Super Wingstorm

On the evening of March 24th, at the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.

Without a doubt, in the eyes of football fans the world over, this place was the holy hall of professional football.

Inside this Bernabéu Stadium, which could hold a full seventy thousand fans, countless legends had been born. Setting aside its distant history, just tonight’s match alone—with so many superstars competing on the same field—was an unprecedented event in the history of professional leagues.

The current head coach of Real Madrid was Carlos Queiroz. He was previously the right-hand man to Manchester United’s godfather, Ferguson, and before that, the head coach of the Portugal National Youth Team, where he cultivated a golden generation that included Figo and Rui Costa.

The Galaxy Battleship’s recent form hadn’t been ideal. After a hard-fought battle to eliminate Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of sixteen, they drew 1-1 at home against Zaragoza in the twenty-eighth round of La Liga. They then faltered in the King’s Cup final, losing to Zaragoza again, which shattered the team’s hopes for a treble this season.

Moreover, in the twenty-ninth round of La Liga three days prior, Real Madrid challenged Athletic Bilbao away from home. They conceded two goals just before the end of the first half. Although Raul quickly scored twice to level the score in the second half, they then conceded another two goals, ultimately losing 2-4 away to Athletic Bilbao.

This was also Real Madrid’s first time suffering a two-game losing streak this season.

However, before facing Ajax, Ronaldo, who had missed several matches due to injury, had recovered and returned. Raul, who had been substituted off due to injury against Athletic Bilbao, was also not absent. Only left-back Roberto Carlos was suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

For this match, Real Madrid still deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. The goalkeeper was Casillas. The backline consisted of Raul Bravo, Mejia, Elgara, and Sergado. The two defensive midfielders were Guti and Beckham. The three attacking midfielders were Zidane, Raul, and Figo, with Ronaldo as the lone striker.

The Galaxy Battleship was packed with superstars, absolutely the most top-tier and luxurious powerhouse lineup in European football.

Ajax, on the other hand, stuck with their 4-3-3 formation. The goalkeeper was Robbent. The backline was Maxwell, Escude, Heitinga, and Talabesi. In the midfield, De Jong played deep, with Van der Vaart and Sneijder in the center. The front trident consisted of Pinaar, Ibrahimovic, and Victor Skora.

Both teams had studied their opponents in depth before the match. Real Madrid, playing at home, adopted an all-out attacking stance from the very beginning, frequently creating threats down both wings, especially on the right flank formed by Figo and Sergado.

With Roberto Carlos absent on the left, the right flank became Real Madrid’s strongest channel of attack.

Ajax had also clearly prepared themselves mentally for the difficulties they would face. Their front line looked like a trident, but in reality, both Pinaar and Scola dropped back quite deep, acting more like wingers. This made Real Madrid’s attacks on the wings look formidable, but they failed to create any real threats.

The first dangerous shot of the match actually came from an Ajax counter-attack. Ibrahimovic won the first ball in the penalty area and laid it off to Van der Vaart, who was making a run from deep. The latter took a direct shot from nine meters out.

But Real Madrid’s right-back, Sergado, tenaciously blocked the shot with his body, defusing the crisis.

Soon after, the Galaxy Battleship retaliated. On the right wing, Figo used a series of feints to shake off two defenders before sending a diagonal cross into the box. He delivered the ball precisely to Ronaldo’s feet. The ”Alien” tapped it towards the open goal from five meters out, but unfortunately, Ronaldo’s shot grazed the right post and went out for a goal kick.

Just one minute later, Zidane received the ball at the edge of the penalty area, shook off De Jong, and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that struck the post.

Two consecutive attacks that created danger—Real Madrid’s offensive was terrifying.

But just as the more than seventy thousand fans were expecting to see Real Madrid score, the situation suddenly reversed.

A combination play between Pinaar and Van der Vaart on the left wing drew a foul from Beckham. The England midfielder received a yellow card, which meant he would be suspended for the second leg due to card accumulation. This also gave Ajax a set-piece opportunity in the attacking half.

Van der Vaart took the set piece himself, lofting the ball into the penalty area. Mejia, who was supposed to be marking Heitinga, somehow lost his man. Heitinga quickly made a late run, got to the ball, and headed it in from close range, opening the scoring for Ajax.

The sudden goal sent everyone from Ajax into a frenzy.

Not just the coaching staff on the sidelines, but even everyone on the substitute bench was cheering ecstatically, lost in celebration.

One-nil. Ajax was actually leading Real Madrid away from home.

The goalscorer, Heitinga, quickly ran to the sidelines, celebrating and cheering his goal nonstop.

The Ajax players all rushed over to Heitinga, celebrating wildly in front of the fans and the cameras.

