Chapter 340: Blitz and mentality
On April 25, 2007, at Manchester's Old Trafford Stadium, the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals between Manchester United and Real Madrid was about to begin. Just after the coin toss, Raul successfully gained possession for the first half, which favored the team's aggressive tactics.
Aggressive play requires a quick start to score and dampen the opponent's morale. If they fail to score after a prolonged attack, Real Madrid could still find themselves at a disadvantage.
Real Madrid deployed a 4-4-2 formation for this match, with goalkeeper Casillas. The defense comprised Cannavaro, Ramos, Salgado, and Marcelo. The midfield consisted of Diarra, Guti, Gago, and Reyes. The forwards remained Raul and Wang Feng.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with goalkeeper Van der Sar. The defense included Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra. The midfield featured Carrick, Scholes, and Giggs. The forwards were Cristiano Ronaldo, Saha, and Rooney.
Standing at the midfield, Wang Feng shifted his body slightly and glanced casually at the opponent's half. Their defense seemed tight, and the defenders were focused. Would they be able to execute their aggressive tactics? He felt a bit uncertain.
On the other side, Cristiano Ronaldo watched Wang Feng with determination. He had waited for this day for too long, targeting Wang Feng since his days at Sporting Lisbon. Unlike Kaka's encounter, no one believed the young Portuguese could be compared to Wang Feng, even though they were only two years apart in age.
This fact deeply frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo. From the Champions League to the Ballon d'Or and now Real Madrid, Wang Feng's career trajectory seemed to overlap with his own, almost blocking his path forward. So, Cristiano Ronaldo felt he must defeat Wang Feng and bury him in history.
"The era of Wang Feng has ended. It's time for us, the new generation players, to take the stage!"
When the German referee Stanzer blew the whistle to start the match, Wang Feng passed the ball to Raul and immediately made a diagonal run towards the right flank of the pitch.
On the other side, Guti also sprinted towards the left flank of the field. This unconventional movement baffled the Manchester United defense. They split into two groups, one to mark Guti and the other to follow Wang Feng.
At the same time, after receiving the ball, Raul didn't pass it back to the defense but instead retreated with short steps. When Rooney and Saha approached to press him, he suddenly turned and sent a long pass into the penalty area.
Wang Feng observed Raul's movements and anticipated the trajectory of the ball. Despite the efforts of the defenders Vidic and Evra to block him, the Chinese superstar remained steadfast. As he entered the penalty area, they dared not make any big moves to avoid committing a foul.
As the ball descended, Wang Feng used his strength to push off Evra, lifted his right foot high, and volleyed the ball with the inside of his foot. The ball soared, crossed over goalkeeper Van der Sar's fingertips, and hit the net!
"Goal!! What a goal!! Goooooooooooooal!!"
"What is this? Oh my God, Real Madrid has executed a lightning-fast start and succeeded!"
"Based on the data just received, this goal was scored only 8.57 seconds after the start of the match, breaking the record for the fastest goal in Champions League history."
"I remember they also broke the record for the fastest goal in La Liga last year against Barcelona. Could it be that Real Madrid wants to turn the fastest goal into a regular tactic? It's amazing!"
"Let's review this fantastic goal again. Wang Feng passed the ball to Raul, and both he and Guti quickly surged forward. From this, we can see the tactical intention, with Guti's role to distract the defense."
"Instead of passing the ball back to the defense, Raul retreated with the ball, using short steps. This move was quite strange, and Manchester United didn't seem to understand it at the time, so the players rushed to press."
"The long pass turned out to be a brilliant move, catching the opponent off guard. It requires complete control of the ball and instant explosiveness. Raul did a great job in this regard."
"The crucial finish. Despite the pressure from two defenders, Wang Feng calmly struck the ball into the net with a spectacular volley, piercing through Manchester United's defense."
"All the elements came together to achieve this lightning strike, which must have dealt a significant blow to the opposing team."
Wang Feng celebrated wildly at Old Trafford, while the Manchester United fans looked on in disbelief, with some recalling the Champions League final from a few years ago.
Back on the pitch, Wang Feng walked over to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was glaring at him. Wang Feng smiled warmly and said, "Hey, Cristiano, I've already scored. You better keep up."
With that, he turned and walked away. Though Schuster thought he should say more provocative words, it wasn't in his character. Besides, given Ronaldo's pride, these words were probably enough.
The Real Madrid coaching staff guessed correctly. Cristiano Ronaldo's mindset was exploding at this moment. After Manchester United restarted the game, he dribbled the ball aggressively towards the Real Madrid defense, but failed to produce results. Watching Cristiano Ronaldo struggle on the field, Ferguson realized that he needed to calm down and instructed other players to stick to the planned tactics and demonstrate the team's true attacking capabilities.
However, even so, Cristiano Ronaldo, in a destabilized state of mind, couldn't unleash his full potential. In the 33rd minute, Manchester United launched another attack. After receiving a through pass from Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo sprinted into the penalty area, facing pressure from two defenders and the goalkeeper. Despite their attempts to block him, he still attempted a shot, only to be saved by Casillas. Rooney was left unmarked on the other side, but he didn't receive Cristiano Ronaldo's pass.
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