Chapter 614: The Crisis, A New Star Shines

Chapter 614: The Crisis, A New Star Shines

After 30 rounds of La Liga matches, the title race was heating up, with Real Madrid and Barcelona tied on points. However, Barcelona led the table due to a superior goal difference of 5.

Atletico Madrid, in third place, was holding steady, while the battle for the final Champions League spot was intense. Real Sociedad, in excellent form since the new year, had taken the lead, leading Valencia by four points.

As Athletic Bilbao's performance declined, Real Sociedad became the flagbearer of Basque football, defeating both Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in successive matches.

Coach Montanier had fielded a younger and more technically adept squad, making Real Sociedad the La Liga club most reliant on youth development after Barcelona. They even fielded starting lineups directly from their youth academy.

According to statistics from the British Daily Mail, the top three European clubs with the most local youth talent in their first teams were Barcelona, Real Sociedad, and Athletic Bilbao, while clubs from Ligue 1 occupied positions 4 to 8. Real Madrid did not make the list.

This indicates that Real Madrid does have the ability to develop youth talent, but they tend to prefer sending young players to other clubs for development.

While the competition at the top of La Liga was fierce, the relegation battle was particularly dismal. Five teams had not accumulated more than 30 points after 30 rounds, a situation unprecedented in history, leading to a continually decreasing relegation line.

Deportivo La Coruna temporarily secured safety with a four-game winning streak, thanks in part to their competitors such as Celta Vigo, Zaragoza, and Granada stagnating.

In the 31st round of La Liga, Real Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-0 at home, with goals from Higuain, Morata, and Modric, with Wang Feng contributing an assist.

In the 32nd round of La Liga, the Galaxy Battleship challenged Real Betis away. The Chinese superstar opened the scoring with a long-range shot in the 21st minute, and then assisted Alonso in breaking the deadlock of the home team.

With additional goals from Carvajal and Campbell for each side, the final score was 3-1, with Real Madrid again securing all three points.

The German magazine Kicker was quick to publish a comment on its official website: "The outcome of Real-Barca's elimination is already set, the Bundesliga's twin powers will meet in the Champions League final!"

The article pointed out that such a disastrous defeat in the Champions League semi-finals was extremely rare, and a comeback victory was impossible.

"Real Madrid and Barcelona undoubtedly play the roles of tragic heroes. Barcelona only managed one shot on target throughout the match, and the highly anticipated Messi once again drowned in the game, committing six mistakes, equaling his personal record for mistakes in a single season."

"Real Madrid, on the other hand, collapsed entirely after Wang Feng left the field prematurely, their defense became leaky, and their attack wasted the opportunities that were hard to come by, especially Higuain's miss from an open goal."

The Sports Bild provided a detailed analysis of Dortmund's "magic weapon" in defeating Real Madrid, fully utilizing an overall offensive and defensive strategy, especially the multiple threats posed to Real Madrid from all sides of the attack.

With the absence of the Chinese superstar, the Yellow and Blacks often gained second or even third attacking opportunities, and this sustained pressure always forced the opponents to make mistakes.

As absolute heroes, Lewandowski and Thomas Muller became the focus of discussion. While everyone always believed that under the football god Wang Feng, Messi and Ronaldo monopolized the ranks of superstars, it now appeared that other players were not far behind.

Especially Lewandowski, strong in physique and excellent in technical skills, very calm in handling the ball, he was a rare all-around center forward. It was believed that after this match, his value would soar, becoming the target of many top clubs.

Returning to Madrid with a devastating defeat, the entire Real Madrid team appeared very despondent and low-spirited. The dreamlike dynasty finally came to an end. Unexpectedly, about 100 fans gathered at Barajas Airport to wait for the team.

They held up various banners with words of support and encouragement, making every player feel warm. Even the most critical ones would not blame too much, because the club had done enough.

"Let's try harder next year, I believe in you, Wang!" A beautiful female fan squeezed to the front and shouted towards the Chinese superstar. He then looked at her and reluctantly showed a smile, nodding heavily.

Seeing Wang Feng respond, nearby fans also began to shout, gradually rallying everyone around, making it feel not like facing a defeat but like welcoming a triumph.

This was the prestige and charm of the Chinese superstar!

Barcelona, on the other hand, did not have such a good situation. According to Mundo Deportivo, extreme fans appeared at the Barcelona El Prat Airport. From coach Roura and core Messi to defenders like Pique and Alves who made mistakes, they all faced insults and curses.