Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"Here we need to correct a misconception among many non-football fans: the sole focus on technique!"

"Although football skills are very important, it is difficult to bring out one's skills in intense matches without a good physique and strong physical strength."

Take, for example, the national team players' tendency to miscontrol the ball by several meters, which is a common complaint among fans. Such a mistake is almost impossible in a non-contact situation. Although the national team players' skills are not as good as those of top international players, their basic skills are not bad.

What they lack is the ability to fully utilize their skills in high-intensity competition.

Almost every player's performance will be compromised in actual combat, and players of Messi's and Lin Feng's caliber are no exception.

However, the higher the level of a player, the stronger their physical strength, which reduces this negative impact and allows them to stand out in the game.

Seemingly sensing the fans' dissatisfaction with the match, the commentators seized the opportunity to educate the audience about the importance of physical contact in football.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are not incapable of producing dazzling attacking combinations, which have frequently appeared in their past matches.

But why can't we see such scenes in this game?
It's because both teams are top-tier teams, and their players are among the best on the planet.

They engaged in fierce competition on the court, greatly increasing the intensity of the game and making it impossible for many previously effective combinations to be executed under such pressure.

Take Xavi as an example. As the best playmaker on the planet, he has often been seen controlling the pace of the game with ease and orchestrating the team's attack in Barcelona's past matches. When the opponent shows a weakness, he delivers a brilliant pass to deliver the fatal blow.

But in this match, Xavi couldn't even hold the ball properly, let alone contribute such a performance.

On Real Madrid's side, Mascherano was always by his side, constantly interfering with his possession of the ball. Xabi Alonso would also come over to check on him from time to time, and even Lin Feng would occasionally join in the double-teaming of him!

The presence of these three players meant that Xavi had no safe space to handle the ball. His window of opportunity to receive and handle the ball was very short, and he could lose possession if he was even slightly slow.

Under such high pressure, Xavi was lucky if he could even hold onto the ball and not lose it, let alone think about how to organize an attack!
The same problem occurred on Real Madrid's side. As Real Madrid's attacking core, Lin Feng was also targeted by the opponent.

As soon as he gets the ball, he will be double-teamed by the opponents. If they can't win the ball even with double-teaming, the opponents will foul him decisively.

The midfield playmakers on both sides were severely restricted, which naturally made their attacks very difficult.

Real Madrid mainly relied on attacks down the flanks and long passes from Xabi Alonso in the backfield, while Barcelona mainly relied on Messi's breakthroughs and his forward combinations with Iniesta.

However, this type of attack creates far fewer opportunities than an attack organized by a midfielder who has a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

In the 62nd minute, unable to get a chance, Ronaldo simply dropped back to receive the ball himself.

Mascherano hesitated for a moment upon seeing this, but still passed the ball to him.

After receiving the ball, Ronaldo did not rashly choose to go it alone. Instead, he calmly observed the positions of his teammates and then passed the ball to Marcelo on the wing.

Marcelo didn't forget his responsibilities; in this match, he was a winger, not a full-back.

So after receiving a pass from Ronaldo, Marcelo decisively cut inside and unleashed a long-range shot from about 20 meters out.

Marcelo's choice took the Barcelona defense by surprise. Surprisingly, no one came out to challenge him at first, allowing him to unleash a high-quality shot without any interference.

Fortunately, Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes was highly focused and made a diving save to push the ball away.

Real Madrid gets another corner kick!

Seeing the opponent use that strange tactic of surrounding the goalkeeper again, Guardiola could no longer sit still.

Although during halftime, he gave some instructions to the defenders, telling them how to defend against the opponent's corner kick tactics.

But whether what he taught would work was something Guardiola himself wasn't sure.

He couldn't figure out where Lin Feng would take the free throw.

Should we pass the ball to the unoccupied center like we did with the first ball, or should we pass it directly into the crowded penalty area?

Before Lin Feng kicks the ball out, only he himself probably knows the answer.

Lin Feng took a few steps back, glanced at the goalkeeper's position in the penalty area, and then made a hand gesture.

Seeing this, his teammates rushed towards the front post.

The Barcelona players were confused, but they followed anyway, with even Valdes moving a few steps closer to the near post.

