Chapter 949
Words:1683Update:22/09/03 23:40:46
Today's update!
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Although Huntelaar emphasized to the media that he wanted to appear in the Champions League, Real Madrid eventually gave up on signing him up for the Champions League knockout stage. Instead, they chose László Diarra, who was more useful to the team's lineup.
On the night of February 25, Real Madrid and Liverpool met at the Bernabéu.
Real Madrid's morale was high. They were closing in on Barcelona in the league tournament. They met Liverpool, who were defeated last year, in the Champions League. Everything seemed to be on the way to a turnaround.
Liverpool's players had also accumulated confidence through this season's lead in the Premier League. In addition, Real Madrid was no longer as scary as last season. The team's tenacious and unyielding foundation forced them to come to the Bernabéu again after a year!
The players of the two teams walked into the noisy Bernabéu stadium with their heads held high.
"Welcome to the Bernabéu stadium. The first leg of this season's Champions League 18 finals has finally kicked off. After a period of rest, the Champions League has entered the real cruel stage.
The defending champion Real Madrid was drawn to play the Premier League leader Liverpool as the second team in the group. They played against each other last season. Real Madrid defeated Liverpool in two rounds to advance. What kind of sparks will the two teams produce when they meet again a year later?
Both teams were passionate teams, and it was believed that these two matches would not disappoint the fans.
Let's take a look at the starting lineup of both teams.
Real Madrid starting lineup: 442.
Goalkeeper: Casillas.
Defenders: Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Marcelo.
Midfielders: Robben, László Diarra, Guti, Snede.
Forwards: Qin Xiong, Raúl.
Liverpool starting lineup: 4231.
Goalkeeper: Reina.
Defenders: Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio.
Midfielders: Kuyt, Mascherano, Gerard, Alonso, Riera.
Forward: Torres.
The kick-off ceremony is over. Let's look forward to what kind of wonderful game the two teams will present to the audience. "
Liverpool kicked off first at the Bernabéu. They were cautious at the start and did not pull the pace of the game. After all, they were playing as guests and needed some time to get into the zone.
Real Madrid did not frantically counterattack to break Liverpool's rhythm.
Real Madrid, which had an unusually thin lineup this season, needed to distribute their stamina more rationally. That was the consensus of the entire team. Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to cope with the pressure of competing in two tournaments in the second half of the season. Moreover, they had their respective national team assignments.
In the third minute of the game, Alonso suddenly passed a long ball from the middle to the right side of the front field.
The British style of long passes already existed in Liverpool's technical and tactical system. Their aggressive attacking style had not faded away the advantage established by the Premier League teams in the European competition.
Kuyt stopped the ball with his chest before Marcelo and pushed a step to the middle. Marcelo moved a step back but could not block Kuyt's next step.
Kuyt inserted the ball diagonally behind Cannavaro. Holy baby Torres, who ran diagonally from between Pepe and Cannavaro, cut into the penalty area, received the ball and half-turned to volley!
Casillas moved nimbly and reacted quickly to hold the ball in his arms.
Liverpool took the lead to complete the first threatening attack of the game.
Real Madrid spurred the attack.
The football was passed by Ramos and came to Guti's feet.
Guti had just controlled the football and was stunned to find Riera, Kuyt, and Gerard surrounding him from three sides. At the same time, Alonso also boldly rushed up. He had just taken a step diagonally to dribble the ball when Kuyt destroyed the ball. Alonso stepped forward and kicked the ball diagonally to the front of Riera's running position.
"Real Madrid lost the ball in the midfield! Guti was surrounded and the ball was intercepted by Kuyt! Liverpool had a chance to attack quickly! "
Benítez's eyes became extremely dignified when he saw this scene on the sidelines. This was the focus of his technical and tactical arrangements for the game!
Riera ran forward to control the ball and attracted Las Diarra's attention. But he did not stick to the ball. Gerard rushed forward along the middle and Riera passed the ball diagonally to the front of Gerard.
In front of the penalty area, Gerard faced Pepe and Cannavaro. Torres made a reverse offside run at this time.
Cannavaro retreated to defend against Torres. Fearing that Gerard would send out a straight pass, Pepe went up to intercept. Gerard took advantage of the situation and dribbled diagonally to break through Cannavaro's defensive zone, dodging Pepe's pressing!
It was too late for Cannavaro to press forward to intercept at this time!
Gerard's dribbling speed increased. He took big strides and dribbled diagonally to the ball, breaking through Cannavaro's defense!
At this time, Gerard, who had already played the absolute depth of the offense, passed the ball across the middle.
Torres, who was unmarked, faced Casillas, who abandoned the goal to expand the defensive area. He took a step back along the trajectory of the football. This step completely bypassed Casillas, who was rushing from the front. Then Torres moved laterally to catch up with the ball. Before Ramos could tackle, he cleanly hit the ball with his right foot into the empty goal!
The Bernabéu stadium echoed with the ecstatic cheers of the Red Army fans!
"Liverpool just got off to a fantastic start! Real Madrid's midfield was intercepted to give Liverpool a chance to attack quickly. Gerard rushed into Real Madrid's penalty area like the wind and created a great opportunity for Torres. Torres lived up to expectations and seized the opportunity. He bypassed Casillas and easily sent the ball into the empty goal!
No one expected Real Madrid to concede the ball so quickly. The defense, which had improved in the last two months, was defeated by Liverpool in today's crucial battle!
0:1
Real Madrid have to wake up. They have allowed Liverpool to score an away goal. This is not a good sign. "
Guti raised his hand to apologize to his teammates. His interception was the fatal reason for the goal concede.
Bosque sat in the technical area with a frown.
Playing against his "student" Benítez once again made him realize that this was a top-notch tactical clash in the truest sense!
Benítez's reputation as a master tactician was not undeserved.
Perhaps the problems that Real Madrid did not discover in the past two months of consecutive victories had been fully understood by Benítez.
Benítez watched Torres score but did not express his inner excitement. He had always been like this, unsmiling and cold as ice.
He knew in his heart that the current lead over Real Madrid did not mean anything, just like last year when they led Real Madrid by two goals but did not win the game in the end.
But he was more confident today because this year's Liverpool was stronger than last year, and Real Madrid was not as strong as last season. The team's lineup structure also had inherent flaws!
Liverpool had to grasp Real Madrid's weak spots and beat them to death in order to have a chance to step over the body of the defending champion to enter the top eight!
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