Chapter 70

With the game entering the seventieth minute, only twenty minutes remained. Those spectators who had come for a clash between Real Madrid and Liverpool felt cheated by the media's hype.

With over seventy minutes gone and the score still 0-0, the exciting and intense scenes they had hoped for had failed to materialize. There were only three yellow cards so far, two for Real Madrid and one for Liverpool. This hardly qualified as intense.

The Chinese fans who had stayed up late to watch the game were especially miserable. They had come to see Chen Hero perform, but he was bogged down in Real Madrid's human sea tactics, completely submerged, and hadn't had many outstanding moments.

Many of them had to go to work early the next morning. They were torn, caught in a struggle between watching the game and going to sleep. They were afraid that if they turned off the TV, Chen Hero would score and they would miss out on a great play.

But if they didn't go to sleep and watched the game to the end, only to see a dull and boring draw, they would not only have wasted their time but also be sleep-deprived, affecting their work the next day. Wouldn't that be even more unfair?

Just as they were struggling with their decision, the game itself helped them solve the problem.

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In the seventy-third minute, Liverpool won their fifth corner kick of the game.

The screen immediately showed the comparison of corner kicks between the two sides. Liverpool had five, while Real Madrid had only one, which showed how conservative Real Madrid was in this game...

However, so far, their conservatism had been effective.

Their conservatism had prevented them from conceding a goal.

Of course, if they conceded a goal and remained so conservative, then Mourinho would have a problem. It was unlikely Mourinho would make such a low-level mistake.

Corner kicks were an important means of scoring for Liverpool, as Chen Hero's and Skrtel's heading abilities could be well utilized.

However, in the previous four corner kicks, Liverpool had not created any good chances.

This time, Carragher also joined in, intending to add another point of contention. He went to fight for the near post, catching them off guard.

Chen Hero, on the other hand, attracted the attention of all Real Madrid defenders in the center, while Skrtel lurked at the far post, ready to step up if the first two points were missed... no, to use his "head."

Bale stood in the corner flag area, raised his right hand, and held up one finger.

The Liverpool players all knew this was a signal, telling everyone to execute corner kick tactic number one, which was to kick to the near post and fight for the near post.

After signaling everyone, he kicked the ball out.

Because it was a near-post tactic, Bale didn't kick the ball too high, as Carragher wouldn't be able to reach it if it were too high...

However, the corner kick he sent out was a little too low...

Carragher didn't get to the ball. Instead, Khedira, who was defending at the near post, headed the ball out first!

The ball fell at Özil's feet. The German midfielder was facing away from the attack, so he didn't turn around himself, but instead passed the ball back to Di María on the wing. Di María kicked the ball diagonally over Özil's head, landing in the center of midfield!

Benzema received the ball and completed his turn at the same time!

While Real Madrid was making a series of dazzling quick passes, Cristiano Ronaldo was already sprinting down the left wing.

Benzema turned around and dribbled the ball towards Liverpool's half. At this moment, Ronaldo had just crossed the halfway line!

The commentators' voices collectively rose by eight degrees: "This is a quick counterattack from Real Madrid!"

"Real Madrid's favorite way of attacking is here!"

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Seeing this scene, Mourinho couldn't help but stand up from his seat.

Yes, this was indeed Real Madrid's favorite and most preferred way of attacking. They would take advantage of the opponent's corner kick, when they pushed forward in large numbers, even the center backs entered the penalty area, to launch a quick counterattack!

Real Madrid had scored many goals in this way!

Could this be another one...

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Liverpool only left three people in the backfield besides the goalkeeper: the defensive midfielder Inler, the left-back Enrique, and the right-back Van der Wiel.

Two of these three people rushed towards Benzema, who was dribbling the ball, while the other stayed in the ribs, paying close attention to Benzema and preventing Ronaldo from cutting into the ribs.

As long as they could force Benzema back, Ronaldo would not be a threat on the wing. Even if Benzema passed the ball to him, he could only cross it, and the angle would be too small to shoot directly.

As long as Benzema didn't pass the ball at this time...

Just as he thought of this, Benzema decisively kicked the ball!

The ball went through the gap between Van der Wiel and Inler, heading straight for the left wing.

Ronaldo's legs moved like windmills, and he took a few steps to meet the ball!

And not only did he receive it, but he also pushed the ball inward!

