Sports Medicine Master System

It was chaos in front of the Real Madrid goal.

In the sea of bobbing heads, you couldn’t even see where the ball was.

Just then, a figure suddenly squeezed out from a gap in the crowd, twisted his body, and chipped the ball.

The kick was so sudden, and judging by the ball’s trajectory, you would have suspected it was a pass to a Monaco teammate at the far post.

But the angle of the shot was just too wicked. It sailed over everyone’s heads, skimmed the post, and dropped perfectly into the top corner.

Casillas stood frozen on his goal line, dazed. He saw the ball go up, but it was too late to react. Besides, the moment the ball took flight, he really thought it was a pass, never imagining it was headed for the top corner.

Even the player who took the shot, Monaco’s number 10 in the red and white jersey, stood stunned for a full five seconds before realizing he had scored. He then pushed through the crowd and took off in a wild celebration.

In the private box, Chen Yu subconsciously stood up, pointed at the pitch, and asked who that player was.

’I don’t recognize him at all.’

Simeone glanced at Florentino, whose face was ashen, and said with a slight smile, "Fernando Morientes. He’s a good player, on loan to Monaco from Real Madrid this season."

Chen Yu was slightly taken aback and immediately looked toward Florentino.

’No wonder the guy looks so sick. So this is revenge from one of their own players.’

"There was a lot of luck involved in that goal," Chen Yu said with a smile as he sat back down.

’It felt like Morientes was trying to pass, but he mishit it, and the pass turned into a goal.’

Besides, even if it went in, it wouldn’t have a major impact on the overall game. At the 26-minute mark, Ronaldo had dribbled past defenders to create an opportunity, which Raul converted with ease. This goal from Morientes only tied the score.

On aggregate, Real Madrid was still ahead by two goals.

"Dr. Chen is right. They just got lucky," Florentino agreed with a nod. He then added, "Football matches are ultimately decided by skill, and our skill is far superior to Monaco’s."

Whether he was being defensive or boastful, no one present was going to argue with him.

Inwardly, however, Chen Yu felt that Real Madrid had some serious problems in this match.

Especially with Beckham out injured, Real Madrid’s entire defensive line was in a state of collapse and chaos.

And throughout the first half, it was as if Monaco was holding its breath, attacking with everything they had.

From what Chen Yu had seen, his impression was that Monaco was constantly sieging the Real Madrid goal, while Real Madrid’s occasional counterattacks were usually just long clearances from the back that were inevitably lost up front.

It felt like Deschamps’ pre-match comments had worked, making the Monaco players feel they had been treated unfairly and were now fighting for their lives against Real Madrid.

But Chen Yu believed the key reason Real Madrid was on the back foot was their own doing.

For such a star-studded midfield, there was a complete lack of coordination. They couldn’t control the ball, nor could they pass it out effectively.

It left the two forwards wandering around up front like spectators, and they even had to track back to help with defense from time to time.

It seemed Queiroz was being a bit too conservative, perhaps thinking their lead from the first leg was so large that they didn’t necessarily need to win this match to advance.

The situation didn’t change much as the match entered the second half.

Monaco continued to press Real Madrid.

Everyone was running, fighting for every ball. In terms of desire to win, Monaco completely outclassed Real Madrid.

This aggressive style of play was bound to make Real Madrid uncomfortable.

But it was clear that after the halftime break, Real Madrid was trying to adjust and adapt.

At least the midfield, controlled by Zidane, was slowly starting to possess the ball and stabilize their formation.

But just as Real Madrid was starting to adapt, a mere six minutes into the second half, it was that same former Real Madrid player, Morientes, who pulled the defensive line out of position before a sudden back pass. The trailing Jouli met it with a thunderous shot.

The ball shot through the crowd at high speed, whistling past Casillas and into the net.

2-1, Monaco took the lead!

The eighteen thousand fans in the stadium erupted in incredible cheers.

