Chapter 399: Derby
When Manchester United returned from Barcelona to Manchester, hundreds of Red Devils fans had already gathered at the international airport exit, along with a dozen media outlets that had come specifically for interviews, eagerly awaiting the players' emergence.
Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in people's sight wearing a dark blue suit, complemented by carefully groomed hair, looking very stylish and immediately causing waves of cheers from female fans.
He was undoubtedly the center of attention, as in the just-ended second leg of the Champions League semi-final yesterday, thanks to Ronaldo's curling free kick goal, the Red Devils eventually defeated Barcelona 1-0, advancing to the Champions League final! With 30 goals in the league and 9 goals in the Champions League, such a performance was enough to make him highly sought after, especially surpassing Messi to become the number one below Wang Feng.
Yes, below Wang Feng, because the Chinese superstar scored 46 goals in the league this season and 16 goals in the Champions League, fully suppressing the Portuguese superstar.
Every time he thought of this, Ronaldo felt his teeth clenching. Since Real Madrid also made it to the Champions League final, he would never miss the chance for a comeback this time!
So when interviewed by reporters, he expressed his ambition without hesitation: "Both the team and I are fully prepared, this time we are going for the Champions League title!"
But when someone mentioned last year's elimination of Manchester United by Real Madrid, especially Ronaldo's complete defeat against Wang Feng, the Portuguese showed obvious displeasure. "I don't think past losses mean anything. Every year, teams and players undergo significant changes."
"The past regrets cannot deter us; they will only make everyone more determined!"
Back to the league, on May 5th, in the 35th round of La Liga, Real Madrid welcomed Osasuna at home. The coaching staff, who had temporarily relaxed, focused their energy on the league. If they could secure the championship early, it would be very advantageous for the upcoming Champions League competition. Therefore, Schuster still deployed some main players to face the match.
The game was under control of the Galacticos. In the 19th minute, Robben broke through on the wing and sent a lob pass to the penalty area. Wang Feng, stationed at the near post, leaped out to shake off the defense and successfully headed the ball into Osasuna's net.
In the 37th minute, Real Madrid won a corner kick. Sneijder floated the ball into the penalty area, and Osasuna defender Iskierdo headed it out of danger, Ramos stopped the ball outside the penalty area.
He observed the position of his teammates and then sent a diagonal pass to Wang Feng, who ran out from the heart of the penalty area to receive it. The Chinese superstar, with his back to the goal, suddenly turned 180 degrees and shot.
The ball, like a bullet, flew fast and fiercely towards the goal, making a slight arc in the air. It then entered the net from the top right corner, leaving Osasuna goalkeeper Elia with no chance but to watch it go in.
2:0! Wang Feng scored another brace! So far, the Chinese superstar has scored braces 11 times in the league and hat-tricks 6 times.
With Wang Feng's brilliant performance, the Galacticos secured a crucial victory in the title race.
On May 8th, in the 36th round of La Liga, Real Madrid traveled to Barcelona for the El Clásico. Although Barcelona had lost the chance to compete for the league title, the El Clásico still attracted a lot of attention.
Not only because it showcased high-quality football, but also because the result still affected the destiny of the La Liga championship! Earlier, Villarreal drew 1-1 with Atletico Madrid, leaving them 5 points behind Real Madrid with one more round to go.
And Real Madrid still had 3 rounds of the league left, meaning that as long as they won or drew against Barcelona in this round, the gap with Villarreal would widen to 6 points or more.
In terms of goal difference, Real Madrid far surpassed Villarreal, so the team could sit on the throne of the league champions two rounds in advance.
To win the title at the Camp Nou, what could be more exhilarating for the entire Galacticos team? This approach was simply killing two birds with one stone!
Amidst the deafening boos from the Camp Nou fans, the El Clásico slowly began.
Barcelona started off very aggressively, determined not to let Real Madrid take the crown at their home ground. With their poor performance this season, losing out in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, letting their arch-rivals succeed would be a major blow to their pride.
In the 11th minute, Xavi passed the ball to Iniesta on the wing, who then passed it to Messi breaking into the penalty area. The Spanish star forcibly broke through into the penalty area and then shot fiercely to open the scoring for the home team, 1:0!
The hearts of Barcelona fans finally settled down. "Messi! Messi!" Cheers and applause filled the air. Since Ronaldinho's departure, the Argentine had quickly won the hearts of almost all Catalans.
On the sidelines, Guardiola knew that they could not relax until the last moment against Real Madrid, so he continued to loudly command the players, urging them to give it their all.
The home team quickly got another chance. In the 34th minute, after a midfield interception by Iniesta, he quickly pushed forward and then passed to Henry, who was advancing from the wing. The Frenchman dribbled past Ramos and cut into the penalty area.
At this moment, the focus of Real Madrid's defense in the penalty area was all on Messi, but Henry directly shot into the far corner at a tight angle. The ball drew a beautiful arc in the air and flew straight into the top left corner of the goal, 2:0, Barcelona extended their lead! With this goal, Henry announced to the world that he was still a top striker in European football!
Being two goals down had once made the Galacticos players very frustrated, but at halftime, Wang Feng comforted them: "Why are you all so gloomy? This game isn't that important for us. Even if we lose, it will hardly affect our championship aspirations."
"But for Barcelona, it's almost a matter of life and death. They can't afford to lose! So we just need to maintain a positive attitude and play to our full potential."
Coach Schuster also fully agreed with Wang Feng's words. Although winning the title early would give them more time to prepare for the Champions League final, the mental state of the players was more important. There was no need to be dejected over an ordinary game.
So in the second half, Real Madrid played very calmly, while the entire Barcelona team felt the pressure, always feeling that their lead was not enough because of Wang Feng's threat.
The more anxious they became, the more likely they were to make mistakes. In the 69th minute, Wang Feng suddenly approached Marcos during a casual stroll on the field, forcing him to make a mistake in passing, and the Chinese superstar successfully stole the ball.
When he reached the top of the arc, he shot without waiting for other Barcelona players to converge. The ball flew straight towards the top left corner of the goal, slipping into the net before Valdés could save it, 1:2! Real Madrid pulled one back!
Just 7 minutes later, Real Madrid launched a counterattack after winning the ball in the midfield. Sneijder shook off the defense near the center circle and sent a through pass to the Barcelona penalty area.
Wang Feng, like a lightning bolt, burst out of the defensive crowd, successfully offside, and entered the penalty area. With a wide swing, he bypassed the goalkeeper and easily tapped the ball into the empty net.
"Goooooooooooal! The ball is in! It's Wang Feng again! A great goal, Real Madrid equalizes!"
"The Chinese superstar has once again scored a brace, increasing his league goal tally to 50 this season, equaling the record he set last season!"
"More importantly, with this goal, Real Madrid will secure a valuable point, thus winning the league championship two rounds in advance!"
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