Chapter 077: Overtaking
While most people's focus is on Benzema helping Real Madrid equalize, only a few focus on Tang Zheng, who delivered a wonderful assist.
Before the start of this game, Tang Zheng had contributed 20 assists in the entire 2013-2014 La Liga season, tying the single-season assist record set by Barcelona player Xavi in the 2008-2009 season.
Yang 5 commentator He Wei and other Chinese sports media commentators who follow Tang Zheng's career in foreign countries focus not on Benzema, who scored goals, but on Tang Zheng.
The same is true of British sky commentator Andy Gray and German sky commentator Marcel Leif, who follow the same concerns as Chinese TV commentators.
Tang Zheng, who gave the assist, did not expect to set a new single-season record in La Liga for the first time, and he only realized what he realized after hugging and celebrating with goalscorer Benzema.
But Tang Zheng didn't show too much excitement, but clenched his fists and raised his fists as he walked back.
In his opinion, the record is gratifying, but what is more important is that the team can win the game at the end.
Atletico Madrid, in particular, have extended the score to four points with one game in between, and it would be all for naught if they could not beat Barcelona at the Bernabeu at home.
If it were possible, Tang Zheng would even be willing to trade the record for victory.
Records can be set at any time, but the national derby victory is not.
Real Madrid assistant coach Zinedine Zidane, who sat in the coach's seat of the home team, was very satisfied with Tang Zheng's performance, Florentino was able to spend more than 100 million to bring in Tang Zheng last summer, which was directly related to his lobbying with Ronaldo, and now he is very relieved and even proud to see Tang Zheng set a new La Liga single-season assist record.
Although Zidane is reluctant to admit it head-on, he knows that the current Tang Zheng is not much different from himself at his peak, and even stronger than himself at his peak in terms of strategy and comprehensiveness.
To get back to the point, the focus of Ronaldo, who was sitting in the VIP seat watching the game, was not on Benzema, the scorer who wore the number nine shirt, and he, like Zidane, looked at Tang Zheng.
As far as the eye can see, it is full of shadows from five years ago, the Copa Libertadores.
The game restarted, and the Barcelona players, who were equalised by Real Madrid, did not change much, and they still tried to score the Real Madrid goal again at their own pace.
Real Madrid played relatively conservatively after the equaliser, with the defensive midfielders of Tang Zheng and Xavi Alonso dragging their feet behind.
Of course, Tang Zheng's position will not always be the queen mother, and he will move forward to participate in a direct attack when there is a chance or when the time is ripe.
In Ancelotti's tactical system, Tang Zheng's degree of freedom is very high, even more free than Cristiano Ronaldo.
It's just that Tang Zheng's sense of position and ability to read the game are extremely strong, and he rarely pursues freedom too much and ignores the overall interests of the team, so Real Madrid's offensive and defensive system is very mature under Tang Zheng's combing.
Barcelona's Tiki-Taka is far from his prime, and Neymar, who moved to Barcelona last summer, is more likely to break through and score on the wings, and he is equivalent to being outside the Barcelona system, so Barcelona's attack now relies on two wings.
Neymar is on the left, Messi is on the right.
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After Real Madrid's equaliser, the frenzied atmosphere at the Bernabeu Stadium has increased significantly, and the Real Madrid players on the pitch have also made some changes in performance, especially Benzema, who scored the equalizer, and his enthusiasm is the greatest.
Messi worked very hard, and the way he played the ball has changed from before, he no longer frequently retreats to the midfield to stop the attack, but plays left and right with Neymar, looking for holes in the Real Madrid defense on the wing.
However, Barcelona lacked a strong centre-forward, and even if Messi and Neymar broke through on the flanks, they would not be able to pose a threat to Diego López's goal.
Whether it's Andres Iniesta or Cesc Fabregas, they tend to be organised, and they don't have a lot of sensitivity in front of goal.
Real Madrid's attack is different, and this season with Tang Zheng, the attack has become more diverse.
Wide crosses can create a threat, as can penetrating through the middle, so Martino, who is standing in front of the visitors' dugout, is a little worried about how his team should deal with the situation.
