I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 440: Chapter 70: Kicking Above the Head_2

”Passed back to Chen Zhong.”

”Pass again.”

The time had already entered the final moments, and the first half was about to end. Sevilla players felt that every single second was tormenting, and they couldn’t figure out why Real Madrid players were so frenzied.

Why not wait until the first half ends, rest properly, and then decide the winner in the second half?

Fazio was somewhat out of breath. Compared to Chen Zhong, his stamina was lacking, after all, he had already played 45 minutes while Chen Zhong had played less than twenty.

However, he still insisted on his duty, which was to interfere with Chen Zhong time and again.

He saw the ball land at Negredo’s feet and saw Negredo pass it back to Chen Zhong.

Fazio quickly moved in, trying to pressure Chen Zhong with his body. However, Chen Zhong didn’t hold the ball but instead opted for a one-touch pass.

Was he scared?

Fazio thought to himself since this position was already within Chen Zhong’s shooting range.

Yet now, he didn’t choose to shoot, but passed the ball back. Did this mean he was scared!

Afraid of me?

But the next second, Chen Zhong’s lifted hand shattered Fazio’s illusion.

”The ball goes back to Negredo.”

”Negredo sends the ball to an open area.”

”Chen Zhong pushes Fazio aside!”

Chen Zhong passed the ball back to Negredo, and Fazio’s advance left an open space outside Sevilla’s penalty area.

Negredo had already seen Chen Zhong’s gesture before getting the ball, quickly understanding Chen Zhong’s intention, and without hesitation, he gently pushed the ball into the open space.

Fazio realized something was wrong when he saw Chen Zhong lift his hand and voluntarily moved closer to Chen Zhong, wanting to use his body to interfere with him.

He reached out his hands like a clingy little demon entangling Chen Zhong, but Chen Zhong mustered his strength to press against him.

Already exhausted, Fazio had no way to resist this force.

If he were a bit shorter, he might have been able to plant his feet, but he was too tall.

After pushing Fazio aside, Chen Zhong’s eyes were solely focused on the ball, quickly assessing his surroundings, including the goalkeeper’s position, and after a ”meticulous” calculation in his mind, he smashed a kick into the ball.

”Bang!”

A sound akin to a dragon’s roar resounded.

This kick was without any reservation.

Amidst the fanatical shouts of the spectators in the stands, the ball shot forward resolutely.

The ball transformed into a white flash, storming towards the goal.

Sevilla’s goalkeeper reacted, Palop using his ankle to block this ball flying low above the grass.

But it couldn’t be stopped at all.

The ball hit his ankle heavily and then changed direction, rushing into the goal.

2:2

The ball went in!

The 27th goal in the league this season!

Real Madrid fans in the stands once again erupted in earth-shattering cheers.

The entire Santiago Bernabeu Stadium seemed to tremble.

Sevilla players looked somewhat despondent, while Barcelona fans following the match cursed and turned off their TVs, and Pellegrini on the sidelines couldn’t hide a trace of surprise in his eyes.

He was absolutely certain that Chen Zhong’s long-range shooting ability had become increasingly strong.

Whether it was power, accuracy, or timing, it had improved more than a level since the beginning of the season.

”A super powerful shot.”

”He kept the ball very low.”

”The goalkeeper’s performance was outstanding.”

”But still couldn’t stop this shot.”

”2:2”

”Real Madrid has equalized.”

”From...”

”Hmm?”

”What’s happening?”

”Goalkeeper Palop hasn’t risen from the ground for a long time.”

”He looks very hurt.”

”Seems like he’s injured!”

As the commentary explained, the camera also focused on Palop, and the large screen at the Bernabeu began replaying that heavy shot.

The camera showed Chen Zhong’s determined eyes, his powerful thigh smashing into the ball.

The ball flew low, skimming the grass.

In slow motion, one could even see Chen Zhong’s supporting foot stomping forcefully on the turf, the ball had a slight hop, and when Chen Zhong unleashed a powerful shot, the ball deformed visibly, grass scattered.

Silently, all of this conveyed the immense power of this shot!

Many fans recalled the former ”Little Cannon” Carlos.

Yet, with just this one shot, Palop dared to use his fragile ankle to block the ball.

From the camera, it was clear to see that the moment Palop’s ankle met the ball, a dislocation occurred, and the ball slightly changed direction, continuing to rush towards the goal.

Some fans even had a thought cross their minds.

Could it be that Palop’s ankle joint was directly blasted off?

Another thought was...

No, how could Palop dare this?

How much are you paid! Why gamble your life!

This kind of shot, and he dared to block it with his ankle?

On a football field, only a goalkeeper’s injury doesn’t require them to be moved off the field, and the game will pause because of a goalkeeper’s injury.

The main referee took a look at the injured goalkeeper, then at the fact the injury time was about to end, and chose to blow the whistle, ending the first half of the match.

This allowed the tormented Sevilla fans and players to breathe a sigh of relief, while Real Madrid fans were somewhat dissatisfied.

Wasn’t there still thirty or forty seconds left?

What if Chen could score another goal?

Sevilla’s coach Jimenez felt a bit gloomy. Andres Palop Selbera, despite being only 184CM tall, had never found his place at Valencia.

But it wasn’t due to a lack of ability, it was simply bad luck.

Since joining Sevilla in 2005, Palop gradually became a spiritual leader for the team, finding a stage to display his talent in Sevilla.

And in 2007, he soared.

In the 2007 UEFA Cup at Hampton Park Stadium, fans cheered for Palop three times as he blocked four penalties from the Spanish side, making him the undisputed most valuable player of the finals for Sevilla.

Even the Spanish media hailed him, ”This is Palop’s UEFA Cup!”

That year, Sevilla defended their title successfully with Palop achieving seven clean sheets out of twelve matches, crucially saving the defending champions with a header in the fourth minute of stoppage time when they faced Shakhtar Donetsk away in the round of 16. In the finals, Palop also launched an attack with a throw, assisting Adriano to score the opening goal for Sevilla, and in the penalty shootout, he did not disappoint, proving himself perhaps even better than Canizares!

The team’s two-goal lead in the first half was wiped out, and their spiritual leader had to leave the field due to injury. How were they to play the second half?

Online, many netizens were eagerly discussing, with some fans calling friends to say, ”Come watch the match, Chen Zhong just broke someone’s ankle with a shot.”

People always love chasing hot topics, and in this match, the goalkeeper’s ankle was shot off, and Chen Zhong came on as a substitute to help equalize with two goals in under 20 minutes. It could be said to be full of highlights.

In China, even those who didn’t follow football, upon hearing about how Chen Zhong broke someone’s ankle on the pitch, rushed to get the scoop.

This is typical of the Chinese love for excitement.

And in an era where shock value was becoming the trend, some netizens even DIY-ed the next day’s news online.

”Shocking: Is this moral degeneration or a twisted humanity, Chen Zhong does such a thing on the pitch.”

”Late night on the field, why does the goalkeeper scream in pain, click to see the story between Chen Zhong and the goalkeeper...”

...

Amidst the lively discussions, halftime passed just like that.