Because of his lack of height, Messi, who was roaming outside the penalty area, keenly noticed that Lin Feng's run-up distance seemed to be longer than the previous times.

Oh no, this guy is extending his run-up distance, is he planning to shoot directly at the goal?!
However, before he could even offer a word of reminder, Lin Feng had already kicked the ball out.

boom!
Everyone present could clearly feel that Lin Feng's shot this time was louder than the previous two.

As the football hurtled rapidly toward the penalty area, Valdes' pupils constricted, and a strong sense of crisis rose within him.

Oh no, that's not a pass, that's a shot!
He moved quickly, trying to move towards the far post and dive to make a save, but the ball was clearly faster than he could move.

Before Valdes could make a save, there was a crisp 'whoosh' sound, and the ball had already flown into Barcelona's goal.

The score became 2-1, with Lin Feng scoring directly from a corner kick, giving Real Madrid the lead once again!

I knew this would happen!
This guy scores every time he faces Barcelona!
Guardiola slumped onto the coaching bench, reaching out to pull out his hair, only to find his head completely bald, without a single hair.

He was clearly so angry that he forgot he was bald.

On the field, Lin Feng appeared somewhat excited after scoring a goal, performing his signature celebration and letting out a roar.

This match was truly disgusting for him. The opponent fouled him relentlessly, making him fall down for longer than he stood up.

He had already changed his jersey during halftime, but after only ten minutes of playing in the second half, he was filthy again, covered in mud and grass juice from falling down.

What was originally a pristine white jersey has been stained a deep, dark black, making it look incredibly ugly!

"Haha, Brother Lin, that was a beautiful shot!"

"Look at the Barcelona players' reactions, they're all stunned, completely dumbfounded!"

"That was a shot from a zero-angle angle! Wouldn't you be dizzy if you were in that situation?!"

"As expected of Brother Lin, everyone else was just thinking about kicking the ball out, but you dared to shoot directly, and you even scored!"

Teammates surged over from behind, engaging in a lively discussion.

Lin Feng's goal not only greatly boosted the team's morale but also allowed Real Madrid to regain the lead over Barcelona.

If they can maintain this score, their lead over Barcelona will be extended back to 8 points!
With seven rounds remaining in the league, an eight-point lead is enough for them to exact revenge and snatch the league title back from Barcelona, ​​a title they lost last season.

The unexpected goal conceded from a corner kick dealt a significant blow to Barcelona's morale.

After the match restarted, the Barcelona players' mentality was clearly affected. Unlike in the previous life, this Barcelona team did not become a sextuple champion; their possession-based football, while powerful, was not powerful enough to dominate the universe.

This makes the Barcelona players less confident than in the previous era, especially when facing Real Madrid, where they always feel a lack of confidence.

After all, they haven't beaten Real Madrid in the league for a long time.

Every time they seemed to be close to their goal, they ultimately failed, leading Barcelona players to wonder if they were destined to be dominated by Real Madrid.
Otherwise, why is it so difficult to play against Real Madrid?

Taking advantage of the opponent's unstable mentality, Real Madrid launched a fierce attack.

In the 65th minute, Marcelo made a through pass, and Lin Feng deliberately let the ball pass to the unmarked Higuain.

Higuain hesitated slightly before his shot was blocked by Pique.

Five minutes later, Ronaldo's low shot from the edge of the penalty area on the left was saved by Valdes.

The situation turned against Barcelona. For the next few minutes, they were on the defensive and unable to mount a decent counterattack.

Despite Real Madrid's impressive attack, they failed to create any clear-cut scoring opportunities.

In the 72nd minute, Alonso sent a long pass to Ronaldo, who headed the ball down, and Lin Feng controlled it before unleashing a long-range shot.

The shot was quite far from the goal, but it was extremely threatening. Valdes barely managed to tip the ball over the crossbar with his fingertips.

Real Madrid grew stronger as the game progressed. In the 79th minute, Lin Feng delivered a through ball, and the Barcelona defender failed to create an offside trap. Ronaldo's one-on-one shot inside the penalty area was brilliantly blocked by Valdes with his leg.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed a golden opportunity to kill the game!

On the field, wasting opportunities will be punished.

Real Madrid just missed a golden opportunity, and Barcelona immediately gave them a rude awakening.