There aren't many ways to do it on the offensive end, and the same is true on the defensive end.
After all, the offense is active, the defense is passive, and the defense needs to wait until the offense makes changes before making changes passively.
Just as Martino turned back to the dugout to discuss with his assistants whether they should adjust their tactics, Tang Zheng was planning to organize a very threatening attack.
Tang Zheng, who was active near Luka Modric, suddenly ran to the left rib of the attack and sought cooperation with Cristiano Ronaldo, who had the ball.
Sergio Busquets and Cesc Fabregas both consciously leaned towards the right side of the defence, and now they don't need a referee from the sidelines to know that the most dangerous attack for Real Madrid is not Cristiano Ronaldo, but Tang Zheng.
Yang 5 commentator He Wei's mood calmed down with the passage of time, but his tone was still passionate: "As long as the football is handed to Tang Zheng's feet, Real Madrid's attack can create a threat, please take a closer look, there are as many as four Barcelona defenders near Tang Zheng......"
Before the words fell, Tang Zheng did not pass back after receiving Cristiano Ronaldo's pass again, but used the flexibility of his ankle to jerk the ball to the right, Iniesta's subconscious leg did not kick the football or Tang Zheng.
Fabregas in the middle followed Tang Zheng's direction to the middle, but Tang Zheng's stride was large and far, and one step was equal to two steps for Fabregas.
In addition, Fabregas's explosiveness is weak, so the task of defending Tang Zheng head-on is handed over to Busquets.
As the last barrier in front of the central defender, Busquets has decided to stop the football with a foul, even if Tang Zheng's feet have been hot lately.
Busquets had not yet approached Tang Zheng, Tang Zheng suddenly stepped on the running football with the sole of his right foot, and the whole person followed the spot, picking up his right foot before the other Barcelona players had time to react, and rubbing the inside of his instep to the lower right side of the football.
With a clear inside arc, the ball flew towards its own side to attack the left flank.
The on-site director switched the camera for the first time, and Marcelo, wearing the number 12 jersey, ran from the left sideline to the inside line at high speed.
"Nice transfer!"
Yang 5 commentator He Wei shouted violently.
Because Cristiano Ronaldo's adduction attracted the defense of Alves and Mascherano, the attention of Cesc Fabregas and Iniesta was attracted by Tang Zheng, so that Marcelo, who was inserted at high speed, was unmarked.
It was too late to chase Marcelo when Messi realized that the situation was wrong......
Tang Zheng's emergency stop and rubbing pass that broke through with the ball was very accurate, which was exactly the same as the direction that Marcelo inserted at high speed, and the timing was also in place, and there was no need for Marcelo to slow down and wait for the ball.
At the same time, a loud shout rang out over the Bernabeu Stadium: "Whoa—"
With a huge chant, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema fought for position in the Barcelona penalty area, elbowing their elbows.
Marcelo measured his steps in the middle of a high-speed run and pointed straight at the ball with the arch of his left foot.
After the attack is transferred, the cross should be fast!
Cristiano Ronaldo, who ran to the front of the line, got tangled with Mascherano and neither could get off and the football flew over their heads.
"Be careful!"
Valdés, who was pacing alternately on the spot with his feet, noticed that Benzema suddenly slipped in front of Pique and exclaimed.
However, it was too late.
Benzema, who helped Real Madrid to the equaliser, was in fine form as he suddenly accelerated in front of Pique and then leaped high.
Pique's eyes darkened, and he saw the big number nine behind the white jersey, and his heart was full of remorse.
On defense, he made a serious mistake – watching the ball and not looking at people.
Benzema used his inertia to leap high and aim his forehead at the flying football.
The ball is slammed into the ground and bounced to the left side of the goal.
Valdés stood slightly closer to the middle, facing the fast and bouncing shot, his body subconsciously fell to the right, and his right palm also tried to slap the incoming ball, but the ball was too fast, and his right palm did not touch the ball.
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A second later, Alberta, the announcer at the Santiago Bernabeu, said in a long voice: "Goooooooooal-"
Benzema, who scored the goal, landed on the ground and used the power of his palms to stabilize his body, and then ran wildly to the left side of the corner flag with his arms outstretched, but he couldn't do it this time.
