Chapter 144: Fighting Our Way Back into the Top Four

After a thrilling night in Villarreal, Spain, Villarreal ultimately defeated Manchester City 3:1, evening the aggregate score to 6:6 and squeezing Manchester City out of the quarter-finals on the away goals rule.

Prior to this, no team had ever scored five goals in a single match yet failed to advance. Now, Pep Guardiola has broken that record—though certainly not in a way he would have ever desired.

Imagine scoring as many as six goals across two legs and yet being eliminated due to fewer away goals?

Unbelievable!

Meanwhile, Dai Zhiwei, who scored all of Villarreal's goals across the two legs and achieved consecutive hat-tricks, emerged as the ultimate winner of the night!

Following this round of the knockout stage, he topped the scoring charts with 14 Champions League proper-season goals, leaving the runner-up far behind.

What was the most direct impact?

As soon as Villarreal advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals, Pepsi approached Mendes to discuss an endorsement deal with Dai Zhiwei. The preliminary intention was a three-year contract, worth at least ten million dollars in total!

Additionally, Dai Zhiwei, who had never previously appeared in Ballon d'Or predictions, suddenly surged into the top ten across major football media prediction lists, making him the youngest player on the list!

Three days later, during La Liga's 24th round match between Villarreal and Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo even went out of his way during the pre-match warmup to offer his congratulations to Dai Zhiwei.

Although the two of them shared the same agent in Mendes and had exchanged pleasantries before, they were not particularly close, merely nodding acquaintances.

Clearly, Dai Zhiwei had earned Ronaldo's respect with his performance.

However, respect was one thing; Real Madrid, led by Ronaldo, showed Villarreal no mercy whatsoever at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

Not even a minute into the match, after receiving a pass from Marcelo on the left flank, Ronaldo attempted to cut inside and unleash a powerful drive. Fortunately, his long-range effort drifted wide of the near post, though it still broke Asenjo out in a cold sweat.

Three days—no, three minutes later, Dai Zhiwei responded. Breaking down the right wing, he cut the ball back to the edge of the penalty area where Gaspar fired a fierce shot toward the top left corner, which Navas tipped away with a flying save.

In the 16th minute, Real Madrid launched a series of attacks. Bale crossed from the left, and Benzema's header was blocked by Ruiz. Subsequently, Ronaldo's header from a chaotic corner kick was blocked, and his follow-up shot from the left side of the box was also stuffed out.

Over the next ten minutes, Villarreal seized the initiative on the pitch.

First, Gaspar crossed from the right, and Dos Santos headed wide of the near post at the front post.

Immediately after, Bakambu passed to Castillejo, whose volley from the edge of the six-yard box sailed over the crossbar.

Then, Dai Zhiwei distributed the ball from the edge of the penalty area, and Bakambu's acute-angle shot from the left side of the box was also saved by Navas.

Real Madrid also missed a chance when Bale headed wide from close range after receiving a cross from Marcelo.

However, Bale's attempt produced an unintended consequence: while making the save, Asenjo sustained an injury and had to be replaced by Andres Fernandez.

The first half was a dull stalemate, with neither side capitalizing on their opportunities. After the teams switched sides for the second half, Villarreal finally seized their moment.

In the 50th minute of the match, Villarreal initiated an attack down the right flank. Dai Zhiwei made a wide-ranging decoy run through the center before finally feeding the ball to Dos Santos on the right.

Using his individual skill, Dos Santos weaved left and right, carving his way into the penalty area. Seeing Real Madrid center-back Pepe closing down on him, and with the box already packed tight with a forest of legs, Dos Santos found himself with zero space to shoot. He had no choice but to quickly pass the ball back out toward the edge of the box to reset the attack.

Just as Dos Santos delivered the ball to the center just outside the box, Dai Zhiwei unexpectedly burst out from the penalty area, running right into the path of the pass.

He effortlessly brought the ball down, adjusted his body slightly, half-turned to face the oncoming sphere, and swiftly swung his right foot, striking the lower-middle portion solidly. The ball whistled away, curling in an unexpected banana trajectory as it rapidly dipped toward the left side of the goal.

The football traced a gorgeous long-range wonder-goal, an astonishing strike that Navas had no chance of stopping, leaving him to simply watch as the ball dropped into the net and breaking the deadlock for Villarreal!

1:0!

Amidst the pursuit of his celebrating teammates, an ecstatic Dai Zhiwei sprinted toward the nearest stands, raising his arms high and stirring the home fans at the Estadio de la Ceramica into even louder roars!

Following the restart, Real Madrid was completely stunned by Villarreal's lightning-fast goal. At the same time, they received news from the bench that in another marquee match of the round, Barcelona was already leading Atletico Madrid 2:0.

Prior to this round, the men of Real Madrid had anticipated that Barcelona would stumble against Atletico Madrid, but never did they imagine that it would be themselves falling behind instead.

