Chapter 909 One Step Away

A 1-0 away victory over Espanyol, Real Madrid is very satisfied with the result.

After the game, coach Benitez publicly expressed his respect for the players at a press conference. He said that the Real Madrid players played the bloodiest game since he was coached and narrowly scored three points.

"I know, from the perspective of the league situation, these three points can't help us reverse Barcelona, ​​and these three points won't let us go directly to the top of the table, its only effect is to shorten the points gap between ourselves and Barcelona to seven points. ."

"But what I want to remind everyone is that the previous situation was so hopeless and maybe even a lot of people have completely abandoned us and felt that we can't shake Barca, but after tonight we will tell everyone with a victory We will never give up no matter how difficult the situation is.”

Benitez also publicly accused the referee Lahoz, that he sent off Casillas in the opening is unfair.

"I want to say that we all saw Callejon's performance soberly, and I can't blame him, because anyone in his situation might have performed more exaggeratedly than him, but the referee should not Confused by him, you should see it clearly, it can be a yellow card, but it should never be a red card."

However, for the subsequent referee's penalty, Benitez affirmed that Lahoz's law enforcement is still ok.

This media reporter joked on the spot that it was because Real Madrid won!

If Real Madrid lose tonight, Benitez will definitely be furious.

...

In addition to Benitez, Yang Yang was also arranged by the club to be interviewed by the media after the game. He publicly stated that this game is of great significance to the team, and it is definitely not just three points.

"The moment we saw Casillas was sent off, we were desperate, but we all adjusted very quickly, we found our direction again and we all did an incredible job Yes, a bloody, passionate side, we played the whole game with ten men and we won."

"It's not just three points, the most important thing is that we have gained confidence and we have gained valuable spiritual wealth."

Yang Yang also mentioned the difficulties encountered in the game. He said that Real Madrid's possession rate in this game was only 31%, which was the lowest in history this season. Because of their superior strength, Real Madrid is missing one person.

"As a matter of fact, you can see that in the first half, we played better, we didn't have the ball, but we had more chances to counter-attack, we were more threatening, we played better offense, but in the second half There is no way."

"With one less person, the rest of us have to give more and run more, which takes a lot of energy for us, but I'm very happy that we put out the hellfire that the Spaniards ignited on the road, we From the away game, although it is only 1-0, I think we have done better with Barcelona and Villarreal."

For Casillas, Yang Yang expressed his unconditional support.

"I know he must be in a bad mood right now, but I want to say that he is the top goalkeeper in the world and this red card tonight was a mistake. I hope he can come out as soon as possible and continue to lead our team to victory. need him."

As for the captain Marcelo on the field, Yang Yang affirmed with a smile.

"I know that many people have misunderstandings about Marcelo. Even when I first came to Real Madrid, my impression of him was that of a full-back or even a winger. I think he is like everything, just not like a defender, but now He's totally changed my mind, he's been working really hard to improve his defense."

"He's making himself better with the confidence, with the defence, and in my opinion he's now the best left-back in the world, if not even one."

Inside Real Madrid, Benitez’s coaching staff once helped Marcelo analyze his defense and try to help him improve and improve, while Marcelo himself showed a strong desire to improve, which made him in the full-back position The performance is getting better and better, even surpassing Yang Yang's best friend Maxwell.

Real Madrid's official statistics show that in the 2008-09 season, when Marcelo was defending, the opponent's passing rate to him was as high as 67.5%. It can be said that he was the unimpeded channel for the opponent, but when he arrived Last season, he dropped directly to 53%, and so far this season, it's only 29%, which can be described as a transformation.

This is why Marcelo has been able to firmly occupy the main position this season.

A full-back who is very dynamic in attack, fast in speed, excellent in foot technique, strong in passing ability, but also very good in defense.

Facts have also proved that Marcelo is gradually becoming Yang Yang's best wing partner.

Based on these facts, Yang Yang said that Real Madrid strongly agrees with Marcelo, and he personally put on the captain's armband for him in this game, which is also what Marcelo deserves.

"He used a game to prove that he is a qualified captain."

In terms of player ratings after the game, although Yang Yang, who scored the only goal, was elected as the best of the game, in fact, in many media selections including Marca and Efe, Yang Yang and Masse Lowe's rating is the same.

