Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 116 Battle of Atlético Madrid

On the field, the match officially began.

Roma launched the first attack, and when Shan Yongzhuo rushed to the front, he felt Atletico Madrid's tight defense against him.

On one hand, they targeted his running, and on the other hand, they targeted his passing lanes. Players in various positions took turns marking him closely.

This targeted defense was unanimously acknowledged by the Spanish commentators when Roma attacked.

"Flores did the right thing; his defensive setup against Shan Yongzhuo was very targeted."

"Shan Yongzhuo is the most dangerous player in the Roma team, and defending against him is crucial."

"..."

With Atletico Madrid's cautious defense, Shan Yongzhuo posed little threat up front, and he rarely got to touch the ball in normal attacks.

Roma's attack mainly stemmed from Vucinic's runs down the left flank. Once those attacks were stopped, Atletico Madrid launched their counter-attacks.

Atletico Madrid's attack was fierce, with both flanks being very active. Reyes and Simão's continuous breakthroughs and crosses caught Riise and Motta off guard for a while, causing Roma to be directly suppressed.

Inside the penalty area, Aguero and Forlán took turns attacking and vying for the ball, while Raúl García and Asensánt made repeated runs forward and shot from the outside, putting Mexes and Burdisso under great defensive pressure. De Rossi and Pizarro could only drop back to assist in the defense.

In the 11th minute, Atletico Madrid's attack paid off.

The goal came very suddenly. Simão broke past Motta on the wing and crossed the ball directly from the byline. It was a low cross, and Aguero got past Burdisso at the far post and rushed in. Fortunately, goalkeeper Sergio went down and tipped the ball away first.

However, when the ball reached the outside, Pizarro was a step too slow, giving Forlán an opportunity. He didn't stop the ball and instead volleyed it from just outside the penalty area.

The football flew towards the goal like a cannonball. Sergio made his best effort to get up and save it, but he could only watch the ball fly past him and crash into the side netting.

1 is better than 0!

Atletico Madrid are leading Roma.

As Forlán scored, the Atlético Madrid fans in the stands cheered, and the commentators analyzed the goal.

"Forlán's shot showed his true ability, last season's European Golden Boot winner!"

"Roma is going to be tough; Atletico Madrid's goal came too quickly."

"Forlán's shot was calm, powerful, and well-angled; the goalkeeper couldn't do anything about it."

"..."

The Roma players on the field were also somewhat frustrated. Atletico Madrid had started strong, and letting them score first was not good news.

Shan Yongzhuo waved to his teammates, giving them confidence.

"Don't worry, I'll score right away!"

"Everyone, don't panic, focus on defense! John, Marco, don't let them get past you again!"

Encouraged by Shan Yongzhuo, Roma's players perked up a bit, and their defense on the flanks became more solid, especially Riise, who started to make bigger moves to challenge Reyes, thus curbing Reyes's breakthroughs.

Then, Riise tackled the ball directly from Reyes' feet, and Roma launched a counter-attack.

Shan Yongzhuo's sudden retreat caught Domingos off guard, while Raul Garcia was drawn to De Rossi with the ball and didn't notice Shan Yongzhuo in time.

Then, the football rolled over.

De Rossi delivered a very good pass, and Shan Yongzhuo received the ball smoothly with no one around him.

This position was more than 20 meters from the goal, and close to the right corner of the penalty area, making a shot difficult. After De Rossi passed the ball, he continued to move forward, hoping Shan Yongzhuo would pass the ball to him for a one-two pass. However, Shan Yongzhuo didn't care what anyone else thought. With his powerful leg, this position was no problem at all, and he directly swung his right foot to shoot.

The football quickly flew into the air.

"careful!"

"He's shooting!"

At first, everyone thought it was a misplaced pass, but when the ball went up, they realized it was a shot.

However, by the time goalkeeper De Gea reacted, he also made a save, but unfortunately the angle was too tricky and the speed was too fast. In the end, he missed by a hair's breadth, and the ball went into the goal just past the post.

De Gea was helpless and could only watch as the ball went into his own net.

The ball went in!

At that moment, most of the Atlético Madrid fans in the stands wore expressions of surprise; they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

They're in already?

They caught up so quickly?
Only two minutes have passed!
Atletico Madrid manager Flores also stood up and shook his head, his smile turning into a frown.

Spalletti let out a long sigh of relief, and the wrinkles on his face completely smoothed out.

When the referee blew the whistle to confirm the goal, the stands erupted in cheers.

The Italian commentator was shouting wildly: "Goal! A spectacular world-class goal, from about 30 meters away! Shan Yongzhuo scored directly!"

"Atletico Madrid took the lead, but their joy lasted only two minutes!"

"That shot was incredibly precise, a perfect shot!"

"This is Shan Yongzhuo. He can shoot from any position in the attacking third. Atletico Madrid overlooked this, and they paid the price!"

Amidst the excited shouts of the Italian commentator, the Roma fans cheered and applauded enthusiastically, while the girls in the front row jumped for joy.

On the field.

The Atlético Madrid players were very unhappy; they hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the lead before being tied.
Fran stepped forward and warned his teammates, "You must pay attention to him. The coach said to stick close to him at all times!"

"His shots are so dangerous!"

"It's best not to let him receive the ball easily and shoot!"

Forlán was mainly speaking to center-back Dominguez and defensive midfielder Raul Garcia. In the pre-match plan, the two of them would be the core of the defense against Shan Yongzhuo. This goal was due to the two of them failing to switch defense quickly, which gave Shan Yongzhuo the opportunity to shoot.

As the team's key player, Fran's words still carry significant weight.

After the game restarted, Atletico Madrid were not too frustrated, and they took advantage of the kickoff to launch another attack on Roma.

From the perspective of the Atletico Madrid players, the score being tied was nothing to worry about; the game had only been going on for a little over ten minutes, and the opponent's shot had a lot of luck involved.

After all, that position is close to the wing and is nearly 30 meters away; it's unlikely to be a regular shooting position.

However, they did not neglect Shan Yongzhuo's defense.

While the goal just now may have been due to luck, the fact remains that the opponent posed a significant threat, and we absolutely cannot afford to be careless again.

(End of this chapter)