Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Returning to Rome, Lin Feng felt a different way.

When I played for Inter Milan, every time the team traveled to Rome, I felt that the Romans looked at them with intense hatred.

Inter Milan isn't exactly Roma's arch-rival, but unfortunately, they've beaten Roma a lot in recent years.

Inter Milan not only defeated Roma multiple times in the league and won the title, but also crushed Roma's dream of winning the Italian Cup in the last three finals.

By repeatedly thwarting their opponents' dreams of winning the championship, it's no wonder that Roma hates Inter Milan.

However, Roma are relatively indifferent to Real Madrid, as the two teams have little historical rivalry and few head-to-head records.

If Roma hadn't drawn Real Madrid in the knockout stage, they would never have had any interaction with Real Madrid at all.

In a pre-match interview, Spalletti declared that he would beat Real Madrid at home.
"Yes, Real Madrid is very strong, but this is our home ground, we have the best players and high morale..."

A Spanish journalist interrupted, "But your team just lost to Juventus three days ago. The team's morale doesn't seem as high as you say, does it?"

Spalletti, who was interrupted, was a little angry:

"One win or loss doesn't mean anything. Didn't Real Madrid also lose to Real Betis before coming here? According to your understanding, has Real Madrid's morale already hit rock bottom?"

Can that be the same?

The reporter rolled his eyes. Real Madrid had taken their key players with them and were sending their substitutes to play a fixed match with their underlings!
You thought Juventus were low on health and wanted to beat them, but you ended up fielding your strongest lineup and still couldn't win...

You can't even beat Juventus, how dare you boast that you'll defeat Real Madrid?
If it were last season's Real Madrid, there might still be a slight chance.

However, Real Madrid's squad has undergone a complete overhaul this season and is no longer the same as it was before.

It will be very difficult for Roma to defeat Real Madrid, even playing at home, their chances of winning are probably less than 30%.

But we can lose the game, but we must not lose our spirit.

After Spalletti made his tough statement, Roma legends and Italian media figures rallied to support him:

"Everyone knows Mourinho is good at defense, but Italian football is the origin of defensive football. Roma will show Mourinho what Italian-style chain defense is on the field!"

Mourinho has never been afraid of trash talk. After learning of Spalletti's harsh words, the Special One dismissively stated:

"Perhaps the pressure of playing against Mr. Spalletti was too great, which is why he said such nonsense. In my opinion, there is no team in Roma, or even in the entire Serie A, that can threaten Real Madrid."

As soon as this statement came out, the scene was in an uproar.

Everyone says Mourinho is arrogant, but no one expected him to be this arrogant!
Is it a bit too reckless to directly attack the entire Serie A?
Isn't he afraid of being proven wrong in the future?
Unsurprisingly, Mourinho's remarks at the press conference angered Roma fans and even fans throughout Serie A.

A large number of fans flooded Real Madrid's official website and Mourinho's social media, launching a barrage of attacks and even hurling insults at him.

Some Serie A legends and coaches have also publicly criticized Mourinho for being too arrogant and lacking respect for Roma and Serie A.

AC Milan's head coach and Roma legend Carlo Ancelotti stated in an interview:

"Serie A is a league with a glorious history and a brilliant football culture. It has produced countless talented players and achieved numerous honors. Even with some decline, Serie A is still one of the greatest leagues in football today. Mourinho should not have any prejudice against Serie A."

Because of Mourinho's influence, Roma fans who were originally indifferent to Real Madrid have begun to become hostile towards them.

Even outside the hotel where Real Madrid players were staying, some Roma fans began to gather, banging drums and setting off firecrackers late at night, trying to disturb the Real Madrid players' rest and let the Galacticos superstars experience the passion of the Romans.

Hearing the loud gongs, drums, and firecrackers outside, Lin Feng was somewhat dazed. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was celebrating the Spring Festival in China!

He was speechless. Did Mourinho have to make enemies to feel comfortable?

"See? They're afraid of us, that's why they're trying to confuse us like this, but the more they do it, the more it proves their fear!"

In the final pep talk in the locker room before the match, Mourinho unsurprisingly used his signature PUA tactics once again.

Instead of mentioning their own provocations, they criticized the Romans' underhanded tactics both on and off the field, creating an atmosphere that the whole of Italy was suppressing and hostile towards them.

