I Am Scouted by Real Madrid-Chapter 445 - 73: Chen Without a Solution

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid have gradually turned the match into a tug-of-war. This is their third encounter of the season, and both teams are very familiar with each other.

At the start of the match, Atletico Madrid tried to launch an aggressive attack, but the well-prepared Real Madrid quickly read their intentions and stifled their offense outside the penalty box.

Chen Zhong also sensed a whiff of danger. He turned his gaze towards Atletico Madrid’s four attackers up front: Fernando, Simão, Thiago, and Aguero.

The connection between these four seemed too tight in this match.

"Atletico Madrid’s attack returns fruitless."

"Both teams are very familiar with each other."

"With players having full stamina in the early stages, it’s hard for either side to gain an upper hand."

While the commentator’s words are not incorrect, they overlook the seriousness with which Flores approaches this match. He would not allow himself to lose three times in a single season to the same team.

In the 10th minute of the match, after both teams had exchanged a few shots, Atletico Madrid suddenly picked up the pace.

"Atletico Madrid’s attack."

"Seamless passing cooperation."

"Is this a one-touch play?"

At this moment, Atletico Madrid appeared to have a resemblance to Barcelona, as their front players Fernando, Simão, Thiago, and Aguero engaged in continuous one-touch passing. While they drew Real Madrid’s attention and were surrounded, the ball landed at the feet of former Real Madrid winger Reyes.

Chen Zhong was the first to react.

He quickly adjusted his position to block Reyes’ inevitable path. Reyes did not intend to continue dribbling and immediately took the shot.

This was at the edge of the penalty area!

Chen Zhong was startled, swiftly lifting his foot in an attempt to intercept the shot.

The arc spun by Reyes bypassed Chen Zhong, "leisurely" bypassed Casillas’ fingertips, and finally brushed the post into the net.

In that instant, the Atletico Madrid fans who had traveled for the away game erupted.

Only ten minutes into the match, Real Madrid had already taken the lead. Although, compared to previous derbies between the two teams, this goal could be considered slow.

But their team was already leading, so what more could they want?

Reyes, having scored, did not celebrate wildly. Having once played for Real Madrid and helped the team to victory in key matches, he simply clasped his hands together in apology towards the stands.

"0:1"

"Atletico Madrid takes the lead."

"Fluent cooperation in the front field."

"Continuous passing left Real Madrid a bit flustered."

"Reyes’ final curved shot was a stroke of genius."

Pellegrini, standing at the sideline, had a slight change of expression. He sharply turned his head to look at Flores, clearly not expecting Flores to outsmart him this match, catching Real Madrid off guard with this series of short passes.

It was like two people in a tug-of-war when one side suddenly lets go, catching the other completely off guard.

Though Reyes didn’t celebrate, the other Atletico players and fans were visibly thrilled.

Aguero even made a point to run past Chen Zhong, shouting as if he were the one who scored.

The Argentine forward had suffered under Chen Zhong’s defense quite a few times.

Yet Chen Zhong remained unperturbed when he saw this scene. He communicated with his teammates to adjust their defensive strategy, also slightly retreating his position.

As a result, Real Madrid gradually gained the upper hand in the subsequent "tug-of-war."

Atletico Madrid’s two midfielders were not tall types; they had no advantage physically when compared to Chen Zhong. However, Flores did not expect the team to gain a significant advantage in midfield confrontations with Chen Zhong either.

In the 23rd minute, Chen Zhong took the ball in midfield, evading the pressure from his opponent, and advanced forward with the ball.

The defense put up by Atletico Madrid in this match was clearly well-designed. Chen Zhong tried to push through the middle to see if new opportunities could be found.

Chen Zhong’s pace wasn’t fast, and the Atletico players, without any hesitation, quickly closed in on him, aiming to snatch the ball away.

Everyone craned their necks, eager to see how Chen Zhong would respond.

Would it be a Marseille Turn? Or a direct charge?

Even Flores felt a bit nervous. If his team could snatch the ball from Chen Zhong’s feet, they could launch a quick counterattack, driving the ball directly into Real Madrid’s critical area.

At the very instant when Atletico’s players closed in!

Chen Zhong glanced to both his sides, seeing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka simultaneously cutting inside behind the defenders, while Negredo and Higuain also quickly started their runs.

There appeared a gap between Atletico’s defensive line and midfield.

This wasn’t due to Atletico’s "foolishness" but a result of the tactical positioning by Real Madrid’s players.

Instead of passing to either of these two players, Chen Zhong directly stopped and pulled the ball back when confronted by Atletico’s players.

The ball rolled towards Alonso behind him.

Alonso understood, without stopping the ball, he sent a lofted pass.

The ball wasn’t directed to either side or the forwards, but instead lofted into the gap in Atletico’s defense.