I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 742: Chapter 26: Lyon’s High Morale!

Real Madrid, as always, maintains its dominance over Barcelona in the league, and in the Champions League, they once again face Lyon, a team once dubbed as the ”Real Madrid nemesis.”

Of course, now Lyon’s nickname is not as fitting as it once was, and the decline in their reputation can be traced back to when Chen Zhong joined Real Madrid’s first team.

Some fans have even labeled Chen Zhong as the ”Lyon nemesis,” signifying his ability to restrain Lyon...

This time, Real Madrid fans hold an optimistic attitude towards the outcome of the match, especially since Real Madrid secured a league victory over Levante three days before the important Champions League match against Lyon. Real Madrid’s coach Mourinho is also satisfied with the result.

This is because Real Madrid not only quickly secured the win but also allowed some key players to rest.

However, he also stated that although Real Madrid is temporarily at the top of the league standings, the Red and Blue Army will not easily give up their desire for the championship. Of course, Mourinho also stated: ”The team doesn’t feel much pressure regarding this.”

During an interview, Chen Zhong also steadfastly said: ”If we’re talking about pressure...”

”I believe only the team in second place will feel pressure!”

”We are still leading the league; our fate is in our own hands!”

”Pressure is for the team in second place, not for us, the first-place team. The team in second must win every match, as their fate is not in their hands. We have won the last two rounds, continuing to move forward and grow.”

Chen Zhong’s words served to inspire both his teammates and fans in a certain way, and Mourinho later added his own views on the current phase of the team’s performance. He expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, saying: ”I really love this team. They played a very serious match, going all out from the first minute. Such matches are often very difficult because players tend to focus more on the Champions League games. The opponents have lost many goals here, but their defensive organization is orderly.”

Regarding the match against Levante, Mourinho thought Chen Zhong’s decisive penalty kick was crucial; he said: ”We quickly got a chance to change the course of the match. It was a rather significant penalty, and Callejon’s fall was unquestionable, it was indeed a foul, and Chen Zhong stepped up to the responsibility.”

”We scored the goal, thus gaining stronger control over the match. This wasn’t a game where we had to thrash the opponent, winning was the most important thing, but we still achieved a big victory. Chen Zhong posed a huge threat to the opposition, scoring a hat-trick and reaching his 20th league goal; his form is improving.”

”This match also provided some players with a chance to rest, and some not frequently in the starting lineup got to play.” Mourinho also praised Ramos, Benzema, and Di Maria.

Finally, Mourinho talked about the match against Lyon, a team that once caused concern among Real Madrid fans, eliminating and defeating Real Madrid multiple times. Yet, in Mourinho’s eyes, they’re not considered a formidable opponent.

Mourinho did not disclose the starting lineup and explained why, finally saying: ”Even though Lyon has one more day to prepare, 24 more hours of news time, we have a strong team, and we will win, especially with Chen on our side, a player with a very interesting nickname...”

The time soon arrived for the match day, and at the news conference before Real Madrid’s away Champions League match against Lyon, Real Madrid’s coach Mourinho stated: ”Lyon is a very good team; I’m saying this without any psychological strategies. But we are Real Madrid, and we must eliminate our opponents to advance.”

”In fact, I’ve previously eliminated them as a coach, the year I won the Champions League. Also, Cavaleiro helped his team by scoring to eliminate Lyon, and Cristiano, during his time at Manchester United, also eliminated them.”

”Lyon is a team skilled in knockout matches, but Real Madrid is Real Madrid, and past records are meant to be broken.”

”No, I should say they’ve long been broken by Chen.”

Before the match, Chen Zhong also gave an interview. Chen Zhong was a key member of Real Madrid’s team that broke the jinx. Before he joined Real Madrid’s first team, the club almost never advanced beyond the round of 16 and had never defeated Lyon.

In the first decade of the new century, Real Madrid started off perfectly with a win over Valencia in 2000 to capture the Champions League title and again in 2002 against Bayer Leverkusen, securing the club’s ninth Champions Cup. However, since then, the team’s performance in the Champions Cup deteriorated continuously.

In the 2002-03 season, Real Madrid was defeated by Juventus in the semi-finals; the last time Real Madrid reached the quarter-finals dates back to the 2003-04 season, when the renowned ”Galaxy Battleship” was defeated by Morientes’ Monaco.

After that, Real Madrid continuously faced disappointment in the Champions Cup, never advancing past the round of 16.