Once play resumed, the Real Madrid players grew eager to equalize, only to carelessly surrender possession in midfield once again. Roberto Soriano intercepted the ball on the left side, swiftly charging toward the edge of the penalty area while Casemiro sprinted in a panic from the center circle, chasing frantically behind him.

At that moment, Dai Zhiwei acted like a sharp-witted beast of prey, leaping forward to shake off Sergio Ramos, who had been tangled up with him all match, and arriving first inside the box with his arm raised high.

Naturally, Roberto Soriano received Dai Zhiwei's signal. The moment Soriano entered the penalty area, Dai Zhiwei accelerated instantly, creating a pocket of space.

Seeing his opening, Roberto Soriano gently pushed the ball with the instep of his foot, sending it threading through the defensive cordon and bouncing directly into Dai Zhiwei's path.

Dai Zhiwei rushed up and poked it instantly, the ball darting past Navas's eyes and into the back of the net, stirring up a flurry of white ripples.

"Gooooooooooooooooooooooooal! 2:0!" Amidst the boiling waves of the Estadio de la Ceramica, the pitchside commentator's voice still rang out clearly, "Our Prince of Estadio de la Ceramica, Dai Zhiwei, has scored his second goal of the match! Our genius continues his magnificent performance; no defensive line can stop our Dai Zhiwei!"

After scoring, Dai Zhiwei struck his trademark blown-gun celebration pose, and his "gun barrel" was indeed scorching hot—this was his 24th league goal of the season, maintaining a rate of at least one goal per game and further cementing his glory at the top of both the league and Champions League scoring charts!

Unfortunately, just minutes after his goal, Escriba substituted him off, bringing on former Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev.

Although Escriba's move was a reluctant necessity due to Dai Zhiwei's physical exhaustion from consecutive grueling fixtures, the Real Madrid players perceived it as an insult, implying that the opponents believed victory was already secure.

Substituting the team's primary talisman with more than thirty minutes left in the match—what else could it be if not an insult to the opponent?

Zinedine Zidane immediately responded by bringing on Isco in place of Casemiro to bolster the attack.

Real Madrid pulled one back in the 64th minute when Dani Carvajal crossed from the right edge of the box, and Bale nodded it home from close range to make it 2:1.

Seeing that things were turning ominous, Dai Zhiwei could no longer sit still, but what could he do having already been substituted? He could only sit on the sidelines and cheer his teammates on.

Real Madrid equalized in the 74th minute. Toni Kroos took an unthreatening long-range shot that was blocked by Ruiz, but the deflected ball struck Bruno's hand, prompting the referee to point straight to the spot!

"That was ball-to-hand, are you blind? Do you know where this is?" Escriba had clearly anticipated the post-match media swarming him over his early substitution of Dai Zhiwei, so this time he flew into a sudden rage, storming up to the fourth official and unleashing a furious tirade!

"Tweet, tweet, tweet!" Before Escriba could fully vent, the head referee sprinted over and flashed a red card directly in his face, expelling him from the match!

"Oh come on! Isn't this a bit much? Just because they're Real Madrid, do they get special treatment?" Dai Zhiwei had managed to remain calm, but this decision pushed his anger past the boiling point. Which manager in La Liga hadn't yelled at a referee?

Besides, Escriba hadn't even said anything overly offensive.

The referee who had just sent off Escriba heard Dai Zhiwei shouting from the side, whirled around immediately, and flashed a yellow card!

"I..." Dai Zhiwei froze, just about to erupt, when he was forcefully pulled back to the bench by the assistant coach and veteran teammate Daniele Bonera.

"Calm down, calm down!"

Knowing that raging against the referee was futile, Dai Zhiwei could only forcefully suppress his fury, watching helplessly as Ronaldo converted the penalty to make it 2:2.

Seeing Escriba sent off, Zidane was overjoyed and hastily substituted Alvaro Morata on for Benzema, gearing up to complete the comeback.

Real Madrid completed the dramatic late winner in the 83rd minute. Ronaldo sent an angled cross during a counterattack, Marcelo delivered a cross from the left, and the newly substituted Morata headed it in from the edge of the small box to make it 3:2.

Villarreal suffered a heartbreaking defeat at home!

After the match, Ronaldo, fresh off a win and a goal, was in high spirits and intentionally sought out Dai Zhiwei. "Though it might not be very polite to say this, Villarreal doesn't deserve you! I look forward to the next time you lead a team strong enough, and then we'll see who comes out on top!"

Dai Zhiwei high-fived Ronaldo and chuckled, "Don't get too excited. We might not cross paths in the league again this season, but in the Champions League, who knows?"

"Heh, you'll have to get past Borussia Dortmund first." Even in private, Ronaldo carried the aura of an overbearing CEO.

"We shall see!" Dai Zhiwei put on an even more arrogant front—even if it did seem a bit chuunibyou.

