I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 403: Chapter 53: Trump Card

Real Madrid’s tactical adjustments once again suppressed the slightly resurgent Valencia.

Callejon’s activity also caused Valencia to become flustered. This Spanish winger seemed intent on securing a starting position in the team during Kaka’s absence due to injury.

However, good fortune does not always favor fools.

Initially, Valencia’s lack of understanding of Callejon allowed him to gain an advantage, but when they began to pay attention to him and Callejon underestimated them, trying to repeat his tricks,

everything started to change.

In the 37th minute of the match, Callejon took the ball on the wing, glanced at his teammates in the middle, and after a moment’s hesitation, chose to cut inside again, trying to break into Valencia’s penalty area from the side. However, this time Valencia gave Callejon the attention he deserved, with two defenders closing in on him immediately.

Chen Zhong in the middle raised his right arm, signaling Callejon to pass the ball, but Callejon charged headlong into Valencia’s trap.

”Valencia’s counterattack!”

”Callejon fell to the ground, his hands raised high.”

”He seemed dissatisfied with the foul by the defenders just now!”

”But the main referee made no indication.”

The ball quickly found its way to Mata’s feet. Baptista pressed towards Mata immediately, but Mata had no intention of adjusting his position, directly making a long pass that precisely found Villa, who had already picked up speed.

Albiol’s turn was half a beat too slow, and by the time he realized the danger, he had already been left two body lengths behind.

Villa charged all the way towards Real Madrid’s goal, with Casillas choosing to abandon his post and come out to challenge.

The confrontation between the two players once again drew the attention of the fans, but this time Casillas couldn’t perform another miracle. Villa’s chip shot perfectly lobbed the ball into the goal.

1:2

Valencia pulled one back.

After scoring, Villa pointed to Mata and then ran toward the fan section in wild celebration. Mata, however, did not join the celebration; instead, he glanced at Chen Zhong, seemingly wanting to communicate with his friend from afar.

However, Chen Zhong just rolled his eyes at Mata and then ran towards Callejon. Seeing Chen Zhong approach, Callejon felt a little guilty.

Even though he was a few years older than Chen Zhong, Chen Zhong was now the locker room leader, the team captain, and the flagbearer of Real Madrid, someone Callejon was completely unable to compete against.

Seeing Callejon like this, Chen Zhong knew he got the message and simply said, ”Remember to pass the ball.”

Negredo and C. Ronaldo watched the exchange between Chen Zhong and Callejon from not far away.

Especially C. Ronaldo, who felt a mix of emotions, knowing that in his first game, he also wanted to perform and not pass the ball to his teammates.

Negredo felt more nostalgic.

Their combination with Kaka was just starting to click, and now Kaka was injured and needed surgery, requiring him to rest for at least three months, potentially not returning before the start of March next year.

As the ”opposition figure” in the attacking trident, he couldn’t help but worry about his position, aware of the eager players like Higuain and Benzema waiting in the wings. Kaka, once recovered, was likely to regain his starting position, but Negredo himself lacked the confidence.

On the sidelines, Pellegrini couldn’t help but cast his gaze toward Granero on the bench after conceding the goal. This young man, nicknamed ”The Pirate” in the youth team, was also garnering attention from some fans and could easily replace Callejon’s position, though he was lacking in speed and dribbling ability.

After scoring the goal, Valencia’s morale surged, but Emery calmed the team, causing Real Madrid’s prepared counterattacks to hit a cushion.

The first half ended 1:2, and during halftime, both teams made tactical adjustments. In the second half, Valencia noticeably increased their intensity in duels, hoping to divert Real Madrid’s players’ focus elsewhere!

And this tactic wasn’t without success. In the 56th minute of the match, Chen Zhong received a return pass from Callejon in the middle, and in his comfort zone, decisively launched a heavy cannon shot, shattering Valencia’s goal!

However, before Chen Zhong could celebrate, the referee blew the whistle, indicating that Baptista had fouled Bruno off the ball first.

This incident drew angry whistles from many Real Madrid fans.

During this period, Baptista had suffered numerous fouls and provocations from Bruno. Some fans clearly saw Bruno clip Baptista’s backside while running, causing Baptista to react!

What’s more frustrating is that the call didn’t affect Real Madrid’s attack or Valencia’s defense, and it occurred outside the penalty area. Was this foul enough to disallow Chen Zhong’s brilliant goal?

Chen Zhong gave the referee a deep look. Perhaps it was an illusion, but ever since he responded to certain comments, Real Madrid seemed to have been targeted in matches, while Barcelona, on the contrary, seemed to always receive favorable treatment.