Chapter 507: Exploding contradiction
Back to the league, on November 7th, in the 10th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Atletico Madrid at home.
Although many players were not in form due to the team playing two matches a week, there was still a considerable gap between the two sides. It should have been easy for the Galacticos to defeat their opponents, but unexpectedly, a huge upset occurred.
Fran and Aguero scored a goal each for Atletico, while Real Madrid only managed to pull one back in the 86th minute with Wang Feng assisting Granero. The final score was 1-2, with the home team losing the game, breaking their unbeaten record for the season.
In the dressing room after the match, head coach Benitez harshly criticized the players for their performance on the field. Wang Feng remained silent with his head covered by his clothes; he didn't know what else to say.
With the team trailing behind, the Chinese superstar tried several times to expand his range of activity and seek opportunities, but each time he was stopped by Benitez on the sidelines. At the same time, the coach never adjusted the positioning of the players to create more space for Wang Feng.
However, the reality was that the right flank where he operated was firmly held by Atletico, making it difficult to launch threatening attacks. No matter how the personnel or formation was adjusted, it didn't work well. Only when the Chinese superstar roamed freely did they have a chance.
But this contradicted Benitez's principles; he preferred to win through tactical deployment rather than relying entirely on star players. Absolute rationality led to this failure. When the lineup reached its limit, the stars should be the variable.
Three days later, in the second leg of the fourth round of the Spanish King's Cup, Real Madrid hosted Murcia at home, playing with a completely substitute lineup. They eventually won 1-0, with the winning goal scored by the Spanish youngster Canales.
With a total score of 3-0 over two legs, the Galacticos eliminated their opponents and advanced to the next round.
On November 14th, in the 11th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced a tough challenge away against Gijon. This team had unexpectedly performed well last season, and this match was equally tough. Despite falling behind twice, they managed to equalize the score twice, ending in a 2-2 draw with the Galacticos.
Wang Feng contributed both goals, but ultimately couldn't help the team secure three points. With only one point from two rounds, they were overtaken by Barcelona and dropped to second place in the league.
On November 20th, in the 12th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Athletic Bilbao at home. This match was also very difficult, with Wang Feng assisting Higuain to open the scoring with a flank breakthrough.
However, Athletic Bilbao quickly equalized with a goal from forward Inaki, and the two sides remained deadlocked until the 88th minute. Wang Feng forcefully broke through after receiving the ball, then performed a Cruyff turn to evade the defense and cut into the penalty area.
Facing the oncoming goalkeeper, he lifted his left foot and shot, the ball passing through the goalkeeper's legs and into the net behind him, making it 2-1! Real Madrid scored a crucial late goal and secured three vital points, preventing the gap from widening further with Barcelona.
After the match, Wang Feng declined interviews and press conferences. Next, they would face the derby of the century, a key battle that would determine the success or failure of the Galacticos in the league. But how could they win under the current circumstances?
Before the derby, they had one more Champions League group stage match, the fifth round away against Ajax. The Galacticos, having already advanced, naturally rested their main players.
The home team broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, and Wang Feng came on as a substitute to maintain his form in the 65th minute. He scored a goal in the 79th minute, securing a 1-1 draw.
After the match, everyone flew overnight from Amsterdam to Barcelona, preparing for the heavyweight clash three days later.
Wang Feng had never felt so depressed. The mocking and insults from the Camp Nou fans echoed in his ears. Did they forget who made them bow their heads in silence in the past years?
And now, the struggling Real Madrid allowed these people to become arrogant again. The scoreboard on one side of the stands showed the scores of both teams, 3-0, with the home team leading and the away team trailing, and the time had already reached 75 minutes.
No one had expected the game to be so one-sided. Except for the Chinese superstar, Guardiola had indeed thoroughly studied Benitez and found his weakness.
From the beginning of the match, Real Madrid's key attacking right flank was heavily restricted. For this reason, Barcelona even gave up attacking on the right to avoid being countered by the opponents. At the same time, the connection between the midfield and the frontcourt of the Galacticos was also controlled by the home team.
When defensive counterattacks only had defense but no counterattack, they would become a living target for opponents to ravage. Messi, Villa, and Iniesta successively blasted through Casillas's goal, expanding the score to 3-0.
Facing the dilemma, Benitez did take action. He made significant adjustments to the lineup, even moving Wang Feng from the right to the left, but the result remained the same. Barcelona could easily shift their defensive focus and set up new restrictions.
After playing for so long without breaking through, the Chinese superstar decided to use his own way to break through the deadlock.
In the 81st minute, he suddenly retreated to the right side of the midfield to receive the ball, then quickly played a wall pass with Sneijder, and rushed forward along the right flank.
This move caught both sets of players off guard. Barcelona, of course, and the unprepared Mascherano and Busquets hurried forward to intercept, but Wang Feng quickly dribbled past them with a skillful feint.
In an instant, he arrived at the edge of the penalty area. At this moment, his teammate Di Maria was also a little panicked. From his current position, he could not only fail to support Wang Feng but also block his attacking route.
Get out of the way! But what to do when the space is too small? Before the Argentine could come up with a solution, the Chinese superstar had already dribbled past him, even if it was a teammate, he could still get past them.
We saw him suddenly change direction while moving at high speed, threading the needle between Di Maria and Puyol, successfully piercing through Barcelona's defense and entering the penalty area!
Without waiting for Pique to come over from the side to defend, Wang Feng immediately shot, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper's reach and into the far corner of the goal, 3-1! Real Madrid pulled one back!
Five minutes later, the Chinese superstar organized another attack. This time, he returned to the left flank to receive the ball, feigned going to the baseline but suddenly cut inside. Iguaín understood his intention immediately and ran to the side to form a cross-position.
The two players had a good understanding, passing the ball back and forth between them, successfully breaking through Barcelona's defense. Inside the penalty area, Wang Feng took a left-footed shot and pulled one back again, making it 3-2!
The final minutes of the game left the Camp Nou fans on the edge of their seats. Real Madrid almost equalized, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough time left. As Wang Feng's shot sailed over the crossbar, the referee finally blew the final whistle.
Barcelona won the ultimate victory! This was the most dominant performance by the home team in the derby in recent years. The home fans were all smiles, believing that Barcelona would definitely win the league championship this season, reclaiming the long-lost title!
As Wang Feng walked off the field, he took the bottle of water prepared by the assistant coach, ignoring Benitez, and headed straight for the player tunnel.
The Barcelona fans on either side of the tunnel were celebrating wildly, mocking the Chinese superstar. This only fueled his growing anger. Once inside the tunnel, he couldn't help but smash the water bottle hard against the wall.
This scene happened to be spotted by reporters, who continuously took photos, as if they had discovered a big news story. The usually calm Chinese superstar had rare outbursts!
When the head coach returned to the dressing room, Wang Feng finally couldn't help but step forward to argue with him: "You should trust me more. The last two goals clearly demonstrate this."
"I need more freedom and space, not being restricted to one place and waiting for opportunities in vain!"
Benitez retorted, "I need the entire team's tactics to work together, not letting you run around aimlessly in the frontcourt, I never believe in such probability events."
"But your tactics couldn't unfold against Barcelona! Isn't it good to seek some changes at this time?"
"That's something I should consider. Wang, remember, I'm the head coach. On the field, you need to listen to me!"
Neither side could convince the other. After a big argument, they could only leave on bad terms.
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