Chapter 1 The Rise to Fame

After the Italian Football Oscars ceremony, Zhang Jun became a news figure for sports media outlets worldwide. Although Serie A had gradually lost its former glory as the world's top league with the rise of the English Premier League and La Liga, its influence as one of the top five leagues was still undeniable.

As the Serie A Best Player, he naturally received a great deal of attention. When Kaka first landed in Serie A, he became the league's Best Foreign Player and Best Player in his first season, causing a sensation in football and officially starting his path to becoming a world superstar. Zhang Jun had always lacked official recognition, which made him feel somewhat "not quite legitimate." When people mentioned the world's best strikers, they would always say Henry, Owen, Shevchenko, Ronaldo, Eto'o, and the like. But when it came to Zhang Jun, they would only say that he still had a lot of room for improvement, which was tantamount to saying that he had not reached the world's highest level.

Now, everyone who mentioned Zhang Jun would say, "Ah, that Serie A Best Player? He is a genius! A phenomenon! Fantastic! He is one of the best strikers in the world!"

Li Yan later saw a lot of news reports with this kind of tone, when before he could hardly find even one. In the past, when Zhang Jun was in good form, the media said he was a genius, but when Zhang Jun was in bad form, they immediately changed their tune and said that he was still immature and needed to be trained...

Now, even when Zhang Jun was not in form, the media unanimously maintained high expectations for him.

Li Yan couldn't help but marvel at the power of authority.

February 5th, February 12th, February 19th. After three rounds of Serie A, Fiorentina achieved a good record of two wins and one draw. Since the Oscars, Zhang Jun's form had not been particularly crazy, but he had consistently maintained a stable performance. He scored two goals in three games, which was quite good.

But for Zhang Jun, his mind was not entirely on the league, because on February 23rd, they had a very special and important match—the Champions League Round of 16, a two-legged tie, where they would first play at home against the famous powerhouse team—the "Galácticos" Real Madrid.

The last time Fiorentina and Real Madrid met in the Champions League was in the 5657 season's Champions League final, when Fiorentina lost 0-2 to Real Madrid. At that time, Real Madrid was synonymous with the Champions League. Their five consecutive Champions League titles forged their incomparably glorious achievements and made them the best club of the twentieth century.

But the current Real Madrid no longer had its former glory. In recent years, their results had fluctuated, and with the rise of Barcelona, their domestic status had also been severely challenged. Zinedine Zidane's retirement also marked the end of an era. Ronaldo, Beckham, and others were also slowly getting old.

Even so, they still possessed world-class influence and great strength.

Zhang Jun was a Fiorentina player, and he was also a Real Madrid fan. He had never hidden this from the media, so when the draw came out, many people were looking forward to February 23rd.

They hoped to see the contest between the newly crowned Italian Footballer of the Year and the "gentleman's team."

※※※

Zhang Jun looked at the calendar, the date was getting closer and closer, and his mood became increasingly excited. To be able to play against his idol team, even though he was already an idol himself, was still something that felt like a dream come true.

"The Champions League only officially starts at this point. The group stage we played before can't be considered the Champions League at all. The opponents were too weak, but Real Madrid is different... They are the best team of the last century, the Galácticos..." Zhang Jun murmured to Sophie, "Raúl, Ronaldo, Beckham, Guti... these people are still there, it's not easy. I originally thought they were all going to retire."

"But the current Real Madrid has also changed a lot from the Real Madrid we used to know," Sophie replied. "Beckham can't even guarantee a starting spot now, and neither can Ronaldo. Raúl is also thirty-one years old, and there are a lot of young people we don't recognize."

"That's normal. It's time for them to have a changing of the guard. Since Sacchi became the general manager, he has brought great changes to Real Madrid. Their current unstable results are just a natural phenomenon of the changing of the guard. I don't think we can underestimate them. Although it's our home game, Real Madrid has a lot of experience in the Champions League."

