Chapter 616
: Two goals in a row, three victories against Manchester United, Real Madrid once again r
Goal!
"Both sides are back to square one!"
"Lin Feng's appearance had an immediate effect. Just as the analysts and football legends said before the match, Real Madrid with Lin Feng and Real Madrid without Lin Feng are two different teams!"
Although Lin Feng was neither the one who assisted nor the one who scored the goal, no one can deny his crucial role in that attack.
Without his interception and precise pass, Real Madrid would never have been able to capitalize on this counter-attack opportunity.
If we divide the credit for this goal into ten parts, Lin Feng deserves at least half of it.
The remaining half of the forward trio shared the credit, with Robben contributing slightly more.
The Stadio Olimpico in Rome erupted in celebration the moment Raul scored, and Real Madrid fans, who had been frustrated during the first half, finally found an outlet for their anger.
They frantically pounded on the backs of their seats, waved their fan scarves, and created a tremendous noise.
Without the pressure of the score, some Real Madrid fans even became smug.
The goal seemed too easy, leading many to feel that:
Manchester United, the so-called Premier League champions, seem to be nothing special after all!
There was absolutely none of the pressure they had experienced when they played against Barcelona before!
In attack, Barcelona's passing and possession style kept Real Madrid pinned in their own half, even pressing them into the 30-meter zone, bombarding Real Madrid's goal relentlessly.
In contrast, Manchester United's attacking wing play looked threatening, but in reality, they didn't generate many effective shots, and their threat level was far less than Barcelona's!
Is this all Manchester United is capable of?
[Feels inferior to Barcelona!]
Putting everything else aside, Manchester United's midfield is far inferior to Barcelona's!
Ferguson also had something to say: Who did Guardiola bring? Xavi, Iniesta, Yaya Toure. And who did I bring? Scholes, Carrick, Park Ji-sung.
Who is Scholes? Can he play as an attacking midfielder? No, he can't. He doesn't have the ability, you know? With those conditions, what am I supposed to do?
I advise Manchester United's management to first understand football theory. How many strikers have they changed year after year? Have they made any changes? It's the same old trick, just superficial changes. They haven't solved the midfield problem; they only know how to attack down the wings. It might be okay in the Premier League, but when they go abroad and face world-class teams, they're completely outmatched and have no answer!
While the taunts from the fans were extremely harsh to Manchester United fans, it must be admitted that there was some truth to what they said.
In fact, Ferguson also knew that Manchester United's weakness lay in the midfield.
Manchester United's midfield problems have remained unresolved since Keane's retirement.
He also brought in Veron and Hargreaves from top clubs in an attempt to solve this problem.
However, Veron was not suited to the Premier League, and Hargreaves was injury-prone, getting injured not long after joining Manchester United.
Scholes lacked finesse on his feet and physical strength; he couldn't hold onto the ball and lacked the playmaking ability of a top midfielder.
Therefore, Manchester United's attack either quickly moves through the midfield or simply looks for opportunities on both flanks.
The tactics employed by Barcelona and Real Madrid, where Xavi and Lin Feng patiently orchestrate attacks with the ball, are not common at Manchester United.
Scholes' playing style is to quickly pass the ball out and then find suitable opportunities to shoot by making runs.
This is similar to other midfielders in England; they are a midfielder who is unique to the Premier League environment and has a very distinct Premier League style.
Players like Gerrard and Lampard weren't exactly top-tier playmakers; they were better at making forward runs and scoring.
This is precisely why the England national team, boasting the peak Gerrard-Gerrard duo and Scholes, has always struggled to find a good midfielder to orchestrate the team's attack, preventing the star-studded England national team from achieving further success in international competitions.
On the pitch, Ronaldo felt a lot of pressure.
Lin Feng helped the team tie the score in just five minutes after coming on the field. If he can't show his true skills next, then the team will most likely lose the game again!
Ronaldo has already lost to this opponent twice in a row. If he loses again, he will really be too ashamed to face anyone.
After conceding a goal, Manchester United were eager to equalize after the restart.
But it is precisely in times like these that you should not be anxious.
In a battle between experts, even a small mistake can be fatal.
In the 55th minute, Ronaldo dribbled strongly down the right flank, desperately using his stepover technique to try and get past Marcelo.
