Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"Another free kick! Is this Lin Feng's third or fourth free kick for Real Madrid this season? I can hardly remember!"

"Hehe, I think the teams in La Liga and even the Champions League will need to be especially careful of Lin Feng's free kicks when they face Real Madrid. His free kick accuracy is just too high!"

The two commentators are now in a very relaxed mood. They were a little worried when they first saw Real Madrid struggling to break through the defense.

But with Lin Feng's goal, the situation on the field completely changed.

Valladolid can no longer stay in their own half and play counter-attacks. If they don't want to lose the game, they have to attack.

But given their strength, if they really launch an attack, their defense won't be able to withstand Real Madrid's offensive, and they might suffer an even more humiliating defeat!

That's why the first goal is so important when breaking down a tight defensive tactic!

"This kid really always manages to surprise us!"

"He almost turned a free kick into a penalty!"

On the sidelines, Mourinho was extremely excited after seeing Lin Feng's goal and praised Lin Feng highly!
Villas-Boas, standing to the side, flattered, "This is also thanks to you, Coach. If it weren't for your decisive leadership, giving Lin Feng so much power and entrusting him with all the team's set-piece duties, we probably wouldn't have scored this goal!"

Mourinho liked to hear this. Lin Feng is indeed very capable, but if he wants to perform well on the field, he also needs the tactics that Mourinho has devised for him.

Players and coaches complement each other. Many players perform exceptionally well for one team, but their performance may plummet when they switch teams.

If the players haven't changed, then the only things that can change are the coach's tactics and the players' roles within different coaching tactical systems.

Therefore, for players, transferring is truly a challenging and risky process.

With the score in the lead, Mourinho waved his hand, and Real Madrid began to retreat and play a defensive counter-attacking game.

[Haha, Mourinho did a great job! That's the kind of tactic the opponents just used to annoy them!]

[I think there's nothing wrong with that. We're currently in the lead, and if the opponent attacks, it will give us plenty of opportunities to counterattack. That's when we should use a defensive counter-attacking tactic!]

Mourinho is very level-headed. No wonder he led Porto to a title and helped Chelsea rise to prominence; he's truly pragmatic!

Real Madrid fans, who were just moments before criticizing their opponents' park the bus tactic as ruining the sport, have now turned around and are applauding Mourinho's decision to retreat and defend.

As expected, humans are all hypocrites!

……

Valladolid really had no choice; losing by one goal was the same as losing by two or three goals.

Rather than waiting to die, it's better to take a gamble.

They ultimately chose to launch an attack on Real Madrid.

To be honest, Valladolid really does have some skills.

Their number 7 winger feigned a pass on the wing but suddenly cut inside, completely outmaneuvering Guti. His final shot forced Casillas to make a diving save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.

Mourinho was very dissatisfied with the team's defense. He felt that Guti's tackle was too reckless. Not only did he fail to win the ball, but he also exposed a large gap behind him, giving the opponent a chance to shoot from long range.

Guti felt wronged. He wasn't a professional defensive midfielder, so it was normal for him not to play well as a defensive midfielder.

However, Mourinho showed no consideration for his difficulties and instead treated him like a normal defensive midfielder.

Isn't this deliberately making things difficult for him?

The more aggressively Valladolid attacks, the more gaps are exposed in their defense.

In the 42nd minute, Real Madrid launched a quick counter-attack, with Lin Feng breaking through the middle and passing the ball directly to Van Nistelrooy.

Van Nistelrooy's first shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but he cleverly got back to the ball and scored on the rebound, extending the score to 2-0.
After scoring, Van Nistelrooy ran backwards towards the sidelines, laughing and pointing at Lin Feng, asking him to come and celebrate with him.

"Lin Feng's pass was superb, it was practically feeding Van Nistelrooy right to his mouth!"

"Valladolid's goalkeeper reacted very quickly on the first attempt, managing to save Van Nistelrooy's initial shot under those circumstances, but unfortunately he couldn't stop the follow-up shot!"

"This is the downside of Valladolid's attacking play. If they had piled up a lot of defensive players in their own half like before, Real Madrid wouldn't have had such counter-attacking opportunities."

"Yes, if the defenders in the penalty area had been there, Van Nistelrooy's first shot would have ended the attack, and he wouldn't have had a chance to score on the rebound."

After praising Lin Feng as usual, the two commentators also expressed their regret for Valladolid.

