Chapter 1 "Goal!!!"

“Yes! It’s goooooooooooooooooal!!!!” the ESPN commentator shouted in English. “An exquisite goal! Raúl González! Real Madrid! They now lead the home team Fiorentina 1-0! That’s a golden away goal!”

“There’s only one Raúl! We’ve witnessed that again at the Stadio Artemio Franchi; all of Florence has become his foil! He's the top scorer in Champions League history! Never giving up…Raúl González!”

In a corner of the west stand of the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Real Madrid fans erupted in cheers. The Fiorentina fans, as opponents, were uncharacteristically silent, perhaps stunned by Raúl's "impossible" goal, unsure how to react.

Raúl jumped up from the ground, kissing his wedding ring in his signature style, then opened his arms to embrace his teammates in celebration.

Zhang Jun, near the center circle, watched the Real Madrid players so jubilant and felt a knot in his stomach. In the Champions League, an away goal meant limitless possibilities. Many strong teams were eliminated by underdogs because of "away goals." Moreover, the balance of power between Fiorentina and Real Madrid wasn't that Fiorentina was strong and Real Madrid weak.

How could they allow a team like Real Madrid to score an away goal? When they arrived at Real Madrid's home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, it would be extremely difficult for Fiorentina to score an away goal and contain Real Madrid's attack.

How did it come to this? If Fiorentina wanted to advance to the next round, they had to win no matter what, and by a significant margin.

Zhang Jun looked at the big screen; only twenty-three minutes had passed. They had sixty-seven minutes to score at least two goals. Although Real Madrid's defense wasn't great, their offensive pressure was formidable, making it a challenge to achieve.

"Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun!!"

Zhang Jun heard Sabato calling him from the sidelines. He ran toward the sideline, but Sabato immediately waved him back.

"Get back! Kickoff! Attack! Keep attacking! I want you to score!" Sabato shouted, waving his arms. He had led the team into the Champions League for the first time and absolutely didn't want to be eliminated in the Round of 16.

※※※

Fiorentina quickly recovered from the blow of conceding a goal after the restart, launching a "retaliatory" attack against Real Madrid. Zhang Jun was particularly active, his figure appearing everywhere.

He had no choice but to be active. Without activity, there would be no chance to score, whether it was his opportunity or creating chances for others, requiring him to run constantly.

While running, Zhang Jun received a pass from Duff, then accelerated to cut past Guti. Instead of continuing to dribble or pass to someone, he suddenly shot directly. A long shot from twenty-five meters out!

Zhang Jun's shots focused on precision and angle, so even a long shot like this, without much power or speed, still made Casillas work hard. He flew sideways and couldn't catch the football headed for the upper corner of the goal, so he used the safest method - tipping it over the crossbar.

"Zhang Jun's sudden shot! Casillas didn't dare to be careless, tipping the ball over the crossbar! Corner kick for Fiorentina."

Time passed, but Fiorentina couldn't find the best way to breach the goalkeeper.

Casillas was known for his accurate positioning, adeptness at rushing out, and quick reactions. Although not very tall, he had made great strides in handling high balls. It could be said that Real Madrid's defense relied almost entirely on him; his individual ability couldn't be underestimated. Perhaps Fiorentina's attacking combination could tear open Real Madrid's defense, but when facing the goalkeeper, it was a duel of individual skills, and Casillas was second to none in that regard.

While Joaquín was taking the corner kick, Krøldrup pulled Zhang Jun aside: "I can see that to score, we have to pass the ball to a place where even the goalkeeper is helpless. Even if you have a one-on-one, he might save it. Casillas' ability to save one-on-one shots is terrifying."

Zhang Jun nodded in agreement. Indeed, shooting directly at him might not be very effective. He knew that all too well.

"But, how do we do that?"

"Don't worry about that; move further upfield. I'll be responsible for passing to you and Van Persie."

Zhang Jun patted Krøldrup's shoulder. Their long-term partnership made him trust Krøldrup implicitly. If Krøldrup said he could pass to him, he definitely could. All he needed to do was wait, wait for the moment the pass arrived, then shoot and score, never failing the pass from behind.

The corner kick was taken, causing chaos in the Real Madrid penalty area.

Van Persie poked a shot that hit teammate Kehl's foot and bounced back out. Baptista tried to clear the ball, but Mascherano intercepted it, kicking it away.

