February 16th.

The Champions League regularly held a pre-match press conference.

Zidane sat on the stage, his head reflecting light, and he looked very bright.

First of all, the press media in London stood up and asked, "Hello manager, will Eden Hazard start this game?" Has he lost weight recently? ”

This opening made Qi Zu a little unhappy.

Hazard, who spent Real Madrid's 120 million and loves hamburgers, has already made him anxious.

It can be said that in the eyes of the outside world, Hazard, who came to Real Madrid, has been labeled as a "parallel import".

Real Madrid fans have long lost patience with this "Mr. 100 million yuan" and even felt repulsed.

However, Zidane still trusts Hazard. After all, Real Madrid can spend a lot of money to buy Hazard, and it must have been approved by head coach Zidane, otherwise Real Madrid's high-level Florentino would not have spent this unjust money.

At this point, Zidane took a moment before replying: "We have too many injuries, every club has the same situation, but I think we are the team with the most injuries. I'm worried that I need my players back because they've got too many injuries. ”

'It is for this reason that Real Madrid all need a healthy Eden Hazard. But I think he's going to get out of it. It's a difficult time considering everything he's been through, but he's got a contract, he wants to succeed here and I hope he can show his quality soon after.' ”

And this year's Real Madrid is indeed in poor form, they qualified as the second in the group in the Champions League, in fact, they faced a lot of criticism.

In the league, they are also very competitive with Barcelona, who are in first place for the time being, but the gap is only one point.

The pressure on Qi Zu is actually not small at all.

Subsequently, another reporter asked why Real Madrid did not spend 70 million liquidated damages to buy the equation.

Zidane hesitated for a moment before saying: "His quality is indeed one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but 70 million euros is not a lot, and there are many things to take into account. There are a lot of great footballers in Europe and we can't buy them all."

Many reporters want to say that they still remember Real Madrid's famous "Galaxy Battleship" in the past.

Immediately, another demon reporter got up and asked, "Then may I ask, who do you think is the most powerful in the Premier League equation or Wu Lei in La Liga?" ”

Zidane was silent for a moment.

It seems that he didn't expect that one day a reporter would ask him such a rare question.

In a way of high emotional intelligence, Zizou replied: "They are the pearls of oriental football, and I think La Liga and the Premier League will become more dynamic because of their addition." ”

When an oriental reporter in the audience heard this, his face suddenly brightened, and he couldn't help but straighten his waist.

It's rare to hear praise from the mouth of this football legend for an Oriental player.

Soon, Wenger was also interviewed by journalists.

Asked about Equation's injury and whether Bukayo Saka will return to the starting line-up,

Coach Arsene Wenger did not answer positively, which was regarded as a smokescreen for Real Madrid. Who will play Arsenal's right winger has become a cloud of mystery.

And for this strong showdown, the outside media are very concerned.

Before the day of the match arrived, many media outlets picked up the match as the headliner.

Zidane bluntly said that because of a lack of funds, he did not buy the equation in the winter window, and Real Madrid once again missed the Oriental.

——"Daily Sports"

'Arsene Wenger has a problem for Zinedine Zidane, Bukayo Saka has confirmed his return, and who Arsenal will play as a right winger will affect the outcome of the Champions League knockout rounds.

- The Mirror

"It turns out that the football market in the East is huge, and many football clubs in Europe have started to look for a third Oriental player to stay abroad."

- Marca

.

Also on this day, both sides of the game announced their team squads.

I saw that Saka and Equation were included in the Arsenal squad.

The starting line-up will not be announced until the day of the game.

In this regard, Zidane decided to still make adjustments on the right flank, because both Saka and Equation have strong attacking ability.

Arsenal, on the other hand, also made tactical arrangements for Real Madrid's ceremonial three midfielders.

On the day of the game, both sides announced their starting line-ups.

Bukayo Saka did make a comeback, but he was only on the bench and he just returned from injury and still needs to find his form. Equation continues to play in the right winger position.

Real Madrid is in a 433 formation:

Goalkeeper: Courtois,

Back: Friend Mendy, Militão, Varane, Carvajal.

Midfielders: Kroos, Casemiro, Modric.

