Chapter 685: Is It Really Over?
Or was the opponent the first to break the goal, and in such an incredible way!
The Real Madrid players on the field were somewhat dazed for a moment, especially Casillas, who was embarrassed lying on the ground, burying his head in his arms and unwilling to get up.
Wang Feng, hands on hips, gasping for breath, nobody wanted to see this result, but they had to pull themselves together; it wasn't over yet.
The Chinese superstar quickly came to Casillas's side, pulling him up and patting his shoulder for comfort, then went around encouraging his teammates: "Falling behind is too familiar to us, it's nothing serious!"
"Moreover, didn't the coach have a plan beforehand? Now is the time to pull ourselves together and execute it!"
In the corporate box at the top of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Florentino's face turned iron blue as he watched Wang Feng moving up and down, finally lifting everyone's spirits, and his mood finally improved a bit.
"If I remember correctly, this is the second consecutive time Casillas has made a mistake in the Champions League final!" the Spaniard said with a cold snort.
"Yes, last time against Bayern, he also conceded first," Bardinano replied, "But we still came back to win, so maybe this is a good sign."
"Well, let's hope so," the Real Madrid president said with a grim face, "Anyway, no matter what, such repeated low-level mistakes in such an important game only prove that we need to renew our goalkeeper."
After this goal, halftime soon arrived. In the dressing room, coach Ancelotti first praised everyone's performance in the first half, "Conceding a goal is just an accident, nobody wants it to happen, but since it's already a fact, there's no use regretting it."
"In the second half, Atletico will definitely retreat completely and adopt an extremely conservative tactical strategy, and we need to find a way to break through their turtle shell!"
Everyone nodded in agreement at his words. They had faced being behind before; being discouraged wouldn't solve anything, and they still had 45 minutes to use.
Of course, their optimistic attitude was also to some extent derived from their historical achievements. The experiences of overcoming obstacles and laughing last several times invisibly gave the players great courage.
"Next, we'll press forward with all our strength. Gareth, you'll replace Morata directly later, and Marcelo will warm up on the sidelines. I'll also bring you on at the right moment."
The named players nodded one after another, "But we also need to be careful of their counterattacks, especially in the early stages of the second half, we must not let Atletico widen the gap again!"
The Italian pointed at the tactics board and explained the offensive and defensive plans. Time flew by, and it was soon approaching the start of the second half.
Back on the field, everyone subconsciously looked at Wang Feng, the spiritual leader. The Chinese superstar flashed a relaxed smile, "What are we waiting for, guys? Let's kick Atletico's butt hard and bring the Champions League trophy back to the Bernabeu!"
"Ha ha, let's do it!"
In the 52nd minute, Miranda was cautioned for fouling Modric, giving Real Madrid a free kick from 25 meters out.
The Galaxy Warship fans in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium couldn't help but cheer. Everyone knew that the Chinese superstar's free-kick accuracy was terrifying, especially in desperate situations, where his accuracy would double.
The Atletico players nervously formed a wall, and Simeone was also very anxious. He rushed to the sidelines, shouting loudly, protesting the position of the free kick one moment and the distance of the wall the next, trying to create interference.
And with Wang Feng's run-up and shot, the ball went around the wall and headed straight for the top right corner. The tall and mighty Courtois showed his advantage, stretching out his long arms and tipping the ball over the baseline with his fingertips.
"Ah!" Ronaldo, who was about to stand up to celebrate, sat back down in frustration, "It's a pity, if Casillas were in goal, that would've gone in."
Beside him, Raul smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Don't mock Igor; he's not having an easy time either. He's already 33 years old, and his reflexes and speed are not what they used to be."
"If he still had the height advantage like Courtois, he could hold on a bit longer, but now all we can say is that time waits for no one."
The Galaxy Warship continued to attack, Modric took a corner, and Wang Feng jumped to the landing spot but was caught between Juanfran and Miranda. He managed to head the ball, but it narrowly missed the post.
The Chinese superstar, feeling regretful, waved his hand, appealing to the referee Kuipers that the defending players had fouled him by pushing him, but the Dutchman ignored him.
"It's really frustrating!" Ronaldo clenched his fists in indignation, "Even I can see that Wang was clearly pushed; doesn't that count as a foul?"
Morientes frowned and said, "Atletico has been testing the referee's standard of judgment since the beginning of the game, gradually figuring out how much they can get away with."
"In this situation, they can afford to make quite a few fouls without consequence. Simeone is indeed a good teacher; any team facing them would have a headache."
After the protests were unsuccessful and Atletico got a goal kick, both sides were still deadlocked. Real Madrid coach Ancelotti made a substitution adjustment in the 59th minute, with Marcelo replacing Coentrao.
Simeone, on the other hand, used his last substitution to replace the cautioned Raul Garcia with Héctor Herrera, and they continued to stick to their defensive and time-wasting tactics.
Iguain received a back pass from Modric, and Isco, following up, shot low from the top of the penalty area, just missing the post.
Atletico committed a foul in their half, and Real Madrid quickly took a free kick. Khedira passed to Bale, and the Welsh star drove into the box before crossing.
Wang Feng, at the 17-meter mark in front of the goal, managed to get ahead of the defenders and took a low-angle shot, but once again, Courtois confiscated it.
"Ah!" The Santiago Bernabeu let out a sigh. Countless excited white-clad fans sat back down, constantly checking the electronic scoreboard, watching the time ticking away, feeling extremely anxious.
UEFA President Platini's eyes were getting brighter and brighter, looking quite satisfied. The myth of the Galaxy Warship was finally about to be broken, and by the hands of their city rivals. What could be more sensational than this?
Despite all their efforts, Wang Feng couldn't send the damn ball into the Atletico goal. Exhausted from the heavy defense, he leaned on his knees, panting heavily, his mind filled with memories of his younger self. Back then, facing four or five opponents was no pressure at all, but time had indeed left its mark on him.
Was this the end of the road? Was everything really over?
At this moment, Simeone made another adjustment to the lineup, using the last substitution to replace Felipe with Alderweireld to shore up the defense.
It seemed that the Argentine coach believed Atletico could hold on to the lead in regular time, so he didn't leave any more room for adjustments.
"The game has already played 90 minutes, and there will be 3 minutes of injury time indicated by the sidelines. The Galaxy Warship still hasn't had a good chance to equalize."
"Perhaps their streak of championships will end today, and a legend will come to an end, but we will never forget how much glory Real Madrid has achieved!"
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