CHAPTER 133: CHAPTER 42: WHO IS THE STRONGEST MAN?

It’s not fair to blame Sneijder for that goal.

Everyone has inertia in their thinking. Like when you keep repeating something, say, 2+2 equals 3. After saying it dozens or hundreds of times, if someone suddenly asks you what 2+2 equals, you might instinctively say 3. Many people use this kind of inertia to design little tricks and jokes with friends.

Sneijder’s ability to spot Chen Zhong’s position already proves his skill.

The main thing was Chen Zhong’s sudden move, which was so unexpected.

This sudden forward thrust by Chen Zhong forced Athletic Bilbao to divert some of their attention to him, making their previously solid defense appear somewhat uneasy.

Llorente seemed inspired by Chen Zhong, trying to mimic his "fake-out" move, attempting to guide teammates’ passing through his running, but his teammates were trying to guide Chen Zhong through passing.

"Hiss..."

"That pass?"

"Torres takes the ball and passes it to Chen Zhong."

"Chen Zhong dribbles forward, then taps it sideways to Sneijder, Sneijder instantly plays it to Baptista."

"Baptista sends it back to Chen Zhong."

"Chen Zhong squeezes past the defender beside him, making a diagonal pass trying to find Raul."

"An Athletic Bilbao player stretched a leg to deflect it, and the ball rolled into the open space."

"Van Nistelrooy!"

"A long shot!"

Athletic Bilbao clearly focused too much attention on Chen Zhong, with his every move tightening their nerves, which also gave Van Nistelrooy and Raul, who were stuck upfield, the opportunity to find a chance with more space.

Van Nistelrooy seemed to have been held back for quite a while.

While running, he already gauged the goalkeeper’s position and his shooting path.

He sprinted forward in a few steps, blasting the ball like a cannonball straight into the goal from the far corner.

"Beep~"

The referee blew the whistle, pointing to the center circle, indicating the goal was valid.

0:1

Real Madrid finally broke through Athletic Bilbao’s defense in the 68th minute.

Van Nistelrooy made his iconic move, pointing at Chen Zhong, who ran towards Van Nistelrooy, both seeming to have forgotten the minor conflicts from the start of the season. At least Van Nistelrooy seemed to like Chen Zhong more and more.

The entire process was so perfect, though it’s a pity this time Van Nistelrooy’s goal didn’t count as his assist!

After Real Madrid took the lead, Schuster made substitutions, replacing the underperforming Sneijder with Gago and swapping out the goal scorer Van Nistelrooy for Guti.

The team formation turned into a 4312, with Raul and Robinho at the front, Guti acting as an attacking midfielder, and Baptista, Chen Zhong, and Gago protecting the team’s defense.

However, Guti, who came on, couldn’t fulfill the role of organizer, and Athletic Bilbao seemed to suddenly awaken and stifled Real Madrid’s offense after Guti was on the field.

The final score remained 0:1

At the post-match press conference, Schuster spoke to the media: "Winning at this stadium is always difficult; Athletic Bilbao has never been an easy opponent."

"They just won against Valencia in their last match and have the fan support at home. Their morale is high, and they have home advantage, making it all the more difficult to secure a victory."

"Who was the best performer in this match?"

"Although Van Nistelrooy scored the decisive goal and was named the best player, in my heart, Chen was the best performer in this match."

Caparros, in the post-match interview, also smiled bitterly: "We prepared for when Guti came on and how to play against him."

"But we clearly weren’t prepared to deal with Chen. He’s a genius, a monster. Maybe he can’t win the match with incredible displays like Messi, but he always seems to change everything silently."

"Llorente is a very strong player; some even say he’s the strongest. He indeed has a lot of potential, but I hope he can learn more from Chen."

"If he has a strong body and uses his brain, he’ll be the strongest man."