Chapter 178 Ronaldo's Embarrassing Scene, Real Madrid Is Really The Metaphysics Team? (Two In One)
Su Luo volunteered to take the free kick he had earned. He hoped to use this opportunity to score an away goal and diminish Real Madrid's advantage. Every next goal would be a bonus!
Real Madrid set up a wall, ready to defend. Stars such as Ronaldo, Modric, and Bale were among them. Commentator Zhan Jun couldn't help but joke:
"This should be the most expensive wall in the world."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bale alone were worth more than 200 million, plus Modric, Benzema, and other stars. One wall was worth several teams.
Su Luo placed the ball and took a few steps back to create a run-up distance. In the close-up shot, his eyes were more determined than Ronaldo's. At this moment, the spotlight was entirely on Su Luo, drawing the world's attention.
Beep!
Channeling his inner De Bruyne, Su Luo struck the ball with his right foot, creating a beautiful arc!
Real Madrid's wall jumped to intercept. Cristiano Ronaldo leapt the highest, but the ball failed to go around his head!
"What_the?"
Before Ronaldo could react, the ball hit him squarely in the face! It was like being hit by a charged right uppercut from Tyson in his prime. Ronaldo's brain shook violently, and he fell to the ground as his vision went dark. But at least the ball was blocked, and Ronaldo felt both pain and relief.
The free kick rebounded off the wall, and the Real Madrid players rushed to gain control. The ball bounced back to Su Luo's range. He gently controlled it with his chest, and seeing Casemiro rushing over, Su Luo didn't wait for the ball to hit the ground. He volleyed again with a sideways kick!
Even without the karma buff, he had hit countless volleys in the past few seasons. This kind of shooting action was integrated into his very bones!
"Su Luo's free kick was blocked by the wall... but he controls it again and kicks in the air!"
Zhan Jun watched as the volley slipped through the crowd and headed straight for the goal! Seeing the free kick blocked, Navas had relaxed a little, but it was too late for another save!
The football wasn't at a tricky angle, but it bypassed Navas' hand and hit the net behind him hard!!
"World-class strike!"
"Su Luo made an incredible volley!"
"This is his 23rd goal in the Champions League this season, and the record keeps being refreshed!"
"Union Berlin scored a valuable away goal and temporarily lead Real Madrid by one goal! The total score is 4:1!"
Su Luo was ecstatic after scoring and rushed to the visiting team's stands, kneeling down passionately to celebrate! At the same time, the Union Berlin teammates in red jerseys followed Su Luo and slid on the turf together!
The "Red Sliding Kneeling Formation" led by Su Luo looked spectacular from the high-altitude bird's-eye view shot! The white sanctuary of the Bernabéu stadium was swept by a red torrent!
Just 5 minutes into the game, Union Berlin had made a fantastic start!
"Steady, steady! We're in the semi-finals!" Bud in the stands held up a Union Berlin scarf and shouted excitedly. Other fans who had traveled with the team sang and danced. With the advantage of an away goal, as long as they defended and counterattacked, Real Madrid would be the ones under pressure!
"As long as Real Madrid makes a mistake, Union Berlin can seize the opportunity to end the competition!"
"4:1, how can we lose?" Only the experienced Hans dared not get carried away. "As my daughter says, don't jinx it! Anything can happen before the game is over!"
"This is at the opponent's home ground; anything can happen." Bud and Hogan didn't care, already holding beer and celebrating. Hans could only wave the flag and continue to organize the fans to cheer for the team.
On the other side, Ronaldo watched Su Luo kneeling and celebrating, with his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face.
"Kneeling to celebrate, huh? I can do that too!"
Real Madrid kicked off again, trailing by three goals on aggregate. They had the momentum to go all out. The collective pressure from their three lines brought immense pressure on Union Berlin. Union Berlin temporarily shrank their defense, looking for opportunities to counterattack.
The game became a half-court offensive and defensive battle for Real Madrid. If Union Berlin could hold out for another 30 minutes, they would be stable once Real Madrid's initial fervor died down.
However, Real Madrid, with the advantage of being at home, attacked overwhelmingly!
