Capítulo 124: We have To Score
As is customary, the final round of La Liga kicks off at the same time.
When Gao Shen received Barcelona's starting lineup, he was about to return to the locker room.
The players had finished their pre-match warm-up training, and he was heading back to prepare for the game.
Real Madrid had assigned a scout to Athletic Bilbao's San Mames Stadium to keep track of the score and progress of the game there, so Gao Shen could quickly get updates.
Seville is in the south of Spain, Bilbao is in the north, Madrid is in the middle, and the distances are quite significant.
The goalkeeper for Barcelona was Valdes, the back line consisted of Van Bronckhorst, Marcos, Puyol, and Belletti. In the midfield were Thiago Motta, Deco, and Van Bommel, and the trident up front was Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Giuly.
From the starting lineup, it was clear that Barcelona didn't field their strongest team, but their lineup was still very strong.
Rijkaard clearly wanted Giuly and Belletti to attack on the right, while Ronaldinho and Van Bronckhorst would focus on the left. This dual-sided attack strategy could give many opponents headaches.
Additionally, on the bench were Xavi, Iniesta, and Larsson.
The midfield saw a significant rotation, with only Deco being a regular starter, and Thiago Motta replacing Edmilson.
What to make of Rijkaard's starting lineup?
It was moderate, very middle-of-the-road, neither going all out nor taking it too easy.
His mentality was clearly conflicted. He wanted to win but wasn't willing to risk everything.
When Gao Shen saw the lineup, he felt uncertain.
Since Rijkaard could field this lineup, it showed he had confidence in it.
As an opponent, Gao Shen's ability to interfere and influence was limited. The key was whether Athletic Bilbao would stay true to their word and give it their all, and if so, how much trouble they could cause Barcelona.
Fortunately, Athletic Bilbao's tall center-forward Llorente started.
Barcelona's defenders weren't tall, and Llorente, who stood nearly two meters, had great advantages in both physical confrontations and aerial duels. As long as he played, he would surely become a significant threat to Barcelona.
Thinking of this, Gao Shen felt a bit relieved.
But the feeling of having to rely on others was still very uncomfortable.
---
Real Madrid had scouts at San Mames Stadium, and Barcelona had theirs at the Pizjuan Stadium.
When Gao Shen got the Barcelona starting lineup, Rijkaard did the same.
But the difference was that Real Madrid's starting roster was peculiar.
The goalkeeper was Casillas, no surprise. The central defenders were Helguera and Ramos, which was fine, but three full-backs were present: Arbeloa, Felipe, and Cicinho, plus Beckham, Baptista, Guti, Pablo Garcia, and Ronaldo.
Gao Shen had clearly rotated his squad, but the lineup looked strange.
Rijkaard handed the list to Ten Cate. The assistant coach was still fuming about the lineup and didn't speak. He took the list, glanced at it, and handed it back to Rijkaard. His face clearly expressed one sentence: "Look, I told you, Real Madrid gave up on this game!"
Neither Raul nor Zidane played, nor did Gravesen and De la Red, Gao Shen's favorite midfield duo.
From this lineup, it was likely that Beckham would play midfield and Cicinho as right winger, as tried previously.
However, could Felipe alone block Sevilla's right side with Alves and Navas?
From this perspective, it seemed Gao Shen had strategically abandoned the game.
It was a wise and bold choice at the same time.
"You still overestimate him!" Rijkaard said lightly.
Ten Cate was silent.
Was he really overestimated?
From the starting lineup, it appeared so.
Gao Shen's formations seemed unambitious, more like a strategic retreat.
This disappointed Ten Cate.
After all, he's just a twenty-five-year-old rookie!
---
With the referee's whistle, Sevilla took advantage of their home field and launched a fierce attack on Real Madrid.
And as the game started, everyone realized that Real Madrid's formation was unusual.
The goalkeeper was Casillas. On the back line, Felipe, originally regarded as a left-back, stood on the edge of the center line when kicking off, while Abeloa was on the left, and Cicinho on the right. Helguera and Ramos were the center-backs.
The double midfield was Pablo Garcia and Guti, with Baptista in front. Beckham still played as the right winger, and the sole forward was Ronaldo.
