Chapter 606: Ronaldo's Three-Step
Cristiano Ronaldo felt extremely frustrated, as if everyone was against him. Why wasn't Wang Feng staying up front and instead running to the backfield to stop him?
Why weren't his teammates defending properly, leaving such a huge gap exposed? Why couldn't they keep up with his rhythm, receive the passes, and put them into the goal?
Once trapped in a cycle of blame, everyone around him seemed annoying, and being left out of the best team would be the last straw.
As the game continued, Ronaldo deliberately avoided Wang Feng and attacked from the other side, which obviously contradicted Ferguson's instructions before the match. However, the English coach just frowned and felt it was acceptable. Since the original tactics didn't work, flexible positioning was also a solution.
Then he made personnel adjustments, replacing Giggs with Shinji Kagawa. This was a very flexible player who could cooperate with the Portuguese superstar to activate the midfield and attack.
With the change in tactics, Manchester United gradually gained a foothold. In the 54th minute, Welbeck took a corner kick, and Ronaldo, who had shaken off Ramos, leaped high for a header.
He was extremely confident, even a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. This was definitely a goal aimed at the corner, and the team could immediately sound the horn for a comeback.
But because he pursued the angle too much, the ball hit the goalpost with a "bang" and rebounded back into play. Alonso rushed to clear the ball with a big kick.
"FXX!" The Portuguese angrily waved his arms, finally unable to hold back his foul language, feeling that even the heavens were against him!
In the 60th minute, Manchester United launched an attack. Carrick sent a through ball with too much force, but Ronaldo, unwilling to give up, still chased after it. Although Arbeloa wasn't as fast as him, he used his experience to block Ronaldo's path and escort the ball to the baseline.
Seeing the imminent exit, the Portuguese star, in frustration, suddenly kicked the Spanish defender's leg with his right foot, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground. Even so, Arbeloa still used his body to protect the ball, and since the referee didn't blow the whistle, he couldn't stop defending.
The linesman who witnessed everything immediately waved his flag, and the referee Jigula also stopped the game. But at this moment, Ronaldo, obviously still angry, kicked the ball in the Spaniard's arms twice more before walking away as if nothing had happened.
Everyone was stunned, and Wang Feng, who reacted first, rushed to Ronaldo and pushed him hard. Ramos and Alonso followed closely, and seeing the situation turning bad, Manchester United players also rushed to support, almost coming to blows.
"Beep! Beep!" The referee team, coaching staff, and club staff all rushed onto the field to separate the two teams. Without hesitation, Jigula showed a red card to Ronaldo and sent him off the field.
After some hesitation, he showed a yellow card to Wang Feng as a warning. Ramos wanted to argue but was stopped by the Chinese superstar. "Forget it, winning the game is the most important. We must definitely eliminate Manchester United!"
The hot-headed "Water Master" nodded heavily.
With one less player, the morale of the Red Devils hit rock bottom, while the Galacticos were eager to give their opponents a hard time. In the 72nd minute, Ramos passed to Wang Feng at the back, and Wang Feng directly passed to Morata in the frontcourt.
The Spanish forward, facing away from the goal, did not stop the ball but directly sent a lateral pass. Wang Feng, who was following up, dodged the defense with a big step and accelerated into the penalty area.
At this moment, the attention of the four defending players was all on him, and De Gea also rushed out to him urgently. Unexpectedly, Wang Feng pushed the ball to the back post, and Modric, who was unmarked, calmly put the ball into the Manchester United goal.
Eight minutes later, Arbeloa intercepted the ball at the back and launched a quick counterattack. Under Welbeck's interference, he passed the ball forward with less force, but the Chinese superstar ran very fast.
Seeing him rushing past the landing point, Wang Feng flashed a scorpion tail, using his heel to return the ball to Alonso, who was making a run. Alonso then jumped up and headed the ball forward to Modric.
The Croatian controlled the ball with his chest and then sent a diagonal pass through the defensive line. The Chinese superstar caught up with the ball near the baseline and passed it to the penalty area with a back-heel pass. Higuain, 8 meters in front of the goal, slotted the ball into the net.
The entire attack flowed smoothly and swiftly, from Arbeloa's pass to Modric's goal, taking less than 1 minute!
4-0! Real Madrid completely crushed Manchester United, almost securing their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals.
In the post-match mixed zone, Wang Feng was surrounded by a crowd of reporters, showing rare signs of anger in this game. He even almost got into a fight. Everyone wanted to know what he was thinking at that moment.
"Yes, I was indeed very angry. If the first kick (by Ronaldo) belonged to a malicious foul during the confrontation, I could reluctantly accept it. But his subsequent actions were a provocation to the entire Real Madrid team. As the captain, I absolutely cannot allow such things to happen."
However, he also admitted that his retaliation was inappropriate, and receiving a yellow card was only right. He apologized to all the fans for this.
The party involved, Arbeloa, also became the focus of media attention. "Honestly, I was even a little scared at the time. If the Portuguese had kicked not the ball in my arms but my chest or head, I might have been seriously injured. Of course, I still feel quite painful now."
"He just walked away as if nothing had happened, until the captain came up to demand an explanation. At that moment, I felt that we were a united team and could defeat any opponent."
Other Real Madrid players also expressed their frustration and determination to win. Ancelotti sarcastically remarked at the press conference, "Perhaps our football superstar practices kung fu football, but sorry, there are referees on the field."
The club, deeply influenced by Chinese culture, often watches some domestic films and TV series. The Italian apparently associated this incident with some scenes from movies.
"We will submit an appeal to UEFA for additional punishment. This is not something that should happen on the field. An excellent player needs to learn to manage his emotions."
Ferguson appeared at the press conference with a tired face, seemingly aged ten years. "We didn't play well. We wasted many opportunities in the first half and fell into a slump after conceding the first goal."
Regarding Ronaldo's red card, he still defended his beloved disciple. "People always unintentionally magnify his actions. In fact, the situation is very simple. Cristiano didn't hear the referee's whistle at that time. He just wanted to continue fighting for the ball."
"A yellow card is the most severe warning, but he is Cristiano Ronaldo, so the referee gave a red card. Sometimes, stars have to bear these things, but we will not give up defending his legitimate rights."
Later, both clubs actively worked behind the scenes. Real Madrid hoped for additional punishment, while Manchester United advocated for the red card to be rescinded to avoid suspension for the next leg.
After a detailed review of the footage, UEFA deemed the nature of the incident quite serious and leaned towards a heavy penalty. Ferguson had to mobilize many connections, and ultimately, the decision remained unchanged: a red card and a one-match suspension.
The public criticism of this incident naturally prevailed. Marca said that Manchester United "loses and makes friends," while As even suggested that it could be classified as assault.
The Times, Daily Mail, and other media wrote, "Ronaldo's suspension spells doom for Manchester United." Ending the Champions League journey prematurely for two consecutive years, this Red Devil team has major problems.
Some netizens gave Ronaldo the nickname "Ronaldo Three-Step," while some die-hard fans believed that this was a true reflection of the Portuguese star's character. He was always thinking about how to attack and help the team win, so what's wrong with that?
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