Chapter 70

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On the large screen at the scene, the footage of Qiao Wanxian kissing Lucy was being replayed. Now, which football fan in the entire European football scene didn't know the famous Qiao Wanxian? The Barcelona fans were surprised to see the young Chelsea manager at the Camp Nou, and they immediately gave him the warmest applause.

The Barcelona fans had good reason to cheer for Qiao Wanxian. It was well-known that Chelsea's manager Qiao Wanxian and Real Madrid's manager Mourinho had more than one verbal spat. Mourinho had already established himself as a fierce and unyielding figure in La Liga, but he found it hard to withstand the artillery attacks from the British Isles, suffering several defeats, which delighted countless Barcelona fans.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, a principle applicable in any situation in the world.

As Qiao Wanxian gained popularity in the world of football, his fan base grew, forming a large group called "Cannon Fodder"! The German magazine Kicker once spent 1.2 million euros to commission a survey company to conduct a global survey.

The results showed that Chinese fans had the highest proportion of "Cannon Fodder," at 92.3%! Due to Qiao Wanxian being an Easterner, he had a large fan base in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with the proportion of "Cannon Fodder" exceeding 75%. However, in Europe, this number dropped sharply, with no country having a fan base where the proportion of "Cannon Fodder" exceeded 50%. Clearly, Westerners did not like the arrogant and aggressive style.

However, in Spain, the number reached 49.6%, the highest in all of Europe. Clearly, Mourinho had offended most Spanish fans in just a few months, and Qiao Wanxian's decision to fight Mourinho naturally won him the support of Spanish fans.

The large screen remained focused on Qiao Wanxian, Lucy, and Cheryl, making Qiao Wanxian somewhat embarrassed. He could only smile and wave, and immediately, the stadium was filled with whistles and laughter.

Qiao Wanxian was puzzled and turned his head to see Cheryl looking sour, her little nose wrinkling. He couldn't help but laugh and, without hesitation, leaned down and kissed her purple lips for several seconds. At this moment, the applause at the Camp Nou resumed, and the large screen replayed the footage of Qiao Wanxian kissing his girlfriend twice before returning to the game.

Cheryl gave Qiao Wanxian a playful glare, "Oh, you've smudged my lipstick!" But her words were filled with coquettishness, and she leaned into his embrace, looking content.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred on the field. Motta, who had been out of action for a long time, made a mistake in receiving the ball, and was tackled by Ghanaian midfielder Essien, who passed the ball to Beckham. The English heartthrob observed the positioning of his teammates in the attack as he received the ball, noticing that Ronaldo and Raul were already making runs into the Barcelona penalty area. Without hesitation, he launched a long pass...

When it came to long passes, if Beckham was second, no one in the world would dare to claim first!

Beckham's precise long pass sailed over Marquez's head and landed two meters in front of Ronaldo, who was about to race against Puyol for the shot! The result was predictable; the Lion King Puyol was no match for the speed of the alien, and Ronaldo got to the ball first. He glanced at Valdes's position and shot with his left foot, the ball heading straight for the top left corner of the goal!

Valdes dived to save, his body flying sideways, and the ball just grazed his fingertips!

"Oh no!" This was Valdes's first reaction.

Mourinho jumped up from the sidelines, and the Camp Nou emitted a "buzz" as ten thousand eyes stared intently at the white trajectory, even forgetting to breathe for a moment.

Qiao Wanxian, however, squinted his eyes and watched the scene expressionlessly, as if it had nothing to do with him. In fact, it didn't. His purpose in coming to watch the game today was not to join the crowd, nor to study tactics or prepare for the Champions League, but simply to see what made Mourinho's Real Madrid so great, capable of outshining Chelsea on the Football Database website!

Qiao Wanxian's mindset... towards his enemies was very narrow.

"Buzz!" The Camp Nou emitted a sound like a motorcycle starting, and the eighty thousand Barcelona fans let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ronaldo's precise shot hit the post!

There is an old saying in China: "If one survives a great disaster, good fortune will follow."

After 20 minutes of the first half, the rest of the time became a performance by Barcelona! The front three of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Giuly were known as the strongest attacking trio in Europe. Although their goal tally was much lower than Chelsea's, their fame was much greater than that of the young Rooney, Kaka, the low-key Lampard, and Joe Cole. Especially Ronaldinho, who was almost certain to win the Ballon d'Or this year.

As the game progressed, Barcelona took control of the field. In the 28th minute, the Black Panther Eto'o received a cross from Giuly's breakthrough on the right and headed the ball wide...

