Chapter 500: All goes well
The day after winning the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid regrouped and flew to Monaco to prepare for the European Super Cup match. Their opponent was Atletico Madrid, the champions of last season's UEFA Europa League.
The day before the match, core players like Wang Feng were invited to attend the Champions League draw and UEFA awards ceremony. At a time when the Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best awards were about to merge, UEFA was also seeking reforms for the Club Footballer of the Year award. At the same time, there were significant changes to the previously cumbersome individual awards.
However, everything remained the same this year, with Wang Feng once again being named UEFA Club Footballer of the Year, based on his double crown honors from last season. This award was considered by the media to be the most predictable.
Sneijder won the Best Midfielder award, while Casillas received the Best Goalkeeper award. Real Madrid remained the most rewarded team at the ceremony.
The draw for the group stage of the Champions League also favored the Galacticos, as they were drawn with AC Milan, French side Auxerre, and Ajax.
Last season, they were in the same group as AC Milan, and it was unexpected that the two teams would be drawn together again. Furthermore, Marseille, a French team, was also in their group at that time, so it was generally believed that Real Madrid's advancement to the next stage was almost certain.
However, they didn't have as much luck as Barcelona this year. Barcelona's three opponents were Copenhagen from the Danish league, Rubin Kazan from the Russian league, and Panathinaikos from the Greek league, none of which were from the top five European leagues.
Valencia was grouped with Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers, and Bursaspor from the Turkish league, and their goal was to qualify for the next stage as the runner-up in their group.
As for Sevilla, they were very disappointed to lose to Braga from the Portuguese league 3-5 on aggregate in the playoffs, failing to qualify for the group stage. Therefore, only three La Liga teams qualified to compete in the Champions League this season.
On the evening of August 27th, at 8:30 pm, at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco, the Madrid derby began in the European Super Cup.
Last season was a rollercoaster journey for Atletico Madrid. They struggled in the first half of the season, continuously losing games and finding themselves deep in the relegation zone. However, after the New Year, they suddenly rose to prominence, not only securing safety but also winning the UEFA Europa League and reaching the final of the Copa del Rey.
However, they were somewhat unfortunate. The much-discussed policy of the UEFA Europa League winners automatically qualifying for the UEFA Champions League had not yet been fully implemented. Therefore, they missed out on any European competition this season.
For the team, the most important thing this summer was retaining Fran and Aguero. Fran, the Uruguayan forward, had received many offers after his outstanding performance in the World Cup. However, considering his age and the club's support, he chose not to leave.
As for Aguero, Atletico Madrid knew they couldn't keep him. After all, the Argentine was only 22 years old, immensely talented, and had a bright future ahead of him, with the opportunity to play for a top club. They were open to a transfer but required a sufficient offer.
Real Madrid has always had a superior record against Atletico Madrid, so the players were very relaxed in their mindset for the match. After the kick-off, they systematically dominated possession and organized their attacks.
In the 23rd minute, Sneijder passed to Di Maria in midfield, who quickly dribbled down the flank and passed into the penalty area. Iguaín nodded the ball into the net at the near post, making it 1-0!
In the 66th minute of the second half, Alonso advanced into the attacking third, and Wang Feng made a run down the wing, signaling for the ball. The Spanish midfielder didn't hesitate to send it over.
After receiving the ball, the Chinese superstar ran with it, choosing to pass it back to Di Maria, who then played a through ball, which found Wang Feng again inside the box. It was a classic give-and-go play.
Taking a couple of steps, Wang Feng didn't adjust his position much, still shooting despite Dominguez's interference. The ball flew straight into the top left corner of the goal, with Lucas unable to save it. 2-0!
In the end, with these two goals, Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0, claiming the honor of the European Super Cup!
On August 30th, the new La Liga season began, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona unusually starting their league campaign away from home. The Galacticos would challenge Mallorca.
Last season, Mallorca finished fifth in La Liga and secured a spot in the UEFA Europa League, but UEFA ruthlessly expelled them due to the club's debt of 70 million euros, exceeding the UEFA limit.
Their European qualification spot was given to Villarreal instead. Mallorca's former owner, Mansano, had dreamed of entering the Europa League to improve the club's financial situation, but now all those dreams had been shattered. Therefore, they had to sell the team.
As a result, the team inevitably experienced a mass exodus of players, no longer living up to their past glory. More importantly, they didn't even have a complete squad list, with only five midfielders and defenders each, and only four forwards.
Mallorca had often performed as dark horses in the past, having reached the UEFA Champions League twice in their history. However, the unique demographic changes on the Spanish islands had posed challenges to the team's development.
With many immigrants from other European countries settling in Mallorca, the proportion of local Spaniards gradually decreased. Moreover, immigrants didn't support the local team, leading to a significant decrease in attendance.
The Real Madrid players who came from afar could clearly perceive the slump in the football market here. Although the attendance for matches against Real Madrid was good, most of the spectators came for the Galacticos. Only a small portion were die-hard Mallorca fans, so for a while, they didn't know whose home ground it was.
Just five minutes into the game, Wang Feng opened the scoring with a long-range shot. After Di Maria broke through on the flank and passed back, Iguaín failed to get the ball at the near post. As it rolled to the far post, the Chinese superstar met it with a powerful shot, straight into the top right corner of the goal.
This goal seemed to sound the horn for the team's attack. The away team began to press heavily, forcing Mallorca to retreat. In the 16th minute, Iguaín's header was saved by goalkeeper Lux, and Real Madrid won a corner kick.
Shortly after, Wang Feng took the corner kick, and Iguaín successfully headed the ball into the home team's net, making it 2-0!
In the 24th minute, the Chinese superstar received a pass on the wing from Di Maria, skillfully dribbling past two defenders with his footwork.
Just as he was about to cut inside to score, full-back Ramis directly elbowed him down, and the referee promptly awarded a yellow card and a free kick.
Rubbing his back somewhat resentfully, Wang Feng decided to take the free kick from the right side of the penalty area himself.
As he floated the ball into the penalty area with the outside of his foot, it flew a bit high, with neither Mallorca nor Real Madrid players touching it.
Watching the ball about to go out of play, it suddenly curved back, flying straight into the top left corner of the goal, despite Lux's diving save attempt. 3-0!
"Beautiful! This lofted ball, which seems like a cross and a shot, is so cunning. We can see from Wang Feng's happy expression mixed with surprise that he probably didn't expect it to go straight in either."
To be honest, the Chinese superstar didn't intend to shoot directly. He just wanted to deliver a high-speed spinning cross, but the force slightly deviated from his teammates' jumping height. He didn't expect the spin to bring the ball back and turn it into a shot.
With a lead of three goals in less than 25 minutes, Mallorca completely collapsed! In the second half, Wang Feng scored another goal to complete his hat-trick before being substituted by Benitez. Then, Robben helped the team score the fifth goal, securing a 5-0 victory for the Galacticos.
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