Although Villarreal lost to Real Madrid in this round, fortunately, Atletico Madrid also fell to Barcelona. Therefore, the points gap between the two remained a mere single point, and they would soon have a chance to leapfrog them.

On March 2nd, the 25th round of La Liga kicked off, with Atletico Madrid playing away against Deportivo La Coruna as the early fixture.

In the 13th minute, Jan Oblak made a blunder with his goal kick, allowing Deportivo's Florin Andone to break through to the edge of the penalty area and slot a low, one-on-one shot into the net.

Atletico equalized in the 68th minute when Antoine Griezmann played a one-two with Yannick Carrasco and unleashed a stunning left-footed long-range wonder-goal from 25 yards out.

Fernando Torres came on as a substitute in the 65th minute, but in the 89th minute, he suffered a head injury and was rushed to the hospital. Having already used all their substitution slots, Atletico had to accept playing with a man down for the remainder.

In the end, the two teams shook hands on a draw, leaving Atletico Madrid two points ahead of Villarreal, who had a game in hand!

Upon learning that Atletico Madrid had been held to a draw away from home, the morale of the Yellow Submarine players, traveling far to the El Sadar Stadium to face Osasuna, soared even higher.

Facing Osasuna, a team considered easy pickings, Dai Zhiwei scored just two minutes into the match. Antonio Rukavina broke down the flank and delivered a cutback, and Dai Zhiwei struck a left-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box that flew straight into the center of the goal, 1:0!

Osasuna's defenders made a grave error in defending this play; they were still employing the strategy from the previous match of exclusively guarding Dai Zhiwei's right foot, completely unaware that he was no longer the player he once was—his left foot was now fully on par with his right!

In the 25th minute, Dai Zhiwei used a shoulder-drop body feint to break into the penalty area, where he was tripped from behind by Osasuna's Alex Berenguer. The referee didn't hesitate to award a penalty.

Naturally, he wouldn't waste such a god-given opportunity, calmly slotting home the spot-kick to make it 2:0!

However, in the 64th minute, Osasuna likewise earned a penalty when Mateo Musacchio committed a foul inside the box. Roberto Torres converted the penalty, narrowing the score to 1:2.

Fortunately, this time Escriba didn't repeat his mistake from the previous match, substituting Dai Zhiwei off after securing a two-goal lead—though in truth, Escriba, forced to watch from the stands for this match, wouldn't have been able to make the substitution himself anyway.

In the 74th minute, Dai Zhiwei went on a surging run, suddenly cutting inside after breaking down the flank. After scrambling Osasuna's defensive line, he threaded an angled pass to Bakambu, who gathered the ball on the right side of the penalty area and blasted a ferocious right-footed shot into the net, 3:1!

With the victory secured, Dai Zhiwei was substituted off for youngster Rafael—though compared to Dai Zhiwei, Rafael Santos Borre, born in 1995, wasn't much of a youngster, being only a year younger than Dai Zhiwei, who was not yet 23.

One could only say that Dai Zhiwei was simply too monstrously talented!

Barely having stepped onto the pitch, Rafael extended Villarreal's lead further. Receiving a long ball from Musacchio, he fired a tight-angle right-footed shot from the right side of the goal, sending the ball flying into the bottom right corner, 4:1!

Following their easy victory over Osasuna, Villarreal finally leapfrogged Atletico Madrid by a single point, reclaiming fourth place in the standings.

Before the season started, no one would have imagined that Atletico Madrid would still fail to break into the Champions League zone after 25 rounds of the league, but that was the reality.

In the 26th round, a humiliated-yet-courageous Atletico Madrid secured a resounding 3:0 home win over Valencia, powered by a brace from Griezmann and a goal from Kevin Gameiro.

However, Villarreal was equally unyielding this round, securing a 2:0 home victory against Espanyol, with Dai Zhiwei and Bakambu scoring in the 45th and 80th minutes respectively.

The two teams engaged in a fierce, neck-and-neck pursuit, neither daring to let up.

In the 27th round, it was Villarreal's turn to play first. In the 45th minute, Dos Santos lofted a free-kick into the penalty area, and Musacchio's header deflected off Dai Zhiwei's head and into the net, 1:0.

This strike proved to be the only goal of the match. Courtesy of this fortunate deflection, Dai Zhiwei raised his league tally to 28 goals for the season, securing all three points for his team.

Atletico Madrid, playing after Villarreal, similarly edged Granada 1:0, maintaining their close pursuit of the Yellow Submarine.

However, third-place Sevilla, following a 1:1 draw with Alaves in the previous round, was held to another draw this round by Leganes, leaving their lead over Villarreal narrowed to just 2 points.

The next round of the league would feature a direct showdown between Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. Regardless of the outcome between the two, Villarreal would ultimately stand to benefit.

As the old saying goes: When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman reaps the benefit.