April 27th.
The highly anticipated first leg of the Champions League semifinal between Arsenal and Real Madrid officially arrived.
On the day of the match, the sky over Madrid was dyed orange-red, and the afterglow of the sun shone on the city's ancient and magnificent buildings, adding a mysterious and passionate atmosphere to the city.
The entire city of Madrid was immersed in a special atmosphere; the flames of the Champions League semifinal were about to ignite in the city's iconic Bernabéu Stadium, where the Galácticos of Real Madrid would face Arsenal, this season's invincible team from the Premier League.
The streets of Madrid were filled with Real Madrid fans.
Dressed in white Real Madrid jerseys, their faces painted with the team's white and purple colors, they held team flags and scarves, surging in groups towards Bernabéu Stadium.
In the bars and restaurants along the street, classic Real Madrid match clips were playing on large screens, and people were passionately discussing tonight's game while drinking beer.
"Real Madrid will win!!!"
"Send Arsenal back home!!!"
"Cristiano is far superior to Fly..."
Such shouts rose and fell, one wave higher than the last.
And some away fans, dressed in red Arsenal jerseys, though fewer in number, showed no weakness.
Walking in twos and threes on the streets of Madrid, they loudly sang Arsenal's team anthem, trying to assert their presence in this sea of white.
Bernabéu Stadium stood like a white palace on the land of Madrid.
Outside the stadium, the giant Real Madrid crest shone brightly under the lights, surrounded by various banners and slogans cheering for the team.
Stadium staff bustled about, making the final preparations.
Vendors outside the stadium seized the business opportunity, energetically hawking various match-related souvenirs, including Real Madrid and Arsenal jerseys, scarves, keychains, and posters featuring the faces of both teams' star players.
Among these, posters featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Fly were the most numerous...
Fans stopped at these stalls to browse, occasionally haggling with the vendors.
As for Fly, one of the protagonists of this match, he was currently sitting quietly in his hotel room, making his pre-match preparations.
On the table in front of him lay a tactical manual, densely filled with notes on the characteristics of Real Madrid players, Real Madrid's defensive formation, and the attacking strategies formulated by Arsenal's coaching staff.
Fly frowned, carefully reading the manual, constantly simulating various scenarios from the match in his mind.
He knew deeply the importance of this match for Arsenal; it was the Champions League semifinal, a crucial battle just one step away from the Champions League.
Even after defeating Barcelona, he was no longer as wary of Real Madrid, but it was undeniable that Real Madrid's squad was still very strong...
In the front, there were many excellent players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Di María, Higuaín, and Benzema.
The midfield boasted world-class players like Özil and Xavi Alonso.
Although influenced by his past life memories, Fly had a strong aversion to him...
But his strength was beyond doubt!
In his past life, he was the player who provided the most assists to Cristiano Ronaldo, and this was even based on him leaving Real Madrid for Arsenal quite early.
Otherwise, this assist count would only be higher!
As for Real Madrid's defense, it was even stronger.
They had world-class center-backs like Pepe and Ramos, who were fierce in defense and rich in experience. Most crucially, these two gentlemen had quite the notorious reputation in his past life...
It could be said that these two were the dirtiest center-back duo in the history of football.
As Fly thought about facing these two dirty players in this match, he couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate:
"Fortunately, I have a cheat, otherwise, after this match, I'd be half-dead or at least lose a layer of skin..."
Of course, Real Madrid was indeed very strong, but Fly was full of confidence in himself and his team.
Anyone with eyes could see the dominance Arsenal had displayed this season in the Premier League and Champions League matches...
Fly himself had surpassed historical goal records, scoring 59 goals in the League and 23 goals in the Champions League, leaving the previous historical records far behind.
Against Real Madrid, Fly knew that his speed and finishing ability in front of goal were Arsenal's greatest weapons.
After all, neither Pepe nor Ramos were defenders known for their speed.
Against such defenders, as long as Fly was given some space to accelerate, he could easily overwhelm and break through them...
Thinking of Real Madrid's mouthpieces claiming he wouldn't score more than three goals in both matches combined, Fly secretly vowed that he would make them eat their words tonight at Bernabéu Stadium...
Even if he didn't score three goals, he had to at least score two to do himself justice.
"Haaah—"
Yawning involuntarily, Fly had to admit that Real Madrid fans' schemes had partially succeeded last night.
They had caused a commotion in front of his team's hotel all night, and even though Fly had worn earplugs beforehand, he was still affected.
Of course, these off-field disturbances were not the main issue.
What was even more annoying was that many of the staff at Arsenal's hotel were Real Madrid fans; these guys dared not openly harass Arsenal players, or they would be fired.
So they deliberately "accidentally" let the extreme fans from outside in, resulting in this group of extreme fans directly going to the Arsenal players' rooms and causing a disturbance.
In the end, if the hotel security personnel hadn't been "late to arrive," Fly and the others probably wouldn't have been able to sleep at all.
"Quite a few disgusting little tricks... but unfortunately, football matches ultimately depend on performance on the pitch."
Fly was very disdainful of Real Madrid's petty tricks.
Perhaps because they saw Arsenal eliminate Barcelona, who had been humiliating them domestically in recent years, Real Madrid couldn't help but feel some fear, which was why they resorted to these underhanded tactics.
Fly understood this, but as a victim, he certainly wouldn't forgive them.
"It's only right that Real Madrid pays for the actions of their extreme fans, isn't it..."
At the assistant coach's reminder, Fly and the other players boarded the team bus and headed towards Bernabéu.
During this process, many Real Madrid fans immediately ran up to provoke the Arsenal team bus when they saw it.
Due to the soundproof glass and curtains, Fly couldn't clearly hear what these people were shouting.
After approximately a 30-minute journey, the Arsenal team bus drove into Bernabéu.
Fly was the first to step off the bus and headed straight for the away team's changing room...
At this moment, in Real Madrid's changing room, the atmosphere was very tense and enthusiastic.
As Real Madrid's current star player, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo stood in the center of the changing room and loudly said to his teammates:
"Brothers, tonight is our night!"
"Arsenal is strong, but we are Real Madrid, the kings of European football! We must defend the glory of Bernabéu on our home ground!"
His eyes revealed immense determination and confidence, a spirited "no one can defeat me" attitude.
Veterans like Casillas and Ramos nodded in agreement; having finally reached the Champions League semifinals after several seasons, they would naturally give their all...
The younger players were also infected by Cristiano Ronaldo's passion, clenching their fists and encouraging themselves.
Real Madrid's current coach, the Portuguese José Mourinho, stood to the side, quietly observing his players.
He knew that this match would be a tough battle, and he was mentally prepared for it...
But the arrogant "Special One" was naturally full of confidence in his team.
His meticulously planned tactics aimed to use the individual abilities and overall strength of Real Madrid players to suppress Arsenal's offense, while simultaneously delivering a fatal blow to the opponent in attack.
With this Real Madrid team, José Mourinho was no longer the coach once known for "parking the bus."
Incredibly sharp counterattacks were the most powerful weapon of this Mourinho-led Real Madrid!
"Josep (Guardiola), I will prove to you that my tactics are truly suitable for today's football..."
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