Chapter 651: Dominating La Liga
Chapter 651: Dominating La Liga
Returning from Turin to Madrid, the Galacticos faced Real Sociedad from San Sebastián in the 13th round of La Liga.
Unlike the glorious achievement of securing a Champions League spot last season, Real Sociedad found themselves struggling to compete on two fronts this season. They had not won a single game in the Champions League group stage, and their performance in the league was shaky, barely sitting in 8th place.
Just one minute into the game, as Real Madrid pushed forward into the opponent's half, Modric delivered a horizontal pass. Wang Feng, brimming with excitement, took two steps and then blasted a shot directly, a 30-meter long-range shot piercing through the away team's goal, 1-0!
The 70,000 Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu were stunned. It seemed like the Chinese superstar was in top form again today, surely leading to another exciting victory. Their cheers grew even louder.
On the other hand, the opponents were all in a state of shock. They hadn't even realized how they fell behind so quickly. How were they supposed to play like this? Real Sociedad's morale plummeted instantly, unable to summon any resistance.
Soon, the Galacticos expanded their lead further. In the 12th minute, Iguaín received the ball on the left side and sent a diagonal pass, and Wang Feng in the right corner of the penalty area effortlessly swept the ball into the net from a small angle.
Just six minutes later, Bale broke into the penalty area from the wing and made a backward pass, and the Chinese superstar stopped the ball with his left foot, feinted a shot with a leg lift, prompting Mikel González to dive to block.
Then he shifted the ball to his right foot and unleashed a powerful shot, leaving Real Sociedad goalkeeper Bravo unable to save, only able to watch the ball enter his own net.
3-0! Wang Feng completed a hat-trick in 18 minutes!
Such efficiency in scoring ignited the entire stadium. Real Sociedad's head coach could only slump in his seat, agonizingly holding his head. Even Ancelotti was taken aback. Would continuing like this lead to a devastating disaster?
A comical scene appeared on the La Liga pitch: coaches of the trailing team sitting calmly in their seats, while the coaches of the leading team stood on the sidelines, controlling the pace of the game.
However, once the attacking machine started running, it was not easy to stop. In the 26th minute, Modric intercepted the ball in midfield and quickly pushed forward, then passed it to Wang Feng on the wing, who then floated it into the penalty area.
Iguaín was open at the far post again! The Argentine forward headed the ball from close range, sending it into the goal once again, 4-0!
Ten minutes later, Carvajal broke through on the right and passed back, Bale touched the ball lightly to send it into the penalty area, and Khedira unleashed a powerful shot from 12 meters in front of the goal, 5-0!
In the second half, Ancelotti promptly substituted Wang Feng and other key players, instructing the players to "take it easy" and not get injured.
As expected, Real Sociedad intensified their resistance after the restart, frequently fouling to stop Real Madrid's attacks. Seeing this, the home team didn't engage them head-on, spending the remaining 45 minutes in a somewhat dull manner, with no further changes to the score.
This result was somewhat regrettable for the Galacticos' fans, but they witnessed a crazy first half, and the home team won the game again, which was worth the price of admission.
As the end of the year approached, La Liga officially announced the various awards for the previous season's Spanish Professional Football League. Wang Feng won both the Best Player and Most Valuable Player awards.
This was the 7th edition of the Best Player selection organized by the Professional League, and Wang Feng had won all seven times since joining Real Madrid. In other words, he had been named the Best Player every season since his arrival.
The Most Valuable Player award was given to the player who had the most influence on and off the field, and the Chinese superstar was certainly deserving of it.
Apart from the Best Forward, which was won by Messi, almost all other awards belonged to Real Madrid, effectively dominating La Liga.
Best goalkeeper went to Casillas, best defender to Ramos, best defensive midfielder to Alonso, best attacking midfielder to Modric, best coach to Ancelotti, and best newcomer to Illarramendi.
Real Madrid monopolized the honors, reaping the rewards both on and off the field. According to the Spanish data website "futbolfinanzas," Real Madrid earned a whopping 535.2 million euros in television broadcast revenue, more than triple the second-placed Barcelona's 176 million euros.
Juventus and AC Milan ranked third and fourth, with 154 million euros and 124 million euros, respectively. Fifth to eighth places were held by the Premier League's big four: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City, while Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain ranked ninth and tenth.