Football irons are burning

Chapter 416 Defeating Atletico Madrid
On December 12, the Espanyol team came to Madrid to challenge Atletico Madrid.

There is no doubt that the eyes of the entire Spanish football are aimed at this game.

If Atletico Madrid can't snipe the Espanyol at home, then the suspense of this season's championship is likely to be extinguished in advance!

Before the game, Atletico Madrid coach Jose also said that he would defeat his opponent at home and end the opponent's winning streak.

Torres, the golden boy of Atletico Madrid, also said that he would give Li Tie an unforgettable impression at home. The 22-year-old freckled man is also in high spirits at this time. In the first 13 rounds of this season, he scored 17 goals and ranked first in the scorer list.

After the players from both sides entered the field, the fans at the scene also found that Hulk and Li Tie walked into the field shoulder to shoulder. The relationship between the two is very good, even if they are opponents now, it is still the same.

However, after the start of the game, Hulk quickly gave the Espanyol a bad start. He turned and volleyed outside the penalty area and was thrown by Hildebrand before hitting the post and popping out.

The home fans sighed. After Hulk came to Atletico Madrid, he quickly injected vitality into the team's three-forward tactics. His breakthroughs and long-range shots are important magic weapons for Atletico Madrid to win.

Three minutes later, Li Tie also returned the favor. His long-range shot hit the crossbar and bounced off the bottom line, scaring the home team fans into a cold sweat!

The power of Li Tie's ball is a little bit stronger, if he takes it back, he may break the goal.

Atletico Madrid began to strengthen their defense against Li Tie. Of course, in this way, it would be difficult for their offense to be guaranteed. Basically, they relied on Torres, Fran and Hulk to single-handedly use their personal abilities to try to score goals.

The strength of these three people is also extraordinary.

Putting great pressure on Vidic, Jarke and Zabaleta, the three did not dare to be careless and followed their opponents tightly.

The source of confidence for the three is naturally Li Tie. In terms of defense, Li Tie also withdraws very simply. Sometimes he may be in the opponent's penalty area one minute, and return to his own penalty zone the next minute.

Being so versatile also makes the opponent's fans respectful and fearful.

In the 19th minute, Hulk was brought down in the penalty area by Vidic again, but the referee ignored it. He thought it was a physical confrontation and there was no foul.

Vidic then passed the ball to Li Tie. Li Tie caught the ball and passed the ball behind his back, knocking Gabi to the ground.

Then Li Tie strode forward, using his speed and physical advantages, to break through forcibly, until he reached the front of Atletico Madrid's penalty area, and then rubbed lightly, the ball flew in front of Lewandowski.

Lewandowski turned around and volleyed directly, the ball went straight to the dead corner, 0:1, the Espanyol took the lead away!
Lewandowski also ran to Li Tie and hugged Li Tie.

The young striker, since Pandiani was injured, has secured his position as the main force. In addition, Li Tie has played a lot for him, so now he is gradually adapting to the rhythm of La Liga and has become a popular niche.

At present, many giants are also keeping an eye on him. At the end of the season, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the Espanyol to keep him.

After all, although the Espanyol team has achieved good results, it is still a small club in terms of economic strength.

Once someone pays a big price, I'm afraid they will sell it.

After taking the lead, the opponent must counterattack wildly, there is no doubt about it.

However, when the Espanyol defended at this time, they worked harder and more calmly, because it was back to their familiar rhythm.

The three-back system plus Li Tie's retreat, and the two sides continue to help defend. This system has a very strong defensive ability.

Even if Torres is in good form, Hulk is strong and breaks through well, and Fran is good at grabbing points, they are still defended by the Espanyol defense line.

In fact, Vidic, Zabaleta, and Jarke are not considered top defenders, but the cooperation between the three is still very good. In addition, Li Tie's loud command makes their running positions never overlap. In this way, the opponent's attack can always be destroyed at critical moments.

Before the end of the half, it was Vidic who destroyed Hulk's pass again and drove into the frontcourt with his big foot.

Lewandowski jumped high and headed the ball, Tamudo flew in, and with a few butterfly-like movements, he volleyed into the penalty area and scored, 0:2!
Now, the audience is completely silent!

The Espanyol's counterattack efficiency is chilling.

Tamudo's ability has also been remembered. This low-key striker can always score some low-key goals.

On the sidelines, Jose was so angry that he kicked a level, but the lid opened, water spilled on his shoes, and the bottoms of his trousers were wet.

Pochettino is smiling, this season, he is destined to become the champion coach.

Under normal circumstances, after the Espanyol team takes the lead, it is difficult for the opponent to come back, let alone lead by two now.

The home team has the home court advantage, but was left speechless by the visiting team.

The halftime score was 0:2.
In the second half, Atletico Madrid continued to attack, trying to get a goal back as soon as possible.

But Hulk is a bit independent. Many times, this guy is lowering his head to break through, always trying to make some noise, but he is always burned by the Espanyol's defense.

Torres is similar to Fran. After taking the ball, the first reaction is to try to take a sudden step. In the end, they both hit a wall.

In desperation, Jose had to replace Hulk with teenager Barrera.

However, their offense still hasn't improved much.

Torres, who was so majestic in the previous league, also completely misfired, feeling that he had given up the game.

Jose on the sidelines had his hands on his hips helplessly, powerless.

In the end, the game was 0:2. With two goals in the first half, the Espanyol defeated Atletico Madrid away and won 14 consecutive victories!
As a result, Atletico Madrid is 12 points behind the Espanyol. If Hill wants to win the championship, he may have to wait for many years.

In another game, Sevilla defeated Real Madrid 2:1. Similarly, Real Madrid was also 12 points behind the top Espanyol.

The Galaxy battleship will also hit the rocks when it encounters Li Tie.

Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1-0 with difficulty, but barely maintained a little suspense.

If they also lose, then there is nothing to play, let's focus on other games earlier.

Now the momentum of the Espanyol team is overwhelming, and they have become the biggest favorites to win the championship.

Three days later, the Espanyol team played at home as a substitute and easily defeated the Austrian Vienna team. The UEFA Cup group stage won four consecutive victories and advanced to the top 16. The two-line battle is still very fierce.

Because the team gave up the Copa del Rey early, this strategy is still considered correct, at least ensuring that they have some ideas that can be realized in the UEFA Cup.

After all, in the UEFA Cup, there are not many really strong teams. If you are a little more serious, you can achieve good results.

Li Tie is also in favor of this strategy. The Copa del Rey championship is meaningless. It is a sensible behavior for a small team like the Espanyol to focus on the league championship and UEFA Cup championship.

Now the effect is also seen, the two-line battle has a strong momentum, and the fans of the Espanyol team are also very satisfied with this.

Perhaps, at the end of the season, harvesting a double crown is also a successful season.

(End of this chapter)