I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 815: Chapter 61: Core, Core, Core (Part 2)

"Villa gets the ball, goes for a direct kick!"

"Long shot!"

Real Madrid’s resilience exceeded Barcelona’s expectations. They could only attempt long shots to breach Real Madrid’s goal, but Casillas is no ordinary player.

He easily secured the ball.

As the first half was nearing its end, Barcelona began to show signs of impatience, launching wave after wave of attacks.

On the sidelines, Guardiola kept calling out player names, as if this could give them strength.

Mourinho was not to be outdone, shouting for his team on the field to strengthen their defense.

"Barcelona’s attack."

"Passed to Messi."

"Messi takes the ball at the front, chooses to go solo."

"Consistent breakaway moves."

"Marcelo closely positions himself on the side."

"He’s passed him!"

"But loses his balance!"

When facing Messi, Real Madrid never relied on a single player for defense; multiple players are always deployed. Even when Marcelo defended Messi from the side, he still couldn’t hold back the Argentine.

Messi darted out like a rabbit; although he got past Marcelo, he lost his balance.

He collided head-on with Pepe’s knee.

The whistle sounded, the match was paused, and everyone looked at Messi. Messi simply waved his hand, indicating he was fine, and the referee saw it clearly too.

Barcelona players protested, hoping to card Pepe or Marcelo, but ultimately they were unsuccessful.

The match resumed, and Barcelona gradually took control of the match’s rhythm, but only 2 minutes remained in the first half. They advanced with continuous passing combinations around Messi, arriving at Real Madrid’s penalty area.

Barcelona passed the ball to Messi, who quickly accelerated and slipped into Real Madrid’s penalty area.

In the penalty area, Real Madrid’s defenders began to hesitate.

No one wanted to concede a penalty to Barcelona.

Messi, amidst defenders surrounding him, took a shot, attempting to breach Real Madrid’s goal.

Casillas reacted quickly, once again suppressing the ball under him. Barcelona missed another excellent chance, possibly their best in the first half.

Messi lamented this by looking up to the sky, while Guardiola shook his head and softly muttered to himself.

Mourinho saw this and raised an eyebrow.

He seemed very satisfied with his team’s current performance.

In the end, the first half concluded with a 1-0 scoreline.

Real Madrid led by one goal.

The second half began, and after some quick adjustments, Real Madrid played more proactively.

However, Barcelona’s defense remained tenacious. By approximately the 52nd minute, the initial charge from Real Madrid had subsided, and Barcelona started attempting to find opportunities for counter-attacks.

"Barcelona’s attack."

"Found Villa!"

"Albiol!"

"That move was inadvisable!"

"What?"

"Red card!"

Albiol pulled down former Valencia teammate Villa in the penalty area, and the referee promptly issued a red card, sending Albiol off.

Real Madrid fans in the stands stood up, expressing their discontent with boos.

In a clash of this magnitude, a national derby, fans come to see 22 heroes fight to the end, so how can there be a 10 against 11 this early?

Even though Albiol’s foul was obvious, Real Madrid fans still protested.

Moreover, they understood Albiol’s action.

While defending, Albiol was overtaken by Villa. Albiol couldn’t catch up, especially in his own penalty area. If he hadn’t defended, Villa might have had a clear shot on goal — as the closest defender, it was a matter of pride.

Desperately, Albiol resorted to strong measures: pulling Villa’s shoulders sideways while firmly holding "Huluwa."

If these had been the only actions, maybe Albiol could have avoided the red card, but the neck grab sealed his fate.

This was nowhere near a tackle.

This was practically a fighting move.

Villa didn’t merely fall over for effect; Albiol’s full strength dragged him to the ground!

If such a tussle occurred near midfield, it might have warranted just a yellow card, as it posed no direct goal threat. But this happened in the penalty area, at a moment when Villa could have scored with ease. Albiol’s actions deserved a red card.

The referee, with immaculate hair, meticulously pulled out the red card, sealing Albiol’s fate in this match, banning him from the King’s Cup final.

With Albiol’s series of actions complete, the camera cut to Mourinho, who took a deep breath and then smiled. It seemed a bit strange, a bit of self-release.

Not a comforting smile, probably not a mocking one either.

Mourinho might have realized that, with this penalty and red card, the suspense over the match’s outcome was minimal — another disheartening game.

Mourinho needed to smile, to relax his facial muscles, to calm his stressed heart. He’s philosophical about the game; it wasn’t the end of the world nor the definitive outcome of their encounters. In time, this match will be just another entry in the lengthy chronicles of the national derby. With three crucial matches ahead, this one wouldn’t be conceded to the opposition — they had to fight. After the smile, Mourinho understood fully, his gaze sharpened.

Smiling, he eased his tension, clarifying his thoughts, signaling his players that their coach wasn’t tense or panicked, so they could continue fighting with stable emotions.

Perhaps, in the remaining time, with their home ground advantage, Real Madrid might still deliver a huge surprise for their fans in attendance?!

Messi stood at the penalty spot, taking a deep breath.

Completing a milestone achievement, he scored his first goal against a Mourinho-coached team.

1-1

Barcelona fans in the stands were overjoyed, while Real Madrid fans looked frustrated. Having one less player at this stage of the game was unexpected for them.

After Albiol’s exit, Mourinho made adjustments on the sidelines.

Pepe was moved back to the defense line, Chen Zhong’s position was shifted to the back.

Real Madrid transitioned from a 4-3-3 formation to a 4-3-2 formation.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka stayed poised on the front line, Alonso returned to his familiar defensive midfielder position.

With Barcelona having an extra player, they gradually took control of the match rhythm, yet struggled to score, leading to Guardiola growing anxious on the sidelines.

This was the victory that fate offered them.

That’s why their league held an opportunity.

A chance to fight for the championship, a shot at the Triple Crown.

"Barcelona controlling the ball!"

"Down a player, Real Madrid is struggling to control the game’s rhythm."

"Continuous passing."

"Pedro!"

"Passed to Xavi!"

Barcelona’s passing left Real Madrid strained, and Pedro, after receiving the ball, quickly passed to Xavi, who was coming in from behind.

Messi darted forward, drawing Real Madrid’s players’ attention.

But Chen Zhong sensed the real danger.

It wasn’t Messi, nor Iniesta, nor Pedro.

It was Xavi with the ball.

He saw Xavi scanning, but his focus wasn’t on teammates - it was the goal!

Xavi was going to shoot!

From outside the penalty box!

Chen Zhong’s body moved faster than his mind; as soon as he concluded, he was already closing in on Xavi.

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