I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 729: Chapter 20: Four National Derbies??? (Part 2)

”In the first leg, we drew with Real Madrid, and for a moment, we had the possibility of advancing.”

”Even though our opponent was Real Madrid, if it were to come to a penalty shootout, anything would be possible.”

”In fact, for most of this match, we did very well. Whether it was defense or anything else, we performed admirably.”

”I didn’t lose to Mourinho, and Sevilla didn’t lose to Real Madrid. We just lost to Chen.”

”Hey, to be honest, I think some fans are quite right. I seriously doubt if Chen is a newly developed robot. Of course, it’s just a joke, but we almost had a chance to enter the finals.”

...

The impact of Chen Zhong scoring four goals was more profound than expected. For several consecutive days, reports were focused on this matter, discussing how Real Madrid and Chen Zhong performed.

”Chen helped Mourinho achieve his first final.” Marca used this headline in Portuguese on the cover two days later.

The paper stated that the reason for using this language was because Sevilla’s president Del Nido once expressed in Portuguese his desire for Real Madrid to achieve nothing.

In fact, Sevilla at least temporarily had a chance to ”eliminate” Chen Zhong in the King’s Cup, but unfortunately, Chen Zhong’s four goals in the second half changed everything.

This also elevated this Spanish King’s Cup to a new level.

Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the King’s Cup final, which is certainly pleasing to the fans. This is the seventh time in history the two teams have met; in the previous six finals, Barcelona won four times and Real Madrid won twice.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the most honored teams in Spanish history. However, the number of times the two teams have met in the King’s Cup final is only six, which is relatively few in the century-long history of the event.

Barcelona is the leading winner of the King’s Cup with a total of 25 championships, having recently lifted the trophy two seasons ago when they defeated Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid has 18 trophies but is the team with the most participations in the King’s Cup finals, with 38 appearances. However, excluding last season’s King’s Cup victory, their last King’s Cup triumph was in the 1992-93 season.

The last time Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the King’s Cup was in the 1989-90 season, when Barcelona won 2-0 with goals from Amor and Salinas.

Real Madrid and Barcelona both reaching the King’s Cup final means there might be as many as four Spanish National Derbies within 16 days in April!

Two matches are already confirmed: on April 16, Real Madrid will face Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in a La Liga match, and four days later, they will compete for the first championship of the season, the King’s Cup.

Another two matches could become a part of the UEFA’s planned fixtures.

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have advanced to the Champions Cup round of 16. If both teams eliminate their opponents, they might be arranged to face each other in the quarter-finals due to the lifting of all sorts of avoidance factors.

If so, it is very likely there will be four National Derbies, which would be an epic experience for fans...

April 5th and 6th mark the first leg of the Champions Cup quarter-finals, and April 12th and 13th the second leg. If UEFA arranges a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, it would successfully capture the commercial impact of the most spectacular Spanish match. But four clashes in half a month might lead to viewer fatigue.

Of course, all this presumes Real Madrid can overcome the round of 16 hurdle it has stumbled on for several consecutive years.

Another possibility is meeting in the Champions Cup final.

It is worth noting that at the start of next season, the two teams might first play a two-legged National Derby: the Spanish Super Cup. Unless another team besides Real Madrid and Barcelona wins the La Liga title, the two teams will surely compete in August’s two-legged Super Cup, a scenario with Real Madrid or Barcelona not winning the title is extremely slim.

This means that in four months, there will be at least four derbies, up to a maximum of six, which is quite astonishing and rare in history.

For Mourinho’s team, meeting Barcelona multiple times means multiple opportunities for revenge, although Mourinho claims he has no desire for revenge against Barcelona, that is clearly not sincere.

With Mourinho’s capabilities, it is possible to tie the number of wins and losses with Barcelona, and victory is not unimaginable.

Even though Messi is in an explosive phase this season, Real Madrid has three Ballon d’Or winners, making them a formidable challenge.

The Spanish media is full of anticipation for the King’s Cup final between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Diario AS states that this will be a great final, occurring in the same week as Barcelona’s league visit to the Bernabeu; Spanish dream soccer will be continuously spectacular.

In April, Spanish football will enter a carnival phase, with a feast of matches becoming commonplace, greatly enhancing the fan experience.

Spain and the world will be captivated by the continuous clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the King’s Cup final being a direct championship competition, making it the most prestigious National Derby in recent years.

The Catalonia media suggests that fans should pick up a pen or phone and note down April 20th, as the venue for Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s final is yet to be determined, and both sides will compete for the season’s first title.

Apparently, Barcelona is even ready for the Spanish Football Association to arrange the final at the Bernabeu.

Amidst the heated discussions about Chen and his four goals, the Real Madrid versus Barcelona derby, Mourinho and Guardiola.

The next league match against Real Sociedad arrives quietly.

”We have to forget about the King’s Cup. Thinking about it now is very stupid. When the final comes, we will focus on it. For now, we must concentrate on the league and key matches,” said Mourinho at tonight’s press conference before the match against Real Sociedad.

The Portuguese coach is trying to relieve the pressure on his players, asking them not to think about the upcoming King’s Cup.

Just like Barcelona’s coach Guardiola, Mourinho wants to shift focus away from the King’s Cup and onto the La Liga competition.

Regarding Real Madrid’s opponent in this match, Mourinho said: ”Real Sociedad plays very well, and we must be cautious. The first leg against them was very tough because they played excellently against us, not that we played badly. They’re proving difficult to beat.”

In the 22nd round of La Liga, an in-form Real Madrid showcased amazing firepower.

At Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, countless fans raised their hands in celebration as the scoreboard froze at 7:1, with the entire stadium nearly erupting from the cheers.

In this game, the long-silent Kaka broke the deadlock first, with Chen Zhong’s penetrative through ball slicing through Real Sociedad’s defense, assisting Kaka.

Subsequently, twice he blasted from outside the penalty area, completing a brace.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in a scoring drought, also scored twice in the second half. The Portuguese looked very excited, with a flushed face muttering into the camera.

If it weren’t for Alvaro’s own goal, Real Madrid might have ended with a 6:0 scoreline.

In the final moments, substitute Adebayor added the finishing touch.

The team eventually ended the game with a 7:1 score.

With Di Maria’s pass and Adebayor’s push shot, everything was so beautiful.

Mourinho couldn’t help but glance at Benzema, who had already been substituted off when Adebayor scored.

This unlucky guy, why is he so unfortunate?

So many chances ended up on the post or missed wide.

Mourinho couldn’t help but recall Benzema’s misfiring in front of an open goal, momentarily making Adebayor seem even more handsome.