Chapter 367: Strike first and defeat magic with magic

Chapter 367: Strike first and defeat magic with magic

The day of the 2016-2017 Champions League final arrives, and fans all over the world are impatient and can’t wait for the game to come soon.

A large number of fans gathered outside the hotel where Real Madrid and Arsenal stayed. They stood outside the hotel's cordon and continued to make hysterical shouts and shouts.

Reporters from the peripheral media kept pressing their shutters to record the side of the fanatical fans.

The two sides participating in the Champions League final have long adapted to the frenetic pre-match atmosphere, and their respective pre-match preparation arrangements are in order.

Every player slept very well the night before the game. On the day of the game, they felt refreshed and in good condition.

Zidane and Wenger looked at their players, confident in the Champions League final that kicked off in the evening.

In the morning, the Arsenal team rested for an hour and a half after breakfast, and then went to the independent gym provided by the hotel to prepare physically for the final in the evening.

At noon, the whole team eats a nutritious meal rich in protein and carbohydrates.

Starting in the afternoon, eat some carbohydrates and high-calorie foods every two hours to make nutritional reserves.

The game time is 8:45 pm. The entire Arsenal team gathers at 6 pm and takes the team bus to the Millennium Stadium around 6:20 pm.

A large number of fans gathered outside the hotel, singing team songs and cheering for the departing team.

These fans were all loyal fans who had not bought tickets, and the square outside the Millennium Stadium was overcrowded, so they could only come to the hotel where they were staying to cheer for the team that took the bus to the competition venue.

The players, led by captain Martin, responded to the enthusiastic fans who supported them all the way through the glass window by clapping their hands.

At the other end of the spectrum, Real Madrid's players are better received, and it's clear that this century-old club is more popular around the world.

Since the establishment of the Champions League, Real Madrid is the first team to win ten championships.

Today's Real Madrid is star-studded, and every player is a star player, so they will naturally receive huge welcome.

The five-star hotel where the two teams stayed was actually not far from the Millennium Stadium, less than five kilometers. However, there were so many fans coming to Cardiff that it was completely overcrowded.

The number of people stretched directly from the hotel to the Millennium Stadium.

In order to ensure the safety of fans and players, the bus will travel very slowly.

It wasn't until nearly seven o'clock that the players from both teams arrived at the outer square of the Millennium Stadium by bus.

Every entrance that queues to enter the stadium is overcrowded, and many fans without tickets are still holding up slogans asking for tickets to the finals, hoping to wait until fans who have something to do to sell their tickets, even if the premium is several times higher.

But now that the game is here, where can we find tickets that are only several times higher than the price?

Originally the cheapest ticket was 80 pounds, but on the day of the final it went to pounds, and it was still hard to get a ticket.

You must know that the official price of the best seat ticket in the neutral fan zone is only 338 pounds.

Of course, it is impossible to buy tickets with the best location at this price.

Without ten thousand pounds, there is no way to transfer it.

This shows how hard it is to get tickets for the Champions League final on the day of the game.

Now that everyone has material enjoyment, people's level of enjoyment has reached the spiritual stage.

If the money is gone, you can make it again, but if you miss the game, you will never have it again.

Especially for Real Madrid fans and Arsenal fans, it is a feast not to be missed.

Can Real Madrid win their 11th Champions League title?

Can Arsenal break the curse of being unable to defend the Champions League since its restructuring?

Whether the teams they support can achieve their wishes, in the eyes of die-hard fans, requires their full support and shouting at the scene.

"aoaooaoaoooooo——"

The overwhelming cheers swept through the entire outer square of the Millennium Stadium.

The security staff maintaining law and order acted as if they were faced with a formidable enemy and kept a high level of attention, fearing that fans from both sides would cause trouble before the game.

Arsenal fans sitting in the bus waved to the enthusiastic fans through the glass windows.

Martin looked at those holding banners, slogans, flags and posters related to himself, and he knew what to do in the next Champions League final.

Defeat Real Madrid and win the championship!

……

Compared with Martin's calmness and calmness, Ronaldo seemed a little nervous.

He wore headphones to listen to music, but his frown betrayed his true thoughts.

By the time the players from both sides changed into their training shirts and entered the stadium, it was estimated that more than 74500 fans had flooded into the Millennium Stadium, which can accommodate spectators, and the remaining empty seats were gradually filled by fans entering the stadium.

The red and white stands on the north and south sides are clearly distinguishable.

Obviously, this is the die-hard fans of both sides creating enough atmosphere to cheer for their own teams.

