Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Raul's goal was crucial for Real Madrid. If they couldn't break through in the first half, the prolonged lack of goals would severely damage the team's morale.

In the second half, as time dwindled, the players became increasingly impatient, making it difficult for them to execute complex tactical plays, which in turn reduced their threat to Chelsea's goal.

"Raul's goal came at the perfect time, and after scoring, Real Madrid's situation changed dramatically."

"Yes, Real Madrid can play more comfortably after taking the lead and doesn't need to risk pushing forward as much as before. On the other hand, Chelsea are under attacking pressure after falling behind."

As the commentator said, the pressure is on Chelsea.

Scolari stood on the sidelines, his brow slightly furrowed.

Conceding a goal away from home was within his expectations. After all, Real Madrid's attacking prowess is well-known throughout European football, and few teams are confident of escaping the Bernabéu unscathed.

But the goal was conceded a little too early; I glanced at the time on the big screen and it was only 25 minutes in.

Conceding a goal so early puts Chelsea in a somewhat passive position.

According to his original plan, Chelsea should have put up a longer resistance and put more strain on Real Madrid's players on the field.

In this way, when the opponent's stamina drops and they start to get anxious in the second half, Chelsea will have a greater chance of launching a counterattack.

But now that we're behind, if we continue playing according to the previous plan, we might not have any chance to counterattack, and instead we'll just be getting beaten for nothing.

Moreover, in that defensive play just now, Chelsea's defense didn't make any major mistakes. If you had to point out something, it was that they didn't mark Lin Feng closely enough the moment he started moving, giving him space to pass the ball.

This means that Real Madrid is very likely to replicate this attacking tactic in the upcoming matches.

If Chelsea continues to play passively, they might concede a second or even a third goal before the end of the first half.

With this in mind, Scolari had to make some adjustments to the team's tactics, moving the formation forward to expand the defensive range, limiting the opponent's attack while creating conditions for his own counter-attacks.

Chelsea's lineup is indeed very tough, with Essien and Ballack as two iron gates sweeping back and forth in midfield. Even Real Madrid's midfield is having trouble keeping up.

In the 30th minute, Chelsea intercepted the ball in midfield. After making the interception, Ballack played a through ball to his teammate on the left side of the field.

After receiving the ball, Malouda quickly cut inside. He initially intended to pass the ball to Drogba in the penalty area, but changed his mind after seeing the opposing defenders marking Drogba closely.

Malouda feinted, pretending to go down the wing, but actually cut the ball and changed direction, dribbling to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a long-range shot.

The shot was decisive, but the quality wasn't quite up to par.

Ramos blocked the ball with his body during its flight. Lampard, who was making a forward run, tried to steal the ball and shoot, but he was a step too slow and the ball was cleared by the defender.

Lampard sighed with some regret, wishing he had been the one to shoot, as the edge of the penalty area was his favorite shooting spot.

Unfortunately, Malouda hadn't made his run into position when he passed the ball. It's unlikely that Malouda would have waited for him, because that would have given the defenders time to get into position. Even if he had received the ball, he might not have had a chance to shoot.

To break the deadlock, we still need to bring in Drogba.

In the 35th minute, Chelsea crossed the ball from the wing to find Drogba, and Lampard made a forward run to prepare for Drogba's pass and shoot.

However, although Drogba won the ball and passed it out, the quality of the pass was somewhat poor.

Lampard was unable to shoot immediately after receiving the ball, and could only try to get past his marker before taking a shot.

The quality of this forced shot was naturally inferior to his shot when he was uncontested. Real Madrid's goalkeeper Casillas made little effort to catch the ball easily.

Inside the penalty area, Drogba raised his hand to indicate that he hadn't passed the ball well.

Lampard didn't blame him; Drogba is human, not a god, and humans make mistakes.

However, a few minutes later, when Chelsea tried to find Drogba again to set up Lampard, Drogba's performance was even worse. His header pass went completely astray, leaving Lampard looking utterly bewildered.

Inside the penalty area, Drogba shoved away Thiago Silva, who was sticking to him like glue.

His mistake just now was entirely thanks to this guy.

