CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 5: MUSCLE STRAIN

Atletico Madrid scored a goal.

Some had anticipated that Atletico Madrid might score in this match, but no one ever imagined they would break a record with a goal at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in just 55 seconds.

"Damn it, damn it!" Schuster stood at the sideline, muttering to himself while looking at Francisco, "From now on, for every Derby de Madrid, if no one breaks this record, people will always remember when the game starts!"

"The fastest goal record in Derby de Madrid was born from Schuster leading Real Madrid."

"His team held on for only 55 seconds before Atletico Madrid broke through their gate!"

Francisco watched Schuster’s crazed appearance and wanted to say something. He felt that people would only remember the scorer and the two teams involved, not who was coaching, but thinking of Schuster’s ambition to be "the special one" at Real Madrid, he chose to keep quiet!

Schuster was like an enraged lion, continuously roaring and urging the players to attack Atletico Madrid.

What’s done cannot be undone, but if today, he were to lose this derby at Bernabeu, he would become a joke in the mouths of Atletico Madrid fans.

Real Madrid would also become a "joke," and every time the two teams met, Atletico fans would say, Oh, Real Madrid, the La Liga champions! On the day they were awarded, we scored against them in 55 seconds, set a record, and directly defeated them.

Just the thought of this potential scenario made Schuster’s heart burn with anger; he absolutely wouldn’t allow it to happen.

Atletico’s coach Aguirre stood elegantly at the sideline, appearing like a gentleman, his lips curved in a mocking smile as he watched the frantic Schuster.

Despite Real Madrid’s fierce offense, it was all thunder without rain, posing no threat to Atletico Madrid’s goal.

In contrast, Atletico’s players were high-spirited, and each attack exploited Real Madrid’s weaknesses.

Aguirre seemed to understand Schuster; each of Atletico’s attacks and counterattacks focused on the left flank guarded by Drenthe.

Real Madrid’s left midfielder was Robinho, who obviously wasn’t one to assist Drenthe in defense; Drenthe found himself embarrassed and even a bit panicked facing Atletico Madrid’s frequent breakthroughs on the right.

Watching Drenthe’s embarrassing and panicked state, Schuster’s anger flared even more; he hoped Drenthe would become the "new Carlos," but looking at him now, he barely resembled Carlos at all.

His offensive play was weak, and his defense disastrous; what kind of "new Carlos" was this supposed to be?

"Garcia with continuous cooperation with his teammates."

"He shrugged off Drenthe."

"A beautiful inverted triangle pass."

"Fernando shoots in the penalty area!"

"Casillas with a perfect save."

"Beautiful, Casillas keeps his goal intact."

"His reaction speed is really fast!"

Fernando grinned and glanced at Casillas, looking a bit annoyed, then turned to give Garcia his first praise of the day.

Pepe was bent over, staring at Drenthe, feeling somewhat "heated up"; the intensity of the physical training had been high already, and under pressure, Pepe had been privately adding more training to himself.

The intense movements in the short duration of this match made Pepe feel a faint pain in his left leg.

However, Atletico Madrid was gradually gaining the upper hand, launching wave after wave of attacks at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, leaving no time for Pepe to catch his breath.

This made Pepe feel physically strained.

Before Pepe could rest, Atletico Madrid returned in force, again targeting Drenthe as the breakthrough point.

Maxi using his body steamrolled the smaller Drenthe on the wing, passing the ball to Aguero in the penalty area, whose continuous ball fakes caused Pepe great pressure.

"Bang!"

Aguero maneuvered into position and directly attempted a shot.

Pepe instinctively lifted his left foot to block; the ball was deflected away, and Pepe fell to the ground with a face full of pain.

"Beautiful block!"

"The referee blows the whistle, Cannavaro supports the fallen Pepe in the penalty area."

"Real Madrid kicks the ball out of the sideline, Pepe looks to be in great pain."

"The team doctors are bringing the stretcher onto the field, signaling a substitution."

"Only 6 minutes into the match, Real Madrid must use their first substitution slot."

"For them, this is definitely not good news."

"The only central defender on the bench is Chen Zhong."

"Chen Zhong is going to take the field."

"His debut in the league came so quickly."

"Can he withstand the test of Atletico Madrid’s forwards?"

On the bench, Chen Zhong stood up somewhat surprised, fortunately, the substitutes had been warming up at intervals, and just before the game, only minutes ago, they had finished warming up, so there wasn’t too much impact.

"Disalvo, Disalvo, Disalvo!" Schuster muttered this name, having learned that Pepe possibly had a left quadriceps strain, his eyes flared with anger: "How many players have been injured? How many muscle strains must he have before he’d consider changing his training plan, ten? Twenty? The whole team! How many injuries must happen within a month for him to be satisfied?"

Francisco said nothing, having noticed something amiss; whereas injuries weren’t uncommon, the concentrated outbreak in such a short time suggested an internal issue within the team.

Evidently, it had to do with Disalvo’s fitness training method.

Nonetheless, Francisco quickly reminded Schuster of the current situation; Chen Zhong had put on his gear and was walking out from the bench, and Schuster soon composed himself.

He gripped Chen Zhong’s shoulder firmly, saying, "You’re my last central defender, remember, once you’re on the field, move a lot, and warm up adequately."

"I had intended for you to debut in the league at a good opportunity."

"But now, it’s time to prove you’re precisely what the team needs."

With urgings from the field, Schuster didn’t say more; what needed attention had been practiced on the training ground, all he could do was hope Chen Zhong held up under the pressure.

Atletico Madrid’s forward line was far sharper than he had imagined.

"We’re broadcasting live for you La Liga’s first round match between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid."

"Preparing to enter on the sidelines is Chen Zhong."

"He is taking on the role under pressure, replacing the injured Pepe while the team trails by a goal."

"This match will be his league debut."

"He’ll need to withstand immense pressure at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium."

"Frankly speaking, this really isn’t a great time to come onto the field."