Chapter 618: Mourning, Seven Consecutive Titles!
Chapter 618: Mourning, Seven Consecutive Titles!
The widespread reports and praises did not change Wang Feng's daily routine. Training and matches remained the mainstay of his life.
In the 35th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Espanyol at home.
In the 23rd minute, Varane opened the scoring for the Galaxy Battleship. Wang Feng took a corner kick, Modric's header was saved by Casilla, Alonso retrieved the ball back to the middle, and Varane shot fiercely from 8 meters.
In the second half, the Chinese superstar and Modric continued their consecutive passing cooperation in the frontcourt. Modric lofted the ball into the penalty area, and Morata headed in from 10 meters.
The home team eventually defeated their opponents 2-0. Although Wang Feng did not score or assist, he maintained the defense while creating several attacking opportunities. He was awarded the highest rating and named the best player of the match.
In this round, Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1, narrowing the gap in goal difference to just 2 goals.
Messi scored a goal but suffered an injury in the 60th minute and was eventually substituted by Coach Roura.
Countless Catalan fans were worried about Messi's injury, continuously inquiring about the Argentine superstar's condition on the club's official platform. At such a crucial moment in the title race, any mishap must be avoided at all costs.
Fortunately, Roura later stated in a press conference that Messi's injury was not serious, and he would need about three to four days of rest to recover. This news relieved everyone.
However, the Spanish coach's expression was not sunny because the team doctor recommended that Messi rest for two to three weeks. Neither Messi nor the club could accept this, so they could only choose to play through the injury and hope it wouldn't worsen.
In the 36th round of La Liga, Real Madrid challenged Malaga away.
Just 122 seconds into the game, the away team took the lead. Wang Feng took a corner kick, and Arbeloa headed in from the edge of the small penalty area.
The home team equalized in the 15th minute, also from a corner kick opportunity. Isco floated the ball into the penalty area, Lugano headed it to the far post, and Santa Cruz stabbed it in from close range.
Seven minutes later, the Chinese superstar sent a through pass, Iguaín successfully beat the offside trap and found himself in a one-on-one situation. Malaga's last defender, Sergio, had no choice but to bring him down from behind.
The referee immediately showed the red gem card and awarded Real Madrid a free kick in the arc area. Wang Feng took the free kick but missed slightly wide of the post.
Playing with one more man made the Galaxy Battleship more dominant. In the 26th minute, Carvajal threw the ball in front, Ramos nodded it in from close range, extending the team's lead.
Nine minutes later, they further extended their lead. Wang Feng initiated a quick counterattack, directly passing to Modric, whose shot hit the post and bounced back into play. Marcelo, who was charging forward quickly, scored with a low-angle shot, making it 3-1!
With the encouragement of the fans, Malaga showed resilience. In the 36th minute, Portillo sent a through pass, Antunes shot from outside the left edge of the penalty area, finding the top right corner.
In injury time, the Chinese superstar approached the opponent's penalty area flexibly, causing a mistake, successfully stealing the ball, and then chipping it into the net.
In the 64th minute, Iguaín passed back in the penalty area, Modric's powerful left-footed shot from 20 meters hit the right post and bounced into the net. Three minutes later, Demichelis tripped Alonso, receiving his second yellow card and being sent off. Malaga were left with only 9 players and lost all hope.
After contributing one assist and one goal, Wang Feng was substituted off. Carvajal further extended the lead with a long shot, and the final score was 6-2.
Although Barcelona fought hard and won 2-1 against Real Valladolid, their goal difference was surpassed by Real Madrid by 1 goal. The Galaxy Battleship crowned themselves champions of La Liga for the first time this season!
In the 37th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Real Sociedad at home.
Once again, the Galaxy Battleship broke the deadlock first. In the opening moments, Gonzalez made a passing mistake for the away team. Alonso intercepted and passed to Wang Feng, who then played a through ball to Iguaín. The Argentine striker shot into the far corner from 10 meters on the right side of the penalty area.
The game remained evenly matched until the 57th minute of the second half when Carvajal sent in a cross, and the Chinese superstar leaped high to volley the ball into the net from a distance.
Seven minutes later, Varane committed a handball foul inside the penalty area while defending a cross from Real Sociedad, gifting them a penalty. Prieto took the penalty kick and scored low to the right corner, pulling one back.
In the 80th minute, Modric's unsuccessful breakthrough resulted in a pass back to Wang Feng. The Chinese superstar, from the arc area, lifted the ball over De La Bella and then unleashed a powerful shot into the top corner, piercing Bravo's fingertips.
The score settled at 3-1. In this round, Barcelona won 2-0 against Malaga, and Real Madrid maintained their lead with just 1 more goal difference.
This brought relief to the Catalan fans as Barcelona won the Spanish Cup final 2-1 against Atletico Madrid, ensuring they didn't end the season empty-handed.
No one expected the title race to be so intense, with both teams tied on points and only a 1-goal difference in goal difference. Therefore, the final showdown was crucial. To avoid controversy, La Liga deliberately scheduled both teams to play at the same time.
Real Madrid challenged Osasuna away, while Barcelona hosted Malaga at home.
The Catalan team took the lead first, making Real Madrid fans extremely nervous. Even the live commentators couldn't help but exclaim, "Why does it feel like they can play key moments in cup matches, but these two teams missed so many opportunities before and now face such a cruel situation?"
Finally, the Galaxy Battleship broke the deadlock in the 35th minute. Wang Feng sent a direct pass, and Iguaín turned and shot from 14 meters, finding the bottom right corner.
Just 3 minutes later, they extended their lead. Modric received the ball on the wing and crossed it, and Arbeloa headed in from the near post, finding the bottom left corner of the goal.
With the game going on like this, it seemed like Real Madrid was holding onto the trophy. However, Osasuna equalized through Roberto Torres and Joseba Llorente, while on the other side, Malaga scored twice through Javi Marquez and Pedro, making the situation very unclear again.
In the 54th minute, Wang Feng started a solo run from midfield, dribbled past three defenders, and then unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the arc, piercing the gloves of the Osasuna goalkeeper.
Six minutes later, he repeated his skillful maneuver, dribbling past the defenders. Garcia, the Osasuna defender, had no choice but to bring him down, and the referee awarded Real Madrid a free kick in the attacking half. The Chinese superstar curled the ball over the wall into the top corner.
Two shots and one assist saved the team!
Meanwhile, Malaga's golden boy, Isco, seized a counterattack opportunity and scored a goal, pushing Barcelona to the edge!
Everyone was waiting for Messi to step up and save the day, but what they heard was a heart-wrenching cry echoing through the Camp Nou.
With only 10 minutes left in the game, the Argentine finally ran out of energy. He fell to the ground in pain, clutching his thigh and crying out in agony. Tears streamed down his face. Messi knew, this season, Barcelona was finished!
As expected, after he was substituted, the Catalan team failed to score again.
In the end, Real Madrid won 4-2 against Osasuna, while Barcelona won 3-1 against Malaga.
The Galaxy Battleship dramatically clinched the 2012-2013 La Liga title with a one-goal advantage in goal difference, achieving the magnificent feat of seven consecutive titles!