"But I saw your coach's statement during the day today, and he doesn't seem to take Real Madrid seriously," Sophie said worriedly.

"Cough... the coach is just that kind of person. We all know it, we just need to know what's going on in our own minds," Zhang Jun rolled his eyes. He also remembered what Sabato had said to reporters today.

...

"Real Madrid? Haha, how long has it been since they won the Champions League trophy? The current Real Madrid is nothing to be afraid of. They are too old, and we are in good form! Don't forget that this round is our home game. We are confident of beating Real Madrid and advancing to the quarterfinals!"

Sabato made wild remarks in front of a large number of reporters. Then, when he came back in the evening, Sophie told Zhang Jun that Sabato's words had caused outrage in the Spanish media, who generally believed that Sabato had not only insulted Real Madrid but also insulted Spanish football. Only the media in Barcelona had not commented on Sabato's words.

Real Madrid's vice-captain, Guti, also responded to Sabato's words: "They are just a second-rate Serie A team, and Real Madrid's strength and status are recognized. We will teach them a lesson with goals."

Real Madrid's coach, the Brazilian Vanderlei Luxemburgo, was very dissatisfied with Sabato's loose tongue: "With his level, he is not qualified to point fingers at Real Madrid."

In short, Sabato's pre-match war of words stirred up the atmosphere completely. But whether this tactic could really disrupt the opponent's mood as he wished, or whether it would just backfire and stimulate the opponent's fighting spirit, would only become clear during the match.

※※※

The match between Fiorentina and Real Madrid at home attracted many Spanish reporters, who had come specifically from Spain. Cagliari, a reporter from *Milan Sports*, told Li Yan that Sabato had stirred up a hornet's nest this time. If Fiorentina lost to Real Madrid, not only Sabato and Fiorentina would be humiliated, but the entire Italian football would become the object of ridicule by the Spaniards.

Li Yan had no interest in the dignity of the Italians. He was only interested in this match. On the one hand, it was the team with the most Champions League titles in history, and on the other hand, it was the rising force in Serie A. The collision of these two teams was sure to have a lot to see.

Moreover, the duel between Zhang Jun and Raúl, Robinho, and others also attracted a lot of attention. Because the opponent was Real Madrid, the Stadio Artemio Franchi was already packed more than an hour before the start of the match. The security around the stadium was also doubled compared to ordinary Serie A matches.

"Andrea, I always think... if this match had been earlier, in 2004 or 2003, then this mere Stadio Artemio Franchi with a capacity of just over 30,000 people would not have been able to accommodate all the spectators," Li Yan said to Cagliari, who was next to him, as he lay on the press box in the stands. "For Fiorentina, they need to prove that they have the ability to compete for a place in the Champions League, but for Real Madrid, this match may be even more important."

Cagliari looked at Li Yan and motioned for him to continue.

"Real Madrid has not won the Champions League for several years, and they have also been in the shadow of Barcelona in the domestic league. Since the 0203 season, they have only won one league title in five seasons, while Barcelona has won three league titles. For Real Madrid, which has been built with a lot of money, nothing is more humiliating than being repeatedly robbed of the championship by Barcelona. And for Real Madrid, the meaning of the Champions League is very unusual. They can tolerate temporary gains and losses in the league, but they can never tolerate repeated defeats in the Champions League. I have a hunch that if they still come away empty-handed in this year's Champions League and league title, there will be a very big change in the team. But whether it will be for the better or for the worse, I don't know."

"You mean Real Madrid will go all out, and Fiorentina will be very dangerous?"

"That's right. Real Madrid is now fighting with their backs to the wall. If they stop here, then many players in their team will have no future. So Fiorentina will encounter very, very much resistance. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. I am a little worried about Sabato's attitude before the match. He is an unpredictable coach. I just hope that he is not really not taking Real Madrid seriously this time."

※※※

Fiorentina's locker room.

