Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Facing a formidable Barcelona and defending champions Real Madrid who decisively defeated Liverpool.

Across European football, fans of leagues other than Spain probably support UEFA creating a special scenario for La Liga, arranging an all-Spanish battle between Real Madrid and Barcelona in advance!
Given these expectations from the fans, how could UEFA, the "golden screenwriter," not "follow public opinion" and carefully craft the storyline?

Thus, the draw for the quarterfinals resulted in the following outcome:
Guardiola's Barcelona drew Bayern Munich, another title favorite, who thrashed Sporting Lisbon 12-1 in the previous knockout round.

Meanwhile, Mourinho's Real Madrid continued their ill-fated relationship with Premier League teams, drawing another Premier League giant, his former club Chelsea.

After the draw results were announced, neither team's fans were happy anymore.

Bayern Munich's strength goes without saying; their terrifying attacking firepower has terrified the entire European football world. Although Barcelona has had a good record, apart from drawing with Real Madrid in the league, they have never faced any other top clubs.

They've been given such a formidable opponent right from the start, without even a chance to adapt. The outcome is hard to predict.

Many Barcelona fans are worried about whether Barcelona, ​​lacking experience in head-to-head matches, can withstand the onslaught of the German machine.
Real Madrid is not having an easy time either. Chelsea is a team built by Mourinho, and his style of play has long instilled a defensive gene in the Blues.

Moreover, in terms of personnel, Chelsea is definitely among the top teams in the Premier League.

The attacking duo of Drogba and Lampard, the midfield anchored by Ballack and Essien, the defense guarded by Terry and Cole, and the goalkeeper choked by Cech…

This blue team, composed of muscular men, looks intimidating; anyone who encounters them would likely suffer greatly.

Although Mourinho knows this Chelsea team very well, Chelsea also knows his characteristics and playing style very well.

Neither side has any secrets from the other, so it's just a pure contest of raw power.

The quarter-final draw results feel like UEFA was being malicious!

[Who can argue with that? Just how much did UEFA take from Manchester United? This draw arrangement is practically blatantly designed to protect Manchester United!]

La Liga fans were extremely dissatisfied after seeing the draw results, especially fans of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The fans of the two teams are usually at odds, but this time they have surprisingly united and turned their guns on UEFA.

The reason for this is quite simple.

Compared to the draw results for the two La Liga giants, the other two Premier League teams were practically guaranteed a spot.

Arsenal drew Villarreal in the quarterfinals, almost guaranteeing them a place in the semifinals.

Manchester United also had a favorable draw, as they were drawn against Porto, the second weakest team in the quarterfinals. Before the match even started, Manchester United already had one foot in the semifinals.

Although Ferguson humbly stated in an interview that he would not underestimate any opponent, there are rumors that he has already studied his next opponent in advance.

The biggest disadvantage of this draw for the two La Liga giants is that even if they eventually eliminate their opponents and reach the semi-finals, their previous exhaustion and the premature exposure of their weaknesses when facing strong opponents will put them at a disadvantage when facing a rested Manchester United and Arsenal.

However, the Champions League draw is inherently based on luck, and absolute fairness is impossible.

For both Barcelona and Real Madrid, it's already a blessing that they weren't directly drawn into the same group.

The quarter-finals are still a month away. Although the Champions League is important to both teams, they must focus on the league before the suspense in the domestic league ends.

On March 15, Real Madrid, fresh from their Champions League victory and riding high after defeating Liverpool, headed to the new San Mamés Stadium to challenge Athletic Bilbao, known as the Basque Lions.

Without a doubt, this is a tough battle.

Although Athletic Bilbao is currently only ranked 10th in the league, belonging to the mid-table team in La Liga.

But their home ground is not easy to play against. Here, the Basques are like they're on steroids, elbowing every team that comes to the stadium on equal terms.

The first half of the match was very close between the two teams.

Real Madrid took the lead, but Athletic Bilbao quickly equalized.

In the 35th minute of the first half, Lin Feng assisted Higuain to score again, giving Real Madrid the lead once more.

