Chapter 567: The Confrontation between Negativity and Positivity
As soon as the second half began, Chelsea, contrary to their usual style, launched a massive offensive, catching Real Madrid, who were accustomed to a defensive rhythm, off guard.
In the 49th minute, Lampard slotted a pass to Drogba near the penalty area. "The Beast" still possessed his power, skillfully maneuvering past defenders with a side step before unleashing a powerful shot.
This thunderous strike surprised everyone in the stadium. The entire Allianz Arena echoed with fans' cheers and screams as the ball pierced through Real Madrid's defensive line, heading straight for the top right corner of the goal.
The Spanish goalkeeper reacted swiftly, concentrating and diving to save the shot. He got a touch on the ball! Casillas's face was about to break into a smile, but it froze immediately. The ball was too fast! Although he managed to block it, he couldn't stop its momentum, and the ball deflected into the net.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal!!" The blue ocean surged in the stands as Chelsea took the lead!
The hero Drogba excitedly rushed to the sidelines, crossing the advertising boards to reach the area where the Blues' fans were, continuously cheering and roaring, as if declaring to everyone that the Beast was not yet retired!
His teammates quickly surrounded him, celebrating together this hard-earned goal. The head coach Mourinho was also on the sidelines, raising his arms and shouting loudly. His tactical strategy had worked wonders.
"Real Madrid was caught off guard. They failed to adjust their on-field response quickly enough and paid a heavy price for sticking to their first-half tactics."
"Yes, who would have expected Chelsea to suddenly accelerate their offensive rhythm, breaking into the frontcourt in one fell swoop? Drogba's long-range shot was also of high quality. So far, the Blues have only had two shots, but one of them hit the frame of the goal and resulted in a goal."
"After conceding a goal, Chelsea's defense, already a tough nut to crack, will become even harder to break. What will happen next? Let's continue watching."
In Mourinho's philosophy, a narrow victory and a resounding triumph made no difference. A win was a win, so he never cared if the game became dull and boring.
After taking the lead, Chelsea's retreat became more apparent, vowing to maintain their advantage until the end of the game, even repeatedly passing the ball around their own penalty area to waste time.
This negative approach to the game infuriated Real Madrid fans, who booed and protested loudly. However, the players on the field continued to play their own game, constantly passing the ball back to goalkeeper Cech.
The Galacticos could only press forward aggressively. In addition to Higuain and Wang Feng, players like Alonso, Di Maria, and Modric also ventured deep into enemy territory.
As time passed, their mentality became more and more anxious. Modric and Di Maria were both cautioned by the referee for their overly aggressive pressing.
Mourinho then made consecutive substitutions, bringing on Ferreira and Malouda to strengthen the defense while using personnel changes to waste time.
"What a sight! Chelsea seems to be playing a game of keep-away with Real Madrid, trying everything to waste time. It seems unprecedented in the history of Champions League finals."
"This kind of passive play is not unacceptable. After all, winning is the most important thing. But you can't just keep stalling."
"Like just now, Lampard clearly had space to carry the ball forward, but he chose to pass it back. Instead of trying to create an attack, they prefer to keep possession and waste time, greatly reducing the excitement of the game."
"In the second half, Chelsea's possession rate reached 72%, but it was all meaningless passing in their own half, with no desire to attack."
"Real Madrid hasn't given up, especially Wang Feng. We can see him initiating sudden sprints several times, almost breaking through. This repeated sprinting is a huge test of endurance."
The Chinese superstar felt a burning sensation in his chest, his sweat soaking his clothes and blurring his vision. But he knew he couldn't stop. As long as he was charging forward, he wouldn't give up.
He needed to be more careful, observe the opponent's movements when they made tackles, make judgments in advance, and intercept the ball! After being tricked by a pass a few times, Wang Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought fiercely.
In the 81st minute, his long-awaited opportunity finally arrived. When Luis passed the ball back to goalkeeper Cech, the Chinese superstar dashed towards him like a speeding cheetah, forcing the Czech to clear the ball with a long kick, sending it out of bounds and giving Real Madrid possession in the opponent's half.
Khedira went to take the throw-in, and Wang Feng ran nearby, signaling for the ball. The German promptly threw it to him. With a chest control, the ball fell steadily to his feet, with Mikel and Mata immediately marking him.
The Chinese superstar opened his arms to protect the ball, continuously flicking it with his right foot to avoid tackles. Seizing the opportunity, he suddenly tapped the ball with his heel, threading it through Mata's legs, and swiftly turned to evade them and chase after the ball.
Seeing Wang Feng successfully break through the double team, Essien, who came to defend, was shocked, but he reacted quickly and directly slid in with a tackle, clipping the Chinese superstar's legs and bringing him down.
"Beep~" Another yellow card! The Real Madrid fans in the stands cursed and complained incessantly: "Damn it, that should have been a red card!" "Despicable Chelsea, only know how to foul and play negatively, no sportsmanship at all!"
Real Madrid won a set-piece opportunity in the left flank of the opponent's half. Wang Feng got up from the ground, panting heavily as he glanced at the opponent's goal, then signaled Alonso and others to come over and discuss tactics.
"This is a free-kick opportunity that can directly threaten the goal. Real Madrid failed to capitalize on several previous occasions. Let's see how they play this time."
"Oh? Alonso is standing at the penalty spot, and Wang Feng is moving forward. Are they planning to execute a combination?"
"Run-up, cross! Modric with another pass, Wang Feng with a shot! Goal! The Galacticos have finally equalized!"
"An outstanding set-piece combination! Alonso pretended to take a long run-up, deliberately staying far from the ball as if to curl it into the penalty area. In fact, he lightly tapped the ball with his left foot, pushing it to Modric in the middle."
"At this moment, Wang Feng quickly started his run, moving backward from the edge of the penalty area, quickly shaking off defenders, receiving Modric's cross, controlling the ball, and shooting. The ball successfully pierced through Chelsea's dense defense, entering the net from the bottom right corner of the goal!"
At the moment of the goal, Ancelotti couldn't contain his excitement any longer, running around the field with his players. This game was too frustrating for them, and they couldn't accept losing in such a baffling manner.
Luckily, they had Wang Feng! When several direct free-kick attempts missed the target, he came up with this clever tactic to bypass the dense blockade in the penalty area. It was truly ingenious!
On the other side, Mourinho stood with his hands in his pockets, his brow furrowed. It was Wang Feng again. His mentality and skills had grown too much compared to the last defeat. There was a feeling that he couldn't be contained no matter what.
But soon, the Portuguese's expression relaxed. Equalizing the score didn't matter much. In fact, his tactical arrangement was to drag the game to a penalty shootout. Stealing a goal was just a bonus.
"Both sides are back to square one again. After Chelsea restarts the game, they continue to pass the ball around in their own half, seemingly determined to play negatively and drag the game into extra time or even penalties."
"And Real Madrid still maintains their aggressive pressing. This is a clash of two different game attitudes. Who will have the last laugh?"
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