Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 693 Atletico Madrid's Bewilderment
Finally, the new season is about to begin.

However, Granada still has two matches to play before the league starts, including a Spanish Super Cup match against Atletico Madrid, both at home and away.

In the first leg, Granada traveled to the Calderón Stadium for the away game.

Both teams have made some personnel changes for the new season.

Compared to Granada, Atlético Madrid's changes are more pronounced.

Both of these teams are contenders for the championship, and their performance in the new season is highly anticipated by the media.

The first match saw Atletico Madrid's home stadium, the Calderón Stadium, packed to capacity.

Last season, they finished as runners-up in both the Champions League and La Liga.

Although the two-time runner-up finish is very regrettable, the fans are still very satisfied with the result.

This has led to a surge in ticket sales for Atlético Madrid's new season, with fans eagerly anticipating the season's success.

There were also quite a few Granada fans at the scene.

The Shan Yongzhuo Women's Cheerleading Team, in particular, expanded at a terrifying speed, like a virus that had disappeared, and their fighting power was extremely astonishing.

The thousands of female cheerleaders at the scene created a momentum that was in no way inferior to the tens of thousands of Atlético Madrid fans.

In their first match of the new season, neither team held back.

Both Pellegrini and Simeone fielded their strongest lineups.

For Granada, new signing Guerrero got his first starting opportunity, becoming the team's starting left-back.

The center-back pairing remains Van Dijk and Shawcross, while right-back Nyom is a regular starter from last season.

In the midfield quartet, Lucena occupied the left flank, Nainggolan and Cambiasso partnered in the center, and Ziyech was assigned to the right flank.

The attacking line remains the same, with Shan Yongzhuo and Harry Kane as the main pairing.

A very standard 4-4-2 lineup.

Atletico Madrid also fielded their strongest lineup, seemingly eager to boost team morale by winning their first home game of the new season against Granada.

In defense, Juanfran, Diego Godin and Miranda were the starters last season. In the summer, Siqueira, the left-back who came from Granada to bring Atletico Madrid, will start the season and will face his former club in his first match of the new season.

In midfield, Suarez, Gabi, and Saul lined up in a row.

The front three consisted of Koke and Griezmann on the left and right, respectively, with Croatian aerial powerhouse Mandzukic anchoring the center.

A 433 formation.

Simeone gave his players a passionate speech in the locker room, inspiring them to completely crush Granada at home.

But what I never expected was...

In their first match of the new season, at home in the Calderón Stadium, Atlético Madrid surprisingly collapsed early on.

In just 25 minutes of the first half, Shan Yongzhuo and Harry Kane each scored a goal, giving the team an early 2-0 lead.

Then in the 31st minute, Shan Yongzhuo easily dribbled past two defenders in the penalty area before being tripped by Godin. Shan Yongzhuo then converted the penalty.

3:0.

Just 30 minutes into the game, Atletico Madrid completely collapsed.

Atletico Madrid's home fans at the Calderón Stadium are devastated. They came with high expectations, only to be met with this unexpected result.

The Granada fans at the stadium were going crazy. This wasn't some weak team; it was Atletico Madrid fielding their strongest lineup. And yet, they still managed to completely dominate them.

Doesn't this mean Granada is even stronger in the new season?

If they keep playing like this, won't they win the La Liga title in the new season?
Could we even dream of winning the Champions League?
This is even easier than playing Pro Evolution Soccer!

Pellegrini didn't expect the game to turn out this way, nor did he expect his players to perform so well.

Dan Yongzhuo's strong performance was within Pellegrini's expectations, but Ziyech's strong performance in this match was something he hadn't anticipated.

Ziyech, who was relegated to the wing, seemed to have exploded in this match, dominating the wing, frequently creating dangerous opportunities, and successfully earning an assist.

What pleased Pellegrini even more was the combination of Nainggolan and Cambiasso in the central midfield.

Despite his advanced age, veteran Cambiasso still possesses considerable skill. His presence greatly relieves Nainggolan of the defensive burden, allowing Nainggolan to make frequent and comfortable forward runs, which significantly aids Granada's attack.

Pellegrini thought excitedly that if he could maintain this level of form and fighting spirit throughout the season, then winning the Champions League would truly be within reach.

In the second half, Atletico Madrid managed to pull one back through a rebound shot from Koke inside the penalty area, but Ziyech's long-range shot once again pierced Atletico Madrid's goal, changing the score to 4-1.

4:1.

This scoreline not only means Granada won this match, but also, with a resounding 4-1 away victory in the first leg of the two-legged tie, it essentially means Granada has already secured the Spanish Super Cup title for this season.

Atletico Madrid have essentially given up the fight.

They were united and determined, and were originally going to give Granada a good beating at home, but unexpectedly they were recently defeated and routed.

The frustrated Atlético Madrid fans were speechless. They had come with high expectations, but now they were filled with bitterness.

This feeling isn't very pleasant.

Simeone shook his head speechlessly on the sidelines, his brows furrowed deeply. He had never expected that the first match would end so utterly disastrously, a defeat that could only be described as a complete rout.

What exactly is the problem?
Simone was caught off guard.

In the 72nd minute, Shan Yongzhuo scored another hat-trick with a long-range shot that pierced Atletico Madrid's goal, completely shattering the last line of defense for Atletico Madrid's players.

5:1.

Granada ultimately secured a resounding away victory against Atletico Madrid.

The media exploded immediately after the match ended.

Granada's victory was not entirely unexpected, but such a resounding win was still somewhat surprising to everyone.

After all, Atletico Madrid, as one of the current top four teams in La Liga, has undeniable strength.

To everyone else, the rivalry between Granada and Atletico Madrid should have been a fierce battle.

This outcome was unexpected.

What's even more impressive is Shan Yongzhuo's hat-trick, which is enough to show that Shan Yongzhuo's form in the new season is still unstoppable.

He was completely unaffected by the aftereffects of the World Cup, and directly declared his continued strength in the new season with a hat-trick.

However, in the second leg three days later, Shan Yongzhuo did not get a chance to play.

The resounding victory in the first leg gave Pellegrini tremendous confidence to use the opportunity to train his players.

(End of this chapter)