They chose to attack, but it didn't work; instead, the opponent used counter-attacks to widen the score gap.

This was a complete loss, but they had no choice, because not attacking meant a slow death.

With a two-goal lead, Real Madrid returned to the locker room.

As expected, Guti, who had a poor performance in the first half, was scolded by Mourinho for several minutes.

Fearing they would get into trouble, the crowd not only dared not speak up to mediate the fight, but also subconsciously distanced themselves from Guti, afraid of being implicated.

Guti felt disheartened. They used to call each other brothers, but when disaster struck, not a single one of them came to his aid. These brothers were just a bunch of fair-weather friends and couldn't be trusted at all.

……

Neither side made any substitutions in the second half, but the fourth referee accidentally injured himself and had to be substituted.

This scene was very novel for both the players on the field and the viewers at the stadium and in front of their televisions.

Even Lin Feng was encountering something like this for the first time.

Valladolid clearly did not give up easily and continued to attack desperately.

In the 48th minute, Pedro López broke past Ramos and took a shot directly, but Casillas reacted quickly and saved the ball.

In the 53rd minute, Lin Feng attempted to combine with Higuain, but made a mistake.

However, Lin Feng immediately countered and won the ball back.

After witnessing this, Mourinho even applauded him, clearly very satisfied with his decisive counter-pressing after losing the ball.

Players with strong defensive awareness can play a significant role in defense, even if they are in the attacking midfield position.

A player with weak defensive awareness will become a burden to the team, even if placed in the defensive midfield position.

After successfully winning the ball back, Lin Feng cut inside to the front of the goal and unleashed a long-range shot with his left foot, but unfortunately it went slightly wide of the post.

In the 58th minute, Lin Feng attempted to break through from the left flank with the ball but was fouled from behind by the opposing full-back.

Real Madrid won another free kick in the attacking third, and Borja received a yellow card for the foul.

Lin Feng took the free kick he had won himself. Due to the relatively remote position, he did not choose to shoot, but instead passed the ball into the penalty area and found Van Nistelrooy.

Van Nistelrooy unleashed a right-footed shot inside the penalty area, but Butler made a diving save.

Having missed his chance for a second chance, Fanny vigorously rubbed his hair and made an apologetic gesture to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng gave him a thumbs up, not dwelling on his wasted opportunity.

Raul, standing to the side, was extremely frustrated. Just before Lin Feng took the free kick, he desperately created an opening and immediately raised his hand to ask for the ball.

But the other side acted as if they didn't see him at all, completely ignoring him. Lin Feng barely passed him the ball in this game. After trying to coordinate with Higuain a few times and finding that they couldn't work together, he focused on feeding Van Nistelrooy relentlessly.

In the past, Raul would have had his good friend Guti to pass him the ball, but today Guti was sent to play as a defensive midfielder, making it difficult for him to pass the ball to Raul. As a result, Raul had very few shots on goal in this game, and his statistics on the field were appalling.

Only then did he realize the serious consequences of offending the midfield maestro!

If this continues, his goal-scoring record this season will likely plummet!

Fortunately, Raul's nightmare ended soon.

In the 61st minute, Real Madrid made two substitutions.

Robben and Sneijder came on, replacing Lin Feng and the underperforming Higuain.

In the 62nd minute, Sneijder, who had just come on for Real Madrid, passed the ball to Raul in the attacking third, whose low left-footed shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and went out of bounds.

Guti then took a corner kick, and Raul headed the ball into the goal again.

Although he failed to score with either of his two shots, his number of shots on goal increased significantly.

Raul was so moved he almost cried. This was the life a human being should live! Those sixty minutes had felt like being in prison!

Raul felt his good days had arrived, but Gago and Guti felt the end of the world was coming.

After Lin Feng left the court, Sneijder, who replaced him, could achieve 70-80% of Lin Feng's offensive capabilities, but in defense, he couldn't even reach 40% of Lin Feng's.

Without Lin Feng's counter-pressing and interception in the attacking third, Gago and Guti are under increasing pressure.

In the 63rd minute, Sneijder held onto the ball too long and was dispossessed by the opponent. Valladolid then launched a quick counter-attack after winning possession in their own half.

Marcos, who had just come on as a substitute, dribbled all the way and broke through Guti's interception before taking a shot in the middle. The ball grazed the left post and went out of bounds.

The Real Madrid players were taken aback, especially goalkeeper Casillas.