"I want you to understand one thing..." Sabato stared at all the players and said very seriously, "If this match had been earlier, in the 0203 season, we might only have a 10 percent chance of winning. No, it should only be 5 percent."

The players looked at each other, not knowing why the coach would say such a thing at this time, "increasing the morale of others and diminishing one's own prestige."

"Don't doubt it. What I said before was for Real Madrid to hear, not you. Now it's time to let you know that our opponent this time is very strong, very strong. They are having a hard time now, and because of this, they will unleash 100 percent of their fighting power. Don't think that Real Madrid, which is being suppressed by teams like Barcelona in Spain, is easy to bully. Xiang Tao, am I right?" Sabato suddenly turned his attention to Xiang Tao, who was looking around and obviously had not heard what he had just said.

"Ah?" Sure enough, Xiang Tao looked at everyone with a blank expression.

Sabato ignored him and continued, "Ronaldo is a substitute today. Although he is old, his sense of smell in front of the goal has actually been strengthened as he has gotten older. I think Luxemburgo is very likely to send him on near the end of the second half. His acceleration within five meters is still very amazing. The defense line must be in high spirits until the last second. And Robinho, who is familiar with European football and has become stronger, requires us to be vigilant throughout the match. His technique is comparable to Cruyff. He will hide behind Raúl. Our defensive midfielders and defenders must pay attention to protecting each other and not open up too much space."

"In addition, about Raúl..." Sabato looked at Zhang Jun, "Zhang Jun, I think you should observe him more during the match."

"Observe Raúl?" Zhang Jun was a little surprised.

"Well, I believe you will gain something after this match," Sabato turned his attention to everyone again. "Raúl is a person who will not give up until the last moment, so the defenders must be careful."

Everyone stared at Sabato with their mouths open. It was rare to see their mad coach speaking to them in a serious manner. Usually, this madman would either be frantically waving his arms or spitting saliva everywhere. Today's performance was really strange.

Zhang Jun remembered what Di Livio had once told him: For opponents who are worth taking seriously, they naturally need to show a serious attitude.

He didn't know when, but Di Livio had also become a bit like Sabato, a bit crazy. But in Italy, there were really not many opponents that could make Fiorentina show a serious attitude to face. Zhang Jun sometimes thought so too. So he longed for the Champions League, longed to play against strong teams from other national leagues.

"...Did I just say that if this match had been earlier, in the 0203 season, we would only have a 5 percent chance of winning?" Sabato asked knowingly, and then he laughed. The players felt familiar with this smile. This was Sabato's signature crooked smile. "Then today, we have a 51 percent chance of winning this match."

Zhang Jun thought that Sabato's probability was definitely a lie. How could it just be one percent more than half?

"Okay, okay! Don't look at me with that kind of look. I said we can win the match, just a little bit more than Real Madrid." Sabato pinched his index finger and thumb together, and others couldn't see a trace of a gap from it. "Go to the match, don't sit here in a daze!" Sabato clapped his hands.

※※※

In the narrow player tunnel, Zhang Jun was able to stand almost body-to-body with Raúl because of the narrowness of the tunnel. Both were captains, so they stood at the front of the line.

When Fiorentina went out, Real Madrid was already lined up in the tunnel waiting. Raúl felt that there was one more person next to him. He turned his head and smiled at Zhang Jun who had just arrived. It was a very gentle smile. It was difficult for people to associate this gentle smile with the banner on the field who would not hesitate to crash and bleed for the sake of the ball.

Zhang Jun also returned a smile to Raúl. Since he didn't speak Spanish and Raúl didn't speak Italian, the two couldn't communicate, and the two smiles could be regarded as a greeting.

Raúl must have known that Zhang Jun was a Real Madrid fan, because before this match, due to Sabato's rant, the Spanish side had investigated the information of every Fiorentina player, even including Xiang Tao's snoring habits when sleeping.