Before the match, he underestimated this guy, thinking that he was just a rookie substitute and wouldn't cause him much trouble.

But after playing against him, Drogba's impression of Silva completely changed.

This guy looks harmless, but he's actually very difficult to deal with.

Although Thiago Silva's physical attributes are not particularly explosive, he is not the kind of center-back who is both strong and physically imposing.

But this guy has excellent awareness. His positioning, marking, and anticipation of passing lanes are all outstanding. He can always choose the best defensive position and apply appropriate physical contact without committing a foul, but he still makes it very difficult for Drogba to play.

Since he was marked by him, Drogba's threat in the penalty area has decreased dramatically.

The beast who used to wreak havoc in the opponent's penalty area was as quiet as Hakimi today, utterly silent.

Not to mention him, even the future Premier League legend Erling Haaland, who will dominate the field and break the Premier League goal record, couldn't gain an advantage against Thiago, who is nearly forty and whose physical abilities have declined significantly.

Thiago has his own unique secrets on how to defend against such a beastly striker.

Seeing their new defender perform so well, Real Madrid fans were all relieved, and some fans who came to the stadium even called out Thiago Silva's name.

The cheers from the fans made his brother-in-law very happy. He had been worried that Real Madrid fans would not accept him.

In hindsight, those worries were unnecessary.

Silva has a very good temper; he didn't get angry even when Drogba shoved him.

But Pepe, standing to the side, was unhappy and shoved Drogba.

Drogba is not a patient person either, and the two were about to clash on the spot.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the teammates on both sides quickly stepped forward to separate the two and prevent the situation from escalating.

"That guy's just a hothead. Why bother arguing with him? If he gets kicked out of the league, we'll suffer a huge loss!"

Lampard earnestly advised Drogba to calm down, saying it wasn't worth it to go up against a notorious thug like Pepe.

Compared to Chelsea's persuasion, Real Madrid's situation is quite different.

Ramos, whose temper is equally fiery, not only failed to calm his teammates down, but instead fanned the flames from the sidelines:
"Why don't you fight him? If you two fight and get sent off with red cards, we'll be the ones who profit the most!"

In Ramos's view, Real Madrid has plenty of center-backs, so it won't matter even if Pepe is sent off.

On the bench, Garay, Cannavaro, and he can all fill the void left by Pepe's departure, but for Chelsea, Drogba is irreplaceable.

If Drogba receives a red card in this match, he will not only be unable to play in this game, but will also be suspended for the next game.

Without Drogba as a focal point in the attack, Chelsea's offensive power will drop by at least 50%. On the other hand, Real Madrid losing Pepe will probably have less than a 10% impact on them. This trade is a huge win for Real Madrid.

Pepe may have been stunned, but he wasn't stupid. He said to Ramos with dissatisfaction, "Then why didn't you go and challenge him? So you're the one who's going to suffer, aren't you?"

According to UEFA rules, players who receive a straight red card in a match will be fined.

It's not that much; a red card costs around 8000 to 20000 euros.

However, if we add the various bonuses and appearance fees affected by the red card suspension and inability to play, the total loss for a player due to a red card could be as high as 5 to 7 euros, which is still a significant loss.

Pepe's annual salary is not high; he currently earns around 300 million euros per year at Real Madrid.

The loss of tens of thousands of euros was still quite painful for him!

"I wasn't even the player he was matched up against, so what rule did I break!"

Seeing that Pepe wasn't fooled, Ramos muttered something and slipped away.

The game continued, and after Chelsea's attack ended, Real Madrid began to exert their strength.

After conceding the goal, Chelsea noticeably tightened their marking on Lin Feng.

Not only was he constantly accompanied by someone, but even forwards like Ballack and Lampard would occasionally join in the attack on him.

Even under such intense pressure, Lin Feng was still able to maneuver and dodge in tight spaces, using his delicate and exquisite skills to firmly control the ball at his feet, and even occasionally deliver a very threatening forward pass.

Real Madrid fans at the Bernabéu were mesmerized. Seeing Lin Feng's calm and unhurried ball control, many fans were reminded of that bald man.

