Chapter 352: The 10th Champions League
At the final moments of the match, with Liverpool conceding four consecutive goals, their morale hit rock bottom. Despite Benitez's continuous efforts, he used up the final substitution slot, replacing defender Carragher with midfielder Kewell to strengthen the attack, but the situation couldn't be reversed.
When the 3-minute injury time was up, the referee finally blew the whistle, signaling the end of the game. Real Madrid defeated Liverpool, lifting their historic tenth Champions League trophy!
The Red Army fans in the stands began to leave voluntarily, unwilling to witness the enemy's jubilation and celebration. Meanwhile, the fans clad in Real Madrid jerseys were the happiest people, singing their team's anthem, embracing each other, screaming with joy. Tonight belonged to them.
The scene on the pitch was also a jubilant one. The substitutes and staff of the Galaxy Battleship rushed into the field, celebrating the victory with the players. Led by Raúl, they bowed to the supporters who came to the scene, and thunderous applause erupted.
Standing in front of the huge French window overlooking the pitch, Florentino couldn't contain his excitement. Bringing Wang Feng not only brought huge profits to the team but also lifted the Champions League trophy in the first year. It could be said that he had achieved both fame and fortune!
This 24-year-old superstar still has plenty of peak time ahead of him. Where will he lead the Galaxy Battleship? Does he have the chance to match the legendary chairman Bernabeu? At this moment, the Spaniard only has one thought in his mind: to build the team around Wang Feng at all costs and give him everything he wants.
Zidane walked to Florentino's side and exclaimed with emotion, "Unbelievable! This Real Madrid feels somewhat unfamiliar to me. The change they've undergone is tremendous."
"Oh? So, you're interested in this team? How about my suggestion, staying back to study and learn?" Florentino said with a smile.
The Frenchman's face showed a hint of interest, but he quickly shook his head. "I'd rather train for a few more years first." He's still too young, both in experience and knowledge, so he intends to return to Cannes, his hometown team, for further development.
Florentino sensed Zidane's hesitation and didn't persuade him further. After all, there would always be a day when he would return to the Bernabeu.
"Congratulations to Real Madrid for winning their historic tenth Champions League trophy, surpassing all other giants! Congratulations to Wang Feng, this is his fourth Champions League trophy, taking another solid step towards becoming a legendary star!"
"In this match, Wang Feng contributed two goals and two assists, orchestrating the astonishing comeback of the Galaxy Battleship. This transfer king has proven his worth and world-class abilities."
"In La Liga so far, the Chinese superstar has contributed 50 goals and 17 assists, while in the Champions League, he has been equally outstanding, scoring 20 goals and providing 9 assists, also clinching the Golden Boot."
"It is worth mentioning that although most European leagues have not yet concluded, the European Golden Boot award is already a foregone conclusion. The second-ranked scorer is Totti from Roma, but he only has 26 goals."
"So Wang Feng has won this honor for the sixth consecutive year, no wonder even the British magazine "World Soccer" jokingly suggested renaming the award to the Wang Feng Award, haha."
After celebrating with his teammates, Wang Feng walked across the runway to the center of the stands, where he easily spotted his family and friends: the Lu family, his sister, his mother, and his uncle, all waving and acknowledging him. The seats reserved by the club for his family were the best ones.
Next, they would continue to stay in Madrid for some time, attending Wang Feng's wedding after the season ends, and then return home together.
The celebration continued while the Liverpool players had already left the field. UEFA officials were setting up a temporary award podium in the center of the pitch, while Real Madrid players took the opportunity to celebrate in various ways.
The camera focused on Raúl, who was chatting with coach Schuster with smiles on their faces, clearly enjoying themselves. Then there was Guti, who took off his jersey and threw it into the stands, interacting warmly with the fans.
Ramos and Marcelo were arm in arm, Cannavaro was doing some muscle relaxation exercises, Casillas stood at the door frame with one hand on his hip and the other lightly touching the pillar, seemingly reminiscing about the intense game.
