Chapter 518: Chapter 517: Immortals Flying Beyond the Heavens
"Don’t give them any free-kick opportunities, watch out for Ronaldinho’s breakthroughs!" Zidane communicated with Makélélé, Hierro, and others.
They had to do a better job in defense.
Even if they had to concede a free kick, it should be given early, not letting it fall within Deng Kai’s shooting range.
The twenty-seventh minute.
Raul, after receiving a pass from Zidane, delivered a brilliant back-heel pass.
However, Morientes’s shot was too direct, easily caught by Schmeichel.
Florentino kept shaking his head.
This was the reason he wanted to replace Morientes.
The striker was good at everything except scoring goals.
But right now, Real Madrid only lacked goals.
The thirty-third minute.
Figo, after successive feints and breakthroughs on the right, taught Pepe a lesson and then delivered a high-quality cross.
But Vidic tightly marked Raul, leaving the new Golden Ball winner to watch helplessly as the football went out of play.
Florentino shook his head slightly too.
Impact!
Besides scoring goals, Real Madrid needed a striker with great impact.
In today’s football world, there weren’t many super forwards who combined both goal-scoring and impact.
Vieri was getting on in age, considered half one.
Shevchenko was somewhat mediocre, also considered half one.
Ronaldo was too young, unstable, and not famous enough, so he counted as less than half.
Jia De’er was completely unknown and had no commercial value, so he didn’t count at all.
The French duo of Henry and Trezeguet counted as one, but the French group was too powerful, which wasn’t good either.
With Zidane being such a smart person, if he were given enough authority, Florentino would have a hard time.
After much consideration, the answer seemed imminent.
The fortieth minute.
Ronaldo received Deng Kai’s through pass on the left flank.
He didn’t attempt to feint because he noticed Hierro didn’t fall for it.
Bang!
Ronaldo went for a long-range shot directly.
Hierro still didn’t let Ronaldo off, he extended his foot and deflected the ball out of play.
Corner kick.
Deng Kai went to take the corner.
Drogba provided cover for Ronaldo, and Ronaldo took the chance to head the ball at the near post.
Ronaldinho jumped outside the right side of the small box and attempted a volley.
Clang!
The ball hit the post and rebounded out.
Ronaldinho held his head, full of regret.
Had it gone in... this was Real Madrid!
"What a pity, such a shame! Ronaldinho’s kick is truly regrettable," Mike said.
"Of course, the difficulty of handling the ball was indeed high, and Ronaldinho did well to manage it as he did," Wu Xudong added.
"But against Real Madrid, being ’not bad’ isn’t enough. This is one of the best teams in the world!" Wu Xudong continued.
At the forty-fifth minute, Real Madrid punished Sporting Lisbon for their missed opportunity to score.
Carlos advanced with the ball on the left wing.
Facing Guardiola’s charge, Carlos passed the ball to Morientes who had nearly retreated to the midfield position.
Is this supposed to be a striker?
Guardiola knew trouble was coming when he saw Morientes’s position and immediately rushed at him.
Simultaneously, Matthaus also thought of moving back to defend.
But it was too late.
Bang!
Morientes held off Guardiola and played a direct pass.
After passing, Carlos continued to advance and received the ball on the flank.
Barzagli and Carlos engaged in a fierce battle.
Barzagli had the advantage in height and weight.
But Carlos was faster and didn’t allow Barzagli to use his full strength.
Bang!
With a move like ’picking up the moon from the bottom of the sea,’ Carlos flicked the incoming ball towards the center.
Zidane, on the edge of the penalty area, spread his arms and twisted his body into a spiral.
Then, he lashed out at the ball descending from the sky with a volley.
His leg whipped against the ball like a lash.
Whoosh!
Schmeichel hadn’t even the time to dive for a save.
The ball went straight into the top corner.
It was a superb world-class goal!
The moment Deng Kai saw Zidane’s move, he knew trouble was brewing.
Dammit!
Flying Immortal Outside Heaven!
Is the inertia of history really this strong?
"GOAL! Zidane! Zizou!"
"A super world-class strike! This is the strongest long shot of the year! The strongest!"
"Two to one! Real Madrid has taken the lead again in the final minute of the first half!"
"This is Zidane’s worth! This is the worth of 78 million euros!"
"Schmeichel had no chance whatsoever to save that goal."
"Real Madrid! Real Madrid are the champions!"
In the end, the first half concluded with Zidane’s Flying Immortal Outside Heaven.
If Deng Kai’s Crescent Moon Blade once slashed down Real Madrid’s pride,
then Zidane’s Flying Immortal Outside Heaven shot down Lisbon Athletic’s hopes.
Your uncle is still your uncle after all!
During the half-time interval, Maxa pumped up his team like crazy.
"Defeat them! Defeat them, and next year it could be you playing at Bernabeu!"
"Run! Run like mad! As long as you’re not dead, run till you drop!"
"Better to struggle for a moment than to struggle for a lifetime!"
"No slimming down in May, means only regret in June!"
"At your beck and call, ready to fight and assured to win!"
It must be said, Maxa had been watching various motivational slogans from domestic universities; he really got the essence.
The second half.
Right at the start, Ronaldinho, under the spell of those motivational slogans, attempted a highly difficult dribble.
After switching positions with Kaka, he dribbled past two players, ultimately forcing Salgado to foul him.
Salgado received a yellow card.
The 50th minute.
Again Ronaldinho, after a Rabona that got past Carlos, delivered a cross from the byline.
Drogba’s header was too direct, Sanchez managed to parry it out.
In the 61st minute, Kaka’s long-range shot soared into the stands.
Real Madrid was the first to make adjustments.
Head coach Bosque decided to substitute the defensive-minded McManaman for the Portuguese star Figo.
Since Solari could play midfield on the other side,
it looked as though Real Madrid’s formation hadn’t changed, yet both wingers had shifted into midfielders.
With Zidane also dropping back, only Morientes stayed up front with Raul as the second forward.
Real Madrid’s defensive strength increased further.
They were looking to lock down the score.
In the 71st minute, Morientes also missed a big chance.
Lisbon Athletic took the opportunity to make some substitutions and adjustments.
They were gearing up for their final push.
Ibrahimovic replaced Drogba to face off.
Wu Xudong came on for Guardiola and then swapped positions with Pepe.
Pepe at defensive midfield, Wu Xudong playing left center-back.
But considering Wu Xudong’s playing style, it wouldn’t be off to view him as a wing-back.
On the attack, Wu Xudong would move up,
Pepe would drop back, Vidic would shift left to make space for Pepe.
It looked similar to before.
But the change in positions could confuse Real Madrid’s defence and marking strategy.
Lisbon Athletic had specifically developed tactics for players like Wu Xudong and Maicon, who excelled in offensive full-back play, and practiced them frequently.
This was a level of attention other teams wouldn’t offer to substitute-level players like Wu Xudong and Maicon.
The 72nd minute.
Just on the field, Wu Xudong and Kaka played a series of one-twos.
The two of them passed the ball all the way across the midfield.
It wasn’t until Makelele personally moved up that Kaka decisively passed the ball to the calling Ronaldinho on the other side.
This was something Deng Kai had emphasized before the game.