Front: Hazard, Benzema, Rodrygo.

.

The domestic commentator is still Zhan Jun, and he said very happily: "The game is about to start, I believe everyone is looking forward to this game." You must know that not long ago, Wu Lei just broke through the door of Barcelona and created a new record for staying in La Liga. If the equation can score a goal against Real Madrid now, it will definitely be the headline of tomorrow."

Director Zhang smiled and said: "A few days ago, after Wu Lei broke the video of Barcelona, almost all the hot searches in China were this news. I've seen a lot of people who haven't watched football know about it. It is foreseeable that if we have more and more foreign players, then there will be more and more young people who like football."

Zhan Jun agreed: "Football is a collective sport, the more people participate, the better football can be done, I hope this day will come as soon as possible."

The two commentators chatted while watching the pre-match ceremony.

Soon, at the beginning of the game, Real Madrid took the lead in the attack.

They are anti-guest-oriented, using the Emirates Stadium as their home turf.

Modric's ability is to get older and more demonic, and he is organized with the ball, and quickly avoids Arsenal's top picks.

He then found Rodrigo on the right flank.

In the face of Arsenal's defense, Rodrygo, who was carrying the ball, suddenly braked and sent an inverted triangle to the middle.

Kroos ran to the top of the arc, grabbed the rolling ball and opted for an all-out volley.

The football flew out like a cannonball, so frightened that the Arsenal players in front of them could only block with their backs.

OK

Goalkeeper Leno jumped quickly and lifted the flying ball over the crossbar with his gloved fingertips.

Arsenal came close to opening the scoring by Kroos.

The audience was in an uproar.

Zhan Jun suddenly exclaimed, "It's worthy of Kroos, his long-range shot is very threatening." Arsenal should note that although they are at home, Real Madrid in the knockout stages definitely have a lot of quality. ”

Director Zhang agreed: "Zidane has a lot of experience in leading the team to play cup competitions, otherwise he would not have won the Champions League three times in a row." Arsenal have to give their all today! ”

Seeing this, the equation quickly ran back and used himself as a full-back first to help the team's defense do a good job.

Real Madrid got a corner, and Kroos also took the corner.

Equation suddenly remembered something, and quickly reminded Leno loudly, "Be careful of corner kicks."

He remembered that he seemed to have the skill of making free throws.

After hearing the reminder of the equation, goalkeeper Leno immediately reacted,

Kroos was then seen taking a corner, and the ball arced and spun in the direction of the goal.

Leno quickly stepped back and lifted the ball out with one palm the moment before it crashed into the goal.

Real Madrid came close to finding the back of the net against Arsenal.

This Kroos's opening two consecutive strikes instantly brought their momentum out.

It was a slap in the face for Arsenal.

Arsene Wenger then shouted from the sidelines, reminding his disciples not to get dizzy and to "stay focused, it's the knockout rounds of the Champions League"

Zhan Jun sighed a little, "Kroos's ability is too good, his style of play is always unpretentious, as accurate as a textbook." This is something that a lot of midfielders can't reach. ”

"It's true, when he retires, I can't think of anyone who will take over this position at Real Madrid," Zhang agreed.

The equation also quickly reminded his teammates that it is now the knockout round of the Champions League, and it must not be taken lightly.

Thankfully, Arsenal quickly snatched the ball back after a bit of turmoil in the opening period.

However, Real Madrid's scrambling was also fierce and did not give Arsenal time to organise an attack.

Fifteenth minute,

Real Madrid took another corner on the right,

Karim Benzema won the ball from seven yards and goalkeeper Leno again denied Real Madrid's attack.

In the eighteenth minute, Thomas cut off Rodrigo in the middle and passed the ball to Forss.

Instead of distributing the ball to the equation on the right, the youngster Dribbled through the middle.

In response, Casemiro rushed fiercely from the side.

Foss brushed the ball off the steam and, after fending Casemiro's onslaught, he took the plunge and fired a long-range shot with his right foot.

The ball flew into the air, with a little arc, and with a bang, it hit the crossbar.

Arsenal fans suddenly exclaimed, it was only a little short of Fox being able to score the first goal of his career in the Champions League!

