Chapter 443 Keep an eye on him!
This match was incredibly exciting from the very beginning!
Originally, the audience was worried... worried that both teams would be too cautious and play too conservatively; they were also worried that Gao Jianfei, a novice with no professional playing experience, would affect the excitement of the game.
But... there's nothing to worry about!
The match had only been going on for a few minutes when it reached its climax!
The pace of both sides' offense and defense is extremely fast!
Inside the VIP room.
All the guests' eyes lit up!
These guests are all people who have spent their lives dealing with football. They know that Gao Jianfei's through ball just now, which seemed effortless, was actually a skill that had been honed through thousands of repetitions!
"Great, their football skills are very strong!" Wenger nodded.
The rest of the people, including former Real Madrid stars Zidane, Figo, and Carlos, although they all supported Wenger's views, had to nod in agreement at this moment.
"I think Mourinho should make substitutions quickly. If he continues to use this purely attacking style to compete with the German team, he is likely to be overwhelmed by the German team's sharp counter-attacks!" Ferguson said with a smile. "If I were Mourinho, I would take the initiative to make substitutions at this time, bringing on a defensive midfielder and taking off an attacking player."
On the field, Mourinho had realized the seriousness of the situation and the difficulty of the match, but he was not yet prepared to make substitutions!
After all, the game had only been going on for a few minutes, the players hadn't warmed up yet, and there were no injuries. Making a substitution at this point would be a forced substitution, which is like slapping yourself in the face!
"Let's wait and see!" Mourinho's expression was very serious.
Now, let's talk about Real Madrid's attack. It really has to be said that Real Madrid's attacking lineup is incredibly strong, comprised entirely of players with exceptional individual skills. Combined with their teamwork, they can easily tear apart the German defense!
At this moment, Messi received the ball and dribbled past three German players: Rodriguez, Kaká, and Benzema, all of whom successfully reached the German penalty area!
"Pass the ball!" Feng Haoyu shouted at Messi. After shouting, he subconsciously looked around... Fortunately, Gao Jianfei didn't rush over again.
Messi is in excellent form today. He quickly dribbled past a German player, raised his right foot, and was about to pass the ball into the German penalty area! There, a bunch of Real Madrid players were waiting!
At this very moment...
"Pfft!" Gao Jianfei silently rushed up from behind and poked Messi's foot away! Schweinsteiger quickly got the ball and dribbled forward!
Messi looked up at Gao Jianfei in a daze... Why did he rush over here?
Feng Haoyu, standing on the edge of the penalty area, felt a chill run down his spine... This Gao Jianfei wasn't specifically marking me; it seemed he was marking whoever had the ball and trying to steal it from them! Also, with him putting so much effort into both offense and defense, stealing the ball and organizing attacks, even if he had martial arts training, his stamina would definitely run out!
Hmph! Even though he has some trump cards, he's still a loser if he can't manage his stamina properly!
Speaking of Schweinsteiger, he was the true brain of the German team. After receiving the ball, his passing strategy was very clear. He did not risk dribbling forward, but instead passed the ball to Müller, who was in a good position, near the center line!
Müller received the ball, turned to face the Real Madrid goal, then with a quick glance, he executed a one-two pass with the onrushing defensive midfielder Khedira, easily breaking through Aaron's defense.
"Whoosh!" The entire audience gasped in unison.
The commentator exclaimed at the opportune moment, "Germany's counter-attack speed is really fast! Their footwork is also very skillful! As you just saw, it was Gao who disrupted Real Madrid's attack! It seems that Gao is in great form today! He's very excited!"
On the field, just as Müller was about to receive the ball and attack, unexpectedly, Real Madrid's two center-backs, Puyol and Pique, rushed up and snatched the ball away from Müller the moment he tried to pass it!
"Great! Real Madrid's defense is pushing very high! Müller has lost possession! Puyol has the ball now!" the commentator exclaimed.
Puyol is a defender; he is strong defensively, but his passing ability is not particularly outstanding. Therefore, he directly passed the ball to Real Madrid's playmaker, defensive midfielder Aaron!
Just as Aaron comfortably received the ball, Gao Jianfei rushed in from the side and stole it! This time, Gao Jianfei anticipated that Puyol was unlikely to launch a long ball, but would more likely pass it to Aaron to orchestrate the attack!
Therefore, Gao Jianfei did not rush over to steal the ball from Puyol. Instead, he quietly stayed by Aaron's side. As soon as Aaron got the ball, Gao Jianfei rushed over at lightning speed to steal it!
After successfully winning the ball, Gao Jianfei started dribbling wildly when he was about 40 meters away from the Real Madrid goal!
Drive straight in!
This time, Gao Jianfei didn't choose to pass the ball! He dribbled forward himself!
Portuguese player Coentrao rushed over but was beaten by Gao Jianfei; Ramos came up but was also beaten by Gao Jianfei with a one-man dribble!
Gao Jian's combination of skill and ball control was excellent. He used the dribbling techniques he learned from Garrincha, along with his own slight lightness and speed, to enter Real Madrid's territory as if it were empty!
"My God! Gao is a dribbling master! He's beaten two Real Madrid defenders! There's no defense behind him! Puyol and Pique are both pressing forward! They successfully intercepted the ball from Müller, but they couldn't get back in time! Oh no! He's one-on-one! Gao dribbles 20 meters, creating a one-on-one situation! He'll be facing Casillas one-on-one! Real Madrid is in danger! It's time to test Gao Jianfei's shooting skills! Oh... at this moment, Real Madrid's attacking player is chasing back! Feng Haoyu is very fast! He's almost catching up with Gao Jianfei!"
The current situation is that Real Madrid's defense is practically non-existent under Gao Jianfei's sprint! Gao Jianfei has already sprinted to the edge of the penalty area with the ball! Although Feng Haoyu is chasing very fast, he is still several meters away from Gao Jianfei! Feng Haoyu also used his lightness skill to accelerate his pursuit, but ultimately he is still a few meters behind!
Casillas is an excellent goalkeeper; he won't just sit idly by! He's already rushed out of his goal! He's going to save the ball from Gao Jianfei's feet!
Gao Jianfei's lips curled slightly, and with a gentle flick of the bottom of his right foot, the ball soared over Casillas' head. As the ball reached the goal, it suddenly dipped and... rolled into the net!
Goal!
At that moment, Feng Haoyu had just caught up with Gao Jianfei! Unfortunately, he was a step too late; Gao Jianfei had already completed his chip shot and scored!
"You..." Feng Haoyu stood beside Gao Jianfei, watching the ball go into the net!
Casillas shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to do anything. The blame lay with his own defenders, who pushed too far forward! And midfielder Aaron's defensive abilities were too poor, giving Germany ample opportunities for counter-attacks!
"Hehe, Feng Haoyu, you go get the ball. Sorry, it's 1-0 now! Haha!" Gao Jianfei sneered at Feng Haoyu, then ran off to celebrate with his teammates!
"G!!! Goal! 1-0! High! High! High! High! G~~~~~~~~~~~~~g~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The commentator on site started to scream in a hoarse, duck-like voice, dragging out a final syllable!
The audience erupted in cheers!
That goal was absolutely brilliant!
A swift counter-attack, stealing the ball, a long drive, dribbling past the defender, and a chip shot! All executed flawlessly!
On the German team's bench, Löw, Bierhoff, as well as substitutes, assistant coaches, and others stood up and high-fived each other in celebration.
"Foolish Mourinho, choosing such a formation is just asking for trouble!" Bierhoff laughed heartily.
Löw also laughed, "Gao is our soul! He thwarted two of their attacks, and then scored a goal himself! His performance surpassed that of any other player on the field!"
In the VIP box, all the guests stood up and applauded the goal.
"This goal was a one-man show by Gao. From his interception of Aaron's pass, to his dribbling, to his passing, and finally his shot, it was all his doing! I have to say, based on the current situation, Gao is an all-around player, and he's fast and technically gifted!" Wenger nodded.
"He's even better than Messi and Ronaldo! Uh, of course, he's better than Feng Haoyu too!" Ferguson laughed heartily. "I'd love to ask Gao Jianfei after the game if he's interested in playing for Manchester United."
On the field.
A group of Real Madrid players stared at each other in disbelief! The goal was incredibly fast; the attacking players had just lost possession and were trying to run back to their own half to defend when Germany had already scored!
"Alright! It's only 1-0! Everyone, keep going! Keep going! Tie it out!" Feng Haoyu, holding the soccer ball, ran towards the center line. "Don't just stand there like idiots, hurry up and kick off!"
Off the field, Mourinho was getting a little frustrated... He knew his gamble had failed! Gao Jianfei was a dangerous player; he was simply too outstanding! Therefore, Mourinho's attacking lineup had become a complete idiot's lineup!
With no other option, Mourinho called Pepe over from the bench.
"Pepe, come on immediately and replace Kaká," Mourinho instructed anxiously.
"Me? Play center-back? That means we'll be playing a three-center-back formation!" Pepe asked, puzzled. After all, his starting position is center-back, and he's Real Madrid's first-choice center-back.
“No, your position is a free agent! You're fast, have good stamina, and are good at marking. My task for you is to mark Gao Jianfei closely! Mark him man-to-man! Go wherever he is, and do your best to prevent him from getting the ball or passing it out.” Mourinho paused, then emphasized. “If necessary, you can choose to… foul. Of course, don't make any big tackles.”
At that moment, Real Madrid won the ball. They learned that their coach needed to make a substitution, so they immediately kicked the ball out of bounds, creating a dead ball situation.
Pepe replaces Kaka! His task is to stick to Gao Jianfei like glue!
This was a forced tactical adjustment and substitution. In this arena, Mourinho has already lost to the composed Löw!
Chapter 444 The Despicable Pepe
Chapter 444 The Despicable Pepe
Real Madrid makes a substitution!
The game had only been going on for 10 minutes when Real Madrid conceded a goal and were forced to make a substitution!
When Kaká was substituted, Mourinho tried to hug him, but Kaká refused and walked angrily towards the locker room! He's a big star, after all, and he'd only played 10 minutes with very few actual touches on the ball before being taken off. How could he not be angry? Any player would be unhappy to be substituted mid-match. Moreover, this match was as important as the World Cup final, watched by millions of players. Kaká… was very unhappy!
An indignant stance!
After Pepe came on, she didn't do anything else but ran straight to Gao Jianfei's side and stood there. Then, she stared at Gao Jianfei with an aggressive and challenging gaze!
"Huh? This guy was specifically keeping an eye on me after he came on stage?" Gao Jianfei was taken aback.
At this moment, the commentator shouted loudly, "Oh! Coach Mourinho has substituted Pepe for Kaká! After Pepe comes on, he should be responsible for marking Gao! He's standing right next to Gao! Haha, interesting, it seems that Coach Mourinho thinks the terrifying figure in the German team is... Gao!"
At this moment, Real Madrid, the team that conceded the goal, kicked off and launched an attack. Although they had substituted one attacking player, for Real Madrid's forwards, losing one player had virtually no impact. They could still easily use their abilities to outmaneuver the German players and tear apart the German defense!
Gao Jianfei saw that Luo was dribbling the ball all the way and was approaching the German penalty area, so he quickly ran back to his own penalty area to actively participate in the defense.
At this moment, Peipei stuck to Gao Jianfei and ran after him!
"Oh? Man-to-man marking?" Gao Jianfei laughed and cried at the same time. "It seems that Mourinho still takes me seriously. Even if I go back to defend, he will assign someone to mark me, trying to use a pairing tactic to wear me down with Pepe? To get rid of me? Haha, dream on!"
Gao Jianfei's actual speed is definitely not as fast as Peipei's, but he uses some light-footed running skills when he runs, so when they really run, Peipei can't catch up with Gao Jianfei!
"Haha, I'm going back to defense, you keep marking me! I'll run behind you!" Gao Jianfei accelerated and left Peipei several meters behind!
Pepe exerted all his strength, chasing after Gao Jianfei, but he realized he was much slower than him! Pepe's heart sank... "Damn it, the coach told me to mark Gao Jianfei, but I'm not as fast as him! What's the point of marking him?!"
Pepe is a very strong defensive guard, and he's also the kind of guard who will do anything to defend! He's been entrusted by the head coach, so he'll definitely do everything in his power to stop Gao Jianfei! Stick to Gao Jianfei! Besides, the head coach has given him permission to foul!
At this, Pepe, standing behind Gao Jianfei, whispered in English, "Bastard! You dog bastard!"
"Huh?" Gao Jianfei was stunned! He instinctively stopped running and turned around to look at Peipei.
"Damn it! With me here, every time you get the ball, I'll take you down!" Pepe continued to taunt.
Gao Jianfei then realized that Peipei's "bastard" was an insult directed at him!
"Damn it, who are you cursing?" Gao Jianfei was furious!
Pepe is very experienced. After stalling Gao Jianfei, he didn't make direct contact with Gao Jianfei. Instead, he bypassed Gao Jianfei and ran towards the German team's penalty area.
In fact, in football matches, it's very common for players like Pepe to use underhanded tactics to affect their opponents' mood and performance. Most professional players simply ignore such foul language. Because if you pursue it, you'll only end up hurting yourself! Besides, the best revenge is to ignore these low-class players and defeat them – that's the proper retaliation.
If you argue with him, it will definitely affect your game; if you hit him, he will fall to the ground and roll around in pain, and you will immediately be sent off with a red card by the referee!
A classic example is the 2006 World Cup final between France and Italy. During extra time, an Italian defender verbally abused Zinedine Zidane's mother and family, causing Zidane to lose his temper and headbutt the Italian defender in the stomach. Zidane was shown a straight red card, and Italy ultimately won the match against a France team missing their midfield maestro. A similar incident occurred during a World Cup match between England and Argentina, where an Argentine player verbally abused Beckham. Beckham retaliated by lightly kicking the player, resulting in a red card!
Gao Jianfei wasn't a professional player, and he was unaware of the intricacies of the situation. Enraged, he charged forward, intending to teach Pepe a lesson. Pepe, running ahead, thought to himself… "Gao, you bastard, come and kick me! One kick and I'm down! If you get sent off, we'll completely crush Germany! I'll be the hero of the victory!"
Therefore, when Gao Jianfei ran to Peipei's side, there was a hidden sinister element in Peipei's eyes when she looked at Gao Jianfei.
Gao Jianfei snapped back to reality when he saw that look in his eyes... Damn it, he's waiting for me to beat him up! So cunning!
"You son of a bitch! I'm warning you, watch your mouth!" Gao Jianfei warned without even lifting a finger.
Without saying much, Pepe charged straight into the German penalty area!