Then, by portraying themselves as victims, they ignite the players' anger and give them a revenge buff.

This trick is simple and crude, but it really works.

Real Madrid players charged onto the field yelling and unleashed a flurry of punches, leaving Roma players twitching on the ground.

Real Madrid scored just eight minutes into the game.

The goal for Real Madrid was scored by captain Raul, and the assist came from Real Madrid's number eight attacking midfielder, Lin Feng.

The cheers and shouts at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome came to an abrupt halt, leaving only the joyful laughter of Real Madrid players celebrating on the field.

However, this was only the beginning, the beginning of a nightmare.

In the 20th minute, Lin Feng launched a counter-attack with the ball. Watching him advance at lightning speed on the field, the Roma players and fans were somewhat dazed. The white jersey he was wearing overlapped with the figure of him wearing the blue and black jersey from before, awakening the fear in their hearts.

As expected, Lin Feng dribbled past the last defender and broke into the penalty area, scoring the goal.

The score became 2-0, and after only 20 minutes, Roma had already given up at home.

"Good job!"

"As expected of Lin!"

"Haha, I told you this tactic would work!"

On the Real Madrid coaching bench, everyone laughed and hugged each other, celebrating their second goal.

Inter Milan's strategy of exploiting Roma's eagerness to equalize by deliberately tightening their formation and allowing them to press forward, then using Lin Feng as a counter-attacking point, was a unique tactic used by Inter Milan to counter Roma.

However, after Lin Feng transferred to Real Madrid, the Real Madrid coaching staff also began to learn from Inter Milan and used this tactic against Roma.

For Roma, although Lin Feng has changed teams, it seems like he hasn't changed at all. It's still the same formula, the same taste, and they are always the ones getting beaten!

With their team on the verge of collapse, Roma fans in the stands recalled their terrible experience last season – being thrashed 7-1 by Manchester United away from home!

At this moment, just as at that moment.

If no one steps up to stop the team from sliding into the abyss, they might witness a horrific tragedy at their home stadium today.

But Totti's old problem resurfaced: when facing strong opponents and the team is in a difficult situation, he easily becomes confused and doesn't know what he should do.

Expecting him to step up and save the team is really wishful thinking.

But this Roma team has someone who can turn things around!

In the 24th minute, Mancini used his speed to break through on the wing and then decisively delivered a cross. Adriano and a Real Madrid defender went down in the penalty area, but Adriano managed to pass the ball with all his might after falling. Pizarro followed up and unleashed a powerful shot that Casillas couldn't save and could only watch as the ball went into the net.

The score became 1-2, with Roma pulling one back.

Adriano, who assisted his teammate in scoring, was extremely excited. He ran to the sidelines, raised his hands, and asked the fans in the stands for applause and cheers.

The stadium, which had been quiet for just a few minutes, came alive again after the goal, with the Roma fans creating an even more ferocious atmosphere in the stands than at the start of the game.

"This little Mancini is something else!"

Mourinho did not get angry because of conceding a goal; instead, his eyes lit up as he looked at Mancini.

"They're very fast and agile on their feet. Our full-backs are having trouble keeping up. This side could very well become our breakthrough point!"

"Ramos should be told not to always think about attacking, but to focus more on defense!"

Although Ramos is a defender, he has the heart of a striker.

He is probably the most goal-hungry defender in Real Madrid's entire squad, bar none.

Having a defender with a scoring touch on the team can be a good thing sometimes, but it can also be a bad thing at other times.

For example, just now Ramos went up for a forward run but couldn't get back to defend in time, and the opponent exploited the gap behind him. The center-backs had no choice but to go and cover, leaving the central defense vulnerable.

If there had been one more player in the penalty area, Adriano might not have had a chance to pass the ball out; it would have been cleared by the defender much earlier.

Mourinho's on-field command was excellent, and the adjustments he made had a very good effect.

Just as Roma, having pulled one back, were preparing to exploit Mancini and Adriano's strengths, they suddenly realized that Mancini had gone silent.

The fact that Sergio Ramos was chosen by Florentino Perez and joined Real Madrid for a record-breaking €3000 million speaks volumes about his ability.