Because Cristiano Ronaldo fought hard at Benzema's must-go place and dragged him to the ground.
Marcelo, who provided the assist, turned a corner and leaned on Benzema, celebrating the winning goal.
Ancelotti and assistants Clement and Zidane in front of the home team's coach's bench hugged each other to vent the sudden goal.
No one expected that just five minutes after the equalizer, Benzema suddenly broke out and scored twice to overtake the score!
Yang 5 commentator He Wei said excitedly: "Wonderful attack! Benzema scored twice in five minutes to help Real Madrid overtake the score! But the player he should be most grateful for is not Marcelo who sent the assist, but Tang Zheng! Without Tang Zheng's rhythm change and the right time shift, Benzema would not have been able to get this opportunity!"
While the Real Madrid players were celebrating their goals, the live director gave a slow-motion replay of the entire goal, and German Sky commentator Marcel Leif said: "According to the wonderful replay, it is not difficult to see that Real Madrid's attack is very dependent on Don, and without his sudden acceleration and transfer, Real Madrid would not have been able to score...... When we think back to the last goal, are we amazed by Don's vision? He is like we can see a small map when we play a game, we can see exactly where each teammate is running, and Real Madrid's huge investment last summer was very worthwhile!"
British Sky commentator Andy Gray marveled at Benzema's state outburst, and the focus returned to Tang Zheng, who planned the attack, and his tone was high: "Don's wide vision is incredible, from the camera, it is impossible for Don to see Marcelo inserted at high speed, so I appreciate him very much, if Real Madrid can finally beat Barcelona, Don who did not score is the best in the game!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the commentator Martin Taylor added: "No, no, no, no, I have to criticize you, old man, how do you know that Don won't score?
"Definitely?" Andy Gray unexpectedly turned his head to look at his partner Martin Taylor, and said suspiciously: "The score is already 2:1, will you still score?"
"Or else?" Martin Taylor said of course, "Go back and educate yourself on the basics, and you'll find that Don often scores goals against strong opponents." ”
"Hearing you say that, it seems really possible. ”
After being reminded by Martin Taylor, Andy Gray suddenly realized.
Immediately, the close-up of the on-site director gave the core players of the losing side, and Messi was expressionless with his hands on his waist, but it was not difficult to see that he was very unconvinced.
The same is true of Neymar, who transferred to Barcelona at a high price last summer, and his recent hot form has been expected by Barcelona fans, but ...... He seems to have been dumb in this game.
The other Barcelona superstars were overshadowed by this time, completely reduced to the background.
The home fans at the Bernabeu Stadium were thrilled like children, as if they had seen the team beat Barcelona home and away this season.
A home win against Barcelona would give Real Madrid a four-point lead over Barcelona and a better chance of winning the league title with just nine games remaining.
Because Real Madrid has played two legs of the league with Atletico Madrid, and this game is the second leg of the league this season, it is reminiscent of Barcelona hosting Atletico Madrid in the last round of the league, even if the current points gap has been maintained until the last round of the league, as long as Barcelona finally wins Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid can win the league championship!
On the other hand, Barcelona fans, their mood is the same as that of the players on the field, and there is no superfluous emotional color to show.
When Andres Iniesta's goal broke the deadlock, Barcelona fans were looking forward to defending the league title, but Karim Benzema's brace in five minutes helped Real Madrid to the top of the score.
This feeling is very uncomfortable.
Of course, the most uncomfortable is Barcelona coach Martino, who is definitely the most under pressure in the team.
Many people say that Real Madrid's manager is the most stressful position, but in fact, Barcelona's manager position is also uncomfortable.
It's like Pep Guardiola, who once led Barcelona to the top, didn't end up leaving?
There are many rights and wrongs in the giants, and the head coach is not so easy.
If Barcelona were to lose to Real Madrid, Martino would have imagined his own result.
But Martino is not an easy person to throw in the towel, and the game is not over, his team still has enough time to catch up and overtake!
Martino then came to the sidelines and made a tactical gesture to captain Xavi.