Stepping out of the locker room and entering the player tunnel, the live broadcast camera immediately focused on Cristiano Ronaldo and Fly.
Perhaps realizing the camera was on them, the two exchanged feigned words of encouragement.
"Come on..."
"You too, good luck."
As the two were not familiar with each other, and it was even Fly and Cristiano Ronaldo's first meeting, they merely went through the motions before separating and standing at the back of their respective team queues.
At the Main Referee's signal, Fly and Cristiano Ronaldo quickly walked out of the player tunnel with the moving queue and stepped onto the field.
Immediately, deafening cheers and boos surged forth simultaneously...
Clearly, the cheers were for the Portuguese.
As for the boos, they were naturally a gift from Real Madrid fans to Fly.
After both teams stood in the center of the field, the Champions League anthem quickly began to play...
Then, the captains, Casillas and Fabregas, walked to the center circle and exchanged pennants under the Main Referee's witness.
The Main Referee tossed a coin, and Casillas correctly called heads or tails. The Spain captain then chose possession.
Correspondingly, Arsenal passively gained the right to choose sides.
As kickoff approached, the entire Bernabéu Stadium fell into a brief silence, everyone holding their breath, waiting for the whistle.
At this moment, the heartbeat of Madrid was closely connected to the Bernabéu Stadium, and the eyes of football fans worldwide were focused here.
A highly anticipated battle was about to begin...
.....
"hanger TV Station, hanger TV Station, hello to our audience friends in front of the television, welcome to the first leg of the 2010-2011 Champions League semi-finals. The opposing teams in this match are Real Madrid from Spain and Arsenal from England."
"I am your old friend Dulin."
"Hello everyone, I am Side character."
"Alright, Director, we all know that this match was hyped by major media outlets half a month ago... It can be said that the excitement for Arsenal versus Real Madrid is no less than that for Arsenal versus Barcelona, and the main reason for all of this lies with the three superstars: Fly, Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo."
"In the previous knockout round, Arsenal, led by Fly, eliminated Barcelona, led by Messi."
"And this time, Fly has met Cristiano Ronaldo again..."
"Who do you think will emerge victorious in this showdown between Fly and Cristiano Ronaldo?"
Hearing this, Side character pondered for a moment before replying:
"I personally believe Arsenal has a relatively higher chance of winning..."
"You see, Arsenal's playing style is very similar to Barcelona's, and Barcelona has been very dominant against Real Madrid in recent years, often delivering crushing defeats with large scorelines."
"From this perspective, there's no reason for Arsenal not to beat Real Madrid..."
"Although a football match is never a game where if A beats B, and B beats C, then A can beat C."
"However, if B can consistently beat C by a large margin, then if A can defeat B, winning against C shouldn't be an issue either..."
"This is the relationship between Arsenal, Barcelona, and Real Madrid."
"Plus, as we all know, unlike Barcelona, who are 'home dragons, away worms,' Real Madrid's away record in the Champions League has always been better than their home record."
"Analyzing from this perspective, I believe Arsenal's chances of winning this match are even higher..."
"As long as Real Madrid doesn't lose by more than two goals in this match, they'll have a chance to turn the tide in the second leg at Emirates Stadium."
After listening to Side character's analysis, Dulin nodded, not offering his own evaluation, but instead said:
"Alright, let's take a look at the starting lineups for both teams."
"First, for the home team Real Madrid, they have fielded a 4-3-3 formation in this match."
"Goalkeeper: Casillas."
"Defenders: Arbeloa, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo."
"Midfielders: Özil, Xabi Alonso, Lassana Diarra."
"Forwards: Di María, Higuaín, Cristiano Ronaldo."
"As for the away team Arsenal, they have lined up in their most familiar 4-4-2 formation."
"Goalkeeper: Szczęsny."
"Defenders: Sagna, Varane, Koscielny, Clichy."
"Midfielders: Nasri, Alexandre Song, Wilshere, Fabregas."
"Alright, the Main Referee has blown the whistle to start the match. Without further ado, let's get into the game..."
At the start of the match, Real Madrid, leveraging their home advantage, quickly took control of the game.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was like a cheetah in the attacking third, constantly running, weaving, and looking for offensive opportunities.
His link-up play with Di María and Higuaín was fluid, and several highly threatening attacks made Arsenal's defense break out in a cold sweat.
Cheered on by eighty thousand Real Madrid fans at home, the White Army entered the game at a very fast pace...
Fortunately, Arsenal was experienced in dealing with this, and successfully defended Real Madrid's initial quick attacks without major incident.
In the 7th minute of the match, Real Madrid launched a sharp counterattack.
Alonso delivered a precise long pass from the back, directly finding the rapidly advancing Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo, in the attacking third.
Cristiano Ronaldo, using his excellent speed and physical strength, forcefully shook off Arsenal's right-back, Sagna.
Then, as he burst into the penalty area, he pulled the ball horizontally, creating an angle for a direct shot on goal.
Even with all his effort, Varane could not stop Cristiano Ronaldo's rampage.
Fortunately, Szczęsny made a diving save, tipping Cristiano Ronaldo's shot out of bounds with his fingertips.
Real Madrid earned the first corner kick of the match.
After the Main Referee blew the whistle, Di María took the corner, and the ball arced through the air, falling directly towards Cristiano Ronaldo's head.
At this moment, in front of Cristiano Ronaldo, someone suddenly soared like a Rockets.
It was Fly!!!
He cleared Di María's cross directly, almost half a head higher than Cristiano Ronaldo.
This scene was recorded by all television platforms worldwide broadcasting the match...
"My goodness, Fly's jump, oh my... He actually out-jumped Cristiano Ronaldo by half a head! You know, that's Cristiano Ronaldo, the king of the skies in football, and he's not Fly's match?"
"Fly always shatters people's perceptions time and again. You know, based on his performance since his debut, he's not known for his heading ability!"
"But in this aerial duel, he completely dominated Cristiano Ronaldo... Unbelievable, simply unbelievable..."
Side character listened to Dulin's shouting and smiled slightly:
"Yes, Fly is indeed not known for his heading ability... But that doesn't mean his jumping ability isn't good."
"You see, in past matches, when Arsenal defended against teams strong in heading in the penalty area, Fly would usually personally mark the opponent's best header."
"And in situations where Fly was responsible for aerial duels, no one has ever been able to beat him in the air."
"Currently, this view has simply been further confirmed..."
"A player who isn't known for heading is invincible in the air."
"This conclusion seems ridiculous, but it is an undeniable fact..."
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