A brief silence fell over the Bernabéu Stadium. All the Real Madrid fans were clearly unable to accept this result.

Their team had indeed been performing poorly recently, but were they really this bad?

Faint boos began to rise from the stands, and it was unclear whether they were for the visiting team, Ajax, or the home team, Real Madrid.

...

...

”Whoa, amazing! One-nil, we have the initiative now.”

”We have to hold on to this score. We can definitely do it.”

”Don’t worry. Based on their first-half performance, Real Madrid’s attack doesn’t seem as sharp as the rumors say. Their main threat is on the right wing. As long as we shut down Figo, half of their offense is gone.”

”Ha, before the match, we were all so worried about Real Madrid. But it turns out they’re not as scary as we imagined. If we keep playing like we did in the first half, I’m sure we’ll have more chances to score in the second.”

”If we can beat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu... Wow, just thinking about it is exciting.”

...

In the locker room, Yang Yang sat in his spot, silently organizing his things. Listening to his teammates’ excited words, he felt a sense of unreality.

For days before the match, everyone at Ajax had been under immense pressure, worried they would suffer a crushing defeat at the Bernabéu Stadium. But unexpectedly, tonight’s game had boosted Ajax’s confidence, especially with the one-nil lead, which made everyone’s self-assurance soar.

It wasn’t surprising, thinking about it. The Galaxy Battleship’s form had indeed been terrible recently: winless in three matches, a two-game losing streak, and consecutive losses in the King’s Cup final and La Liga. They really did seem to be in a slump.

At a time like this, Ajax certainly wouldn’t mind kicking them while they’re down.

’But as the sayings go, a centipede does not collapse even in death, and a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Real Madrid is packed with superstars, their overall strength topping European football. A one-goal lead is certainly worth celebrating, but isn’t it a bit too early to get this excited?’

When Yang Yang quietly shared his concerns with Ibrahimovic, who was sitting next to him, the Swedish Striker burst out laughing and threw a heavy arm over Yang Yang’s shoulder.

”Don’t worry, Yang Yang,” he said. ”I’ve gone up against both of Real Madrid’s center-backs. They’re not that strong, especially that Mejia. As long as our wingers get the ball to me, I’ll definitely score in the second half.”

At this, Ibrahimovic winked at Yang Yang. ”When that time comes, our ’golden substitute’ here won’t even need to play. We’ll take home an away victory and then advance at our home stadium.”

Seeing Ibrahimovic’s brimming confidence, Yang Yang found it hard to say anything more.

The whole team’s morale was high. Being ahead of Real Madrid at halftime made everyone hope for an away victory. If Yang Yang said any more, he’d risk being seen as boosting the enemy’s morale while deflating his own team’s.

But Yang Yang wasn’t the only one with these worries. When head coach Ronald Koeman returned to the locker room, his expression clearly darkened upon seeing the players’ faces. He immediately warned them to be careful.

”Real Madrid is full of superstars, and this is the Bernabéu. If we let our guard down for even a second, our opponent could deal a fatal blow at any moment. Everyone must be 120 percent focused. I have a feeling that Real Madrid will counter-attack in the second half, and it will be a frenzied one.”

The players answered in unison, but elation was still written all over their faces.

The first half had gone too smoothly. Real Madrid hadn’t shown their true level of skill at all. This came as a great surprise to the Ajax players, who had been under immense pressure before the match. At the same time, it made them start to think about things they hadn’t dared to consider before.

Before coming to the Bernabéu, the team was only thinking about securing a draw. But now, they wanted a win.

’But could it really be that easy?’

...

...

After swapping sides for the second half, Real Madrid did exactly as Ronald Koeman had predicted and pushed forward in an all-out attack.

Many fans in the stands were still booing in discontent, but the superstars on the field were clearly much more aggressive than in the first half.

Ajax hadn’t yet found their rhythm after the restart when they were forced back into their own half by Real Madrid’s offensive and firmly pinned down.

Just three minutes in, Real Madrid’s right-back, Sergado, made a quick overlapping run. After receiving a pass from Figo, he was about to break through along the sideline when he was tripped by Pinaar, who had tracked back to defend. The South African player received a yellow card and gave Real Madrid a set-piece opportunity in the attacking half.

Beckham took the free kick, quickly sending it to the far post. He precisely found Raul, who had run into an open space. However, the Real Madrid captain’s header went just over the crossbar.

But soon after, Beckham took another corner kick, creating chaos inside the Ajax penalty area. Amidst the crowd, Elgara calmly seized the opportunity and fired a shot. The ball bounced off the grass and into the goal.

The head referee, Mikel from Slovakia, blew his whistle sharply, signaling a valid goal.

The goal Ajax had worked so hard to score in the first half was equalized in less than five minutes of the second half.