Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 316 Real Madrid's Counterattack

3 is better than 1!

This was also the final score of the first half.

In the final minutes of the first half, Real Madrid launched a relentless attack on Manchester City's goal, but to no avail, and could only accept the score and head into the locker room.

Mourinho was the last to return to the locker room.

All the way, he kept thinking about what to do in the game, how to adjust, and how to defend against Shan Yongzhuo.

The latter is alright.

In fact, Mourinho had also figured it out. Pepe's defense against Shan Yongzhuo was quite successful. Of the three goals Shan Yongzhuo scored, the first one was a breakthrough, but the next two were free kicks and corner kicks. This was because the opponent's footwork was too good, and there was nothing that could be done.

Of course, this does not guarantee that Shan Yongzhuo will suddenly change his playing style in the second half and ignore Pepe's defense.

Back in the locker room, Mourinho did not criticize the players, especially Casillas, whose confidence had been somewhat shaken.

The most important thing right now is to make the attack more efficient, rather than blaming the goals conceded.

Mourinho was already thinking about the problems from the first half.

There are quite a few problems.

For example, after receiving the ball, Callejon acted somewhat selfishly, focusing only on his own breakthroughs and failing to form effective cooperation with his teammates.

For example, Khedira's flank completely lost its offensive threat, almost as if it had become invisible.

For example, Özil's presence wasn't very strong; he couldn't gain an advantage against Yaya Toure and couldn't utilize his passing ability.

Also, Ronaldo's performance was somewhat poor.

Throughout the first half, Ronaldo appeared somewhat impatient and failed to coordinate well with his teammates, focusing only on his own shots, even though some of his opportunities were not very good.

This displeased Mourinho.

In the first half, Ronaldo had a total of 5 shots, only 2 of which were on target, and 3 of them went high and wide.

Such a performance is hardly comparable to Shan Yongzhuo's three shots and three goals.

Even compared to Benzema's two shots and one goal, it's somewhat lacking.

There's not much to say about Benzema. As a tactical center forward, he drew the defense away and managed to score a goal, so there's not much to criticize about his performance.

Mourinho kept talking, but he realized that Pepe wasn't listening at all; instead, he was whispering something to Ronaldo.

He suddenly became a little angry, especially after hearing what Pepe said.

"Cristiano, I think I've found the reason why Shan Yongzhuo is so amazing."

“If you want to be better than him, I think you should work on your shooting.”

"What I mean is, your training is completely wrong. Physical strength, speed, and dribbling are all unimportant. As long as you can shoot at the highest level and score with any shot, you don't need to dribble or try to get into the box at all."

"..."

Pepe was talking to Ronaldo, and the key point is that Ronaldo seemed to be listening quite attentively, nodding frequently.

Not only Ronaldo, but Higuain next to him also seemed to be attracted by Pepe's words, listening very attentively, almost as if he was taking notes.

Mourinho was furious. "Koppeler, shut up!"

Pepe immediately fell silent, and Ronaldo and Higuain also turned away as if they had nothing to do with Pepe.

Despite Florentino Pérez's dissatisfaction with Mourinho and some minor clashes between Casillas and Mourinho, Mourinho's authority in the dressing room remains unquestionable. Whether it's Pepe, Ronaldo, or Higuaín, they all harbor a degree of fear towards Mourinho.

Mourinho looked at Pepe's expression, thought about it, and decided that what he said was utter nonsense.

It's not that Mourinho doesn't envy Shan Yongzhuo's shooting skills, but rather that he knows how difficult it is to reach such a pinnacle level of shooting ability.

Not everyone is Shan Yongzhuo, and it's impossible for everyone to possess Shan Yongzhuo's archery skills.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain both have their own unique characteristics, and their football styles are already well-established, making it almost impossible to make significant changes.

Mourinho is worried that Pepe will lead them astray, causing them to focus on shooting while neglecting other aspects, which would ultimately be counterproductive.

Soon, the second half of the pizza game began.

During halftime, Mourinho emphasized attacking the most, and the effect was very obvious. Real Madrid continued to strengthen their control of the midfield, and their attacks became more steady. Even Ronaldo was no longer in such a hurry to shoot and paid more attention to cooperating with his teammates.

Under such a relentless offensive, Manchester City could only passively defend.

Of course, there are also opportunities in the attacking third.

But rarely.

In the first 25 minutes of the second half, Shan Yongzhuo only got three touches of the ball. On one occasion, he successfully shook off Pepe, but he was too far from the goal and his shot lacked power, and was saved by Casillas.

Twenty-five minutes later, Real Madrid also scored.

In the 70th minute of the second half, Alonso and Khedira combined in midfield, and Alonso delivered a brilliant through ball. Benzema, ten meters from the goal, got to the ball before Lescott could reach it and shoot, but Joe Hart made the save.

But Ronaldo followed up with a shot and put the ball into the empty net, completing the goal.

"C. Ronaldo!"

"3 to 2!"

"Real Madrid pulled one back, which is very bad for Manchester City. Their lead has become one goal, and Real Madrid has also scored two away goals!"

This goal was hard-won.

Real Madrid relentlessly attacked Manchester City, dominating the game but failing to score for a long time. Now they have finally scored, which made Mourinho on the sidelines breathe a sigh of relief.

Two away goals are a very favorable thing for Real Madrid.

Even if the match ends with this score, trailing by one goal, Real Madrid still has two away goals to play, and with the next leg back at the Bernabéu, their chances of winning are very high.

After all, he could see that Manchester City's overall strength was not as good as Real Madrid's, and that their ability to maintain their lead was entirely due to the performance of Shan Yongzhuo alone.

The Real Madrid players on the field also breathed a sigh of relief.

Previously, they were under immense pressure as they were down by two goals.

Trailing by two goals, even if they return to the Bernabéu, they cannot guarantee a victory, after all, the opponent has a goal-scoring machine, Shan Yongzhuo.

But being down by one goal changes everything.

After all, this was an away game, and they secured two valuable away goals.

Moreover, with 20 minutes left in the game, Real Madrid's morale is high, and they are pressing Manchester City on the attack. It's not impossible for them to score again.

If they can equalize, their chances of eliminating Manchester City will be much greater when they return to the Bernabéu.

(End of this chapter)