Chapter 446: Another old rival
Post-match press conference, Arsenal coach Wenger expressed helplessness that the team couldn't contain the Real Madrid frontline led by Wang Feng. "Everything happened too fast; the attack led by the Chinese superstar didn't give us much time to react," he said.
But he also mentioned that the Gunners were not sitting ducks; the team also played to their tactical strengths and scored goals. He acknowledged that the second leg at the Bernabéu would likely be a tough game, but they would give it their all, and there's still hope.
Finally, the Frenchman talked about the connection between Wang Feng and Arsenal. "In fact, the team has been following him from very early on, probably tracing back to his first season with Genk," he said.
"At that time, both me and assistant coach Henk were very surprised. The impression the Chinese superstar gave us was of youth, vitality, and almost overflowing talent."
"I said to Henk, 'Oh my God, we can get him.' The club even contacted his agent, Balmond, to discuss the details."
"Unfortunately, everyone knows what happened next. The inexplicable work permit system prevented everything, and Wang Feng eventually joined Inter Milan, bringing them five league titles and three Champions Leagues."
"The Premier League lost a super superstar, and that's also one of the reasons why Sir Alex Ferguson, myself, and other coaches jointly pushed for the special talent clause. Now, this system has helped many teams bring in extremely talented young players."
On April 12th, Real Madrid returned to Madrid for the 30th round of La Liga, hosting Valladolid at home.
Despite using a backup lineup, the home team opened the scoring in the 11th minute with Van der Vaart assisting Wang Feng. Before halftime, the Chinese superstar once again attracted defenders with continuous breakthroughs, then passed to Cassano, who easily extended the lead.
In the second half, Wang Feng was substituted to rest, and Garcia, along with Van der Vaart, extended the lead for the Galaxy Battleship. The away team scored a goal to salvage their pride, and the final score was 3-1.
On April 15th, the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals took place as scheduled, with Real Madrid facing Arsenal's challenge.
In this game, Wenger paired Adebayor with Bendtner in the frontline to further enhance the team's attacking power and strive for victory to advance at away.
But the Galaxy Battleship was determined not to let them have their way. With tens of thousands of fans cheering, and countless figures from the business, entertainment, and political worlds watching, their morale soared.
In the 17th minute, Real Madrid attacked with the ball, Wang Feng retreated outside the penalty area to receive, and Diarra sent a straight pass to his feet. The Chinese superstar stopped the ball with his back to the goal and flicked it to the left, directly to the right flank.
Robben quickly started running with the ball, instantly rushing towards the vicinity of the penalty area, and then crossed in front of the goal. Arsenal's defense was very tight, and defender Silvestre blocked it, but the ball failed to reach the waiting Raul.
Wang Feng had planned to loiter in the penalty area and immediately reacted to the situation by rushing towards the ball's landing point, while the away team's defenders also naturally came to contest.
Klich was closer! Seeing that the ball was about to be cleared by him, the resourceful Chinese superstar stretched out his left leg to touch the ball first, hooking it towards himself, successfully avoiding the French defender.
The ball came to him with his left foot, and Wang Feng used his knee to adjust the force and angle, allowing it to fall smoothly to his feet, completing the whole action seamlessly, and the ball lingered at his feet like an obedient child.
Seeing the situation, Klich immediately fell to the ground to tackle, both to steal the ball and block Wang Feng's shooting angle, but Wang Feng flicked the ball to the right with the inside of his left foot, avoiding his defense again.
Before Arsenal's other defenders could converge, Wang Feng seized the opportunity to shoot with the outside of his right foot, and the ball flew in a curve towards the goal, sneaking into the top right corner of the net.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal! The ball's in! Wang Feng scored!"
"Real Madrid didn't disappoint their home fans' cheers. In the 17th minute of the first half, they opened the away team's goal and also opened the door to reaching the semifinals!"
After scoring, Wang Feng quickly rushed out of the field, jumped over the advertising boards, and went straight to the stands to accept the cheers and worship from the fans. Many people excitedly shouted his name, and there were slogans like "Three consecutive championships" among others.
On the sidelines, Wenger stood with his hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed, watching the game. It seemed that the team's formation didn't have much effect, and in the face of the blocked attack, they couldn't stop the big gun, Wang Feng, Arsenal had gradually fallen into a disadvantage.
Soon, the away team suffered another serious blow. In the 39th minute, Wang Feng continued to act as a fulcrum in the frontcourt, and after two consecutive passes with teammates, there was a trend of tearing open the defense. Arsenal defender Walcott had no choice but to trip him.
Real Madrid won a free kick in the frontcourt, about 25 meters away from the goal. This was within Wang Feng's shooting range! The away team didn't dare to slack off and hastily put in many personnel to build a wall, and goalkeeper Almunia kept a close eye on the Chinese superstar.
At this moment, Raul ran to Wang Feng's side: "Wang, how are we going to play this ball? Do you need me to pretend to run to cover?" After thinking for a moment, Wang Feng smiled and said, "I see Arsenal almost assume that I'll shoot directly, how about we cooperate, you go to the back post, and I'll pass to you."
The Spanish forward was somewhat surprised but still nodded. Wang Feng's passing accuracy was not low, and this kind of cooperation might catch the opponents off guard, achieving unexpected effects.
"Looking at this free kick from Real Madrid, taken by Wang Feng, I wonder if he can continue his high shooting accuracy record? Run-up, shoot! No, it's a pass! This is a pass! Raul at the back post shoots, and it's in! Raul extends the lead for the Galaxy Battleship!"
"It's unbelievable, Wang Feng didn't choose to shoot directly. His momentum at the start deceived everyone, but this was indeed a pass, the ball bypassed the wall and flew towards the back post."
"Arsenal's defense line, even the goalkeeper, didn't react, and with no one marking him, Raul easily volleyed into the net, too easy!"
"As the game has progressed, Real Madrid has gained a two-goal lead, plus they hold two away goals, the Gunners are truly forced into a desperate situation!"
In the second half, Arsenal almost went all out to attack in an attempt to reverse the situation, but they lacked a breakthrough expert, only scoring a goal in the 88th minute by Adebayor, but it was ultimately not enough.
The Galaxy Battleship won 2-1, advancing to the Champions League semifinals with a 4-3 aggregate score!
In the other three Champions League quarter-final matches, Barcelona defeated Bayern 5-1 on aggregate, also advancing to the semifinals. While Eastern Zoro suffered a 1-1 draw at home, they suffered a 0-4 defeat at Camp Nou.
Chelsea eliminated Porto 2-0, and Manchester United defeated Villarreal 3-1, with two seats occupied by Premier League and La Liga teams each.
Next, Real Madrid will face Chelsea, their old rivals, while Barcelona will need to compete with Manchester United for a place in the final.
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