After being ordered not to participate in the attack, he could only devote all his energy to defense.

Ramos has the physique and speed, and he genuinely enjoys tackling and fouling.

Little Mancini was targeted by him as if he were being targeted by a venomous snake, and he was kicked so hard that he felt like he was in excruciating pain.

Mancini has fallen silent, leaving Adriano all alone in the attacking third.

At this point, Wolf King Totti began to feel lost again, completely losing his former glory as the Wolf King.

Neither side managed to score for the remainder of the first half, and both teams returned to the locker room with a one-goal lead.

After the start of the second half, the Roma players noticed that Real Madrid had made a substitution.

Van Nistelrooy was substituted off, and Arjen Robben came on.

This means abandoning positional warfare and taking the artillery bombardment tactic to its extreme with speed.

Although Robben is a bit selfish on the pitch, his attacking prowess on the flanks is truly formidable.

After he came on as a substitute, Real Madrid launched a series of attacks down the right flank, with Lin Feng repeatedly feeding the ball to Robben, giving him opportunities to showcase his signature inside cuts from the wing.

Roma's left-back Cassetti is being driven crazy by Robben!
Seeing Robben dribbling towards him, he knew perfectly well that Robben was about to cut inside, but he just couldn't stop him!

At first, he didn't believe it and tried to catch up with Robben by exerting all his strength.

But after Robben taught him a lesson with his speed and variations, he was in despair.

It's unstoppable, absolutely unstoppable!
Fortunately, Robben's options after cutting inside are limited: either he shoots directly or he dribbles all the way to the goal and eventually loses possession.

If he had played with even a little more teamwork and passed the ball to his teammates, Real Madrid might have scored their third goal long ago.

Raul was furious. Several times he had struggled to create an opening, only to wait anxiously for Robben to pass the ball.

As a result, his gesture of reaching for the ball was completely ignored by the opponent, and Robben himself kicked the ball over the crossbar.

On the sidelines, Mourinho was also on the verge of losing his composure.

He put Robben on the field, not so he could be a lone wolf!

His teammates gave him so many opportunities, but he wasted them all. He couldn't even give back to his teammates once. If they had known this would happen, they would have been better off not putting him on the field!
"That's strange. Robben was a bit selfish when he was at Chelsea, but he wasn't this selfish, was he?"

Villas-Boas and other assistant coaches were somewhat puzzled by Robben's actions.

Robben is not the kind of player who is very much a team player. Mourinho and his team are aware of this weakness, after all, they had managed him when they were at Chelsea, so they are naturally very clear about his shortcomings.

But when he was at Chelsea, Robben would still pass the ball to Lampard when he cut inside and Lampard made a run forward, unlike now where he's like a greedy little creature that only takes in and never gives out.

"Could it be because of Lin Feng? I heard that the two of them are competing with each other, both openly and secretly!"

Strength and conditioning coach Lauro's words prompted everyone to think.

Will Lin Feng go head-to-head with Robben?

It seems like Robben is just unilaterally challenging Lin Feng!
Seeing Robben playing so selfishly, Lin Feng decisively changed his choice.

In the 58th minute, it was Real Madrid's turn to attack again.

Just when the Roma players thought Lin Feng would pass the ball to Robben as before, he suddenly launched a long pass.

The ball sailed over the heads of the Roma players and landed in the open area in front of the Roma penalty area.

Real Madrid's number 7 is sprinting along his passing lane!
Roma's goalkeeper Doni saw Raul charging aggressively towards him and rushed out to try and clear the ball before Raul could reach him.

However, he was just a little too slow. The instant the ball hit the ground, Raul arrived and took it away before the onrushing goalkeeper could react.

The goal was actually open, but even though Raul was tripped by the goalkeeper and staggered a bit, he still managed to adjust his body before falling and put the ball into the goal.

The score became 3-1, with Raul scoring his second goal and his 60th in the Champions League.

This goal also sealed Real Madrid's victory.

With their morale completely shattered, Roma failed to equalize in the next thirty minutes.

Real Madrid ultimately defeated Roma 3-1 away from home.

After this match, the suspense of advancing has almost disappeared.

With a two-goal advantage and three away goals, Real Madrid has one foot in the Champions League quarterfinals! (End of Chapter)