Chapter 425: Wave of goals
November 9th, La Liga's 10th round, the Galactic Battleship hosted Malaga at home. The last time the visiting team won against Real Madrid was way back in 1983. Head coach Schuster decided to rotate some key players for rest. Pepe, Sneijder, and Robben were placed on the bench, with De la Red, Guti, and Higuain starting.
But no one expected the visiting team to take the lead. In the 6th minute, Malaga defender Eliseu dribbled past Marcelo and Ramos, then cut in from the right side and passed back. Although Gago barely cleared the ball in the box, it rebounded off the post back into play. Eliseu followed up before Casillas, tapping the ball into the net, 0-1!
Real Madrid's misery didn't end there. In the 11th minute, Duda's cross hit Ramos' hand unintentionally during a duel for the ball in the air. The referee promptly stopped the game and awarded a penalty to the away team, also showing Ramos a yellow card. "It's simply an unfortunate incident," the commentator remarked, "From the replay, Ramos didn't extend his arm intentionally, but the team did benefit, and the penalty call is justifiable."
"Now, who will take the penalty for Malaga? Oh, it's number 12, forward Adrian. This 20-year-old talent, loaned from Deportivo La Coruna, has contributed 2 goals this season, showing great efficiency."
"The referee blows his whistle, and it's a shot! The ball's in! It goes past Casillas under his body into the net, although Saint Iker guessed the direction correctly, he couldn't stop the goal."
"So, the score on the field is now 0-2, with the Galactic Battleship trailing by two goals at home, which is quite rare. What will be the next development in this game?"
Real Madrid was indeed thrown into some chaos after conceding two goals in the opening minutes. However, they quickly adjusted their mentality to control the situation, as their key players had yet to make an impact.
In the 16th minute, Guti sent a direct pass into the box, and Wang Feng received the ball with his back against the goal. This showed that the young Spanish defender Gámez had put in a lot of effort to prevent the Chinese superstar from turning and threatening the goal. With other Malaga defenders closing in, Wang Feng cleverly used his right heel to knock the ball, with an upward force.
The ball soared into the air, passing through Gámez's legs, heading straight towards the goal from below the crossbar. Malaga goalkeeper Arnau couldn't make any save as he watched it enter the net from beneath the crossbar.
"Goaaaaaaaaaaaaal! The ball's in! A fantastic backheel shot by Wang Feng!"
"Wang Feng pulls one back for the Galactic Battleship, proving that any part of his body can be a weapon for shooting, even with his back to the goal!"
This goal completely sounded the horn of the home team's attack. In the 20th minute, Guti's long shot from outside the box was saved by Arnau. Three minutes later, Marcelo passed diagonally, and Wang Feng picked out Higuain in the box, whose header was cleared for a corner.
In the 26th minute, De la Red's left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area slid wide. Two minutes later, Gago lofted the ball into the box from outside the area, and Wang Feng's right-footed volley narrowly missed the crossbar.
Then, in the 40th minute, the Galactic Battleship's pressure paid off again. Guti crossed from the flank, and while Malaga defender Rosario could have cleared the ball first, he made a mistake. Wang Feng followed up at the far post to push the ball into the net, 2-2! Real Madrid finally leveled the score!
In the second half, the home team continued their relentless attacks. In the 55th minute, the Galactic Battleship tore open Malaga's defense through successive passes. Wang Feng dribbled into the box, and Wellington from the side collided with great force.
The Chinese superstar lost his balance and fell to the ground, but before falling, he swept the ball to the right with his right foot. The ball quickly rolled towards the goal, hitting the inside of the post and bouncing into the net, 3-2! Even fouls couldn't stop Wang Feng's goal-scoring pace!
In the 71st minute, Wang Feng received Guti's pass at the top of the penalty area, then sidestepped with his left foot and unleashed a powerful shot. The ball flew past Arnau's outstretched hand into the net, 4-2! Wang Feng completed a fantastic quadruple!
This goal helped Real Madrid secure victory decisively. When the referee blew the final whistle, the score remained unchanged.
The Galactic Battleship suffered defeat and then rose with a wave of goals. Next door, Barcelona was equally unstoppable, sweeping Real Valladolid 6-0. Forward Eto'o also scored four goals, and he did so in just 35 minutes.
This victory was attributed to Valladolid's "active cooperation," as they adopted an attacking strategy at Camp Nou, leaving ample space for Barcelona's forwards to counter-attack. Messi also performed exceptionally well, orchestrating numerous attacks with his gifted ball control. While he didn't directly score, his 17 successful dribbles led to three goals.
Another core player upfront, Henry, contributed with a goal and an assist, showing his integration into Barcelona's overall atmosphere and style of play after continuous coaching adjustments by head coach Guardiola.
At the same time, Guardiola learned from Rijkaard and last season's failures, managing the team more strictly, even somewhat ruthlessly.
In a post-match interview, he stated that the team's big win didn't mean anything and was rather "deceptive." "We still have many areas that are not perfect. More importantly, our biggest enemy has been trailing us and hasn't fallen behind. Before facing them in a century-long confrontation, the team must adjust to its best state."
The goal wave wasn't limited to the two giants but swept across the entire La Liga. In the background of attacking football prevailing, the total number of goals in the last two La Liga rounds reached 69, with an average of 2.76 goals per game, making it the highest-scoring league in Europe.
This number indicates the high excitement level of La Liga, attracting more fans to watch games live, providing the most goals for the least money. Why not?
According to authoritative media statistics, La Liga's overall attendance rate has exceeded 80%. Now, amidst the raging financial crisis, they have successfully surpassed the Premier League to become the most popular league in Europe.
Although TV broadcast revenues are not as high as the Premier League, the La Liga alliance is actively seeking reform, mainly by expanding broadcasting markets.
Three days after the Malaga match, the Galactic Battleship welcomed the Royal Federation for the second leg of the fourth round of the Spanish King's Cup, playing at home. As they had won the first leg easily, all key players, including Wang Feng, rested.
During the game, Casanovas and García scored one goal each for the home team, and the final score settled at 2-0. With a total score of 5-0 over two legs, Real Madrid successfully eliminated their opponents and advanced to the next round. Their next opponent in the cup will be Real Betis.
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