I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

Chen Zhong’s precise through ball sounded the charge for a counterattack.

When his precise through ball tore open Valencia’s defense and landed at Kaka’s feet, the Valencia fans watching felt their hair stand on end, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Real Madrid fans, on the other hand, stood up and raised their arms high, chanting Chen Zhong’s name.

After receiving the ball, Kaka made no hesitation, pushed the ball forward, and bypassed the last defender. Charging rapidly to the edge of the penalty area, a central defender came in to cover, but Kaka fooled him with a rhythm change.

Then at the top of the arc outside the penalty area, he made a curling shot.

The ball drew a beautiful arc and plummeted toward the far corner of the goal, but Guaita made a dive and blocked it out at the line.

”What a pity!”

”Real Madrid’s counterattack was incredibly quick.”

”Kaka’s shot quality was also very high.”

”But Guaita is in great form, a brilliant dive kept the ball out.”

”This is a corner kick for Real Madrid.”

Chen Zhong entered Valencia’s penalty area, closely marked by two players at 190CM, with other players nearby also no shorter than 185CM.

Emery stood nervously on the sidelines, having arranged for tall players to mark Chen Zhong during set pieces, yet still feeling uncertain.

Alonso took the corner kick, and Chen Zhong squeezed the space of the defenders beside him, leaping high amid their incredulous looks.

The ball made ample contact with Chen Zhong’s forehead.

”Boom~”

It was a powerful header.

Valencia’s fans looked nervously toward the goal.

Guaita blocked the ball with his face.

The penalty area was chaotic, but eventually, the ball was cleared away.

”He even managed to get it.”

”Guaita’s positioning is quite interesting too.”

”Right in the path of the ball.”

”He blocked it with his face.”

”The referee has paused the match.”

”Guaita’s nose is bleeding.”

Chen Zhong, under the monster-like gazes of Valencia’s players, glanced regretfully at Guaita. Though he successfully jumped and completed the header amid the two burly men boxing him in,

he was still restricted.

At least in terms of direction, there was no angle to speak of.

Valencia’s players started to become cautious after this Real Madrid attack, but Real Madrid’s offensive didn’t stop.

”Alvaro.”

”This area?”

”Chen Zhong’s vision is really wide.”

”The sudden change caught Valencia off guard.”

Chen Zhong took the ball in the midfield, dribbling forward, and despite Valencia’s stringent defense, he didn’t pass to the ’logical’ person but instead sent it to Alvaro, who was coming from behind on the flank.

Valencia’s formation shrank a bit, giving Alvaro lots of room to play.

Before reaching the penalty area, Alvaro encountered no obstacles.

Emery’s eyes flickered. Valencia’s tactics were his design, intended to protect the middle more, naturally leaving the flanks somewhat weak.

But that’s not an issue, as everything would eventually return to the middle.

Emery’s thinking wasn’t wrong, and on the wing, Alvaro as he thought, wanted to break into the box, but Valencia players wouldn’t let him in so easily.

Alvaro didn’t force it. Spotting his teammate making a forward run in the center, he made a cross trying to find a teammate.

Jordi Alba was on the passing line, the ball hit his hand, changing direction.

”Alvaro!”

”Valencia blocked his cut-in route.”

”Went for a cross.”

”This time.”

”Wasn’t that a handball by Alba?”

”The referee shows no reaction.”

”Chen Zhong.”

”Whoa~”

The ball deflected off Jordi Alba’s hand. As an attacking player, as long as the referee’s whistle doesn’t blow, you have to push for the goal.

Chen Zhong charged toward the ball, being the nearest to it from the looks of it.

A bristled-bearded Valencia fullback, Bruno, was the closest to the ball for Valencia, and he slid in front of Chen Zhong outside the penalty area, tripping him.

”Beep beep beep~”

The referee blew the whistle.

Bruno kept his head down and said nothing, clearly knowing this was an obvious foul, and with experience being over 30, Bruno was well aware that at most, this would only earn him a yellow card.

”Yellow card!”

”As the match approaches twenty minutes.”

”Bruno gets a yellow card.”

”This is the fourth yellow card of the match.”

”It seems like the referee’s opening three yellows had quite an effect.”

On the sidelines, Mourinho protested loudly beside the fourth official, believing that the earlier ball hitting Alba’s hand should have awarded a penalty.

But the referee ignored Mourinho’s appeal, leaving him somewhat speechless.

After experiencing this episode, Emery also shelved his immature ideas, calling out players’ names from the sidelines, while the team’s formation shifted to a 541, clearly adopting a defensive stance.

Mourinho, seeing this, mumbled some curses, yet deep down knew this was the right choice.