Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

In the mobile internet era, with everyone owning a mobile phone, everyone can become a news recorder.

During their train journey, the Real Madrid team encountered many passengers who took numerous photos, creating a continuous stream of updates for social media users, much like a long-running drama.

These images and discussions have attracted tremendous attention and discussion online.

The tag "Real Madrid is the biggest victim of the Icelandic volcano" remained on Twitter's trending list for several days.

[Looking at the Real Madrid players like this, they look like slaves forced to do hard labor in a black brick kiln. It's too pitiful!]

[To participate in the match, I took a train for two days. This record seems even harder to break than Real Madrid's record of 11 Champions League titles!]

[From now on, let's see who dares to complain about the hardships of long journeys. Can anything be as arduous as Real Madrid's journey?]

Although other teams that had to travel to Iceland also suffered due to the Icelandic volcano, none of them suffered as much as Real Madrid.

However, the Real Madrid players had no time to care about any of that. After arriving in Moscow, all they wanted to do was get a good night's sleep to relieve the fatigue of the past two days.

They slept until noon the next day, and only then did they feel alive again.

Although I felt a little better physically, I was still mentally exhausted and couldn't muster the energy to do anything.

Captain Raul, with his extensive experience, knew that this was a consequence of overwork and physical exhaustion.

Therefore, it was suggested to conduct some fun indoor games to boost the players' morale.

Everyone readily signed up, and even Mourinho, who was known for his strict discipline, did not object.

The games were incredibly diverse. Game enthusiasts gathered to play Pro Evolution Soccer; card players pulled out playing cards from somewhere and started playing Texas Hold'em; and snooker lovers played billiards.

Lin Feng originally wanted to play billiards and show off his amazing skill of clearing the table in one shot.

But as I walked past the activity room, I saw Cristiano Ronaldo holding a ping-pong paddle, standing near the ping-pong table and inviting his teammates to play with him.

But no one in the team knew how to do it, and they all shook their heads and refused, which greatly disappointed Ronaldo, until he saw Lin Feng.

"Lin, you are Chinese, and China is very good at table tennis, so you will definitely play table tennis, right?"

Huh, what kind of logic is this?

Lin Feng was a little confused:
What does China's prowess in table tennis have to do with whether or not I can play table tennis?
He did play it, but that was a long time ago.

Before going abroad, he was once unbeatable in elementary school.

However, after going abroad and no longer having that kind of environment, I haven't touched a racket in a long time.

Lin Feng initially wanted to decline, but seeing Ronaldo's expectant look, he didn't want to spoil the other's fun, so he had no choice but to accompany him.

But he had told Ronaldo in advance that he was not very good at table tennis and had not played table tennis for many years, so that Ronaldo could be prepared.

Upon hearing this, Ronaldo became happy instead:

Finally, I've found a sport that can beat Lin Feng!
Compared to Lin Feng's long absence from the battlefield, Cristiano Ronaldo plays table tennis regularly and is a highly skilled player with a well-known reputation in his circle!
Taking down a beginner is a piece of cake, isn't it?

However, to his surprise, Lin Feng seemed like a completely different person after getting the racket; his aura changed instantly.

Initially, Ronaldo was able to gain the upper hand and dominate Lin Feng with his skillful technique.

But as Lin Feng regained his muscle memory, the situation gradually reversed, and Lin Feng began to dominate Ronaldo!
Ronaldo was increasingly surprised as the game progressed. He discovered that his opponent's footwork, as well as his various techniques such as dribbling, flicking, and slicing, were improving at a visible rate.

In the end, Ronaldo was reduced to a ball-collecting machine, unable to keep up and just spending all his time collecting balls!

"I'm not playing anymore, it's so boring!"

That's how table tennis is; if the skill gap is too big, it's not fun at all, and the weaker player can't even return the ball from the stronger player.

Cristiano Ronaldo is starting to miss how Lin Feng used to get dominated by him in the early days!
The dishes they served at the beginning didn't seem fake at all; they were genuinely good.

But the situation reversed so quickly that he didn't even have time to react before he became the one being abused.

"You played pretty well, have you practiced?"

Lin Feng went to the beverage machine next to him and bought two bottles of water. He handed one to Ronaldo, then sat down next to him and started chatting.