"Ronaldo gets the ball! Liverpool's goal is in danger! This is Real Madrid's best chance of the game!"

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When Reina saw that Ronaldo had received the ball and was about to shoot, he hesitated. Should he come out or not?

Coming out now seemed a bit too early. Ronaldo was still some distance from the penalty area, and he was afraid that he would be lobbed.

If he didn't come out, he couldn't effectively block Ronaldo's shooting angle...

He hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to come out.

But just as he took two steps, he saw Ronaldo, who hadn't entered the penalty area yet, take a long shot!

The ball drew an arc, went around Reina's outstretched hand, and headed towards the far post. Then it hit the inside of the post and bounced into the net...

"Goal... Goal!!!"

Someone shouted.

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The entire Anfield stadium was in a chaotic uproar.

Some people were booing, some were cheering, some were sighing, and some were shouting and cursing.

Liverpool had fallen behind at their home ground!

This was something that many people hadn't expected.

They thought that Liverpool might not be able to eliminate Real Madrid, but they were confident in their ability to fight them at home and had a high chance of scoring first.

But Liverpool's "first goal" was late in coming. Instead, in the seventy-fourth minute, Real Madrid took advantage of a corner kick counterattack to score a goal.

It couldn't get any worse than this!

They were behind in the seventy-fourth minute, and there were only a few minutes left for Liverpool...

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"Unbelievable! Real Madrid, who have been under pressure for the entire game, have taken the lead against Liverpool with a quick counterattack!"

"Ronaldo! Ronaldo!! Cristiano Ronaldo! He has scored a golden away goal for Real Madrid! He has also helped Real Madrid take the lead away from home!"

"This is Real Madrid's favorite and most skilled way of attacking! Their quick counterattack is invincible! Although Liverpool's attack is also known for its speed, it is still slightly inferior to Real Madrid in this regard!"

"From Khedira heading the ball out to Ronaldo shooting the ball into the goal, the whole process took only twelve seconds! Real Madrid's quick attack lives up to its name! Liverpool had no power to resist Real Madrid's quick counterattack!"

The commentators shouted excitedly.

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Amid the commentators' excited shouts, Liverpool fans held their heads in disbelief that their team, after besieging Real Madrid for so long, had been caught off guard and fallen behind... The opponent had scored a crucial away goal and was now leading on aggregate.

And the few Real Madrid fans cheered in their own section of the stands.

After scoring the goal, Ronaldo waved his fist forcefully and roared to the sky.

Although Real Madrid's performance in this game was very calm and composed, it was false to say that the Real Madrid players weren't angry at Chen Hero's pre-match slanders. It was just that Mourinho was better than Conte at guiding the players' anger in the right direction.

At this moment, Ronaldo vented all the anger in his heart.

In addition, he had finally gained the upper hand in his direct confrontation with Chen Hero!

This was one of the reasons why he was so excited.

His teammates ran over and hugged him, and he calmed down a little.

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Ronaldo calmed down, and it was Mourinho's turn to perform.

He was also celebrating the goal. The way he celebrated was sure to be familiar to Liverpool fans... He put his finger to his lips and made a "shut up" gesture.

He was finally responding to the Liverpool fans' ubiquitous boos throughout the game!

Liverpool fans were very familiar with this gesture—Mourinho had once led Chelsea to victory over Liverpool in the League Cup, and he had made such a celebratory gesture at that time, which had provoked protests and anger from Liverpool fans.

Now he was making such a gesture again, which was a provocation, a blatant provocation—we are leading in your home ground, what can you do to me?

Sure enough, after he made this gesture, the Liverpool fans near the Chelsea coaching bench stood up from their seats and shouted angrily at Mourinho below.

But as Chen Hero had said, the enemy's insults and boos would never threaten those with strong hearts, but would only become the driving force to inspire their fighting spirit. Chen Hero was certainly a man with a strong heart, and so was Mourinho...

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Chen Hero stood in the center circle with his hands on his hips, waiting for the game to restart.

Unlike his teammates, he didn't hold his head in his hands, looking pained and regretful about the goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo had challenged him with this goal, and he had accepted the challenge. Now his eyes were on Real Madrid's goal.

There was little time left, but for him, it was enough!

Anfield's old commentator, Steve Hartson, saw Chen Hero's firm expression on the monitor.

He shouted to all the Liverpool fans who could hear his voice: "Don't give up! The game has only just begun!"