The football that Mascherano kicked away landed right at Krøldrup's feet. Krøldrup was now on the edge of the penalty area, where there weren't many people. He had enough time to adjust and then see if he should shoot or pass.

Zhang Jun saw Krøldrup get the ball in front of the goal. He remembered what Krøldrup had told him earlier: "A pass that even the goalkeeper is helpless against."

What kind of pass was that?

He stared intently at Krøldrup on the left side of the penalty area.

"Go up and defend him!" Casillas shouted, shifting his body toward the near post, blocking Krøldrup's shooting angle.

Krøldrup glanced into the penalty area and immediately saw Zhang Jun in the crowd; he was looking at him.

Watch closely, Zhang Jun, I'm passing!

"Krøldrup suddenly shoots! He didn't even adjust...the post! What a pity...ah! Wait!" Don't be surprised that the commentator was so startled; everything that had just happened in front of the goal was indeed beyond his imagination.

Zhang Jun saw Krøldrup lift his foot and thought he was going to pass, so he prepared himself, but then he saw Krøldrup shoot directly, which he didn't expect.

What he didn't expect was yet to come. Casillas anticipated that Krøldrup would shoot, so he blocked the near post, but he didn't expect Krøldrup's shot to hit the post. At that time, his center of gravity was completely lost in order to catch the ball. Unexpectedly, the ball didn't go into his arms as he wished, but bounced toward the front of the goal.

In the instant that Zhang Jun was stunned, he saw the football hit the post, and then...then it bounced toward him!

Zhang Jun didn't have time to think about how the ball that hit the post bounced impartially in front of him. He instinctively stretched out his head...a diving header!

The football flew into the empty net without suspense, and Casillas was already lying on the ground, face up, truly helpless.

"Oh—goooooooooooooooal!!! Fiorentina scored an equalizing goal in the chaos! They equalized the score just before the end of the first half, which is great news for Fiorentina supporters!"

After scoring, Zhang Jun didn't celebrate wildly like others might expect. Instead, he lay on the ground, looking at the football in the net with some confusion.

Was this what Krøldrup meant by a pass that even the goalkeeper was helpless against?

If this was real, it was too exaggerated, right? A player could control the football to hit the post precisely, then control its angle and power of rebound, accurately sending the ball to where it needed to go... Zhang Jun recalled a video released when Ronaldinho was testing Nike shoes, which caused a huge uproar at the time, because Ronaldinho could shoot the football at the crossbar four times in a row, then control them accurately back into the range he could control again. Four times! At the time, people marveled that it wasn't something humans could do, and many people questioned the authenticity of the video. Although Ronaldinho insisted that it was his real skill level and nothing special, many professional players believed it was a computer special effect.

Could it be...did Krøldrup also possess the same terrifying and unbelievable skills as Ronaldinho?

Although Zhang Jun had never doubted how outstanding Krøldrup's personal skills were, being able to reach such a terrifying level... Zhang Jun really wanted to rejoice that he had persuaded Krøldrup to join the Chinese team. This person had the ability to change games through his footwork.

His teammates pounced on him, pressing him down. They didn't think as much as Zhang Jun did, assuming it was just an ordinary shot hitting the post, then Zhang Jun following up with a shot.

Only Zhang Jun still stared intently at Krøldrup amidst the wild cheers of his teammates.

While running back to his own half, Zhang Jun took the opportunity to ask the question in his heart: "Hey, Krøldrup...was that last ball the pass you said even the goalkeeper was helpless against?"

Unexpectedly, Krøldrup shook his head: "No, that was luck."

"Luck?" Zhang Jun was surprised.

"Well, I originally intended to shoot for the far corner, controlling the football to a place where Casillas could save it, but not catch it, so that he would knock the football toward the front of the goal, so that you and Van Persie would have a chance. I didn't expect my left foot not to turn completely when shooting, so the football was a little outside, luckily hitting the post. It's that simple."

Zhang Jun was stunned; he stopped. Even if it was luck to hit the post, to be able to bounce back in front of him, wasn't that exceptionally strong luck?

A pass that even considered the goalkeeper's reaction factor, and at that time, it was only a second.

He always felt that Krøldrup did it on purpose and it wasn't luck at all.

※※※

Zhang Jun thought that way, but others didn't see it that way. In their eyes, Zhang Jun's goal just now was because of good luck, and definitely not something Krøldrup directed.

After Fiorentina equalized the score, they should have taken advantage of the momentum, working hard to try to surpass the score again. However, the halftime whistle sounded very untimely.

