Chapter 545 - 28: Iron-Blooded?
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Atlético Madrid’s aggressive opening attack made the Real Madrid fans in the stands become serious.
Although before the match, they were very skeptical about this newly managed "little brother," during the actual game, a sense of worry inevitably emerged in their hearts.
Diego Simeone also stood on the sidelines with a serious expression. In his tactics, if they scored a goal right at the start, then he would "use the opponent’s way to treat the opponent."
A goal would surely anger Real Madrid, and as long as they could hold onto this goal, or only let Real Madrid score one goal, then for Diego Simeone, it would be a good result.
Mourinho, on the sidelines, clearly got Simeone’s strategy, but with his abundant experience, how could he be deceived by this inexperienced junior?
Atlético Madrid’s wing attacks were unstoppable, but the coordination between Marcelo and the defensive midfielder prevented them from easily cutting inside from the wings, so they could only pass the ball diagonally to Aguero’s feet.
Upon receiving the ball, Aguero felt a sense of relief because usually, at this time, Real Madrid’s Chen Zhong would come at him from the side to interfere, but this time, it was only Khedira in front of him.
The Real Madrid fans in the stands also breathed a sigh of relief.
"It’s Aguero!"
"Just Aguero..."
Aguero had become quite famous in recent years, once scoring the fastest goal at home, but as he got completely dominated by Chen Zhong every game later on, Real Madrid fans no longer held much "respect" for this Argentine forward.
At least in their understanding, Aguero lacked the ability to break through Real Madrid’s midfield.
In fact, even Khedira, who was tasked with defending Aguero, thought the same. This long-haired German midfielder had studied the recent Derby de Madrid matches closely, having become quite familiar with this signature defensive play by Chen Zhong.
I just need to do this...
And then do that...
To easily contain this Argentine.
Khedira started mimicking the tactics.
Imitating Chen Zhong’s posture, he began closing in on Aguero.
First, use some body to unsteady this foolish Argentine, then take advantage of his loss of balance to snatch the ball away~
"Hmph~!"
"Idiot! Looking for confidence against me?"
Khedira confidently approached, but after making body contact, he realized something was off.
Aguero’s balance was exceptionally stable, not only not losing balance during the body challenge but also gradually steadying himself, making it hard for Khedira to follow up with his second move.
He attempted to use his foot to break the ball from Aguero, but Aguero, with nimble footwork, nutmegged Khedira, embarrassing him at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
"Aguero has the ball!"
"Khedira closes in from the side."
"Going for the body challenge."
"Chen Zhong would typically do the same."
"Aguero!"
"A beautiful nutmeg move."
"Khedira is a bit slow in turning."
"Shakes off the marking!"
"Atlético Madrid’s attack!"
After shaking off Khedira, Aguero sprinted off quickly, widening the distance between them, leaving Khedira unable to even reach out to slow him down.
Being broken through one-on-one caught both the Real Madrid fans in the stands and the central defenders on the back line off guard.
Clearly, they didn’t expect Aguero to break through to this point.
Usually, by this time, Chen Zhong would have already snatched the ball and left Aguero fuming in frustration, not allowing him to act so wantonly.
Now Aguero, having picked up his speed and seized the initiative, was a real headache for the central defenders. They tried to approach the Argentine from the side, but at this moment, the Argentine seemed to be possessed by Messi, easily dribbling past them.
"Aguero!"
"Breaking into the penalty area!"
"As if entering no man’s land!"
"Only Casillas to beat!"
Atlético Madrid fans couldn’t help but roar, while Real Madrid fans tried to interfere with Aguero using boos.
Diego Simeone, on the sidelines, unintentionally stepped on the boundary line; if it weren’t for the assistant coach maintaining some sanity beside him, he would have stormed onto the field to complete the shot himself.
Mourinho also stood nervously with slightly parted lips, seemingly with a burning anger in his eyes.
Casillas!
It all depended on Casillas now.
But could he do it?
Mourinho was already considering the problems he would face after falling behind. Would the opponent park the bus? They definitely would! Absolutely would!
"Aguero slows down his pace."
"Adjusts slightly."
"Goes for the shot directly!"
Aguero pierced the paper-thin defense of Real Madrid. Facing the goal, he showed no hesitation and aimed for the far corner, giving it a gentle push.
This was the most difficult height for a goalkeeper, and Aguero was already preparing to lift his arms in celebration.
But clearly, Casillas was in excellent form at this moment.
His reaction time was incredibly fast, almost as if in a frenzy, just barely deflecting the ball with his fingertips, altering its path slightly and sending it out for a corner.
"Saint Casillas!"
"Casillas!"
"A miraculous save!"
"In the recently concluded World Cup."
"It was Casillas who saved Robben’s one-on-one, allowing Spain to successfully defend the title."
