The jeers from the stands surged towards Chen Zhong, who was carrying the ball.
It was because of this young talent that their promising situation was utterly ruined.
Chen Zhong took the ball from the backfield and pushed forward, with Nunes immediately coming from the side, his eyes devoid of any contempt. Chen Zhong spread his arms, trying to expand his defensive area while observing the surroundings.
Mallorca's players seemed eager to move, unsure whether to assist Nunes.
"Should we go up?"
"Better not!"
"Anyway, he's definitely going to pass the ball."
However, as Chen Zhong gradually penetrated deeper, Mallorca's players finally realized something was amiss. At this moment, the first half was nearing its end, and Chen Zhong, having arrived outside the left side of the penalty area, could create some threats whether he chose passing or a long shot.
Under everyone's gaze, Chen Zhong first forcefully bumped Nunes, who was entangled with him, sending him stumbling.
And then he moved the ball forward...
No way! No way! Is he really thinking of doing it?
In the stands, Mallorca's fans gasped in shock, while the Merengues craned their necks, eagerly awaiting the upcoming scene.
"Boom!"
Without hesitation, Chen Zhong blasted the ball with his foot.
The ball shot like a cannonball across the crowd, heading towards the goal.
This was a super long shot from outside the penalty area.
Mallorca's goalkeeper looked in horror towards the direction of the ball; this was the only thing he could do.
"Boom!"
The ball hit the crossbar and flew out of bounds, and a sound of regret echoed through the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
"Mallorca's crossbar is still trembling."
"A brave attempt!"
"In the final moments before the halftime break."
"Chen attempted to break through the opponent's goal with a long shot."
"Both the force and angle were tremendously tricky for this long shot."
"Unfortunately, luck was just a bit short."
"We could see that with this long shot, Chen was trying to create some arc."
"Hmm?"
"Applause resonated in the stadium; it was the home fans' encouragement for Chen's attempt and also a reward for the young player."
With hands on his hips, Chen Zhong looked towards the goal with a hint of regret. When he dribbled to this position just now, he had a feeling that shooting from here might be able to score.
This feeling was so strong that he didn't hesitate at all and directly used his "life's skill."
"If my arc could be a little higher."
"It would have been able to curve directly into the goal just now."
Reflecting on his long-range shot, Chen Zhong pondered about his shortcomings. After an intense training period, his already low arc had become even lower, not even above 60 now.
This had a significant impact on both passing and shooting.
While Chen Zhong was contemplating, the applause from the stands brought him back to his senses. Realizing the applause was meant for him, Chen Zhong faced the loyal stand, pulled up his team badge, and kissed it.
This scene made the Merengues erupt in cheers once again.
They were quite satisfied with Chen Zhong's performance in this match, considering he's just 16 years old.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, Mallorca and Real Madrid had completely different mindsets. Mallorca was like, Oh my God! The first half is finally over.
While Real Madrid, having completely found their rhythm, excitedly headed into the locker room, eager to rest and then crush Mallorca in the second half!
Both teams made adjustments in the locker rooms, while outside, the fans watching this match were mostly discussing Chen Zhong.
"I bet Mallorca is totally baffled."
"Initially dreamlike with a two-goal lead, it was all ruined by Chen."
"He's simply unlike a 16-year-old, whether on the defensive or offensive end."
"His long shot at the last moment was so fearless, very decisive; just a pity it didn't score."
"I think the future of football could be a competition among four powerful players: Kaka, Messi, C. Ronaldo, and Chen Zhong. The future Ballon d'Or might just be among these four."
"Is no one going to talk about Robinho's performance? His form has rebounded recently, and he scored two goals in this match, hasn't he? Just because those two goals are related to Chen, is everyone going to ignore him?"
"Don't mention Robinho, every time you say Robinho I just want to laugh, every time he scores there's a desire to celebrate, but then Chen directly grabs the ball and runs away, not daring to even make a sound, obediently goes to kick-off. Is Chen's status at the club so high? He's only been on the first team for a while!"
Among the discussions, the halftime quietly passed, and the players returned to the field. Mansano, with a stern face, had realized his tactical errors.
With Guti absent, Real Madrid's core wasn't Sneijder but rather Chen Zhong.
So in the second half, he intensified his focus on "watching" Chen Zhong.
The only problem is how to restrain such a "beastly," strong-built midfielder.
"Hey," Schuster chuckled at Mansano, then turned to Francisco in jest, "Look at that old guy."
"In the first half, wasn't he smiling so happily?"
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