Cristiano Ronaldo's ball-striking movements, footwork, and hand-eye coordination are unlike those of an ordinary amateur; they resemble those of a professionally trained player.

"Yes, I did consider becoming a professional table tennis player so that I could start playing in competitions and earn money to support my family sooner."

Cristiano Ronaldo came from a poor background. His family was quite poor, and earning money as early as possible to help his mother ease the burden was probably his wish when he was young!
Fortunately, he didn't actually do that. With his skill level, which he can even beat himself, if he really switched to playing table tennis, he probably wouldn't make a name for himself. On the contrary, the football world would really lose a genius superstar!

"Lin, with your skill level, you should be able to make the national team in your country, right? It's a shame you're not playing table tennis!"

Lin Feng was still feeling fortunate that Cristiano Ronaldo hadn't transitioned into a professional table tennis player, but little did he know that Ronaldo was also feeling sorry for him, though he was regretting that Lin Feng hadn't changed careers to play table tennis.

"What are you thinking? With my skill level, I might not even make it into the national team, let alone the provincial or even the city team. There are plenty of people who can beat me."

If you ever have the chance to go to China, just randomly pick a community and experience it for yourself; you'll then know what it means to be surrounded by experts!

"is it?"

Ronaldo was skeptical. How could someone as good as Lin Feng not be ranked among the top in their country?

To be honest, he didn't quite believe it, but judging from Lin Feng's expression, it seemed like he really wasn't lying.

"Oh, I see!"

Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to have suddenly figured it out, looking as if he had just realized something.

"What do you understand?"

Lin Feng looked at him with some curiosity.

"Our country's table tennis level is just as bad as your country's football level, which is why I seem so great!"

Lin Feng was speechless. What he said seemed to make sense, but something about it just didn't feel right.

……

On March 29, Real Madrid began to gradually resume training.

Because the players' bodies have not fully recovered from fatigue, the team has not arranged much training content, and the intensity is not high, mainly focusing on recovery and adaptation.

As expected, Moscow was still very cold at the end of March. The daytime high was only six or seven degrees Celsius, and it could drop below zero at night.

Fortunately, the day of the competition was sunny, and the rain or snow they were worried about did not occur.

Otherwise, engaging in a rain battle in such a low-temperature environment would inevitably lead to illness.

The bad news is that sunny weather means a large temperature difference between day and night. The match will be at night, and the temperature may drop to around zero degrees Celsius, which will be a considerable challenge for the Real Madrid players who have just come from warm Madrid.

"Don't feel pressured. We don't necessarily have to win this game. A draw or a narrow defeat is acceptable!"

Mourinho unusually refrained from putting pressure on the players before the match, instead taking the initiative to reduce their stress.

Given that the Icelandic volcano is still erupting, CSKA Moscow will be unable to fly to Madrid for the second leg of the match.

The way Real Madrid came is the same way they will leave.

So even if Real Madrid loses the first leg, as long as they win the second leg at home, they can still make it to the semi-finals!

However, in order to prepare for the Champions League, Real Madrid will have to give up at least two league matches.

On March 29, the 29th round of La Liga kicked off.

With all of Real Madrid's key players gone, the substitutes left at the Bernabéu were no match for Atlético Madrid.

Despite the best efforts of their substitutes, Real Madrid, playing at home, ultimately lost 1-3 to Atletico Madrid, suffering a disappointing defeat.

After this defeat, Real Madrid's winning streak was ended at 12 games, and their unbeaten run was also ended at 28 games, both failing to break their own league records.

However, at this moment, Real Madrid players couldn't care less about any of that, because the Champions League quarter-finals were about to begin!

On March 31, the first two matches in the upper bracket, Chelsea vs. Bordeaux and Manchester United vs. Liverpool, will kick off.

After 90 minutes of intense play, Chelsea, playing away, suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat to Bordeaux, while Manchester United, playing at home, beat their arch-rivals Liverpool 2-1.

With the score difference being small, the suspense of advancing remains. If all four teams can seize the opportunity in the second leg, they could advance.

After the Premier League teams took to the stage, everyone's attention turned to the two La Liga giants.

On April 1, Real Madrid arrived at the Khimki Stadium to prepare for their match against CSKA Moscow.