According to media reports before the game, UEFA gave a total of 14500 tickets to both sides of the final, which is tickets each. The remaining tickets belong to neutral fans, official sponsors and reserves.

Therefore, looking from the extending area of ​​the north and south stands, there is a full sense of atmosphere.

Fans from both sides of the final warmed up, and the waves of overwhelming cheers came one after another.

The stars of the two teams are more popular than other players. Among them, the stars of Real Madrid and players such as Martin and Sanchez are more popular.

Martin showed a very good level of competition, and the Spanish media in the mixed zone were worried about Real Madrid.

Fortunately, Ronaldo also showed excellent form, outflanking shots and long-range shots from outside the penalty area, which doubled the confidence of the Real Madrid fans in the audience.

At this time, the starting lineups of both sides in the final have been announced.

Before drawing the home team, Arsenal still used their usual 4231 formation.

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech

Defenders: Monreal, Van Dijk, Koscielny, Bellerin

Midfielder: Xhaka, Kante

Midfielder: Sanchez, Martin, Gnabry

Forward: Cavani

……

Real Madrid is still their most commonly used 433 formation.

Goalkeeper: Navas

Defenders: Marcelo, Varane, Ramos, Carvajal

Midfielder: Modric, Kroos, Casemiro

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale

※※※※※

The warm-up time for the players from both sides of the Champions League final lasted about forty minutes, and then they walked to the player tunnel and returned to their respective locker rooms to make final preparations for the final.

UEFA staff began to build scenes with local Welsh characteristics in preparation for the traditional performance before the start of the Champions League final.

After entering their respective locker rooms, the players from both sides of the finals first tidied up their appearance and combed their hair.

The game is a competitive level and a stage for players to show themselves.

In the live broadcast of the Champions League final, every player wants to show his best self.

Including football level and personal handsome face.

Martin specially cut his hair with a large back before the game, perfectly showing off his facial features which are slightly inferior to those of the readers.

I applied a lot of priceless hairspray and nodded with satisfaction until I felt that my hair style was meticulous.

Cristiano Ronaldo in the visiting team's locker room is also very concerned about his image. He used his hands to arrange his recently-cut hair into an extremely fluffy look, like rolls of instant noodles knocked over his head.

……

Since there was a performance with Welsh national characteristics by the organizer and a medley of popular songs by the Black Eyed Peas before the start of the game, both sides of the final spent a long time in the dressing room, giving Wenger and Zidane more time. Rich tactics.

With about ten minutes left before the start of the game, the preparation bell rang from the speakers in the home and visiting team's locker rooms, reminding both sides to go to the player tunnel to prepare for the next appearance.

The broadcast of the Champions League final switched briefly as the players from both sides came to the locker room, showing the heavyweight players of the two teams.

Almost all the players in Real Madrid's starting lineup were shown on the screen, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale taking the longest time.

Although Arsenal has dominated the British competition in the past two seasons and has also shown strong dominance in the Champions League, the star quality of the players in the team is not enough.

Only a few players such as Martin, Sanchez, Xhaka, Kante, and Van Dijk have star qualities.

The longest time was given to Gunners captain Martin.

He Wei, the CC5 commentator in the live commentary room, looked at the ultra-high-definition TV screen embedded in the commentary box and shouted unabated: "Martin is still as handsome and unrestrained as ever, perfectly controlling the big back hair that tests his appearance, and his resolute With his eyes and knife-like face, he is simply a living modern prince!"

A large number of female fans around the world watching the live broadcast of the game once again couldn't help but blurt out: I am so handsome~

Players who were not in the starting lineup just passed by without stopping at all.

The performance on the court was over, but the on-site staff still had to clear the court. Players from both sides who had a good personal relationship took advantage of this time to get together with each other, putting their arms around each other, and chatting.

Many players on both sides are national team teammates and former club teammates.

When Ronaldo took the initiative to shake hands with Martin, a close-up shot was given to the two of them.

"We are going to play again soon. Are you confident that you can score more goals than me?" Martin blinked and said a little mischievously.

"necessary!"

Ronaldo held his head high and said: "I will definitely score more goals than you!"

"Are you awake? Why are you talking in your sleep?"

"Go, go, I won't fight you for the sake of being a teammate in the future."

"..."

※※※※※

The UEFA staff were very efficient and completed the clearance in a short time. The Champions League final ambassador, the legendary Welsh star Rush, placed the St. Bradford Cup, symbolizing the championship, on the trophy inlay at the entrance of the player tunnel.

