Chapter 388: Horse stumbles
On March 20th, the Galaxy Battleship faced a crucial battle, the second leg of the Spanish King's Cup semi-final, challenging Valencia away. In the first leg, they lost to their opponents 1-2 at the Bernabeu, so they must win this round to have a chance to advance to the final.
Coach Schuster fielded the strongest lineup, as no one wanted to give up the glory within reach. Valencia, likewise, was not willing to show weakness. The cup was their last straw, so the entire team paid exceptional attention.
From the beginning, there were no tentative moves; the game started with intense clashes. The Galaxy Battleship launched all-out attacks, while Valencia withdrew to defend and counter-attack.
In the 4th minute, Wang Feng created a threatening cross from the sideline, and Raul's volley from outside the small penalty area narrowly missed the goal, leaving home fans sweating.
Three minutes later, the Chinese superstar received a through pass from Sneijder and made a sudden shot from a tight angle. The ball was fast and fierce, but Valencia's goalkeeper, Canizares, was extremely focused, deflecting the ball out of bounds with one hand.
Real Madrid got a corner kick, and Wang Feng floated it into the penalty area. Robben rose high for a header, but it sailed over the crossbar, failing to score.
In the 11th, 16th, and 25th minutes, the Galaxy Battleship launched wave after wave of attacks like a tide against the Valencia defense but returned empty-handed each time.
"It seems that Real Madrid's shooting accuracy is a bit off today. Not only Raul and Robben but even Wang Feng, who is usually efficient, missed several sure goals," remarked Zhang Jun on the domestic broadcast.
"Yeah, let's hope the players don't get anxious and can calm down to control the pace of the game. Their advantage is still quite obvious," added the co-commentator, Huang Lu.
"Now, Real Madrid's attack is back again. Robben passes into the penalty area, Wang Feng receives the ball, shoots!!! The ball hits the defending player and bounces out of the penalty area. There's another chance, Sneijder is going for the ball."
"Morientes also runs out, both are going for the header. Oh, the Dutchman is slightly inferior, the ball is snatched away by the Spanish forward, he dribbles quickly forward."
"Valencia's counterattack, Real Madrid quickly retreats to defense. They pressed too far forward just now, leaving the defense relatively open, resulting in a two-on-two situation. How will Morientes handle it?"
"A fake pass and a real dribble! Heinze is deceived and falls to the ground, his balance control is too poor. Now it's bad, the Spanish forward enters the penalty area alone, shoots! Goal! The ball's in!"
"Valencia scores again, expanding the aggregate score to 3-1!"
In front of the TV, domestic fans sighed in unison. Despite dominating the opponent, they couldn't win, making them feel extremely uncomfortable. Of course, there were also a few "chaotic and evil" fans secretly delighted, as they rarely saw Wang Feng being defeated, and this game provided rare material.
When the referee signaled for the kickoff again, the Real Madrid players did not give up. They dominated possession, reaching 70% on the field, continuously attacking the Valencia defense, making the home fans anxious.
Coach Schuster made consecutive substitutions, replacing Heinze and Diarra with Higuain and Reyes to strengthen the team's attack and take a gamble.
Finally, in the 84th minute, Robben passed from the side to the inside of the penalty area, Wang Feng received the ball in the middle. At this moment, he had his back to the goal, with two defenders, Marchena and Miguel, guarding behind him, and a player, Canella, nearby ready to support.
Almost all Valencia players participated in the defense, even the lone forward Morientes was marking near the edge of the penalty area, so they squeezed the attacking space very narrow.
At the critical moment, Wang Feng stretched out his right foot to stop the ball and slightly pushed it away from himself, just between him and Canella.
Then he shook off the defender behind and went after the ball. Canella also moved forward to press, but the Chinese superstar was obviously faster, reaching the ball first.
Seen him rotating his body 180 degrees, shooting with his left foot fiercely, "Bang!" A black shadow soared into the air, originally, Marchena and Miguel wanted to enclose from left and right, so they were slightly apart, and the ball passed through them perfectly.
Valencia's goalkeeper, Canizares, who performed bravely throughout the match, finally couldn't do anything. He never thought that the Chinese superstar could kick the ball out in a triple marking situation and hit the center of the goal frame.
1-1! After scoring, Wang Feng did not celebrate, but rushed to retrieve the ball from the net and ran to the center line, signaling his teammates to get back in position and pressuring the referee to restart the game quickly.
But there was too little time left! Valencia, in order to delay the game, even didn't hesitate to receive four yellow cards, and central defender Fernandez was sent off with a red card for fouling Wang Feng multiple times.
They ultimately held onto the victory, with an aggregate score of 3-2 over two legs, the Bat Corps defeated the Galaxy Battleship, advancing to the King's Cup final!
"It's really a pity, Coach Zhang, how do you see the result of this game?" After the final whistle, the live broadcast did not end immediately. According to convention, the two commentators would briefly summarize the game, so Huang Lu asked.
"It's indeed a pity. In the two-leg series, Real Madrid actually had the advantage in strength, but on one hand, they were a bit anxious, and on the other hand, luck was not on their side, so they were eliminated."
"But the goal scored by Wang Feng in the last moments today was really beautiful. It's very difficult to turn and shoot in a limited space, highlighting his unparalleled body coordination and control."
"After the ball went into the net, I saw the confusion on the faces of the three Valencia defenders and the goalkeeper. They couldn't understand why Wang Feng could shoot in that state."
"And I noticed that the spirit of Real Madrid has changed. They fought for the cup until the last moment, which is hard to imagine for a lazy giant team. Just two years ago, they missed out on the league title and were frequently stopped in the Champions League round of 16."
"Yeah, now the Galaxy Battleship has been deeply marked by Wang Feng, and his indomitable spirit also influences all the players. A good leader's contribution to the team will be very significant."
"Fans don't need to be regretful. The league and the Champions League are the main events for Real Madrid. Whether they can achieve a double defense will be the most suspenseful thing in European football next."
"Right, Wang Feng once led Inter Milan to defend the Champions League title, becoming the first club to successfully defend the Champions League since its restructuring. So, we shouldn't underestimate the importance of the King's Cup to Real Madrid now."
"As for the King's Cup, we can only say that the timing with it and the current Real Madrid is not right, but I believe the team will come back strong next year and strive for it again!"
"Thank you all for watching this year's live broadcast. I'm Zhang Jun, I'm Huang Lu. Let's meet again next time. Thank you!"
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