[So alike, so incredibly alike!]

If Lin Feng didn't have hair, I would have almost thought Zidane had returned!

Zidane, who was watching the game while lying on the sofa at home, subconsciously touched his bald head.

Not only do fans think the two look alike, but he himself thinks so too.

However, in Lin Feng, he saw not only his own shadow but also the shadow of peak Ronaldinho.

Although Lin Feng's playing style is more composed and less flashy than Ronaldinho's, similarities can still be seen in how they handle certain situations.

"This young man is truly formidable! He has my physical attributes, Guti's passing vision, and Ronaldinho's exquisite technique. He's a monster!"

Zidane thought to himself that he certainly wasn't as strong as Lin Feng at that age.

He's already shown such terrifying strength at such a young age; I wonder how terrifying his future potential and achievements will be!
Thinking about this, Zidane suddenly felt a strong urge to go back to Real Madrid.

He wanted to go back to see old friends, and also to meet this young man named Lin Feng.

……

On the field, Lin Feng was unaware that he had attracted Zidane's attention; his focus was entirely on the game.

In the 37th minute, Lin Feng broke free in the attacking third and passed the ball across to the middle. Raul passed it back to Sneijder, who followed up, but Sneijder's long-range shot from just outside the penalty area was brilliantly saved by Cech.

One minute later, Lin Feng made an overlapping run with his teammates, dribbled down the wing, and then delivered a cross to the front of the goal.

Huntelaar caught up this time, but unfortunately he was too impatient and fell into Chelsea's offside trap. What's even more frustrating is that his offside shot was blocked by Cech.

Mourinho watched from the sidelines, shaking his head. Huntelaar's style didn't seem to suit this kind of game.

He needs a stronger center forward who can hold his position in the penalty area.

Thinking of this, he glanced back at Real Madrid's bench.

Two center forwards, Higuain and Benzema, were on the bench.

Although the two are about the same height and build, their styles are completely different.

Higuain is very fast and explosive, and he is very good at counter-attacking.

Benzema isn't that fast, but he has excellent technical skills, with strong dribbling, ball control, and passing abilities, and can support his teammates' attacks.

Because Chelsea didn't give him much space, Higuain's speed advantage couldn't be utilized.

So Mourinho's attention ultimately settled on Benzema.

Benzema and Higuain both straightened up after feeling Mourinho's gaze.

They have seen the team's current offensive struggles and know that the coach is preparing for a substitution in the second half, and will most likely choose one of them to come on.

Both players were hoping the coach would select them, because they knew very well that Real Madrid's attacking line was too bloated and someone would definitely leave this summer.

If they can't demonstrate their value in the competition, they're likely to face a major overhaul in the summer.

"Benzema, Higuain, you two go warm up!"

Mourinho didn't keep them waiting long, but to their surprise, it wasn't just one of them who was called out, but both of them.

Does the coach intend to replace two strikers at once?

Isn't this a bit too radical?

Scolari, who was standing nearby, also glanced at the scene frequently.

He couldn't figure out what Mourinho was trying to do. Replacing two strikers at once wasn't just aggressive; it was practically a gamble!
I'd never heard of Mourinho being such a gambler before!
Mourinho ignored all of that, and after arranging for the two players to warm up, he plopped back down on the coaching bench.

A change of personnel is definitely necessary, but not now.

There was a reason why he made the two of them go out to warm up so early.

On the pitch, Raul and Huntelaar were startled to see Benzema and Higuain warming up, a strong sense of crisis rising within them.

They understood that the coach was dissatisfied with their performance.

If they can't deliver a performance that satisfies the coach before the end of the first half, they can rest on the bench for the second half.

Feeling the pressure, the two players became more aggressive on the court.

Raul abandoned his previous nonchalant attitude and actively moved around to find openings and create opportunities to kill.

Huntelaar no longer avoids physical contact from opposing defenders, and even if he is in a very difficult situation during the confrontation, he will face the challenge head-on.

While the changes made by the two players didn't have an immediate effect, they significantly increased the difficulty of Chelsea's defense, creating opportunities for Real Madrid's attack. (End of Chapter)