But this time, Ronaldo's stepover not only failed to fool his opponents, but also wasted time, giving Real Madrid players in the middle time to come over and double-team him.
Despite having a clear advantage in one-on-one situations, Ronaldo couldn't fight off multiple opponents. After being double-teamed, he couldn't protect the ball at his feet despite his best efforts, and it was intercepted!
Real Madrid launched a counter-attack on the spot. Mascherano passed the ball to Lin Feng, who evaded Scholes and Park Ji-sung's interceptions in succession. After dribbling the ball into the frontcourt, he was brought down by Carrick.
The latter received a yellow card as a result, while Real Madrid were awarded an excellent free kick less than 20 meters from the goal.
Upon seeing the location of the foul, Van der Sar knew he was in trouble.
Am I going to get screwed over by this kid again?
He hadn't forgotten the painful history of this guy scoring two free kicks against him in one game at Old Trafford.
This free kick was in a better position than the other two. If the opponent takes another high-quality free kick, Van der Sar really isn't confident he can save it.
"While we can't blame Carrick for the foul, if he hadn't fouled, Lin Feng probably would have charged into the penalty area!"
"But giving a free kick to a free-kick master like Lin Feng from this position is almost equivalent to giving them a penalty kick!"
"Manchester United just conceded a goal. If they concede another one, two goals in five minutes, the team's morale will probably collapse."
Inside the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, both sets of fans were on the edge of their seats.
Manchester United fans, in particular, should have booed the penalty taker at that moment to distract him.
But they were so nervous that they subconsciously held their breath and completely forgot to pat Lin Feng on the back.
However, whether or not to boo is not very meaningful. Lin Feng is a player with a big heart and excellent mental qualities. Ordinary boos will not affect him at all, and may even have the opposite effect - stimulate his fighting spirit!
On the sidelines, Mourinho couldn't sit still any longer. He came over to the sidelines and stared intently at Manchester United's penalty area.
He knew that if Lin Feng scored this penalty, the game would be basically won, and Real Madrid would once again lift the Champions League trophy, the highest honor in the club!
He will also become the first coach to lead a team to a Champions League title defense since the competition's restructuring.
The ultimate honor lies ahead; it all depends on the skill of Lin Feng's kick.
Although Ferguson did not leave the coaching bench, his clenched knuckles turned white and his increasingly rapid chewing of gum revealed that he was also extremely nervous at that moment.
He's getting old and won't be able to work for many more years. Before he retires, all he wants is to lead his team of disciples to one last push, to savor the thrill of lifting the Champions League trophy once more.
Unfortunately, he encountered Mourinho and Lin Feng's resistance.
Cristiano Ronaldo had already considered leaving last year, and if he fails again this year, he has no confidence or excuse to persuade the other party to stay next year.
Without Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United will likely find it difficult to reach the Champions League final like they did last year and this year.
Therefore, this is probably his last chance to compete for the Champions League before he retires.
If you miss it, you will regret it for the rest of your life.
However, at this point, he was completely at a loss.
Even if adjustments to the team's tactics and personnel are needed, they won't be effective until after this free kick is taken.
Before this, he could only watch helplessly as Lin Feng used a free kick to judge him and his team!
Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates formed a human wall, nervously watching Lin Feng not far in front of them.
Behind him, Real Madrid and Manchester United players were scrambling in the penalty area, while Van der Sar shouted from the goal line, directing his teammates to form a wall and set up their defensive positions.
Time seemed to stretch out, each second feeling incredibly long.
Beep!
Finally, the referee blew the whistle, and the opposing team got to take a free throw!
Lin Feng didn't seem nervous like the defenders; on the contrary, he was very relaxed.
After only a brief moment of thought, he had already figured out how to deal with a tall, strong goalkeeper like Van der Sar.
With a muffled thud, Lin Feng's right instep slammed into the bottom of the ball, kicking up a handful of dirt and grass.
The football swept over the wall, spun, struck the inside of the right post, bounced back, and crashed into the net.
Van der Sar was helpless against such tricky angles; even though he was over 1.9 meters tall and had a wingspan of over 2 meters, he couldn't control such a wide range.
He even suspected that the other side deliberately aimed at the goalpost, but wasn't that a bit too shocking?
To hit the post precisely from a distance of nearly 20 meters, and even to strike the inside of the post so that the ball bounces into the goal, sounds like a fantasy!
