Chapter 392: The storm is coming
The other three teams that made it to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals are Barcelona, Manchester United, and Liverpool. Real Madrid's next opponent will be their old friend Liverpool, who they snatched the Champions League trophy from last year in the miracle night in Athens.
"Experiencing the night of shameful reversal and the controversial premature celebration scandal, Benitez leads Liverpool once again to challenge the Champions League final and title, but before them stands the Galacticos, the mountain." This is how British Sky Sports reported.
"Whether Liverpool can redeem themselves, overcome the fate that has repeatedly hindered them by facing Real Madrid, will be one of the biggest highlights of this round of the series."
As two teams at the center of public opinion, their attitudes towards the media are completely different. The entire Liverpool team declined all interviews, "We need to focus on preparing fully, everything can wait until after the game," said Benitez.
The Spanish coach knows the nature of the media; they will surely seize on last year's defeat and keep bringing it up, letting the "champagne at halftime" incident ferment again, severely affecting the players' mentality.
On the other hand, he himself said sternly to the team, "Guys, last year we became the laughingstock of the world, but fate has given us another chance. It's time to return this shame to Real Madrid!"
Players led by Gerrard expressed indignation one after another, vowing not to give the opponents any chance and to regain the trophy that rightfully belongs to them.
The Galacticos did not shy away from questions about the semi-finals. Head coach Schuster admitted, "Liverpool is undoubtedly always a top-tier team, especially in cup competitions, they have always performed well."
"Last season's Champions League final victory had an element of luck, of course, but it was also closely related to the players' indomitable spirit. So, we will also go all out in this series and not dwell on past achievements."
Wang Feng also expressed his respect and attention to Liverpool, "They are one of the opponents that left the deepest impression on me, always aggressive on the field, we hardly have any advantage, always in difficulty."
"But I believe in my teammates, believe in the comrades standing beside me. We are stronger than last year, so defending the Champions League title is a great goal that must be achieved."
Apart from this rematch with the old rivals, another Champions League semi-final also promises excitement, the first encounter between Messi and Ronaldo, the two new-generation stars, in such an important occasion.
The media naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity for hype, all stating that only the winner among them would deserve the chance to challenge Wang Feng.
"These media really dare to say!" Ronaldo exclaimed indignantly, throwing his phone aside. "Why should Messi be compared to me? He only won the La Liga title relying on Ronaldinho; his team can't even hold onto second place in the league now!"
On the sidelines, assistant coach Sayers consoled, "Ronnie, these are just media tactics, and UEFA officials will also fan the flames to increase the excitement of the match."
Ronaldo understood this truth well, but Messi not only has his coveted European Golden Boy award, but also surpassed him in last year's Ballon d'Or, all of which made him quite unhappy.
"I will make him understand the cruelty of football!"
At the Barcelona training base, the players were also discussing the media's so-called "new-generation duo" reports. "Isn't Cristiano the player who used to dive and show off?" Iniesta said mockingly.
"No, that was the situation when he just joined Manchester United a few years ago. Now, under Ferguson's guidance, Ronaldo has upgraded comprehensively. Both his explosiveness and impact have reached a whole new level. He will become a major threat to our defense," said Puyol with a serious expression.
"Thierry, you've faced him directly several times. What do you say?" Henry nodded and said in somewhat fluent Spanish, "Cristiano's attacking skills are really comprehensive. Speed, dribbling, free kicks, headers, all at the top level."
"And his scoring rate is very high, he also has a sharp sense of goal, since he changed his flashy personality, he has become more and more efficient. When I left, he had already grown into the Premier League's top scorer."
Messi remained silent. Although his status in the team was increasing day by day, he still rarely expressed himself. On one hand, it was due to his personality, and on the other hand, he was gradually adapting to the changing roles.
But there was also a sense of eagerness in his eyes, defeating Wang Feng was his ultimate goal, and before that, he had to make sure he didn't lose to anyone else.
Among various attention-grabbing news, there were two major events in European football that caused quite a stir. The first was after Chelsea's elimination, head coach Grant was unilaterally announced by the club to be dismissed, and the assistant coach would take charge of the remaining league matches.
Grant, in an interview, lashed out at club chairman Abramovich, "He is an autocratic person who did not give the club's head coach the respect he deserved."
Many coaches also came out in support of Grant; Chelsea's actions were indeed somewhat hurtful, deeply affected by Abramovich's "poisoning". Mourinho, currently idle at home, smirked at reporters, "Abramovich has ruined Chelsea single-handedly!"
While ordinary people were watching with interest, they could only sigh at Wang Feng's "coach killer" attribute once again, another top coach fell after contending with him.
However, soon some Portuguese fans couldn't remain indifferent. The British Daily Telegraph revealed that Chelsea's favored new head coach is the current Portuguese national team coach Scolari, and the two sides are almost in agreement!
Before the start of the European Championship, the coach is already thinking about leaving. It can be expected how much morale blow this will cause to the team.
On April 14th, in the 32nd round of La Liga, the Galacticos faced Murcia away, with "workhorse" Wang Feng leading the bench lineup.
In the 21st minute of the first half, Gago sent a through ball to the right side of the penalty area, Soldado swiftly inserted near the baseline and crossed, the Chinese superstar in the penalty area managed to shoot amidst defensive interference, scoring 1-0!
Just before halftime, Soldado dribbled past on the flank again, Wang Feng stopped the ball near the near post, then cut into the penalty area and scored with a low shot into the far corner, completing a brace, 2-0!
As a relegation favorite, Murcia was clearly no match for the Galacticos. Their biggest star was still Real Madrid's former player Mesia. Although the Spaniards tried their best to prove themselves, the overall strength of the team was ultimately insufficient.
After Wang Feng clocked out at halftime, Real Madrid scored another goal in the 77th minute through Cassano, ending the match with a predicted 3-0 victory for the Galacticos.
On April 21st, in the 33rd round of La Liga, the Galacticos faced Atletico Madrid at home. The visiting team had just experienced a fierce battle in the Copa del Rey final, losing 1-3 to Valencia and failing to lift the trophy.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, rested some key players due to the midweek Champions League semi-final, with Wang Feng and others sitting on the bench. A tired opponent against a substitute lineup resulted in a very dull match, ending in a 0-0 draw.
After this match, the entire Real Madrid team headed to Liverpool; a new storm was about to come.
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