Chapter 729: Carry On the Iron Will
Before facing Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League group stage, Real Madrid had to play the 4th round of La Liga against Granada. With only a day's gap between the two matches, this devilish scheduling led to strong criticism from the club and fans alike.
Ancelotti naturally chose to prioritize the Champions League match, fielding a lineup of substitutes in the league game. Players like Varane, Nacho, Danilo, and Kovacic got the chance to start.
The visiting team at the Bernabéu Stadium didn't show any timidity; instead, they displayed a fighting spirit, nearly snatching points from the Galactic ship.
In the dying moments of the game, He Saí made his mark, ending his 501-day goal drought and securing the winning goal for Real Madrid, 1-0!
After scoring, the young Spanish player excitedly rushed to the bench, embracing Wang Feng tightly. It was the captain who gave him renewed hope!
"Keep charging forward. One day, you'll fully realize your talent." The Chinese superstar encouraged him, patting his back.
After winning this game, Real Madrid easily defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0 at home, marking their opening victory in the Champions League. Wang Feng also scored a hat-trick for the first time this season.
Then, they won 2-1 away against Athletic Bilbao, with the Chinese superstar equalizing with a header. At home, they drew 0-0 against Malaga.
With this, their winning streak in La Liga ended at 43 matches. The players understood that victory couldn't last forever, but they still felt a bit reluctant when it finally ended.
To alleviate everyone's melancholy, Wang Feng specially invited everyone to gather for dinner after the match. "The record we've achieved will probably be hard to break in the future, so let's be proud and celebrate!"
On September 30th, in the second round of the Champions League group stage, they faced Malm? FF away. Bale opened the scoring for the team, while the Chinese superstar scored a goal after coming on as a substitute, sealing the score at 2-0.
On the weekend after this game, the Galactic ship would encounter their first strong opponent on the road to the league title, facing Atlético Madrid in the 7th round away.
"Revenge? No, I don't want to use that word to describe this match." Simeone said in an interview before the match.
"The achievements and honors that Real Madrid has achieved along the way, accompanied by how many teams have fallen at their feet, if we talk about revenge, I'm afraid the whole of Europe would need it, haha."
"We just want to do better than our past selves!"
The course of the match validated Simeone's viewpoint. His team was more tenacious and tougher than in the previous two seasons.
Tactical discipline and defensive efficiency were ingrained in every player's soul. Although they lined up in a 4-4-2 formation on the field, they often compressed the space tightly.
Normally, when Real Madrid's 4-3-3 system met a 4-4-2 diamond system, they would have the advantage in numbers. However, Atlético Madrid had no such worries. Under Simeone's instructions, forwards like Torres and Griezmann frequently retreated to the midfield to support.
The wingers Saul and Koke were also attacking midfielders rather than traditional wingers, positioning themselves closer to the center, which to some extent relieved the pressure on Gabi and Augusto.
It was extremely difficult for the Galactic ship to penetrate the defense of the Bed Sheet Legion through the center. They often had to seek breakthroughs from the wings.
Although Bale and Wang Feng could fly on both wings, the overall defensive awareness of the entire Atlético team, especially their ability to cover defensively, had significantly improved compared to before, making them one of the best in European football.
Of course, when mentioning their defense, their aggressiveness had to be mentioned. Since Simeone took over the team, Atlético Madrid had always led La Liga in the number of tackles.
Midfielder Gabi even set a new record in the top five leagues with 197 tackles in a single season. This style of play not only tested the opponent's attacking ability but also their temper.
If they couldn't tolerate physical contact, aggressive defensive actions, or even dirty play, they might lose the game due to conflicts or mental breakdowns.
This was fully demonstrated in every Madrid Derby, where the referee blew the whistle 29 times in the first half alone, showing 6 yellow cards, 2 for Real Madrid and 4 for Atlético.
The score remained 0-0 throughout.
"I really want to teach that damn Koke a lesson." Pepe, during halftime, flexed his elbow fiercely, "They don't know how to play football properly."
Wang Feng rubbed his sore shins and, despite the shin guards, couldn't resist the relentless attacks of the Bed Sheet Legion.
Even if he had grievances, he still had to reassure his teammates, "That's their tactic, Pepe. We can't fall into their trap. If we retaliate maliciously, we'll only get red cards and be sent off."
"Wang is right." Ancelotti appeared at the right time to announce the second-half tactics, "I think you have to take a break, Kepler. You already have a yellow card on you, let Danilo take your place."
Pepe was stunned by the words and could only reluctantly nod. He did tend to lose control of his emotions on the field, and if he were to be sent off, it would be a huge loss.
As the game resumed, Atlético Madrid continued to focus on solid defense, but they were not without attacking ability. Most of the time, the players on the flanks would choose to cut inside, leaving ample space for their teammates to overlap from the wings.
At the same time, the attackers in front of the penalty area would actively make runs, trying to draw Real Madrid's defenders out of their regular defensive positions, providing shooting opportunities for Griezmann.
The Frenchman had two threatening shots in a row by relying on this tactic. One was a shot from the edge of the penalty area, piercing through the defense straight towards Navas. Fortunately, the Costa Rican goalkeeper was fully focused and made a desperate save to keep the goal intact.
The other was when he received a cross from Juanfran on the wing, but his header slightly missed the post.
In addition to these attacking methods, Atlético Madrid was most proud of their relentless set-piece combinations. Out of the 67 goals they scored last season, 22 were from set-pieces.
In the 71st minute, the Bed Sheet Legion won a set-piece opportunity in the opposition's half. Gabi floated the ball into the penalty area, Griezmann acted as a pivot and headed it back, Torres rushed forward and stabbed the ball into the net, piercing through the Galactic ship's defense!
The Calderón Stadium instantly turned into a boiling ocean. Simeone sprinted along the sidelines with his hands raised over his head, celebrating wildly. This was the football he wanted, carrying on with iron will!
Wang Feng sighed helplessly as he squatted down to tie his shoelaces tightly, the intense confrontations from Atlético Madrid's passionate young players indeed brought tremendous pressure, but he believed that the team would not yield.
Entering the final ten minutes, Navas took a goal kick from the back, Ramos received the ball and was pressured aggressively by Griezmann. After dribbling a few steps, he found Casemiro with an opportunity and passed the ball to him.
The Brazilian midfielder passed diagonally to Modric without stopping the ball, and Modric, under the pressure of Atlético Madrid's pressing, dribbled back. Casemiro took the opportunity to move forward, and the two exchanged positions, with the Croatian midfielder threading the needle to pass the ball.
Casemiro took big strides forward, passing the midfield line, and then made a diagonal pass to Wang Feng nearby. The Chinese superstar immediately attracted the attention of almost all the defending players of the home team, with three defenders swarming towards him.
After all, he was like a bright light in the frontcourt. Wang Feng didn't choose to force a breakthrough but instead sent a clever diagonal pass, threading the ball between two defending players and piercing through to the back.
Bale accelerated to catch up with the ball after it reached the byline, then made a backward pass with a reverse triangle. The Chinese superstar arrived in time, hitting the ball furiously, piercing through Oblak's ten fingers.
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