Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

CCTV!

"Dear viewers, you are now watching the live broadcast of the first leg of the 2008-2009 Champions League quarter-final, Real Madrid vs. Chelsea."

"I'm commentator Zhang Lu!"

"I'm commentator Zhan Jun!"

……

Today, CCTV Sports Channel will once again feature the familiar duo of Zhang Lu and Zhan Jun as commentators.

This duo is often referred to by fans as Lin Feng's "golden commentators" because they frequently commentate on matches featuring Lin Feng.

After giving a formulaic introduction of the starting lineups for both teams, the two chatted during the last bit of time before the match.

"Coach Zhang, what's your take on today's game? Who do you think had the advantage?"

Zhang Lu smiled and said, "Since this is Real Madrid's home ground, I'll be cautiously optimistic about Real Madrid!"

Upon hearing Zhang Lu's answer, Zhan Jun deliberately pressed on in an exaggerated tone:

"Huh? Coach Zhang, you're a fan of Lin Feng, but why do I get the feeling you don't really think Real Madrid can win?"

Zhang Lu chuckled: "I actually think Real Madrid can win, but because the opponent is Chelsea, the game might be a bit difficult, and Real Madrid probably won't score many goals, which adds uncertainty to the next game. That's why I'm cautiously optimistic about Real Madrid."

"In other words, you think Real Madrid might stumble against Chelsea."

Zhang Lu was quite frank and did not deny it: "It is indeed possible."

This statement immediately caused an uproar among Real Madrid fans who were watching the live broadcast.

[No way, is Chelsea really that strong this season? Even a die-hard Lin Feng fan like Lao Zhang is losing faith in Real Madrid!]

Chelsea's squad is indeed very strong, especially their defense, which is simply phenomenal. In the first 31 rounds of the Premier League, they have only conceded 17 goals, making them the team with the fewest goals conceded in the top five European leagues, bar none.

[It's surprising that Chelsea's defense remains so excellent after Mourinho's departure. It seems Mourinho has shot himself in the foot!]

Real Madrid's positional attacking ability has always been weak, and now they've encountered a team with such an excellent defense. It feels like they've met their destined nemesis. This match will definitely be difficult for Real Madrid!

There was a lot of attention on this match, especially in the UK, since of the three Premier League teams that made it to the quarterfinals, only Chelsea faced a tough opponent.

Manchester United and Arsenal both drew favorable draws, making it relatively easy for them to advance to the semi-finals.

Compared to matches where the strength and reputation of the opponents are not particularly outstanding, people clearly prefer to watch clashes between top-tier teams.

Although Chelsea may not be considered a top club yet, in terms of strength, they have already crossed that threshold; they just lack some accolades.

Therefore, Chelsea is qualified to be a rival to top club Real Madrid.

In addition, Premier League fans are also paying attention to this match because Chelsea is seen as both the avenger and the pathfinder.

Real Madrid eliminated Liverpool, the group winners, as the second-placed team in the group in the last round. This not only hurt the hearts of Liverpool fans, but also made many Premier League fans sleepless.

Starting from last year's quarter-finals where Real Madrid eliminated Chelsea, the semi-finals where they eliminated Liverpool, and the finals where they defeated Manchester United, they have achieved a four-game winning streak against Premier League teams, making them veritable Premier League nemesis.

Last year's Champions League experience was a nightmare for every Premier League fan.

The fact that so many Premier League giants made it to the knockout stage gave them great hope that they could see a Premier League team win the Champions League again.

However, reality dealt them a heavy blow. Real Madrid swept through three Premier League teams, lifting the championship they had dreamed of.

Last year's defeat had already instilled a fear of the Premier League in many fans.

Real Madrid's victory over Liverpool in the knockout stage this year has further intensified these concerns among Premier League fans.

So now, all the fans in the Premier League are hoping that a team will step up and act as their savior, helping the Premier League teams eliminate Real Madrid and stop Real Madrid from winning like this.

Chelsea now carries the hopes of Premier League fans.

Before the match, Mourinho walked over to the Chelsea bench, shook hands with current Chelsea manager Scolari, and exchanged pleasantries.