Deschamps even slid to his knees on the ground, pumping his arms and roaring at the sky.

There were still 40 minutes left in the match, and Monaco was now only one goal behind on aggregate.

Furthermore, if they scored again to level the aggregate score, Monaco would advance on away goals.

The entire course of the match had changed.

Inside the box, everyone was silent. Chen Yu glanced at Florentino, whose face was ashen. That assist and goal from Morientes were more heartbreaking than anything.

The broadcast cameras focused on the Real Madrid players.

Zidane, Figo, Raul, and Ronaldo—the world-class stars—all had bewildered expressions on their faces.

Clearly, no one had expected this outcome.

Amid the confusion, however, Ronaldo was the first to run to the center circle, calling for the kickoff.

He hadn’t given up.

But after taking the lead, Monaco’s momentum was even stronger.

Deschamps stood on the sideline, shouting something and gesturing wildly with his hands, a fierce expression on his face.

He seemed to be yelling at them to play more aggressively, not to be afraid of fouling.

And the Monaco players did exactly that.

Their tactic was to press in the midfield, using tireless running to create local overloads and force Real Madrid into making mistakes.

Even if it didn’t immediately create a scoring chance, it could disrupt Real Madrid’s offensive rhythm.

The key was that they weren’t afraid to get physical, even looking like they were playing the man, not the ball.

Figo had just started his run when Jerome Rothen, dubbed the "left-sided Beckham," rushed in with a vicious slide tackle.

It forced Figo to leap into the air, and he stumbled upon landing.

The ball was tackled out of bounds, and the attack naturally came to nothing.

Figo angrily complained to the bald referee, Colina.

Colina watched with a deadpan expression. He was good friends with Figo, Zidane, and the others, but in this match, he didn’t dare show any favoritism toward Real Madrid.

Because of Deschamps’ comments, UEFA had contacted him before the match, telling him to officiate strictly and leave no room for criticism from fans or the media.

Therefore, Colina simply ignored many of the borderline calls that could have gone either way.

’It’s all down to individual skill. Don’t blame me if you lose.’

Ronaldo made a high-speed run, his pace frighteningly fast. With a powerful touch, he forced his way past a defender.

He charged forward like an arrowhead, showing no intention of stopping.

With no support around him, he was quickly surrounded.

The Monaco players showed no courtesy, closing in, sticking out legs, and doing everything they could to disrupt Ronaldo.

Even under these circumstances, Ronaldo somehow managed to keep the ball, showcasing his individual ability to the fullest.

Seeing him approach the penalty area, a Monaco player didn’t hesitate, launching into a fierce tackle that brought Ronaldo down hard.

Colina immediately ran over and unhesitatingly awarded a free kick.

Ronaldo stayed on the grass for nearly ten seconds to recover before punching the turf and getting back up.

He took the free kick himself, a powerful shot that slammed into the wall.

On the sideline, Queiroz clutched his head in frustration, probably already missing Beckham’s Arc.

In the private box, Chen Yu sighed silently.

’This Real Madrid team is a perfect example of "too many cooks spoil the broth." Faced with a fierce and more spirited Monaco midfield, their coordination is nonexistent.’

In this situation, Ronaldo was getting far too little support from his teammates.

Watching Ronaldo make run after run, only for it to come to nothing, and even be constantly fouled by Monaco players and left on the grass, Chen Yu felt a strange pang of sympathy.

’But on second thought, it’s normal. You’re the core of the attack, the biggest scoring threat. Who else would they target?’

’Besides, it’s when the going gets tough that heroes emerge. Facing adversity is what reveals a star’s true quality.’

’If Ronaldo wants to be considered the king of football, he has to do what ordinary people can’t and achieve what ordinary people can’t.’

’If you want to wear the crown, you must be able to bear its weight!’

Unfortunately, as if to make things even more difficult for Ronaldo, Monaco scored again.