Immediately, the players on both sides received a reminder from the referee team and stood on one side in a straight line.

The substitute players go straight through the tunnel and go to the benches on the left and right sides respectively.

Martin and Ramos held the caddy's hand and stood at the front of their respective teams, waiting to enter.

About ten seconds later, the German referee Brüsch reminded the players on both sides to follow because they were about to enter the stadium.

"aoaooaoaooaooooo——"

Accompanied by huge shouts from the Millennium Stadium, players from both sides walked to the tunnel, with the St. Bradford Cup trophy in the center as the center.

The exciting UEFA Champions League theme song "Champions League" also sounded at the scene.

Players from both teams are obviously afraid of the so-called curse of touching the trophy before the game. They both avoid touching it and focus on auspiciousness.

Fans from both sides occupying the south and north stands of the Millennium Stadium also held up the mosaic boards prepared before the game and pieced them together to form a huge jersey for the home team that covered the entire stand. The Arabic numeral [12] was in the center, implying that they were the 12th man of the team.

Those fans holding flags kept waving their flags.

Fans extending outwards from both sides of the stands raised their fan scarves tightly in their hands, creating a visually impactful scene.

The referee team led by Bruchy entered the stadium, with the center line as the boundary and facing the main stand.

Players from both sides of the Champions League final centered on them, each standing aside.

The reporters in the mixed zone stood outside the cordon and kept pressing the shutter in their hands to record the players' expressions on the camera's memory card.

Every player looked very solemn, obviously a little nervous about the upcoming Champions League final.

The exciting Champions League theme song ended, and the two sides performed the pre-match rituals.

Shake hands, take photos, and captains of both sides go to the referee team to guess the ball...

The fanatical atmosphere in the stadium has declined slightly, and the fans are consciously taking a rest and recuperating for the next game.

Cavani stepped on the football placed at the kick-off point in the center circle with his right foot, waiting for referee Bruchy's whistle.

The countdown started on the big screen.

10

9

……

3

2

1

"Beep~"

When the whistle sounded, Cavani kicked the football to Sanchez who was next to him. The latter didn't stop the ball and directly passed it to captain Martin outside the center circle.

"aoaooaoaoooooo——"

Huge chants instantly echoed throughout the Millennium Stadium.

"Dragon Kingdom TV, Dragon Kingdom TV, what we are broadcasting for you now is the live broadcast of the UEFA Champions League final in the 2016-2017 season. Wearing red and white shirts and white shorts are the defending champions Arsenal. They are facing from the right side of the broadcast screen. Attacking on the left, wearing purple jerseys and purple pants is La Liga champion Real Madrid..."

Central 5 commentator He Wei blurted out the iconic opening line.

Considering this was the final, Arsenal's main goal was to control the tempo of the game, and then use Martin's ability to control the timing to deliver a fatal pass or a shot.

Whether they are on-site commentators or commentators in remote live broadcast rooms, they use a relatively stable scene to repeatedly broadcast the starting lineups of both sides of the game.

After a series of passes, Real Madrid's 433 formation was compressed into a 4321 Christmas tree formation, leaving only Ronaldo at the forefront of the striker.

At 2 minutes and 18 seconds of the game, Martin, who cruised to the right flank of the attack, received the football from Bellerin and passed Benzema and Kroos, and then made a cross.

The football shot up from the ground with strong rotation, like a rainbow across the sky, passing over the head of Ramos at the previous point, and accurately found Cavani who was rushing in front of Varane, who was in front of the penalty spot. The area shook the head and attacked the goal.

Navas reacted quickly, like a spring that was squeezed to the extreme, and ejected with a 'swish'. The football that was pushed off its original trajectory by his single palm also lost most of its power and slowly rolled towards the baseline.

Ramos, who returned to the goal, followed up with a few strides and kicked the ball out of the defensive left sideline before the football rolled out of the baseline.

Cavani put his head in his hands in frustration, then raised his hands to indicate that the football had crossed the baseline early and wanted to ask the referee for a corner kick.

However, the side flag held by the linesman is not pointing diagonally downward toward the corner kick area, but is held flat toward the baseline.

In other words...a foul ball.

The on-site director took this opportunity to restore the wonderful process just now.

Martin's 45-degree cross from the right and Cavani's movement were just right. If Navas hadn't reacted so quickly in front of the goal, Arsenal would have taken the lead.

Bellerin was about to throw a throw-in, and Zidane, who was standing in the technical area directed by the visiting team coach, felt a headache. He had formulated a defensive tactic to limit Martin's contact with the ball before the game, but it seemed to have no effect at all.