Halftime wasn't a good thing for a team with momentum, because after a fifteen-minute break, the body cooled down, and the momentum disappeared with it. The Fiorentina players also felt that they had just built up a head of steam, and now suddenly there was nowhere to vent it, so they all lowered their heads and walked off the field.

As Zhang Jun went off the field, he noticed that he was next to Raúl. Raúl noticed Zhang Jun looking at him and smiled politely at Zhang Jun. There was no sign that they had been fighting to the death on the field just now. Since Raúl smiled at him, Zhang Jun was embarrassed not to return the gesture, so he smiled back.

Because the score was tied, both sides were still relatively calm.

Unexpectedly, Raúl suddenly said something to Zhang Jun. Zhang Jun didn't hear it clearly, and he didn't know if Raúl spoke in Spanish or some other language.

Raúl understood when he saw Zhang Jun's confused expression. He pointed to his jersey, then pointed to Zhang Jun's jersey.

Zhang Jun now understood: his idol wanted to exchange jerseys with him!

Without saying a word, he quickly took off his purple jersey, covered in sweat and dirt, and handed it to Raúl.

Unexpectedly, it was Raúl's turn to be surprised, but Raúl also quickly took off his Real Madrid jersey and gave it to Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun didn't expect that Raúl would take the initiative to exchange jerseys with him. He quickly bowed to Raúl and said "thank you" in English.

Everyone in the world knew this word. He thought Raúl should have understood it, because Raúl smiled at him while holding his jersey, then waved goodbye.

Zhang Jun pushed open the door to the locker room, bare-chested, holding the crumpled Real Madrid jersey in his hand. Xiang Tao was a little strange: "Eh? Zhang Jun, where's your jersey?"

Zhang Jun pointed to the jersey in his hand: "I exchanged jerseys with Raúl outside just now."

"Wow! Exchanging jerseys before the game is over? And with Raúl..." Xiang Tao sighed, "It's a pity Carlos isn't here, otherwise I would really like to exchange jerseys with him. Oh well, I'll reluctantly exchange jerseys with Beckham."

"Don't talk nonsense, Xiang Tao! The Real Madrid number 23 jersey is mine." It was Zhang Jun's partner, Van Persie, who spoke.

"Stop fighting, everyone. I've already booked Beckham's jersey," Uyfalusi said triumphantly, "My little daughter likes him, and she insisted that I get his jersey. Although I'm not very interested in him myself..."

"You'd have a problem if you were interested!" Xiang Tao was annoyed by Uyfalusi's smug face.

"..." Zhang Jun looked at the chaotic scene, speechless.

※※※

Raúl looked at the jersey in his hand. He thought the Chinese forward was very interesting. His intention was only to exchange jerseys with each other after the game, regardless of the outcome. He didn't expect the other party to be so anxious to exchange them at that time. When he saw him take off his jersey and hand it to him, it wouldn't be good if he didn't accept it.

How could this be the best player in Italy? He was clearly a little fanboy chasing stars.

Raúl smiled, then pushed open the door to the locker room.

"Raúl, why are you so late?" Guti was standing at the door waiting for him.

"I just exchanged jerseys with the other team's number 11 outside, which delayed me a bit."

"That Chinese forward...Zhang Jun?"

"Yeah. He supposedly regards me as his idol among active players, hehe." Raúl put Zhang Jun's jersey in his locker, then took out a new jersey to put on.

"We're still opponents, how could you exchange jerseys during halftime?" Guti asked in confusion.

"I originally wanted to tell him to exchange them after the game, but he was so eager that he took off his clothes and handed them to me, how could I not accept it?" Raúl shrugged.

Guti stroked his chin and looked at the ceiling: "He really is a rather interesting person."

※※※

Inside Fiorentina's locker room, while a fierce battle was still going on over who would get Beckham's jersey at the end of the game, Sabato pushed the door open and came in.

"Stop arguing, let's hurry up and arrange the tactical arrangements for the second half. What was great in the first half was that we equalized the score near the end." Sabato tapped the tactical board, signaling everyone to be quiet. "But this damn halftime is really damn untimely!" Sabato rarely swore like this now. Maybe he had been holding it in for too long. This time, he blurted out two "damn" in a row. The Fiorentina players listening below were immediately energized. They knew that the second half would be tough.