However, the Basques, with their tenacious fighting spirit, miraculously leveled the score again in stoppage time of the first half.

The opponents' fighting spirit and ruthlessness were so intense that even seasoned Real Madrid players felt a bit intimidated, thinking they were a bunch of lunatics.

Throughout the first half, Athletic Bilbao received as many as five yellow cards for excessive tackles or malicious fouls, and the number of ordinary fouls was countless.

Real Madrid's players were very confused. They didn't have any deep-seated hatred for Athletic Bilbao, so why were the other team playing so aggressively?
Athletic Bilbao isn't a Barcelona-affiliated team, so what good does it do them to fight so hard against Real Madrid?
For Athletic Bilbao, the outcome of this match will have little impact on their relegation battle. Even if they win, they are unlikely to secure a European qualification spot for next year with these three points.

However, for the Athletic Bilbao players, defeating the invincible Real Madrid was a great honor in itself, let alone defending their home ground, which meant they had to fight even harder!
Athletic Bilbao's fighting spirit carried over into the second half, but it backfired.

Shortly after the start of the second half, an Athletic Bilbao player received another card for a foul. Coincidentally, this player had already received a yellow card in the first half, so the second yellow resulted in a red card, and he was sent off by the referee.

The situation was initially fairly even, but after Athletic Bilbao had a player sent off, the balance on the field was quickly broken.

With a numerical advantage, Real Madrid launched a full-scale attack on their opponents.

The immense defensive pressure caused Athletic Bilbao's players to make mistakes once again.

In the 67th minute, an Athletic Bilbao defender made a sliding tackle error in the penalty area, bringing down Raul who was about to shoot, and was awarded a yellow card and a penalty by the referee.

He himself, like the player who was previously sent off, already had a yellow card, so a second red card was issued, and Athletic Bilbao lost another player, leaving them with only 9 men to play.

The team was awarded a penalty and had two players sent off, completely sealing the outcome of the match.

But the angry Athletic Bilbao fans booed loudly and cursed the referee for bias.

At first, he only cursed the referee, but later he started to take his anger out on the Real Madrid players on the field, cursing them as well!
Real Madrid had originally planned to call it a day and conserve their energy after converting the penalty and taking the lead.

The curses from the home fans completely enraged them, allowing Real Madrid players to unleash their fury on the opponent's goal.

Less than two minutes after Raul converted his penalty, Lin Feng's long-range shot from outside the penalty area once again pierced the opponent's goal.

Five minutes later, Real Madrid took a corner kick, and Ramos, like an aerial acrobat, took off from the spot and slammed the ball into the goal.

The score is now 5-2!

But Real Madrid still didn't intend to stop. In the 88th minute, Marcelo crossed from the wing, but the pass was poor and ended up behind the attacking player.

After glancing at the ball's trajectory, Lin Feng turned sideways, pulled back half a step, and suddenly leaped into the air. He raised his right leg high and slammed it into the incoming ball, sending it hurtling towards the goal!
The Athletic Bilbao players who tried to block him were too late to react, and could only watch helplessly as Lin Feng completed his bicycle kick. The goalkeeper in front of the goal also didn't react in time. Bicycle kicks are inherently fast and unpredictable, and with Lin Feng's shot at such a tricky angle, he could only raise his arm symbolically, without making any attempt to intercept, and the ball had already flown into the net.

"Goal!!!!"

"Lin Feng Lin Feng Lin Feng Lin Feng!!"

The Spanish television commentator kept repeating Lin Feng's name, as if he wanted to worship him.

"An incredible goal! This is absolutely the most spectacular goal of this round of La Liga, and perhaps even the entire season!"

The fact that even seasoned veterans like them lost their composure like this is enough to prove the difficulty and significance of Lin Feng's shot.

[My God, how did that ball go in?!]

[I'm speechless, is this even human?]

[That's unbelievable! I thought he was going to pass the ball, who would have thought he'd actually shoot!]

The key point is, I'd never heard of Lin Feng doing a bicycle kick before!

[Haha, geniuses can't be measured by ordinary standards. Just because someone hasn't seen it doesn't mean they can't!]

