I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 731: Chapter 21: Am I a Door God? (Part 2)

”Spanish at home against Real Madrid.”

”The players from both teams are entering the pitch one after another.”

”Real Madrid...”

”Spanish...”

”The match officially begins!”

”Spanish kickoff.”

”Garcia receives the pass.”

”Breaks away from Pepe!”

”Casillas!”

”Fell to the ground!?”

”What’s going on???”

”A direct red card???”

The match had only just started, less than 2 minutes in. Some fans who entered slowly might still be finding their seats, yet the situation on the field suddenly changed; Spanish attempted an aggressive start.

The ball came to Garcia’s feet, and this Spanish winger evaded Pepe’s reckless tackle, quickly moving forward, and then all we heard was the shrill whistle from the referee, followed by the scene of Casillas being sent off with a red card.

Mourinho on the sidelines was clearly shocked by this scene.

He clearly didn’t expect such an event in a match against a minor team like Spanish.

Casillas being sent off with a red card in less than 2 minutes is a record for Real Madrid in La Liga for the quickest send-off, starting the away game against Spanish in such an unprecedented way, something that likely no one anticipated before the match.

The fans in the stands were also discussing this penalty with fervor.

Regardless of whether the timing is calculated from when Casillas made the move or when the referee showed the red card, getting a red card in about two minutes has set the fastest send-off record for Real Madrid within La Liga history.

They say that referees should strive to be ”invisible men” on the pitch, but in this match, referee Lahoz could only become the highlight as the main figure.

”This penalty is hard to assess.”

”Statistics show this is only the second time Casillas has been sent off in his La Liga history.”

”The last time dates back to April 30, 2006, against Osasuna, but back then, Casillas was forced out after receiving a second yellow card; this time, he was straightforwardly dismissed with a red card.”

”So Casillas, who didn’t even break a sweat, can even directly change into a suit and watch from the stands as a spectator!”

”I don’t know if the referee’s penalty was accurate; I only know that after the match, this penalty will surely be debated.”

Not talking about that time in 2006, whether Casillas’s action today was a foul has little doubt, but whether it warranted a red card is very worth discussing.

When Casillas rushed out of the penalty area, he obviously intended to kick the ball away, but with the opposing player incoming at high speed, Casillas also feared a heavy collision, which would benefit neither player. Hence, his body slightly leaned to the side, moving towards the ball with a sweeping motion, yet this very normal action brought trouble; he didn’t sweep the ball but instead swept the opponent’s leg. Although it only swept a bit, the opposing player had sufficient reason to fall.

It should be said that this act by Casillas, with a bit of self-protection and not quite bold enough, gave the referee material to talk about.

Right after kickoff, without having warmed up, the goalkeeper’s inadequate body temperature, facing a sudden impact, sometimes leads to coping strategies that easily cause trouble. Though this action was undoubtedly a foul, directly causing a red card gave an illusion: Is this mild level of confrontation, relying entirely on the opponent’s dramatics to enhance the scene’s intensity, worthy of a red card?

Even though Garcia seemed to fall dramatically, one doesn’t need a slow motion to see, the actual harm from Casillas was minimal. Seeing he couldn’t reach the ball, Casillas noticeably lessened his force, barely scraping the opponent, but Garcia reacted as though a galloping horse hit a trap line, tumbling forward dramatically, truly hard on him. Had he not lacked gymnastics skills, he might have ended up tumbling head over heels.

This somewhat exaggerated falling acted unexpectedly duped Lahoz; let’s not dwell on whether showing a red card two minutes into the match seems harsh, just focusing on the move itself, Lahoz’s decision lacked technical merit.

Lahoz himself clearly hadn’t reached a normal refereeing state.

He was misled by the sudden incident, impulsively pulling a red card out.

After pulling this card, even if you originally intended to show a yellow card, it couldn’t be altered anymore.

Mourinho quickly gathered his composure, instructing Antonio Adan to prepare to come on. He is the team’s backup goalkeeper, a slot that is rather awkward; as long as the main goalkeeper doesn’t encounter problems, he essentially doesn’t have opportunities to play.

Though it’s February and still somewhat cold, this ”senior” of Chen Zhong’s team, the veteran from Castilla, was clearly quite excited. He stood up instantly from the field, while Kaka began walking towards the sidelines.

Mourinho made the adjustment by swapping Adan for Kaka.

”I am going on!”

”I am going on!”

The phrase resonated repeatedly in Adan’s mind; he jumped up from his seat, quickly dashing to the sidelines, the sheer force even numbing his ankle.

Yet he didn’t care at all!

As the saying goes, train soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a moment.

Today is the day for Adan to make his name...

”Boom!”

The bottle and the ground had a close encounter, as Adan steadied himself with a force centered in his abdomen, but twisted his ankle in the process. He slid across the sidelines in a half-kneeling posture, sweat rolling down his forehead.

”The team doctor! The team doctor!”

Mourinho’s expression changed, tightly adjusting his clothes on himself, watching Adan while calling out for the team doctor in some panic, while Kaka and Casillas, preparing to walk off the field, were stunned.

Not this, so unlucky?

The substitute goalkeeper sprained himself before taking to the field?

Does this consume a substitution slot?

The team doctor reached Adan’s side, glanced towards Mourinho while shaking his head, indicating it would be tough for Adan to continue in this match. Mourinho looked to the field, hesitated momentarily, and locked his gaze onto Chen Zhong.

”What!”

”Adequate warm-up is necessary.”

”We see that when the substitute goalkeeper came out, he seemed to have twisted his foot.”

”Mourinho’s expression changed immediately; it seemed only Balotelli had ever made him feel this way.”

”That time he took only one striker with him, but Balotelli got himself sent off with two yellows and a red in the second half.”

”Hmm? Adan seems unable to continue.”

”Weather indeed significantly affects the team.”

”Kaka paused on the sidelines; it seemed Mourinho doesn’t plan to make the substitution.”

”He wants to...”

”What? Chen Zhong is changing outfits!”

”He will be the goalkeeper for this match.”

”This seems quite a logical choice.”

”After all, Chen Zhong’s reaction speed is fast, and he’s tall.”

”Is it really Chen Zhong???”

”He put on Adan’s team outfit; their builds are similar, simultaneously donning the gloves.”

Two minutes into the match, Mourinho lost two goalkeepers.

Luckily, since Adan hadn’t completed the substitution, it didn’t use up a substitution slot.

After briefly contemplating, Mourinho chose not to substitute, instead letting Chen Zhong take the goalkeeper role while Kaka remained on the field.

The team’s formation switched to a 4-2-2-1 setup.

Adebayor

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka

Alonso, Khedira

Marcelo, Cavaleiro, Pepe, Alvaro

Chen Zhong

When Chen Zhong donned the gloves, joyful sounds filled the stadium.

The Spanish fans were clearly delighted.

Today is ”Heaven is helping us!”

Real Madrid’s genuine goalkeepers are all injured, leaving only Chen Zhong, a semi-capable player, in front of the goal.

Alright! Though Chen Zhong always bears the title of ”All-Powerful.”

He could play center-back, midfield, or even step in as a center forward.

But whether he can play goalkeeper? I don’t believe it!

”Focus!”

Chen Zhong shouted loudly, signaling his teammates to focus. The penalty had been made, and pondering about it now was pointless.

Barcelona was closely following behind; they hadn’t reached the point of relaxing yet.

Feeling a bit tense, Chen Zhong realized he hadn’t checked his attributes as a goalkeeper; perhaps he should take a look?

What if, I am indeed the Door God?