Chapter 576: Opening Defeat, Is It the End of Real Madrid?
On the night of August 19th, at 9:00 p.m., at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, the first round of the 2012-2013 La Liga season between Real Madrid and Valencia began on time.
After over a month of preparation, coach Ancelotti lined up the usual 4-4-2 formation, with Casillas as the goalkeeper.
The four defenders were Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, and Arbeloa.
In midfield, Modric, Alonso, Khedira, and Di María were stationed.
Upfront, Wang Feng partnered with Morata.
Higuaín had not yet won the coach's trust and could only sit on the bench, but he was working hard to earn it.
After the start of the match, the Galacticos played smoothly as usual, launching a fierce attack against the Bats under the cheers of the Bernabéu crowd.
In the 9th minute, Wang Feng received a through pass from Modric near the edge of the penalty area on the left side, with his back to the defense. He quickly turned and dribbled past the defender with a swift move.
Catching up with the ball in two steps, he immediately shot with his left foot, sending the ball soaring into the top corner of the net. Valencia's goalkeeper Diego Alves made a desperate save, but the angle of the shot was too tricky, almost skimming the corner of the net.
"Goooooooooooooal! It's in!" Accompanied by the goal, the deafening cheers from the crowd and the heart-rending shouts from the commentators echoed in the stadium.
"It's the familiar taste again. Real Madrid has taken firm control of the game from the beginning, launching a fierce attack against Valencia and taking the lead in less than ten minutes."
"Wang Feng's anticipation of the defenders behind him is very accurate. He still maintains his sharp attacking awareness and excellent skills, showing no signs of decline."
"It can be foreseen that the Galacticos will continue to press on and secure victory in the match, setting a good start for the new journey!"
If the situation develops normally, it should be similar to the commentator's description, but it seems that even the heavens couldn't bear Real Madrid's dominance of football, as bad news soon followed one after another.
In the 27th minute, while defending a cross from Valencia, Pepe and Casillas clashed violently, with Casillas's massive fist knocking down the Portuguese defender.
Even the tough defender couldn't withstand such a blow. According to Pepe's later recollection, in that instant, he seemed to see heaven, and now he lay unconscious on the ground.
The field immediately fell into chaos. Real Madrid players rushed forward to check on Pepe's condition, and the medical staff urgently entered to take him to the hospital for treatment. Ancelotti had to substitute Pepe with Varane.
Before the home team could recover from the blow, just six minutes later, during a midfield battle, Valencia's defender Banega tackled Khedira, and his studs hammered into the German's ankle, causing his foot to bend inward at a 90-degree angle!
Khedira immediately fell to the ground in agony, and the referee's whistle sounded promptly. He showed Banega a yellow card.
"This is definitely a red card offense, too dangerous!" Wang Feng complained to the referee, Morsata, after seeing the seriousness of his teammate's injury, but the referee, reluctant to issue a red card in the first match, insisted on his decision and only issued a yellow card warning.
After the game, Spanish referees admitted that this was a questionable judgment, but it was too late. Khedira could only be carried out of the field on a stretcher, becoming the second Real Madrid player to be sent to the hospital after Pepe.
Ancelotti scanned the substitutes' bench and had no choice but to let the newly signed Isco take his place.
Even so, the misfortune of the Galacticos was far from over. Towards the end of the first half, Di María dribbled down the flank unopposed, suddenly falling to the ground in pain, clutching his shin.
The Italian coach on the sidelines was dumbfounded. What happened? The season had just begun, why were the key players falling one after another?
Reluctantly, he had to replace Di María with Carvajal. At this point, from the back to the front, the Galacticos had someone injured in every line. The players were greatly affected, and the home fans were bewildered.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Valencia scored two goals in the second half through Soldado and Albelda, turning the game around.
1-2! The Galacticos suffered an opening defeat!
Since Wang Feng joined, this was the first time Real Madrid had lost in the first round of La Liga! For a moment, all the media were reporting extensively, many of them believed that this season might mark the historic moment of the end of the Galacticos' dynasty!
According to the latest news from the hospital, Pepe, Khedira, and Di María were all severely injured and were likely to miss the entire season, which was a huge blow to Real Madrid.
"I don't know what happened at that moment. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have focused all my attention on the ball," Casillas said in frustration when facing the media.
"When I saw the replay, I realized how terrible I was. God, please bless Pepe to recover quickly."
Wang Feng, interviewed by reporters, looked very serious. "They are the backbone of the team. It's a great pity that all three of them are injured. I hope they can recover soon."
Regarding the defeat in the first round, the Chinese superstar believed it was within reason. "Everyone feels lost. We can't play well under such circumstances."
However, he insisted that the league was still long, and it was too early to assert that their hopes of competing for the title were lost. The team would make adjustments as soon as possible.
Most of the media believed that Wang Feng was being stubborn. With three key players, who were in the most important positions, out for the entire season, it could almost be concluded that the strength of the Galacticos had greatly declined, making it impossible for them to compete with the mighty Barcelona.
Especially in the other match of the day, where Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 5-1, with Villa making a perfect comeback with two goals, while Messi and Iniesta also scored each, the Catalan team was in excellent form.
"The six consecutive titles have drained all of Real Madrid's luck. It's time for Barcelona to shine." This sentence filled the cover of many newspapers, with a sense of triumph.
The plot seemed to be developing as expected. Three days later, in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, the Galacticos faced Milan Deportes away.
In the 13th minute, Modric kicked the ball into the penalty area from the front, and Wang Feng stopped the ball near the penalty spot, immediately taking a low shot.
The home goalkeeper quickly dived to save, but the Chinese superstar, anticipating it, got to the rebound and scored again. At this point, the opponent had no way to stop it. 1-0, Real Madrid took the lead.
Before the away team could celebrate for long, Milan Deportes successfully penetrated the defense in the middle, with Morivis equalizing the score.
In the second half, Wang Feng scored again with a long shot, but the opponent broke through the middle to score, and the entire defense of the Galacticos was almost torn apart.
Fortunately, Casillas made several heroic saves, securing the final score at 2-2.
On August 26th, the second round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Hetafe away, and the situation did not improve at all. After Wang Feng scored first, the home team quickly scored two goals to reverse the situation.
If it weren't for the Chinese superstar's last-minute direct free-kick goal to equalize the score, they would have experienced two consecutive defeats at the start of the season!
After two rounds of matches, Barcelona topped the table with 6 points and a goal difference advantage, while Real Madrid, with 1 loss and 1 draw, was only in 14th place. Such a dismal start was rare indeed.
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.𝘤ℴ𝑚 for the best novel reading experience