Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

On April 20, the 33rd round of La Liga kicked off.

As expected, Barcelona opted to conserve their strength in the Catalan derby, fielding only a small number of key players while resting most of their starters.

Facing a highly motivated Espanyol, Barcelona, ​​missing most of their key players, tried their best but still failed to defeat their opponents.

In this way, Real Madrid only needs to defeat their opponent in the subsequent match to declare themselves the champions ahead of schedule.

But can Real Madrid, playing with only a reserve squad, do that?

One day later, on April 21, at Racing Santander's home stadium.

The score on the big screen is 0-2, with the home team listed first and the away team second.

As it turns out, even Mourinho has his moments of misjudgment!

Just after he set the goal of a draw for Villas-Boas, Villas-Boas, with a group of substitutes, cleanly defeated Racing Santander, who were currently ranked fifth in the league, 2-0 away from home.

Before this match, after learning that Mourinho had taken Real Madrid's key players to England, the general public was not optimistic about their chances.

However, Villas-Boas silenced everyone with a victory, leaving even Mourinho utterly shocked upon learning the result:
"Are you sure you didn't misread? It was me who beat Racing Santander 2-0, not the other way around?"

"It's absolutely true! Villas-Boas used a textbook example of defensive counter-attacking to completely dismantle the home team!"

After saying that, he recounted the entire course of the match in detail. After listening, Mourinho couldn't help but sigh:
"Boas is a good kid, and he's really lucky."

Real Madrid's victory in this match was due not only to their own excellent performance but also to the significant impact of their opponents.

Racing Santander is currently fifth in the league, just one point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Therefore, they are eager to get points against this Real Madrid team that is playing with a reserve lineup, in order to catch up with or even overtake Atletico Madrid and secure a Champions League spot for next season.

Although Real Madrid fielded a mostly reserve squad, it included players like Guti, Mascherano, and Robben who are capable of competing for a starting position at Real Madrid.

They were already seething with anger because they couldn't join the expedition to England for one reason or another.

Villas-Boas relied heavily on them, and formulated the team's counter-attacking tactics entirely based on their characteristics.

Thanks to Mascherano's tireless running and interceptions in the backfield, Real Madrid thwarted the opponent's attack.

Then, by utilizing Guti's through balls and Robben's speed and dribbling ability, they took advantage of counter-attack opportunities after successful defenses to score a goal in each half.

Racing Santander were completely outmatched; the more aggressively they attacked, the more likely they were to concede a goal.

Despite dominating Real Madrid in possession and shots, they couldn't score. Instead, their opponents' counter-attacks were incredibly accurate. Real Madrid only managed 5 shots throughout the match, 2 of which were on target, and both went in.

Where can I go to reason with them?

Racing Santander felt they were wronged by their loss, but actually they weren't wronged at all.

In fact, if their style of play hadn't been so aggressive, and they had played a bit more conservatively, focusing on defense, Real Madrid might not have been able to win this game.

After the match, Villas-Boas was in high spirits and, in an interview with reporters, considered himself the hero who led Real Madrid to the title.

He even announced at the post-match press conference that he would leave Real Madrid's coaching staff after the end of the season to make his own way in the world.

Before this, Villas-Boas was just a follower of Mourinho, and almost no one had heard of him.

But now, after leading Real Madrid to break the La Liga record and win the title five rounds in advance, he has become a household name.

After watching these two matches under his leadership, many people became interested in this young coach whose style is very similar to Mourinho's and extended offers to him, wanting to invite him to coach.

Although there are no top-tier teams among them, receiving so many invitations before even going solo is quite rare in the football world.

It can be said that Villas-Boas began his coaching career under the spotlight.

Although Villas-Boas's decision to go solo without consulting him made Mourinho somewhat unhappy.

But the news that the opponent led Real Madrid to win the title early really gave the Real Madrid key players, who were far away in England, a real shot in the arm.

Even before the match started, Real Madrid's players were already excited:

"Damn, I love these substitutes!"

"This is insane! We won the championship five rounds in advance! What an incredible achievement!"

"Ore ore ore, we are champions, we are champions again, we will always be champions!"

