Chapter 555: Deadly with Just One Chance!
"Mirandes has made history by reaching the King's Cup final. Can the dark horse continue its magic and overturn the Galacticos?"
"The cup's top scorer claims to be inspired by Wang Feng. Who will ultimately win this miracle showdown?"
Various Spanish media outlets are hyping up the exciting battle for the King's Cup, jokingly referred to as the "super league" showdown between Real Madrid and the third-tier-born Mirandes. The contrast between the two adds a lot of excitement to the competition.
However, this excitement might have to wait a while. Due to the European Championship being held this summer, the schedules of major leagues are very tight, with all matches needing to be completed by mid-May. So, the King's Cup final can only be scheduled for the end of the season.
During this time, there has been a strange incident in La Liga. Despite their lavish spending, Malaga has been taken to court by the Spanish Football Federation for non-payment, which is quite puzzling.
Despite their hefty spending on transfers, they have had a habit of delaying transfer payments since last summer.
Other clubs may tolerate this, but Osasuna cannot afford to wait. They are located in the northwest of Spain, and they have always been weak and poor, even facing debt crises multiple times.
After trying hard to raise funds by selling players, now the outstanding transfer fee owed to Isco has been delayed for 45 days. So, the club's management decisively chose to sue, resulting in the Spanish Football Federation ruling to prohibit Malaga's winter transfer operations until they clear all debts.
This move instantly worried fans because the team is currently in a crucial period of competing for a historic European spot. But the reinforcements signed in the winter, like Cameni, cannot represent Malaga in matches.
The reason the Spanish Football Federation took such a tough stance is that they not only have disputes with Osasuna but also with Villarreal, who sold Cazorla.
"In theory, the Al-Thani family is one of the richest in Qatar, worth billions of euros. Why would they delay such a small amount of 2 million?" Lu Yao said in confusion during a chat.
Wang Feng smiled sarcastically, "It's because they regret it. Malaga is not like Manchester or Paris, the regional size is too small. Al-Thani needs to invest more money to lift the team, but the returns are far lower than big cities."
"Well, I thought those Middle Eastern tycoons were really rich and foolish. It's quite surprising to see them splurge money like Paris did. Didn't they spend heavily to poach you before?"
"Haha, yes, their main goal is still to promote the local World Cup. But it's indeed quite blind. What do you think about me making some money in the future end of my career?"
Lu Yao nodded, "Of course, it's possible. France is Spain's neighbor, so the child won't have to change environments. You can just focus on earning more milk money, haha."
On February 12th, in the 22nd round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Levante at home.
This "poorest" team, after experiencing the brilliance of the early season, has somewhat declined but still maintains a competitive position for European spots.
In the 9th minute, after stealing the ball in the back, Héctor Herrera quickly passed to Di María, who drove straight to the edge of the penalty area. Taking advantage of the defense's focus on Wang Feng, he suddenly took a long shot, a powerful world-class goal that pierced through goalkeeper Munua's fingertips.
Just 7 minutes later, Wang Feng actively pressed forward, causing defender Ballesteros to make a mistake. The ball was intercepted by Higuaín, who then rushed into the penalty area, passed the goalkeeper, and scored into the empty net.
2-0! Before Wang Feng even started scoring, the opponent fell first!
Just when everyone thought another slaughter was about to happen, in the 34th minute, Iborra seized a lapse in Real Madrid's defense and made a through pass. Forward Koné scored, pulling one back for Levante.
In the second half, in the 51st minute, Juanlu, the 20th midfielder of Levante, also made a wonderful long shot from outside the penalty area, the ball going straight to the bottom left corner, leaving Casillas sighing.
With the score tied, all Real Madrid players immediately rallied. They didn't want to be eyed by the fans like Barcelona, needlessly losing the victory.
With full effort, the home team basically controlled the game. In the 65th minute, Alonso, with the cooperation of Modri?, intercepted the ball, then accurately sent a long pass through the defense.
Wang Feng, like a lightning bolt, burst through the crowd, tore apart the Levante defense, dribbled into the penalty area, and then dodged the goalkeeper Munua to score. The Chinese superstar scored his first goal of the match and helped the team take the lead again.
After that, the Galacticos didn't give the opponent any more chances. Seeing the game approaching its end, when Di María broke through on the wing, he suddenly turned back, shaking off the defenders and passing to the middle.