He prefers to believe that the other person was just lucky and happened to bump into him.
Perhaps, only Lin Feng himself knows the real answer.
Upon seeing the ball go in, Lin Feng's right arm involuntarily began to swing.
As the fans watched him run towards the sidelines, they silently fell silent, took a deep breath, and, in unison, shouted the same phrase the moment Lin Feng landed:
"Siu!!"
"Hehe, the fans in the stadium are celebrating Lin Feng's goal together!"
"No matter how many times I've seen this scene, I'm always amazed and amused every time I watch it."
"Yes, it's said that many people in other leagues are now imitating Lin Feng's celebration move, especially among young players. This cool celebration move has become rampant!"
The two CCTV commentators were completely relaxed at this moment, showing no trace of the tension and anxiety they had shown in the first half.
Lin Feng's performance after his comeback far exceeded their expectations.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, under Lin Feng's leadership, Real Madrid not only equalized the score but also took the lead!
Even the most optimistic people would have some apprehension about Lin Feng's performance after his comeback.
Many people even asserted that Lin Feng, a player who relies on explosive power, would see his speed drop after an injury, and once he lost his signature skill, his performance would definitely plummet.
But Lin Feng used his perfect performance in those ten minutes to give a resounding slap in the face to those who had been pessimistic about him.
In fact, most Chinese fans don't really care about winning or losing this game, since no Chinese team is involved and the outcome doesn't really concern them.
They were satisfied as long as Lin Feng performed well, regardless of whether the game was won or lost.
If Lin Feng can not only perform well himself, but also lead the team to victory, that would be perfect.
This match perfectly fulfilled the expectations of the vast majority of Chinese fans.
Before Lin Feng came on, Real Madrid were under pressure from Manchester United and had even conceded a goal.
After Lin Feng came on, Real Madrid took the lead and began to dominate Manchester United.
The contrast before and after is so stark that anyone who watched the game knows how important Lin Feng was!
When he saw the ball go in, Ferguson's anxiety finally died.
Without further hesitation, he quickly made a substitution.
Replace Giggs with Tevez, and Park Ji-sung with Berbatov.
Thanks to Lin Feng's outstanding performance, Manchester United conceded their second goal very early, which actually gave them plenty of time to attack.
In the next thirty minutes or so, if they can seize the opportunity to score a goal, they can drag the game into extra time.
Ferguson stubbornly believed that the reason Mourinho didn't include Lin Feng in the starting lineup but instead brought him on as a substitute was because Lin Feng wasn't yet capable of playing a full match.
Therefore, if they can drag the game into overtime, their chances of turning the tide and winning might appear.
Manchester United, after making a series of substitutions, finally launched a small attacking surge in the second half.
In the 58th minute, Rooney crossed from the right wing, and Ronaldo, under pressure from Diarra in the middle, mishit the ball. The ball bounced off the turf and created an opportunity, but Berbatov, who was challenging for the header at the far post, failed to reach it.
Manchester United missed a golden opportunity to equalize!
Real Madrid immediately launched a counter-attack. Raul received a pass from Benzema on the left side of the penalty area and turned to shoot, testing Van der Sar's save skills.
Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly getting impatient. In the 67th minute, while contesting a header in the penalty area, he fouled Pepe from behind, knocking the monk to the ground.
Pepe has a fiery temper; he jumps up from the ground wanting to hit someone, but when he realizes the foul was committed by a senior member of the national team, he can only accept his bad luck.
Pepe was filled with regret. If he had known that it was Ronaldo who committed the foul, he should have stayed on the ground for a few more minutes to buy time.
He didn't actually need to do that, because Real Madrid didn't need to waste time!
In the 70th minute, Lin Feng once again intercepted the ball in midfield and launched a counter-attack. After the ball was passed to Robben, Robben charged down the right flank, dribbled to the edge of the penalty area, and then took a shot.
The ball was powerful and fast, and Van der Sar hurriedly reached out to block it.
But the ball he swatted away landed squarely at the edge of the penalty area, just as Lin Feng arrived.
Faced with this unexpected gift, Lin Feng naturally accepted it with a smile.
With a swift motion, he unleashed a powerful volley before the ball even hit the ground, sending it flying into Manchester United's goal once again.
The score became 3-1, with Lin Feng scoring his second goal and effectively sealing the victory! (End of Chapter)