I Am Scouted by Real Madrid

Chapter 844: Chapter 75: Not Over Yet!

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The Real Madrid fans were relatively relaxed. They hadn’t suffered in their recent matches against Barcelona, in fact, they even gained a slight advantage.

And in this particular match, Chen Xuan’s midfield lob shot directly brought their emotions to a climax.

However, they occasionally thought that if Cristiano Ronaldo could seize opportunities better, being two goals ahead would allow them to watch the match with peace of mind.

The match continued, and Barcelona initiated an offense.

”The match has reached the 55th minute!”

”Messi has the ball!”

”Brilliant, he’s gotten past the defender!”

”Ramos!”

”That wasn’t light!”

Messi was brought down by Ramos, and the referee blew the whistle, showing a yellow card.

The actions of both teams became more intense, forcing the referee to show yellow cards to diffuse the tension a bit.

Seeing this yellow card, Mourinho felt unsettled on the sidelines. With Ramos receiving this card, he would miss the next match at Camp Nou against Barcelona.

”Mascherano!”

”He’s completely off his game!”

”Pepe is down!”

In the 57th minute, the tension between the two teams intensified. Pepe, aggressively fighting for the ball upfront, successfully poked the ball away, and then the Argentine defender Mascherano, losing his position, hooked Pepe from the side-back.

The referee decisively blew the whistle, warning Mascherano with a yellow card.

This foul occurred in a crucial transition area, interrupting Real Madrid’s attacking rhythm, and causing Chen Zhong to stop his run disappointedly.

Mourinho shook his head with some disappointment. This time Pepe’s surprise play up front unfortunately didn’t help the team convert into a goal, while Guardiola breathed a sigh of relief.

”Barcelona’s attack!”

”Pedro!”

”Very fast speed!”

Guardiola looked expectantly at Pedro, whose speed was remarkable. Marcelo directly chose to press up and use his body, and after a collision with Marcelo, Pedro quickly fell to the ground.

Marcelo anxiously looked at the referee, while the Barcelona players quickly gathered around, hoping for a penalty.

But after careful observation, the referee denied the penalty claim.

This left the Barcelona players very dissatisfied, while Marcelo let out a sigh of relief!

”Pedro is down on the ground.”

”This is clearly trying to find a penalty!”

”But the referee saw very clearly!”

”The tension between the two teams is growing stronger.”

”This really tests the referee’s level of judgment!”

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona’s actions grew more heated, and a minute later, Barcelona launched another attack. Alves and Messi combined for an inside cut, and Pepe slid in again.

Alves painfully fell to the ground.

In the stands, the Barcelona fans raised their hands, expressing dissatisfaction, while the referee didn’t hesitate to show a red card.

Red card, another red card!

Mourinho, dissatisfied with the decision, sarcastically mocked the referee and was expelled to the stands.

It’s worth noting that Alves, carried off on a stretcher, miraculously returned to the game after a brief treatment.

This series of unexpected events completely altered the course of the match, intensifying the explosive nature of this showdown of the century.

Faced with Barcelona, Real Madrid once again battled with 10 men.

And facing a less numbered Real Madrid, Barcelona broke the deadlock in the 77th minute with Afelay evading Marcelo, penetrating the right side of the penalty area, and crossing. Albiol failed to intercept, and Messi, at the near post, poked the ball home before Ramos could intervene.

In the end, the two teams drew 1-1.

Barcelona secured a valuable away goal, and in the next match, Real Madrid will face Barcelona in a do-or-die clash at Camp Nou.

Though Chen Zhong’s goal was spectacular, people’s attention was more on Pepe.

In the 61st minute, Pepe, showing his studs, stomped on Alves’ calf. Pepe often performed low-level defensive actions as if his brain lacked oxygen, and this time was no different. Whether Alves acted or not was irrelevant, the referee directly issued Pepe a red card. Since the Portuguese loves letting emotions run high in big games, he got an even more flamboyant punishment!

But Mourinho wasn’t having it! Perhaps in his view, Pepe’s action warranted at most a yellow card, or maybe he believed that Alves, a former movie actor, was starting to showcase his acting skills.

But nothing could change anything; amid chaos, Mourinho could be seen giving a thumbs-up to the referee, one last act of defiance before conceding, only to be seen by the main referee, resulting in a second red being issued, and Mourinho was also sent off.

The following scene was quite entertaining, with Mourinho looking like a mafia boss being escorted as the police collectively surrounded him, leading him slowly to the stands, then opening the stand’s gate. Mourinho obediently turned, went in, sat down, and watched as the police closed the gate again.

Being sent off for the head coach was a typical reflection of the fiery nature of this national derby. In the recent six clashes between the two teams, seven players were sent off, with Barcelona having two and Real Madrid five. Pepe, after facing a red card in March 2008 against Rome, faced the same fate once more.

Mourinho on the stands was indeed at a loss with the 10-man lineup, even as the world’s top coach. After Pepe, a key figure in offense and defense, was expelled, Real Madrid immediately lost its balance against Barcelona. Messi’s two goals rendered the match devoid of any suspense, and the Champions League seemed set to recreate the scene of a Manchester United and Barcelona showdown. And all of this, Pepe’s red card was undoubtedly the turning point.