"I won't blame you for Real Madrid's goal in the first half. But you defenders must also take on the responsibilities you should take on! In the second half, keep a close eye on Raúl and Robinho, these two dangerous players, especially Raúl! Even if both his legs are broken, you can't let your guard down!" Sabato said murderously, as if he wanted to personally go up and break Raúl's legs.

"On the offensive side, continue to attack fiercely! This is my home stadium, we have no reason to retreat. If we can score two goals, we absolutely can't just score one and be done with it. If we can score three, we're not allowed to only score two. If we can't score more goals here, then next week, it will be difficult for us to score more goals."

Zhang Jun nodded repeatedly. That's what he was thinking too. The home-field advantage must be used well. If they only win by one goal at home, it's not much different from a loss.

"Zhang Jun!"

Hearing Sabato call his name, Zhang Jun looked up at the head coach.

"In the first half, you ran actively, expanded your range of activity, and increased your chances, which is great. But...you need to consider your stamina problem in the second half. We will have two games a week for the next two weeks. Don't overdraw your energy."

Zhang Jun nodded, "Don't worry, boss. I know."

From some point on, the players called Sabato "boss" and Jariamian "chairman." Sabato didn't object. He secretly hoped that the players would call him "godfather," but since he had contact with Ren Yudi, he didn't dare to. Because he always felt that the young behind-the-scenes boss had a bit of a mafia vibe...

"In short, Real Madrid's defense is still their weakness. We don't need to shrink back to defend their attack. That's passive defense! I want you to rush out and attack, and counterattack with them, using our attack to suppress their attack! Use the best attack to replace defense!"

Sabato believed that the essence of Fiorentina's rapid rise was all in the word "attack."

※※※

In the second half, Fiorentina followed Sabato's instructions and launched a fierce attack against Real Madrid. Real Madrid also continued to use their attack to suppress the home team, and the two sides were evenly matched from the beginning.

Van Persie had just poked a shot in the penalty area that was saved by Casillas, and Real Madrid immediately counterattacked, with Robinho shooting powerfully, but it was saved by Frey.

"The pace of attack and defense on both sides has obviously accelerated, which makes the game even more exciting. The biggest difference between the Champions League and the league is the knockout system. Both sides can't afford to lose a single game!"

This was Krøldrup's third game since returning from injury. From his performance, his recovery after the operation was quite good. Naturally, this was thanks to Fiorentina's physical therapist and team doctor, Feng Qing. Sabato in particular had to be thankful. Without Feng Qing, Krøldrup might still be resting and recuperating at home, and it would be impossible for him to appear in the Champions League match against Real Madrid.

Krøldrup dribbled the ball forward in the midfield, facing Baptista, who was returning to defense. Krøldrup started riding the bicycle. Just when Baptista thought he was going to break through, he poked the football to the side, passing it to Mascherano, who was coming up from behind.

Mascherano wasn't polite either. From about twenty-seven or eight meters from the goal, he swung his foot and took a long shot!

The football soared into the air, passed over everyone's heads, and flew toward the Real Madrid goal.

"Iker!" Ramos shouted.

When he turned around, Casillas had already flown up. He jumped very high and raised his right hand high, knocking Mascherano's very high-quality long shot over the crossbar.

"Ah—damn it! Hell!" Sabato, who was focused on the sidelines, suddenly waved his arms and jumped up. He thought the ball might go in.

Two minutes later, Real Madrid attacked and Fiorentina defended. Guti made a very accurate long pass, Raúl unloaded the ball perfectly, but he didn't break through or pass it into the penalty area, but passed it to Beckham on the right wing.

Beckham also didn't stop the ball and crossed it directly.

Robinho was too short, and it didn't look like he had a chance. But Beckham's ball wasn't passed to Robinho, but to...

Baptista, who was coming up from behind!

The tall and strong Baptista jumped high in the sprint, glided, and then headed the ball powerfully!

Frey reacted with unexpected agility. He jumped up almost at the same time as Baptista headed the ball, then stretched out his hands and firmly grasped the ball in his hands. Even when he fell from the air, the football didn't come loose.

"The two goalkeepers are performing very well! This is really an exciting game. A game with Fiorentina and Real Madrid will never be dull! The two teams that advocate attacking have dedicated an exciting counterattack to us... Well, to be honest, I really hope that the two teams can still perform like this next week at the Bernabéu. This is football!" The ESPN commentator shouted excitedly.

But for Sabato, counterattacking could entertain the audience, but the most important thing was to be able to win first.

