Before the Champions League match, Manchester United had three more games to play: first, a League match where they defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 at home; then, a 5-2 victory over Newcastle United with a rotated squad in the 4th round of the English League Cup, advancing to the next round; and finally, a 2-0 win against newly promoted Middlesbrough, securing another three points in the League.
Gao Nuo was rested for the English League Cup match but still started in both League games, scoring 3 goals and maintaining his second-place position in the top scorer list. Haaland, unfortunately, sustained an injury in the previous match against Leeds United and still leads the scorer list with 20 goals.
The upcoming Champions League match will be Manchester United's fourth game in 11 days. Compared to last season's lack of players, Ten Hag now has many good cards in his hand. Besides the three players bought with money from the club owner, Ten Hag's personally selected Renato Sanches, Pasalic, and Nübel have all performed well.
Under good rotation, the main players' physical condition has been well maintained. Apart from Luke Shaw, who was injured in training and will be out for some time, and Dalot, who received a red card in the last Champions League match, all other key players will feature in this round of the Champions League group stage.
On August 11, 2023, in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage, Group Five, Manchester United hosted Club Brugge.
It was a match with a significant disparity in strength, yet Gao Nuo's starting appearance still attracted a lot of attention in China.
In the familiar live broadcast room, commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang were introducing the situation on the field.
“We see Gao Nuo starting in this match. He is the fourth Chinese player to play in the Champions League, after Hao Junmin.”
“Oh, yes, I wonder why Gao Nuo didn't play in the previous few games, Zhan Jun, do you know?”
“Indeed, according to Manchester United's official statement, it was to give Gao Nuo more appearances in the League, with the purpose of protecting the player. Zhang, could you explain to our audience how a player's physical condition affects a game?”
“Alright, hey, we see Gao Nuo's recent performance has been outstanding, and this has a lot to do with Ten Hag's rotation of him.”
The two, unaware of the truth, were still praising Manchester United profusely, believing this was to protect Gao Nuo.
Amidst the cheers from the live stream's bullet comments, the match officially began.
Club Brugge was clearly a bit slow to start, and in the 5th minute, Manchester United's high-press tactic already proved effective.
Club Brugge's center-back passed back to goalkeeper Busquets. Gao Nuo, according to his tactical duties, charged straight towards the goalkeeper.
Busquets was a bit stunned. It had just started, why was this burly man sprinting at him?
In that moment of hesitation, Gao Nuo was already almost in front of him. Busquets panicked, his feet started to stumble, and in a rush, he kicked the ball directly out of bounds.
Gao Nuo was also stunned, why was this goalkeeper so “cute”?
The entire stadium booed, and the director wickedly gave a close-up shot of Gao Nuo trying to stifle a laugh, which drew another round of “Ooh-ooh—” jeers from the fans.
Club Brugge's goalkeeper Busquets felt extremely wronged, complaining inwardly: I was still immersed in the gaze of tens of thousands of fans at Old Trafford, just enjoying the game, when this yellow-skinned kid came along, and you fans are mocking me! Don't you know how fast this guy runs?
The Manchester United players didn't care about any of this; this little interlude made the atmosphere of the game more relaxed.
Neymar walked to the corner flag, looked at his teammates' positions in the box, and sent the ball to the far post.
Pau Torres leapt high, got to the first ball, tightened his core, and powerfully headed the ball towards the goal.
The somewhat comical Busquets had no time to react and instinctively stuck out a leg, making a miraculous save, and the ball bounced out of bounds.
For the next 40 minutes, Manchester United besieged Club Brugge, unleashing a barrage of shots on goal.
Gao Nuo's one-on-one shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's toe.
Rashford's header was blocked by the goalkeeper's hand.
Casemiro's long-range shot was blocked by the goalkeeper's leg.
Neymar's cut-in and curled shot hit the goalkeeper's face and flew over the crossbar.
Gao Nuo's rebound shot in the box hit the goalkeeper's backside and bounced out for a goal kick.
In the first half, Manchester United had 16 shots, 8 on target, 7 saved by the goalkeeper, and 1 hit the post.
Club Brugge's goalkeeper Busquets made save after save, transforming into a guardian of the goal after being mocked by the fans at the start, and single-handedly kept the score at 0-0 until halftime.
In Club Brugge's locker room, all the players were discussing Busquets' superhuman performance. The head coach directly praised him by name and instructed the players to seize opportunities in the second half, play more counterattacks, and try to live up to Busquets' heroic performance.
Busquets didn't even notice the voices around him; he was once again lost in his inner monologue: Did I take the wrong medicine today? Why does it feel like all the shots are coming at me? Is it luck? No, it must be the reward for my hard work. As the saying goes, weak teams produce great goalkeepers. It seems my good days are coming soon. Come on, come on, I'll keep a clean sheet against Manchester United in the second half.
The somewhat eccentric Club Brugge goalkeeper inexplicably gave himself a shot of adrenaline, and it actually worked. If the first half was indeed good luck, then his performance in the second half was truly superhuman.
As the saying goes, prolonged attack without scoring leads to being scored against. In the second half, Club Brugge's morale soared, and they actually broke through Manchester United's goal with a counterattack.
In the 52nd minute, Busquets made a horizontal dive save, denying Bruno Fernandes' shot.
The ball bounced to a defender's feet, who immediately cleared it with a long kick.
Club Brugge's formation was essentially 6-3-1, and the sole striker upfront miraculously found himself completely alone, as Manchester United's Varane and Torres were both pushed up into their own midfield.
Being weaker is only relative; appearing in the Champions League, a one-on-one situation was no problem. Club Brugge's striker galloped like an unbridled wild horse.
De Gea's positioning was also quite advanced; his rich experience told him that retreating to defend was already too late, so he rushed out to confront the opponent.
De Gea's footwork was still too slow, and he was easily bypassed by the opposing striker. The goal was breached, and Manchester United's complacency in the match was punished.
Club Brugge led Manchester United 1-0.
After conceding, Manchester United's offense became even more aggressive, and Club Brugge's goalkeeper began his show.
For over 30 minutes, Busquets was the busiest man on the field. Free kicks, long-range shots, curled shots, headers—Manchester United varied their attempts, from the bottom corner to the top corner, near post to far post, with sufficiently tricky angles.
Busquets, with his 190cm height and somewhat slender build, stood in front of the goal, guarding it again and again.
Until the final stages of the match, the miraculous goalkeeper—Busquets—who had been so nervous he was picking his feet, then delivered a superhuman performance, once again presented the audience with a super reversal that couldn't even be written into a script.