Capítulo 106: Championship belongs to Real Madrid!
On the evening of April 23, at Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium, when the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, the stadium erupted with boos from the fans. The intensity grew until nearly 75,000 Real Madrid fans were madly booing the team.
At the forefront of this ire stood Gao Shen in front of the home team's coaching bench.
He had stood on the sidelines throughout the game without any extra movements or expressions, silently watching the stadium.
**One to one!**
This was the final result of the thirty-fourth round of La Liga, where Real Madrid faced Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarines, who reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and recently drew 0-0 against Barcelona at Camp Nou, managed a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid at home. This result, considering the players' heavy consumption in the game against AC Milan, wasn't entirely unfavorable.
For this match, Gao Shen executed a significant rotation. None of the four superstars in the frontcourt played, and the defense was formed by Mejia and Pavon, letting Woodgate rest. With this remnant lineup, Real Madrid managed a 1-1 score against Villarreal.
However, neither the Real Madrid fans nor Gao Shen himself were satisfied.
**This was a golden opportunity missed.**
Earlier that afternoon, Barcelona drew 3-3 away at Sevilla, scoring their third goal in the 91st minute.
Barça draws again!
Had Real Madrid won against Villarreal tonight, they could have reversed Barcelona, taking the lead in La Liga and seizing the top position in the standings.
This would have significantly dampened Barcelona's morale and fighting spirit for the remaining games.
Currently, Barcelona was not only Real Madrid's number one competitor for the La Liga title but also the biggest obstacle for Real Madrid to win their tenth Champions League title.
With a potential counterattack tonight, Real Madrid had the chance to overwhelm Barcelona on both the La Liga and Champions League fronts, pushing towards a double crown.
But at this critical moment, Real Madrid drew!
What truly made Gao Shen unacceptable was not the draw itself. It would be understandable if the team weren't strong enough and were tied by Villarreal.
**The crux was that Real Madrid led for more than an hour, only to be equalized in the very last minute.**
In the 88th minute, Diego Forlan sent a cross from the left, Riquelme missed a pass in the middle, and the full-back Venta who joined the attack threw off Raul Bravo and got the ball over Pavin. When he shot furiously, the ball hit Ramos's hand, who was desperately filling the position.
Ramos received a red card and Villarreal was awarded a penalty.
Diego Forlan calmly took the penalty to tie the game.
**Can such a draw be acceptable?**
Real Madrid only fell back after being the leader in the real-time standings for more than 60 minutes.
That's where the boos from the Bernabeu fans originated.
Gao Shen was also very depressed.
What a great opportunity was missed!
He even had the urge to scream to the sky, to vent the depression and grievances in his heart.
But after a few deep breaths, he held back!
...
"Good job!"
Gao Shen reached out his hand to greet Guti, who was walking off the pitch.
Followed by Robinho, Negredo, Cassano, Baptista, and others. Baptista was the hero of Real Madrid's goal tonight. His back plug received Negredo's header and knocked Villarreal's goal with a head hammer.
Guti was the team's delayed playmaker tonight, and his performance was commendable.
This conceded goal seemed like Ramos' handball, but everyone knew it was due to anxiety. The reason for this anxiety was that Raul Bravo and Pavin were easily shaken off by their opponents.
If Ramos hadn't blocked in time, the opponent would have easily scored in the penalty area.
So, whether it was a penalty kick or a red card, Ramos was not primarily at fault.
Pavin and Raul Bravo, both frustrated, hung their heads and followed their teammates.
Especially Raul Bravo.
During Carlo's coaching, he was still a main player of the team. But under Gao Shen, he kept losing his position, even falling behind Felipe Luis, who was promoted from the second team, causing some dissatisfaction.
But now, Gao Shen had given him a chance, and he failed to seize it, making such a mistake. Who can be blamed?
Both were ready to bear Gao Shen's anger.
"It's okay, it's okay, raise your head, cheer up, don't look listless," Gao Shen said with a smile, encouraging them.
