Chapter 105 Iron-Blooded Atletico Madrid

The second half of the game has begun.

The players from both sides returned to the field.

The entire San Siro stadium erupted in resounding chants once again, and both sets of fans, having been fully replenished, were once again brimming with energy.

"The match is about to begin, and as we can see from the camera, the fans of both sides have started a new round of competition!"

Atletico Madrid's die-hard fans chanted:

"Atletico Madrid! You fight like the strongest!"

"Because the fans will always tremble with passion!"

"When you become the champion among everyone."

"A true team will continue to fight in front of the goal this afternoon!"

Real Madrid's die-hard fans were not to be outdone, chanting the same hymns:

"Come on Madrid! Come on Madrid!"

"A noble and valiant leader, a knight of honor"

"Come on Madrid! Come on Madrid!"

"Compete fairly for victory, defend your color!"

……

Fueled by the fans' fervent emotions, both sides gradually began to take the second half of the game more seriously.

The pace of the game was constantly accelerated.

Not long after the start of the game, Real Madrid's Modric unleashed a powerful long-range shot that sent shockwaves through the opposition!

Oblak made a diving save, but Modric was out of form today, and the ball hit the crossbar and went out of play.

Modric's kick was a powerful warning!

"Modric has a really strong shot! It's just a pity he wasn't lucky; the crossbar kept the ball out!"

"The ball's contact point, power, and accuracy were all perfect; it just lacked a bit of luck!"

"Yes, if that ball goes in, Real Madrid might be able to completely take over the game!"

The live stream began replaying Modric's long-range shot.

The Atletico Madrid players on the field were secretly relieved that the ball hadn't gone in. If it had, their hard-earned momentum and confidence would have been completely shattered.

Five minutes later, in the same spot, Jiang Yan tried a long-range shot, but this time it was blocked by the goalpost.

"What a pity! It seems Real Madrid isn't having much luck today! Two long-range shots in a row were denied by the woodwork!"

The camera panned across Jiang Yan, whose face revealed a look of regret.

"It seems Jiang Yan is quite dissatisfied with this missed shot. Should Real Madrid try some other attacking methods? Keeping shooting from long range like this isn't a good solution."

Real Madrid's players didn't want to keep taking long-range shots, but Atletico Madrid's "ironclad defense" was simply impenetrable!

When Atletico Madrid is defending, Augusto and Gabi will drop back as far as possible, while the defenders on one side will move up to attack, creating a five-defender formation with the defensive line spread out, while the midfield will also provide support.

Once Real Madrid loses possession, Atletico Madrid's counter-attacks are extremely swift and deadly!

After intercepting the ball, Gabi is responsible for making long passes to the overlapping full-backs, who can then choose to move wide or cross the ball, and finally the two strikers complete the goal.

"Compared to Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid's most outstanding feature is its solid defense. Regardless of whether the counter-attack is effective or not, there are never fewer than four players in the back line! This is the top-class steel defense in all of Europe, built by the Argentine manager, Simeone!"

One highly-rated comment appeared in the live chat:

[You make it sound so nice, but it's just a bus...]

……

Seeing that the situation on the field was favorable, Simeone immediately went to the sidelines and began to gesticulate wildly as he directed the game.

Whether the players understood it or not is another matter, but the coaching staff on the other side definitely didn't understand it.

Real Madrid's attacking waves surged higher and higher, but they were unable to break through the defense and were repeatedly defeated by Atletico Madrid's ironclad defense.

Atletico Madrid did not give up any opportunity to attack.

In the 55th minute, Oblak caught Ronaldo's shot and threw the ball directly to Koke in the attacking third.

Koke made two quick passes to Juan Fura, the full-back who had already moved forward.

Juan Frazier dribbled the ball all the way to Real Madrid's defense.

"A one-on-one between Juan and Marcelo!"

"Will these two put on a spectacular fight for us?"

However, as everyone expected, the exciting battle did not take place. Juan Frata was well aware of his weakness and chose to pass the ball the moment he got close to Marcelo.

The pass was aimed at Kirk, who was making a run from behind!

"Juan didn't choose to challenge Marcelo; instead, he decisively passed the ball!"

Seeing Koke receive the ball, the Real Madrid players were on high alert, as everyone still vividly remembered the conflict between Koke and Modric.

We absolutely cannot lose to that guy!

Modric also rushed back from the attacking third and faced Koke one-on-one again.

"Modric and Koke! Will the first half repeat itself?"

boom!

Without lingering, Koke delivered a cross, sending the ball high into the penalty area.

Torres leaped high to contest a header, but Ramos intercepted it first, demonstrating the Spanish defender's undeniable aerial prowess.

However, just as the ball was about to fly out of bounds, a red and white figure appeared near the baseline.

"Griezmann! What is he doing?!"

Griezmann threw his entire body out, stretching his leg towards the edge of the boundary line.

boom!

