Chapter 445: Temperature difference
The national team's place in the World Cup finals has been secured, and the big burden in Wang Feng's heart has finally been lifted. He returned to the club to focus on preparing for the upcoming crucial battles.
Due to the Champions League quarter-final first leg midweek, coupled with the general fatigue of players returning from the national team, Real Madrid's head coach Schuster rotated almost all the main players for the 29th round of La Liga when they challenged Malaga away.
Malaga finished third in the Spanish second division last season, but they have performed exceptionally well after promotion to the top flight this season, currently sitting 8th in the standings, ahead of many traditional mid-table teams.
Therefore, they caused a lot of trouble for Real Madrid, not only limiting the performance of attacking players through tight defense but also scoring the only goal of the game through a quick counterattack, resulting in a 0-1 defeat for the away team.
In another league match, Barcelona also drew 1-1 with the relegation-threatened team Real Valladolid due to poor player form, resulting in both La Liga giants encountering setbacks.
At this stage of the league, Real Madrid ranked first with 24 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, and 75 points, while Barcelona ranked second with 23 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses, and 73 points.
Both teams have achieved historical highs in terms of performance and points, far ahead of third-placed Sevilla, who have only 16 wins, 6 draws, 7 losses, and 54 points.
"No matter which team wins the final victory, the other team should become the highest-scoring runner-up in La Liga history," Spain's "Marca" commented.
Arsenal is a football club located in the Islington community in north London. It is also one of the oldest clubs in the Premier League. In the Emirates Stadium, which can accommodate 60,000 people, the Real Madrid team felt the passion of the Gunners fans.
They unfolded huge team flags, waved team scarves and banners, and continuously cheered from the warm-up of both sides.
Head coach Wenger has been coaching Arsenal since 1996. His style can be summed up as emphasizing ball control and rhythm, focusing on collective cooperation while not strictly limiting players' space for expression. Whether it's short passes, long passes, or wing breakthroughs, as long as the game is kept smooth, it's all good.
Therefore, under the guidance of the Frenchman, Arsenal's games are always very watchable, and it's easy to play artistic offensive cooperation, posing a threat to opponents.
There is a very interesting joke about Wenger, which is that he always almost signs world-renowned top players, jokingly referred to as the "Wenger sign", such as Drogba, Buffon, Ibrahimovic, Yaya Toure, and even Ronaldo and Messi have had the opportunity to join the Gunners.
Wenger once said in an interview that Drogba caught his eye when he played for Le Mans, but unfortunately, Chelsea beat them to it. Buffon, during his time at Parma, even had dinner with him, but Juventus intercepted and signed the Italian goalkeeper for an astonishing fee.
He also took Ronaldo to visit Arsenal's training ground and gave him a Gunners jersey with his name on it, but unfortunately, the club did not reach an agreement on the transfer fee. When discussing Fabregas's transfer with Barcelona, he also inquired about Messi, but at that time, the Argentine preferred to stay in Spain.
In fact, these incidents indirectly show the Frenchman's keen insight. Unfortunately, Arsenal is not a club that splurges money. They always budget carefully, so they often find themselves at a disadvantage in player acquisition battles.
In this game, Wenger, as always, adhered to his cooperative style and fielded a 4-5-1 starting lineup with goalkeeper Almunia.
Defenders Sagna, Gallas, Silvestre, and Clichy.
Midfielders Walcott, Fabregas, Denilson, Diaby, and Nasri.
Forward Bendtner.
After the start of the game, Arsenal, playing at home, quickly gained more possession of the ball, while Real Madrid solidified their defense as instructed before the game and sought opportunities for quick counterattacks.
In the first ten minutes, the home team contributed several high-quality attacks. Fabregas was the most active player for the Gunners. Although he played in midfield, he often posed a threat by penetrating into the Galaxy Battleship's penalty area.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, relied on Wang Feng to plan counterattacks into Arsenal's penalty area. Unfortunately, the Chinese superstar's shot was saved by goalkeeper Almunia, marking their first shot opportunity of the game.
In the 31st minute, Fabregas once again broke into the frontcourt. His passing combination with Bendtner was intercepted midway by Diarra, who immediately passed the ball to Gago, who then gave it to Sneijder.
The Dutchman swiftly dribbled the ball through the midfield, with Robben and Wang Feng respectively running up the wings. Arsenal's defense also moved quickly, especially the offender Fabregas.
Sneijder seized the opportunity to send a low pass, and the ball seemed to curve to the right as it rolled forward, almost as if it deliberately bypassed Walcott and reached Robben's feet from the perspective of the stands.
Seeing the Dutch center-back pass the ball to the right, Wang Feng immediately moved diagonally towards the center of the field, while Robben did not hesitate at all and immediately sent a cross.
The Chinese superstar performed a back header in the penalty area, forcefully directing the ball towards the bottom left corner of the goal. Although Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia made a save, the ball still bounced into the net, breaking the deadlock!
"Goooooooooooooal! The Galaxy Battleship opens the home team's goal with a rapid counterattack! Wang Feng scores the first goal for the team!"
"This goal fully demonstrates the efficient cooperation of Real Madrid's forward line. Whether it's Sneijder, Robben, or Wang Feng, their number of touches is very few, and they make instant decisions to run to the best positions."
"Sneijder's diagonal pass is truly never tiring to watch, it's just so exquisite, Robben's cross wastes no time, and finally, Wang Feng's header is incredibly precise. Although Arsenal defended quickly, Real Madrid still produced an attack combination that caught them off guard."
Arsenal, who lost the away goal, immediately launched a wave of attacks like a tide. Fabregas made amends by equalizing for the home team in the 44th minute. His continuous combination with Bendtner allowed him to enter the penalty area, and the latter's shot was blocked by Mezelder, allowing the Spanish midfielder to score on the rebound.
At the start of the second half, in the 64th minute, Real Madrid launched an attack from the back. Marcelo made a run along the right flank, then passed to Sneijder nearby, who sent a straight pass to the edge of the penalty area.
Wang Feng received the ball with his back to the goal and couldn't turn around, so he immediately passed it back to Sneijder, then engaged in a physical duel to push past Silvestre into the penalty area.
Sneijder passed to the left flank again, where Gago and him performed a wall pass, successfully breaking through near the bottom line of the penalty area. The Dutch center-back managed to send a low cross just before Arsenal defenders blocked him.
Wang Feng, under the tight interference of two defensive players, lost balance and fell, but he stretched his leg to reach the ball. With his impressive leg length, he managed to touch the ball, slightly changing its path forward, deflecting it towards the goal, hitting the inside of the right post, and bouncing into the net.
1-2! The away team took the lead again! Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia hammered the grass in frustration, as he was inches away from reaching the ball, but the Chinese superstar beat him to it.
Forced into desperation, the home team had to bring on Toure to strengthen their attack. Before the final whistle, Bendtner scored again for Arsenal to equalize the score once more, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw for both sides.
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