Kapitel 126: Crumbling
Madrid's Ordaleza district.
Carlo sat on the soft sofa, staring straight at the TV in front of him, and his nerves were tense.
Since the start of the game, he had not relaxed for a moment.
The last round of La Liga kicked off simultaneously, and the TV broadcast chose to show the most-watched Real Madrid away game against Sevilla. Occasionally, they would switch to show the pictures and score announcements of Barcelona's away game against Athletic Bilbao.
Before this battle, many people felt that Real Madrid might give up the game.
When the starting lineup was announced, even the live broadcast commentators were puzzled, thinking that Real Madrid intended to focus on the Champions League final and strategically abandon this game.
But only Carlo knew that Gao Shen never thought of giving up from the beginning.
That night, Gao Shen had told him clearly that if they gave up the game in Sevilla, they would lose the Champions League final without a fight.
Carlo thought so too.
But he did not expect that Gao Shen would arrange such a starting lineup, especially putting Arbeloa as a left-back.
Players like Baptista and Pablo Garcia playing was not surprising at all.
Before joining Real Madrid, Baptista was Sevilla's top scorer, and Pablo Garcia was Osasuna's midfield barrier. Gao Shen arranging these two players to play in Sevilla made perfect sense.
But Arbeloa playing on the left? Was this reliable?
As the game got underway, Arbeloa quickly showed his versatility.
Gradually, he made many people forget that he was actually a right-back.
He did not show any discomfort on the left; in fact, he seemed familiar with the position as if he had played there for a long time.
Carlo was surprised, but he knew that some players were like that.
For example, Zambrotta of Juventus and Lahm of Bayern Munich.
No one thought Abeloa had this side to him.
So, Carlo was relieved.
As long as Sevilla's right flank was frozen, Real Madrid's defensive pressure would be greatly reduced, and there would be opportunities for counter-attack goals.
Sure enough, just five minutes into the game, Real Madrid scored.
Who would have thought of this?
Not to mention Carlo, even the most optimistic Real Madrid fan did not expect the goal to come so quickly.
The live broadcast switched to the Barcelona game, showing that it was still zero to zero.
Even five minutes in, Barcelona had not yet taken a shot.
"Barcelona is a bit passive," the TV commentator analyzed the first five minutes.
But soon, the broadcast cut back to the Pizjuan Stadium.
Carlo kept praying in his heart; as long as they maintained this goal advantage, Real Madrid would have a chance.
Barcelona was still at zero to zero.
He kept shouting in his heart, asking Real Madrid to stay steady and hold on.
Sevilla played a counterattack and created a dangerous situation but failed to break Real Madrid's goal.
After Gao Shen's coaching, Real Madrid's defense had become increasingly solid, and it showed results at this time.
Sevilla failed to break Real Madrid's goal but was hit by a quick counterattack that once again penetrated their defense.
Felipe drove straight in, and Palop's shot caused Palop to let go.
Ronaldo, who was close by, got the ball past the goalkeeper and volleyed it into the empty goal.
Two to zero!
Carlo jumped up from his seat excitedly.
He saw that Gao Shen was even more excited than him, rushing out of the coach's command area to celebrate the goal with the players.
Oh my god, two goals!
Carlo was so excited!
He did not expect Real Madrid to play so steadily and so well tonight.
Even, he felt that even if Real Madrid didn't win the championship tonight, no one would blame Gao Shen.
Because it wouldn't be his fault.
He lost to Barcelona because of Lusenberg's 0-3 game.
Based on his results alone, he beat Barcelona.
But Gao Shen was still not satisfied. After being shown a yellow card by the referee, he continued calling to the players on the sidelines.
No one knew what he was shouting, but it was probably something about staying steady.
With a two-goal advantage in hand, there was no need to fight with Sevilla at this time.
If they could win steadily, they might as well save some energy.
At this time, the live broadcast switched to Barcelona's game, showing it was still zero to zero.
Barcelona's performance improved from the beginning, but they still failed to break Athletic Bilbao's goal.
"Barcelona is having trouble opening up their offense," the commentator analyzed.
Carlo thought of Rijkaard's formation and a series of pre-game actions, including media interference and pressure.
At least, Rijkaard did not arrange for Xavi or Iniesta to play.
Suddenly, Carlo had a feeling that Barcelona might draw.
But this thought lasted less than ten minutes.
When Real Madrid finished another counterattack but failed to score, the broadcast suddenly switched to Barcelona's game.