Both Pavin and Raul Bravo were surprised. They looked up at Gao Shen, finding him smiling.
"Don't pay too much attention to the result. The one-to-one score is also very good, within our expectations," Gao Shen shouted with a smile.
Lucas and Buenaventura stood behind Gao Shen, watching his expression since the penalty. No one knew Gao Shen's thoughts better than them.
He appeared peaceful and calm on the surface, but his heart bled.
But what else could he do?
As the head coach and manager of the locker room, is it right to get angry now and scold the responsible players or everyone? What does this make up for?
The ball was lost, the game was leveled, and scolding now is pointless.
...
"Just now, I was really worried that you couldn't help it," Lucas said with a wry smile after sending the players away.
Buenaventura nodded in agreement.
"You have to endure it if you can't help it. Getting angry without effect is incompetent rage. Why bother?"
However, after this game, he truly understood that many players in Real Madrid no longer had the strength to play for the team, including Pavin, Mejia, and even Raul Bravo.
These players undoubtedly had strength and potential when they first debuted, but over the past few years at Real Madrid, they hadn't had the opportunity to exercise, leading to stagnation. Their overall strength now falls short of the team's requirements.
This can be considered as wasted talent.
On the front line, Portillo, almost twenty-four years old, didn't get a minute of playing time under Gao Shen.
Professional football can be cruel.
If Gao Shen gives them a chance out of sympathy, it's cruel to himself.
Like tonight's draw.
...
At the post-match press conference against Villarreal, Gao Shen took the helm, instead of delegating to Maqueda.
He fully experienced the sharpness of Spanish criticism.
While Aspen, Marca, and El Pais were reasonable, smaller, less renowned newspapers, and rival media such as Daily Sports and World Sports, asked the most challenging questions.
The Daily Sports Daily directly asked if Real Madrid, having drawn this round, should surrender now since it was unlikely for Barcelona to drop points in the last four rounds.
Barcelona's upcoming matches were against Cadiz at home, Celta Vigo away, Espanyol at home, and Athletic Bilbao away—seemingly easier fixtures.
Conversely, Real Madrid's schedule was far more difficult.
After AC Milan, they had two consecutive away games against Osasuna and Santander. Osasuna, fourth in La Liga, aimed to keep their Champions League qualification, while Santander, fighting relegation, would be equally challenging.
Following these was a home game against Málaga, not overly difficult, but ending with an away game against Sevilla, competing with Osasuna for the fourth spot, promising a tough match.
Three tough away games awaited Real Madrid, each opponent stronger than the last.
Barcelona had recently lost points against Osasuna, Santander, and Sevilla away.
Real Madrid had to pass every hurdle Barcelona stumbled over.
Even if they succeeded, winning the title depended on Barcelona's performance.
**Is it hard?**
**Yes.**
**Very hard!**
Barcelona, a formidable team, struggled against these teams.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid must persevere.
Facing the Daily Sports reporter's questions, Gao Shen maintained a smile and his demeanor.
He didn't respond until the reporter finished, acknowledging the team's challenging schedule.
"However, how can anything in this world be easy?" Gao Shen asked, addressing all media reporters, especially the Catalan ones.
"Is it easy for you? It's not easy for you, for news, for sales, and to please readers, isn't it?"
"I don't think there's anything about it. The opponents in the game are not easy to play, so they will play game by game, and pass one hurdle after another."
"I don't know, what qualifications do you have to say these words in front of me, are we not as good as Barcelona?" Gao Shen questioned.
"When I took over, we were ten points behind Barca, but now? We almost came back and you're here to tell me we have no chance?"
Gao Shen was not angry, but his tone was strong, firm, and sonorous.
The press conference became silent, with everyone focused on Gao Shen's every word, expression, and movement.
He became the center of attention for the audience, fans throughout Spain, Europe, and the world.
"When we were ten points behind, we did not despair, and we will not now!"
"I can say here now, if Barcelona want to win the title, they have only one way to win all the remaining four games. Otherwise, the championship must belong to us Real Madrid!"
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