He paced back and forth anxiously on the sidelines, like a child who couldn't get a lollipop, staring at the players on the field with pleading eyes, as if lollipops might fall from their bodies.

※※※

Krøldrup was facing García's defense. He didn't continue to dribble the ball, but stopped and faced the La Liga yellow card king head-on. He didn't seem worried that he would be injured again by the fierce defensive midfielder in front of him.

Screams rang out in the stands of the Stadio Artemio Franchi, aimed only at Krøldrup. They wanted Krøldrup to get past the Uruguayan.

Krøldrup spread his legs and circled his right foot around the football. Seeing that García was unmoved, he planned to circle again.

After circling three times in a row in place with his right foot, García couldn't hold back. As long as Krøldrup came again, he would definitely tackle, whether it was tackling the ball or tackling the person.

Sure enough, Krøldrup seemed to be deliberately showing off his footwork, and circled again. This time, García didn't hesitate to tackle the football!

But he didn't tackle the ball. Because Krøldrup passed the football out with the heel of his right foot before him. Just right, Mascherano received the ball again from behind.

It turned out that he had been circling four times in a row to wait for Mascherano to come up.

After Mascherano broke through Real Madrid's first line of defense, he continued to dribble the ball forward. This time, he was facing Guti, but he didn't continue to dribble the ball. He lifted the football up while running. This move was beyond Guti's expectations. He looked up at the football passing over his head and then falling toward Zhang Jun in front of him.

Zhang Jun received the ball with his back to the goal. He jumped up and stopped the football with his chest. When the football was falling, he shook his left ankle very discreetly, lifting the football over the heads of the two Real Madrid defenders behind him! Then he immediately turned around and passed between Raúl Bravo and Woodgate!

"Broke through! Zhang Jun's chance! Fiorentina's chance!"

Casillas attacked without hesitation. He didn't want to give Zhang Jun too much space and angle to shoot.

Zhang Jun glanced at Casillas, who was attacking, and then, when the football was still at his chest height, he suddenly shot in the air!

His body was very stretched, his arms were open to maintain balance, and his legs swung out like scissors, and then his right foot hit the back of the football like the firing pin of a pistol.

The football flew toward the goal like a bullet. Casillas reacted quite quickly, and he reached out to block it. But how could he block a powerful volley from only two meters away from him?

So when the football had already flown into the goal, his hands were only raised—not because his movements weren't fast enough, but because Zhang Jun's shot was too fast.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh—greatgooooooooooooooooal!!! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Zhang's goal!"

The Stadio Artemio Franchi erupted in huge cheers the moment the football hit the net. Everyone raised their arms and jumped up, shouting, "Long live! Zhang Jun! Long live! Fiorentina!!"

"Fiorentina took the lead against Real Madrid 2-1! They took the lead at their home stadium, all thanks to Zhang Jun's brilliant personal performance! Scoring twice, Zhang Jun's outburst!"

Zhang Jun, who had scored this goal, could finally vent loudly. He ran to the corner flag and shouted loudly with his teammates.

Li Yan saw this scene in the press box, and he thought he could imagine what Zhang Jun was subconsciously thinking.

Real Madrid was his favorite team, and Raúl, Ronaldo, and Beckham were his idols. So when he could defeat his idols in a fair and square manner, it might mean that he had taken another step forward. Finally, he didn't have to look up to these people anymore, but could look at them as equals.

Later, he might even step on the corpses of Real Madrid and embark on his own path and future. At that time, he would become the idol and goal of surpassing for other juniors.

Isn't that how football can continue to be passed down because of these people?

And isn't that how they, these football reporters, have food to eat?

While Li Yan glanced at the field, his fingers kept typing on his laptop:

...Maybe Zhang Jun himself won't actively realize how important this game against Real Madrid will be for him. But I can say that when Zhang Jun defeats his former idols, he will become a new idol. This is the replacement of old and new forces.

※※※

After taking the lead, Fiorentina once occupied the advantage on the field, which made Real Madrid, who were not good at defense, very passive. At this time, Luxemburgo sent Ronaldo, who had been warming up on the sidelines since the second half, onto the field.

"With twenty-five minutes left in the game, Luxemburgo sent Ronaldo onto the field. The meaning is very obvious, he is not willing to end the game like this."

Ronaldo came on to replace Pablo García, who was playing in midfield defense.

