Chapter 677: Where to Pass!
The lights at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia were brightly lit, and the stands, which can accommodate 55,000 people, were packed at the moment. A rough scan revealed two distinct groups of people wearing white jerseys and red-and-white striped jerseys.
Between the two, the organizers arranged a large-scale security force to prevent potential conflicts. As the game progressed, the situation on the field became increasingly tense, and the verbal battles between the fans never ceased.
Many loyal fans of the Bed Sheet Army showed relieved smiles. They believed that the rivalry between them and Real Madrid should be so intense. In recent years, the team's performance has declined, and many people no longer have the heart to confront supporters of their city rivals.
But this season is different. Atletico Madrid not only tightly bit the Galactic Battleship in the league but also directly faced off in the King's Cup final. Even in the Champions League, they did not fall behind. It was time to settle old scores and new grudges!
Simeone deployed a 4-4-2 formation, with goalkeeper Oblak.
The four defenders were Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, and Felipe.
The midfield was filled by Raul Garcia, Thiago, Gabi, and Koke.
Upfront, Villa and Diego Costa led the attack.
It can be said that the Argentine coach can basically play with big names, and this lineup has undergone numerous tests on both the league and Champions League stages.
On the other hand, Ancelotti deployed a 4-3-3 formation, with goalkeeper Casillas.
The four defenders were Marcelo, Ramos, Pepe, and Carvajal.
The midfield consisted of Modric, Isco, and Casemiro.
The front three were Wang Feng, Higuain, and Bale.
The Italian coach placed Di Maria on the bench and started Casemiro instead, which showed great courage. It was also because the Brazilian midfielder had left a good impression on him in the recent matches.
Compared to the attacking firepower but slightly lacking defense of the Argentine winger, the Brazilian youngster was obviously more balanced. He could drop back to play as a defensive midfielder and also participate in organizing the attack in the frontcourt.
Ancelotti found that Casemiro's presence would allow Modric and Isco to focus on team coordination and provide protection for Ramos and Pepe behind them, achieving a balance between offense and defense.
Apart from his lack of experience, he was very reliable! It was only natural to bring him on to seek stability.
At the start of the game, Atletico Madrid, as always, adopted a high-pressure and aggressive confrontation tactic. Just 3 minutes into the game, Gabi received the first yellow card for a tackle on Modric.
"Bandits, thugs, send him off!" Many Galactic Battleship fans were infuriated, but the Bed Sheet Army fans retaliated without showing weakness: "This was not a foul at all, biased referee, damn it, kick him to death, don't let the opponent play comfortably!"
In the 19th minute, Modric intercepted the ball in midfield and passed it to Isco, who then made a slanted pass to Wang Feng. The Chinese superstar received the ball and, after a series of wall passes, broke through to the edge of the penalty area.
Juanfran immediately came to intercept, but Wang Feng seized the opportunity to make a clever nutmeg, easily bypassing him and entering the danger zone from 12 meters out. He then calmly shot into the far corner, making it 1-0!
Real Madrid maintained their lead until the end of the first half. At the start of the second half, Simeone immediately made adjustments to the lineup, replacing Raul Garcia with Jose Sosa.
He was a technically gifted attacking midfielder whose coverage could reach the entire field, indicating the coach's desire to strengthen the attacking signal.
In the 61st minute, Atletico's adjustment paid off. Sosa roamed to the left, combined with Villa to break through to the bottom, then cut inside as if threatening to shoot directly at the goal, drawing the attention of the defense before making a back pass, and Diego Costa followed up with a shot.
1-1! The Bed Sheet Army equalized!
After this, both sides became more cautious, solidifying their defense while quietly seeking opportunities. The midfield became the main battlefield for the struggle.
As time passed, the big screen at the stadium showed that it was already the 88th minute, and both coaches began to consider the specific arrangements for extra time or even a penalty shootout.
At this moment, Atletico Madrid launched a counterattack after a steal in midfield. A series of quick direct passes reached Diego Costa at the edge of the penalty area. He pushed Ramos aside and sent a clever long shot.
All the Real Madrid fans in the stands stared intently at the opponent's attack, breathing a sigh of relief only when Casillas flew to save the ball and firmly controlled it under him. Unknowingly, sweat soaked their backs.
Quickly throwing the ball out, Marcelo received it and sprinted forward along the sideline. Seeing two defensive players coming to block him, he forcefully made a long pass, shifting the ball to Isco near the other side.
The focus of Atletico's defense momentarily shifted, leaving a large space in front of them. Facing the vast open space ahead, the Spanish youngster dribbled forward with the ball.
Wang Feng had already started sprinting forward when Casillas blocked the opponent's shot. Seeing Isco with the ball, he continued his run while signaling to him with a gesture—pass it there!
At this moment, Isco happened to look up and saw this scene. Although he couldn't understand why Wang Feng was gesturing to the middle when he was clearly marked by Felipe on the right, wouldn't a pass in that direction be intercepted by the defense?
But out of absolute trust in the Chinese superstar, he didn't hesitate and immediately sent a slanted pass to behind the defensive line.
The Spanish youngster only observed that Wang Feng was positioned in the middle, but he didn't realize that he was being marked by Felipe on the right and Miranda on the left. If he had made a direct pass at that moment, the two defensive players would have immediately closed in, making it difficult to break through.
However, if he had made a slanted pass to the right, although it seemed that Wang Feng was trailing behind the defense by a few steps, in fact, Felipe wouldn't dare to leave him too far, and almost all his attention was focused on him, allowing him to accelerate and reach the ball first!
The moment Isco sent the diagonal pass, Wang Feng immediately changed his route and moved laterally. In an instant, he surpassed Felipe and arrived near the ball, leaving the Atletico defender shocked and helpless. He was too fast! He hadn't even reacted before the opponent had passed him.
He couldn't let the Chinese superstar dribble into the penalty area! Felipe decisively threw himself into a sliding tackle, but Wang Feng was already prepared. Instead of controlling the ball immediately, he bypassed it and then adjusted his body to face the goal direction.
This saved him the steps of stopping the ball, adjusting sideways, and then advancing forward. Due to the inertia, the ball kept rolling forward, creating a time gap that caused Felipe's sliding tackle to miss, while he easily jumped to avoid it.
After that, everything became much simpler. Wang Feng caught up with the ball, entered the penalty area alone, faced the oncoming Oblak, and calmly shot into the far corner. Despite being tall and strong, the Belgian goalkeeper was powerless to stop it as the ball grazed the far post and entered the net.
"Gooooooooooooooooal! The ball's in! Wang Feng!"
"In the 88th minute, Real Madrid opened up Atletico's defense with a quick counterattack, Isco made an unstoppable diagonal pass, and the Chinese superstar scored one-on-one!"
"The score on the field has become 2-1, and Wang Feng once again becomes the man who delivers a fatal blow to the enemy in the final moments!"
After scoring, the Chinese superstar rushed to the stands, raising his hands high towards the Galactic Battleship fans, signaling them to celebrate with him. This gesture naturally elicited a warm response from everyone.
Soon, his teammates also rushed over, surrounding him and Isco. "God, Wang, you're too daring! Only you can pull off such a cunning shot at the far corner," Ramos exclaimed in admiration. "And Isco, your diagonal pass was exquisite. I believe it won't be long before you become a midfield master!"
The Spanish youngster touched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly. He only made such a pass under Wang Feng's guidance and hadn't figured out why yet. It seemed he would have to watch the video after the match to learn.
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