Fiorentina, who were playing at home, were wearing their traditional purple jerseys, while Real Madrid were also wearing their traditional white home jerseys. Only Joaquín from Fiorentina was greeting his friends in Spain, and everyone else was silent. Fiorentina rarely showed seriousness. In the past, they would be making noise and joking in the tunnel when preparing to play before the match. Perhaps Sabato's words and deeds had influenced them.

※※※

"Hello, audience friends! Welcome to watch the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 in the 0809 season brought to you by ESPN! The commentary for this match will be brought to you by me, Zhan Jun, and coach Li Yuankui! Because of Fiorentina's Chinese players and Real Madrid's strong influence in China, this match has received a lot of attention from Chinese fans. As far as I know, there are many Chinese media in the stands for this match, and some media have come specifically to report on this match."

"Well, Fiorentina's influence is not small either."

"So, teacher Li Yuankui, what are your views on this match?"

"I think Fiorentina is at home, so they have a chance to win this match, but Real Madrid's current predicament also requires them to win. In terms of the strength of the two teams, Real Madrid is slightly better, but only a little bit. Another highlight is Zhang Jun's performance. I believe that a large part of the Chinese fans who are staying up late in front of the TV are watching this for this reason, right? Zhang Jun publicly admitted in the media that he is a Real Madrid fan and that Raúl is his idol, so this match will be very interesting. Coupled with Sabato's astonishing remarks before the match, and both teams are offensive teams, these factors are intertwined, and this match will be very good."

"Okay, while speaking, the players from both sides have already taken the field!"

※※※

Zhang Jun and Raúl walked into the stadium side by side under the leadership of the three referees.

Then the two teams stood in a row to take pictures, shook hands with each other, tossed coins, the captains shook hands, exchanged team flags... After these set procedures, the match was really about to begin.

Zhang Jun lost to Raúl in the coin toss, and as a result, Real Madrid chose the right to kick off.

He and Van Persie stood outside the center circle, watching Raúl and Robinho inside the center circle, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle for the kickoff.

He was very calm in his heart, without the excitement of the past few days before the match. Now he only had the match in his mind. The person standing opposite him was not his idol, nor the team he liked, but his opponent, his enemy.

Defeat them!

"Beep!"

※※※

"With a whistle from the referee from Switzerland, the match has begun! Audience friends! You are now watching the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 in the 0809 season! The two sides are Fiorentina from Italy and Real Madrid from Spain! Now kicking off, wearing white tops, white shorts, and white socks is the away team Real Madrid, and attacking from the left to the right of the screen is the home team Fiorentina wearing purple tops, purple shorts, and purple socks. Now Real Madrid is attacking, Fiorentina is defending..."

Real Madrid's midfield in recent years has changed from their classic diamond midfield to a "magical square formation" with two defensive midfielders and two attacking midfielders. After Zinedine Zidane retired, Júlio Baptista took his place in the team, appearing on the left side of the two attacking midfielders, while today David Beckham appeared on the right.

The two defensive midfielders were Pablo García and vice-captain Guti. García was mainly responsible for interceptions and defense in the midfield, while Guti was responsible for organizing attacks, and the two had a clear division of labor.

The center backs were Jonathan Woodgate and Sergio Ramos, and the right back was Cicinho from Brazil. Since Roberto Carlos retired, they had not been able to find a suitable successor at left back, and Luxemburgo could only make do with Raúl Bravo.

The forwards who started were captain Raúl and Robinho.

Although this lineup was not as star-studded as it had been in previous years, it was more practical. This was exactly the Real Madrid that Luxemburgo and Sacchi wanted to build. After not having won any honors for many years, Florentino Pérez was also forced to change his business strategy and no longer insisted on the policy of one superstar per year, but instead shifted to cultivating young players from the second team and buying practical and promising players.

Real Madrid was now going through a very painful transition period. After earning a fortune in the commercial market, President Florentino finally realized that if a team wants to have a long-term influence and vitality, the results on the football field are the most important thing.

