Chapter 593: Double Setback
At the end of October, Real Madrid's journey in the Copa del Rey officially began. Although they were the defending champions from the previous season, due to the continuous injuries, the coaching staff and the club decided strategically to abandon the somewhat redundant domestic cup competition and focus on developing young players.
As a result, key players such as Wang Feng, Casillas, Ramos, Modric, and Arbeloa did not appear in the squad list. However, since the Copa del Rey regulations require more than 7 first-team players to be included, some key players still had to make the effort to travel to challenge Segunda B side Ejea.
With goals from Denis and Nacho, the Galacticos eventually defeated their opponents 2-1. Regardless, it was still challenging for third-tier league teams to pose a threat to them.
On November 4th, in the 10th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Zaragoza away.
In historical clashes, the Galacticos had an absolute advantage, and after the start of the match, the away team quickly found their rhythm, frequently launching rapid attacks to threaten the home team's goal.
In less than 15 minutes, they had already earned three corner kick opportunities. As the saying goes, third time's the charm. In the 18th minute, when Real Madrid won their fourth corner kick, Wang Feng delivered it into the penalty area. From a distance of 10 meters, Albiol's header shot was blocked by Zaragoza goalkeeper Roberto but the ball's momentum remained and deflected into the net, making it 1-0!
Just five minutes later, the away team extended their lead. Callejón's shot from a narrow angle in the penalty area was saved by the goalkeeper, but he quickly followed up to score from the rebound.
As the game reached the 43rd minute, Wang Feng made a steal in the backfield and then initiated a quick counter-attack with a solo run. Spotting Morata in a more advanced and threatening position, he promptly delivered a through ball.
The Spanish forward swiftly launched into the penalty area, evaded Roberto's tackle, and slotted the ball into the empty net to score, securing victory before halftime.
In the second half, the Chinese superstar attempted several long-range shots from outside the penalty area. Fortunately, one of them rebounded off the pitch and deflected past the Zaragoza goalkeeper's outstretched hand into the goal.
This was Wang Feng's seventh league goal of the season, making him the midfielder with the most goals in La Liga. Soon after, Ancelotti began rotating the lineup in preparation for the upcoming Champions League group stage matches.
The score remained 4-0 until the end of the game, with Real Madrid continuing to closely pursue the leading group.
On November 6th, without stopping, the Galacticos returned to the Bernabéu Stadium to face the challenge of Borussia Dortmund.
The German side continued their aggressive tactical approach, causing chaos in the Real Madrid defense, forcing Wang Feng to constantly intervene to extinguish fires.
In the 7th minute, Gundogan intercepted the ball in the midfield and sent a through pass to Reus on the edge of the penalty area. The Chinese superstar seized the opportunity, sliding in to intercept the ball before it reached Reus's feet, and then passed it to nearby Arbeloa.
Five minutes later, Dortmund's midfield launched an attack. Lewandowski sprinted towards the frontcourt, with Wang Feng initially trailing him by half a body length but gradually closing the distance due to his explosive speed.
Just as the two were about to make contact, the Chinese superstar swiftly extended his leg to hook the ball away from the Polish forward. The rapid change in pace caused both players to lose their balance and fall to the ground.
Ignoring the pain in his body, Wang Feng quickly got up, controlled the ball, and timely passed it to the supporting Isco, leaving Lewandowski sitting on the ground shaking his head in frustration.
With the game deadlocked for nearly 30 minutes, Dortmund eventually broke the deadlock. It was a corner kick opportunity, and after the ball was floated into the penalty area, Lewandowski's header flicked the ball to Reus at the far post, who volleyed it into the net.
In the 40th minute, Real Madrid launched an attack into the opponent's half. Wang Feng and Callejón formed a wall-pass combination on the wing, then forcefully entered the penalty area near the goal line. Suddenly, Wang Feng made a quick stop and cut back to evade the defensive entanglement, before sending a square pass with his right foot.
Near the penalty spot, Higuaín volleyed the ball fiercely past goalkeeper Weidenfeller's fingertips, making it 1-1, and the Galacticos leveled the score!
But fate sometimes plays jokes. In the 62nd minute of the second half, Grosskreutz launched a counterattack down the wing, then passed the ball into the penalty area.
After receiving the ball, G?tze intended to shoot, but Arbeloa slid to clear the ball, resulting in an unintentional own goal. The ball's trajectory completely caught Casillas by surprise, as it snuck into the net from an almost impossible angle.
"Own goal! Oh my God, Arbeloa made a serious mistake and gifted Dortmund a big opportunity!"
"In fact, if he hadn't intervened, G?tze might not have scored. At that moment, the Real Madrid goalkeeper's attention was highly focused, always vigilant against the opponent's shooting trajectory."
"Yes, but this clearance was also instinctive and part of a defender's duty. We don't need to be too harsh, but he should pay more attention to the angle of the clearance in the future."
"History is always surprisingly similar. In the last clash, Real Madrid lost the second goal, leading to a defeat against Wolfsburg. At that time, Ancelotti admitted that whoever scored the second goal would win the game. Are they going to repeat the same mistakes?"
Time passed slowly, and the restless Bernabéu once again prayed for their emperor to descend, but Wang Feng was still unable to be everywhere, almost exhausting all his mental energy on defense.
It wasn't until the 88th minute that an opportunity finally arrived. Ramos intercepted the ball in the backfield and passed it to the Chinese superstar, who then carried the ball towards the opponent's half. Using quick steps, he dribbled past Kehl and changed direction to shake off Schmelzer, before teasing Hummels.
He dribbled past three players over a distance of more than 40 meters! The stands erupted into cheers. As long as he entered the penalty area, there was no doubt about Wang Feng's ability; he would surely bring a goal!
Of course, the opponents were aware of this too. Subotic made a desperate attempt to defend from the side, his mind blank except for the determination to stop the opponent.
So the Serbian defender decisively tackled Wang Feng, bringing him down, causing an uproar in the stands. A barrage of boos rained down on Subotic, and the referee quickly arrived, brandishing a red card and sending him off because he was the last defender.
Real Madrid missed a great scoring opportunity, but won a free kick from 25 meters out from the opponent's goal. It was without a doubt that Wang Feng would take it!
The Chinese superstar adjusted his leg guard, stood up under Ramos's support, and said, "Are you okay? That foul just now was very dangerous." The Spaniard asked with concern.
"No problem, even if the opponent doesn't want it, I will still put the ball into their goal!"
Taking a deep breath, Wang Feng placed the ball on the penalty spot and slowly stepped back. Each step recalled countless times of free-kick goals, clear and vivid.
Run-up, shot! The ball formed a new moon in the air, bypassing the wall and rapidly curling back. The renowned Weidenfeller finally witnessed the power of the crescent moon scythe. Despite clearly deviating far from the goal frame, the ball miraculously curved back!
"Swish!" The ball brushed past the goalkeeper's fingertips and thundered into the top left corner of the goal!
With this goal just before the final whistle, Real Madrid ultimately drew 2-2 with Borussia Dortmund, still ranking second in the group.
Similarly, Barcelona encountered a setback. Despite having won three consecutive matches previously, victory over Celtic would have secured their early qualification. However, they were reversed 1-2.
What's worse, the Catalan team had an overwhelming 84% possession throughout the match, while the opponent only had a pitiful 16%. The discourse of possession being useless resurfaced for a moment; efficiency was the key to victory.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on fre𝒆web(n)ovel.co(m)