Mourinho was furious on the sidelines, extremely dissatisfied with Guti's performance.

If you can't stop them, won't you commit a foul?

Is receiving a yellow card better than letting the opponent get past you and score?

If it weren't for good luck this time, and the opponent failing to capitalize on their opportunity, Real Madrid might have conceded a goal.

But luck can't always be on Real Madrid's side.

In the 70th minute, Valladolid intercepted the ball in the attacking third and launched a quick counter-attack. Rubio delivered a through pass before Guti could intercept, and Pedro Lopez quickly ran into the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot from 25 yards out, which went directly into the left side of the goal!
1-2, the home team pulled one back.

That shot was too difficult to get past; Casillas couldn't save it at all.

Mourinho was almost laughing in exasperation at Guti's awful performance!

He glanced around the Real Madrid bench and found there were no suitable defensive midfielders to choose from.

But he simply couldn't stand Guti's poor performance, so he selected one of the substitute defenders and used his last substitution to take Guti off.

Guti was frustrated after being substituted, and he knew how badly he had performed, so he didn't even bother to high-five the substitutes when he left the field.

Pepe, hands raised, stared in astonishment at Guti as he passed by. Realizing what had happened, she was furious. "Don't you have manners? Don't you know how to respect your teammates?"

Pepe, who is easily carried away, immediately wanted to have a friendly chat with Guti.

But just as he was about to take action, he heard Lin Feng's reminder from the bench:
"Pepe, get on the field! The team is waiting for you!"

Lin Feng's reminder made him realize that he still had to play in the game, so he ignored Guti and quickly ran onto the field to participate in the match.

Pepe had never played as a defensive midfielder before, and shortly after coming on, he received a yellow card for a foul due to his overly aggressive tackling.

But Mourinho on the sidelines not only didn't blame him, but was also impressed.

This guy has the potential to become a top-class defensive midfielder!
They have good physical qualities, are aggressive in tackling, have a strong defensive awareness, good stamina, and cover a wide area.

If properly trained, he might very well become an excellent defensive midfielder.

The only downside is that his movements are a bit exaggerated, and he has a fiery temper and is prone to getting into trouble.

But Mourinho didn't care too much. Having coached in the Premier League, he felt that a tough guy like Pepe was an indispensable role in the team.

After Pepe came on, Real Madrid's midfield gradually stabilized and didn't give the opponent any chances.

Just when everyone thought the match would end in a Real Madrid victory, a dramatic scene unfolded on the field.

In stoppage time, Valladolid launched a full-scale attack on the front line.

Marcos played a through ball in front of the penalty area, and Llorente quickly broke through to create a one-on-one opportunity. Facing Casillas's block, he chose to pass the ball across.

Real Madrid's center-back Ramos had already secured his position and all he needed to do was clear the ball.

But his clearance inexplicably hit his teammate's arm inside the penalty area.

Beep!
The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.

In the final minute of stoppage time, the home team was unexpectedly awarded a penalty.

The entire stadium erupted in madness the moment the referee awarded the penalty.

Countless home team fans who had been in despair were overjoyed when they saw the penalty kick, and some even started celebrating wildly.

We forced a draw against the mighty Real Madrid, and we ended Real Madrid's winning streak!

Mourinho's face was ashen, his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes were almost murderous.

Now we can only pin our hopes on Casillas. If he can save this penalty, Real Madrid can take three points away from here.

If he fails to make the save, Real Madrid's three points will be reduced to one.

Realizing he had committed a grave mistake, Ramos frantically prayed for his teammate, hoping his good friend Casillas could help him atone for his sins.

However, no miracle occurred, and Llorente calmly converted his penalty, making the score 2-2.

"Shit!"

Mourinho kicked a water bottle at his feet, which hit the passing fourth official squarely.

The fourth official stared at him blankly, then called the referee through his earpiece.

After the referee ran over and understood the situation, he did not hesitate to show Mourinho a red card, sending him to the stands.

Well, Real Madrid has really lost both their wife and their army this time.

Sitting on the bench, watching his team collapse, Lin Feng shook his head helplessly, feeling like an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

When I left the field, the score was still 2-0, but in just thirty minutes, it became 2-2.
The teammates in midfield and defense took turns feeding, kicking away the victory that was within their grasp.

Looking at his stats of one goal and one assist, Lin Feng couldn't help but ponder:
Does this mean the team lost but I didn't? (End of Chapter)