The live camera showed Athletic Bilbao's No. 15 player, Elora, rushing out of the stadium excitedly, with the entire San Mames Stadium bursting into cheers.
"Elora, Elora!!!!"
"In the 36th minute, Elora broke the deadlock for Athletic Bilbao!"
The replay showed the entire scoring process.
After a midfield steal, Athletic Bilbao quickly launched a counterattack.
Llorente, acting as a fulcrum at the front of the penalty area, received the ball and sent a wonderful pass from his back.
This was the second time he had sent a pass to Elora in this game.
This was definitely a counter-attack routine carefully prepared by Athletic Bilbao.
Last time, Elora's shot was blocked by Valdes, but this time, Elora calmly seized the opportunity.
1-0!
Carlo was stunned!
He forgot to celebrate, cheer, or even react.
He just stared at the TV, his mind blank, unable to believe what he saw.
Athletic Bilbao scored?
...
...
In a mansion outside Madrid, Florentino stood up from his seat.
The goals by Baptista and Ronaldo hadn't made him stand up, but Athletic Bilbao's goal did.
Oh my god, Athletic Bilbao had a goal lead!
The former president of Real Madrid pointed to the TV and looked at his personal assistant, Manuel Redondo, unable to believe it and wanting to ask, is this true?
But he was speechless for a long time.
Redondo was already overjoyed, full of surprise and excitement, nodding vigorously.
After a few seconds, he shouted loudly, "Barcelona lost the ball! Barcelona lost the ball!!!"
Florentino also snapped back to reality, sitting back on the sofa, unable to stop laughing.
This surprise came as a pleasant shock!
...
...
At this moment, all over the world, countless media and fans saw Barcelona's goal.
Real Madrid led by two goals, while Barcelona trailed 0-1.
What this meant, everyone knew.
People who understood this were extremely shocked and excited, even if they weren't Real Madrid fans. This didn't prevent them from being excited at this moment.
From lagging behind by ten points, chasing all the way, persisting to the last round of the game, and finally under pressure, they were ushering in the opportunity to reverse!
The TV footage, broadcast live to the world, switched back to the Pizjuan Stadium.
The game continued.
Real Madrid was still two goals ahead, and Sevilla was pressing hard.
The live footage showed the visiting team coach on the sidelines, revealing that Gao Shen suddenly clenched his fists, wanting to shout out with excitement but forcibly holding back.
His hands were shaking violently, and his face became grim with excitement, but he gradually calmed down, taking deep breaths to stabilize his emotions.
Then, he walked to the sidelines and stood in the command area again, very straight, like a lighthouse standing on a reef by the sea.
Even the live TV commentator was a little lost in excitement, but after seeing Gao Shen's reaction, he couldn't help but praise: "He's right, the game is not over yet. There's no reason to be excited at this time."
"Sevilla is not an underdog. If Real Madrid shows the slightest slack, they could be attacked at any time. Barcelona is the strongest team in Europe today. Once they react, they could break through or even reverse Athletic Bilbao's goal at any time."
"It's not time to celebrate. The game is not over, and the suspense of the La Liga title has not finally settled."
"Gao Shen shows the rare calmness of a mature head coach. He even controlled his excitement, which I admire very much."
...
...
Gao Shen chose a cold approach!
Although his heart was extremely excited, he did not show the slightest bit.
The first half ended 2-0. As usual, he went to the sidelines to shake hands and hug the players, sending them into the tunnel and into the locker room.
Real Madrid's coaching staff and personnel received Gao Shen's instructions to stay cool. Even when players asked about the score, they only replied that Barcelona was temporarily behind, reminding them they must win!
Yes, Barcelona's lag was only temporary.
But Real Madrid had to win!
When Gao Shen walked into the locker room, the first thing he did was praise the players for their first-half performance and express his satisfaction with the 2-0 result. However, he also reminded them that Real Madrid must keep this two-goal advantage.
"There is still the second half. Anything can change. The only constant is that we can only win the championship if we win this game!"
Gao Shen warned the players to put aside all distractions and focus on the game.
This situation had been discussed with the players before the game and emphasized repeatedly in the locker room.
Real Madrid's lead by two goals is not secure, and Barcelona's temporary lag is not reliable because there is still the second half.
The Real Madrid players knew before the game that they might find themselves in such a situation and were already mentally prepared.
Don't think about anything else, keep focusing on the game!Whether we can win the championship or not, we will discuss after we win this game.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein