Chapter 102 Conflict

"Jiang Yan has blocked that sure goal!"

"He seemed to be reminding his teammates to cheer up and not get discouraged!"

"At only 19 years old, his leadership qualities are already beginning to emerge!"

Upon hearing Jiang Yan's words, the people in the penalty area seemed to snap out of their daze and ran towards the second point where the ball bounced.

The ball wasn't cleared very far. Saul got the ball and passed it across again. Augusto received the ball, and the awakened Real Madrid players pressed him. Augusto took a long-range shot, but the ball grazed the post and went out of bounds.

Although he didn't score, seeing his players perform so well, head coach Simeone stood on the sidelines applauding them while directing them to retreat and defend.

On the other side, Benitez sat on the bench. He also wanted to run to the sidelines and give passionate instructions like Simeone, but he was just too uncomfortable!

Since the middle of the season, illness has been plaguing the veteran Spanish coach, and recently he has increasingly felt that his body is on the verge of collapse.

"Mr. Benitez, are you... alright?"

Benitez looked grim, but still forced a smile and said, "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."

The assistant coach standing to the side was very worried about the perilous situation on the field.

Benitez also noticed his concerns:

"Don't worry, our players aren't that fragile." His gaze lingered on Jiang Yan. "The greater the pressure, the better they'll perform."

……

Navas takes the goal kick, and Real Madrid's counter-attack officially begins.

Navas passed the ball to Bale.

Bale looked at the two defenders in front of him and was just about to break through when he saw Jiang Yan waving for the ball in the center circle.

boom!

Jiang Yan executed a perfect ball control maneuver in front of Griezmann, and completed a turn and dribble past him before the opponent could even extend his leg to steal the ball.

"Jiang Yan! Turn around and break free!"

After getting past Griezmann, Jiang Yan began to dribble forward, while Atletico Madrid continued to tighten their defense.

Koke immediately pressed forward, trying to use his body to pressure Jiang Yan and cause him to make a mistake, but Jiang Yan was not afraid at all and steadily controlled the ball.

boom!

Jiang Yan made a concealed pass right under Kirk's nose.

Alonso's long diagonal pass at a 45° angle, combined with D. Silva's magician pass, left Koke unaware that the ball had already flown away, still desperately pressing Jiang Yan.

Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose: "Jiang Yan's cross! Koke hasn't even reacted yet!"

The football drew a beautiful arc in the air, bypassing Atletico Madrid's defense.

Upon seeing Jiang Yan's finger, Benzema immediately started running towards the ball's landing point.

"Punch-in!!!"

"Benzema!!!!"

Oblak, as the best goalkeeper in La Liga this season, has first-class reaction speed and save ability. Almost the instant Benzema raised his foot, he fell to the ground and stretched out his arms to extend his body.

boom!

The ball grazed his fingertips and flew out of the goal area.

"Wow!!!!"

The Atlético Madrid fans in the stands, having narrowly escaped death, couldn't help but gasp in relief.

Real Madrid fans held their heads in disbelief. La Liga's best goalkeeper of the season, truly domineering!

Benzema lay in Atletico Madrid's penalty area, his face filled with disbelief.

Is this reaction speed even human?

"Jiang Yan's pass cleverly evaded the defenders, and Benzema reacted in time, but unfortunately, there was a Superman standing in front of Atletico Madrid's goal!"

"If this ball goes in, it will be a perfect start for Real Madrid!"

"Benzema's tap-in was impeccable, but Oblak's performance was better."

That was a scary shot!

Did you guys see that? Jiang Yan pointed at Benzema before passing the ball! Like a divine sign!

[This goalkeeper is terrifying, is he cheating?]

[Real Madrid's first shot on target, don't rush, the pace of the game is picking up!]

[This match is going to be exciting, all high-scoring attacks! High-scoring attacks! High-scoring attacks!]

……

Real Madrid's shot on target brought the probing phase between the two sides to an early end.

The pace of the game began to pick up.

The match is in its 15rd minute.

Griezmann dropped back to receive the ball and glanced up at Torres's position.

This French striker's positioning is always uncanny, and he has now keenly spotted the gap behind Real Madrid's defense.

With a slight flick of the toes.

The ball arced in a rainbow-like arc, bypassing Real Madrid's defenders, while the Holy Infant was already poised to pounce inside the penalty area.

There was no need for further instructions between the two; Torres had already sensed the scoring opportunity the moment Griezmann dropped back to receive the ball.

This is the chemistry between top players.

Just as the ball crossed Real Madrid's entire defense and was about to land in front of Torres...

A white figure darted out like lightning, landing first and scooping away the ball.

"As expected of Maldini's 'precise tackle,' it's practically a guaranteed hit!"

"Jiang Yan! It's Jiang Yan again! The crucial tackle!"

The ball was cleared out of bounds; it's a throw-in for Atletico Madrid.

"The pace of attack and defense has noticeably quickened, and Jiang Yan has started appearing more frequently in his own half to participate in defense. Is this part of Benitez's tactical setup?"

He Wei's voice was filled with excitement. Jiang Yan was a child he had "watched grow up." He had witnessed Jiang Yan's first goal, his Champions League debut, and even every match after he became famous.

Seeing Jiang Yan shine in the Champions League final was undoubtedly the happiest moment of his life for him.

[Jiang Shen is so versatile!]

After that shot on target, Real Madrid didn't have many decent chances, and Jiang Shen had to win the ball back from the backfield himself!

……

The match is in its 18rd minute.

Tony Kroos, who had retreated, intercepted the ball and passed it to Jiang Yan, who had made a forward run.

Jiang Yan glanced at the right side.

Bell has already accelerated.

boom!

A precise, dipping cross was delivered to Bale's feet. Bale trusted Jiang Yan's passing skills and did not choose to slow down or stop the ball, but instead kept running with his head down.

"Beautiful leaf-shaped ball!"

"Jiang Yan handled that ball very well. Bale had already picked up speed. A normal pass would have required Bale to slow down or even stop, to make a stop-the-ball movement before starting again."

"Jiang Yan's pass landed precisely in Bale's path, making full use of Bale's speed!"

Left-back Luiz was on high alert. Facing Bale's all-out sprint, he did not choose to compete with his opponent in speed, but instead took the initiative to occupy the space that Bale might want to exploit.

This is a tactic that Jiang Yan often used to defend against Bale's speed during Real Madrid's training matches.

The two remained locked in a stalemate near the sideline.

Bell tried to accelerate and overpower Louis again, but Louis timed it perfectly and gently poked him with his toe.

"Bale! He's been brought down just outside the penalty area!"

The ball was cleared out of bounds, and Bale fell to the ground in pain.

"Beep!!!"

The referee blew his whistle, indicating that the ball was in play.

In the live broadcast, slow-motion replay showed that Luis touched the ball first before tripping Bale.

Bale knelt on the ground helplessly, gesturing to the referee. He knew the other player had touched the ball first, so he didn't argue further.

"Bale had the ball when he fell, so it's Atletico Madrid's throw-in."

Atletico Madrid quickly took a throw-in, attempting to launch another rapid counter-attack.

"Atletico Madrid's counter-attacks are very fast; Real Madrid needs to be careful!"

The voice just fell.

The ball had already returned to Jiang Yan's feet.

"Wh...what!"

"Director, could you please replay the scene that just happened?"

Just as Atletico Madrid captain Gabi received the ball, a white figure appeared beside him.

By the time Gabi felt a powerful impact, it was too late.

Jiang Yan held off Gabi from his side, seized the opportunity, and kicked out instantly!

Makelele's "Tackling" skill pack was immediately activated, and possession returned to Real Madrid.

Modric took advantage of the chaos to control the ball.

The moment Modric received the ball, Atletico Madrid's midfield immediately swarmed him, with Simeone yelling from the sidelines to direct the pressing. The physical confrontation of the Madrid derby instantly reached its peak.

boom!

Modric was violently tackled by Koke, sending him and the ball flying out of bounds.

This instantly ignited the emotional dynamism between the two sides.

Upon seeing Modric fall awkwardly onto the grass, Real Madrid players immediately surrounded him, with Jiang Yan leading the charge, his chest slamming into Koke's, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

That was a malicious foul!

Kovacic and others on the bench rushed over and surrounded Koke. Kovacic, who is also Croatian, angrily stepped forward to demand an explanation for Modric.

Koke was surrounded by Real Madrid players, but instead of backing down, he stubbornly fought back, verbally retorting defiantly:

"A fair challenge! There was no foul on that play!"

This statement instantly made him the target of public criticism, and the Atletico Madrid players were not idle either. Seeing their player in trouble, they rushed over to protect him.

Kirk, under the captain's protection, stayed away from the trouble.

The referee rushed in, blew his whistle loudly, and forcefully separated the players from both sides, issuing a stern warning.

Captain Ramos frowned and pulled Jiang Yan back, while Benzema held back the emotionally charged Kovacic.

Ultimately, the referee gave Koke and Kovacic a yellow card each, and the matter was settled.

……

Inside the live stream, the screen was filled with scrolling comments.

This is the Madrid derby! It's packed with tension!

Watching a football match and then having a WWE performance on the side is definitely worth the ticket price!

[Kirk's move was really ruthless; anyone would be worried in his shoes!]

Jiang Yan was the first to rush forward to protect his teammates; he's a true hero!

The funniest part was that Kovacic received a yellow card!

[Hopefully Modric won't get injured; anyone would have been hurt by what Koke did!]

He Wei remarked, "This is the Madrid derby! This conflict has thoroughly woken up both teams' players and raised the tension of the match to a new level!"

Zhan Jun echoed, "That's right. Jiang Yan was able to stand up for his teammates immediately, and even Kovacic and others on the bench ran onto the field. This kind of cohesion is very important for Real Madrid right now."

A team that can reach the finals needs not only skill, but also fighting spirit.

The game has restarted...