Chapter 362: Hot opener
Back in Spain, Real Madrid didn't have time to celebrate as they immediately faced their city rivals Atletico Madrid in the opening match of the league at home.
Although the two matches were close in timing, this was nonetheless the first home game of the new season for the Galaxy battleship. Head coach Schuster, in pursuit of victory, deployed most of the main players with only minor adjustments, substituting the young Marcelo for Heinze.
The Real Madrid players seemed slightly tired, while Atletico Madrid arrived with great momentum, determined to strike the Galaxy battleship at the Bernabeu.
They lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Franco in goal, Castro, Eller, Perea, and Pernía in defense.
Garcia and Maxi were in midfield, with Motta, Forlán, and Jurado in the front.
Upfront was Agüero and Fran.
"The intensity of the game is very high right from the start. Oh, we can see that Atletico defender Pernía fouled Wang Feng in the frontcourt. This is the third foul against the Chinese superstar in this match, and the game has only just begun for 5 minutes!"
Wang Feng sat on the ground, feeling frustrated, arranging his shin guards and socks. There was no doubt that he was once again the focus of attention from the opposing defenders. What's more unfortunate was that the referee for this match was a "rookie".
The reason for saying this was that his grasp of the scale of judgment and the situation of the game was far from enough. Several fouls earlier should have decisively warned the away team's players. This is the Bernabeu, the home of the Galaxy battleship!
But he didn't do that, and the Atletico players almost figured out the referee's bottom line, thus becoming more unscrupulous in disturbing and confronting Wang Feng.
Nearby, Robben came to Wang Feng and reached out to help him up, saying with lingering fear, "I hate this kind of foul the most. It's very easy to cause harm. Wang, you have to be careful. Just lie down when it's necessary."
Wang Feng nodded. His experience at Chelsea had broken his wings, and he was plagued by injuries almost every season. He also received fines from the English FA due to conflicts on the pitch.
The two teams seemed evenly matched on the field, with both attacking and defending in the first 20 minutes. Although Wang Feng was closely harassed, he still managed to play a restraining role, allowing Robben and Raúl to create several shooting opportunities.
On Atletico's side, Agüero was equally outstanding. As the club's transfer record holder, his performance last season was not very satisfactory, with only 6 goals contributed under full attendance.
With Torres leaving in the new season, the head coach relied more on the forward line composed of him and Fran. Therefore, the Argentine was eager to achieve something significant this season, preferably winning the European Golden Boy award at the end of the year!
He did have the ability for it. Even though Real Madrid's defensive ability had greatly improved now, Agüero still found opportunities to break into the penalty area. A left-footed shot slightly missed the post, causing cold sweat on the faces of the home fans in the stands.
"This guy is as tricky as his compatriot Messi. It seems that he might become a big enemy of the Galaxy battleship in the future." The fans in the stands couldn't help but think so.
The first goal of the match occurred in the 25th minute. Real Madrid launched a quick counterattack, with Sneijder sending a long pass directly into Atletico's penalty area. Wang Feng finally caught up with the ball near the baseline after a long run.
Inside the penalty area, Pernía didn't dare to foul Wang Feng recklessly. So, the Chinese superstar quickly cut inside with his right foot, evading him. At this moment, Castro and Eller also came to defend.
Faced with the flanking defense, Wang Feng calmly made two consecutive turns, making it impossible for the defenders to steal the ball from him. They had to keep guarding against his sudden shots.
Chaos ensued in the penalty area. At this moment, Wang Feng seized the opportunity to gently lift the ball, aiming for the defensive gap, and took a direct shot. The ball smoothly pierced through the defense and found the corner of the goal, leaving Franco helpless.
"Goal! Indeed, the first goal of the Galaxy battleship in the league was contributed by Wang Feng, 1-0!"
"A very beautiful attack. After receiving Sneijder's through ball, Wang Feng, like Zhao Yun in the Three Kingdoms, broke through the Atletico defense line with ease, as if there were no one there, and finally sealed the deal like a decisive blow of a dragon!"
"The away team's ironclad defense completely lost its effectiveness in the penalty area. They dared not foul Wang Feng easily, so they had no way to steal the ball from him. This is the most desperate situation!"
After scoring, Wang Feng ran freely on the field, his frustration swept away, even running to the sidelines to direct the fans to do the wave, celebrating this first goal of the season.
In the subsequent match, the defensive actions of both sides became increasingly intense, and the situation became exceptionally heated. In the 69th minute, Wang Feng received the ball in the frontcourt and was preparing to attack towards the wing when Pernía slid in for a tackle, tripping him, and then deliberately or unintentionally kicked his shin before getting up.
This scene happened to be seen by nearby Raúl, who immediately confronted Pernía: "You bastard did it on purpose!" Nearby, Sneijder and Robben also rushed to support.
The Atletico players naturally wouldn't back down and rushed over, causing the situation to temporarily get out of control. The main referee and linesmen had to come between the two teams to separate them.
"Raúl getting angry on the field is really rare. Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. Oh, that's how it is. Pernía's action is really dirty this time, completely not what a professional player should do."
"The Spanish captain is very protective of Wang Feng, rushing over for him the first time. It seems that the atmosphere within the Real Madrid team is very harmonious now."
In the end, the main referee gave yellow cards to both Raúl and Pernía, considering it as tit for tat. Wang Feng patted the captain's shoulder gratefully, "Thank you. This matter cannot be let go like this. We can take this opportunity to deal with them."
Raúl showed a curious expression, wondering what new idea Wang Feng had come up with. He always brought some novel ideas. Last year, the Galaxy battleship's aggressive attacking strategy was first proposed by him.
The two whispered and discussed for a while. In the end, Wang Feng stood at the penalty spot. "Oh, it seems that Wang Feng is going to take the free kick. This distance should directly threaten the goal. Will he choose to shoot?"
"We can see that his run-up distance is very long. It seems that he is going to shoot. Atletico's defense line should be very nervous. The free-kick skills of the Chinese superstar are unmatched in the football world."
"Run-up, shot! No, it's a pass! Raúl shoots in the penalty area, and it's a goal! Beautiful!"
"Wang Feng and Raúl complete an excellent free-kick cooperation! Wang Feng seemed to be rushing fiercely, but when he reached the penalty spot, he suddenly reduced his strength and then pushed the ball sideways with his right foot into the penalty area."
"The ball just passed under the jumping wall and found Raúl in the penalty area. He naturally wouldn't miss such a great opportunity. Now it seems that Atletico should have a player lying behind the wall for security."
After scoring, Raúl ran to Wang Feng excitedly and said, "I really can't believe it can be passed to me. How did you know they would jump?" The Chinese superstar laughed. Even though he accelerated so far, it looked like a powerful shot. The Atletico wall could only choose to jump to block, but he was able to control the ball's force and change it to a pass easily.
With Wang Feng's pass and Raúl's goal, Real Madrid defeated Atletico 2-0, winning this fiery opening match.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com