In the 74th minute, Jouli took a corner kick. Dado Prso charged forward and met it with a vicious header, once again piercing Real Madrid’s goal.

3-1!

The few Real Madrid fans in the stands were completely stunned. They never expected Real Madrid to be losing this badly.

On the sideline, Queiroz looked as if he had lost all hope, standing there completely wooden.

In the private box, Florentino could no longer maintain his composure, knocking over a wine glass next to him with a wave of his hand.

"Apologies."

He quickly apologized to everyone, claiming he had bumped it by accident.

Chen Yu sighed silently. ’If Real Madrid keeps playing like this, they’re definitely getting knocked out.’

Poor coordination and a terrible defensive line were one thing, but the crucial problem was that you couldn’t feel any fighting spirit from these superstars.

If they had Monaco’s tenacity, it felt like they would have won the match long ago.

Just then, on the pitch, Ronaldo suddenly ran over to Zidane, gesturing with his hands and saying something in an agitated manner.

Chen Yu was slightly taken aback. ’It looks like Ronaldo is genuinely getting anxious.’

Chen Yu had known the guy for a long time, and their relationship was deep. He knew him too well.

Not just off the pitch, but even on it, his temper was exceptionally good. He never got flustered.

As a star player, he was often targeted with all sorts of vicious fouls. Someone with a worse temper would have gotten into a fight long ago.

After being fouled, he was always all smiles.

This was the first time Chen Yu had ever seen him so worked up that he was complaining to a teammate.

Fortunately, the two were just communicating, not arguing, and they quickly separated.

Real Madrid kicked off.

Trailing 3-1, Real Madrid was now on the edge of a cliff.

There wasn’t much time left for them to turn things around.

And at this moment, Chen Yu noticed that Real Madrid seemed to have changed their tactics slightly.

The midfield was no longer slowly building up attacks. Instead, it was all long balls. As soon as they got possession, they would hoof it upfield.

And up front, there was one man, running relentlessly again and again.

It was still Ronaldo.

Regardless of the quality of the pass, as long as the ball was sent forward, he would be the first one to chase it.

Sprinting down the right flank, he lifted his leg to bring down a pass perfectly without breaking stride.

Just this skill alone—controlling the ball at a full sprint without losing rhythm—was something few players in the world could do.

He changed direction mid-sprint, and even with a defender tugging at his shorts, he managed to power past him. Stumbling, he somehow ran even faster and unleashed a furious shot.

The tracking-back Eduardo Cisse unhesitatingly threw himself in front of it, blocking the powerful shot with the right side of his face.

He fell to the ground immediately and lay there for a long moment before getting up.

Ronaldo was fighting hard, but the Monaco players were fighting even harder.

And amid these repeated sprints, time was running out.

Real Madrid finally pushed everyone forward.

Even Casillas, the goalkeeper, had rushed up almost to the halfway line. At this point, what was the use of defending the goal?

In the stands, many Real Madrid fans had already lowered their heads in despair, silently praying for a miracle.

In the private box, Florentino’s hands, gripping the armrests, had begun to tremble slightly.

Chen Yu sighed silently.

’My three days of effort were all for nothing.’

But just then, with a little over a minute left before the ninetieth minute, Ronaldo—his jersey filthy, his white socks covered in countless cleat marks—once again burst out from the crowd.

Beside him, Jouli reached out and tried to pull him back.

But he couldn’t hold on.

With the ball, Ronaldo staggered through a two-man tackle and got a shot off.

A low drive!

The ball shot through a forest of legs. By the time the goalkeeper, Flavio Roma, saw it, his body was already too late to react.

He instinctively dropped to a sitting position, but the ball had already zipped into the net.

As Ronaldo stumbled and fell after his shot, the entire stadium fell silent, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

The Monaco fans, who had been celebrating moments ago, were instantly dumbfounded, completely stunned.

In the final moments of the match, Real Madrid had actually completed the comeback.