"Almost, the Arsenal youngster almost became famous by a goal! Their opponent today is Real Madrid," Zhan Jun couldn't help but exclaim, "Arsenal's academy is really full of talent, Fox only started two games, and he has the style of a general, which is really rare." It reminds me of the equation that I just debuted last year."

Director Zhang hesitated for a moment before saying, "However, the equation's ability on both feet is excellent, and the appearance of Fox should be no problem for him." The equation still has the identity of the captain."

"Oh no, Real Madrid played a quick counterattack!"

Zhan Jun wanted to continue the topic, but who knows, the football hit the crossbar and bounced back and came to Militão's feet.

Foss also regretted that the goal was not scored, and he was closest to Militão, and when he saw Militão get the ball, he symbolically went up and interfered.

However, Militão was able to avoid Foss's interference with a single stroke of the ball and then found Eden Hazard on the left side of the pitch with a long pass.

Although Hazard is addicted to Hamburg in Madrid, his game reading ability is still online.

With the outside of his right foot, he made an oblique arc and found his teammate in the middle of the box.

It was Benzema who sprinted up from behind Saliba and Gabriel,

He grabbed the spot of the cross and kicked it in.

The ball goes straight to the bottom right corner of the goal!

Leno made a quick save, but it was too late and the ball slipped under his armpit into the back of the net.

Real Madrid take a one-goal lead on the road!

The ball came to a halt in the goal, and Leno was so angry that he couldn't save the ball

Countless Arsenal fans watched dumbfounded from the stands,

They actually conceded a goal first at home?

"Arsenal careless!" Zhan Jun watched the live broadcast replay and sighed, "Although Fox kicked a high-quality long-range shot, he did not interfere with Militão at the first time, causing Arsenal to be hit by Real Madrid with a wave of rapid counterattacks." ”

'Eden Hazard's cross was good and helped Benzema score!'

Coach Zhang reminded: "Arsenal is in danger, they concede a goal at home, then in the next leg, they will have to score two goals away from home"

Zhan Jun added: "The most recent record between the two teams was in the 2006 Champions League, also in the 1/8 knockout round, when Arsenal lost to Real Madrid over two legs. Judging by the head-to-head record, Arsenal are clearly the underdogs."

After Benzema's goal, his teammates from Real Madrid happily went to the sidelines to celebrate.

It was a fantastic start to the game for them to open the scoring on the road.

Naturally, the home fans were upset and immediately booed the Real Madrid people.

"Burger King, hurry back and cheat! You're no longer fit for football."

"The championship belongs to Barcelona, you can only welcome them in line!"

"Benzema, you'll never be able to beat Cristiano Ronaldo—"

.

"Strengthen the confrontation and speed up your feet!"

Arsene Wenger couldn't stay on the sidelines, and now it's only the twentieth minute and he's already starting to command his players.

And Real Madrid's ceremonial three midfielders, that is solid technology and experience. The older you get, the more demonic you become, it's not a joke.

Arsenal's midfielders Foss and Ronaldo are difficult to take advantage of the opposing trio.

At most, Thomas was able to withstand the pressure at the back.

Although Fox and Ronaldo were very aggressive, the midfielders of the ceremony three were not in a hurry or slow, and they passed each other in the midfield, and there were few mistakes.

It's draining Arsenal's energy with passing.

Seeing that the situation was not right, the equation immediately withdrew to support the defense.

However, when he returned, he found that he seemed to be only being walked.

Arsene Wenger and Arteta were in a state of flux when they saw the situation on the pitch and seemed to find it tricky

Finally, Thomas cooperated with Ben White to steal the ball at the feet of Modric, and Arsenal was about to play Real Madrid's counterattack.

However, Casemiro anticipated the path of the pass, he cut off the ball, and the attack and defense were exchanged again!

There was a sigh in the stadium, and Real Madrid counterattacked again.

Casemiro splits the ball to the right side,

Rodrygo opted for a cross, and Benzema successfully fought for the top in the middle.

But the ball flew out of the crossbar.

In a burst of exclamations, Benzema covered his beard,

He came close to scoring a brace in the first half

(End of chapter)