Baptista passed the ball back to Guti behind him, and Guti dribbled the ball briefly in the midfield before passing it to Cicinho, who had come up from behind.

No matter how Real Madrid changes, some things will never change... such as the attacking runs of the full-backs.

Cicinho dribbled the ball forward and was blocked by Fiorentina's left winger Duff.

Sabato knew that Real Madrid was good at and used to playing on the flanks, so he put a lot of effort into the flanks. He required the team's wingers to pay attention to retreating to defend at any time, and also to prevent Beckham and Baptista from moving to the flanks to attack.

Joaquín's right flank was okay, after all, he had played against Real Madrid many times in La Liga and was very familiar with Real Madrid's style of play. Moreover, Real Madrid's left flank was far less powerful than their right flank. After Roberto Carlos retired, not only Real Madrid but even the Brazilian national team could not find a suitable successor. It should be known that Brazilian players with the superb skills of Brazilians and the strong physique and awareness of Europeans are probably even more special geniuses than Pelé.

Although Raúl Bravo had been selected for the Spanish national team and had played in the European Championship in Portugal, his ability was too far from that of Roberto Carlos, and even his identity as a Real Madrid player was not worthy of the name.

But the right side was different. Cicinho was a very strong player. He was fast, had excellent technique, and was very good at assisting. He had now taken over Cafu's mantle in the Brazilian national team and had become the main right back for the Brazilian national team.

Facing Cicinho with the ball, Duff did not dare to rashly make a tackle and could only follow him. Cicinho dribbled the ball along the touchline, looking up to observe the situation as he did so. He saw Beckham leaning towards the middle, making space for him, and he also saw that no one was guarding Baptista's side, and perhaps he could pass the ball there. Of course, he could also choose to dribble past. Cicinho was very confident in his dribbling skills. His sudden rise to prominence in the German Confederation Cup was due to his skills in dribbling past opponents on the flank and assisting with goals.

He glanced at Duff, who was following him, as if he was escorting him.

Cicinho suddenly stopped abruptly, which made Duff nervous and follow suit with a sudden stop. Cicinho raised his left foot, and Duff thought he was going to pass the ball to Guti, who was in the middle to meet him, and quickly moved up to stretch out his leg to intercept the ball. But Cicinho used his left heel to flick the ball behind him, and then suddenly turned around from outside the line and overtook Duff.

"Cicinho with a beautiful breakthrough!"

Cicinho took a big step forward, hoping to catch up with the ball. But he underestimated Fiorentina's left back in front of him.

Xiang Tao was faster than Cicinho thought. He rushed up and slid in front of Cicinho. Cicinho hurriedly jumped up, but the ball still hit his leg and bounced out of bounds. A throw-in for Fiorentina!

"But this defense is even more beautiful!"

Xiang Tao stood up and smiled mischievously at Cicinho, mocking his clumsiness just now.

But he didn't feel smug for long.

※※※

Cicinho passed the ball to Guti, who suddenly distributed it to Beckham on the flank.

Xiang Tao knew that Beckham's dribbling skills were not very good, so he was not afraid of him. He planned to rush up to press Beckham, forcing the opponent to make a mistake himself or not be able to pass the ball.

But just as he took a step forward, Beckham suddenly crossed the ball! The arc of this ball was very large, easily bypassing Xiang Tao's outstretched leg.

Raúl rushed to head the ball in front of Ujfaluši!

Frey tried his best to push the ball out.

"What a close call! What a close call! Although Beckham is already thirty-four years old, his crosses from the flank are still as powerful as ever!"

"Hey! Xiang Tao! You were too slow just now!" Frey shouted at Xiang Tao after saving Raúl's shot. Although his reaction just now was brilliant, he didn't want to have to do it again several times.

Real Madrid's corner kick was taken by Beckham, and this time Käll headed the ball. Käll cleared the ball, and Fiorentina then launched a counterattack.

