Although it was only July, Nottingham Forest had already slowly closed the door to the transfer market. Tang En decided to keep his team away from the rumors in the transfer market and focus on preparing for the new season. Last season's Champions League was not the end for them. In the face of this achievement, there were still higher achievements waiting for them to pursue.
While the Forest team was still training in Moscow, Allan had already flown back to Nottingham to assist Evan in handling the various aspects of the new stadium construction plan.
The Nottingham municipal government and the Nottingham Forest Football Club cooperated to announce a real estate development plan in Clifton. In the small town of Clifton, southwest of Nottingham, a large residential and commercial area would be built, as well as a modern new stadium that could accommodate 60,000 people.
Following that, a bidding process was launched across Europe.
As the Moscow Railway Cup was about to begin, the Nottingham Forest Football Club's official website announced the results of the bidding for the new stadium construction project.
In the end, Wilson Bowden, the fifth-largest housing builder in the United Kingdom, won the bid and was responsible for the new stadium and residential development project. The most attractive point of their proposal was that it would save money. The use of new technology and the development of new transportation infrastructure in cooperation with the municipal government could save about 8% of the cost. In addition, the residential area around the stadium and a football theme park could also bring the club a generous return after the completion of the project. At least according to the plan. At that time, Nottingham Forest's new stadium would not just be a football stadium. It would also be an amusement park, a satellite city that integrated dining, entertainment, and residential leisure.
The initial funding for the new stadium would come from bank loans and new television broadcasting revenue, as well as the Champions League bonus. As for the funds provided by sponsors, it would be used to maintain the team's daily operations. Therefore, Allan had to seek richer investors for this huge project to ease the club's tight funding situation for the next few years. Tang En, who had never cared much about the club's operations, was also particularly concerned this time. How many years of hardship had Wenger tightened his belt in order to build a Emirates Stadium? Tang En did not want to be "the second Wenger." His saving in the transfer market this time made Allan very happy, but Tang En could not allow himself to be so frugal every year. In the future, when he saw good players but did not have the money to buy them, Tang En would be so angry that he would vomit blood.
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Before the Moscow Railway Cup, Tang En's team had two warm-up matches in eastern Germany. One was in Cottbus against the local Serie A team, Cottbus. In that match, Tang En had deployed the reserves and First Team's substitutes and young players as starters.
There was one person in Energie Cottbus that Tang En was somewhat concerned about, and that was the China player, Shao Jiayi, Sun Jihai's teammate in the national team. They were all from China, so they had to take care of each other when choosing their opponents for the warm-up match. Therefore, the Forest team chose Energie Cottbus, which had avoided relegation every year in the Bundesliga.
Energie Cottbus sent out all their main players, but Shao Jiayi was not in the starting lineup. He sat on the bench.
Energie Cottbus, who played with all their main players in the first half, led the European champion, Nottingham Forest's "second team" by two goals.
This result greatly encouraged the entire Cottbus team. It also made the Cottbus fans, who came to watch the game live, excited, and the atmosphere in the stadium heated up. It did not look like a warm-up match, but more like a Champions League group stage match that determined who would advance.
During the halftime interval, Tang En made adjustments and changed five players in one go: van Nistelrooy, Arshavin, Petrov, Lennon, and Kompany.
After the main players got on the field, the situation immediately changed. The Energie Cottbus players had planned to continue to expand on their results in the second half during the halftime interval. The victory made them forget who the opponent in front of them was. The cheers from the Energie Cottbus fans also made them think that they could do anything at home.
Just 38 seconds into the second half, van Nistelrooy received Arshavin's cross from the flank and scored with a header, equalizing the score to 1: 2.
Tang En did not stand up and wave his fists in celebration. For him, entering the goal of a team like Energie Cottbus was too easy.
After falling behind, Energie Cottbus wanted to continue to struggle. Ten minutes later, Petrov scored another goal for the Forest team to equalize the score.
This goal completely woke Energie Cottbus up. This was a warm-up match. There was no need to go all out for the victory of this match. Similarly, there was no need to be upset about the defeat of this match. He began to change players.
Energie Cottbus changed more thoroughly than the Forest team. They changed nine players in one go, including Shao Jiayi.
Next, it was the Forest team's turn to continue changing players. Tang En similarly did not care about winning or losing. He mainly wanted to see if the newly joined players had gradually integrated into the team after so many days of training.