In the 33rd minute, Giuly took advantage of the space left by Carlos's overlapping run, cut inside, and shot from distance, the ball flying over the crossbar and into the stands...

Finally, after 20 minutes of relentless attack, in the 43rd minute, the magician Ronaldinho displayed his superstar flair! He dribbled down the left wing, first using the step-over to get past Salgado, then the step-over to get past Carvalho. Facing the advancing Casillas, he calmly chipped the ball over him, and Barcelona took the lead at home!

The Camp Nou erupted in cheers! The sea of red and blue waves in the Camp Nou was indeed more tumultuous than those at Stamford Bridge.

After a boring 15-minute halftime break spent chatting and kissing, the second half finally began.

At the start of the second half, Real Madrid made a substitution, with Drogba (19) coming on for Raul (7)!

In the Camp Nou, both Barcelona and Real Madrid fans directed the most intense boos at Real Madrid's manager Mourinho. Especially the Real Madrid fans, who looked ready to kill, their faces red and necks bulging as they waved their fists at Mourinho. After just 12 rounds of the league, this was already the 10th time their beloved Bernabeu Prince and captain had been substituted early! This time, it was even more outrageous, as Raul was only allowed to play for half the game!

Mourinho's face was ashen, and the massive boos in the Camp Nou seemed to give him an inexplicable stimulation, making him determined to conquer the Camp Nou, the place where he once worked!

A few minutes into the second half, Qiao Wanxian noticed a change in Real Madrid's tactics. The number of fouls committed by Real Madrid increased significantly, and they began to aggressively tackle Barcelona players from the front. The Ghanaian Essien, with his dark skin and fierce face, was like a beast on the field, even colliding with the slender and small-framed Xavi without hesitation.

"Beep!"

In the 53rd minute, the referee showed the second yellow card of the game, with Essien receiving it after Carvalho.

Of course, this was just the beginning of Real Madrid's foul tactics.

From Drogba in the front to Hierro in the back, they all adhered to the principle of "foul rather than lose position." Of course, there were exceptions, as Ronaldo and Zidane, the two top players in the world, clearly looked down on fouling.

In the 63rd minute, Real Madrid still hadn't scored, and Mourinho made his second substitution of the game, bringing on Guti (14) for Zidane (5)!

Boos erupted again!

Mourinho called Ronaldo over and shouted something loudly, clearly venting his frustration. From his expression, he was likely saying, "If you don't listen, you'll be the next one to go!"

Ronaldo, however, was not a well-behaved child, and he continued to jog lazily in the front, not even breaking a sweat. Mourinho was helpless and called over Morientes, clearly intending to bring on a more obedient player to win the game.

But at that moment, Ronaldo used his actions to slap his coach in the face. He successfully broke the offside trap, receiving a through ball from Figo's breakthrough and cut inside. Facing Barcelona's goalkeeper Valdes, he didn't waste this opportunity and used his signature move, the step-over, to get past Valdes and score into the empty net, leveling the score at 1-1!

Mourinho was ecstatic on the sidelines, feeling that this still didn't fully express the pent-up frustration in his heart. On the Camp Nou pitch, he performed a breathtaking slide on his knees, even waving his fists as if challenging the Camp Nou fans.

The Barcelona fans couldn't accept such an insult, and the curses and jeers came one after another.

Rijkaard, with a grim expression, immediately used his first substitution, bringing on the Swedish striker Larsson for Xavi, clearly signaling his determination to win.

Seeing Rijkaard's substitution, Mourinho's lips curled into a smile, the kind only a winner would have. He patted Morientes on the shoulder, whispered something, and then the fourth official raised the board again: Morientes (8) on, Figo (10) off!

Now, Real Madrid had two tall strikers, Drogba and Morientes, and the alien Ronaldo! This substitution even made Qiao Wanxian widen his eyes in surprise.

Substituting Figo clearly meant pushing Beckham to the right, using his ability to deliver precise crosses to exploit the height advantage of the two tall strikers against Barcelona's relatively short central defenders, Puyol and Marquez.

Abandoning possession, focusing on defense, and counterattacking with quick passes and a single goal, Mourinho brought out his signature move!

Seeing this substitution, Cheryl asked curiously, "Dear, who is the one coming on? Is he better than Figo?"

Qiao Wanxian squinted his eyes, staring at the confident Mourinho, and said calmly, "Not as good as Figo, but more suitable for winning!"

"Hmm?" Cheryl's bright eyes showed a hint of confusion.

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