Mascherano passed the ball to Joaquín on the right flank. Sabato had specifically instructed Fiorentina to attack Real Madrid's left flank, where there was a gap that could be broken through.

Joaquín was very fast. He dribbled the ball along the flank and broke through. Pablo García rushed up to block him, but he broke through by force with his speed.

After just breaking free from García, Joaquín didn't dare to continue dribbling the ball, because he was afraid that the king of cards from La Liga behind him would foul him, which would waste a great opportunity for a counterattack.

He passed the ball diagonally to Zhang Jun, who had moved up.

Zhang Jun cut inside to meet the ball, just in time to use his speed to shake off Woodgate, but he also reduced his shooting angle. It seemed impossible to shoot directly.

Zhang Jun suddenly stopped abruptly, and Woodgate hurriedly chased back up. But Zhang Jun did not give him a chance to get close. He directly passed the ball to the front of the penalty area.

Woodgate was drawn out by Zhang Jun, and only Ramos was defending Van Persie in front of the goal. This Spanish center back, who was only one meter eighty-three tall, had excellent heading and jumping abilities. He pushed Van Persie with one hand, looked up at the ball, and prepared to jump and head the ball.

Van Persie seemed to have no chance!

But just at this moment, Ramos's eyes blurred, and a purple figure suddenly jumped up in front of him and rushed towards the ball, a powerful header!

"Cruyff's header! Beautiful!" Before the commentator could finish speaking, Casillas flew to the side and pushed the ball over the crossbar.

"After Real Madrid organized a beautiful attack, Fiorentina immediately retaliated. The two teams did not give in to each other and were evenly matched! Cruyff, who rarely heads the ball, even fearlessly headed the ball once, which shows how important Fiorentina attaches to this match. They have shown 100 percent of their fighting power from the start, hoping to defeat Real Madrid at home!"

※※※

As the commentator said, in the first fifteen minutes of the match, both sides were in this back-and-forth situation, with attacks and defenses from both sides. The scene looked very exciting. Because both teams advocated an offensive style of play, the match was very beautiful. Of course, the defenses of both teams were also quite stable, so despite the strong offensives, neither side scored.

As Fiorentina's captain and leading scorer, Zhang Jun was also watched closely by Woodgate. Pablo García often came back to help defend, which made it difficult for him to perform. Most of the time, he could only create opportunities for Van Persie, or, like at the beginning, provide the possibility for Cruyff to shoot from the back.

Zhang Jun remembered that Sabato had told him before the match to pay attention to observing Raúl. What was there to observe about Raúl? He had been watching him play since he was a child, and he knew how he played even with his eyes closed...

Zhang Jun suddenly thought of something.

He noticed that Raúl had just retreated to the center circle to receive the ball and then advance.

In fact, Raúl had been playing like this for a long time. Due to Ronaldo's arrival, he had to sacrifice his time in the penalty area and often retreated and roamed around. These had become evidence of his later decline in form. Many people believed that the farther Raúl was from the goal, the less of a threat he was.

Maybe there was some truth in saying that, but Zhang Jun thought of another side.

He himself was also a second striker who trailed behind Van Persie. If he took the initiative to increase his range of activity and had no fixed position, then it would definitely cause a lot of trouble for the defenders who were defending him, because they had to follow him to ensure that he was within their defensive range. But following him would inevitably disrupt their defense line, which would then give other players on the opposing team the opportunity to move up and attack.

Now that he was being watched so closely by Woodgate and Pablo García, why not try this trick?

For someone who is fast, can dribble and break through, and can shoot from any place and angle, what does it matter if he is three to five meters away from the penalty area?

Zhang Jun did what he said. He began to frequently switch positions from left to right and move back and forth. This made the audience and commentators a little confused, let alone Real Madrid, who were still in the match.

