Chapter 423: Slobber
"These journalists are just trying to stir up trouble." Wang Feng sighed lightly as he put down the newspaper, then walked over to his daughter and lifted her up, playing with her. His daughter, Si Yao, giggled, instantly easing his mood.
Lu Yao smiled watching the interaction between father and daughter and comforted, "They just want to shake the team's morale. If you get angry, you'll fall into their trap."
"But Sneijder did go too far this time. Fortunately, my husband isn't like that." Wang Feng walked over to Lu Yao with the child in his arms, teasing her by touching her nose. "Of course not, I am an exceptional man, haha."
The two exchanged some private words. With family members and professional caregivers looking after them, Lu Yao's recovery was very fast. She snuggled into Wang Feng's arms curiously and asked, "Can't Sneijder and Van der Vaart coexist?"
"From my experience of working with them, they do have differences. Sneijder is more versatile and feels like he can replace Van der Vaart, but not vice versa."
"In terms of the team's strength, I prefer Sneijder to play. The other one can only be a substitute and probably won't stay at the club for long." Wang Feng said.
In fact, he still had another worry in his heart, that Van der Vaart's excessive concern about competing with Sneijder would affect his performance on the field.
His worry proved to be valid. In the seventh round of La Liga, the Galaxy battleship faced a tough challenge away against Atletico Madrid, who showed fierce determination.
In contrast, Real Madrid, with the Dutch midfielder who had secured a starting position, tried to prove himself by frequently pushing forward, deviating from the tactics set by the head coach. This made Robben and Wang Feng feel uncomfortable, and they struggled to pose a substantial threat.
In the first half, Atletico Madrid seized a counterattack opportunity, with Aguero successfully breaking the deadlock. It wasn't until the 79th minute of the second half that the Galaxy battleship managed to equalize.
It was when Wang Feng dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball, dribbled past two defenders along the right flank, and then made a back pass to the edge of the small penalty area. Raul, who was advancing, sent a low shot towards the lower right corner of the goal.
Unfortunately, despite the goalkeeper's extraordinary efforts, he couldn't stop the shot, and the ball found the net. 1-1! Real Madrid struggled to equalize!
This score remained until the end of the match. Although Atletico Madrid failed to stop Barcelona's winning streak, they successfully snatched a draw against their city rivals Real Madrid. Additionally, with Barcelona's continued strong performance this round, defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0, the gap between the Galaxy battleship and the top widened to 2 points.
After the match, Schuster pulled Van der Vaart aside with a grim face. He still gave the Dutchman face and didn't scold him in front of all the players but chose to communicate with him privately.
The media's response to this match was mixed. Naturally, Catalonia was delighted, and even though Van der Vaart had the lowest score in the match, they still instigated that the Dutchman was completely fine and should seize the opportunity to replace Sneijder.
Madrid media, led by Marca, expressed that the players' mentality imbalance led to unfavorable results in the match. The club should arrange for counseling work as soon as possible, while also criticizing the behavior of media outlets such as Marca for inciting trouble.
"Barcelona's dressing room isn't all smooth sailing either. Henry doesn't like playing on the wings, and Eto'o has been wanting recognition and a raise from the club but hasn't received a response."
Indeed, that was the case, and Eto'o's problem was more severe. He had no sense of belonging in Catalonia, feeling like a mercenary, and, more importantly, he felt he wasn't being paid enough.
Barcelona's top management naturally knew this, and President Laporta personally came forward to appease the Cameroonian, saying his demands were negotiable. At the same time, in the media, he strongly refuted Marca's claims: "Samuel is an important partner of the team. We're not as ruthless as Real Madrid. Catalonia is the home of all players."
Marca, of course, was very dissatisfied, bringing up examples of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho to counter, sparking a media war between the two sides, attracting the attention of the entire European football community.
Amidst the noise, Wang Feng boarded the plane back to his country. It was again time for the national team matches in two weeks, and the AFC World Cup qualifiers reignited. China would challenge Australia away.
In the first half, the Chinese team seized the opportunity to launch a quick counterattack. Wang Feng dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, drawing defensive attention, and then made a diagonal pass to Dong Fangzhuo's feet, who shot low before the defenders arrived.
The ball passed between the goalkeeper's legs and went straight into the bottom left corner of the goal, 1-0!
At the beginning of the second half, Australia launched a wave of attacks, catching the Chinese team off guard and equalizing the score.
In the 86th minute, Wang Feng received a pass on the flank and chose to cut inside. He successfully dribbled past the home team defender, but was brought down by him in the penalty area. The referee didn't hesitate to award a penalty and a red card.
The Chinese superstar took the penalty himself and scored, helping the team secure a crucial victory with a final score of 2-1.
After this match, with 2 wins and 1 draw, they accumulated 7 points, temporarily ranking second in the standings. The top spot was held by Japan, who won all three matches, with 9 points. Australia, with 2 wins and 1 loss, had 6 points, ranking third. Uzbekistan and Bahrain almost lost their chances of qualifying.
As the players gradually returned from the national team, they were greeted with the UEFA Champions League group stage third-round match, away against Juventus.
Returning to the Alpine Stadium after nearly three years, Wang Feng's mood was very complicated. He had created glory here but also suffered setbacks. Until today, he still remembered that inexplicable red card and the missed championship.
The home fans clearly remembered him too, with many displaying banners expressing unwelcome sentiments towards Wang Feng. Even though written in Italian, they believed the Chinese superstar could understand.
It took Juventus only two years to return from Serie B to the UEFA Champions League. On the one hand, it was due to ample funds and timely replenishment of fresh blood, while on the other hand, veterans like Buffon, Nedved, and Trezeguet chose not to leave. Their perseverance allowed the team to quickly rebuild successfully.
The overall fatigue of the Real Madrid players made them appear somewhat out of form during the match. After Aquilani opened the scoring for the home team, Trezeguet quickly extended the lead.
In the 78th minute of the second half, Wang Feng dropped back to midfield to defend. He suddenly pressed forward and snatched the ball from Camoranesi's feet, then started a rapid counterattack.
Although Nedved was desperately chasing beside him, the distance between them kept increasing. Facing Zebina blocking his path, the Chinese superstar made another slalom with his right foot, swerving past and advancing towards the front.
After catching up to the ball, Wang Feng smoothly cut inside, forming a one-on-one situation against Buffon who came out of the goal. He easily dodged the goalkeeper's charge and then shot into the empty net, pulling one back for the away team.
When the final whistle blew, the score remained at 1-2. Juventus won this match, and Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the season.
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