Chapter 048: Hanging Shot Equalizes
Barcelona at home continued to pose a threat to the Real Madrid backline as the fans cheered them on, especially with Alexis Sanchez coming off the bench with a pace and breakthrough that Cesc Fabregas lacked.
Attacking on the right created plenty of chances for Barcelona's attack, and if the central striker wasn't Messi but David Villa, who left this summer, the score would have been exceeded.
Carlo Ancelotti paced back and forth in the coaching area of the visiting team, occasionally returning to exchange views with his assistant Clemente, but the substitutions that Real Madrid fans wanted to see were slow to materialize.
However, the Barcelona players playing at home slowed down after a period of continuous attack, and the Real Madrid fans who came to the Camp Nou with the team breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Barcelona's pass-and-control football is no longer as unparalleled in the middle and early stages of Guardiola, it is still not as powerful as it is now, controlling the rhythm of the game.
Tang Zheng played very hard during this time, not only did he have to play a vital role on the defensive end, but he also had to press in time to participate in the team's offense.
Playing in a crucial Champions League group stage in midweek and now running at the expense of the national derby is a serious test of fitness.
Yang 5 commentator He Wei talked about this: "Tang Zheng has excellent physical fitness, but it is not a way for him to keep running like this, the attack and defense need to be the whole rather than the individual, I think it's time for Ancelotti to make adjustments to the lineup." ”
I don't know if Ancelotti felt Hevi's brain waves, and in the tenth minute of the second half, that is, the fifty-fifth minute of the game, Real Madrid finally made the first substitution adjustment.
No. 9 Benzema replaces No. 23 Isco.
The intention of this substitution adjustment is very obvious, and that is to strengthen the attack.
Karim Benzema came off the bench to move up to the number nine to free up Cristiano Ronaldo and give him more space.
For the past 55 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo has been battling wits with Pique and Mascherano to the point where he has been unable to threaten Valdés with all his might.
The effect of this substitution adjustment was immediate, Benzema effectively attracted the attention of Pique and Mascherano at the front of the attack, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who was active on the left, received Benzema's header and returned to the top without stopping.
The ball didn't spin in mid-air, and goalkeeper Valdés subconsciously took to the air and flew into the air.
"Oh, oh, oh-"
At the same time, there was a burst of exclamations over the Camp Nou.
Because...... Valdés didn't pounce on the football.
But the ball didn't fly into the net, but grazed the outside edge of the goal post on the left side of the goal, and then slammed into the billboard behind the goal with a crisp crashing sound.
The Barcelona fans at the Camp Nou were apprehensive, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who had completed a high-quality long-range shot, covered his face with his hands, and then vented his frustration with words in his mouth.
Before Benzema came off the bench, Cristiano Ronaldo was arguably the worst of the game, and now he suddenly showed good competitive form, which made manager Martino and the Barcelona defenders on the pitch focus on him again.
In this way, Benzema, Di Maria and Tang Zheng all have a lot of space.
In addition, Barcelona's best thing is not to defend, so Real Madrid's transition from defense to attack can often bring a lot of threat.
The live director used the dead ball opportunity to switch the camera and gave it to Barcelona coach Martino.
Martino's brows furrowed, his hands behind his back, paced back and forth in the home team's coaching area, looking up at the field from time to time, but he was
Real Madrid made a breakthrough in attack, and the defensive pressure was minimized, and Tang Zheng also had the opportunity to come to the attacking 30-meter area to try a long shot.
Of course, it's not that Barcelona are constantly threatening Real Madrid's goal, but that Real Madrid's offensive and defensive transitions seem to have become aggressive with Benzema's arrival.
Because Benzema also brought Ancelotti's temporary defensive tasks on the field, that is, temporary high pressing, to return the rules to others.
Tang Zheng was already familiar with high pressing during his time at Dortmund, so he adapted quickly, but Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria were a little lacking in movement.
However, it is not a big problem, and in the face of Real Madrid's sudden high pressing, the Barcelona players are a little uncomfortable.
Mascherano opted to clear the ball under the double pressure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema, but the football was not played because it was too hasty.