"Real Madrid's possession, Modric, Kroos, Bale... trying to break through with speed, but Laxalt intercepts and passes back to the middle."
"Modric... beautiful! Through the ribs! Benzema!"
"He tries a shot! Blocked by Pickford!"
"Ronaldo's follow-up shot!!!"
"Blocked again by Pickford's foot!"
"The young English goalkeeper Pickford is doing a great job! He blocked two threatening shots from Real Madrid in a row!"
Zhan Jun roared excitedly, "At the critical moment, Pickford stood up!"
"Jordan! Well done!"
"Bravo!"
Union Berlin players rushed forward to rub Pickford's head. Ronaldo held his head in disbelief.
"None of them went in?"
But he didn't have time to be annoyed. Toni Kroos had already come to the corner flag with the ball. Pepe and Ramos rushed up to fight for the header. Teacher Tony took a corner kick, the ball drawing an arc and hanging into the penalty area.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe jumped at the same time to compete for the ball, with Rudiger firmly marking Ronaldo to prevent him from easily heading it. But the ball was a bit high and floated backward!
"Ramos!! Header!"
"Pickford again!! He holds the ball over the line!"
"Real Madrid win another corner, Pickford saves the team again!"
After 15 minutes, the game turned into Pickford's personal performance. In the Bernabéu stands, England U21 youth team coach Gareth Southgate couldn't help but applaud Pickford. He was there to help the current national team coach Hodgson inspect goalkeepers. With Joe Hart's sharp decline, a new goalkeeper was needed.
Pickford seemed to have the potential of a national team's No. 1 goalkeeper. However, with Hodgson rumored to be leaving soon, Southgate was a bit absent-minded. He didn't know who the next coach would be or if they would appreciate Pickford. Southgate could only take note of Pickford's performance.
Kroos continued to take corner kicks. This time, Rudiger accurately judged the ball's placement and cleared it. The Real Madrid players frantically pressed forward, with Casemiro rushing to gain control. The ball was still with Real Madrid.
For a full 10 minutes, Union Berlin failed to cross the halfway line. They could only hunker down and resist Real Madrid's relentless attacks.
Casemiro passed to Modric. Modric swept the ball to the left, where Marcelo and Toni Kroos executed a one-two near the corner flag. Marcelo even dribbled the ball into the penalty area!
"Marcelo... beautiful! 2 in a row! Biking past Richards! Very dangerous!"
Facing the chaos in front of the goal, Marcelo raised his head and noticed a tall figure lurking at the back. Without hesitation, he crossed the ball!
The football went around Rudiger and flew to the far post!
Ake originally planned to jump to clear the ball but suddenly noticed a shadow blocking his vision!
That man was flying through the air like a slam dunk!
"Isn't it? So high?"
Ake was stunned. For the first time, he felt the gap between himself and a superstar.
"Cristiano—"
"Ronaldo!"
The Madrid TV commentator exclaimed at the familiar scene! Ronaldo used his inhuman jumping ability to attack the goal with a powerful header! To avoid Pickford's reach, he aimed the ball in the opposite direction!
No matter how strong Pickford was, he couldn't stop this one.
"Ronaldo... Goooooooal!!"
"Goooooooal!!"
The commentator's voice tested his lung capacity as shocking cheers erupted at the Bernabéu! Real Madrid had finally scored!
Ronaldo's header was in!
"Real Madrid pulled back a goal, 1:1! The total score is 4:2!"
"Only 22 minutes into the first half, Real Madrid still has a chance to come back!"
"Union Berlin must be more careful in the next period!"
Zhan Jun was a bit worried. Once Real Madrid gained momentum, they could create numerous threats. Superstars like Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, Modric, and others on the field could be decisive.
Ronaldo was very excited after the goal. He remembered Su Luo's kneeling celebration and, with his teammates behind him, ran to the corner flag to kneel and celebrate passionately. In his mind, his teammates would follow behind him, forming a white torrent. But when Ronaldo knelt down and celebrated for a long time, he turned around and was suddenly embarrassed.
"Where is everyone?"