"Zhang... Zhang Jun's movements have become strange. His range of activity has suddenly increased."

Woodgate, who was originally responsible for watching him, was also confused. He watched Zhang Jun move from left to right for a while, and didn't know if he should follow him.

Zhang Jun's running was definitely not blind running. It wasn't just to disrupt the opponent's defense line, because that would be putting the cart before the horse. In fact, he could get more opportunities in this kind of running than usual.

Cruyff was very clear about this, so the number of balls he passed to Zhang Jun obviously increased.

This time, Zhang Jun received the ball in the center circle, which was as far as fifteen meters from the penalty area, and then dribbled the ball forward. This distance made Woodgate not dare to come out rashly without the coach's instructions, because the Dutchman Van Persie next to him was also a very strong player.

Without Woodgate's almost wrestling-like close marking, Zhang Jun felt much more relaxed when dribbling the ball. He could make many beautiful feints at will to deceive his opponents.

Guti retreated to defend, his target being Zhang Jun, who was dribbling the ball.

Zhang Jun felt someone behind him bumping into him. He took advantage of the situation and turned to the left, seemingly intending to break through from the left.

But Zhang Jun suddenly slowed down his dribbling speed, as if waiting for Guti to pounce on him again.

Guti was not willing to admit defeat and rushed up again.

Guti stretched out his foot to intercept the ball, but Zhang Jun moved faster than him. He pulled the ball behind him with his heel, and then tapped the ball towards the center with his left foot. He turned around and suddenly accelerated to bypass Guti, who had lunged forward.

One slow and one fast, Zhang Jun's change of pace made Guti unable to adapt, and it also caught Real Madrid's defense line off guard.

Van Persie took the opportunity to move to the left, crossing paths with Zhang Jun. Zhang Jun dribbled the ball horizontally towards the center, Woodgate gave up on Van Persie and came up to meet him. Zhang Jun took advantage of the gap created by Woodgate leaving Van Persie alone and Ramos being drawn to him and suddenly passed the ball to Van Persie!

"Ah! A beautiful pass!"

With the commentator's cheers, Real Madrid's two center backs panicked. They turned around and rushed towards Van Persie at the same time. Now the Dutchman was surrounded by the two of them, and they were confident that they could stop Fiorentina's attack this time.

But what they and the commentator did not expect was that Van Persie did not dribble the ball forward, but directly tapped the ball with his heel towards the penalty area behind him. At the same time, Zhang Jun just happened to break out from the crowd, and he received the ball!

The Stadio Artemio Franchi cheered, because Zhang Jun, who dribbled the ball into the penalty area and faced the goalkeeper, rarely let them down. This goal was a must!

Casillas waited in full battle, while Woodgate next to Zhang Jun desperately turned around and slid to tackle Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun did not look up. He shot directly!

The ball flew to the far corner of the goal, but... Casillas's reaction was really quick. He jumped and stretched out one palm, using his fingertips to push the ball out of the goalpost!

"Oh - a great save! Saint Casillas!"

Zhang Jun watched his shot being saved by Casillas and kicked the air in annoyance. He knew Casillas was great when he watched the broadcasts before, and he had also seen it when he warmed up in Spain, but that was a warm-up match and could not be compared with the Champions League knockout stage, which was related to survival and honor. In this kind of match, every successful save by the goalkeeper was a very bad thing for the other side.

Zhang Jun turned his head and looked at Van Persie, who was comforting him, and shook his head with a wry smile: "Real Madrid is really strong. I thought this ball was a sure goal..."

Van Persie came over and pulled him away: "No, it should be said that Casillas is great. Real Madrid's defense line has already been torn apart by us. There's nothing to regret. If there's a first time, there will be a second time. Casillas is not a god. He can't stop us."

Zhang Jun had the feeling he had back in Volendam.

They were partners.

※※※

Fiorentina, who had not taken the lead in scoring, was immediately suppressed by Real Madrid's offensive.

