Chapter 633: A Glorious Farewell
After the match ended, the Bird's Nest Stadium turned into a sea of celebration. Many domestic fans were immersed in the thrilling showdown and were reluctant to leave, their excited emotions difficult to calm.
Under Wang Feng's leadership, the Real Madrid players raised the Spanish Super Cup to salute everyone. After experiencing the ups and downs of the intense 90 minutes, their efforts were not in vain.
It was a difficult and full of twists and turns game. Both sides showed strong desires to win, with Barcelona continuing their dominance in possession as usual, while the White Galactic team seized the few counterattacking opportunities.
The joy of defeating their arch-rivals was indescribable, especially when the opponents were so highly regarded by the outside world. The players celebrated wildly in the locker room, champagne flowing, and head coach Ancelotti's face was full of smiles, not stopping their slightly exaggerated celebration.
"Equalizing and then scoring the winning goal, Real Madrid overpowers Barcelona to lift the Spanish Super Cup!"
"The terrifying attacking overlord announces his return, and the Chinese superstar nets a hat-trick on home soil, confronting the Trident head-on!"
Major media outlets extensively covered this high-profile match, the first showdown after the reform of the Super Cup, which achieved unimaginable success.
The front page of Spain's "Marca" prominently featured a snapshot of Wang Feng's long-distance raid, appearing to enter an empty space behind the chasing Barcelona defenders.
In their report, they praised the Chinese superstar's lone charge in the final moments, emphasizing the need for not only immense speed and explosiveness but also superb ball control.
According to the slow-motion analysis, Wang Feng's seemingly unbelievable method of breaking through the encirclement was quite simple—it was just two touches of the ball.
But the first touch required avoiding the menacing Pique and not directly delivering the ball to Alves, while the second touch needed precise timing to poke the ball away before Alves could reach it.
Even more astonishing was that during the breakthrough, Wang Feng's forward movement was hardly affected, meaning he executed a series of actions at high speed, making it seem effortless and rendering the Barcelona defense powerless.
"The Chinese superstar was undoubtedly the most crucial player of the entire match. After a season of defensive duties, his shooting boots not only did not gather dust but shone even brighter."
However, they believed that the strength of both teams remained evenly matched; otherwise, the process wouldn't have been so arduous. Messi came close to dominating the game and taking it to a cruel overtime.
Finally, the article also mentioned the tremendous success of this year's Spanish Super Cup, not only in terms of stadium arrangements and fan reception but also in global broadcasting viewership.
This would bring huge profits, far more advantageous than the previous two-leg format, and it is believed that more clubs would support it in the future.
Not only "Marca," but "AS" and "Sport" also praised Wang Feng's consecutive goals, especially his last-minute solo effort to defeat the opponent.
"AS" marveled at him as a "timeless" magical player, at the age of 30, the Chinese superstar still ran as fast as when he was 20, leaving everyone else far behind.
"Sport," on the other hand, believed that the Chinese superstar still possessed immeasurable value. He could dominate against Barcelona's Trident in different periods, making him a perpetual nightmare for the Catalan team.
Of course, a one-sided argument is not comprehensive. Many media outlets like "Diario Sport" believed that Barcelona's loss was merely due to bad luck, and the team's strength has improved significantly.
Especially with Messi narrowly missing out on altering the outcome, his leadership qualities have become stronger with age, and the future of the world football undoubtedly belongs to the Argentine star, and Barcelona is bound to experience a revival.
This year's La Liga opener was scheduled for August 18, with Real Madrid hosting Real Betis.
Before the match began, the team received the league championship trophy from the previous season, boosting their morale, and they quickly suppressed the opponent with continuous strikes.
In the 14th minute, Di Maria forcefully broke through from the wing and crossed, and Wang Feng, with great experience, nodded in at the near post to open the scoring for the home team.
Twelve minutes later, Alonso sent a through pass, and Iguaín scored with a powerful shot from 10 meters out, further extending the team's lead.
The situation then calmed down, and Real Betis also organized several effective attacks, but they were all intercepted and returned without success.
In the 79th minute, Wang Feng changed the rhythm continuously on the wing and shook off two defenders with a cross into the penalty area. Isco, who came on as a substitute, headed in from 8 meters out ahead of Nosa, scoring his first league goal for the White Galactic team.
The match ended with a score of 3-0, and the White Galactic team did not repeat their slow start from the previous season.
Barcelona's opening match of the league also garnered high attention. Many were concerned about whether the Catalan team could recover after being struck by Real Madrid.
It turns out that the fans' worries were somewhat unnecessary. The determined home team, with Messi netting a hat-trick and Neymar and Suarez scoring two goals each, defeated Levante 7-0, continuing their reputation as the creators of catastrophe.
Due to making way for the World Cup next summer, the start dates of the major European leagues were all advanced. The annual Bernabéu Cup of the White Galactic team was also scheduled after the first round of La Liga.
This year was particularly special because the opponent for the match was Al Sadd from the Qatari league, and the "Prince of Bernabéu," Raúl, would return to the Bernabéu stadium.
As the Spaniard announced his retirement at the end of the season, Florentino personally invited him to participate in the farewell match. That's how Real Madrid operates—the club respects all its legends after they retire, despite any past conflicts. They respect their own legends more than any other club does.
Raúl gladly agreed, and after discussions between the players, both clubs, and Raúl, a new format for the match was decided: Raúl would represent different teams in each half. In other words, in the first half, the Prince of Bernabéu would wear the number 7 Real Madrid jersey that represented him!
This news brought tears to countless old fans' eyes. On the day of the match, the surroundings of the stadium were crowded, and many fans who couldn't get tickets preferred to watch the big screen outside the stadium.
Naturally, the stands were full, and people passionately called out the name of the player who had given his all for the team.
The players of both sides slowly entered the field. Real Madrid had only 10 players lined up, waiting for the legend to appear. When that familiar figure walked through the player tunnel and appeared, screams and cheers resounded through the sky.
As the representative of the team, Wang Feng stepped forward and warmly embraced the Spaniard. "Welcome home, Raúl!" One sentence broke through all his defenses, and tears gradually welled up in the Prince of Bernabéu's eyes.
The Chinese superstar took off the captain's armband from his arm and personally put it on Raúl. He also handed him the team flag. This was not arranged in advance, but Wang Feng felt it was only right.
On the stands, Real Madrid president Florentino looked on with satisfaction at the scene before him. Wang Feng's emotional intelligence was as high as ever.
The process of the match itself wasn't very noteworthy. Raúl was undoubtedly the absolute protagonist, scoring a goal in each half, and Real Madrid ultimately defeated Al Sadd 4-2.
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