the meeting today," Xia Qing said as she drove.
"What'd Dad say?" Yang Cheng asked, cheerful from all the wine he had drunk earlier.
"He said you're doing a great job," she replied with a gentle smile.
"He said that for all these years, international sporting events—whether football or the NBA—have mostly been pushing into our country, exporting their content. Through media rights alone, they've taken away billions."
"This is the first time we've had the opportunity to control upstream football resources on the global stage!"
Yang Cheng, however, didn't share Xia Anmin's level of political awareness.
For him, it was all about himself and Bayswater Chinese.
…
After the two-week international break, the players gradually returned to the team.
The good news for Yang Cheng was that none of his internationals were injured—just a bit fatigued.
With the South Africa World Cup approaching, national team duties were increasing.
Even national teams that didn't qualify for the World Cup were arranging friendlies to stay active.
Given that Bayswater Chinese would be traveling to Marseille for their Champions League opener in just three days, Yang Cheng decided to rotate the squad for the weekend's Premier League match.
According to their group stage plan, winning the first two games was absolutely critical.
That way, when they traveled to the Bernabéu for Matchday 3, the pressure would be much lower.
So for the Round 4 home match against Aston Villa, Yang Cheng opted for heavy rotation.
Martin O'Neill's team had started the season poorly but had recently found form.
They lost their first two matches, but bounced back to win Rounds 3 and 4.
Most notably, in Round 3, they beat Liverpool 3–1 at Anfield—a huge morale boost for Villa.
Before heading down to London, Martin O'Neill even boldly claimed they would hunt down all top-six Premier League teams this season.
Bayswater Chinese was clearly his next target.
O'Neill had good reason for his confidence, too—he had quality players throughout the squad.
In goal was U.S. legend Brad Friedel.
The back line featured Warnock, James Collins, and Richard Dunne—well-known names in the Premier League.
In midfield, he had Petrov, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, and Milner—all solid, hard-working players.
With such a strong and physical midfield and defense, Aston Villa had always been a nightmare opponent.
Up front, he had the lightning-fast Agbonlahor.
Facing a team like that? No one would be comfortable.
As for Bayswater Chinese, the pressure of competing on two fronts was real.
Yang Cheng made it clear: the team had to strike early and control the game.
From the first whistle, Bayswater Chinese launched wave after wave of attacks.
In the 4th minute, Andy Carroll—starting the match—received the ball at the penalty spot, shielded off Richard Dunne with his body, spun, and blasted a shot on goal.
But the shot was too direct, and Friedel caught it cleanly.
Bayswater Chinese also earned several corners and free kicks afterward, but none were threatening.
Both sides maintained a high tempo, and the match was intense and difficult—but neither side could find the net.
The first half ended 0–0.
Despite having 71% possession, Bayswater Chinese struggled to break through Villa's compact, deep-lying defense.
Martin O'Neill was clearly satisfied with the scoreline.
In the second half, both sides kept the tempo high.
When Yang Cheng saw his team still failing to break down Aston Villa, he made his first substitution.
In the 58th minute, Modrić came on for Matuidi.
That change brought much-needed clarity and control to Bayswater Chinese's midfield.
Up until that point, their attacks had been too rushed.
Matuidi and Aaron Ramsey weren't the type of players who could control the rhythm of a game, and once the ball was played to the flanks, the tempo would only get faster.
So when Modrić came on, the entire tempo was instantly brought under control.
And that immediately brought a visible shift on the pitch.
Just seven minutes after coming on, Modrić intercepted the ball in midfield, quickly drove forward, and under heavy pressure from Aston Villa's midfielders, delivered a beautiful through pass behind the defense.
Walcott sprinted in from the right, getting behind Warnock to chase down Modrić's pass. He charged forward and cut the ball across the face of goal.
Carroll arrived just in time to tap it in, opening the scoring for Bayswater Chinese.
1–0!
That goal completely ignited the atmosphere inside Wembley!
Up to this point, Bayswater Chinese had sold nearly 80,000 season tickets this season—every home match had been sold out.
Some marquee matchups were now impossible to get tickets for.
Thanks to a previous hat trick, Andy Carroll had already become the new darling of Wembley!
After the goal, the English striker played with growing confidence.
Especially once Aston Villa pushed forward in search of an equalizer, leaving more space behind for Carroll to exploit.
In the 79th minute, Bayswater Chinese strung together a series of passes in the attacking third.
Hazard picked up the ball on the left, cut inside past two defenders, and laid it off just outside the box.
Carroll used his body to shield Richard Dunne, controlled the ball, turned, and was about to shoot.
