Chapter 655: Classic Battle, Midseason Dominance
As Christmas and New Year approached, Real Madrid had one more league match to play, the final match of the first half of the season, the 17th round of La Liga, hosting Valencia at the Bernabeu.
Valencia, still striving for European qualification in the new season, witnessed the resurgence of Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal, which gave hope to many old powerhouse teams in La Liga. The fact proved that diligent management and performance could yield results.
In this match, Ancelotti included Wang Feng in the squad but did not arrange for him to start. Nacho replaced the suspended Pepe in the lineup.
Learning from the lesson of the previous round's defeat, the home team quickly took control of the situation after the kickoff. All players were on edge, fearing mistakes.
Although they had the upper hand on the field, everyone seemed stiff and unable to loosen up, making the atmosphere tense and dull.
In the 28th minute, Di Maria sent a diagonal pass from the flank, Modric cut inside from the right side of the penalty area, shook off Bernat, and fired a fierce shot into the far corner of the goal, 1-0!
The Croatian's performance improved even more, dispelling doubts and winning the love of Real Madrid fans.
However, the home team's lead did not last long. Six minutes later, Bernat intercepted Di Maria's pass and launched a quick counterattack, using his speed to evade the defense and send a cross from the baseline.
Piatti headed the ball into the net from the edge of the small penalty area, piercing through Casillas' fingers.
Just before halftime, Valencia took the lead with a corner kick opportunity. Parejo delivered the ball into the penalty area, and Mathieu outjumped Ramos to head the ball into the near corner, making it 1-2!
Amidst the restless atmosphere of the Bernabeu, Wang Feng finally took to the field in the second half!
If one observed carefully, they would notice that when the Chinese superstar stepped onto the pitch, all Real Madrid players seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as if they had cast off a heavy burden.
In contrast, Valencia immediately felt the pressure, with Ruiz and Mathieu choosing to double-team Wang Feng, but their teammates had trouble connecting, resulting in a large gap in the visitor's defensive line.
Just three minutes after coming on, he used changes in rhythm and continuous small steps to break through the defense, then passed diagonally into the open space. Gareth Bale, unmarked, volleyed the ball into the net with the outside of his foot, sending it into the top corner.
"Gooooooooooooooooooal! The ball's in! Real Madrid equalizes! Bale's fantastic volley scores!"
"This goal is 30% attributed to the Welsh star's superb shooting skills and 70% attributed to Wang Feng's pulling of the defense and assists!"
"It's too magical, too obvious! The presence of the Chinese superstar is the key turning point in the match!"
"Breaking through the double-team to provide an assist naturally deserves credit, but what I want to say is the momentum, this intangible presence seems to be completely exposed to everyone at this moment."
"Whether in the stadium or in front of the TV, the audience should feel the same as me, Real Madrid and Valencia have changed, completely different from the first half."
"If they were evenly matched in the first half, now I have a strong feeling that Valencia won't be able to stop the Galacticos. They will take all three points at the Bernabeu!"
Indeed, as the commentator predicted, in the 79th minute, Modric intercepted the ball in the middle and quickly passed it to Wang Feng, who then launched a counterattack, dribbled past Romeu, and passed to Bale on the wing.
The Welshman crossed into the penalty area, where Iguaín rose above Guaita to head the ball into the net.
In the end, Real Madrid won 3-2 at home against Valencia!
No one expected this seemingly ordinary La Liga match to become an important subject of study for many coaches and football professionals in the future, as well as a model of the influence of superstars on matches.
At first glance, Wang Feng only had one assist and didn't even score a goal. Was his influence on the Galaxy Battleship's comeback significant?
But as long as one carefully watched the entire game footage, everyone would reveal a look of realization, deeply understanding why the Galaxy Battleship was able to dominate football for so long and why the Chinese superstar was called the God of Football.
This match did not feature passionate attacking displays or spectacular goals, but it was enough to be called a classic battle in football history, leaving an indelible mark!
After the match, Bale was awarded the best player of the match, but he expressed that he felt undeserving. The real best player was already obvious, the man who conquered everything in just 45 minutes.
Facing the reporters, he revealed his thoughts for the first time, "Before coming to Real Madrid, I was always very nervous, worried that I wouldn't perform well, worried that I wouldn't fit into the team. Honestly, if it weren't for Modric's example, I would have almost developed anxiety."
"But when I truly joined the team, I found that all the worries were unnecessary. From the coach to the teammates, everyone was very kind. I don't know how to describe this feeling, um... warm and full of vitality."
"Ancelotti is a down-to-earth coach. Sometimes he can be very strict, but he also listens to the players' opinions and gets along well with everyone privately."
"Wang, I don't know how to thank him. Whether in training or in life, he has helped me too much, and he is very humorous. No one would refuse to be friends with him."
"Sergio, he's a great companion. Although sometimes we have some language barriers when communicating, it's okay. We can always communicate successfully through words and gestures."
Speaking of the recent criticisms he received, the Welsh star admitted that he used to care more about them, but now he had a different attitude. "This is how the stage of the Galaxy Battleship is. Every move on the field will be infinitely magnified."
He said that being able to enjoy playing football was the magic weapon to immune oneself from negative attacks, and achieving the best one could was enough.
At the halfway point of the season, Real Madrid continued to top the table with 15 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 46 points, winning the midseason championship.
Surprisingly, Simeone's Atletico Madrid also achieved 15 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 46 points, but they ranked second due to inferior goal difference.
Meanwhile, Barcelona suffered two consecutive defeats and ranked third with 14 wins, 3 losses, and 42 points.
Many domestic netizens jokingly referred to the La Liga title race between the two giants as the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," as Atletico's magical performance impressed all football fans. They were no longer satisfied with just a Champions League spot but aimed to challenge for the championship.
However, Catalan fans clearly didn't have a good Christmas and New Year. Many even chanted slogans calling for Martino to resign immediately.
In terms of the top scorer list, the Chinese superstar led with 24 goals, followed by Diego Costa with 19 goals.
Messi only managed a meager 8 goals, ranking behind Suarez and Neymar within Barcelona. Although he had experienced many minor injuries, his goal efficiency had significantly declined compared to last year.
This was not only due to the change in his tactical position by the coach but also because of continuous off-field troubles. First, he was accused by Spain of tax evasion, then he was suspected of laundering money through the foundation's charity projects.
When the Argentine needed Barcelona's help the most, the club remained silent and even accused Messi and his family of greediness, demanding a huge renewal contract.
Although Barcelona eventually compromised by offering a high-paying contract and dealt with the accusations, a rift had already formed between the player and the club.
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