Right-backs Alves and Sergio Busquets competed for the spot for the first time, and Real Madrid also had Tang Zheng.
Busquets' vision is quite broad, and when he noticed Tang Zheng's sudden step-up, he hurriedly shouted at Alves, signaling that he was in charge of the card position, and then he controlled the ball.
Barcelona's tradition condemns them not to prioritise the goal of clearing the ball with a big foot unless it is absolutely necessary, as Mascherano did.
It should have been foolproof to assist the defense, but what Busquets never expected was that Tang Zheng took a small step to the left horizontally, and then walked around the left side of Busquets's body with his left foot, and stabbed the ball in advance with an unconventional forward kick to grab Alves.
The ball changed direction and rolled towards Benzema, who turned and prepared to retreat.
Neither Busquets nor Alves thought that the football would be broken by Tang Zheng's leg suddenly stretched out from behind, and even directly launched a quick counterattack.
Benzema saw the ball rolling towards him and suddenly accelerated, and Cristiano Ronaldo quickly ran from the left flank to the left, which was the large space left behind Alves.
Benzema, who ran back, didn't make too many adjustments, and directly twisted his waist to send the ball to the huge space left behind Alves.
Tang Zheng, who completed the counter-robbery, went around from behind Busquets to the right, accelerated on the spot, and ran towards the right rib of the attack.
"Woo-woo-"
The ball rolled in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo's high-speed start, and a deafening loud boo rang out over the Camp Nou.
The home fans want to interfere with Cristiano Ronaldo in this way and then make a profit for Barcelona.
The result?
Cristiano Ronaldo, a seasoned player who has not played the national derby once or twice at the Camp Nou, was naturally unaffected by the home fans, chasing the ball with his fastest speed and then slotting the ball inside with the outside of his right foot.
Pique marked Benzema's forward run, while Mascherano, who had made a clearance error, pulled on the side to defend Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo was fast and Mascherano, who was experienced defensively, did not choose to clear the ball in the first place, but stuck in Cristiano Ronaldo's route.
Despite the boos over the Camp Nou, many of the Barcelona commentators were pleased with Mascherano's defensive options.
Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer the top winger he was back then, and the likelihood of a one-on-one past Mascherano is low.
Sure enough!
Cristiano Ronaldo was about three metres away from Mascherano and began to slow down, and his feet were also slicing through the ball in succession.
Pedal a bike!
"Cristiano Ronaldo against Mascherano one-on-one, what will he do?"
As soon as Yang 5 commentator He Wei finished speaking, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was close to the corner of the penalty area on the left side, suddenly used the outside of his right foot to pull the ball to the front of the big penalty area.
Karim Benzema pressed Pique into the box, and Di Maria and Carvajal on the right were so active in the defensive front that it was impossible to get to the edge of the Barcelona penalty area in just a few seconds.
So who is it?
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"Oh, oh, oh-"
Barcelona fans in the North Stand at the Camp Nou see the best first-hand view as they see the direction in which the ball is rolling is Real Madrid's number 10.
The on-site director hurriedly switched the camera, and the CCTV 5 commentator He Wei changed his voice and shouted violently: "Ronaldo passes the ball horizontally, Tang Zheng!!"
At this time, whether it is Pique or Mascherano, they are a little far away from Tang Zheng.
The weakness of the slow speed of the single back Sergio Busquets was vividly exposed at this time, and he had no chance to foul from behind, because Tang Zheng was very fast, at least five meters ahead of him.
The closest is the adducted Alba, so he shoulders the heavy responsibility of defending Tang Zheng head-on.
At the same time, Barcelona coach Martino's brows tightened, and an unbelievable thought came to his brain - how could Cristiano Ronaldo be connected with Tang Zheng?
Martino's Tang Zheng stopped the football while running, then looked up at the goal, and then picked up his right foot.
Alba is fast and responsive, and when he saw Tang Zheng's posture, he instinctively fell to the ground and shoveled to increase the defensive area.
But Tang Zheng, who exaggerated his right foot, did not shoot, but quickly put down his right foot while Alba made a subconscious defensive move, and then gently flicked the ball to the right with the outside instep.