[You, Lin Huang, are infinitely arrogant!]

Not only were Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean shocked, but the Athletic Bilbao fans at the stadium were also stunned by the goal. They were dumbfounded, staring at their own goal, seemingly still savoring the moment, and even forgot to continue cursing the Real Madrid players on the field.

As for the Athletic Bilbao players inside the penalty area, they suffered greater impact because they were closer to the defense.

The defenders exchanged bewildered glances, looking at Lin Feng, then back at their own goal and the football lying in the net, their hearts filled with turmoil.

They'd seen bicycle kicks before, but never one with such a graceful movement, such a tricky angle, and such a high jump!

That ball must have been at least 2.3 meters high, right?

The television broadcasting organization quickly provided the precise answer: 2.41!

Lin Feng's overhead kick just now sent him soaring to an astonishing height of 2.41 meters!
This height is probably higher than many players can jump!

Messi angrily turned off the TV. He could learn other tricks from Lin Feng, but he really couldn't learn this one.

My core strength and jumping ability are nowhere near the level of that freakish opponent, and most importantly, the height difference is too great!
Let alone Messi, even Cristiano Ronaldo from the neighboring Premier League couldn't help but frown when he saw this.

He can do a bicycle kick, but he's not confident he can replicate something this exaggerated, even in a training match.

But this move looks really cool...

Winning or losing is temporary, but being cool is for a lifetime.

If I could deliver a kick like that in a match, I would definitely win the hearts of countless fans.

With this in mind, Cristiano Ronaldo secretly made up his mind.

……

Athletic Bilbao's tenacious resistance did not seem to yield the favorable results they had anticipated.

The final score of the match was 6-2, with Athletic Bilbao suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.

That would have been bad enough, but the real problem is that they ended up being the backdrop for Lin Feng's overhead kick.

It is foreseeable that as major media outlets begin reporting on the match tomorrow morning, Lin Feng's bicycle kick will quickly spread throughout the football world.

Whenever someone mentions Lin Feng's shot, they'll be dragged out and humiliated.

Even years later, when fans watch various video recap videos online, they will bring up this match again and give it another taste of their own medicine.

It's just too tragic to even think about!

The Real Madrid team did not linger in Athletic Bilbao. After the match, they quickly boarded a plane and returned to Madrid, fearing that if they stayed there for even a second longer, they would be harassed by radical fans.

They beat them so badly, you can imagine how much Athletic Bilbao fans hate Real Madrid right now.

The two teams originally had no grudges, but after this match, they will probably have a grudge against each other.

Athletic Bilbao might end up siding with Barcelona and becoming part of the Barcelona system.

But those are things for the future. Real Madrid's current headache is how to catch up with Barcelona in the remaining matches.

A day later, Barcelona defeated Almeria 2-0 away, maintaining their lead over Real Madrid at 5 points.

With 11 rounds left in the league, closing that five-point gap will not be easy, especially if the opponent doesn't make mistakes and doesn't give them any opportunities.

On November 22, the 28th round of La Liga kicked off.

Real Madrid, playing at home, defeated Almería 3-0, achieving their second consecutive victory.

But Barcelona also thrashed Malaga 6-0 at home, rendering Real Madrid's victory meaningless.

The point difference between the two teams remained unchanged, but there were fewer and fewer games left, leaving little room for them to catch up.

The most troublesome thing is that April is just around the corner, and Real Madrid must start preparing for the Champions League quarter-finals.

However, several national team matches are also interspersed during this period. At this time, whether it is Europe, South America and Africa, they have all entered the critical period of the World Cup qualifiers. If the players want to participate in next year's World Cup, they cannot refuse the national team's call-up at this time.

They don't even dare to throw the game; instead, they have to fight with all their might to keep their position.

In this situation, the team can easily be dragged down.

Real Madrid's only hope now is to pray that they will not suffer from an injury crisis, while hoping that Barcelona will be dragged down by competing on multiple fronts.

In that case, they might still have a chance to turn the tables on their opponents. (End of Chapter)