I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 831: Chapter 69: Target: Triple Crown

Spanish King’s Cup Final

Yet another pinnacle match between Real Madrid and Barcelona!

Just when people thought Real Madrid would enter extra time against Barcelona, Chen Xuan stepped up and scored a breathtaking long shot, breaking through Barcelona’s defense and telling them that the championship was not theirs—the champions were Real Madrid!

At the post-match press conference, Guardiola faced the camera, momentarily speechless. When asked by reporters what he thought when Pedro scored the beautiful goal, Guardiola said: "I thought we would go into extra time, maybe even penalties, but Chen ruined all of that."

Mourinho also did not mince words when facing the camera: "Chen is the main contributor to this victory."

The Chinese player Chen Zhong was credited as Real Madrid’s hero, scoring the decisive goal in the King’s Cup final.

After the match, Chen Zhong was very happy: "This is a very important championship trophy for us."

"Winning the title was our goal for the season, and now we have achieved one championship."

"Furthermore, we won against Barcelona, who played very well in the second half."

Chen Zhong believes Mourinho’s work is of great importance to Real Madrid: "He has infused our entire team with the aura of winners. We know that whoever scores first in such matches is likely to win."

Real Madrid’s midfield star Alonso also expressed that, although he feels a bit tired now, he is very satisfied. "I will celebrate the victory under the Statue of the Harvest Goddess for the first time."

"We must celebrate properly; we deserve a good celebration."

"I am very satisfied, though a bit tired."

"The match was very intense and went into extra time, yet our joy kept increasing."

"This is our first crown of the season, and we all wanted to win the title. Therefore, I am happy for the team, the fans, and the club. Now is the time to enjoy, and then we’ll think about the upcoming matches."

Casillas took the King’s Cup trophy, intending to dedicate it to the fans. After defeating Barcelona to win the title, Casillas felt very confident, stating that now Real Madrid "has the ability to defeat any team."

"I want to dedicate the trophy to the fans at Mestalla and those in Madrid. There was a time when our situation wasn’t good, but now we have proven with effort that Real Madrid is capable of defeating any opponent."

"We must enjoy ourselves; we need to make the fans happy. But we must quickly refocus because there’s a match against Valencia at the same venue on Saturday."

"We know the league championship situation is favorable for us right now. But Barcelona never gets discouraged; they still have a chance to win the title, and we must also aim for the Champions Cup," Casillas said.

Ramos also praised Mourinho after the match: "He is our captain, and we follow him unwaveringly. His guidance has greatly benefited us." Ramos added, "We must thank the fans for their love; their support is crucial for our efforts to win the championship. Real Madrid deserves this champions’ honor too."

"Finally, I can only say that Chen always steps up when needed. When he scored that goal, I was truly stunned."

Of course, aside from Chen Zhong, there’s one person’s contribution that shouldn’t be forgotten in a final-like match that defeats Barcelona—the goalkeeper.

We haven’t seen for a long time how Barcelona loses in a cup final, and today, Real Madrid managed to win. The aggressive front line amazed people, while the defense, especially Casillas’ performance at the last line, was worthy of praise.

Casillas made four high-quality saves, ensuring the safety of Real Madrid’s goal for most of the time. For Casillas, who is accustomed to providing clean-sheets in finals, this match further showcased his value as a world-class goalkeeper.

Messi and Villa’s shots were not particularly challenging, but the ones that really frightened the tens of thousands of Real Madrid fans at Mestalla were the saves from attacks by Pedro and Iniesta.

In the 74th minute, Pedro received the ball on the left wing and suddenly lofted it towards the far corner from the edge of the small box. Prepared in advance, Casillas jumped up and tipped the ball over the bar.

This move seemed simple, just a leap of the goalkeeper, but in the contest of intelligence between the shooter and the goalkeeper, Casillas completely overshadowed Pedro.

Generally, when dealing with such shots, goalkeepers naturally lower their center of gravity to guard against low shots towards the near corner. For attackers who can quickly adjust their shooting actions, there is a possibility of suddenly switching from a direct shot to a lofted one.

Casillas was quick on his feet, with no weaknesses in any direction, and there was no need to deliberately lower his center of gravity. Moreover, Casillas was clearly able to judge Pedro’s intention of lofting to the far corner because the posture before Pedro’s shot was not going to fool Casillas’ eyes. So, he stood upright and tipped the ball out without much jumping. While not a flashy save, it was a testament to high football intelligence.

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