At Camp Nou, thousands of kilometers away, the match between Barcelona and Premier League giants Arsenal also kicked off at almost the same time.

Although they are all top clubs in La Liga, the opponents they faced were not particularly strong.

However, the two teams adopted completely different strategies and tactics in today's game.

Playing at home, Barcelona fielded their sharpest attacking lineup, launching a relentless assault on Arsenal's goal from the very first minute of the match.

Poor Arsenal, they can still play beautiful football in the Premier League, but at Camp Nou, they can't even pass the ball, let alone attack.

For the first 20 minutes of the match, Arsenal were dominated by Barcelona in their own half, with a meager possession rate of only 16.5% and a passing accuracy of only 64.7%, both of which were Arsenal's lowest records this season.

Barcelona almost completely controlled the game, and Arsenal could only stop the giants' attacks by committing fouls.

The ratio of fouls committed by the two teams was an astonishing 8:1, with Arsenal committing fouls almost every minute.

But fouls can't stop the opponent's offensive!
In the 21st minute, Messi broke through and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area, scoring a world-class goal to give Barcelona the lead!
In the 37th minute, Messi made a through pass to the left side of the penalty area. Abidal's cross was blocked, Pedro passed back to Messi, who slotted home with his right foot from 10 yards out inside the box, making the score 2-0.
The consecutive goals conceded caused Arsenal's morale to collapse, and Wenger was helpless on the sidelines. Making in-game adjustments has never been his forte.

Barcelona seized the opportunity and extended their lead!

In the 42nd minute, Keita headed the ball forward, and Messi, who had beaten the offside trap, easily chipped the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area to complete his hat-trick.

This is his fifth hat-trick of the season, and his third in the last 21 days. The Argentine is in excellent form!
Throughout the first half, Barcelona had a possession rate of 76.2%, a pass completion rate of 87.2%, and took four times more shots than Arsenal!
Judging from the first half alone, these two teams don't seem to be in the same league at all.

Barcelona beating Arsenal is like a strong man beating up a little kid in kindergarten.

Although Barcelona slowed down the pace in the second half, Arsenal seized the opportunity to pull one back.

But Messi quickly responded with his superior individual skills, dribbling past Eboue and Vermaelen before scoring and extending the lead.

Ultimately, the score was set at 4-1. Although there was still one leg to play, no one believed that Arsenal, returning to their home ground, had any chance of turning the game around.

Barcelona has almost secured a spot in the semi-finals.

The situation at the Khimki Stadium is quite different from that at Camp Nou.

The team that was being dominated was not the weaker CSKA Moscow, but rather the stronger Real Madrid.

"It seems that the long journey has affected the Real Madrid players' condition. Real Madrid's tactics in this game were quite conservative, with a large number of players deployed in defense, but very few in attack!"

Even the commentators could see Mourinho's intentions, so how could the home team's coach not see them?

He knew Real Madrid wasn't in good form, otherwise he wouldn't have played so conservatively.

For them, who have been well-rested and ready to fight, if they cannot defeat their opponent in this match, then they will have no hope at all.

Therefore, at the head coach's request, CSKA Moscow launched a desperate attack on Real Madrid.

The Russian fans who came to the stadium were incredibly excited to see their team completely dominating the world's top team. Their cheers and shouts never stopped from the start of the match.

The fans' frenzied shouts and cheers boosted morale, causing the players on the field to become equally enthusiastic.

In this match, CSKA Moscow's midfielder Keisuke Honda was very active.

Ever since he was defeated by Lin Feng in the East Asian Four Nations Tournament, he has dreamed of one day being able to avenge himself against Lin Feng.

Unfortunately, he never found such an opportunity.

Whether it was the Asian Cup final three years ago or the World Cup qualifiers last year, the Japanese team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Chinese team.

The current Japanese national football team no longer has the strength to compete with the Chinese team. The long-term crushing defeats have caused them to have a serious sense of panic.

This makes Keisuke Honda's revenge plan seem increasingly distant!
Since the national team can't avenge them, they'll take revenge at the club level.

The reason he played so hard at the club last season and this season was so that he could reach a higher level and take revenge on Lin Feng, right?

Now the opportunity is right in front of him, and his opponent's strength has been weakened to the extreme.

If he doesn't seize this opportunity, he might never have another chance! (End of Chapter)