...

As the team's on-court captain, Marcelo naturally also accepted an interview with the media after the game.

For the Spaniard's game, the Real Madrid captain expressed satisfaction.

"After Casillas was sent off, the team did their best on the pitch and now we have managed to close the gap with Barcelona. I think with this game we tried to show everyone that we have Be ready, whether it's the Copa del Rey, the Champions League or the reversal of the league, we're ready!"

Regarding his improvement in the past two years, Marcelo said that in the past few years, the previous coaches of Real Madrid have given him a lot of help, and the arrival of Benitez has made him more disciplined and more motivated.

"He gave me more game time and trust. He and the coaching staff put a lot of effort into me. I don't want to let them down. I'm very fortunate that I can keep improving."

Marcelo also took the initiative to mention Yang Yang and spoke highly of the number one football player in the world.

"He is like my big brother, constantly helping me and making me grow. I have learned a lot from him. To be honest, when he personally put on the captain's armband for me, I really Very moved, I think he is more qualified to wear this armband than me."

Marcelo said that it is a very happy thing to partner with Yang Yang, "He seems to be never tired, always running, constantly looking for opportunities, constantly pressing opponents, and I stand behind him. , he took most of the pressure off for me."

As for the ball he passed to Yang Yang, Marcelo said that he did not see Yang Yang when he passed the ball.

"It all stems from the usual tacit understanding, because he always tells me that as long as he sees a loophole and sees an opportunity, I will pass it, and he will run to that position."

Having said this, Marcelo paused and laughed a little, "Maybe it's an exaggeration to say that, but I really feel that in the past year or so, he has run to the position almost every time, and I even doubt that he is Not being able to read my mind, but it's not just me, other people pass the ball to him."

"I think he's the smartest player in the world."

...

From the interview, Marcelo showed his admiration and admiration for Yang Yang, as well as his deep gratitude, so much so that in the next morning, Marca said in an article that Marcelo had been in the past two years. Yang Yang's contribution to the improvement and maturity of his work is enormous.

The Spanish newspaper Le Monde said that Casillas was sent off, but it stimulated Real Madrid's blood and fighting spirit.

"Real Madrid has super survivability, and Benitez's team has shown enough resilience in the face of adversity. This time against Espanyol, Real Madrid showed amazing Juanito spirit, from backup goalkeeper Adan to Superstar Yang Yang, everyone at Real Madrid showed their fighting ability."

"On the field, Real Madrid only had ten people, one less than the opponent, but after the whole game, it was difficult for us to feel the lack of numbers, and all of this is closely related to Real Madrid's performance."

Le Monde believes that Yang Yang is the key to activating Real Madrid's blood and fighting spirit, and it is also the key to Real Madrid's ability to defeat the Spaniard from the away game.

Aspen newspaper even commented after the game that Yang Yang was becoming the undisputed leader of the Real Madrid locker room.

"Maybe he is not the captain, but he is more able to mobilize the morale and fighting spirit of the team than the captain."

But there is also bad news.

Real Madrid appealed to Casillas' red card as soon as possible after the game, believing that the referee Rajoz's penalty was wrong, and provided the video of the game as evidence, but the Spanish Competition Committee quickly gave a reply, they It is believed that Casillas' behavior in the game violated the rules of the game.

In the end, Casillas maintained the original sentence, suspended the game with a red card, and paid a fine of 600 euros. Real Madrid was also fined 90 euros, which means Casillas will miss the game with Levante this week.

For Real Madrid, this is undoubtedly quite unfavorable news.

This round has recovered two points, and the gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona has been shortened to seven points.

If there is no point lost in this round, although there are fifteen rounds left in the league, everyone is full of confidence in Barcelona, ​​but now, the situation has completely changed.

The one-to-one draw with Sporting Gijon in the away game made everyone see that Barcelona also has a vulnerable side, and everyone began to believe that maybe Barcelona will drop points again.

On the other hand, Real Madrid, despite having one person less than their opponents throughout the game, resisted the pressure and defeated the Spaniard 1-0 away, winning everyone's respect and affirmation.

Yang Yang also succeeded in chasing his league goals to 24 goals with his goals in this round, which is only one step away from Messi's 26 goals.