Chapter 313: Promotion
After the match, Ronaldo found Wang Feng and said, "Wang, shall we go for a drink together?" Seeing Ronaldo's expression, it seemed like he had something to say, so Wang Feng promptly agreed to the invitation.
The two headed to a bar near the stadium. The club was a regular here, and the players often came to celebrate after victories. The environment and privacy were both excellent.
As usual, Ronaldo ordered his favorite Salton red wine and considerately ordered a glass of orange juice for Wang Feng, knowing that the young man had strong self-discipline.
"AC Milan has offered me a contract," Ronaldo said after taking a sip of wine. "Real Madrid doesn't want to pay me a high salary anymore, so I had my agent start looking for a new club before the season started."
Wang Feng was somewhat surprised. Ronaldo was only thirty years old, and was Real Madrid really trying to push him out already? "Is it because of my arrival?" he asked.
Ronaldo chuckled bitterly. "No, Wang, it has nothing to do with you. After so many injuries, I understand that I'm on the decline now."
"Few players can grow old at Real Madrid. Although it's a bit early to say this now, I think you should also plan ahead."
Wang Feng tried to persuade him, "Then at least finish this season, right? Don't you want to work together with me to win the championship?"
Ronaldo shook his head with a wry smile. "I'm no longer the carefree alien I used to be. AC Milan will only make an offer to me during the winter break. They want to strengthen their squad immediately to compete for the league title in the second half of the season."
The joy of victory was overshadowed by the sorrow of parting, and the two could only silently drink their sorrows away.
On November 22nd, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium welcomed the challenge of Lyon, a crucial battle in the fifth round of the Champions League group stage, determining who would advance to the knockout stage.
Lyon took the initiative from the start, launching wave after wave of attacks against the Galacticos. It seemed that they had gained confidence from their last encounter, and Real Madrid's weak defense was an excellent opportunity.
However, Coach Schuster's rotation strategy paid off this time. After a week of rest, the main defenders were in excellent shape, and after holding off Lyon's attacks for the first 15 minutes, their momentum gradually waned.
Wang Feng then launched a counterattack almost immediately! In the 17th minute, Diarra intercepted the ball in the backfield and immediately sent it to Wang Feng in midfield, who drove forward with the ball.
Facing the only defender, Rivaille, Wang Feng easily dribbled past him, forcing him to grab the Chinese superstar's jersey helplessly. With a "rip," the jersey was torn.
The referee blew his whistle, and the Frenchman, Evre, walked up to Rivaille, showing him a red card! Lyon's players pleaded with him, but he rejected their pleas because Rivaille was the last defender.
This foul was a full 35 meters from the goal. After observing for a moment, Wang Feng decided to take the free kick himself. Raúl walked up to him and asked, "What's your plan?"
"Get ready to contest for rebounds in the penalty area normally, but leave me the route to the near post of the goal." When the Spanish forward heard this, he nodded in understanding. "Got it, I'll tell the others."
"Lyon started the game with fierce attacks, but they repeatedly missed opportunities to score. Now, with one player sent off, it seems that there will be a significant change in the situation on the field."
"Let's see how Real Madrid will attack this time. Oh, now the broadcast has focused on the free kick taker, Wang Feng. You can see that he looks very serious. It's well-known that Wang Feng's direct free kicks are very accurate, but from such a distance, he should choose to pass, right?"
The live broadcast director at the Bernabéu, Westerveld, saw Wang Feng's expression and suddenly realized, quickly contacting the nearby cameramen. "Sideline Zone A, when the free kick is taken, move the camera directly from the penalty spot to the goal; Baseline Zone C, when the ball is kicked, don't track the players contesting for headers, just focus on Wang Feng."
The cameramen, receiving the instructions, were somewhat confused. If someone scores from a header in the penalty area, it would be difficult to capture the moment with this setup. However, they had to follow the director's orders and adjust the equipment accordingly.
"Whistle!" Evre blew his whistle to signal the start of play. Wang Feng took a deep breath, sprinted forward, and took the shot!
"Goal! A thirty-five-yard rocket pierces Lyon's heart!"
"Wang Feng chose to take the shot directly, which is fantastic! Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. My goodness, the ball actually curved in the air while flying at high speed."
"From this angle, it's very clear. The ball was originally heading for the upper left corner but suddenly changed direction before entering the penalty area, passing through the players and going straight into the near corner of the goal."
"Lyon goalkeeper Coupet was caught off guard and could only watch the ball go into the net."
This goal, coupled with playing with one man down, completely extinguished Lyon's fighting spirit. They couldn't organize effective attacks anymore and could only choose to defend deep.
In the 37th minute, Reyes broke through from the wing with the ball, while Wang Feng attracted defenders nearby, and the Spanish midfielder García pulled out of the space and passed to the edge of the penalty area.
Raul, in position, volleyed with his left foot, the ball flying over goalkeeper Coupet's fingertips towards the right side of the goal. Unfortunately, Raul focused too much on the angle, hitting the post and bouncing out.
Wang Feng, still on the right side of the penalty area, naturally didn't miss this opportunity. He simply extended his foot and tapped the ball into the empty net.
2-0! Real Madrid extended their lead!
After scoring a goal, Wang Feng celebrated with the hero Raul. The Spanish forward rubbed the Chinese man's head with a wry smile, "You have a great nose for goal and some luck!"
After halftime, the situation on the field remained unchanged. Lyon's coach even substituted defensive players to stabilize the defense. They had completely given up hope of winning and only hoped not to lose by a large margin.
Seeing this scene, Real Madrid coach Schuster also let Garcia and Elgara warm up, preparing to replace Wang Feng and other key players to avoid any injuries.
Just as they were waiting for a dead ball situation, Real Madrid created another excellent opportunity. In the 55th minute, Guti suddenly started with the ball in the frontcourt, engaged in a one-two with Raul, and entered the penalty area.
Faced with two defenders, he still managed to sweep the ball to the edge of the small penalty area before going out of bounds, where Wang Feng was lurking. There was only one defender, Capapa, beside him.
The 1.80-meter Brazilian defender exerted all his strength, but the Chinese superstar remained immovable, shooting with his left foot as the ball rolled towards him.
The ball soared into the air, skimming over the crossbar and into the net, 3-0! Real Madrid sealed the victory! Wang Feng completed another hat-trick!
After this goal, the substitute players who had been waiting for a long time finally got the chance to play, and Wang Feng received a standing ovation from all Real Madrid fans. His performance in this game was perfect.
The final score remained unchanged, and the Galacticos secured the victory, advancing to the top of the group stage.
Real Madrid's Champions League journey had a slow start, with two draws putting them in third place, causing concern among fans. However, they quickly achieved three consecutive victories to advance.
As Marca commented, "The king of the Champions League with four titles in three years will not disappoint Real Madrid fans. He has proven with a hat-trick that he still dominates the European stage!"
So far, Wang Feng has contributed 9 goals, continuing to lead the Champions League scoring chart, and his 3 assists also earned him a spot on the leaderboard.
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