When Zhang Jun saw the fat man jumping and jumping on the sidelines for the final warm-up, he remembered a long, long time ago, when he was still a high school student, Ronaldo was already making a name for himself in the world of football. It could be said that he grew up watching Ronaldo play football. It's really nostalgic for that time.

With age, Ronaldo's weight has also increased, but no one dares to doubt his threat within five meters of the goal. This experienced veteran is about to reach the age of retirement. Now he has gradually lost his main position at Real Madrid, and he has even said that he will retire at the end of this season.

Zhang Jun thought that he would never have the opportunity to compete with such a great player on the same field again. This idol he had watched since he was a child, this person who was once closest to God on the front line, along with his childhood memories, would all retire this summer. Thinking about it, he would feel a little sad. But now, what Zhang Jun could do was to play the remaining twenty-five minutes well, defeat them, defeat Ronaldo, and express his respect for Real Madrid and those former superstars in this way.

The word "fatty" is a nickname for Ronaldo among Real Madrid fans, and it is a term of endearment. But if it is shouted out from the mouths of opposing fans, then it is naked provocation and insult.

So when Ronaldo ran onto the field with his big belly, the entire Stadio Artemio Franchi was shouting, "Fatty! Fatty! You should go down and rest!"

Ronaldo himself was used to this kind of provocation and insult. Once in a World Cup South American qualifier, opposing fans put up banners scolding his wife for wearing a green hat to him, and he still completed the game normally. So, while Fiorentina fans were still mocking Ronaldo's figure, he had already used a beautiful five-meter raid to make Frey almost make a mistake.

At that time, after he suddenly started on the edge of the penalty area, he suddenly shot directly without adjusting. Frey didn't expect it, and squatted down a little too slowly, almost letting the football pass through his crotch. Fortunately, his body still suppressed the football at the critical moment.

"Hey! Frey!" Zhang Jun shouted loudly, "What are you thinking about? Don't let your guard down!" He didn't call Frey's name, but called him by his last name directly, indicating that he was also very dissatisfied with Frey's performance just now.

Frey raised his hand to apologize to his teammates.

"Don't underestimate him, he's very powerful." Zhang Jun said to the others, "Although he's old, his shooting skills are getting more and more refined. If we're not careful, our lead will disappear in an instant."

Ronaldo's performance certainly silenced the Fiorentina fans at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. He seemed to be telling the home fans with his actions: "I'm here, I'm not dead yet, what are you yelling about?!"

Frey's move just now also frightened Sabato. He thought everything was over when he saw the football rolling backward from his hands. If Real Madrid scored two away goals, then they would basically have no hope of winning when they arrived at the Bernabéu.

"Oh, damn it, is that Frey bastard trying to give me a heart attack?" Sabato wiped his sweat.

※※※

On the one hand, Fiorentina had to pay attention to the Real Madrid's three forwards' continuous bombardment. On the other hand, they were definitely not satisfied with winning 2-1 at home. If this score was maintained until the end of the game, then in the next match, Real Madrid would only need to win 1-0 at their home stadium to knock out Fiorentina.

Fiorentina, who had to take care of both ends, were a little disjointed. The offensive players wanted to score goals, while the defensive players didn't want to concede goals.

Ronaldo was dribbling the ball outside the penalty area again. This time, he relied on a five-meter acceleration and a combination of riding the bicycle to forcibly break through Bonera's defense, and then suddenly shot with a small angle. Frey didn't make a mistake this time and dived to knock the football out of the baseline.

Bonera was very depressed by the breakthrough. He really didn't expect that Ronaldo, who was already at this age, could still run so fast. He only faked twice, and then started, and in just one step, he couldn't keep up.

"Squeeze him out, don't defend the inside line!" Frey reminded him.

Bonera nodded and spat on the ground: "I won't let him come in so easily next time!"

While Fiorentina's defenders were having a headache over defense, Zhang Jun was also having a headache over how to score another goal. After scoring twice, Real Madrid's defense against him was obviously tighter, almost to the point where people were inseparable from him. No matter where he ran, someone followed him. Woodgate ran forward, and García retreated.

For a while, he couldn't even receive the ball well. When did Real Madrid's defense become so powerful? Zhang Jun didn't understand.

He didn't know that it wasn't that Real Madrid's defense had become better, but that Real Madrid's players were forced to explode with bloodiness.

Sabato's words before the game had already made the Real Madrid players hold the mentality of "must win." As a result, they didn't expect to be led by Fiorentina. How could they accept such a result?

