Chapter 516: The way is different
After the match against Atletico Madrid, European football ushered in two weeks of international break, and the Chinese team also had several friendly matches to play. However, Wang Feng did not respond to the call-up; he decided to withdraw.
Ever since Alihan led the team to win the World Cup, they had been subtly marginalizing him, while vigorously promoting local coaches, ultimately forcing the Dutchman to resign before the Qatar Asia Cup.
At the same time, except for a few absolute key players like Wang Feng and Dong Fangzhuo, the rest of the lineup underwent a complete overhaul, with various unknown players being recommended and endorsed by the clubs, with single spots fetching up to eight digits.
Naturally, they accepted anyone who came, and results and such were all clouds; only stuffing money into their pockets was the right way to go.
Feeling unwilling, Wang Feng tried to communicate but ended up choosing to withdraw when it proved fruitless. When paths diverge, there's no sense in staying together. This was also the advantage of being a contracted player - one could call it quits at any time, and as a Chinese superstar at present, there was no possibility of being smeared again.
Dong Fangzhuo had it worse. Within the system, he could only return to lead a squad of misfits to compete in the Asia Cup, where various ridiculous incidents occurred, such as people scoring before the ball entered the net, accidental own goals, and the like.
In the end, they barely made it out of the group stage but were then eliminated by Jordan. Watching this, Wang Feng shook his head in frustration, and Lu Yao couldn't help but comfort him, "Brother Feng, since you've decided to withdraw, don't let it bother you."
"Moreover, you've already won the Asian Cup and the World Cup; there shouldn't be any regrets." Wang Feng nodded with a sense of loss, "You're right, it's just a bit hard to accept. The situation was so good, but it's all ruined now. Alas, I can't confront the enemy at the crucial moment anymore."
"But they won't last long either. With this level of play, they'll probably struggle to make it through the World Cup qualifiers. The defending champions won't make it to the World Cup finals, and that'll be quite a show!"
At this time, domestic fans were still immersed in the joy of winning the World Cup, and they were quite tolerant of the team's failure in the Asia Cup; they obviously didn't realize the seriousness of the problem.
Having leisurely spent the holiday, La Liga reignited on the first day of April, with the 30th round seeing Real Madrid hosting Huesca at home.
Benitez rotated the key players who returned from the national team, giving opportunities to substitutes like Albiol, Mateos, and Leon, and of course, Wang Feng naturally made the starting lineup.
Although the substitute players worked very hard, their abilities were limited, and the Chinese superstar was somewhat distracted, resulting in the opponent breaking the deadlock first.
Fortunately, in the 85th minute, when Wang Feng accelerated down the right flank, he suddenly stopped and turned sharply, dribbling past the defending player and cutting into the penalty area from a narrow angle, equalizing the score with a shot.
1-1, Real Madrid's winning streak was ended, and what's more frustrating was that in this round, Barcelona defeated Deportivo La Coruna, which meant that the gap between the two teams on the points table widened to 3 points again.
On April 5th, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, the Galacticos hosted Tottenham Hotspur at home.
Coach Harry Redknapp, who led the team back to the Champions League stage after 48 years, lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Friedel in goal.
The back four consisted of Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, Ledley King, and Kyle Walker.
The double pivot in midfield was occupied by Parker and Lennon, while the attacking trio comprised of Bale, Modric, and Van der Vaart.
Adebayor led the line as the lone striker.
Real Madrid obviously had more Champions League experience than their opponents, so they started the game very aggressively, while Tottenham Hotspur seemed a bit cautious and unable to let loose.
In the 3rd minute, Sneijder sent a through ball, and Wang Feng made a run into the penalty area, but his left-footed shot missed slightly wide of the post. Just a minute later, he tried a long-range shot from outside the box, which was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Continuous threats in front of goal always paid off. In the 9th minute, Robben, who had just returned from injury, forced his way down the flank and crossed into the penalty area. The Chinese superstar rose high at the near post, nodding the ball into the net past Dawson. 1-0!
After taking the lead, the Galacticos continued to press on rather than sit back, putting pressure on Tottenham Hotspur. They even struggled to launch their attacks and were mostly on the receiving end.
"...Looking at this attack from Real Madrid, Sneijder intercepted Modric's ball in midfield and passed it to Robben. The Dutchman is sprinting along the wing at great speed."
"It's hard to imagine that he's just returned from injury. It seems Di Maria's high level of play has put a lot of pressure on Robben; he has to prove himself."
"What should they do next in attack? A diagonal through ball into the penalty area! Wang Feng follows up, receives it, and heads towards the byline. Brilliant! It's not towards the byline but a fake move to cut back, and he's dribbling horizontally in the penalty area. Does he have a chance?"
"Shot! Goal! Goooooooooooooooooal!"
"It's another classic inside cut and shot from the Chinese superstar. This move is really tried and tested; the opposition defenders simply have no solution, they can't block him and are too afraid to foul him."
"Of course, this move relies on exquisite ball control and finishing ability, but for a football king, it's a piece of cake."
"Now Real Madrid leads Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, with Wang Feng scoring twice to claim all the goals!"
The first-half attacking display by the Galacticos was not over yet. In the 41st minute, the Chinese superstar attacked down the right flank, using a clever step-over move to deceive Parker before crossing from the byline.
In the penalty area, Marcelo nodded in the ball, which went through Friedel's legs and into the net behind him. 3-0!
"A wonderful cross and a headed goal! Real Madrid is playing really high today; Wang Feng even used a step-over to toy with Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder. If I remember correctly, it's been a long time since he's used such a flamboyant move."
"Let's watch the slow-motion replay. The fluid three-step move completely confused Parker, forcing him to block the inside cutting line. But he didn't expect the Chinese superstar to easily pass him on the right with a flick of his right foot."
"Of course, Marcelo's headed goal is also very impressive. This young defender possesses the quality of joining the attack, which is very rare."
Leading by three goals at halftime naturally made the Real Madrid players more relaxed and comfortable. There was no change in the situation after the break, with the home team still firmly controlling the game.
In the 67th minute, Sneijder delivered a wonderful pass, and Wang Feng suddenly took a powerful shot from near the edge of the penalty area. The ball hit the right post and rebounded back into play, where Higuain seized the opportunity to score, breaching Friedel's goal for the fourth time.
In the end, the Galacticos won 4-0 at home against Tottenham Hotspur, essentially securing a spot in the Champions League semi-finals.
The 25-year-old Croatian midfielder Modric looked up at the sky, gasping for breath, with a mixture of feelings in his heart. This is the Bernabeu, the devil's home ground; this is the number one powerhouse in Europe, Real Madrid?
The relentless onslaught of attacks had left their team completely breathless, and the pride of being a dark horse was long gone. Throughout the game, Tottenham Hotspur had only managed three successful attacks and one shot on target.
Modric used to disdain the pursuit of big clubs, only wanting to lead a young team to create miracles. But now it seemed that he had limits; he needed a bigger platform and better teammates to grow together.
Manchester United, Chelsea, Juventus, or other choices, it was time to plan his career path carefully.
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