"I hope Manchester United beats Barcelona, ​​so that Barcelona will go home empty-handed again this year!"

"Brothers, the substitutes have given us a great start. Now it's our turn to shine. Keep your spirits up, don't drop any points, and let Liverpool see how formidable we are!"

"That's right, let's try to end the battle in this round!"

Spurred by securing the title early and inspired by the substitutes, the entire Real Madrid team was in high spirits, eager to rush onto the field and tear Liverpool apart.

……

Anfield Stadium, April 23.

The stadium was already packed before the match even started.

Countless Liverpool fans flooded the stadium, chanting the team's anthem as usual, creating a formidable home atmosphere to support their team.

That song, "Never Alone," could even be heard in the away team's locker room.

"The soundproofing in the dressing rooms at Anfield Stadium is a bit poor!"

"Maybe they designed it this way on purpose!"

"You mean Liverpool deliberately had poorly soundproofed doors installed, allowing outside noise to continuously disturb us?"

Upon closer reflection, it's actually quite possible.

But if this is true, then the home team is being a bit too unethical.

"Alright, let's stop discussing this nonsense!"

Mourinho walked in from outside, clapped his hands, and attracted everyone's attention.

"I've played against Liverpool many times, and nobody knows better than me how to beat them!"

I don't know if Mourinho's words are true or false, or if he's just bragging.

But his words reassured the players considerably. They were unfamiliar with this Liverpool team, having last faced them over 20 years ago, but they knew their coach well!
Real Madrid is already a very strong team, and now they have a manager who understands the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents very well. Many players feel that this game is in the bag.

"Our focus in this match will be on the midfield, especially the defensive midfield position. As long as we can limit Xabi Alonso's passing, Liverpool's attack will be nothing to worry about!"

Of the four teams, only Liverpool lacks a superstar.

Furthermore, Torres, who should have been in Liverpool's lineup, was snatched away by Inter Milan, making Liverpool in this timeline significantly weaker than in the original timeline.

"They're nothing special, don't take them too seriously. This game is about us playing our own game and we can win!"

Mourinho's words seemed to indicate that he didn't take Liverpool seriously at all. Although it was an away game, he was aiming for victory.

While Mourinho was encouraging his players for next year in the locker room, Benitez was doing something similar in the Liverpool locker room.

"Gerrard, you need to actively participate in the attack in this game. We need your goals to break the deadlock!"

"Alonso, when you pass the ball, pay attention to the striker's position. If you can play behind the defense, make a long pass. If you can't, launch an attack from the ground. Don't lose possession easily. The opponent's counter-attacks are very sharp. We can't afford to make mistakes!"

Although Benitez disliked Mourinho, he had to admit that Mourinho was indeed very strong.

The teams he leads are generally characterized by strong defense and sharp counter-attacks. For a team like Liverpool that relies on attacking to win games, this style of team is the kind of opponent they least want to face.

But there was no other way. Even knowing that the opponent would choose a defensive counter-attacking tactic, they had no choice but to attack when playing at home!
If they win or draw this game, Benitez plans to park the bus at the Bernabéu for the next match and give Mourinho a good thrashing.

Compared to the Champions League final, the Champions League semi-finals are more likely to produce memorable moments.

Because of the home and away system, plus the two-legged tie.

Therefore, both sides played quite aggressively, without the restraint they displayed in the final.

As expected, Liverpool launched an offensive against Real Madrid at the start of the match.

1 minute and 30 seconds into the game, Ramos was penalized for a foul while holding off Babel on the edge of the penalty area. Gerrard's free kick hit the wall and bounced out.

It was clear he was going to shoot directly, but unfortunately he didn't choose the right angle and the shot wasn't high enough, so it was blocked by the wall.

But Gerrard's strong desire to win, displayed from the start, still surprised and delighted the Liverpool fans in the stadium.

If Gerrard, as Liverpool's anchor, is in excellent form, then they basically have the game in the bag.

In the first ten minutes, Real Madrid failed to mount any significant attacks, while Liverpool launched wave after wave of offensive pressure.