It turned out Real Madrid's teammates had no intention of celebrating. The team was still two goals behind, and they didn't feel like joining in. Ronaldo knelt on the spot, his mouth open in embarrassment. His eyes became erratic as he began to doubt life. The close-up camera captured his face, and the audience in front of the TV couldn't help but laugh.
After this game, Ronaldo's embarrassing emoticons will go viral all over the Internet.
Su Luo didn't expect to witness such a scene in advance.
He looked at Ronaldo nearby and couldn't help but laugh. This kind of thing was supposed to happen against Atletico Madrid in 2018, right? Witnessing Ronaldo's emoticons in person is priceless.
But laughter aside, Su Luo had to focus on defending against Real Madrid's high-morale onslaught. The next period could be quite dangerous.
Sure enough, after the restart, Real Madrid aggressively pressed high and regained possession, creating a half-court siege.
Su Luo and Modric were in a constant duel, with Su Luo trying to find weak spots to fill in the defense. But Real Madrid's offense was relentless. Modric, noticing Su Luo's anticipation, started bypassing his area and attacked from the other side.
Kroos received the ball in midfield and passed it to Bale, who combined with Carvajal for a quick one-two. Carvajal made a cross without hesitation.
"Benzema!! Headbutt!!"
"Saved by Pickford again!"
"Despite conceding earlier, Pickford remains the standout player!"
Union Berlin players could feel the pressure from the Bernabeu—this was the true strength of Real Madrid.
Toni Kroos took a corner, and the ball was cleared by Richards. Su Luo and Casemiro rushed to the landing point simultaneously. Su Luo, quicker by a fraction, poked the ball away, taking Casemiro down in the process. He got up faster and chased the ball, aiming to counterattack.
The referee's sharp whistle blew.
"Su Luo!! Great shot! Quick counterattack... eh?"
"Foul by Union Berlin? Did Su Luo foul?"
"This seems to be a misjudgment!"
Duan Xuan doubted the decision. The referee's home bias was apparent. Captain Su Luo tried to negotiate but was warned by the referee.
"Say more, and I'll give you a yellow card!"
Meanwhile, Toni Kroos was ready to take the free kick. Ronaldo, instead of aiming for the goal, positioned himself in the penalty area to compete for the ball. Su Luo quickly organized his team to defend, knowing arguing further would only risk a yellow card.
Bud in the stands was furious. The slow-motion replay showed Su Luo clearly tackled the ball first, without fouling Casemiro.
"It's the home whistle bias. It's normal to favor the home team when there's no clear evidence," Uncle Hans sighed.
Neuhaus angrily complained to the fourth official, "The referee's bias is clear! It was a clean tackle!"
"Calm down, the referee has his reasons."
"You're violating the principles of fair play!"
"Watch your words, or I'll have reason to card you!"
Hofstadter quickly pulled Neuhaus away to prevent further trouble. Zidane watched the scene with interest, pleased with the game's direction.
"Let's take advantage of this and score another!"
Kroos took the free kick, sending it high into the box. Players like Ronaldo, Pepe, and Ramos put pressure on the small penalty area. Keita cleared the ball, but Casemiro recovered it, passing to Marcelo, who immediately crossed again.
One high-altitude bombardment after another ensued, but this time Marcelo's cross was off-target. The ball hit Benzema's knee and bounced toward the goal, hitting Richards' hand inadvertently. Benzema quickly signaled for a handball, and the referee awarded a penalty.
"Penalty! Real Madrid wins a penalty after a chaotic attack!"
Captain Su Luo argued, "It was unintentional! He couldn't react in time!"
"No. 9 completed the shot, and No. 15 blocked it with his hand. It's a standard handball," the referee insisted.
Su Luo saw it was pointless to argue further and stepped aside.
Ronaldo approached the penalty spot, ready to strike. Pickford guessed the right direction but couldn't save the ball.
"Ronaldo scores the penalty! Real Madrid pulls another back! The total score is 4-3!"
"Union Berlin defended hard but lacked a bit of luck."
"Can they withstand Real Madrid's continued attack?"
Su Luo felt the strength of the star-studded Real Madrid but refused to give in. They just needed one counterattack opportunity to turn things around.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 80+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.