Raúl was even more desperate to shuttle back and forth in the frontcourt. He had a spirit of never admitting defeat, whether in the club or in the national team, and now he needed to bring this spirit to the limit. He was the captain, he had to fight, and he had to fight to the end.

Zhang Jun looked at Raúl's back, which was soaked with sweat, and recalled the smile during the halftime break. It was really difficult to connect these two images in one person.

Mascherano got the ball in the backcourt and wanted to pass it back and forth to delay time, but Raúl rushed up from the side and tackled, knocking down both the person and the ball. The referee whistled to signal his foul, and he didn't go up to pull Mascherano up, but ran straight back.

At this time, Raúl didn't have the demeanor of a "prince" at all, but had the murderous aura of a fighter. Zhang Jun couldn't say which Raúl was better, but looking at Raúl's eyes, he gradually felt a kind of power—the power of not wanting to admit defeat.

Although Sabato repeatedly told him to pay attention to maintaining his strength and not to overdraw his energy, he couldn't do it in the face of Raúl.

He couldn't help much in defense, so he would do his best in the middle of the attack, delaying the pace of Real Madrid's progress. The so-called offense is defense.

Raúl's fighting spirit was influencing the entire Real Madrid team, and Zhang Jun was also influencing Fiorentina.

The two teams accelerated the pace of the game again at the last moment. Even the ESPN commentator was puzzled by this. Logically speaking, this was the time when the players' physical strength was exhausted, and they shouldn't have the physical strength to make the attack and defense switch so quickly.

The players on the field didn't think that way.

Time waits for no one. Where is there time to consider the problem of physical strength, first win the game (tie) and then talk about it!

※※※

Fiorentina's corner kick, the football was cleared out by Real Madrid, and their defensive line immediately pressed forward as a whole.

Unfortunately, the ball cleared out by Real Madrid fell back into the feet of the Fiorentina team again.

Joaquín didn't hesitate. Just after intercepting the football, he immediately started on the right side of the field, a 45-degree diagonal long pass!

This time it was Van Persie!

He rushed out, jumped up, stopped the ball with his chest, and then shot as soon as he landed!

Casillas waved his hand and didn't stop the football from entering the goal.

The Stadio Artemio Franchi boiled again, and Van Persie turned around excitedly to pounce on Joaquín, who assisted him. But soon he saw the linesman standing still, with the flag in his hand pointing to him horizontally.

Offside!

The cheers of the Stadio Artemio Franchi immediately turned into ear-piercing boos.

"Ah! It's offside! This goal is invalid!"

Van Persie stopped helplessly and shrugged. Zhang Jun waved him to come back quickly.

Compared with the calmness of the players on the field, Sabato was almost furious below: "Shit! That referee is blind! He can't see anything! How could this ball be offside!? Idiot! UEFA are all idiots!"

The big screen was playing the scene just now, the slow motion was replayed four times, with various angles, confirming that the linesman's judgment was correct. It's just that...the gap between Van Persie running out and Real Madrid's last defender Bravo was too imperceptible. Maybe the two were only half a body apart. The linesman was indeed sharp-eyed.

Luxemburgo had cursed loudly like Sabato when the goal was scored, but now he had completely calmed down and sat quietly in his chair. There wasn't much time left, and he had accepted the result. And losing by only one goal couldn't be considered a failure. When they returned to their home stadium, anything could happen.

Then, he replaced Robinho and Beckham, which was equivalent to announcing that he had given up the game.

Fiorentina also replaced Zhang Jun, who had consumed too much physical strength, and Krøldrup, who had not recovered for a long time after his injury. Both head coaches could only accept this result.

After the players on the field had rushed and fought fiercely for a while, their physical strength had also dropped to the accumulation point, and many players couldn't run anymore and could only "walk" on the field. The final result of this game had actually been determined: Fiorentina won at home, but Real Madrid left their hopes at the Bernabéu.

Four minutes later, the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

"The game is over! The whole game is over. Fiorentina won a narrow 2-1 victory over Real Madrid at home. In this way, the next round of the game will become crucial. Fiorentina only has a one-goal lead, and their promotion is very dangerous. And Real Madrid has not lost hope either. I think the game next week will be even more exciting!"

After the game, the players on both sides lost that hostile mood. In the end, Beckham's jersey was still snatched away by Uyfalusi, because he had his little daughter as a