"Oh, oh, oh-"
Compared with the huge exclamation that erupted before, this time the sound had the meaning of a mountain and a tsunami, and it resounded throughout the audience.
Alba tackles from the left-back position towards the middle, which means that he is inertia closer to the middle.
And Tang Zheng's right outside instep is to dial the ball to Alba's original position, which highlights the huge difference.
It was supposed to be a manifestation of defensive awareness, but it turned into recklessness by Tang Zheng's fake shot and real dunk, Tang Zheng had plenty of time to adjust after picking the ball, he lifted the ball and took a small step forward, about two meters away, and then picked up his right foot on the line of the big penalty area.
Valdés froze in place before attacking into the small penalty area, and at the same time, the center of gravity of his body fell, his arms naturally opened, his feet adjusted in small steps, and his eyes were fixed on Tang Zheng's right foot.
For a technical player like Tang Zheng, the shot will usually choose to play two lower corners, so Valdés' focus is on the bocce ball in the near and far corners of the goal.
Tang Zheng noticed Valdés' striking distance, and instead of volleying hard with his right foot, he gently rubbed it with his toes.
The trajectory of the football was significantly different from what Valdés had imagined, because Tang Zheng's shot on the penalty line was not two bottom corners, but an upper three.
Valdés is officially 1.83 meters tall, and his physical fitness has decreased significantly when he is over 30 years old, especially the bullet speed has decreased significantly, even if he reacts subconsciously very quickly, he is powerless against the football in the air.
"Oops!!"
Tang Zheng's volley power and the height control of the ball's flight were very subtle, Valdés, who had just risen from the spot, stretched out the tip of his right finger high, and then fell into the unguarded goal in the desperate eyes of the Barcelona fans behind the goal......
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There was a brief silence at the Camp Nou again, and the commentators in the commentary seats were full of excitement.
Yang 5 commentator He Wei made a long voice: "The ball is in! The ball is in! A wonderful hanging shot! Tang Zheng helped Real Madrid equalize at the Camp Nou in the 63rd minute of the game! An imaginative shot! Tang Zheng used his own way to reject the huge boos created by the Camp Nou Stadium before! See? This is the real strength of Tang Zheng, the best midfielder in the world!
Thiago, the commentator of Spanish National Television 5, stood up directly from the commentary seat in excitement, raised his arms and shouted: "Oh-My-God! It's incredible! Cristiano Ronaldo's cross found Don! Don, who received the football, faked a facsimile dunk at the front of the big penalty area, and Jordi Alba scored with a pick-and-shoot! Real Madrid spent 105 million euros this summer with every peseta worth it! Barcelona is going to be in trouble!"
Catalan TV commentator Garcia was in a low mood, looked at the invincible Tang Zheng in the broadcast screen, shook his head and said: "It's not terrible for Barcelona to lose a goal, it's terrible to face a perfect Don, he is talented and diligent, and he plays a huge role at both ends of the attack and defense, and Gerardo Martino's pre-match plan is obviously not ......"
Speaking of this, Garcia's voice suddenly changed: "Gerardo Martino definitely didn't expect Cristiano Ronaldo to pass the ball to Don in a one-on-one situation before the game, you must know that they have a very poor relationship off the field, and they will basically not cooperate on the field, of course...... Sergio Busquets' misplacement was the key to the whole goal conceded. ”
The close-up of the live broadcast showed Tang Zheng, the hero of Real Madrid's goal, and it can be seen from the broadcast screen that Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo had a high-five celebration of the goal.
Some commentators were a little puzzled after the excited commentary, after all, Tang Zheng's goal came from an assist from Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, more commentators believe that this is normal, and that the equaliser in the national derby can ease the huge pressure on the Real Madrid players, and it is normal to give high-fives to celebrate.
The Real Madrid manager and his coaching staff hugged each other and looked at each other, and they could see a hint of conspiracy in each other's expressions.
Of course, it's more gratifying.
However, not many people noticed that Tang Zheng and Cristiano Ronaldo made eye contact as they high-fived and celebrated the goal.
This exchange is not for anything else, but for Real Madrid to overthrow Barcelona away!