After the opening, Real Madrid sought stability and retreated to their own half, further boosting Sevilla's confidence.
Playing at home and aiming for Champions League qualification, Sevilla couldn't afford to hold back.
Juande Ramos saw Real Madrid's starting lineup and believed they were going to give up the game strategically. He further encouraged his team to use their home advantage to launch a fierce attack on Real Madrid.
He wanted to crush Real Madrid!
But Real Madrid clearly defended Sevilla's right flank tonight.
Felipe pressed forward to contain Alves, and Abeloa sat back to guard Navas.
This meant Sevilla's attempts to play on the right several times failed to threaten. It wasn't until the fourth minute that Maresca in the middle sent a direct pass, and Fabiano tried to break through Cicinho, but Ramos, quickly returning, teamed up to steal the ball and failed to form a shot.
After Real Madrid got the ball, they launched a counterattack.
Guti took the ball over the center line and quickly passed to Beckham on the right.
The Englishman crossed to Baptista, but Sevilla's defense was fast, and Baptista passed back to Guti to reorganize.
After several passes, Guti passed the ball to Cicinho on the right.
The Brazilian right-back, competing with Alves for a place in the Brazilian national team, decisively dribbled inside, trying to break through Sevilla's defense.
Cicinho's dribbling drew the defense's attention, but he returned the ball to the right just in time for Beckham.
The Englishman stopped, glanced at the penalty area, and made a direct pass.
The ball was hurriedly given and aimed for Ronaldo, but Sevilla's goalkeeper Palop decisively attacked and punched the ball away.
Although he didn't catch it, he cleared it some distance.
The ball didn't fly far. After Guti regained possession, he passed it to Baptista at the top of the penalty area.
Without hesitation, Baptista stopped and fired a powerful shot.
Baptista was very familiar with Sevilla. This shot was fast and fierce, straight into Sevilla's goal, opening the scoring for Real Madrid, 1-0!
---
When Gao Shen saw his team's first counterattack result in a goal from the sidelines, he sighed with relief.
"Nice job!" Gao Shen shouted loudly.
The Real Madrid coaching staff and bench players behind him stood up and cheered for Baptista's goal.
For this game, Gao Shen had moved Guti back and put Baptista in the attacking midfield to involve him more in the offense.
Taking the lead in five minutes was a good start for Real Madrid!
---
In Bilbao, at San Mames Stadium, Athletic Bilbao suppressed Barcelona early with active pressing.
Llorente was very active up front, and Barcelona's midfield was not dominant.
This led to the visiting team starting very passively.
In the fifth minute, the ball was passed to Llorente. After holding the ball with his back, he turned and sent a wonderful pass.
Elora on the right rib slid into the penalty area quickly and slanted from the ribs of Van Bronckhorst and Marcos. After catching the ball, she took the second shot of the game.
Yes, both shots came from Athletic Bilbao.
Both times were saved by Valdes.
Valdes, often unreliable, was solid tonight.
After the Barcelona goalkeeper grabbed it from the ground, he roared, urging his teammates to be careful and vigilant.
Rijkaard also rushed to the sidelines, shouting angrily at the players' mistakes.
Anyone could see that Barcelona was under immense pressure tonight.
"All cheer up! Be careful!" Rijkaard roared.
As he turned back, he saw his assistant gesturing to him. Knowing there must be news from Sevilla, he took quick steps to the bench.
"What's the matter?" Rijkaard asked anxiously.
"Real Madrid scored."
Amid the noise, Rijkaard didn't hear clearly, but he heard Real Madrid and felt his heart sink. He stepped closer, "What did you say?"
"Real Madrid scored!" the assistant in charge of tracking the Sevilla game shouted.
Rijkaard's hands shook, and he gritted his teeth.
It only took five minutes for Real Madrid to score?
Dammit!
He cursed and felt a sense of panic.
That cunning brat was pushing him into a desperate situation!
Barcelona had to score tonight!
No matter what, they had to win!
No matter how many goals Real Madrid scored in Sevilla, it wouldn't matter!
Thinking this, Rijkaard took a deep breath, walked to the command area, and shouted at his players, signaling them to press up and withstand Athletic Bilbao's pressure.
Barcelona had to control the game's rhythm!
.....................................
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