CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 29: MASTERPIECE

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, under the gaze of the masses.

Almeria has a chance for a free kick.

In Real Madrid’s penalty area, the high-leaping Negredo stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He knows that when defenders engage in physical confrontations, there are some subtle maneuvers, commonly known as "dirty tricks."

He had grown accustomed to all these things a long time ago, but not now, at least it shouldn’t be now!

True heartbreak isn’t a loud quarrel, true disappointment isn’t tear-stained cheeks. From now on, I will be a cold-blooded assassin.

Negredo lost balance in mid-air, and Chen Zhong cleared the ball with a header.

"It’s back, everything is back."

"This is Real Madrid’s defense."

"That familiar feeling, full of lingering allure."

"Chen completed a beautiful header clearance."

"We can hear the cheers and applause from the stands."

The Merengues aren’t easily satisfied, but who could resist the "brilliant performance" from Schmelzer previously?

Schuster stood at the sideline, nodding repeatedly. Using anyone and everyone would harm the team and oneself; it turns out one still needs to be a dedicated coach.

After seeing the ball cleared, Chen Zhong reached out and helped Negredo up from the ground. Negredo glanced at Chen Zhong, wanting to say something. But upon hearing the commotion from the stadium, his expression changed, and he quickly ran towards the backfield.

The ball flew far out; Sneijder took possession and quickly passed it to Guti. Guti turned and dribbled past the defender, opting to run inside.

He dribbled all the way into Almeria’s danger zone. Raul and Saviola had already run into open spaces. At this point, a skilled direct pass could very likely result in a one-on-one situation.

At his side, Carlos Garcia plucked up courage and directly took Guti down outside the right edge of the penalty area.

"Whistle~"

The referee blew the whistle, awarded a free kick, but did not show a yellow card, only sternly warned Garcia.

Emery nodded repeatedly at the sideline; before the match, he’d detailedly explained to his teammates about Real Madrid players to watch out for, among which Guti and Sneijder were heavily emphasized.

Especially Guti, his direct passes are bizarrely precise, even dubbed "King of Direct Passes" by some fans, a man with wolf arc skills.

Although Guti’s form seemed a bit off, no one could guarantee whether his pass would be good or bad, so Emery chose to use tactical fouls in certain positions to disrupt Guti’s rhythm.

He’s studied Guti’s surgical-knife-like direct passes numerous times; they can easily tear apart any defense. When the ball arrives at an attacking player’s feet, their concern is just about finishing the shot.

"Damn bastard," Schuster murmured, glaring fiercely at Emery. It’s clear that the players’ actions must’ve been planned beforehand; in certain areas where to foul, and where to hold back. Just like when he told Francisco upon watching Barcelona’s game videos, in certain areas Barcelona shouldn’t be allowed free kicks.

Real Madrid’s players began to fill Almeria’s penalty area, and Chen Zhong jogged towards Almeria’s goal zone too. As he passed Guti, Guti suddenly called out to him.

Chen Zhong glanced back at Guti, noticing his tight white headband holding the golden hair fluttering in the breeze. His deep gaze locked onto Chen Zhong, raising his eyebrows. Chen Zhong’s heartbeat suddenly started racing.

Thump thump thump.

Sneijder usually prefers to shoot directly on set-pieces, Guti often likes to pass to teammates.

So Guti is indicating I should position myself well, and he’ll pass the ball over?

Chen Zhong entered Almeria’s penalty area, and Negredo immediately approached him closely.

"Are you pulling dirty tricks on me?"

"No, can you stop groping?"

"Oh kid, not letting me touch now?"

Every player has their preferred method of interference; Chen Zhong typically chooses to trash-talk, whereas Negredo prefers brazen talk to distract opponents.

Back when they were teammates, Chen Zhong used to see Negredo teasing opponents, laughing uncontrollably, feeling a peculiar flavor in his heart. But now that it’s happening to him, he felt the urge to pin Negredo to the ground and stomp a few times.

Touch touch touch, what are you touching! So annoying.

"This is a front-field free kick."

"Sneijder and Guti stand before the ball."

"Sneijder has already scored twice from free kicks this season."

Real Madrid’s efficiency in front-field free kicks this season is exceedingly high. Emery also felt nervous at the sideline as Sneijder and Guti started running simultaneously.

However, this time it was Sneijder who swept past the ball.

Guti’s golden hair bounced with his run, his gaze seeming to penetrate everything.

"Boom~"

After a muffled sound, the ball shot up, its mid-air arc evidently not headed toward the goal.

Chen Zhong used his shoulder to brace against Negredo, who also got serious, moving his hand from touching Chen Zhong’s chest to grasping, eventually escalating to embracing.

As one of the few power-centric center forwards among Spain’s young generation now, Negredo feared no one in terms of physical strength and confrontation, and Chen Zhong couldn’t escape in a short time.

Seeing the situation, Chen Zhong simply abandoned the idea of jumping high, choosing instead to move forward with Negredo. Negredo noticed this but considered that if Chen Zhong led him forward, Chen Zhong would miss the pass, and the ball might graze the post and go out.

So, Negredo followed Chen Zhong’s intention to walk forward, yet Chen Zhong only took half a step and stopped, simultaneously pressing Negredo forward forcefully.

Negredo naturally wouldn’t give in, straightened his body intending to resist, and Chen Zhong utilized this force to prop himself up, then slammed his head backward. His nape collided with the descending ball, and the ball bounced and drilled into the goal’s upper right corner.

It was a truly "world-class" scene.

Almeria’s goalkeeper stared in astonishment, and nearby Ramos, who wanted to attempt a follow-up shot, widened his eyes with a learned expression.

"Whistle~"

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

The cheers in the stands erupted like a volcanic explosion; Schuster at the sideline repeatedly punched the air. At this moment, the more he looked at Chen Zhong, the more he found him pleasing to the eye. In just three minutes after Chen Zhong’s entry, the team’s score was leveled. Who dared say he wasn’t the team’s lucky charm?

Guti’s eyes flashed with a trace of astonishment; indeed, he passed the ball to Chen Zhong. With Van Nistelrooy not on the field and Raul lacking the absolute height advantage, passing it to Chen Zhong was merely a "reasonable choice."

But he hadn’t expected Chen Zhong could head the ball in using such a method.

After confirming the goal, Chen Zhong didn’t celebrate but ran into the goal to retrieve the ball.

This act also garnered the Merengues’ appreciation from the stands.

Everyone knew that Chen Zhong was expressing what he wanted to say through his actions.

This is Bernabeu; merely leveling isn’t worth celebrating.

We need to keep attacking, keep scoring!

"Hahahaha." Schuster laughed heartily at the sideline. He looked at the sharply dressed, straight-faced Emery, eyes revealing a teasing hint: "Now the match truly begins! My friend."