With no other choice, Dunne committed a foul.
Modrić stepped up to take the free kick—and curled a stunning strike directly into Aston Villa's net!
2–0!
Modrić's free-kick technique had always been excellent, but he rarely took set pieces himself, which led many to assume he wasn't proficient.
With two quick goals, the win was almost secured for Bayswater Chinese.
The players started to relax and play more freely.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, threw everything forward—especially in midfield.
But in the 88th minute, Piszczek won the ball back with help from a tracking Walcott and Modrić.
They completed a series of crisp one-touch passes through midfield.
Carroll, with his back to goal, laid it off. Aaron Ramsey charged forward, skipped past two defenders, and unleashed a low bouncing shot from just outside the box.
Brad Friedel guessed the direction and dived, but was caught off guard by the awkward bounce.
The ball flew into the net.
3–0!
…
Bayswater Chinese secured a 3–0 victory over Aston Villa.
From the scoreline, it looked like a dominant win.
But watching the match told a different story—it had been a hard-fought game.
Which is why, after the match, Modrić received a flood of praise for his performance off the bench.
Sky Sports even said that Modrić's entrance was the decisive turning point of the match.
In the same round, Liverpool crushed Burnley 4–0 at home thanks to a hat trick from Benayoun.
Chelsea came from behind to beat Stoke City 2–1 away from home, with goals from Drogba and Malouda.
Worth noting—Chelsea's two goals came at the very end of each half: one in first-half stoppage time, and the other in the dying seconds of the match.
Hiddink wasn't pleased with the performance.
To be fair, the Dutchman had been off coaching the Russian national team during the international break, which disrupted Chelsea's preparations—
not to mention the fatigue affecting their players.
Interestingly, Manchester United also went behind early in their away match against Tottenham.
But Giggs, Robben, and Rooney scored three in reply, turning the match around 3–1.
The headline clash of the round was Manchester City vs. Arsenal at the City of Manchester Stadium.
It was a fierce battle.
City took the lead early through a long-range strike from Kaká.
But early in the second half, Van Persie leveled it for Arsenal.
Ancelotti responded by launching a wave of attacks.
Within ten minutes, Robinho, Adebayor, and Tévez all found the back of the net.
Arsenal's defense fell apart during that spell.
Only just before the final whistle did Rosický score Arsenal's second.
Final score: Manchester City 4–2 Arsenal.
After five rounds, Chelsea remained at the top of the table, with United and City right behind them.
All three teams had won five straight matches.
Bayswater Chinese, having played one match fewer, sat in 4th with 9 points.
They had scored 16 goals and conceded just 2 across 4 games—their attack and defense remained rock solid.
Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool were also on 9 points.
But just five matches into the Premier League season, these teams were already six points behind the leading pack.
This was shaping up to be a hellish start to the season.
…
After finishing the fifth round, Yang Cheng let the team rest and recover in London.
Three days later, they traveled to Marseille for the first match of the Champions League group stage.
Just five minutes in, Gareth Bale latched onto a long ball from Thiago Silva and unleashed a thunderous left-footed strike to beat Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda.
1–0!
But at the start of the second half, Marseille won a corner.
Heinze rose to meet it and powered a header into the net to equalize—1–1.
In the 60th minute, Bayswater Chinese earned a free kick near the final third.
Pepe nodded it on, and Thiago Silva—who had just been beaten by Heinze for the earlier goal—got revenge by heading the ball into the net over Heinze.
2–1!
Marseille went all out, launching waves of attacks.
In the 79th minute, they won a penalty.
Lucho González's shot from outside the box struck Pepe's arm, and the referee pointed to the spot.
The Bayswater Chinese players protested furiously.
But in the crucial moment, Neuer stayed composed and saved the penalty.
When Lucho rushed in for the rebound, the German keeper reacted first and gathered the ball into his chest.
Then Neuer jumped to his feet, sprinted toward the top of the box, and launched a massive throw toward Matić.
The Serbian midfielder controlled the ball on his chest, turned, and launched a long diagonal over the defense.
Gareth Bale exploded past the Marseille back line like a bolt of lightning and latched onto Modrić's perfectly weighted pass, slotting it calmly into the net.
3–1!
On the touchline, Yang Cheng leapt into the air with excitement.
Not just for Bale's brace, but for Neuer's brilliant save and quick thinking.
"Brian, tell me—how could I possibly sell such a phenomenal keeper to Bayern Munich?"
Yang Cheng laughed heartily.
Brian Kidd nodded in agreement and said calmly,
"Raise the price."
Yang Cheng burst into even louder laughter.
"You've gone bad, Brian!"
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