I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 832: Chapter 69: Target: Triple Crown (2)

In the 81st minute, that save was absolutely a classic rescue by Casillas exerting all his strength, flying sideways. Iniesta and Messi finally played their best rapid one-two inside the penalty area while constantly moving. In this match, Barcelona’s tactics were mostly blocked outside the penalty area by Real Madrid. This was one of the few successful attempts.

Although Iniesta was isolated by Ramos, his shooting position was already in place. Without much thought, Iniesta directly kicked towards the right corner. Casillas launched himself, his open palm powerfully blocking the ball out of bounds!

This was a temple-level save completely suppressing ball speed with instantaneous reaction and start.

Ultimately, it was Casillas’ successful anticipation of the shooting direction. Ramos’ interception had already forced Iniesta to the extent that he couldn’t shoot freely. He could only try to shoot sideways. Slow motion replay clearly showed Iniesta stretching his left leg as much as possible, nearly touching Ramos’ intercepting leg while shooting. Casillas immediately understood that unless you reach a certain level of magic, the only way to achieve an unexpected winning effect was to aim for the far corner.

With such foresight, Casillas’ subsequent saving actions came naturally.

These two kicks reflected Casillas’ physical quality and saving skills, as well as his unique judgment of ball trajectory in an instant. Barcelona, now wanting to frequently bombard Real Madrid’s goal, making Casillas overly busy, was unlikely. However, in these few direct confrontations, it enabled Casillas, as the last line of defense, to exhibit his unique role in stabilizing the whole team.

At only 30 next month, Casillas is still at the absolute golden age for a goalkeeper. His excellent physical fitness and reaction speed, calm psychological advantage, and a negligible error rate make the prospect of a career that rivals Van der Sar entirely possible for Casillas.

Next season, Casillas is almost certain to rise from the current ninth to fifth in Real Madrid’s historical appearance records. To surpass Raul’s 741 games, he would need to remain the main goalkeeper for Real Madrid until at least the age of 34. But looking at Casillas now, is there any difficulty in that?!

The most challenging match, a trophy as valuable as a league championship!

When Real Madrid’s white flags soared sky-high at that moment, Jose Mourinho created yet another great record of his own.

Since 2003, the Portuguese has never let any season turn into an empty-handed sorrow. No matter which team, regardless of whether this team was invincible or heavily criticized, he always brought a brilliant trophy to the team!

This is the 18th official match trophy Mourinho has brought to a club in eight years. When he first helped Porto win four trophies in 2003, his heart must have been filled with ambitions to conquer Europe. The reality rewarded him perhaps "three shades bolder" than the dream.

The world constantly creates significant sensation somewhere. Mourinho’s football era is a human wonder that continues to shine brightly.

A brief review of Mourinho’s championship history: In 2003, leading Porto, he first won the league championship with an 11-point advantage over Benfica. They followed with a cup victory against Leiria, and in the UEFA Cup, similar to today’s match against Barcelona, they won 3-2 against Celtic in a nail-biting 120-minute match, nearly reaching penalties. The final trophy of 2003 was easily snatched in the Super Cup at the start of the 03-04 season, defeating Benfica 1-0.

In 2004, although Porto won two cups, the club reached a new height, creating an extraordinary miracle in the European Champions Cup, advancing from the group stage to the final champion and ultimately winning 3-0 against Monaco! Of course, that Champions League season was one where "underdog" teams like Porto began their rebellion. From the last 8 onwards, Porto faced Lyon, Deportivo La Coruña, and Monaco to eventually reach the top, a scene hard to imagine today. Porto also claimed the league championship again, leading Benfica by 8 points.

In the summer of 2004, Mourinho joined Chelsea’s Abramovich "Empire of Gold," starting his second phase filled with controversy, yet remarkable achievements. On February 27, 2005, Chelsea narrowly defeated Liverpool 3-2 in a 120-minute battle to win the League Cup and claimed the league championship with a massive 12-point lead over Arsenal. This championship, half a century later, announced Chelsea’s breaking of the old order in the Premier League era, forming a tri-polar landscape with Manchester United and Arsenal. Of course, the Community Shield champion, equivalent to a Super Cup, also belonged to Chelsea at the start of the 05-06 season.

Actually, the 05-06 season was an unhappy one for Chelsea. They retreated on three fronts: the League Cup, FA Cup, and Champions League, a huge blow to Mourinho, well-experienced in winning cups. However, the league championship, most capable of proving the team’s status in English football, was firmly held by Mourinho and his disciples, winning with an 8-point lead over Manchester United. This marked Mourinho’s tenth championship trophy since coaching.

seemed to compensate for 2006. Chelsea began to harvest in cup competitions, first winning the League Cup final against Arsenal and then defeating Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup. Yes, just like many fans still remember, this was another 120-minute match decided by the team’s top striker (Drogba in this game) with a winning goal!

In the 07-08 season, Mourinho hit a dead end at Chelsea, which will not be described or analyzed here, but after resting for nine months and moving to Inter Milan, Mourinho, once again taking action, crafted another epic poem of commanding landscapes. In the 08-09 season, Mourinho led Inter first to win the Super Cup against Rome on penalties, claiming his first Italian crown, followed by securing the league championship that season with a giant 10-point lead over Juventus.

The 09-10 season was Mourinho’s most successful season to date. Winning the Italian Cup against Rome was merely an appetizer; winning the league championship with a narrow two-point lead over Rome was just the rising climax. Yet, under the premise of not being favored, plowing through obstacles, and finally winning the European Champions League against Bayern was the most brilliant moment of this great journey, where we saw Mourinho with rare teary eyes!

Today’s match against Barcelona was still a nerve-wracking 90-minute battle, with the solution still coming from the team’s top star, Chen Zhong, a scene reminiscent of the 06-07 FA Cup!

Mourinho won 9 out of 10 cup final matches he personally directed, the only loss occurring in the 03-04 season when Porto was defeated by Benfica 1-2 in a cup, with the latter claiming their first trophy in 8 years.

However, for Porto then, with the league championship and European Champions Cup championship in hand, the significance of such a loss was too small. Mourinho’s 8 years and 9 cups, speaking factually, achieving great success in the league, undoubtedly makes him the most successful cup coach of the contemporary era.

Mourinho’s records are expanding infinitely, accompanied by adding another brilliant Chapter in the glorious history of Real Madrid. For Real Madrid, the King’s Cup, an event seemingly not very notable but challenging to win.

For so many years, seemingly strong Real Madrid has often been knocked out by lower-tier teams in the King’s Cup, a negative impact brought on by multi-line competitions.

But now, Real Madrid holds great hope for the league championship, firmly secures a spot in the Champions League semi-finals, and the King’s Cup is also within grasp. This season, Real Madrid even has the hope to win the Triple Crown!

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