I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 158: Chapter 54: Interview: Challenging an Epic Quest

The Spanish King’s Cup is an annual knockout football tournament in Spain.

The tournament was initiated by a proposal from Real Madrid’s former president, Carlos Pedros, to celebrate the coronation of King Alfonso XIII of Spain, and is also known as the ”Alfonso VIII Cup.” The first match was held in 1902, with Athletic Bilbao winning the first three championships in succession, becoming the first club to permanently retain the King’s Cup.

Real Madrid subsequently also won consecutively, becoming the second club to permanently retain the trophy.

The last time Real Madrid won the Spanish King’s Cup was 15 years ago in the 1992-1993 season. In these 15 years, Real Madrid reached the finals twice in the 20th century, but unfortunately, they ended up as runners-up.

This season, after observing Real Madrid’s outstanding performance in various competitions, Calderon included the Spanish King’s Cup in his objectives. Unfortunately, just after having this idea, at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, he witnessed the team being eliminated at the last moment.

”Real Madrid has been eliminated.”

”Is this the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium?”

”Until the last moment, I thought Real Madrid could make a comeback.”

”Why did Mallorca win against Real Madrid? How did it end with a last-minute defeat?”

Even when the whistle blew, the fans couldn’t believe it. This was definitely the biggest upset of this King’s Cup. Real Madrid, who had been advancing with high spirits in various competitions and led the league ahead of Barcelona this season, shockingly experienced an upset by Mallorca in the King’s Cup.

The white handkerchiefs were waving at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and the Merengues booed deafeningly. Some fans even leaned half their bodies out on the sidelines, shouting loudly, ”Why didn’t you put Chen on? What were you thinking? You fool.”

Just a few days ago, Schuster was enjoying the praise and applause, but now those accolades have turned into jeers and curses, with all eyes full of white handkerchiefs.

Chen Zhong watched the match without knowing what to say; Real Madrid wasted too many opportunities.

In the 4th minute of the match, Real Madrid got a corner kick opportunity. Guti’s corner accurately found the unmarked Higuain, but Higuain missed the perfect chance to score.

In the 7th minute, Higuain again had a clear opportunity in front of the goal, but his hurried shot sent the ball skyward, earning him countless boos. Then Guti tried a low shot from the arc of the penalty area, but it also resulted in nothing.

At this point, Real Madrid seemed to become a bit impatient, like a runaway train.

Although the attacks were fierce, they lacked quality. In the first half, Chen Zhong watched helplessly as they wasted opportunities.

By the 15th minute, perhaps due to consecutive missed opportunities, Higuain was already under pressure. After holding the ball in front of the goal, he passed to the onrushing Ramos, whose point-blank shot went straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.

At that moment, even Schuster incredulously held his head.

Then it was Saviola, Drenthe, and Guti, taking turns to come on stage, highlighting their momentum.

Saviola took a volley from the arc of the penalty area, and then Drenthe fired a long shot, while Guti continuously broke into the penalty area for a shot.

This careless, impulsive, rough attack showed a complete disregard for Mallorca.

And after Higuain missed several opportunities at the start, the second half almost became a showcase for Saviola. He had 5-6 chances in front of the goal but failed to score, including a super close-range shot of less than 8 meters.

In the first half, Real Madrid had absolute possession, but having control and not scoring didn’t satisfy the fans or the coach.

Under immense pressure already on the players, head coach Schuster made a stern speech in the locker room, leading to Saviola getting injured during a point-blank attempt early in the second half.

Meanwhile, Mallorca began to counterattack in the second half.

At that time, nobody took Mallorca’s counterattacks seriously, as Real Madrid had 2-3 shot attempts for every counterattack opportunity Mallorca had.

Who would think Mallorca could succeed?

Besides, this is the Bernabeu!

However, even Van Nistelrooy’s push shot within the small penalty area couldn’t break Mallorca’s defense, while Higuain outside the small penalty area, yes, outside, already had at least his fifth shot on goal, yet still missed.

In the 65th minute, Robinho replaced Higuain. Schuster was already regretting not having Chen Zhong or Raul on standby. Without Raul or Chen in Real Madrid, it was like a sheet of loose sand, with spirit attributes dropping significantly, and everyone playing recklessly, ignoring the consequences for their defense line.

At this moment, Mallorca’s coach made a crucial decision to start time-wasting tactics since they had already won 2-1 at home. As long as they maintained the current 0-0 score, the team could still secure victory.

In the 77th minute of the match, Moya received a yellow card for time-wasting, forcing Schuster to replace Drenthe with Sneijder, using up the last substitution.