In the end, both sides changed 11 players each, replacing all the players who had played at the beginning. Nottingham Forest defeated Energie Cottbus 4: 2, proving that the strength of their European champion was genuine.
Next, the team found a local amateur team for a warm-up. This was a completely closed warm-up match. In fact, it might be more appropriate to call it an intra-team match. It was played on the training ground, with no spectators and no media. In the end, the Forest team swept their opponents 9: 1 under Tang En's constant adjustments. Tang En was still not satisfied — because his team had conceded a goal. After the match ended, he criticized the defensive players on the bus back to the hotel.
After the two warm-up matches, the Forest team flew back to Moscow again to start preparing for the Railway Cup.
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The draw ceremony was very simple because it was just an ordinary pre-season invitational tournament. Everyone knew what this form of competition was for. Other than the media from the countries where the four teams were located, it did not attract too much attention.
The final result was quite interesting.
The managers of the four teams sat side by side on the stage. Tang En sat together with Real Madrid's new manager, the German "Madman" Schuster, while AC Milan's manager, Ancelotti, sat together with FC Lokomotiv Moscow's manager, Yuri Pavlović.
After the host drew the lots, he announced the results to the media below the stage and the managers on the stage.
When everyone saw that the Forest team and Real Madrid were drawn together, they all laughed knowingly. This was not the first time the two teams had met. The Forest team's first encounter with Real Madrid in the Champions League had directly led to the dismissal of Real Madrid's former manager, the Brazilian Rosenberg, and the resignation of the former club chairman, Fiorentino.
In recent years, there had also been talk of Real Madrid's interest in the Forest team's George Wood from time to time. Just this summer, Tang En had just rejected Real Madrid's 20 million euro offer for Ribéry.
It was also this summer that David Beckham, who had ended his four-year contract with Real Madrid, chose to join Nottingham Forest on a free transfer. No one had expected him to meet his former club on the battlefield so soon.
Tang En was also a little surprised by the result. He even thought it was arranged by the organizers to create a gimmick to interest the media and the public and to attract popularity.
He and Schuster, who was sitting next to him, looked at each other. Everyone knew that the media was waiting to watch a good show, but they were also unwilling to let the people below get what they wanted.
At the press conference for the draw ceremony, Tang En was asked about his opponent in the first round. He did not answer the question directly. He just praised Real Madrid and congratulated them on winning the La Liga title. These answers, which basically did not require any brainpower, did not satisfy the media. They asked Schuster again. Schuster, who had become the manager of a powerhouse team, also appeared cautious. His answer was the same as Tang En's: congratulations to the Forest team for winning the UEFA Champions League title, claiming that the Forest team was a problem worthy of respect.
Such an answer was too disappointing for the media. It looked like if the Forest team and AC Milan were drawn together, there might be more topics to talk about.
If the Forest team could break into the final, then this scene would not be too far away — probably no one present thought that AC Milan would lose to FC Lokomotiv Moscow, except for their manager, Yuri Pavlović.
In front of the three powerhouses, the host was like a supporting role at this moment, and no one cared about it.
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On July 26th and 27th, the first two rounds of the Railways Cup officially began (the Railways Cup was held slightly earlier due to the circumstances). The first game was the highlight of the confrontation between the powerhouses — Nottingham Forest against Real Madrid.
One was an upstart that had just become the Champions League champion, and the other was the traditional powerhouse team that had won the most trophies in the Champions League's 52-year history. Both teams were star-studded and glittering, and there was even a talking point like Beckham, which made the game attract everyone's attention. In contrast, although the organizing committee had set the second game for tomorrow, the game between AC Milan and FC Lokomotiv Moscow was destined to not steal the limelight of this game.
It was just an ordinary invitational game, but because of Beckham, the situation was different. Beckham was impressively on the roster of both teams announced before the game, but he was not on the starting list, which made many media and fans unhappy.
So, the media patiently asked both managers any questions about Beckham. For example, they asked the Real Madrid manager, Schuster, "Was it a mistake to sell Beckham?", "Did Beckham not help the team at all?", "What kind of player do you think Beckham is? Is he good? Was the treatment he suffered last season fair? " It was even easier to deal with Tang En. "Why is David Beckham not on the starting list?"