After Mourinho left, Abramovich reverted to his old womanizing ways, changing three head coaches in just two years.

Although Scolari led Brazil to a World Cup victory and is considered a renowned coach internationally.

But given his current situation at Chelsea, Mourinho thinks he might not last the season.

Given Abramovich's personality, if Chelsea are eliminated from the Champions League, Scolari will most likely be out of a job.

Mourinho could only feel sorry for him; it was unfortunate for coaches to have such a boss who liked to fire people.

Even the world's top coaches need time to build a strong team.

But Abu doesn't have that much patience; he wants to see immediate results and can't wait that long.

But this is a bit too difficult. When Scolari first took over Chelsea, his slogan was change and rise. However, under the enormous pressure to achieve results, he did not dare to make drastic adjustments to the team's existing lineup and tactics.

We can only continue to use Mourinho's old tactics, still focusing on defense and counter-attacks.

But that's precisely why Abramovich is so dissatisfied with him. After all, Mourinho had used this tactic before, and although it was successful in the league, it didn't help Chelsea go further in the Champions League.

If Scolari makes no changes and simply continues with Mourinho's old tactics, what is the point of spending so much money to hire him?

In this match, Scolari did not use Anelka, but instead placed him on the bench as a surprise weapon.

But in other positions, Chelsea fielded their strongest lineup.

Scolari is very pragmatic; he doesn't expect the team to win away from home.

Real Madrid's home ground is still too difficult to play at, so as long as they can score an away goal and keep the number of goals conceded to within 2, their goal will be achieved.

Given Chelsea's defensive strength, conceding only two goals shouldn't be too difficult.

But how they score will depend on both their skill and luck. Real Madrid's attack was extremely fierce from the start.

Just two minutes into the game, Real Madrid had already taken their first shot and won a corner kick.

Lin Feng took the corner kick from the right. The first ball was headed away by a Chelsea defender. Mascherano's volley from outside the penalty area hit a defender and bounced out of bounds. Real Madrid continued with another corner kick.

Chelsea's two 1.88-meter-tall center-backs are simply too tall; they stand there like a wall. Real Madrid, lacking height advantage, find it very difficult to win headers in the penalty area.

After realizing this, Lin Feng stopped trying to pass the ball directly into the penalty area and instead called his teammates over to take a tactical corner kick.

Before the match, Scolari specifically instructed Chelsea's players to be wary of the opponent's set-piece tactics.

Thanks to the arrival of Lin Feng, a set-piece master, Real Madrid's set-piece threat has increased dramatically in the last two years, raising concerns among other teams.

Lin Feng dribbled the ball and tried to cut inside, but the opponent's defense was very tight and did not give him many opportunities.

He then passed the ball back to his teammate in the middle, and Raul, after receiving the ball, moved it to the other side while trying to get into the penalty area to see if he could get space to receive the ball.

Unfortunately, Chelsea's defenders didn't give him that opportunity. Left-back Ashley Cole pounced fiercely, organizing a cross from the Real Madrid player on the wing.

Alex, on the other hand, stuck close to Raul and kept pushing him out of position, making it impossible for Raul to find a chance to receive the ball.

At the same time, Chelsea's defensive midfielder also moved to the wing to work with the full-back to press Ramos, who was dribbling the ball.

Ramos's ability to break free is average, and with no space to advance on the flanks, he had no choice but to pass the ball back to his own center-back to reorganize the attack.

"Chelsea's defense was indeed excellent. Real Madrid tried all three flanks in this attack but couldn't find any openings."

Inside the CCTV studio, seeing Chelsea successfully defend against Real Madrid's attack and force them to pass the ball back, Zhang Lu couldn't help but praise them.

"Indeed, Chelsea's defense has done an excellent job in restricting players and limiting space. Their rotation defense, pressing on the spot, and mutual support are all done very well. Real Madrid will find it difficult to succeed in either single-point attacks or local passing combinations."

Seeing the tense situation on the field, coupled with the commentator's evaluation.

Many Real Madrid fans are starting to worry:
Sigh, it seems this match is going to be very difficult, just as predicted beforehand!

