Chapter 557: Spanish Storm Sweeps Europe
Among the UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists, La Liga occupies two spots, while the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Primeira Liga, and Cypriot First Division each have one, presenting a diversified scenario with Spain slightly in advantage.
Meanwhile, on the Europa League stage, La Liga also stirs up a storm, sweeping through the European competition with a fast, dominant, and technically proficient style of play.
The most astonishing performance undoubtedly belongs to Athletic Bilbao. They secured a 3-2 victory over last season's Premier League champions and Champions League runners-up, Manchester United, at Old Trafford, where no team has ever caused such embarrassment to the Red Devils.
The Basque Lions completely lived up to their pre-match statements of not fearing any opponent. They maintained a strong attacking presence throughout the game. While Manchester United had a higher efficiency, they struggled to withstand the storm unleashed by their opponents.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the Red Devils, but the recent Spanish sensation forward, Lorente, equalized with a header. Subsequently, Demarcos and Muniain added two more goals to extend the lead.
During injury time, the Portuguese managed to pull one back with a free kick, but it was too little too late.
As soon as the game ended, Ronaldo stormed off the field without even acknowledging the fans, not even participating in the customary thanks. He wasn't the culprit for the team's loss; in fact, he had arguably the best performance of the match, yet he became the subject of mockery by the media and fans, all because of his earlier remarks.
The British newspaper "The Times" remarked that the trophies Ronaldo looks down upon are getting farther and farther away from him, stating, "Athletic Bilbao performed more impressively, and the Red Devils paid the price for their arrogance."
They emphasized that the current atmosphere within Manchester United's squad is overly restless, with Ferguson seemingly losing control of the dressing room, especially after the Wayne Rooney incident.
"It's evident that the Red Devils need Rooney, not just to compete against their cross-city rivals Manchester City in the league but also to go further on the European stage."
"The Sun" directly pointed fingers at Cristiano Ronaldo for creating controversies, labeling him as a team dictator who used transfer threats to force the club to choose between him and the Englishman, ultimately aiming to secure his own supremacy.
"Such disregard for the team's performance, solely focusing on oneself, is simply outrageous, and the fact is, he couldn't bring victories to Manchester United."
These remarks naturally sparked strong discontent from Ronaldo and his family. His sister vented her anger on social media: "Cristiano has given his all, scoring two goals. What more do you want from him? Should he play as a defender or even go into the penalty area to save goals?"
"Wayne Rooney is a jerk, he doesn't even deserve to be my (brother's) teammate." Since the original text uses "My," many readers felt that Ronaldo himself wrote this dynamic on his sister's account.
For a while, various discussions and controversies flooded the internet. In fact, these comments inadvertently hurt the feelings of other Manchester United players as well, making them feel as if Ronaldo was implying that only he contributed while others were useless.
While Manchester United faced mockery and criticism, Athletic Bilbao received heaps of praise, especially their head coach, Bielsa.
Recalling the 2002 World Cup, he almost had his reputation shattered due to Argentina's failure to advance from the group stage. Three current Manchester United players, Owen, Ferdinand, and Scholes, were part of that team.
Exactly ten years later, the Argentine coach achieved his little revenge, although it was on the Europa League stage.
Argentine media was ecstatic about Bielsa's triumph at Old Trafford. "El Nacional" commented that he taught Ferguson a lesson at Old Trafford, constantly pacing on the sidelines, passionately shouting at the players, enabling them to firmly execute their tactics.
"This victory helps Bielsa emerge from the shadow of ten years ago. Athletic Bilbao outperformed Manchester United, creating numerous opportunities."
Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" praised that through this game, all of Europe witnessed the power of the Basque Lions, as they conquered the "Theater of Dreams" with superior football skills.
"If it weren't for De Gea's consecutive saves, Manchester United's defeat would have been even more disastrous. Athletic Bilbao completely controlled the game, regardless of whose home ground it was."
"Passing, movement, breaking through defenses; the away team exemplified the coach's football philosophy. Despite some defensive mistakes in the game, Athletic Bilbao achieved the best balance between efficiency and talent, between fixed positions and improvisation, between physicality and football skills."
