Chapter 346: The first La Liga title
On May 7th, in the 33rd round of La Liga, Real Madrid welcomed Sevilla at home. In their first encounter, the two sides ended up with a 3-3 draw, leaving a deep impression of the strength of the White Army.
This showdown at the Bernabéu was crucial for determining the league champion. The entire Real Madrid team aimed to secure the title before the Champions League final, approaching the final opponent with the best mentality.
The game started with cheers from the home fans, and in the 27th minute, Wang Feng received a long pass from Diarra on the left side. Facing the defender Navarro, he made consecutive feints.
At this moment, Guti, who was supporting him, ran left and right behind him, attracting the attention of another defender. Seeing this, Wang Feng lightly flicked the ball to the right with his right foot and then suddenly shot with his right foot.
Due to its high speed rotation, the ball drew an S-shaped curve in the air and then headed towards the near post of the goal. Although Sevilla's goalkeeper Palop managed to touch the ball, its rotation was too intense. It slipped from the Spanish goalkeeper's hands and rebounded into the net.
1-0! The Galacticos took the lead! Just before halftime, Sevilla stubbornly equalized the score. The goal was scored by the Brazilian genius Robinho, who was rumored to join Real Madrid, but in the end, the Galacticos chose Wang Feng.
Robinho's days at Sevilla were also not easy, with very poor performances in the last two seasons. It seemed that he had not adapted to the rhythm of La Liga. Many media outlets believed that Real Madrid's decision not to sign him was a wise one.
Now, being able to break through Real Madrid's goal at the Bernabéu was somewhat comforting for him. The Brazilian youngster had already begun to consider leaving La Liga.
In the second half, in the 74th minute, Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack. Diarra sent a straight pass to Wang Feng, who had just crossed the midfield line, and the latter dribbled the ball all the way to the edge of the penalty area.
Seeing that the opponent's defense had not settled yet, Wang Feng dribbled the ball to the left with his right foot, then used his left foot to shoot powerfully with the inside of his foot. The ball smoothly passed through the defensive gap in the penalty area and went straight into the upper left corner of the goal.
Sevilla's goalkeeper Palop made a flying save, but failed to touch the ball. It grazed the inside of the goalpost and entered the net, 2-1! Real Madrid once again took the lead! This score remained until the end of the game, and the Galacticos secured a crucial victory!
On May 13th, in the 34th round of La Liga, Real Madrid played away against Espanyol, while Barcelona faced Real Betis at home. The point difference between the two teams remained at 5 points.
Barcelona encountered a setback at Camp Nou, with Real Betis breaking the deadlock just 3 minutes into the game. Subsequently, they adopted a defensive stance, withstanding waves of attacks from Messi, Eto'o, and Henry.
It wasn't until the 85th minute that substitute Ronaldinho made a contribution for the team. After a series of breakthroughs on the right, he crossed to Messi, who almost faced an open goal, equalizing the score.
After the goal, the two embraced affectionately, and Messi murmured, "Ronnie, are you really leaving?" Ronaldinho patted Messi's head without saying a word. Both of them were well aware of the current situation. Ronaldinho's time at Barcelona had come to an end!
In the end, they only managed to secure a draw at Camp Nou, while Real Madrid also suffered a blow from a Catalan team. In the first half, Real Madrid was led by Pandiani and Riera, with the home team leading by two goals.
In the second half, Real Madrid began to exert pressure. In the 56th minute, Wang Feng broke through from the right and scored with a left-footed shot from a narrow angle.
In the 69th minute, the Galacticos got a corner kick, and Wang Feng lifted the ball into the penalty area. In the chaos, Ramos grabbed the first touch and headed the ball to the penalty spot.
Guti, waiting there, leaped up and volleyed with his right foot, piercing Espanyol's goal. Real Madrid leveled the score!
Neither side gave up hope of winning until the end, and just as the game was about to end, Real Madrid launched another attack.
"Diarra dribbles past the midfield. What will he do? Passing to Guti in the middle."
"Guti sends a diagonal pass. Is it for Wang Feng on the right? No! Wang Feng lets the ball pass, and Reyes follows up, reaching the ball near the goal line, and crosses!"
"Wang Feng at the near post! Shot! Goal! Goooooooooooooal!"
"In the 88th minute of the match, Real Madrid finally takes the lead again. Despite the interference from the defending players, Wang Feng still receives Reyes' pass and shoots to score at the near post!"
"He deliberately let Guti's diagonal pass go through, allowing Reyes, who was in a better position, to receive it. Then he went to the near post of the penalty area to wait for an opportunity. This is a very clever way of dealing with it."
"The Chinese superstar scores a brace! This is already how many times he has scored more than one goal in a single game this season. Such attacking efficiency makes the entire La Liga shudder!"
"Dear audience, according to the statistics we just obtained, Wang Feng has scored 50 goals in the league this season. Yes, you heard that right, 50 goals!"
"Oh my God, I once naively thought that no one would score 40 goals in La Liga, but Wang Feng repeatedly refreshes my understanding!"
Before the end of the game, Schuster substituted Wang Feng with Iguaín, allowing him to receive the congratulations of the fans. Not only did the Real Madrid fans who came from afar cheer for him, but many Spanish fans also stood up and applauded the Chinese superstar thunderously.
With this valuable goal in the final moments, Real Madrid won 3-2 away against Espanyol, while Barcelona suffered a setback against Real Betis at the Calderón Stadium. With Real Madrid gaining 3 points, the point difference between the two teams widened to 7 points.
On May 21st, in the 35th round of La Liga, Real Madrid will host Villarreal at home, while Barcelona will play away against Atlético Madrid.
Due to the Champions League final in Athens three days later, head coach Schuster benched key players including Wang Feng, fielding only substitutes.
Promoted team Villarreal's performance this season could be described as a "dark horse". Currently, they firmly occupy the 8th position on the points table, and even at the Bernabéu, they can confidently suppress the substitute lineup of the Galacticos.
The only goal in the first half came from the away team's forward Carle. At the start of the second half, luck was on the home team's side. In the 66th minute, García unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area, and Villarreal's Barbosa failed to hold onto it.
Argentine forward Iguaín reacted swiftly inside the penalty area, immediately attempting to follow up with a shot. However, under the circumstances, defender Edu Mo?o had no choice but to bring him down.
The referee decisively showed him a red card and awarded Real Madrid a penalty. Iguaín took the penalty himself and scored, securing his first penalty goal of the season.
With one player less, Villarreal had to defend desperately. In the 84th minute, substitute Gago made a contribution, scoring with a long-range shot that pierced the visitors' goal, 2-1! Real Madrid secured a crucial 3 points at the Bernabéu!
Barcelona, on the other hand, did not have such good luck at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. They suffered a blow from the Mattress Makers, with Aguero scoring twice in the first half and Torres adding another goal. The visitors trailed 0-3!
Although Messi unleashed his own magic in the second half, scoring two goals to revive hopes of a comeback, they ultimately couldn't turn the tide. The "Dream Team's" dream shattered in Madrid.
When the referee blew the final whistle, all Barcelona players wore a gloomy expression. Earlier, they had already learned that Real Madrid had secured a valuable 3 points. Now, they left the Vicente Calderón defeated, with the point difference between the two teams widening to 10 points!
With 3 rounds left in the league, it means Real Madrid has prematurely secured the 2006-2007 La Liga championship.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