Baptista, Guti, Beckham, Robinho, and their captain Raúl all went full throttle. Although Zinedine Zidane's departure had made Real Madrid's midfield less pleasing to the eye, their speed and practicality in attack had increased a lot. Baptista was not as good at dribbling as Zinedine Zidane, so he would reduce the amount of time the ball stayed at his feet and find a suitable opportunity to pass the ball as soon as possible.

The result of doing so was that Real Madrid's attack looked smooth and flowing, and very fluid. If they played smoothly, it could be said that the feeling given to the audience was like the water of Niagara Falls cascading down, like quicksilver pouring onto the ground.

The fast pace was the main characteristic of Real Madrid's attack now.

This was what Sabato feared, so he had not let Xiang Tao and Bonera move up to assist in the attack.

But facing Robinho's superb footwork, Fiorentina's four-man defense line was still very headache. Käll even had the feeling that they were playing against the Brazilian Cruyff again.

Now that Robinho had been tempered for several years, he was no longer the Brazilian child who had just arrived and did not know anything. His body had become stronger, and having adapted to the European style, he and Messi were together called the most outstanding young players in La Liga. A few years earlier, he was still being suppressed by Messi, but now he had turned the tables.

Baptista was very familiar with this teammate of his from the national team. He passed the ball to Robinho, who had moved to the flank.

Defending him was Bonera, the main defender for the Italian national team.

Bonera waited in full battle, his center of gravity was very low, and he paid attention to the Brazilian kid's magical feints at any time.

Robinho dribbled the ball forward, using his most common bicycle kick.

"Kid, this trick is useless on me," Bonera muttered to himself, retreating slowly, and then looking for an opportunity to tackle and intercept the ball. When Robinho had made the fourth stroke, Bonera seized the opportunity and slid to tackle!

Bonera was very confident in his tackles. As long as he seized the opportunity to make a tackle, it meant that he was confident that he could intercept the ball. But this time he miscalculated.

Robinho picked the ball up suddenly before Bonera's foot could tackle the ball. The ball just happened to pass over Bonera, who was lying on the ground.

Robinho himself was staggered by Bonera's tackle and almost fell. Fortunately, he was naturally excellent in flexibility and balance, so he maintained his balance and followed up to chase the ball.

"A brilliant breakthrough! Robinho has entered the penalty area!"

"Damn it! Go up! Don't let him move freely!" Frey shouted loudly in front of the goal. From Robinho's breakthrough of Bonera just now, he had smelled danger.

Before Frey could command, Käll rushed up himself. And Mascherano hurried back to fill his position.

The best proof that Robinho had become more adapted to European football was... he knew when he should pass the ball immediately.

Before Käll could get close to him, he had already found his passing target and passed the ball without hesitation. Käll was played around by him like a monkey.

Raúl received the ball!

Real Madrid fans on one side of the Stadio Artemio Franchi immediately began to cheer loudly. They shouted Raúl's name in unison: "Raúl! Raúl! Raúl!!"

Ujfaluši stepped forward very timely and leaned against Raúl's back, preventing him from turning around and shooting.

"Well done!" Sabato praised from below. When he saw Raúl get the ball in the penalty area, his heart almost stopped beating. Fortunately, Ujfaluši was very calm. He did not foul and did not give the opponent a suitable opportunity to shoot.

At the same time, Xiang Tao also rushed back and approached Raúl from the front, hoping to intercept Raúl's ball.

"In this way... Raúl has no chance, it's better to pass the ball out as soon as possible."

When Ujfaluši saw that a pincer attack had formed, he very cleverly pulled him lightly from behind. Raúl was only focused on looking down at the ball and did not pay attention to Ujfaluši's small movements behind him. He stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Great!" Xiang Tao shouted at the time. He wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to intercept the ball.

But as soon as he stretched his foot out, he found that he had nowhere to put his foot. Although Raúl's body was lying on the ground, his