I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 694 - 4: Dirty (Part 2)

The Portuguese took a deep breath in front of the ball, then stepped back.Alonso started first, shaking off the Atletico Madrid fans, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo.

He chose to shoot directly from a distance.

But Atletico Madrid’s wall blocked the Portuguese’s long shot.

Atletico Madrid’s defense and filth blend perfectly together; they can’t reach the same level as Real Madrid, but they can drag Real Madrid into the mire with them.

In this situation, Khedira’s position is further back, while Alonso’s position is more forward. When Chen Zhong attracts most of Atletico Madrid’s players, he can appropriately withdraw the ball and then let Alonso reorganize.

"Atletico Madrid’s attack."

"Chen Zhong with ball control."

"Attracted multiple players to block him."

"Maintained balance."

"Passed horizontally."

"Alonso."

Once Chen Zhong got the ball, Atletico Madrid’s players charged forward like moths to a flame. Even though they knew their physical confrontation wouldn’t work, they insisted on clashing physically.

After stabilizing himself, Chen Zhong passed the ball to the advancing Alonso, who didn’t stop the ball and sent a direct pass to Kaka.

Kaka took the ball, faced with Atletico Madrid players pressing from the side, shot low from outside the penalty area, trying to breach Atletico Madrid’s goal.

However, De Gea was like a god, deflecting the ball again.

Benzema attempted a follow-up shot but was a step too slow. This was Real Madrid’s last direct threat to the goal in the first half. After solving the issue of Alonso’s support, both teams fell into "silence" in the remaining time.

Eventually, the first half ended with both teams at 1-1, leading into halftime.

As the players left the field, Diego Simeone stood on the sidelines, encouraging every player.

"Well done!"

"Continue in the second half!"

"Keep it up! We need to maintain a strong defense." Clearly showing a determination to resist to the end.

On Real Madrid’s side, Mourinho also went through the process of shaking hands and hugging every player. He didn’t say much, just urged the players to quickly head to the dressing room to regain their energy.

During halftime, Mourinho also predicted the situation for the second half.

He was quite certain that Atletico Madrid would defend tightly in the second half.

For them, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, if they could earn a draw in the first leg, they would have an advantage in the second leg at their home ground, the Calderon.

Sure enough, as the second half began, Atletico Madrid’s defense became more solid.

Real Madrid, although in possession, struggled to penetrate Atletico Madrid’s penalty area, resorting to long shots from outside the box to threaten their opponents.

If it were just this, Atletico Madrid would be insignificant.

But the problem is, their counterattack is rather sharp.

At the 55th minute, facing Real Madrid’s tidal onslaught, Atletico Madrid made the first substitution, replacing Raul Garcia with Mario Suarez, apparently to strengthen the team’s defense and interception abilities.

The 185cm Suarez could also enhance the team’s midfield intensity to a certain extent.

"55th minute of the match!"

"Atletico Madrid’s counterattack!"

"Juan Fran’s pass, Aguero on the right side of the box, completes a beautiful shot."

"But Casillas’ reaction was very quick."

"With a brilliant side dive, he deflected the ball out."

The Atletico Madrid fans in the stands looked disappointed, while Real Madrid fans let out a sigh of relief.

Diego Simeone looked visibly annoyed, knowing this might have been their best chance in the second half. Meanwhile, Mourinho called over Chen Zhong, carefully advising: "We must find a way, Chen, you need to use your personal skills to find opportunities from the opponent’s midfield."

Dealing with Atletico Madrid is both difficult and easy.

As long as Real Madrid scores another goal, Atletico Madrid’s defense will become relaxed; they often only commit more to attacking when trailing.

Under Atletico Madrid’s attrition strategy, in Real Madrid’s frontline, whether it was Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, or Benzema, they struggled to gain a foothold.

Only Chen Zhong could!

After seeing Chen Zhong return to the field, Mourinho called on Negredo to warm up, a striker already confirmed to leave next season.

"Real Madrid’s attack."

"Chen Zhong takes control in midfield."

"Marseille Turn!"

"Passed through the opponent!"

"Direct pass!"

"C. Ronaldo!"

"In a bit of haste!"

Cristiano Ronaldo’s shot was a bit rushed, sending the ball over the bar, missing the opportunity again, receiving some boos from Real Madrid fans.

Mourinho turned away, his expression a bit regretful.

While Diego Simeone watched Chen Zhong silently.

"This kid!" Diego Simeone muttered, noting that Chen Zhong had used the Marseille Turn twice in one match. His Marseille Turn was "ordinary," but the key was he always used this flair move at the right moment.

Just like Iniesta’s croqueta, it has reached a certain realm.

The match continued, reaching the 60th minute, yet Real Madrid had not broken the impasse. Among this, Real Madrid’s number of shots was leading.

Even Marcelo seized an opportunity to cut in and shoot.

Mourinho finally used his first substitution, replacing the ineffective Benzema of the second half with Negredo.

This French center forward was lazy and fearful of confrontation, causing much dissatisfaction to Mourinho.

Negredo’s appearance also brought new changes to Real Madrid.

His withdrawal allowed Chen Zhong more options on offense.

"The match has reached the 65th minute."

"Atletico Madrid’s tenacious resistance and their rather peculiar personal defensive style."

"Making it difficult for Real Madrid to organize a decent attack."

"Chen Zhong with the ball."

"Marseille Turn!"

"Another one!"

"Two consecutive Marseille Turns!"

"Horizontal pass!"

"Delivered to Negredo!"

"Passed again!"

"Two’s tacit cooperation."

Negredo and Chen Zhong coordinated perfectly. If Benzema were here, they couldn’t have pulled off such cooperation.

Chen Zhong, with two consecutive Marseille Turns, leveraged his large frame to bypass two Atletico Madrid players, passing the ball to Negredo, and then entering the box to receive Negredo’s short pass.

Within Atletico Madrid’s penalty area, their players moderated their moves.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhong maneuvered within the box, gradually shifting right, causing Atletico Madrid’s defensive formation to "tilt."

The players on the field hadn’t realized the issue yet, but Diego Simeone did.

He shouted loudly, focusing intensely on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

One Golden Ball player carrying the ball, two Golden Ball players advancing.

The quality embedded in this attack speaks for itself.

Chen Zhong edged out an adjacent Atletico Madrid player, then passed the ball to the center.

The two Ballon d’Or players rushed to position.

At the near post, Kaka feinted De Gea.

At the far post, Cristiano Ronaldo performed a volley~

De Gea made a save attempt but was rendered powerless.

"Goal!"

"2:1"

"Courtesy of Chen Zhong’s assist."

"C. Ronaldo’s goal."

"His 32nd goal this season."

"He’s now Real Madrid Team’s top scorer."

"With Chen Zhong right behind him, scoring 20 goals."