Despite the overwhelming praise, Athletic Bilbao did not lose their composure. They returned to the San Mames Stadium to continue their steady progress, while Cristiano Ronaldo's remarks affected the mood of many players.
After a 90-minute battle, the score settled at 2-1, with the home team in the lead. The Basque Lions completed a double over the Red Devils, advancing to the Europa League quarter-finals with a 5-3 aggregate score!
Apart from them, Valencia and Atletico Madrid also defeated their respective opponents to advance. La Liga surprisingly occupies three spots in the Europa League quarter-finals!
"La Liga Rules Europe!" proclaimed the Spanish newspaper "Abc", expressing pride. With 16 teams in the Champions League and Europa League quarter-finals combined, La Liga has 5 teams, accounting for nearly one-third, the highest proportion among the remaining 9 leagues.
"Not only does Real Madrid dominate the Champions League, but other clubs in Spain are also progressing. They continuously seize territory on the European stage."
This result is a boon for La Liga, as it helps ensure future participation in European competitions and consolidates its position as the top league.
After the third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage moved to the Europa League, only Valencia persisted until now, with strong teams like Manchester United, Manchester City, Porto, and Ajax all eliminated.
With Real Madrid continuing to dominate European club football and the national team holding the top position in European football, Spanish football has entered its heyday.
The Spanish newspaper "El Pais" believes that managing a top club brand will attract talented individuals from all over the world to join La Liga, thus continuing to improve its level.
"Real Madrid has done exceptionally well. They have always claimed that the best players play for the best clubs, and the fact proves it."
On March 19th, in the 27th round of La Liga, the Galacticos challenged Malaga away.
The match was played at noon, with warm weather on the Costa del Sol making the players feel somewhat fatigued, and a slight lapse in concentration led to the opponents scoring first.
In the 77th minute of the second half, Granero crossed into the penalty area, and Wang Feng swiftly moved forward from the back post, stretching his leg to score with a low-angle shot, equalizing the score for Real Madrid.
In the end, both sides shook hands with a 1-1 draw.
On March 22nd, in the 28th round of La Liga, Real Madrid returned to the Bernabeu to face Villarreal.
After the last round of league matches, the Yellow Submarine announced the dismissal of their head coach Molina. This is the second time they have sacked a head coach this season. The 41-year-old Molina led the team in 11 La Liga matches, with a record of 3 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, failing to satisfy the club's management.
Furthermore, the team is currently ranked fourth from the bottom, with only a 3-point gap from the relegation zone. They can no longer afford any mistakes.
Former Deportivo La Coru?a coach Lotina took over this mess, and his debut was facing the league leaders, Real Madrid.
In an interview, he said, "I am happy to come to such an important team in the Spanish league. Although the current situation is not very optimistic, everyone still has passion."
"Before the official training, I talked to each player. They are eager for victory in their eyes, which is enough. Football relies heavily on the emotions and confidence of the players. Only in this way can everyone's talents be unleashed."
"It is undeniable that Real Madrid is the most difficult opponent, especially Wang Feng. No team dares to come out and say they can stop him."
"But they are not unbeatable, otherwise there wouldn't be draws and defeats. We just need to do our best and enjoy football on the field."
In the match against Villarreal, Real Madrid completely implemented the new coach's arrangements. They indeed put up a good fight, at one point suppressing the home team, and Camunas opened the scoring in the 27th minute.
But how could Wang Feng allow the opponents to rampage on his turf?
In the 59th minute of the second half, Real Madrid attacked into the opponent's half. Alonso passed the ball to the Chinese superstar on the right, who skillfully dribbled and deceived four defenders with rhythm changes and feints.
Running along the edge of the left small penalty area, Wang Feng unexpectedly sent a low shot, and although the goalkeeper dived to save, the shot was too tricky. The ball grazed the inside of the right post and went into the net, 1-1! The home team equalized the score!
Twelve minutes later, the Galacticos intercepted in midfield and launched a counterattack. Khedira quickly passed the ball to Wang Feng, who then turned and pushed forward.
