Chapter 505: Seedorf's Awe
Clarence Seedorf stood in the center of AC Milan's lineup, with a serious expression as he looked at Wang Feng in the center circle, involuntarily recalling scenes from years past.
The first encounter with the Chinese superstar was in the 01-02 season when he himself was still wearing the blue and black jersey, a marginal figure in the Inter Milan team.
However, the 18-year-old Wang Feng quickly stabilized his position as a key player, becoming one of the team's core members, helping them win both the Serie A and Champions League titles that year. In contrast, Seedorf was already 25 years old at the time, which was quite embarrassing to think about.
The youthful yet powerful figure brought him a lot of shock. After the season ended, the Dutchman was exchanged with AC Milan's Cocco and went to the blue and black army's cross-town rivals, the red and black army.
Finally, he managed to establish himself as an indispensable part of the team, with his performance improving year by year. However, AC Milan always found itself suppressed by Inter Milan due to Wang Feng's influence, and Seedorf believed that all the players who came from that era would feel this sense of powerlessness.
Then came the "Calciopoli" scandal, with Wang Feng leaving Inter Milan, Juventus being relegated, and AC Milan suffering heavy losses. But like Kaka and other veterans, Seedorf chose to stay. He liked the atmosphere of the club and was grateful for the many opportunities and patience it had given him.
The two sides had no intersection until last year's Champions League group stage. Although they won one game and lost one against Real Madrid in the two rounds of matches, the Dutchman could keenly feel the immense power contained within the Chinese superstar.
It was a kind of power far beyond that of the past, and Seedorf even felt that facing Wang Feng was like facing a bottomless sea, calm at times but capable of erupting like towering waves.
This was not an illusion! Just look at this year's World Cup. Each European and South American powerhouse was swept away under the monstrous waves. It could be said that this was the complete manifestation of Wang Feng's power.
So, regardless of how the game unfolded and the final outcome, these veterans would always maintain the greatest vigilance and respect for the Chinese superstar.
The referee's whistle interrupted Seedorf's thoughts, and the game officially began. Real Madrid's first attack came as they pushed into the penalty area from the left side. Sneijder failed to break through and suddenly switched play to the right side, where Wang Feng lifted the ball and dribbled past Van Bommel.
Then he immediately carried the ball forward, encountering Nesta at the edge of the penalty area. The Italian lowered his center of gravity and prepared to defend with all his might, knowing full well how dangerous Wang Feng was. Once the Chinese superstar got inside, it would be trouble!
Seeing Wang Feng cut inside with his left foot, Nesta immediately stretched out his foot to intercept, but the Chinese superstar's toe turned the ball half a circle and hooked it to the right side. Nesta fell for it!
With his position compromised, Nesta could only forcibly twist his body to keep pace with Wang Feng. But the Chinese superstar opened his left arm to create space, while using his right foot to fiercely shoot.
"Bang!" The ball flew like a cannonball straight into the far corner of the goal, hitting the net on the left side, and Abbiati's save was a bit slow. 1-0! The Galacticos took the lead!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!" The stadium DJ shouted passionately, but his voice couldn't cover up the equally crazy cheers of the fans celebrating.
Wang Feng quickly ran towards the sidelines, waving his right arm as he ran. Behind him were Nesta, who was holding his face with both hands and kneeling on the ground, Abbiati, who was helping him up, and the helpless Seedorf, forming a vivid contrast between cold and hot scenes, also indicating the contrasting emotions of the players.
Nesta's defense was flawless. In fact, if he hadn't gone for the feint, the situation would have been equally dangerous when Wang Feng cut inside. At that time, the Chinese superstar would have accelerated, lifted his right arm to create space, and then shot with his left foot.
Using both feet was simply terrifying, so many people said that facing Wang Feng one-on-one in the penalty area was like serving him a meal. This goal was already determined when the play was switched to the wide area.
After conceding the first goal, AC Milan promptly adjusted their strategy. They no longer focused on stifling Real Madrid's attacks but instead concentrated on limiting and marking Wang Feng.
The effect was immediate. Under head coach Benitez's tactical system, Wang Feng's area of ??activity was very fixed. When he was heavily targeted, it required more effort to pose a threat.
Although it seemed that Real Madrid's attacks were more frequent and they had more shots, the absence of Wang Feng's involvement and a lower success rate in key moments gave the Rossoneri some breathing room.
Before the end of the first half, both sides failed to create any significant chances. In the second half, in the 49th minute, AC Milan launched a quick counterattack. Robinho broke into the frontcourt and forced a cross from the bottom.
The ball flew through the penalty area quickly, Ramos missed the header at the near post, and Ibrahimovic, at the far post, slid to clear the ball. However, the ball was a bit high, so he lifted his right leg and forcefully swept downward. The heel of his foot struck the ball, slamming it into the ground and bouncing it into the Real Madrid goal. 1-1! AC Milan equalized!
At a critical moment, they still had to rely on Wang Feng!
In the 79th minute, Wang Feng received the ball on the right side, faced with defensive pressure, made a quick stop, accelerated past the defenders towards the byline, and then made a back pass to Di Maria, while he himself charged into the penalty area.
Di Maria understood instantly and made a short pass. The two of them executed a wall pass successfully to break through the outnumbered situation in the penalty area. Faced with Thiago Silva coming straight at him, the Chinese superstar quickly stepped on the ball to turn around, performing a Marseille turn!
He went from having his right side facing the goal to having his left side facing it, giving Thiago Silva no time to react. Wang Feng lifted his right foot and shot, the ball flying straight into the bottom right corner of the goal, grazing the fingertips of goalkeeper Abbiati and entering the net. 2-1!
This score held until the end of the game. Real Madrid defeated AC Milan, securing their third consecutive victory in the Champions League, and qualification for the knockout stages was within reach.
Although the game ended in victory, the Chinese superstar still felt a sense of helplessness. The overall advantage of the Galacticos was quite obvious throughout the match, with a possession rate of 60% and a remarkable 24 shots, but only two goals were scored.
Ultimately, it was because of his low number of shots, only five. If he could create more opportunities, perhaps the goal tally would be more than just two.
As he pondered this, Seedorf took the initiative to approach him and start a conversation. The Dutchman was already thirty-four years old this year and was likely to retire soon. Wang Feng's old friends and opponents were gradually fading out of the football world.
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