This annoyed Schuster, because Beckham's matter had nothing to do with him. He had never coached the Englishman for a day. Whether it was buying him to Real Madrid or kicking him out, it had nothing to do with him, the new manager who had just taken office. Just because he was now the Real Madrid manager, he had to accept such harassment. He was a little unhappy.
Tang En was the same as Schuster. He did not want the media to only focus on Beckham, which would cause some people in the locker room to resent him. So, after he answered "Why is Beckham not in the starting lineup" because of his injury, he refused to answer any other questions about Beckham. If a reporter opened his mouth to say "David Beckham …", Tang En would turn his head and pretend not to hear the question until someone asked, "How is Nottingham Forest …" Only then would he answer the question with a smile.
Because of Beckham, both managers and the media were a little unhappy before the game.
Many people who came to watch the game at the scene also came for the star players, and most of the female fans came for David Beckham. Because Beckham was not on the starting list, Nottingham Forest received unanimous boos from the fans when they came out.
There were even a large number of female fans holding large posters of Beckham and screaming Beckham's name to demonstrate to Tang En. Although there was no shortage of superstars on the Forest team, there was only one player as influential as David Beckham.
Tang En did not care about the feelings of those fans. He was not there to serve these people.
This was not an ordinary warm-up game. This was a cup game with a championship reward. He could not deal with Real Madrid like he did with Energie Cottbus. Tang En basically sent out the main lineup from last season in the starting lineup for this game. It was just that Eastwood had a minor injury in the forward position. Out of caution, Tang En let Arshavin replace Eastwood and let Bendtner and Arshavin start at the same time.
Van Nistelrooy sat on the bench with his good friend, Beckham.
Real Madrid also did not send out the main lineup that won the championship last season. The new manager naturally had a new lineup. Their captain, Raúl, was not on the starting list. Instead, it was the young player, Soldado.
The game entered a fierce rhythm from the start. Compared with Real Madrid, who had just finished their physical training, the Forest team, which had been training together for nearly half a month, was more aggressive. Arshavin was especially excited because he was playing in front of the Russian fans.
Just three minutes into the game, the Forest team used a corner kick to break through the goal guarded by Dudek.
Arshavin's corner kick landed accurately on Pepe's head. All the center back, who had outstanding heading ability and leaping ability, had to do was to jump and swing his head. The football retraced its trajectory and entered the net!
Being ahead of Real Madrid made the Nottingham Forest fans who came from afar very excited. Although they were few in number, their momentum was not small. This was a very, very hardcore group of fans. No matter where the Forest team played, they would follow and cheer for the team at the scene. Their former leader was Michael Bernard, and now it was John and Bill, a fat man and a skinny man.
After taking the lead, the Forest team did not give up attacking and turned to defense. On the contrary, their offensive momentum became more fierce. The Forest team, known for its conservatism in Europe, did not appear. Their offense made it seem like the side wearing the red jerseys was Real Madrid.
Throughout the first half, Real Madrid did not get into the rhythm of the game. They were dragged along by the Forest team. The Forest team's quick passing attack and the pressing from the front field made Real Madrid uncomfortable. Towards the end of the first half, Nottingham Forest's pressing in the front field finally paid off. Their pressing caused Real Madrid's rear defensive line to make a return pass error. Petrov suddenly started and inserted into Real Madrid's rear defensive line at high speed. He intercepted the pass and then tricked Dudek into successfully hitting the far corner.
2: 0. Nottingham Forest took a two-goal lead!
The score and the first half made the live television commentator lament that Nottingham Forest could no longer be classified as a "dark horse" or a "shooting star." The European continent's football power map was bound to be redrawn because of this powerhouse's advancement.
In the second half, the two teams switched sides and played again. Schuster made some adjustments in an attempt to salvage the situation. He brought on the Argentine striker, "Rabbit" Saviola, who joined on a free transfer from Barcelona. At the same time, after forty-five minutes of warm-up and adaptation, Real Madrid also got into shape and their offense began to pick up.
Soon, in less than 20 minutes, Guti scored two goals in a row to help Real Madrid equalize the score.
He sent van Nistelrooy and David Beckham onto the field at the same time.
Seeing Beckham appear on the sidelines, countless neutral fans in the stands cheered for Nottingham Forest for the first time. The ear-piercing boos turned into enthusiastic cheers and applause. There was even a neat round of applause from the Real Madrid fans' camp. They had a deep respect for the English player who helped their team regain the league title. The scene of him kneeling down and kissing the turf of the Bernabéu stadium affectionately during the farewell ceremony was still fresh in their memory.