In the 7th minute, Babel's breakthrough was blocked, and Gerrard's long-range shot from the left wing was saved by Casillas.

In the 8th minute, Gerrard took a long-range shot after Crouch laid it off, which deflected off Cannavaro and went out of play.

Liverpool dominated the game against Real Madrid, who struggled to even cross the halfway line.

This was incredibly satisfying for the Liverpool fans in the stadium. Before the match, they were worried that their team wouldn't be able to get past Real Madrid, but seeing Real Madrid being completely dominated by them, they suddenly became arrogant.
"I don't think Real Madrid is all that great. I don't think they're that much better than Arsenal!"

"Heh, if Arsenal had Real Madrid's financial resources, we probably wouldn't be a match for them!"

If Arsenal had a budget of 100 million euros to buy a superstar, Wenger would have already led the Gunners to build a dynasty.

However, just as they were celebrating their victory, something changed on the field.

In the 12th minute, Lin Feng retreated and, with the help of Real Madrid's defensive midfielder Diarra, successfully intercepted Xabi Alonso.

After intercepting the ball, Lin Feng didn't even look at it, and immediately launched a precise 40-yard long pass, sending the ball to the edge of Liverpool's penalty area.

There, a Real Madrid player wearing the number 7 jersey was already waiting in anticipation.

As a teammate on the national team, Reina knew Raul's strength well, so he didn't dare to delay at all. He rushed out immediately and, risking being kicked, caught the ball before Raul could reach it.

Raul hesitated on that shot; if he hadn't slowed down at the last moment, he would have had a chance to shoot.

But if he does that, Liverpool goalkeeper Reina will most likely be injured, and possibly seriously.

Whether it's because of their friendship as teammates on the national team or his professional ethics, it wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.

So Raul gave up at the last moment.

"I'm sorry, Lin, I wasted your brilliant pass!"

Raul felt a little guilty, so he came over to apologize to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng's 40-meter long-range, precise through ball, like a scalpel, was simply breathtaking. If Raul scores, it could very well become the best goal of this round of the Champions League.

"It's alright, there's still plenty of time in the game, there will be plenty of opportunities, don't worry about it!"

Although there is some regret in my heart, after all, such a high-quality low-pass through ball is rare and hard to come by, and even he would find it difficult to replicate.

After Alonso was dispossessed in the middle, Liverpool immediately learned their lesson and began to shift their attacks to the flanks.

In the 16th minute, Aurelio delivered a through pass from the left wing, and Babel deliberately let it pass at the near post, disrupting Real Madrid's formation and defensive rhythm.

Gerrard, making a forward run, accelerated past Diarra and poked the ball past Cannavaro before he could reach it.

He was very close to the goal when he shot, which was almost a sure goal opportunity.

But at that moment, Casillas seemed to be blessed with divine light, entering godlike mode. With an extreme side dive, he quickly fell to the ground and saved the ball. Marcelo quickly cleared the ball with a long kick, sending it out of bounds, leaving Crouch, who was trying to follow up, empty-handed.

A collective sigh of disappointment filled Anfield as countless Liverpool fans clutched their heads in despair, lamenting their team's missed opportunity.

Gerrard was also somewhat shocked. He really didn't expect the shot to be saved. So after taking the shot, he had already raised his hand to celebrate, but the ball didn't go in!

Aurelio's cross seemed to give Liverpool the illusion that crossing from the flanks was the right choice. So in the next few minutes, they gradually shifted their attacking focus to the flanks, with the two full-backs taking turns rushing up to participate in the attack.

Seeing his opponent make such a choice, Mourinho couldn't help but smirk.

Benitez fell for it!

When he saw Crouch in Liverpool's starting lineup, he was already on guard against crosses from the wings.

After all, when your striker is a tall guy over two meters, it's hard to resist the urge to pass the ball into the penalty area.

But this was exactly the effect Mourinho wanted. With that thought, he stood up from the coaching bench, went to the sidelines, slowly raised his right fist, and then suddenly opened it when his arm was fully extended!

Next, it's Real Madrid's turn to attack! (End of Chapter)