After all, offense is active and defense is passive.

With Martin's current technical capabilities, it is simply impossible to complete the restriction.

Therefore, Zidane made up his mind quickly and must be proactive in the next game.

Rather than passively defending, it is better to make the opponent passive.

Arsenal's frontcourt throw-in did not create any decent opportunities, and it ended with Xhaka's long shot from outside the penalty area missing the right goal post.

Real Madrid launched the attack from the backcourt, and through the organizational transition of Modric and Kroos, the football moved safely to the 30-meter area of ​​​​the frontcourt attack.

Ronaldo first participated in the offensive transition from the outside, and then slowly entered the penalty area, preparing to grab points.

However, Real Madrid's offense was very patient, and the main direction of attack also deliberately bypassed Martin's defensive side, using Modric and Kroos' precise long passes to hit the weak defensive side on the other side.

As the star player, Ronaldo was naturally closely monitored, and he did not find any decent opportunities in the penalty area.

The two sides exchanged offense and defense in the subsequent game time, but they were mainly testing.

Time often passes very quickly in high-level matches, and in a blink of an eye, it’s twenty minutes into the first half.

Martin tried two long-range shots during this period, one shot was rejected by Navas, and the other shot slightly missed the outside of the goal post, which shocked the Real Madrid fans in the audience to a cold sweat.

Ronaldo worked hard, but he didn't have much effect when he was closely marked.

Bell has a speed advantage, but Arsenal does not give him a chance to sprint, and his long-range shots have no chance to kick off.

At the 21st minute of the game, Cristiano Ronaldo, who failed to find a chance in the familiar attacking left rib, switched sides with the equally frustrated Bale to see if he could achieve miraculous results.

No one thought that it was this attempt that opened up the situation for Real Madrid, who was slightly passive.

In the 22nd minute, Arsenal's attack hit the right wing and was surrounded by many players from Real Madrid. Bellerin, who lacked technical skills at his feet, passed the ball with little force and the ball was intercepted by Casemiro, who was assisting in defense.

Martin, who had predicted it in advance, ran towards Modric.

But Real Madrid's switch from defense to offense is not only Modric, but also... Kroos.

After receiving the pass, Cross immediately handed it to Bell, who had passed the center line at speed. Kanter subconsciously stretched out his hand to pull the jersey.

Bell's speed slowed down, but he didn't want to waste the opportunity, so he quickly handed it over to Benzema, who ran to the left rib of the attack about thirty meters from the baseline.

Van Dijk, who retreated at high speed, pushed forward.

Benzema, who received the ball, turned 360 degrees on the spot while facing the direction of the attack, shook away the defender in front of him, and then gave the ball to Ronaldo, who ran out of space on the right rib of the attack.

Real Madrid's passing speed from defense to offense is very fast, without any sloppiness.

Neither Koscielny nor Monreal dared to step forward, and tacitly chose to stand still.

Cristiano Ronaldo leaned towards the center after receiving the ball. He waited until his peripheral vision caught Carvajal running at high speed before using the outside instep of his right foot to send a diagonal through ball to the right front.

Monreal had long noticed Carvajal's high-speed forward, so he turned and ran toward the baseline when Ronaldo passed the ball to prevent Carvajal from overtaking from the outside.

Unexpectedly, Carvajal had no intention of stopping at all. He didn't even stop the ball. Instead, he caught up with the football and directly raised his right foot and passed the ball to the area between the penalty spot and the penalty area line.

"Cristiano Ronaldo!!"

The scene shown by the on-site director covered Arsenal's entire penalty area and outside. Andy Gray, the Sky TV commentator in the on-site commentary box, saw Ronaldo appearing in Carvajal's passing path after coordinating the attack, and his voice suddenly became louder. Octave.

The passing speed is always faster than the running speed of a person. Martin, who was still more than 30 meters away from the goal, instinctively stopped and watched Ronaldo, who has now completely transformed into a pure shooter, meet the ball without being marked. Push through the arch of your right foot.

Kick the knife down!

The kicked football was close to the ground, and it quickly and urgently passed between Van Dijk and Koscielny who were on the ground to intercept. Cech, whose vision was blocked, fell to the ground and was half a beat too late to save, and could only watch helplessly. I watched the football, which was not running very fast, brush the inner edge of the left goal post, cross the goal line, and hit the snow-white net...

Wenger, who was standing in the home team coach's command area, had his mouth half open. He didn't expect Real Madrid to score the ball in the way they are best at now.

(End of this chapter)