He hooked the ball back to the boundary line, while he himself flew off the field until he finally stopped after hitting the GG sign.

"Griezmann made the save!!"

The instant the ball flew back out of bounds, Pepe and Carvajal almost immediately raised their arms to indicate that the ball had gone out of play.

However, the referee did not react at all.

At this point, the Holy Infant had become an untamed wild beast.

As he watched the ball fly towards him, he was about to kick it when he found that Ramos had blocked his body, making it almost impossible for him to move.

So he gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and forced a header at the goal!

Torres, despite being closely marked by Ramos, managed to head the ball towards the goal!

boom!

The ball hit the post with a crisp sound.

Upon hearing the noise, Torres was almost exhausted. He knew he had wasted a golden opportunity.

But just then, a red and white figure appeared beside them!

"It's Kirk!"

"Koke made a sideways L-shaped run in the penalty area, but the ball had almost no angle to go!"

Ignoring the danger, Kirk used his body to force the ball into the net, his head slamming heavily against the post.

"Goal!!!!!"

"GOALLLLLLLL!!!!!"

"56th minute! Koke's fearless shot! Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid!"

"That was amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"Whether it's Griezmann sacrificing himself to save the ball, Torres battling Ramos with his broken body, or Koke risking his life!"

"It was these three who combined to score that goal!!!"

"This is Atlético Madrid! This is the indomitable army!!!"

The entire San Siro was instantly swallowed up by the red and white waves.

Atletico Madrid fans roared their team anthem wildly, and huge numbers of red and white jerseys bounced wildly in the stands, as if the entire stadium was trembling.

Simeone suddenly clenched his fist and roared on the sidelines, jumping up excitedly, while the Atletico Madrid coaching staff all hugged each other in excitement.

However, the hero who scored the goal was no longer able to celebrate.

"Something seems to have happened on the field! The team doctor has come onto the field!"

"Not only that... Real Madrid players are also complaining to the referee about the goal, claiming it may have gone out of bounds!"

The Atletico Madrid celebrations on the sidelines lasted less than two seconds before the assistant referee's voice came through the referee's headset.

"The ball has gone out of bounds! Absolutely out of bounds!"

Ramos pointed towards the baseline, his emotions running high, while Pepe and Carvajal gestured wildly, indicating that the ball had already crossed the white line before Griezmann hooked it back.

Jiang Yan also arrived at their side at this moment.

Keep in mind, this was in 2016, before VAR and any video-based assistance methods existed.

The referee can only rely on visual judgment and the linesman's opinion.

The linesman jogged over, shook his head at the head referee, and whispered a few words to him.

The next second, the referee pointed firmly to the center circle.

"Goal stands!!"

"The referee confirms the goal is valid!!"

Meanwhile, the injured players on the field have also been bandaged up.

Griezmann cut his cheek, and the team doctor only gave him basic disinfection. Kirk, on the other hand, had a cut on his head, and after confirming that he could continue playing, the doctor bandaged him up with gauze.

The red and white anthem once again filled the San Siro stadium, with Atlético Madrid fans paying tribute to this tenacious team with their wildest cheers.

This time, even Real Madrid fans, who are rivals, have begun to respect Atletico Madrid's tenacious fighting spirit.

Atletico Madrid's goal was undoubtedly despicable for them, but the Atletico Madrid players' belief, will, and spirit are worthy of respect.

Some Real Madrid fans even gave them a few scattered ovations.

During this time, Benitez began to deploy tactics on the sidelines, constantly pointing his finger at the midfield and the attacking third.

A few minutes later, Koke slowly stood up with the help of the team doctor, and the Atletico Madrid fans erupted in thunderous applause.

"After a long pause, the match has resumed!"

This time, it was the once-invincible Real Madrid that was driven to the brink of defeat.

At that moment, Benitez made a substitution.

For a head coach, making a substitution means that his team is at a disadvantage in the game, and Real Madrid is now in a precarious situation.

"In the 62nd minute, the first substitution of the match finally took place!"

"Real Madrid has substituted Casemiro for Kroos!"

"Mr. Zhan Jun, what do you think of Real Madrid's substitutions this time?" He Wei asked.

After a moment's thought, Zhan Jun replied, "Benetes, he's putting all his eggs in one basket with Jiang Yan."

Why do you say that?

Zhan Jun explained, "In Real Madrid's midfield lineup, Jiang Yan is responsible for attack, Modric for linking the attack and defense, Kroos for playmaking, and Casemiro for defense!"

"Bringing on a defensive midfielder when the team is behind... I see, Benitez is betting everything on Jiang Yan's attacking ability!"

Zhan Jun nodded: "That's right, now it depends on whether Jiang Yan can complete Benitez's mission."

"Hey! Mr. Zhan Jun, you seem to have forgotten someone. What type of midfielder is Kovacic, who has performed well before?"

Zhan Jun paused for a moment: "He's the type of midfielder who gets fouled."