Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 700 Battle in the Rain
Sure enough, at noon the next day, a torrential downpour began, as if God were pouring a basin of foot-washing water directly onto Granada.

Looking out the window from the room, the entire city seemed shrouded in a layer of steam, blurring the view.

With such heavy rain, the competition may not be able to proceed as scheduled.
By dinner time, the rain had gradually subsided a little, but it was still not good weather for the game.

Modern stadiums have excellent drainage systems, so there may not be serious water accumulation on the field, but it will definitely be slippery.

As of now, Granada has not received any notification of the match being postponed, and they will probably head to the Camenes Stadium after dinner.

The heavy rain did not dampen the players' spirits. On the bus, the teammates were having a great time, seemingly without much pressure about the upcoming match. Perhaps for them, even though it was the first time many of them were participating in the Champions League, there was not much pressure.

Their strong self-confidence made them feel that the outcome was not in doubt.

This mindset is actually quite good, but Shan Yongzhuo feels that the best outcome is still the best outcome, otherwise, given their current performance, they would really become a joke.

The rain brought slipperiness, but it also took away the warmth. Stepping off the bus, Shan Yongzhuo felt a chill.

You absolutely must not catch a cold at this time.

For professional athletes, a cold is actually harder to get through than an injury.

However, the heavy rain did not dampen the fans' enthusiasm.

Spanish fans have one of the highest levels of football enthusiasm in Europe; nothing can stop them from entering the football stadium, not even the end of the world.

Moreover, this is Granada's first time participating in the Champions League, and their first ever Champions League group stage match.

This is an absolute must-see for Granada's die-hard fans.

The rain has lessened slightly, but it's still quite heavy.

However, it does not affect the game.

The competition proceeded as scheduled despite the heavy rain.

As always, Shan Yongzhuo was lazy. After the kickoff, he ran slowly towards the opponent's half.

However, apart from Shan Yongzhuo, the other Granada players all seemed very motivated.

For them, apart from Shan Yongzhuo, all ten players on the field were participating in the Champions League for the first time, making it an absolutely dazzling stage.

Everyone wants to showcase their abilities on this stage.

Milinkovic was the most enthusiastic one.

This young player, who is only 18 years old, played in the Serbian league last season.

I never expected to be able to reach the Champions League stage this season.

This was an incredible opportunity for the young man.

Therefore, from the very first minute, Milinkovic controlled the tempo, launching attacks into Shakhtar Donetsk's half repeatedly through runs and passes, directly suppressing the away team.

Milinkovic's relentless, fight-or-die attitude even made Shan Yongzhuo feel a little ashamed. Indeed, the young players were the most enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, Granada's other midfielder, Nainggolan, was happily making continuous forward runs.

Nainggolan has never been a midfielder who particularly likes to control the tempo. Although his playmaking and distribution abilities are not bad, they are not top-tier.

He himself doesn't particularly enjoy organizing and scheduling.

Nainggolan's favorite thing to do is to make forward runs and directly participate in the attack, or even get the ball and score goals himself.

To some extent, Nainggolan's playing style is somewhat similar to Shan Yongzhuo's past performance against Yaya Toure.

Last season, Granada's midfield lacked a player capable of controlling the tempo and orchestrating the team's attack, forcing Nainggolan to shoulder the responsibility of being the midfield maestro.

Now, with Milinkovic's performance getting better and better, Nainggolan is happy to hand over the responsibility of organizing the attack to Milinkovic, while he himself has started to make frequent forward runs.

In the sixth minute, Milinkovic and Nainggolan completed a one-two pass, and then Nainggolan suddenly unleashed a shot from the edge of the penalty area, almost causing the Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper to make a mistake.

Two minutes later, it was Milinkovic again. He was a bit caught up in the game and received a corner kick from Nainggolan. He unleashed a powerful shot towards the goal. The shot was so powerful that the ball, made even heavier by the rain, caused Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Pyatov to fumble the ball during his initial save. If defender Rakiski hadn't cleared the ball in time, Shan Yongzhuo, who was lurking nearby, would probably have scored on the rebound.

Milinkovic's proactive approach completely fueled Granada's dominance at home, and it seemed that the rain could not hinder their attack at all. The momentum of the La Liga defending champions was evident at this moment.

Granada fans cheered louder from the stands, their shouts growing even stronger as they watched their team completely dominate and suppress Shakhtar Donetsk.

Meanwhile, the Shakhtar Donetsk fans who had traveled with the team seemed quite anxious.

There's a difference in team strength.

Even with the rain, they seemed powerless to resist, their midfield completely out of control. Even with their star striker Adriano on the field, the situation probably wouldn't change.

The only consolation is that Douglas Costa's performance was still quite good.

Shakhtar Donetsk's few attacks all relied on Douglas Costa's attacks down the right flank.

However, his outstanding performance alone could not change the overall situation.

Now, Shakhtar Donetsk's only hope is that, with the help of bad weather, the team can unite and secure a draw.

Now they've figured it out too.

Even though Granada is participating in the Champions League for the first time, with Shan Yongzhuo on their side, they are not a team that Shakhtar Donetsk can challenge. Their rivals are Porto and BATE Borisov, and the match against them will be a life-or-death struggle.

At this moment, the situation on the field is still one-sided. Granada's attack has put a lot of pressure on Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk's goal is like a target, waiting for Granada to shoot again and again.

However, Granada still lacked a decisive shot. Milinkovic's efforts seemed a bit too hasty, with several shots narrowly missing the goal. Nainggolan was out of form and didn't perform well in the rain.

Shan Yongzhuo also seemed to be affected by the heavy rain.

His two shots, although posing a great threat to Shakhtar Donetsk's goal, ultimately only grazed the post and went out of bounds, failing to result in a goal.

(End of this chapter)