At this moment, as Beckham stood on the sidelines, he became the only protagonist of the game.
"David Beckham is coming on! When he announced that he would leave the Bernabéu and join Nottingham Forest, no one thought we would see him appear in a game against his old team so soon. "
Perhaps the neutral fans cheered for him because he was a world-famous star player, a popular lover in the eyes of women, a handsome man, an English gentleman … because of his fame. But the cheers and applause from the Real Madrid fans were the best affirmation of Beckham's performance last season. They thanked Beckham for his professionalism despite being abandoned by both the club's board of directors and coach. They also thanked Beckham for disregarding the past and turning the tide at the last moment to help the team overturn Barcelona and successfully reach the top. The applause was because they were moved by Beckham's professionalism. In their eyes, David Beckham was not the "entertainment star" printed on advertising posters or the front page of tabloids, but a real "professional football player."
Twain looked at the scene and smiled. He was sincerely happy for his friend's achievements.
Seeing Beckham come on, the happiest person was not the fans in the stands, nor was it Tony Twain, but van Nistelrooy, who stood beside him.
This was the first time in four years that the two men wore the same team's jersey and played side by side in a game — excluding the friendly game against Energie Cottbus where eleven players could be changed.
Since Beckham left Manchester United, the "King of the Penalty Area" van Nistelrooy's goal tally had plummeted, and his limelight on the Premier League's goalscoring list had been completely stolen by Arsenal's Henry. This could not simply be attributed to van Nistelrooy's advancing age, decline in form, and increase in injuries. Another reason that could not be ignored was that van Nistelrooy, who was used to Beckham's passing, was at a loss after his good friend left.
Now that David was back, the "King of the Penalty Area" that terrified his opponents was also about to be resurrected.
Twain was well aware of the friendship between the two, and the help this friendship could bring to the team. Therefore, when the training room was assigned, he deliberately assigned van Nistelrooy and Beckham to the same room, so that they could catch up and then work well together on the field to help him attack.
Beckham replaced Lennon, and van Nistelrooy replaced Arshavin.
The second substitution surprised Schuster. He had thought Twain would replace Bendtner, who was also a tall center forward, with van Nistelrooy. He did not expect it to be Arshavin. A double center forward? This was rare.
Beckham's first touch of the ball after he came on was a 45-degree diagonal pass into the penalty area, which almost assisted van Nistelrooy. If van Nistelrooy's header had not been a little off target, the score would have been 3: 2, with Nottingham Forest in the lead.
Seeing this attack, Schuster suddenly realized that Twain wanted to use Beckham's precise flank passing ability to implement high-altitude bombing tactics.
Everyone knew that Real Madrid's rear defensive line was poor in aerial defense. Even the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year, Cannavaro, could not do anything against a center forward with a strong body and outstanding header ability. Currently, the club was still in the transfer market looking for excellent headers and center backs, but progress was slow. In this game, Schuster relied on Cannavaro and Ramos to partner as center backs, handing the right side over to the young player, Miguel Torres.
It seemed that Twain was also well aware of Real Madrid's weaknesses, so he used this set of tactics aimed at victory. He did not seem to have any intention of using this game to train his players. He did not want anything but victory.
The female fans in the stands holding large posters of Beckham screamed loudly and shouted Beckham's name, cheering for his performance in this attack. Among these people were Russian natives, as well as Beckham's "die-hard fans" who had specifically come from Germany, England, and Spain.
Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the female fans, Beckham ushered in his first free kick in a game since joining the Forest team — still excluding the friendly game that allowed eleven substitutions.
Beckham's free kick did not enter the goal, but flew out against the crossbar. The Forest team's previous two goals did not move Twain, but he crouched on the sidelines with his head in his hands, upset and frustrated because he did not get the ball.
Subsequently, Real Madrid also won a free kick. Beckham and Roberto Carlos left the team one after another in the summer. Coupled with Figo and Zidane, who left previously, the free-kick players who used to be full of talent had all left. Real Madrid's free kick was taken by Guti. The ball shot by the "Golden Wolf" was too focused on accuracy and lacked speed and arc. It was easily picked up by the well-positioned Edwin van der Sar.
