CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 18: GENIUS

At the Estadio de la Cerámica, Villarreal fans sang loudly:

"You are no longer a giant."

"The Galaxy Battleship has long since sunk."

"Who sunk it?"

"It was the Yellow Submarine, the Yellow Submarine."

They reveled in their team’s performance, singing joyfully, dreaming of a crazy, bright, and glorious future.

Were they singing a song?

No, they were singing for "Rise, rise, rise!"

Pellegrini stood on the sidelines, the South American coach in a suit and tie, with a content smile. Villarreal launched a fully frontal, fierce offensive.

Schuster’s gaze was fierce; wasn’t Pellegrini’s actions a form of humiliation to him?

Facing Real Madrid, a team like Villarreal dares to play aggressively against us?

We are Real Madrid!

"How do I describe all that I’m seeing right now?"

"Villarreal is adopting a rather aggressive tactic."

"The Yellow Submarine is no longer a submarine; it’s become an aircraft carrier."

"At the Estadio de la Cerámica, facing Real Madrid."

"They didn’t use the usual defensive counter-attacking tactic against major teams."

"In this match, they are even more aggressive than when they played Valencia last time."

Once again attempting to rise, Cazorla was quite active on the flanks, with Real Madrid’s pressing equally vigorous, every player fighting tooth and nail with Villarreal.

Cazorla attempted a long pass, trying the same trick again, but Chen Zhong had already dashed out early, leaping high to head the ball forward.

In this game, Chen Zhong played as the left center-back, with left-back Marcelo beside him, Guti as the left midfielder, and Sneijder as central midfielder. However, in actual play, the two would swap places, with Sneijder effectively acting as the left midfielder or even left winger.

The ball landed at Sneijder’s feet, and he immediately made a direct pass to his compatriot Van Nistelrooy.

Real Madrid’s counterattack was swift, quickly disrupting Villarreal’s formation. Van Nistelrooy held off the defender with his back and knocked the ball back to Sneijder.

Sneijder approached the ball, raising his leg directly.

"Boom!"

It was a super long shot, the ball seemed to leave a trail in the air.

Sneijder looked up, hearing only a dull thud.

The ball slammed hard against the crossbar.

"Damn it!" Schuster cursed under his breath, clenching his fists tightly, then shouted loudly from the sideline, "Get back! Get back!"

Villarreal’s counterattack was fast; they had no intention to hold the ball, quickly transferring it into Real Madrid’s danger zone with a few passes.

"Beautiful one-two!"

"Diara was spun around like a top."

"Rossi!"

"Left-footed low shot!"

"Beautiful."

"Just a tiny bit off from breaking through Real Madrid’s defenses."

Excitement filled the young, fresh face of Giuseppe Rossi, his eyes full of anticipation, eager for his team’s next attack, longing to show off his talent in front of the fans.

"Rossi, Rossi, Rossi!"

"You are our Messi!"

"Who needs Messi?"

"We have Giuseppe Rossi!"

In the stands, Villarreal sang loudly, praising this exceptionally talented young star, considering him a genius surpassing Messi.

Only then did Van Nistelrooy notice Rossi. If he remembered correctly, wasn’t Rossi once his substitute?

Rossi started in Parma’s youth academy, scoring 133 goals in 114 matches across various level teams, earning him the title of genius in Italian football. Manchester United directly paid the buyout clause to bring him to England.

At 16, Rossi made his debut for Manchester United, replacing none other than Van Nistelrooy that match,

Achieving early success, then falling, struggling for two years, returning to his former club Parma.

Feeling unsuited for the English style, Rossi showcased his talent at Parma, and in his first match for Villarreal, he scored a splendid goal. His speed, his dribbling, once brought great surprise to the fans.

There were even rumors in private that with Rossi, they didn’t need Riquelme anymore.

Villarreal had skilled dribblers on both wings and through the middle, putting Real Madrid’s goal under threat multiple times. In the 8th minute, Villarreal’s through pass reached Rossi.

Rossi dribbled past Diara, attempting to break into the penalty box.

However, with a fierce and precise sliding tackle, Chen Zhong kicked the ball away, almost bringing Rossi down too.

Villarreal fans in the stands booed, while Rossi’s face flushed as he looked at Chen Zhong and shouted, "What are you doing?"

Chen Zhong glanced at Rossi, not answering.

The transition between attack and defense was swift for both teams. After Real Madrid’s shot was blocked, Villarreal launched another quick counterattack. Pires, receiving Cazorla’s long pass, saw an opening and decisively made a through pass.

Rossi sprinted towards the open space, but Chen Zhong blocked Rossi’s position. The talented young man couldn’t reach the ball and desperately made a sliding tackle, taking Chen Zhong down from behind.

"Beep!"

The sharp whistle sounded as the referee ran over, showing a yellow card to Rossi and sternly warning him.

The Merengue fans in the stands booed, while Villarreal fans applauded in support of Rossi.

"Chen!" Cannavaro asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I’m fine," Chen Zhong replied as he realized it was just a small scrape, then looked back at Rossi, who shivered and ran off.

Run?

Does running help?

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense between the two teams. In the 13th minute, Van Nistelrooy, on the left side of the box, made a beautiful chest trap and flicked the ball to Raul, who was advancing.

However, Raul was brought down by Villarreal players inside the penalty area.

Instantly, the stadium was drowned in boos as players from both teams pressured the referee, but the referee refused to card, refused to award a penalty, refused any decision.

Pellegrini breathed a sigh of relief, while Schuster on the sidelines couldn’t help but curse!

He even wanted to rush onto the field at one point.

"How do we describe this decision!"

"Both players were using their hands."

"A penalty that could have been given or not given."

"Now, both teams’ actions and tempers are rising."

"How the referee controls the game, letting it flow smoothly, will be a big test."

"It really tests the referee’s decision-making skills."

While the commentary continued, Villarreal launched another threatening attack with a long pass counter, intercepting Real Madrid’s offensive effort.

After several consecutive passes, the ball reached Rossi, who hadn’t even steadied the ball before he was sent flying.

At that moment, the entire Estadio de la Cerámica seemed to explode, boos ringing thunderously, while some Villarreal fans in the stands even wanted to rush into the field.

Yet the perpetrator of Rossi’s flight, Chen Zhong, was unaffected by the commotion.

He hadn’t heard the referee’s whistle, and his sliding tackle was incredibly clean; Rossi’s "flight" was more about self-protection.

Such self-protective "flying" when tackled, something Manchester United star C. Ronaldo also does, is a normal self-protective technique and could also be a "dive" tactic.

After getting up, Rossi didn’t chase after Chen Zhong but looked to the referee, who merely pointed forward, indicating to continue with no issues.

Chen Zhong initially took a couple of steps to pass the ball, but his teammates were marked, while a clear path lay before him, with no one around.

What else is there to say!

Charge!