It took a while for the camera to find Wang Feng sitting on the sidelines. The lens gradually zoomed in, capturing the handsome face of the Chinese superstar with a satisfied smile. His bright eyes were full of confidence, and the audience watching on TV could feel his burning fighting spirit. He would come back stronger next year!
The temporary award podium was quickly set up, and the award ceremony for the 2006-2007 Champions League officially began. Real Madrid and Liverpool were lined up, ready to receive their awards.
Being the runner-up always feels disappointing, and many Liverpool players took off their medals and held them in their hands after stepping down from the stage, clearly feeling unsatisfied. Kuyt even felt like a fool for celebrating with champagne at halftime.
The remaining fans still applauded them, acknowledging it as a thrilling match. Liverpool performed exceptionally well, coming close to being the ultimate winners.
After all the awards were handed out, Raúl led the Real Madrid team onto the stage to receive the championship medals. The newly appointed UEFA president Platini was responsible for hanging the medals around the players' necks.
When Wang Feng approached him, the former French legend gave the Chinese player a warm embrace. "Congratulations, Wang. I'm delighted to witness such a myth in my first year in office."
"You're too kind, Mr. Platini," Wang Feng humbly replied. "Compared to veterans like you, I still have a lot to work on."
Platini was even more pleased. Respecting senior players always earns a lot of goodwill. However, he still said, "No, your achievements on the field have already surpassed mine. I look forward to your future development."
The two chatted for a while until Platini realized they were still in the middle of the awards ceremony. He interrupted the conversation and let Wang Feng go up to the podium. When Raúl approached with the big-eared trophy, everyone spontaneously lined up in rows, waiting for the final toast.
After much persuasion, Wang Feng couldn't resist his teammates and stood next to Raúl in the front row. With loud countdown cheers, the Spanish forward lifted the trophy high above his head.
The Olympic Stadium in Athens reached its climax at that moment, with fireworks and cheers from the fans filling the air. Everyone was immersed in happiness.
The next day, major media outlets across Europe reported on the "Athens Miracle." The Galaxy Battleship first lost, then won, successfully lifting their historic tenth Champions League trophy!
Sky Sports UK considered Liverpool's loss exceptionally bizarre, stating that Real Madrid in the first and second halves looked like two different teams.
"The Galaxy Battleship played fiercely in the second half, and Liverpool struggled to keep up, resulting in consecutive goals conceded. By the time they tried to recover, it was already too late."
AS reported a sensational news: Liverpool had champagne celebrations in the dressing room at halftime, which was witnessed by Real Madrid players, leading to the intense reaction from the Galaxy Battleship in the second half.
This news surprised all fans. Was Liverpool crazy? It's understandable to celebrate a little when leading by a big margin, but why provoke Real Madrid?
Former Real Madrid captain Hierro said in an interview, "This is blatant provocation, and Real Madrid will never sit idly by. So they successfully fought back in the second half."
Then the news became even more mysterious. Some said that Kuyt wasn't satisfied with champagne celebrations in their own dressing room, so he went to the door of the Real Madrid dressing room to continue, which was then discovered by the Galaxy Battleship.
Some said that Liverpool players got drunk collectively before the end of the match, which led to their disorientation in the second half.
There were even rumors that Gerrard led the provocation against Wang Feng, saying something about avenging an old grudge from years ago, now that the Chinese superstar was on the losing side.
Liverpool was in a tough spot! They were just accepting their boss's goodwill, a little celebration was harmless, why did Diarra have to come over?
Liverpool, losing both the game and their dignity, could only ignore the rumors about "champagne celebrations" and hope they would soon die down.
And the substitute player who opened the door to go to the bathroom was already dismissed from the team, falling victim to unjustified rumors.
Many years later, fans would still talk gleefully about this anecdote.
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