At 8: 45 p.m. on November 1st, Real Madrid faced the challenge of Steaua București at Bernabéu.
The outside world was still focused on the "rebellion" in the Real Madrid locker room and was not too worried about the Champions League game.
Real Madrid, whose competitive level was getting better and better, was on a path that was reassuring.
This game was no exception.
The attacking group composed of Qin Xiong, Raúl, van Nistelrooy, and Robinho played an amazing momentum at home. Even if Steaua București had been defeated by Real Madrid before, they learned from the experience of failure and focused on containing Real Madrid's playmaker, Qin Xiong.
However, it was very difficult to play at Bernabéu. They could not control the rhythm of the game. Qin Xiong was leisurely in the middle of the field to organize the team and tirelessly create opportunities for his teammates.
In the 29th minute of the game, Steaua București's efforts were in vain.
Qin Xiong in the front field slanted into the side of the penalty area. Robinho cut inside the penalty area and did not stop the ball directly in front of the goal. Van Nistelrooy seized the opportunity to push the shot.
Real Madrid, not surprisingly, took the lead at home.
Before the end of the first half, Steaua București's midfielder, Palashov, fouled Qin Xiong consecutively and accumulated two yellow cards and was sent off.
Steaua București, with one less player, was in a more difficult situation. In the 57th minute of the second half, Carlos received Qin Xiong's free kick and scored from a long shot.
2:0
For Real Madrid, the overall situation was set. Capello gave Beckham, Ronaldo, and Guti time to play. Qin Xiong was brought off to rest early.
Real Madrid's offense after that was still very threatening because Steaua București's confidence had been completely destroyed.
Van Nistelrooy was awarded a penalty in the 73rd minute of the game, but he personally kicked the penalty away.
Five minutes before the end of the game, Guti's long shot from the periphery caused the goalkeeper to make a save. Ronaldo's rebound shot in front of the goal and the ball was sent into the goal. The final score was 3: 0.
"The game is over. The fourth day of the UEFA Champions League Group E has ended. Real Madrid defeated the visiting Steaua București with a score of 3: 0 at home. They have successfully killed their opponents and have accumulated nine points.
In the other match of the same group, Lyon won 1: 0 against Kyiv Dynamo.
The two qualified teams in this group had already been born.
Lyon and Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League round of 16.
Lyon now has 12 points.
Real Madrid 9 points.
Steaua Bucharest 3 points.
Kyiv Dynamo 0 points.
The last two rounds will determine who will be the first in the group between Lyon and Real Madrid, while Dynamo Kyiv and Steaua Bucharest will fight for a spot in the UEFA Europa League! "
Advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League ahead of time lifted some of the burden off the Real Madrid team, especially in the context of the Copa del Rey.
After the game, Capello praised the team's performance. The players said in an interview that they would strive to take the first place in the group from Lyon and lay a good foundation for advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Cassano's storm still had not dissipated. The bookmakers opened the door for his departure, and even Ronaldo, who was also in the vortex of public opinion, did not come to be suspected.
After all, the incident was negative. It was not a good thing to be under the media's attention for a long time.
Real Madrid's top management came out to put out the fire.
Mijatović said that Cassano needed to apologize to the whole team.
"What happened to Cassano is very bad for our team. It's also unfortunate for the players. If he can apologize to the club in the next few days, I'll be very relieved. Everything depends on him. "
In fact, this was to give Cassano a way out. But how could the hot-tempered Barry boy give in so easily?
Cassano, who was isolated for training, often had a smile on his face, but he always complained to his teammates in private about how he used to support and defend Capello when he was in Rome. Now Capello made his heart feel extremely cold.
As for Ronaldo, Mijatović's statement was slightly formulaic. He thought that Ronaldo needed to be more patient.
"The coach has always said that Ronaldo is an important figure in his game plan. Now it's up to his own state and performance. I believe he will have a chance to play soon. Ronaldo needs to be a little patient now."
Real Madrid's locker room was not turbulent as described by the outside world. On the contrary, it was a scene of calm.
Cassano had been isolated, and Ronaldo had been on the sidelines since before the season.
Everyone was now wholeheartedly focused on the competitive level, and the team's performance continued to improve. No one wanted to destroy the overall team's increasingly ideal state.
When November passed, Qin Xiong's physical condition had recovered. First of all, he did not need to return to Asia to participate in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. China's team had won all four games and confirmed the group's advancement. Arihan would focus on training the newcomers, hoping that the China team could grow stronger.
At the end of November, there would be this year's Ballon d 'Or selection.
Qin Xiong set his sights on this award. He felt that he had a chance to be the winner this year!
Although the probability was not high, it was better than last year when all the star players lived under the halo of Ronaldinho.
The candidates for this year's Ballon d 'Or award each had their own merits.
The Italian national team that won the World Cup had two players. Buffon and Cannavaro were popular candidates.
Henry, who helped Arsenal reach its historical peak, and Qin Xiong were also popular candidates.
Ronaldinho, the reigning Ballon d 'Or winner, also had a place. However, his performance in the World Cup was below expectations, and his slump since the start of the new season made his title defense fall significantly.
Qin Xiong now began to adjust his state of mind and concentrate on the game. Before the results of the Ballon d 'Or award were out, this was the best time to make a good impression!
He needed to perform in the spotlight and occupy the headlines of the media publicity.
Let his image be more deeply rooted in people's hearts, especially the nerves of the judges.
November 5th.
Real Madrid faced Celta at Bernabéu in the ninth round of the league tournament.
Qin Xiong performed a shot and two passes to help the team reverse Celta 4: 2 and was selected as the best player of the game.
At the same time, he was also ranked second in the La Liga shooting charts, second only to van Nistelrooy.
Cassano did not appreciate it this week. He regarded the way Mijatović gave him a way out as a disgrace, so he chose to break off relations to bury his Real Madrid career.
Not only did he not apologize, but he publicly said in front of the media that he would look for any opportunity to transfer out of Bernabéu. His destination was naturally an Italian team.
Real Madrid's higher-ups were also tough. Not only did they agree to let Cassano leave, they were even willing to send him away for free.
Real Madrid did not lack the transfer fee at all. Since Cassano had become a hidden danger to the team, then getting rid of this burden was something that Real Madrid could not wait to do.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
