Chapter 583: Let Me Tell You What a Big Club Is!
Despite Real Madrid taking all three points and Wang Feng's impressive performance, the difficulties during the game were evident. With the midweek Champions League group stage approaching, how would they face the formidable Manchester City?
Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, wrote in his column, "When four main players fall consecutively, everyone feels despair, and the Galaxy Battleship has completely lost hope of contending for the championship."
"Wang's presence once made fans happy, but the team's problems are systemic. He can only struggle to move forward with everyone, and where they can go is still uncertain."
On September 18th, the first leg of the Champions League group stage kicked off at the Bernabeu, with Real Madrid facing the in-form Manchester City.
The Sky Blues lined up with the same 4-2-3-1 formation as Real Madrid, with Joe Hart as the goalkeeper.
The back four consisted of Maicon, Kompany, Nastasic, and Kolarov.
The double pivot midfielders were Barry and Javi Garcia, with Nasri, Yaya Toure, and Silva in front of them.
Tevez was the lone striker.
As the proud champions of the Premier League, Manchester City players were full of arrogance, or more positively, they were full of fighting spirit. However, their attitude could also be seen as looking down on their opponents.
Moreover, with some recent struggles with injuries in the Galaxy Battleship, they looked even less concerned about their opponents. Before the match in the player tunnel, Maicon loudly said to Nastasic in English, "I don't see anything special about the Bernabeu. We're the defending champions. Let's win the game quickly and go to the nightclubs in Madrid."
There were also many players in the Real Madrid team who could speak English. Upon hearing this, they were immediately furious. Who gave this nouveau riche the right to comment on traditional powerhouses?
Naturally, Wang Feng understood as well. He looked at the Brazilian defender with a smile that was not a smile, making him feel uneasy. It was clear that the aura surrounding the Chinese superstar was too strong, to some extent, it could intimidate opponents.
Immediately, he also said in English, "Guys, let's show our distant friends what a real big club is!"
Stepping onto the Bernabeu pitch, Maicon and others understood what a real big club was like. Nearly 80,000 home fans in the stands shouted "Hala Madrid" in unison, and the white sea surged and rolled, all displaying the culture and energy of this hellish home ground.
After the game started, the inspired Real Madrid players appeared particularly determined. In the first ten minutes, Modric assisted Morata twice to attack the heart of the penalty area, eventually leading to a valid shot.
In the 13th minute, Wang Feng dribbled the ball near the center circle and calmly passed it to Khedira in front of him when facing Yaya Toure. The latter then passed diagonally to the front for the oncoming Chinese superstar.
From there, he advanced all the way forward. First, he dodged Silva's pressing with a lateral shift, then faced the joint defense of Javi Garcia and Maicon, and sent a surgical pass with his left foot straight into the heart of the penalty area.
Higuain took one touch in the penalty area and then unleashed a powerful shot with his far foot, piercing through Manchester City's goal.
1:0! The Galaxy Battleship took the lead!
The Sky Blues, as last season's winners who battled with Manchester United until the last moment, also found that Real Madrid was not as weak as rumored. So, they put away their contempt and went all out.
After failing to break through Wang Feng's defense several times in a row, the away team quickly changed their approach. Firstly, they avoided the Chinese superstar through rapid lateral shifts, focusing their attack on that area, and secondly, they attempted to breach the Galaxy Battleship's defense through wing play and long passes behind the defense.
This approach proved effective. In the 39th minute, Kolarov launched a rapid attack from the wing to the front court, then delivered a diagonal cross into the penalty area. Tevez, pressing against Varane, headed the ball into Real Madrid's goal, equalizing the score.
At the start of the second half in the 56th minute, Barry sent a long pass from midfield, which Cavani failed to keep up with Silva's pace. The latter managed to snatch the ball ahead of him and, without waiting for a tackle, volleyed it into Casillas's goal.
From leading to falling behind, it was a huge blow to any team. But they were Real Madrid, the kings of the field who remained unmoved no matter how fierce the storms were!
Wang Feng continuously interjected between his teammates to comfort and encourage them. Coach Ancelotti made timely personnel adjustments, replacing the exhausted Cavani with the young Varane.
The fans in the stands continued to passionately cheer for the home team, even more vigorously than at the start of the match.
With multiple advantages, the Galaxy Battleship once again unleashed their power. In the 79th minute, Wang Feng dribbled the ball into the opponent's half, facing Yaya Toure. He feigned a dribble inside to shift the defender's focus, then actually pushed the ball to the right along the sideline.
Yaya Toure was thrown off balance by his feint, but with excellent physical qualities, he stabilized himself and chased after the Chinese superstar from behind.
Seeing that the sprint distance ahead was not enough to shake off the defender, Wang Feng imaginatively tapped the ball horizontally with the heel of his left foot. The ball instantly passed Yaya Toure, creating a one-two with the Chinese superstar, who then accelerated past the Ivorian midfielder to chase the ball.
He reached the ball ahead of the protected Maicon, sending it into the penalty area again. Joe Hart quickly abandoned the goal and rushed towards Wang Feng, but the Chinese superstar cleverly poked the ball sideways to the far post.
With no one marking him, Higuain easily tapped the ball into the empty net, making it even easier than in training!
After that, although both sides organized some attacks, they failed to score again, and time gradually ran out.
"We can see the referee constantly raising his wrist to check the time. The 3-minute injury time is about to come to an end, and I believe this will be Real Madrid's last chance to attack."
"Carvajal dribbles the ball down the wing and forcefully crosses it into the box. The quality of this cross is not very good. Varane and Kompany are contesting for the header at the near post!"
"Varane falls in the penalty area! Kompany has some slight movements with his hands, but the referee ignores it!"
"The Belgian defender's clearance didn't fly out of the danger area. Is there a second point? Nastasic and Morata collide and fall to the ground, both sides are fighting very fiercely."
"The ball comes to the edge of the penalty area, Wang Feng follows up from outside the box, and he shoots!!"
"Goal! Goal! In the final moments of the game, the Chinese superstar scores the winning goal!"
"A powerful long-range shot from thirty meters away, piercing through Manchester City's defenses!"
After scoring, Wang Feng quickly ran to the stands area and roared. Countless Real Madrid fans were ignited by his passion and winning goal, responding enthusiastically to him. The entire Bernabeu seemed to be trembling.
"Until the last attack, Real Madrid never gave up hope of victory. They definitely have the ability to advance from the Group of Death in the Champions League. Those who underestimate them are destined to be disappointed!"
"Let's admire this fantastic goal again. Varane failed to win the header in the contest, Morata risked his own safety to go for the ball, causing Nastasic to not fully clear the ball."
"Wang Feng suddenly takes a shot as the ball drops, without any stopping or adjusting movements. It's thrilling to watch, the ball flies like a shooting star straight into the top left corner of the goal."
"Although goalkeeper Joe Hart made a flying save, the rapid shot beat him."
"Alright, the referee has blown the final whistle for the end of the game. After an intense battle between old and new, the traditional powerhouse Real Madrid defeats the nouveau riche Manchester City 3:2. They prove that experience counts!"
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