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Real Madrid fans were truly on the verge of tears.
After being thwarted by Lance so many times in a row, seeing Lance almost triggered their PTSD.
Originally, Real Madrid fans were about to give up, but they never expected the Madrid Galaxy Battleship could execute such a beautiful counter-attacking play.
Everyone's performance was perfect!
"OHHHHH—"
"Siu~~~~"
The characteristic sound echoed through the Bernabéu stadium. Cristiano Ronaldo had scored!
A group of white-jerseyed players sprinted dozens of metres to join Cristiano Ronaldo in celebration.
Zidane also raised his arms in celebration; after days of tension, he finally felt a little relieved.
It seemed Real Madrid's form was back, perhaps even improved.
Surely they could win today?
If they lost even this match to Atlético Madrid, Zidane's confidence would truly shatter.
On the other side, Lance's state of mind was still fine.
He silently watched the celebrating Cristiano Ronaldo, planning to quickly retrieve the ball and place it on the centre circle, ready for the restart.
His teammates, however, rushed over to console him.
"It's alright, Lance. I get tackled all the time. It's normal that they target you."
"I just saw it, that guy Modrić pushed you. He committed a foul."
"Yes, the fault isn't yours. Don't let it affect your mindset."
"Lance, cheer up. You'll definitely be fine."
"Don't be sad. If you want to cry, just cry."
"Cry your sister!"
The others were fine, but what was Saúl implying, patting his shoulder and comforting him in that overly mature tone?
Who was crying?!
It was just one goal conceded; Lance didn't care much.
It was true that the changes brought about by his previous muscle memory had given him excessive confidence, and his attempts to dribble through today were a bit presumptuous.
Modrić, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos—dared he underestimate them?
Especially Modrić. He was indeed an old hand from the Premier League; that little push was absolutely perfect.
Not only did he use minimal force to disrupt his centre of gravity, but the timing was impeccable—right at the moment he was about to break through and had shifted his attention to Casemiro.
On the pitch, not every contact is called a foul.
This kind of concealed pushing "foul" is part of defending. The more famous and experienced the midfielder, the better he understands how to commit a tactical foul.
During defence, shirt-pulling, nudging the back, kicking the heel, hooking the knee, elbowing... these are all commonplace.
Any player who strictly adheres to the rules, tries to avoid unreasonable physical contact, that kind of player certainly wouldn't make it, or at least wouldn't be a qualified midfielder.
Lance acquired the [Cannavaro] template and inherited some of the small defensive actions and concealed fouling techniques.
As long as he managed the extent properly, avoiding cards, penalties, or free kicks, even the dirtiest foul was good defending.
The whistle signals war!
This isn't child's play!
After this "lesson" from the old fox Modrić, Lance realised he still needed to practise and learn more.
...
After scoring, Real Madrid became slightly more cautious and did not attack frantically.
They tried to control possession most of the time, attempting to drain Atlético Madrid's stamina and patience.
Real Madrid isn't a possession-based team like Barcelona, but which La Liga team has poor footwork?
They could still play possession football quite well.
"In this last period, Real Madrid hasn't given away many opportunities; they are very stable."
"Yes, they are trying to prevent Atlético Madrid from gaining possession and counter-attacking. As long as the ball is at their feet, they are safe."
Instructor Zhang scratched his head. He noticed that Real Madrid's form today was exceptionally good.
The entire team seemed unaffected by their recent losses, looking like a completely different side.
Especially Cristiano Ronaldo, who was taking fewer reckless shots and attempting to combine with his teammates more often.
Modrić became the main orchestrator of possession, trying to switch play left and right, tearing open gaps in Atlético Madrid's defence.
Atlético Madrid was also trying to find chances. Lance, Griezmann, and Torres took turns dropping back to receive the ball, and the defence was equally tense, daring not to slack off.
From the goal in the 12th minute until the 40th minute of the first half, both sides were locked in a tense struggle.
Although there were no goals during this period, the match content was intense and thrilling.
Both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid fans, including neutral spectators, did not find it boring.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's shot! So close! The quality was very high."
"Lance! He responds in kind! A thunderous shot from over 35 metres!"
"Navas is also performing brilliantly today."
"It's Cristiano Ronaldo again! His header hits the crossbar! Real Madrid's set pieces are genuinely threatening!"
"Benzema! Header on goal—Oblak!"
"Fantastic attack and defence!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo jumped at the near post as a decoy, letting the ball pass. Benzema's true killing blow right in front of the goal was thwarted by Oblak!"
Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema were like a cover spike in volleyball: one jumped first as a distraction, and Benzema, hidden behind him, delivered a smash.
Extremely threatening!
Turning around, Lance executed a Marseille Roulette to get past Casemiro, then suddenly played a diagonal pass to the right side!
Saúl was unmarked inside the box!
But the angle for his shot was slightly tight, and it was saved by the goalkeeper Navas.
Real Madrid went into the changing room at half-time with a 1-0 lead.
Atlético Madrid was not discouraged; they had created many good opportunities and were ready to go all out in the second half.
...
"Damn it, they really are devils."
"They must have sacrificed their souls to Satan. What luck!"
In the 59th minute of the second half, Saúl and Griezmann were cursing under their breath, and the goalkeeper Oblak was also dejected.
Veterans Gabi and Godín comforted their teammates, telling them not to lose heart.
The scoreboard already showed a 2-0 lead, with the home team listed first and the away team second.
Cristiano Ronaldo once again went to interact with the fans near the stands, and hearing the sound of "Siu~~~," Griezmann muttered another curse in French.
Lance understood French. He was cursing quite crudely.
On the other side of the world, the commentator gave a wry smile, his tone slightly helpless.
"Atlético Madrid is having some bad luck today. Marcelo's cross nearly resulted in an own goal, and Giménez's deflection was saved by Oblak, but unfortunately, Benzema arrived in time to tap the rebound into the net."
"Real Madrid leads by 2 goals!"
"However, Atlético Madrid still has a chance. They are still trying to claw their way back."
Atlético Madrid fans were thoroughly depressed.
Cristiano Ronaldo was very threatening; his forward run drew Giménez to rush over and intercept.
Unexpectedly, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't head the ball, but it grazed Giménez's head.
Oblak had a miraculous reaction, saving the point-blank deflection, but Benzema, growing craftier with age, headed it in.
Lance hadn't faced a two-goal deficit like this in a long time.
When he was in the Bundesliga, he had managed to come back from three-goal or four-goal deficits.
Atlético Madrid's defence was excellent and rarely gave opponents a chance to extend their lead.
Now, it was Atlético Madrid's turn for 'weighted training'.
He looked back at his brothers. They were not disheartened; instead, they burst forth with powerful fighting spirit, their eyes shining!
That's right!
Worthy of being the team I chose!
Some teams look glamorous on the surface, with seemingly luxurious lineups, and are ruthless when beating weaker opponents, often racking up huge scores.
Yet, when they encounter a strong opponent that puts up resistance, or if they fall behind by one or two goals, they quickly collapse and lose their fighting spirit.
Strip away the facade of power and prestige, and they are actually paper tigers.
Lance did not want the team he chose to be like that!
My teammates and I are warriors!
Real Madrid is indeed very strong, but as long as the final whistle hasn't blown, we will not give up the fight!
"¡Aupa! ¡Atleti!"
As the Atlético Madrid players, led by Lance, shouted their slogan, it echoed throughout the Bernabéu.
Not far away, Cristiano Ronaldo's smile gradually faded.
"Even this won't break your spirit?"
"Very good! Worthy of being the opponent I respect!"