The Yellow Submarine defender Sena directly slid to the ground, but the Chinese superstar managed to get the ball first while also trying to maintain balance and break free from the opponent's entanglement.
Then he drove straight into the penalty area, facing the oncoming goalkeeper and Borja on the right, Wang Feng aimed and shot with his left foot, the ball passing through the gap between Borja's legs and going straight into the corner of the goal.
2-1! The Chinese superstar scored twice to reverse Villarreal and help Real Madrid take all three points!
At the post-match press conference, Lotina expressed helplessness, saying that the team had done well enough. They had once dominated the Galacticos in the first half, but unfortunately couldn't stop Wang Feng's momentum.
"To be honest, even Barcelona couldn't do what we couldn't. The team will accept this defeat with respect."
However, he believed that if Villarreal could maintain their current level of attitude to face the remaining matches, the club would definitely avoid relegation.
On March 25th, in the 29th round of La Liga, Real Madrid challenged Real Sociedad away. Due to the rekindling of the Champions League midweek, head coach Ancelotti rotated some of the main lineup.
The first half ended in a 0-0 draw, with neither side able to break through the opponent's defense. In the second half, after Wang Feng came on as a substitute, the situation gradually tilted towards the Galacticos.
In the 67th minute, Granero crossed near the baseline, and the Chinese superstar headed the ball near the penalty spot into the goal, finally breaking the deadlock for the away team.
In the 82nd minute, Real Madrid won a set-piece opportunity in the opponent's half, and Wang Feng directly shot, the ball drawing a large arc in the air, bypassing the wall and curving into the goal.
In the end, they won 2-0 against the home team.
With the two goals scored in this game, Wang Feng once again raised his league goal tally to 50. The media no longer made a fuss, waiting for the day when his goal tally plummeted would be the real big news.
Meanwhile, in this round, Messi scored four goals to help Barcelona beat Granada 5-3, becoming the focal point. Messi's goal tally quietly reached 35 for the season, although not as many as the Chinese superstar, but far ahead of the third-placed scorer Falcao with 19 goals.
The Argentine newspaper "Olé" published a headline: "35 goals in 29 rounds, Leo grows proudly in the mud!"
The article pointed out that Messi's performance this season had improved dramatically, both on the field and in terms of goals, making him the most outstanding player alongside Wang Feng, except that due to Barcelona's overall suppression by Real Madrid, European mainstream media maliciously criticized him, with no words of encouragement or praise, but instead questioning and criticizing him.
"This is to destroy the future pillar of Argentina! We must not sit idly by. Leo is already strong and hardworking enough. The team's defeat cannot be entirely blamed on him!"
After this report came out, other Argentine media such as "Nación", "Crónica", "La Voz del Interior", "Clarín", and "Página/12" responded one after another, with South American public opinion clamoring to demand an explanation from Europe.
European media generally acknowledged Messi's excellent performance, but losing is losing, and no matter how well he performs, it cannot bring results for the team.
Cyprus is an island country located in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the third-largest island in the Mediterranean, adjacent to Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon, very close to the Asian region.
Prior to this, Wang Feng had never been there, and most of the Real Madrid players were the same. Therefore, when everyone took a plane to its capital, Nicosia, they kept looking around with curious eyes.
"It's also a developed country here. If it weren't for the tight schedule, I really want to go around nearby and experience the local customs." Ramos seemed eager, but soon gave in under Ancelotti's stern gaze.
"Everyone, I don't want to say anything pessimistic. The outside world thinks that Greek Athletic is our gift, and now what we have to do is turn it into reality!"
"For this, everyone must do their best and not be distracted. After we win, I will apply to the club to give you half a day off."
With these words, everyone was delighted, and Ramos was the first to speak up: "You can rest assured, we will definitely not let you down!"
The Cypriot First Division has a total of 14 teams, and Greek Athletic is the most successful club among them. They have won the league title 21 times, the cup 19 times, and the super cup 12 times.
So the team itself is quite strong, otherwise they wouldn't have historically reached the Champions League quarter-finals, but this strength is not enough against Real Madrid.
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