Amidst the chaos in the penalty area, before Levante midfielder Barkdo could clear the ball, Wang Feng suddenly appeared and poked the ball with his left foot. It came to Higuaín's feet.
The Argentine striker didn't miss this rare opportunity and immediately kicked a low shot into the corner of the goal.
4-2! Real Madrid finally secured the victory.
After this game, the total number of goals scored by the Chinese superstar in the league reached 41, leading Messi, who has scored 23 goals, by a wide margin.
What's even more upsetting for the Argentine star is that the team unexpectedly lost 2-3 away to Osasuna, even though they had just won 5-1 at home against Valencia last round.
These two game results also reflect Barcelona's performance this season, which is extremely unstable. They can easily defeat strong teams but inexplicably lose to weak teams.
"If Barcelona were to reach the King's Cup final, Mirandes might really have a chance to win the championship," joked Marca.
At this point, the point gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona on the league table has widened to 11 points. Although there are 15 games left, it would be very difficult to make up for 4 wins.
On February 19th, the Galacticos challenged Santander away, preparing for the upcoming Champions League knockout stage. Coach Ancelotti did not send out the strongest lineup, but the lackluster opponents made their victory quite easy.
Wang Feng contributed two goals in the first half, and Jose and Altintop each scored, leading them to a 4-0 victory.
The weather in Moscow in February was still very cold, with an average temperature even dropping to minus 6 degrees Celsius. As Real Madrid adjusted to the field, Alonso shivered while rubbing his palms: "Damn, do we really have to play in this weather?"
Wang Feng kept jumping to keep his body active: "Quickly adapt to it. This place is a devil's home field in winter."
In the first leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid traveled to Russia to challenge CSKA Moscow. However, the strong cold wind from Siberia made the players suffer. Héctor Herrera caught a cold shortly after getting off the plane, and Pepe also showed symptoms of diarrhea. Both are highly likely to miss the game.
The Chinese superstar couldn't help but sigh; this time, they had to defeat not only the opponent but also the harsh weather.
"Sports channel, sports channel, good evening to all viewers. We are about to bring you the first leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, with Real Madrid playing away against CSKA Moscow."
"From the temperate oceanic climate of Spain, the Galacticos have come to the cold temperate continental climate of Moscow. Do they still have the ability to run rampant?"
"According to pre-match media reports, Real Madrid has lost two key players even before the battle. Héctor Herrera and Pepe are both absent from the starting lineup due to environmental discomfort. The head coach had to use Granero and Varane instead."
"On the other hand, CSKA Moscow has completely adopted a defensive posture. The head coach has deployed a 5-3-2 formation, with Ignashevich, Berezutski, Sembrás, Odiah, and Nababkin forming a steel defense line."
"The midfield is manned by Mamayev, Dzagoev, and Oli?, while the forwards are Niasse and Dumbia."
"It is worth mentioning that the Japanese 26-year-old star Honda, who has just recovered from injury, did not appear in the starting lineup. Just when he was getting better, he encountered a major injury, which is really unlucky."
"Alright, as the main referee blows the start whistle, Real Madrid kicks off in the first half."
The Galacticos quickly gained possession of the ball, but the low temperature and howling cold wind made the players' bodies stiff, and Wang Feng was no exception. In the 3rd minute, he attempted to dribble past but almost lost the ball due to stiff feet. Fortunately, he managed to control the ball and passed it back to Granero.
They could only raise their body temperature by running continuously. During this time, Real Madrid could hardly pose any threat, frequently passing the ball ineffectively, while Moscow players tightly defended their territory, not allowing easy penetration by the opponents.
In the 13th minute, Wang Feng received a pass from Alonso with his back to the goal, lightly turned past Dzagoev, but was directly bumped into by Sembrás who came to defend.
The referee awarded Real Madrid a free kick from about 26 meters, within the shooting range of the Chinese superstar, so he attempted a direct shot. The ball soared over the wall but instead of descending as usual, it continued to fly high into the stands.
"Ah, the quality of this free kick is a bit poor, completely below the usual standard. It seems that Wang Feng is also affected by the bad weather."
"Yes, it seems that the rotation imparted to the ball at the moment of kicking was not enough, resulting in the lack of a downward effect. It's okay, as we said earlier, they can still win back at the Bernabéu. Let's aim for a draw in this game."
