I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 753 - 31: Devil’s Home Ground, Deportivo La Coruna! (Part 2)

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Of course, part of this is also due to the Portuguese player helping Benzema many times.

But now, none of that matters.

The locker room is vaguely divided into circles, or rather, there are two circles.

And now, Benzema is clearly looking to join Chen Zhong’s "faction" and become a "loyal cat" under his command.

To achieve this, you need Zidane’s connections and Florentino’s tacit approval, otherwise, you’re always an outsider.

In Chen Zhong’s circle, coming through Real Madrid’s youth academy is a hard requirement, but not a necessary one.

Casillas meets the hard requirement but doesn’t fit the necessary one, so he hasn’t entered the circle, or in other words, he’s an outsider known as an "Outer Disciple".

Kaka, Pepe, and Marcelo don’t meet the hard requirements, but they have the necessary ones, which is their close relationship with Chen Zhong. Kaka and Chen Zhong were teammates in Milan and are also both Brazilian, and the Brazilian players were the ones who welcomed Chen Zhong when he first joined the first team, people like Baptista have a good relationship with him.

Additionally, Kaka coming to Real Madrid from Milan is like transferring schools with a good classmate, naturally entering the circle.

And Marcelo and Pepe have been friends with Chen Zhong since his "humble" beginnings, so they don’t need much explanation.

Actually, Cristiano Ronaldo also meets the necessary conditions, but there’s a problem...

He’s now the head or an important figure of the new Portuguese power or Mendes power, and this means he has to maintain a certain "independence".

"Chen..." Zidane and Chen Zhong exchanged a few words, but they didn’t discuss anything too profound; in fact, they don’t need to talk much. When it comes to internal matters, Chen Zhong has much more inside information than Zidane.

Their main goal is to convey a message...

...

Real Madrid’s internal "reform" was completed quietly.

But nothing was leaked to the outside, which is quite mysterious, particularly since Mourinho is highly attentive, because even though Real Madrid’s leaks have reduced, they still exist.

For such a thing to happen without the media getting a hint is unusual, especially considering the "traitor" would typically leak something like this.

It wouldn’t be so calm like now, which means the "traitor" was not among the attendees of this little gathering.

Who could it be?

At 05:00 on February 27 Beijing time (22:00 on the 26th local time in Spain), a crucial match of La Liga’s 2010/11 season’s 25th round will be contested at Riazor Stadium.

Deportivo La Coruña will face Real Madrid at home.

Even before the match began, Riazor Stadium was charged with the atmosphere of an impending battle as Deportivo La Coruña fans waved flags and used various words to attack Real Madrid players’ mindsets, and some fans even lit a fire.

But soon, security personnel arrived to extinguish the fire.

"They..." Marcelo looked a bit anxious. He was starting this match as well, and Chen Zhong glanced at Marcelo, responding, "They don’t really believe they can win, do they?"

The Real Madrid players around them couldn’t help but smile at Chen Zhong’s words.

The atmosphere created by the Deportivo La Coruña fans quickly became mellow amid such remarks.

With the referee’s whistle, the match officially started, and Real Madrid began with an offensive strategy. Mourinho clearly intended for an aggressive start to gain an early goal advantage.

However, Deportivo La Coruña apparently anticipated this and launched a zone defense, defending very tightly, but Chen Zhong’s control over the team was well executed.

Realizing the inability to break through, Chen Zhong controlled the ball underfoot, and Real Madrid, with a series of one-touch passes, put Deportivo La Coruña into a passive position.

Soon, Real Madrid found a flaw, and when Cristiano Ronaldo received Chen Zhong’s pass, he pushed forward quickly, and facing the Portuguese player’s explosiveness and strong body, Deportivo La Coruña’s players had no choice but to commit a tactical foul to prevent him from entering a dangerous area.

"Here comes the Real Madrid attack."

"Chen Zhong’s pass is precise!"

"C. Ronaldo gets the ball!"

"He accelerates quickly!"

"Almost entering the penalty area!"

"Deportivo La Coruña opts for a tactical foul!"

"Not a penalty!"

"But it’s still a very dangerous free kick!"

Real Madrid fans in the stands felt a bit regretful, having seen Cristiano Ronaldo fall inside the penalty box, but the referee deemed the foul occurred outside the box.

Thus, it is a free kick and not a penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo decisively stood by the ball, not looking at Chen Zhong, and he didn’t intend to give up the ball.

This match, Cristiano Ronaldo’s appearance surprised many, as it was thought he might miss out due to the previous foul.

"C. Ronaldo will take the free kick!"

"Before the match, many speculated his absence due to an earlier foul."

"But he’s here on the field."

"His gaze is determined."

"He exposed his thigh muscles."

There was a fierce determination in Cristiano Ronaldo’s eyes. He had always been very competitive, and now Chen Zhong was challenging his goal-scoring stats within the team.

He wouldn’t sit idly by.

He took a deep breath, determined to score with this free kick.

But Deportivo La Coruña’s wall blocked the ball.

"Deportivo La Coruña’s block!"

"It hit the wall!"

"Fighting for the ball’s drop point!"

"Chen Zhong!"

"Pushed past the defender beside him."

"Lobbed the ball into the box!"

"Benzema!"

Chen Zhong’s physical attributes were outstanding, giving him an edge in physical duels. With the ball descending, a deft lob from him sent the ball arcing through the air to Benzema, leaving Deportivo La Coruña players in amazement.

Holding the ball, Benzema made a side-footed ground strike.

He recalled Zidane’s advice, shooting immediately upon getting the chance.

The ball, with its excellent speed, angle, and power, headed for the bottom corner of the goal, but Deportivo La Coruña’s goalkeeper reacted quickly and saved it.

This Real Madrid attack had the Deportivo La Coruña players feeling a bit tense.

For the rest of the game, Real Madrid firmly controlled the pace.

"Real Madrid’s attack."

"13th minute of the game!"

"Chen Zhong has the ball!"

"A beautiful Marseille Turn!"

"The Marseille Turn has almost become a signature move of Chen Zhong to dribble past opponents!"

The commentator praised, fans in the stands stood up as Chen Zhong, just outside the box, executed a smooth Marseille Turn to bypass a defender and delivered a pinpoint pass to Benzema.

Benzema, back against the goal, showcased his strength and flexibility.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Chen Zhong, and Kaka were all pushing forward.

Benzema could choose to pass or turn and shoot himself.

Mourinho watched Benzema closely, hoping he’d make the right decision.

Soon enough, Benzema showed why he was once referred to as "White Ronaldo!"