The atmosphere at Real Madrid's training ground was not very lively. It looked a bit like a military-style drill. Perhaps some fans thought that the media was too nitpicky, but Capello's results so far were passable. As long as one did not recall the defeat at the Gerland Stadium, Real Madrid had won three consecutive league games at the start of the new season. In addition, they only conceded one goal. Their defense had improved a lot in terms of statistics. Like Valencia, Real Madrid was the best defensive team in the league.
The alien Ronaldo, who had been ordered by Capello to train alone, was like an abandoned child in a corner that no one cared about.
It was only when he was about to pass his 30th birthday that he attracted the attention of the media and fans. This kind of attention was worldwide. Media reporters from many countries came to Real Madrid's training base to ask for an interview with Ronaldo. It was not only to give him birthday blessings, but also with a sense of anticipation. They hoped that they would soon be able to see the alien's heroic figure on the field again.
The day before Ronaldo's birthday, Raúl was injured on the training ground. The injury was not serious, but it was doubtful whether he could play in the game against Real Betis on the weekend.
Some players in the team held a small birthday party for Ronaldo. Under Capello's iron fist management, no one dared to have too much fun. Qin Xiong was also invited to participate. He took Sylvia to a barbecue restaurant in the city to send birthday blessings to Ronaldo with his teammates.
On the weekend, Real Madrid set off for Real Betis' home ground, Estadio Ruiz Lopera in Seville.
Real Madrid and Real Betis had played against each other in the Carranza Cup warm-up game. It could be said that Real Betis was one step ahead of the other teams in perceiving Real Madrid's threat.
Raúl sat on the bench because of his injury in this game, and Cassano replaced him.
Reyes continued to get the chance to start.
The game turned into a hand-to-hand battle from the beginning. Royal Betis adopted the tactic of hacking and fouling Qin Xiong, which made Qin Xiong's performance seem to fluctuate again.
When the media listed Raúl's various crimes, they only focused on Raúl's individual performance. Under Qin Xiong's observation of the overall situation, even if Raúl was running around blindly, he would still make a huge contribution to the team, especially when he could relieve the pressure he had to bear in the middle and front fields.
On the other hand, Cassano wanted to prove himself. He was waiting for Qin Xiong to serve him and create opportunities for him. As a result, Qin Xiong's only teammate in the frontline was Reyes, which made it difficult for him to progress in the frontline.
The game was in a stalemate from the start.
Something that hit Real Madrid happened in the 31st minute of the game. Cicinho suddenly fell to the ground without any resistance. He tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee. The team doctor directly signaled for a substitution after the examination. Then he only said one sentence when he walked past Capello.
"I can only say that you won't hear good news."
This almost announced how serious Cicinho's injury was!
The utility player, Bravo, came on to replace Cicinho.
Real Madrid's smooth offensive in the last game disappeared. During the halftime interval, Capello emphasized that the team had to play more bravely, so in the second half of the game, the hand-to-hand battle became more intense.
Carlos represented Real Madrid in the 500th milestone game. He also spilled blood on the field. His eyebrows were scratched by his opponent when he fought for the ball.
Qin Xiong was continuously attacked by his opponent in the frontline, and then he was given free kick opportunities.
He took it upon himself to take these free kicks.
Sometimes he chose to pass the ball, and sometimes he chose to directly shoot the goal.
It was not until the 71st minute of the game that his fourth direct free kick knocked open the Real Betis goal!
"Qin Xiong! Qin Xiong saved Real Madrid again! He used the elevator ball that he is good at to let Dobras taste the bitterness of being scored by Real Madrid again! Real Betis has been playing well. Although it seems a little barbaric, they have always made Real Madrid unable to get a chance to shoot in the penalty area. They did not expect Qin Xiong to make their efforts go down the drain outside the penalty area! "
Less than three minutes after Qin Xiong's goal, he and Reyes were immediately substituted off the field …
Capello began to give conservative on-the-spot commands again.
This time, Qin Xiong and his teammates were more understanding.
There was the Champions League group stage next week. Real Madrid could not afford to lose in the second round of the group stage after losing to Lyon in the first round. Secondly, there was the Madrid Derby next weekend!
With Real Madrid in the lead, the final period of the game always attracted the dissatisfaction of the Real Madrid fans. Capello always made it impossible for everyone to enjoy the whole game.
After shrinking the defense and slowing down the rhythm, Real Madrid succeeded in taking all three points in the away game.
After the game, Qin Xiong was asked by a Spanish reporter in an interview, "You once again scored a key goal in the game, but the manager will replace you in advance. Are you satisfied?"
As far as the game was concerned, Qin Xiong's mood did not fluctuate much. He was not dissatisfied after being replaced.
After all, the next two games were crucial.
He said truthfully, "The most important thing is for the team to win. We will follow the manager's arrangements for the rest. Of course, the manager has his reasons for replacing me. We have to face a very intense schedule. The next game is against Kyiv Dynamo, and there is the Madrid Derby a week later. It is necessary to conserve our energy appropriately."
With four consecutive league wins leading the league table, Capello was also full of confidence.
In an interview after the game, he said, "Apart from the process, the team is in order. Every player is very obedient, and the time of possession has increased. This is commendable."
As for the question about the Real Madrid fans who always burst into boos after he made conservative adjustments, Capello said that he did not care. He wanted to bring the team victory, not the spectacle. He also said that a football game was not a movie.
In fact, the Real Madrid fans' dissatisfaction with Capello was just a temporary emotion. The season had just begun. Maybe the team would become better in the future? After the run-in matured, maybe it would become natural and smooth?
It was just that during the game, when Capello made conservative substitutions, many fans found it difficult to accept at that moment.
When the game was over and they looked at the results and then at the table, the fans at this stage could still accept it with the failures of the past few years.
However, it was hard to say whether the picky and harsh Real Madrid fans could continue to endure if the trend continued to develop.
Back in Madrid after the game, Cicinho's diagnosis report came out.
The Brazilian full-back was diagnosed with a cruciate ligament rupture. The date of the operation was set, and the conservative estimate was that he would be out for more than six months!
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