Chapter 403: Quick attack and stalemate
Upon seeing Cristiano Ronaldo again, his expression seemed to have lost some of its arrogance from last season, replaced by a sense of composure. When he met Wang Feng's gaze, there was no hint of hostility, and he even smiled in acknowledgment.
However, the Chinese superstar could still discern a strong fighting spirit and intense desire for victory in Ronaldo's eyes. He remained the same Portuguese, never giving up and always striving.
Manchester United's lineup tonight remained the formidable attacking 4-3-3 formation, with goalkeeper Van der Sar.
In defense were Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, and Evra.
In midfield, Carrick, Scholes, and Gary Neville.
Upfront were Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez.
Numerous coaches had devised various tactical strategies to counter Wang Feng in the past, such as isolation or fouling tactics, but none had been very effective. Therefore, Ferguson believed it was best to stick to the team's best rhythm. As long as they controlled the situation on the field, their chances of victory would increase.
Guti lost the coin toss to Neville, so Manchester United gained the initial attacking opportunity. Ronaldo and Tevez walked into the center circle, with the eyes of eighty thousand fans and media cameras from around the world focused on them.
The main referee's whistle sounded, and the match officially began! Accompanied by thunderous applause, Ronaldo made the first touch of the game.
Soon after, the Red Devils launched their first attack. Carrick dribbled into the frontcourt and attempted a through pass to find Ronaldo. Unfortunately, the ball rolled too quickly, and despite Ronaldo's full sprint, he couldn't catch up, and the ball went out of play, causing him to slip.
Ronaldo got up in frustration, dusted himself off, all of which was observed by Wang Feng. Indeed, Manchester United hadn't fully adapted to the environment, limiting Ronaldo's explosiveness to some extent.
Casillas put the ball on the edge of the six-yard box, urging everyone forward. He then kicked it to the midfield, where Guti jumped up to head it back to Reyes.
The Spanish midfielder then passed it to Sneijder, who in turn passed it to Wang Feng just outside the penalty arc. At this moment, the Chinese superstar had his back to the goal, with Ferdinand and Vidic rushing to close him down.
Vidic gave Wang Feng a strong shove and simultaneously extended his right foot to disrupt the ball, causing Wang Feng to lose balance and fall forward due to the collision and the hooking force.
Knowing he couldn't just wait for the referee's whistle, Wang Feng understood the situation. It could be considered either a charging foul or legitimate competition.
So he instantly pushed himself backward with both hands and feet as he fell, propelling his head forward to make contact with the ball and pass it back to Sneijder nearby.
Ferdinand and Vidic subconsciously thought that the fallen Wang Feng posed no threat, so they focused mostly on the ball. After Sneijder received the ball, he kicked it diagonally to the flank to Robben.
Robben received the ball and immediately launched a cross into the penalty area. Manchester United defenders were puzzled; there shouldn't be any attacking players in the box. Who was he aiming for with the cross?
Soon, they found out the answer. A figure swiftly ran to the landing spot, and with both legs suspended in the air, he fiercely struck the ball with his right foot. The moment he made contact, Wang Feng felt confident!
Sure enough, the ball rushed towards the top right corner of the goal like lightning, crossing the goal line without any obstruction, hitting the net before falling down after a moment.
"goooooooooooooooooooal! The ball is in! Less than two minutes into the game, Real Madrid takes the lead!"
"From Wang Feng's side volley, it's fantastic! His first shot breaks through Manchester United's defense."
"Let's review the entire attack process. When the Chinese superstar received the ball in the frontcourt, he was knocked down by the defending player, but he didn't give up. Instead, he leaped up and headed the ball back to his teammate."
"While the opponents' attention was focused on the ball, he quickly got up and rushed into the penalty area. His coordination with Robben in the frontcourt was impeccable."
"The final shot was simply incomparable, a leap followed by a side volley. His powerful waist and leg strength supported him in making this shot, making it unstoppable."
This spectacular goal instantly ignited the atmosphere inside the Luzhniki Stadium. Real Madrid fans erupted into thunderous cheers, while Manchester United fans couldn't help but gasp in disbelief. Losing a goal so early, can the Red Devils really compete with the Galacticos?
Ferguson stood solemnly on the sidelines, unable to understand why his team conceded so early. He kept replaying the scene of the goal in his mind. Perhaps there was a loophole in Manchester United's defense when Wang Feng fell.
This is a problem in the players' mentality! Firstly, they were worried that the referee would penalize them for defensive fouls. Secondly, with Wang Feng on the ground, they naturally focused their attention on regaining possession of the ball. It was precisely during this fleeting moment that the Chinese superstar accurately seized the opportunity and converted it into a goal.
"Don't worry, it's just the beginning." He silently said in his heart, then turned and walked back to the coaching bench, sitting down slowly, his face returning to calmness.
The Red Devils players, who were initially at a loss, felt a sense of calm seeing Ferguson sit back calmly. The respected and authoritative head coach sometimes indeed gave the players on the field the confidence they needed.
After the restart, they quickly found their attacking rhythm again. Ronaldo and Rooney seemed like two sharp knives, repeatedly attempting to penetrate Real Madrid's defense.
If it weren't for Schuster's foresight in deploying heavy troops in the midfield to block Manchester United's link-up play, the Galacticos would have been in a disadvantageous position long ago.
In the 11th minute, the Red Devils created an excellent opportunity. Scholes broke through the midfield and sent a long pass to Ronaldo on the flank. Instead of immediately crossing into the penalty area, the Portuguese dribbled inward, using his speed to bypass Ashley Cole.
After finding space, Ronaldo shot without hesitation, sending the ball in an arc towards the far corner of the goal. Fortunately, it was slightly high and flew out of bounds from the top of the crossbar.
Two minutes later, they came back again. Ronaldo and Tevez on the left flank engaged in a wall-pass combination. The former carried the ball to the baseline and then passed low to the back post of the penalty area, where Rooney resisted Ramos' challenge and attempted a volley.
At this moment, Casillas was guarding the near post, focusing on Ronaldo's potential shot, paying little attention to the distant English forward. However, Rooney still failed to score, hitting the crossbar after the ball flew too high.
Pepe timely stepped forward to clear the danger for the Galacticos, and sighs emanated from the stands. Many couldn't understand how Rooney could miss what seemed like a guaranteed opportunity.
In fact, Ramos' defense caused significant disruption for him. The English forward neither struck the ball accurately nor applied the appropriate force, leading to him missing what appeared to be a sure chance.
The Galacticos weren't just sitting back either. In the 22nd minute, Sneijder intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Wang Feng on the right flank, who then launched a quick attack.
With brilliant dribbling and acceleration, the Chinese superstar shook off Neville and charged down the flank. Facing Evra blocking his path on the left side, he feigned a move to cut inside but instead flicked the ball backward with his heel.
The ball found Reyes in front, who then passed it horizontally into the penalty area. Robben, who had moved up from the backline, attempted a shot, but it lacked power and was easily collected by Manchester United's goalkeeper, Van der Sar.
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