Next, van Nistelrooy took the ball a little to the right in front of the penalty area. He should have split in time, but he chose to force a breakthrough. In the end, he was stopped by his opponent with a foul and once again won a free kick for the Forest team. Or rather … won a free kick for Beckham again.
He personally stuffed the ball into Beckham's hands. "Warm up and get a feel for it."
Beckham shrugged and smiled helplessly. "If you had split directly just now, I could have passed from the right side. Bendtner was waiting in front of the goal."
"Ah!" Van Nistelrooy scratched his head in surprise. "I was only thinking about the free kick. The two of us have been away for four years, and I'm not quite used to it … Heh heh. "
Beckham gave him a shove. "Go and wait for the rebound shot."
"No need." Van Nistelrooy muttered as he walked in.
Beckham placed the football on the ground and waited for the opponent to line up the human wall.
In front of him was a white wall of people. They were wearing clothes that he was very familiar with, because just two months ago, he was wearing the same jersey on the Bernabéu stadium to celebrate the 30th league title in the team's history. He was still familiar with some of the faces on the opposite side because he had played and lived with them for several years.
He really did not expect to meet them again so soon, and as opponents.
He had never experienced such a scene. After his transfer to Real Madrid, Real Madrid had not met Manchester United in the Champions League, and he did not know what it was like to face his former team. Now he knew.
When he chose to join Nottingham Forest, he was mentally prepared for this. Because joining the Forest team was not the same as joining Real Madrid. Being in the English Premier League gave the Forest team at least two chances to play against Manchester United every season.
In order to take care of his feelings, Tang En had written "Beckham does not have to play in the game against Manchester United" into the contract, but Beckham personally refused the clause. He said he was a professional player, and a professional player should have a work ethic.
Just like what van Nistelrooy said when he stuffed the football into his hands: "Warm up and get the feeling."
Beckham retreated and prepared to take the direct free kick only twenty meters away from the goal.
Casillas, who was brought on in the second half, bent his body in front of the goal line, lowered his center of gravity, and waited. As a teammate who had competed and trained with Beckham for four years in Real Madrid, he was familiar with Beckham's free kick strength and did not dare to be careless.
There were as many as six people in the human wall, and the area in front of Beckham was tightly blocked. He retreated, glanced at the human wall and the goal behind him, and then began to run up.
David Beckham's run-up for the free kick was not long. In two or three steps, he stepped in front of the ball, then leaned his body to the left, swung his right foot, opened his arms to maintain balance, and twisted his body with his waist and abdominal muscles. At the moment when his right foot hit the ball, Beckham's body tilted almost parallel to the ground, and his left ankle, which supported his entire body, looked as if it was about to be twisted off. At this moment, the swinging right leg accurately hit the middle and lower part of the football like a whip, and a huge burst of energy erupted.
The football soared into the air, bypassed the jumping Real Madrid human wall, drew a clear arc in the air, and hung in the near corner of the goal!
Casillas struggled to pounce on the football, but when he saw the football suddenly appear behind the human wall, it was too late to make a move. Coupled with the slight disadvantage in height, the length of his outstretched hand in the air was not enough …
The football brushed the inside of the goalpost, brushed past Casillas' fingertips, and flew into the goal!
There was a huge burst of cheers in the stands of the stadium, louder than any of the previous four goals. There was no doubt that this was the goal that satisfied the audience and was worth the ticket price — the much-anticipated Beckham had scored, and it was against his former team's goal.
"David Beckham! Although it's just an invitational game, it's really an exciting goal! He penetrated the goal of his former team, Real Madrid! Without any hesitation, it's clean and neat! "
"His excellent form has continued in the final stages of last season, but now it's not Real Madrid that benefits, it's Nottingham Forest! Tony Twain signed a world-class player without spending a penny. It's a good deal! "
Beckham did not celebrate his goal in front of the Real Madrid fans and players. He just opened his arms and clenched his fists, and then he was hugged by the pouncing van Nistelrooy.
"David! David! Haha … David! "The Dutchman could only shout that.
Looking at the man who was surrounded by the Forest players celebrating the goal, Schuster thought it was foolish of Calderón to let this man go. Everyone else could go, but this man left unjustly …
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At the end of the ninety-minute game, the La Liga champion, Real Madrid, lost to the European champion, Nottingham Forest, 3: 4 and lost the qualification to advance to the final.
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