In the 82nd minute, Xavi finally found an opportunity and delivered a through pass. Messi dribbled into the penalty area, rounded Ramos, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot.

That was a very high-quality shot, but unfortunately he was up against Casillas!
Casillas made a diving save to push the ball away!

In the 88th minute, Xavi once again delivered a through pass, and Messi, who had beaten the offside trap, controlled the ball with his chest at 11 meters out before unleashing a shot that was once again saved by Casillas.

Real Madrid's goalkeeper has responded to the doubts of the outside world with his actions. Why can he still hold the title of Spain's number one goalkeeper when goalkeepers such as Valdes and Reina are performing brilliantly?
Because he is the omnipotent Saint Cassie!

In the final stages of the match, Barcelona launched a desperate attack on Real Madrid, attempting to equalize the score.

But Real Madrid's defense was very solid and didn't give them many opportunities.

Mourinho also tried to delay the game by making a series of substitutions.

However, just when everyone thought Real Madrid had the game in the bag, in the last minute of stoppage time, Mascherano committed a foul by pulling someone in the penalty area, receiving his second yellow card and conceding a penalty.

Messi took the penalty himself, calmly slotting the ball into the net to tie the game at 2-2.
Real Madrid fans, who had been excited throughout the match, were furious, and boos once again echoed throughout the Bernabéu Stadium.

Lin Feng, who was sitting on the bench after being substituted, was also a little surprised. This final turn of events was indeed unexpected.

Who would have thought that Barcelona could actually manage a last-minute draw against Real Madrid away from home?

He didn't know if his teammates had committed a foul, but it certainly took courage for the referee to make such a call at that moment.

However, a draw is no big deal for Real Madrid.

The only difference is that the lead hasn't widened, but a 5-point lead after 7 rounds is still a huge advantage.

It won't be easy for Barcelona to catch up!

Messi, who scored the equalizer, seemed to be in a good mood, even though the league title this season is probably out of reach.

But he finally won a point in his head-on confrontation with Lin Feng, giving him a sense of triumph.

After the match, Messi approached Lin Feng and asked to exchange jerseys with him.

Lin Feng readily agreed; it was just a draw, and it wouldn't affect his mood.

See you at the World Cup!

"See you at the World Cup!"

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other and smiled!
Although it was meant as a blessing, considering that the two teams might meet in the Champions League final, saying such a thing at this time is practically the same as cursing the other team to be eliminated in the semi-finals.

On this matter, the two are clearly in sync and neither wants to see the other on the field again!
El Clásico is extremely physically demanding for the team, and with the season nearing its end and the league, cup, and Champions League all in their final stretch, every match demands an all-out effort, leaving players with virtually no time to rest.

After the match against Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid's form was clearly greatly affected.

In the 32nd round of the league, Real Madrid almost suffered a defeat away from home against Almeria, a team ranked in the lower half of the league table.

Fortunately, thanks to Lin Feng's goal and assist after coming on as a substitute in the second half, Real Madrid ultimately defeated their opponents 2-1 and secured the victory.

Influenced by the World Cup, La Liga kicked off its April season with a bang.

Less than three days after the end of the 32nd round, the 33rd round of the league began.

Real Madrid's opponent this round is a formidable opponent, Valencia, who are currently third in the league.

However, Real Madrid's form improved considerably in this match, and thanks to goals from Lin Feng and Ronaldo, they cleanly and decisively sent their opponents home with a 2-0 victory.

After securing this victory, Real Madrid had an unexpected surprise in store.

In another match held at the same time, Espanyol, playing at home, tenaciously held Barcelona to a draw.

This extended Real Madrid's lead over Barcelona to seven points.

With only five games remaining in the league, Real Madrid only needed to win three more games to secure the title.

However, Real Madrid didn't have time to celebrate, because the Champions League semi-finals were approaching.

This year's Champions League semi-finals turned into a battle between La Liga and Premier League teams.

Barcelona drew the formidable Manchester United, while Real Madrid was more fortunate, drawing Chelsea, the weakest of the four semi-finalists.

But being weak is only relative; a team that makes it to the semi-finals is not a weak team!

Given the unfavorable schedule for Real Madrid, if they become careless and underestimate their opponents, they could still be eliminated. (End of Chapter)