Chapter 530 - 20: Blazing Atmosphere
This obviously angered the Real Madrid fans.
The coach had said before the match that he didn’t care much about this game, and given the good relationship with Milan, the Real Madrid fans had an open attitude towards this match.
Before the match, both sides were quite friendly.
But then you attacked our coach at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and compared him to something odious.
This is completely disregarding us!
Quickly, the Real Madrid fans started to retaliate, especially the extreme fans in the South Stand, who began singing songs mocking Milan from Inter Milan.
This scene left Mourinho a bit bewildered — where on earth have I been brought? Is this still Spain? Why do I feel like I’ve returned to Inter?
With the Milan fans being few in number, they were naturally no match for the Real Madrid fans, and as the emotions of the Real Madrid fans rose, they disregarded the relationship between the two clubs and started loudly and persistently chanting "JOSE MOURINHO!" as a battle hymn.
Using this chant to express their support for the current team manager made the emotionally-driven Mourinho very moved.
The South Stand gave Mourinho plenty of face, and even after the Milan fans had "given up" provocation, they were not satisfied and started targeting a few "enemies."
For example, Ronaldinho, who once played for Barcelona and had received applause from fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. When he appeared, he was met with a cacophony of boos, and the fans in the stands seemed like they wanted to tear him apart.
Then there’s Ibrahimovic, who had scored for Barcelona in the national derby. From the moment he stepped onto the field, the jeers never ceased.
Some even targeted Robinho, loudly calling him a traitor, with some shouting that he should die — such was the aggressive rhetoric.
The entire Santiago Bernabéu Stadium turned into a powder keg ready to explode, with the high decibel levels becoming hard for the Real Madrid players to endure.
"What’s happening?"
Chen Zhong was utterly bewildered listening to the fans’ chants from the stands; this type of fervor was comparable to a national derby or a local derby.
At this moment, a fan tumbled down from the stands, attempting to storm the field.
Their target was very clear — it was Chen Zhong.
Fortunately, the Santiago Bernabéu’s security reacted swiftly, tackling the fan to the ground with a bear hug from the side.
"We can feel the atmosphere being very fervent."
"Whoa!"
"A fan rushed onto the field."
"Heading towards Chen Zhong."
"Security’s response was very quick."
"This little incident delayed some time."
"The teams are exchanging pennants and shaking hands."
"Real Madrid has won the kick-off."
Initially, the players from both teams had a relatively relaxed mentality, as the coach didn’t insist that this match was a must-win, but the atmosphere is like this now, and both teams’ players feel like they’re being grilled on a fire, finding it hard to retreat at this stage.
Some of Real Madrid’s players, such as Cavaleiro, were angry about the Milan fans’ insults towards Mourinho, while Milan’s players were dissatisfied with the boos from the Real Madrid fans.
This made the players from both teams start eyeing each other with increasing hostility.
"Real Madrid kicks off."
"Passed to Chen Zhong."
"Chen Zhong delivers a long pass directly."
"C. Ronaldo’s early run."
"Dribbling down the left side."
"Cutting inside towards the flank."
"Gattuso!"
"Whoa!"
"C. Ronaldo looks very unhappy!"
Real Madrid obviously wanted to seize an early advantage, and Chen Zhong’s long pass was very precise, delivered just right, and C. Ronaldo’s cut from the side made it difficult for Milan to handle.
In such a situation, Gattuso simply flipped the table and pushed forward.
Can’t handle it?
Then don’t handle it!
When Cristiano Ronaldo fell to the ground, he immediately looked at his compatriot.
Portuguese referee Pedro Proença, who had once sent Mourinho to the stands twice, did not interrupt the match, not even giving C. Ronaldo a second glance.
This made C. Ronaldo very frustrated; he felt that Gattuso’s tackle was a blatant foul.
It should have been carded.
The Real Madrid fans in the stands were also very dissatisfied with Gattuso’s actions, booing and even banging objects to pressure the referee, but the referee remained unmoved.
"Cristiano is in great form today!" Mourinho said on the sidelines, rubbing his chin and looking at Francisco, "Let the team pass more to the left in this period."
Mourinho, known for his in-game adjustments, had even made the bold move of substituting three forwards at once.
Such bold adjustments often yield miraculous effects.
Allegri, seeing Mourinho’s tweaks, smirked slightly at the corners of his mouth. Standing on the sidelines, he loudly called out the players’ names, and within minutes.
The midfield turned into a meat grinder.
The players from both sides entangled each other, engaging in a physical tussle, either you knocking me down, or I bumping you over.
The midfield of both teams in this match was tough.
Real Madrid’s Chen Zhong, Alonso, Khedira.
Milan’s Gattuso, Boateng, Seedorf.
None feared physical confrontation.
"Continuous slide tackles."
"Gattuso and Chen Zhong."
"Truly tenacious."
"But the ball was still played out."
Everything comes to an end, as Chen Zhong tackled Ronaldinho, then Boateng, and finally pressured Gattuso until he was teetering, and with Gattuso scrambling, passed the ball to Cristiano Ronaldo on the left.
In this midfield battle, the true victor was clear.
Cristiano Ronaldo had long been eager for action, and after receiving the ball, he quickly advanced along the sideline, but the Milan organized by Allegri was well-structured defensively.
They blocked the path for cutting in.
This forced Cristiano Ronaldo to pass the ball back to the middle.
Chen Zhong quickly moved forward in the middle.
Milan’s central defender Bonera was the first player to come forward.
Daniel Bonera, nicknamed "Striker," had a good relationship with Chen Zhong; the two had similarities in some areas, such as always being in the right place defensively.
Of course, there were differences.
Chen Zhong, being in the right place, always executed his tasks well and solved problems.
But when Bonera was in that place, he often faced problems beyond his capabilities.
This genius central defender once seen as the heir to Nesta, gradually became known among fans as a major weak link.
Now, Bonera used his instincts to sense danger and came in front of Chen Zhong.
Looking at this old acquaintance, Chen Zhong’s expression remained calm, with an outside flick of his foot and a shoulder nudge forward, causing Bonera to slightly lose balance, then pushing the ball to the side.
In that moment, the Milan fans’ hearts sank.
Because there, the silhouette that had once driven them crazy was making a fast break!
Kaka!
It’s Kaka!
It’s their former darling Kaka!
"Chen Zhong with the ball!"
"Bonera tries to make the tackle."
"But doesn’t succeed."
"Passes the ball out!"
"Kaka making a run forward!"
"A perfectly timed pass!"
"One-on-one with the keeper!"
"An absolute scoring opportunity!"