[With Chelsea only fielding Drogba in the attacking third, and everyone else seemingly retreating to their own penalty areas to defend, it was predictable that they would struggle to break through the defense.]

I really don't want to face a team like Chelsea. They're like a rock in a latrine—stinky, hard, and so difficult to chew!

[What you're saying is ridiculous. Real Madrid also primarily relies on counter-attacking tactics, isn't it? And don't other teams feel exactly the same way when they face Real Madrid right now?]

The game continued, and Lin Feng tried various methods to pass the ball to his teammates in the penalty area, but unfortunately, his passes were either intercepted by the opposing players in advance.

Either a teammate can't hold their position in the penalty area, and the ball is cleared by the opposing defender.

This battle exposed Huntelaar's weakness: although his shooting skills were superb, his body was somewhat fragile.

Huntelaar was completely outmatched in physical confrontations with Alex, nicknamed "The Tank," and his disadvantage in physical duels caused him to waste many scoring opportunities.

As for Raul, with the opponent giving him absolutely no room to maneuver, his room for maneuver was also very limited.

Seeing that Real Madrid's attack was ineffective against them, Chelsea's players became bolder.

In the 11th minute, Chelsea intercepted the ball in their own half and launched a quick counter-attack.

Malouda delivered a crucial through ball in open play, breaking through Real Madrid's defense.

Drogba received a pass from Malouda and had a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper, but his shot was brilliantly saved by the onrushing Casillas.

The Ivorian knelt on the lawn, clutching his head in frustration, unable to believe he had wasted such a one-on-one opportunity.

Casillas, who made the incredible save, showed no joy whatsoever. After getting up from the ground, he immediately turned into a hairdryer, spraying his teammates with a barrage of irritants.

It's practically a crime to let the opponent pass the ball so easily, and to let their striker receive it so easily and even get a one-on-one opportunity.

Mourinho was also very angry. He had instructed his players before the match to be wary of the opponent's counterattack.

Chelsea is not the kind of team that just parks the bus and takes the beating without fighting back.

Their counterattack was equally sharp!
But during that brief period, Real Madrid players were busy attacking and let their guard down.

The inability to break the deadlock made them impatient, which further affected the players' focus on the field. As a result, when the opponent launched this counterattack, Real Madrid's players seemed to be half a beat slow to react and did not show the expected level of skill.

Fortunately, they had Casillas. If Casillas hadn't stepped up once again, Real Madrid would have fallen behind and been in the most unfavorable situation by now.

On the court, Lin Feng also realized this problem.

After successfully defending Chelsea's corner kick, Real Madrid regained possession.

Unlike before, Lin Feng did not rush to attack his opponent. Instead, he tried to pass the ball around the opponent's 30-meter danger zone to move and stretch their defense.

This tactic is more like Barcelona's possession-based strategy, using solid passing and control to attack instead of defend, and not giving the opponent a chance to gain momentum.

There is still plenty of time left in the game. Although Real Madrid is under attacking pressure, the pressure is not so great that it makes them lose their composure.

Chelsea were clearly prepared, remaining unmoved by Real Madrid players' passing and pulling outside the penalty area.

Seeing this, Lin Feng knew he needed to put some pressure on the other party!

In the 24th minute, Lin Feng received a pass from his teammate and suddenly accelerated, getting past Essien who was marking him, and charged towards Chelsea's penalty area.

Malouda rushed over from the side to try and interfere, but Lin Feng easily beat him. Ballack then tried to pull at Lin Feng's jersey, but Lin Feng forcefully broke free.

Seeing that Lin Feng was about to rush into the penalty area, Terry had no choice but to step forward to block him and try to intercept him.

Lin Feng had been waiting for this moment. Seeing Terry step forward and the other player's attention almost entirely focused on him, he braked suddenly, stopped the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and then passed the ball diagonally to the left side of the penalty area.

Raul, the Lord of the Rings, had somehow sneaked up here, received the ball, and then unleashed a powerful shot that sent the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

The score became 1-0; Real Madrid had finally cracked Chelsea's defenses. (End of Chapter)