Chapter 686: Shadow of a Lifetime
Until the final moments of the match, the Real Madrid fans at the Estadio da Luz continued to cheer for their team, praying for a miracle to happen, praying for that man called the miracle to step up once again.
But seeing Wang Feng being knocked down, tackled, and dragged down time and time again, covered in mud, struggling to get up from the ground, his steps faltering yet tireless, many people were moved to tears.
Unconsciously, this god-like man was already 31 years old. He had brought too much glory to the club, and people always wanted more from him, forgetting how unreasonable their expectations were.
"Wang, it's enough! Real Madrid, it's enough!" For the first time, a fan uttered such a sentiment, immediately resonating widely. Almost everyone felt that even if the Galaxy Warship couldn't continue its legendary journey today, they could accept it with pride and leave the field with their heads held high.
Perhaps the players also had similar thoughts at this moment. Despite the defeat, there was still glory in it, but Wang Feng felt it wasn't enough. He was too greedy, forgetting about the pain and exhaustion of his body, forgetting where and when he was, with only Atletico's tightly closed goal in front of him.
Atletico launched an attack in the frontcourt. The ball lofted into the penalty area was punched out by Casillas. Thiago was preparing to control the ball for a second chance, but suddenly felt a blackout in front of him. When he looked up, he saw a figure flying over him, heading the ball forward with all his might.
He subconsciously reached out to grab the falling player, but the immense force transmitted through the clothes made Thiago stagger and lose balance. He could only instinctively let go to maintain his own balance and prevent himself from falling.
Looking back on the past for many years to come, the Portuguese midfielder would always sigh with regret at this moment. Even if he fell to the ground like a dog, he shouldn't have let go back then!
The Chinese superstar broke free from Thiago's tackle and dribbled the ball forward at high speed. With few Atletico players involved in the attack, near the center line, José Sosa and Gabi came over to try to intercept.
Approaching Sosa, Wang Feng suddenly slowed down, simultaneously flicking the ball to the left with his left foot, seemingly wanting to change direction and bypass the opponent, but his speed was too slow!
The Argentine midfielder immediately fell to the ground for a sliding tackle. He was the first to touch the ball, and even the Chinese superstar was swept off his feet by the force of the tackle. No foul could be called, but he got the ball!
But Sosa didn't rejoice for long. In the air, Wang Feng kicked to stabilize himself, while his other foot hooked the ball slightly, letting it pass over Sosa's legs and back into his control.
In the blink of an eye, he pierced through the defense with the ball at his feet. What was even worse for Atletico was that there was originally Gabi closely chasing behind him, and now it was a good opportunity for him to catch up.
But the fallen Sosa was like a barrier in the middle, and Gabi couldn't even slow down before being tripped by his teammate. Both of them found it difficult to get up quickly, watching helplessly as Wang Feng adjusted himself and accelerated away again.
Miranda, with a wealth of experience, quickly retreated sideways, which could not only prevent the Chinese superstar from breaking through along the sideline but also guard against his cross.
As they approached each other, Wang Feng chose to forcefully flick the ball past Miranda and then cut inside!
The Brazilian defender thought Wang Feng would continue his straight acceleration or bypass him from the outside, but instead, he chose to cut inside from behind!
Miranda couldn't immediately turn around to foul and block. He only felt a gust of wind passing by from behind, and his heart was filled with despair.
And Wang Feng deliberately added a slight spin to the flick, so the ball drew a slight arc on the pitch, just meeting him on the right side of the penalty area.
Goalkeeper Courtois and Juanfran rushed to intercept together. The Chinese superstar, however, didn't stop the ball but directly sent a low shot between them, aiming for the far corner of the goal, hitting the post and deflecting into the net.
"Goal!" Seeing the ball hit the net, Wang Feng didn't slow down and rushed out of the bottom line, crossing over the advertising boards to the vicinity of the stands, raising his head and howling, eliciting enthusiastic responses from countless fans.
With the goal, the Real Madrid coaching bench instantly exploded. Ancelotti kept clenching his fists and waving them, while Zidane recalled his player days and ran wildly along the sidelines, his speed still as fast as in the past.
All the substitute players followed him, with everyone having only one goal in mind: to meet and embrace the hero, Wang Feng!
Simeone's face turned iron blue as he rushed to the linesman, roaring, "This is not a valid goal! The injury time of the match has already ended!"
"Simeone, please calm down a bit. The end of the match time is determined by the main referee, and as you can see, there are 3 minutes of injury time, and the goal was scored at 92 minutes and 48 seconds on the timer."
"Damn it, why only three minutes of injury time! I want to complain, I want to appeal!" The Argentine was a bit neurotic, apparently finding it hard to accept that all his efforts throughout the match had turned into nothing.
And 92 minutes and 48 seconds became the shadow of a lifetime for Simeone and even the entire Atletico players.
"Goal! Wang Feng scores an equalizing goal, and Real Madrid hasn't lost yet!"
"Oh my God, my mood is like a roller coaster. The Bed Sheets Legion was only 12 seconds away from their first Champions League trophy in club history. Many fans at the scene even started celebrating in advance. I think the fans in front of the TV should be the same."
"But the Chinese superstar stood up and stopped everything. He is declaring to the world that trying to end Real Madrid's reign of consecutive championships is not enough!"
"Starting from the backcourt, Wang Feng dribbled the ball more than seventy meters, smoothly weaving through the defense and sending the ball into Atletico's goal. It's just too crazy!"
"Header, avoiding the sliding tackle, splitting the ball and the man, each choice and action were just right. The Bed Sheets Legion had at least three chances to stop him, but the defending players couldn't seize any of them."
"Now both sides are back on the same starting line, and the outcome of the match is still unknown. Will Atletico regain confidence and continue to fight? Can Real Madrid seize the opportunity to push forward even more?"
After Atletico kicked off the ball again, the main referee Kuipers soon blew the whistle for the end of regular time, and extra time began!
The players of both teams gathered around their respective coaching staff, listening to the tactical arrangements while drinking water and catching their breath.
"Not bad, guys. Now the wind of victory is blowing in our direction!" Ancelotti said excitedly, "Simeone's team has consumed much more than the Galaxy Warship, and the prematurely wasted substitution quota has become a hidden danger."
"Plus, the strong emotional turmoil brought by the equalizer. Let's take advantage of the situation and go for the kill!"
"Everyone, let's continue to maintain our attacking rhythm and try to end the battle in extra time. I believe they will collapse for sure."
After saying these words, he turned his head and looked at Wang Feng, who had changed from a white to a gray jersey, with concern, asking, "Wang, how do you feel? Can you give it another shot?"
The Chinese superstar took a deep breath and patted his chest, "No problem, we will definitely win!"
Everyone was infected by his confidence and miraculous performance, nodding in agreement.
Ancelotti planned to use the last substitution, replacing the exhausted Khedira with Illarramendi, which could both stabilize the defense and provide fresh attacking power.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