The game process was very dull, with neither side able to create good opportunities. The two commentators couldn't help but find some other topics to chat about, and they began discussing the trend of players from China, Japan, and South Korea playing abroad.
"I actually really admire Wang Feng. He started planning to play abroad very early on and, with his influence, helped nurture many talented players at Genk and Inter Milan."
"And it's all his personal investment, which is much more practical than charity work. Nowadays, the domestic football scene is clear, and many things can be said openly. These young players have chosen to return to China for a living, but there are still many who insist on staying in high-level European leagues, and there are quite a few of them."
"So we no longer need to envy how South Korean and Japanese players thrive in Europe. Interested viewers in front of the TV can check it out. Although most of them are in secondary leagues, they are very young and have great potential for improvement. Perhaps in a few years, we will see an explosion of Chinese players in the top five European leagues."
"You're right. Look at this counterattack from Moscow! Mamayev dribbles forward, passes to the middle, oh, Varane has left his man, and Dumbia, unmarked, receives the ball and shoots! Goal!"
"In the 56th minute of the second half, Moscow Army broke the deadlock! Varane is still too young, his eyes only on the ball, not the man!"
"Let's look at the slow-motion replay. The home team quickly counterattacks, Mamayev is very experienced, pushing forward to the front without hurrying to pass. At this time, Niasse is on his left, and Dumbia is in the middle."
"There are actually Real Madrid defenders on both sides, but he suddenly feints to the side, seemingly going to set up Niasse, at this time Varane is attracted to the side and completely ignores Dumbia's forward run behind him."
"Yes, if it were someone like Pepe, a cautious veteran, he would definitely scan around, but unfortunately, he's absent."
"Now the Galacticos are in a trailing situation. They have to think about how to break through the opponent's iron shell even if they return to the Bernabéu."
Although Wang Feng felt very frustrated, he still forced himself to comfort the young players who made mistakes and encouraged the team to continue their efforts. This was his necessary duty.
As the game progressed, due to the Chinese superstar's free kicks being off-target, several consecutive shots missed the goal frame, allowing the opponents to foul him to block his breakthrough with impunity.
Stomping his foot, when has he ever been so aggrieved? "Just wait, as long as I seize one opportunity, it will be fatal!" Wang Feng thought fiercely in his heart.
As time passed to the 85th minute, Real Madrid once again attempted to launch an attack. Di María's attempt to break through on the wing failed, so he chose to pass back to Alonso, who then passed to Wang Feng.
Before the Chinese superstar could start, Dzagoev stretched his leg to hook the ball and also tripped him forcefully. The referee decisively blew the whistle for a free kick, in a position similar to the first half, around 26 meters from the goal!
"Do you want to make a combination play, you go into the penalty area and fight for a header?" Alonso ran over and asked, "No need, let me try again." Wang Feng took a deep breath, his eyes seeming to ignite a blazing fire.
This was the arrogance of the world's number one!
The Spanish midfielder nodded, without saying a word, he ran to the front of the penalty area to coordinate everyone's positions, giving the stage to the Chinese superstar. He had unparalleled prestige in the team, and no one would question his decision.
Slowly retreating, silently feeling the fierce wind on the field, he gathered momentum! Shot!
"Goal!! Goal!! Finally!! Wang Feng's direct free kick scores!!"
"A standard elevator shot, the ball soars over the wall and quickly descends, CSKA Moscow's goalkeeper Gabulov has no way to stop it!"
"Wang Feng has once again surpassed himself! The harsh environment caused him to waste several scoring opportunities, but the Chinese superstar tells us that only the best deserves to be called the greatest in history!"
"No difficulty can defeat him. Now Real Madrid is tied 1-1 with the opponent, and has obtained a precious away goal. Moscow Army can no longer use a defensive strategy."
After scoring, Wang Feng looked up and howled, feeling that all his frustrations had disappeared. Soon, he was surrounded by his teammates who rushed over.
"This is you! Your frozen legs and feet are finally moving!" Iguain said with a smile.
"You never disappoint us. God, is there anything you can't do?" Alonso couldn't help but marvel.
The noisy home fans, who had been taunting just a moment ago, seemed frozen at this moment. They had just shouted provocatively, "Where is Wang Feng? Where is the world's number one?" Now they faced retribution.
Of course, they should be thankful that Wang Feng couldn't understand Russian, otherwise, they would have suffered even worse.
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