Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 699 The Enthusiastic Young Man
To celebrate their big win, Shan Yongzhuo and his teammates threw a party. At this time, the schedule wasn't too packed. If they didn't play now, they probably wouldn't have time to play when they faced three competitions in the later part of the season.

Thankfully, it wasn't some shady party.

The season has just begun, and these athletes can't afford to be too indulgent. Maintaining their form is crucial right now.

In the third round of the league, their opponent was no longer a weak team, but a strong team, Villarreal.

However, Villarreal is Shan Yongzhuo's favorite team.

This is the second most frequently played La Liga team by Shan Yongzhuo, after Real Madrid and Barcelona. Shan Yongzhuo has never lost to this team.

Pellegrini is very familiar with this team, as he achieved his initial fame as a coach with Villarreal.

Last season, Villarreal finished sixth in the league, which was a decent performance.

But to be honest, Granada's people, at least Shan Yongzhuo, really didn't take Villarreal seriously.

The Camenes Stadium was once again packed to capacity.

Passionate Granada fans would never miss a single home game, and with Granada's current phenomenal performance, ticket sales have already reached unimaginable levels.

Granada's management has no doubt that if the Camenes Stadium could hold 100,000 people, it would be able to fill every game, let alone the current 20,000-plus people.

There was no suspense in the competition.

Granada easily defeated Villarreal 3-1 at home, securing their third consecutive league victory. The goal they conceded in their own half was a penalty that led to the opponent's goal. Shan Yongzhuo played for 70 minutes and easily scored two goals, while the remaining goal went to Milinkovic.

It's worth mentioning that Milinkovic came on as a substitute, scored a beautiful goal, and also provided a brilliant assist.

The league match seemed rather uneventful, but the goals scored during the game became the subject of media discussion. One aspect was that Shan Yongzhuo scored two goals, and his consistent and amazing performance was something Granada fans were talking about. The other was Milinkovic.

The young Serbian player has made his debut in two consecutive matches.

Although he didn't score in the last match, he provided two assists for Shan Yongzhuo.

In this match, Milinkovic not only provided another assist, but also scored with a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area.

Recalling Milinkovic's first appearance in La Liga, it was in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup, Granada's home game against Atletico Madrid.

Milinkovic's performance at the time was incredibly poor, and he even received boos from the home fans, which was truly memorable.

After the game, the media were extremely pessimistic about the young player, with many even asserting that this trade was the first time Kroos had misjudged a player.

But his current performance is somewhat ironic.

In the first three rounds of the league, Milinkovic's performance has been getting better and better, with one goal and three assists, placing him at the top of the assist chart.

This really feels like a dream.

Many media outlets have stated that "Pellegrini should give Milinkovic more opportunities; this young Serbian has the potential to develop into a world-class midfielder."

Milinkovic was very pleased with the praise he received from the media and fans, and during training, everyone could see the corners of his mouth turned up.

However, this is a good thing. The young man received recognition and became even more proactive in training.

then.

The Champions League is here. Granada's first opponent is Shakhtar Donetsk.

This is their first Champions League match, and they're playing at home.

Granada can be described as a united front.

Granada, participating in the Champions League for the first time, had a very favorable draw. Apart from Shakhtar Donetsk, their other two opponents were Porto and BATE Borisov, neither of whom were particularly difficult to beat.

Shakhtar Donetsk is a strong team, having been a dominant force in the Ukrainian Premier League and frequently reaching the round of 16 in the Champions League, making them a seasoned veteran in the competition.

Moreover, Shakhtar Donetsk is also a bit unlucky, as their star striker, Ruiz Adriano, is injured and unable to play, leaving him to watch from the sidelines in such a crucial match.

Even if Shan Yongzhuo is unable to play, Granada's strength is still enough to go toe-to-toe with Shakhtar Donetsk.

However, Adriano's absence due to injury is a significant blow to Shakhtar Donetsk.

They had no choice but to field a substitute center forward.

This center forward is someone Shan Yongzhuo knows.

Brazilian striker Fred.

This player, who had just been thrashed by the Chinese team at the World Cup and executed by Shan Yongzhuo, was condemned by the entire nation of Brazil and replaced Fariano as the worst number 9 in Brazilian history.

Before the match, there were many pessimistic comments about Shakhtar Donetsk. In fact, although Granada was participating in the Champions League for the first time, with Shan Yongzhuo in their squad, no one would consider them a weak team.

The Donetsk miners, however, were different.

Despite participating in the Champions League every year, their lack of strength means they are often just there to make up the numbers, with their best result being the round of 16 or the quarterfinals.

Aside from Adriano, the most notable player is Brazilian winger Douglas Costa.

Dan Yongzhuo wasn't particularly concerned about the miners. He had faced this opponent before, and in reality, he wasn't worth taking too seriously.

"According to the latest weather forecast, tomorrow's match may be held in heavy rain, which will test our willpower."

After his training session at the training base, Pellegrini gathered the players together and told them some not-so-good news.

Looking up at the sky, dark clouds filled the sky, as if a downpour was imminent, as if a heavy rain was about to fall today.

A battle in the rain is not something to look forward to.

Rain makes the field slippery, the ball heavy, and the players' technical movements less fluid than usual, leading to many unnecessary mistakes in passing and receiving.

Simply put, playing in the rain will narrow the gap in strength between teams, and the slippery field will also increase the possibility of injury.

But there's nothing we can do. If the weather isn't cooperating, you can't decide whether tomorrow will be sunny or rainy; you can only silently endure it.

Of course, if the rain is too heavy and even obstructs visibility, the referee may suspend the game.

Shan Yongzhuo has experienced rain battles before, but he has never encountered a match in heavy rain.

However, he couldn't say he was particularly looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)