Chapter 514: Suffocating stability
During the midweek UEFA Champions League match, Real Madrid welcomed the 25th round of La Liga games on the weekend, facing Deportivo La Coru?a away.
In this match, Benitez rotated some key players, with Wang Feng partnering Morata in the starting lineup, while Granero and Khedira got the chance to play.
The Chinese superstar maintained his high level of excitement, actively roaming in various areas of the field from the beginning of the game, putting great pressure on the home team's defense.
In the 13th minute, Wang Feng received the ball on the left side of the front court, suddenly made a long-range pass to the right, finding Cavaleiro in space. After Cavaleiro controlled the ball easily and cut into the penalty area, he passed to Wang Feng lurking in the penalty area, who scored easily into the empty net, making it 1-0!
Cavaleiro's excellent ball control and pass contributed significantly to the goal, with about 70% of the credit going to him. Therefore, the Chinese superstar celebrated with him, gesturing to the Real Madrid fans who had traveled a long way.
Later, Real Madrid continued to exert pressure on the home team. In the 36th minute, Wang Feng received the ball with his back to the goal at the edge of the penalty area, and the La Coru?a defenders did not immediately close him down.
So, the Chinese superstar pushed the ball to the left with his left foot, took two steps to catch up, and then shot forcefully with his left foot. The ball flew into the top right corner of the goal, just grazing the underside of the crossbar, making it 2-0!
At this moment, La Coru?a goalkeeper Aranzubia was still in a state of preparation for a dive with his legs apart and his center of gravity lowered. He turned his head to look at the ball behind him, wearing a dumbfounded and bewildered expression.
Is this a goal? Oh God, please take away his magical powers. How can a goalkeeper defend against such an attack?
In the second half, Real Madrid further extended their lead to 3-0 through a corner kick opportunity, which was the final score of the game.
With this victory, the Galacticos extended their winning streak to 12 matches, approaching their own record of 15 consecutive wins set in 1961. Their arch-rivals Barcelona, on the other hand, remained undefeated but failed to continue their winning streak, being held to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal, reducing the points difference between the two teams to just 3.
Entering March, in the 26th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Malaga at home.
Just 12 minutes into the game, the Galacticos suffered a heavy blow as Pepe was sent off with a straight red card for excessive behavior in a subsequent defensive play after being provoked by an opponent.
Despite the efforts of Wang Feng and others to defend him, the referee's decision remained unchanged. The home team had to face the embarrassment of playing with one less player, making the situation on the field even more confusing.
At a critical moment, Wang Feng once again stepped up. In the 79th minute of the second half, he was fouled by the opponent's center-back while attacking in the frontcourt, earning a free kick from about 25 meters out.
This was a hard-won attacking opportunity! The Chinese superstar paced around the ball, placed it on the ground, took a few steps back, and fixed his gaze on the goal ahead.
Taking a deep breath, he ran up and took the shot directly! The ball flew like a meteor across the field, flying over the defensive wall and diving down, with the goalkeeper powerless to stop it.
With this precious goal, Real Madrid defeated Malaga 1-0 at home.
In the 27th round of La Liga, the Galacticos faced Santander away. Due to Pepe's suspension, the away team's defense line remained unstable, and the home team took advantage of the opportunity to break the deadlock first.
After that, Santander fiercely defended to protect their goal, and Real Madrid's multiple attacks were futile.
It wasn't until the 82nd minute that the Galacticos, with a free kick opportunity on the left side of the penalty area, cooperated between Wang Feng and Sneijder. The Chinese superstar passed the ball to the Dutchman, who controlled it and then passed it back to Wang Feng. Wang Feng then took a shot with his right foot, sending the ball into the far corner despite the goalkeeper's desperate dive, finally equalizing the score.
Just as the home team's spirits were wavering, the Galacticos seized the opportunity to launch another attack. In the 84th minute, Diarra pushed forward with the ball from the back, suddenly lobbing a long pass into the penalty area.
Wang Feng leaned against the defender to receive the ball, then deftly dodged the block with a back-heel flick, and immediately volleyed with his left foot, piercing the home team's goal once again, completing the turnaround for Real Madrid.
The final score of 2-1 was maintained until the end of the game, with the Galacticos securing another hard-fought victory.
In the 28th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted newly promoted Elche at home, which should have been one of their easiest matches in recent games.
Wang Feng assisted Higuain in opening the scoring, and then Di Maria expanded the lead with an inside shot. After the break, the Chinese superstar assisted Marcelo in scoring the third goal, and he himself added another goal.
4-0! A thrilling victory extended the Galacticos' winning streak to 15 matches, equaling the club's best record!
During Real Madrid's triumphant march, Barcelona's performance was equally impressive as they remained undefeated. However, they failed to continue their winning streak under immense pressure, being forced to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal. As a result, the points difference between the two teams further narrowed to just 1 point!
Such a situation inevitably reminds people of the frequent occasions in recent years when Catalan teams have been overtaken by the Galacticos, resulting in them losing their dominance. The entire Barcelona team is currently under extreme pressure.
Guardiola is almost being driven crazy, as he simply cannot understand how Real Madrid managed to win against Malaga and Santander in the last two games. In his opinion, the Galacticos should have been in an absolute disadvantageous situation at that time, a situation beyond salvation.
But they still managed to turn the tide, completely changing their fate since the rumors of discord between the coach and the club surfaced. Benitez completely changed his approach, giving Wang Feng a high degree of freedom, and the Chinese superstar did not disappoint, always coming through in crucial moments.
Betting on the outcome of the derby of the century? Guardiola doesn't dare. Nowadays, Real Madrid is no longer the same as they were in their first encounter. He can only silently pray for the opponent to lose quickly, so that his side can widen the points gap as much as possible.
The head coach himself lacks confidence, and naturally the players are also immersed in a tense atmosphere. Iniesta has privately complained that Real Madrid's consistent performance makes him feel suffocated.
"Before every game, it feels like going to the gallows. I'm afraid that if I don't perform well and drag the team down, we'll lose. If this continues, I might lose my love for football and start to resent this sport!"
Originally just a private complaint, but somehow it was leaked to the media by someone. For a while, Real Madrid's mouthpiece, led by Marca, extensively publicized it, claiming that Barcelona players were being forced into self-closure by Wang Feng and might retire from football early at any time!
"Has the Chinese superstar ever scared away a Barcelona coach and club president? Will he break the record of forcing opponents' players to retire early?" joked AS.
Such arrogant remarks naturally aroused strong dissatisfaction from Barcelona-related media. Mundo Deportivo came forward to state that coaching changes or changes in club management are normal and have nothing to do with Wang Feng.
And now Barcelona is still leading the points table, so Real Madrid has no qualifications to be so arrogant.
At the same time, Barcelona strictly forbade any mention of such depressing words within the team. However, just because the players didn't say it doesn't mean they didn't think about it. Real Madrid's recent winning streak performance is indeed too shocking and disturbing.
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