Chapter 350: Open champagne at halftime
In the luxurious box seats, Florentino frowned. He couldn't understand why the score was widening despite the back-and-forth play between the two sides.
He turned to Zidane beside him and asked, "Are we really that much inferior to Liverpool? Do we still have a chance in the second half?" Zidane shook his head with a wry smile, "I can't say for sure, but if it were the Galaxy Battleship from two years ago, it would be hard to stage a comeback."
"It looks evenly matched, but Liverpool's defense is doing remarkably well, systematically limiting our attacks. On the other hand, Real Madrid's defensive line is really weak. How did Cannavaro deteriorate like this? He's only 34 years old."
Although it sounded strange for Zidane, who was only a year older than Cannavaro, to say "only," it's common for defenders to have longer careers than forwards, and they can compensate for their increasing age with rich defensive experience.
But the Italian captain seemed to be aging faster, with his stiff body and slow speed, unable to stop the opponent's fast attacks and prone to mistakes.
Florentino was also frustrated. If he had known, he would have brought in more defensive players to strengthen the squad. It seemed he needed to start looking for reinforcements in the transfer market early this summer.
"What about our offense? Don't forget, Wang Feng has already scored 18 goals in this season's Champions League. Can he help the team stage a miraculous comeback?" Florentino asked, unwilling to give up.
"I don't know. To be honest, Wang has already surpassed me. It's hard to imagine what he's capable of. Like in last year's decisive battle against Barcelona, perhaps no player in the world can reach that level again," Zidane replied.
"I believe Wang Feng will never give up. He's a player who can create miracles. The second half is not without a fighting chance!" Florentino said firmly.
Zidane nodded. He was also curious. Could Wang Feng really turn the tide single-handedly?
Of course, single-handedly wouldn't suffice! When the referee blew the halftime whistle, the Real Madrid players returned to the dressing room with their heads down, their faces pale. They sat silently in their seats, the atmosphere heavy.
The coaching staff urgently discussed the plan for the second half. Should they go all out for victory or focus on defending to preserve dignity?
Yes, even among the coaching staff, some believed they were destined to lose. Real Madrid's goal for this Champions League season was originally just to make it past the Round of 16. Now that they had exceeded expectations, losing in the final wouldn't be a big deal, as long as they weren't humiliated by a big scoreline.
Perhaps many players shared this mindset. Wang Feng felt extremely frustrated. He couldn't accept such a defeat. He wanted to say something, but having been with the team for only one season, could he really motivate these seasoned veterans accustomed to European defeats?
Across the room, the atmosphere in the Liverpool dressing room was completely different. Every player wore a joyful smile on their face, chatting about the victory parade after winning the cup, where to vacation in the summer, and so on.
At that moment, club staff brought in several bottles of champagne and explained that the new owners Hicks and Gillett had bought them for everyone, expressing their satisfaction with the players' performance from the stands.
Kuyt eagerly took the champagne and said to everyone, "Let's celebrate together, bringing the St. Brigid's Cup back to Anfield forever!"
Others were also excited, except for the head coach Benitez and captain Gerrard, who felt something was amiss. But Benitez had always had an average relationship with the players, and now that the team was leading by a large margin, saying anything negative would backfire. Gerrard was also a good guy.
So, they eventually opened the champagne, even though they couldn't drink it yet. But Kuyt said they only needed to wait another forty-five minutes to enjoy this celebratory drink!
This scene of jubilation was originally behind closed doors and unknown to anyone. But it was accidentally discovered by Diarra, who was passing by the Liverpool dressing room as a substitute player went out to use the restroom.
He returned to the Real Madrid dressing room and angrily recounted what he saw to everyone. Everyone's face showed anger and resentment.
The match hadn't even ended, and the opponents were already celebrating! Such insult was unheard of, especially since they were the Galaxy Battleship, the greatest powerhouse in Europe!
Wang Feng took this opportunity to stand up, "Everyone, look at how triumphant Liverpool looks. Can you tolerate this?"
"No!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Wang Feng continued, "Then let's defeat them in the second half and make them a real laughingstock! Being behind by three goals is nothing. I've seen worse scenes before. As long as we work together, we can definitely turn it around!"
Everyone's spirits lifted upon hearing this. Yes, they had heard of Wang Feng's achievements, and they had experienced them firsthand this season. With such a miraculous player on their side, why couldn't they create a miracle?
Raúl also stood up at this moment, "For the honor of Real Madrid, we must overturn the previous humiliation in the second half. Leave the offensive to me and Wang. We must break through Liverpool's defense!"
Ramos and others immediately stood up, "We'll take care of the defense. We won't let them rampage anymore, and we won't concede another goal!"
The rest also expressed their determination, each pledging to do their part to strike at Liverpool's head and let them taste the bitterness of defeat.
At that moment, head coach Schuster walked in. He was unwilling to simply hand victory over like this. How could he encourage these despondent players?
But upon entering the dressing room, the German was somewhat surprised. The desolation and despair from when they left the field were all gone, replaced by raging anger and fighting spirit. Although he didn't know what happened, it was definitely a good thing.
As the referee blew the whistle to start the second half, Liverpool kicked off. They were surprised to find that Real Madrid seemed even more determined, pressing aggressively and running more actively, making it difficult for the Liverpool players to adapt.
In the 52nd minute, Crouch advanced with the ball to the midfield. Diarra and Guti pressed forward to intercept. Forced to do so, he could only pass back to Agger. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Feng suddenly sprang into action, forcefully stealing the ball from the Danish defender.
The Chinese superstar then charged towards the sideline. Riise and Agger, who were back defending, blocked him from both sides. Wang Feng, facing away from the goal, flicked the ball to the right with his right foot, causing Riise to spread his legs to block the cross.
Then he turned the ball from his right foot to his left foot, as if intending to dribble back. Seeing this, Agger stepped forward to block his path even further. At this moment, Wang Feng swiftly touched the ball with his left foot, threading it between Riise's legs, and darted through the gap between the two defenders.
A small-scale nutmeg and a quick pass to escape the double-team! Fans in the stands and in front of the TV screens couldn't see all of his movements clearly, only witnessing Wang Feng dribbling sideways towards the sideline, his path blocked by defenders.
But then, he suddenly shifted his body, and in the blink of an eye, successfully penetrated the defense. Then, he cut inside into the penalty area, faced with goalkeeper Reina. The Chinese superstar fiercely shot with the outside of his left foot, and the ball flew straight into the far corner of the goal, grazing the junction of the post and the crossbar, nestling into the net!
Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m