Chapter 122: Half Sea, Half Flame (Part I)

As Escriba stepped into the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, he felt an immense weight pressing down upon his shoulders. In a sense, it was only after taking the helm at Villarreal this season that he had truly begun to entertain the idea of going head-to-head with Real Madrid in the league.

This match, Villarreal's away fixture against Real Madrid, was the fifth round of La Liga. In the previous round, Villarreal, fresh off a triumphant start to their Champions League group stage campaign, had comfortably defeated Real Sociedad 3-1 at home. That home victory had been smooth sailing, with the suspense of the match effectively resolved by halftime.

In the 16th minute, Rulli fouled Dai Zhiwei in the penalty area; Dai stepped up to take the spot-kick himself and buried it, making it 1-0. In the 22nd minute, Soriano played a through ball, and Dai Zhiwei latched onto it for a one-on-one, slotting it into the net to make it 2-0. Just three minutes later, Castillejo intercepted the ball and passed it to Dai, who launched a curling long-range strike from midfield, chipping the keeper to complete his first hat-trick of the new season and extend the lead to 3-0. Real Sociedad pulled one back in the 35th minute when Willian José set up Yuri, who fired a first-time strike into the far corner from the left side of the box, finalizing the score at 3-1.

Five days after that comfortable win, Villarreal traveled to face Real Madrid. The "Galácticos" had lost only one of their last eleven league encounters against Villarreal and had never lost to the "Yellow Submarine" at home in league history. To Escriba’s dismay, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale had both recovered from injuries to return to the starting lineup, with Danilo, Varane, Kroos, and Kovacic also rotated into the side. The only comfort for Escriba was that Dai Zhiwei had maintained excellent form in training, serving as the manager’s greatest trump card in his belief that they could avoid defeat at the Bernabéu.

Less than a month into the season, Dai had already contributed 16 goals in official matches: two in the UEFA Super Cup, five in the Champions League (including three in the qualifiers), six in La Liga, and three in the World Cup qualifiers for the national team. He was currently topping the scoring charts in all three competitions: the Champions League, La Liga, and the Asian World Cup qualifiers.

In pre-match interviews, Escriba expressed that the team was in a fantastic position and great form, having weathered the toughest challenges of the early season. He believed they would only improve and would leave the Yellow Submarine fans satisfied by the end of the campaign. However, the Real Madrid side coached by Zinedine Zidane was not one to let opponents remain happy. From the very beginning, the Yellow Submarine suffered a blow. This match, the first meeting between the two since the UEFA Super Cup, was hyped by the media as the Galácticos' battle for revenge.

In the 17th minute, a vengeful Real Madrid drew first blood. Bale’s breakthrough on the flank left Costa struggling, and his cross from the byline was met by Karim Benzema, whose sharp instincts allowed him to power a header into the Villarreal net. 0-1, the Yellow Submarine trailed.

Dai Zhiwei faced immense difficulties in the first half. The double-teaming of Kovacic and Ramos left him uncomfortable, and several shots he should have converted were sent off-target. For instance, in the 42nd minute, Trigueros sent a long diagonal ball to the flank; Cheryshev’s rapid breakthrough on the right tore through Madrid’s defense, and his subsequent cross gave Dai a prime opportunity. Yet, under pressure from Ramos, Dai struck his close-range effort straight at Madrid goalkeeper Casilla, missing the chance.

Complain about Ramos’s foul? Dai admitted the tugging wasn't quite enough for a penalty. Complain about the opposing keeper’s performance? He didn’t consider Casilla’s save miraculous. He could only blame himself. "If my left foot were just a bit better, so I wouldn't have to adjust to my right to shoot, would it be much better?" As his technique became more refined, Dai became increasingly fixated on his remaining deficiencies. It was like getting 80 out of 100 on an exam and ignoring the 20 points one didn't know; but now that he was scoring 99, that last missed question became a thorn in his side.

After the halftime break, Real Madrid continued to apply pressure. Shortly after the restart, a newly recovered Ronaldo attempted a 30-yard long-range shot that drifted wide. Villarreal remained passive in the second half; in truth, they lacked the strength to win a direct offensive duel against Madrid. Their Super Cup victory had been a case of catching a giant napping, with a large element of luck involved.

Still, there was no reason for self-deprecation. This season’s Real Madrid had reached their peak; only Barcelona could truly go toe-to-toe with them without succumbing—all other teams fell slightly short. Just as everyone expected Real Madrid to dominate and crush Villarreal, another long-silent player for the Yellow Submarine finally exploded.

As a former Real Madrid player, Cheryshev was undoubtedly the most motivated on the pitch. Unfortunately, he had been almost invisible in the first half and had done little of note in the early stages of the second, leading Escriba to consider a substitution. Real Madrid’s defensive attention on him had waned significantly. But in the 75th minute, Cheryshev suddenly surged. He tore through Madrid’s defense with a sharp dribbling run on the flank before playing a through ball to Dai Zhiwei, who was making a diagonal run into the box.

When he was needed most, Dai appeared exactly where he needed to be. Facing a perfect pass from Cheryshev, he didn't "miss the sitter," firing a powerful shot past Casilla’s defenses. 1-1! Seventy percent of the credit for this goal belonged to Cheryshev, but the stadium’s flashbulbs were aimed only at Dai Zhiwei as he celebrated with his signature "gun-toting" gesture.

After equalizing, Villarreal began to retreat, satisfied with the 1-1 away result; Escriba might as well have parked a bus in front of the goal. In the remaining time, Madrid launched a frenzy of attacks, refusing to let Villarreal escape the Bernabéu unscathed. In the 83rd minute, Danilo sent a diagonal cross from the left, but Lucas Vázquez’s shot was blocked by Costa. Ramos went down near the corner of the six-yard box under pressure from Soriano, but the referee refused to award a penalty. Apparently, the authority of a Real Madrid leader could not sway La Liga referees. A minute later, a long-range effort from a Kroos corner went straight into Asenjo’s arms. In the 89th minute, Carvajal played a low cross from the right, but Ronaldo’s first-time strike was saved by Asenjo.

When the final whistle blew, Real Madrid could not change the scoreline again. Amidst the silence of the Bernabéu, Real Madrid retreated somberly. The draw was a significant blow to their title ambitions, casting a shadow over their prospects as their rivals, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, had both won their matches, widening the gap.

Following the hard-fought draw away to Real Madrid, Villarreal welcomed the "dessert" of the league, Osasuna, to their home ground. Just five minutes in, Castillejo provided the assist for Pato, who headed home his first La Liga goal: 1-0. In the 24th minute, Dai Zhiwei extended the lead from the penalty spot. Since becoming Villarreal’s primary penalty taker, his goal tally had risen rapidly, and he was reliable, having missed none. In the 39th minute, Castillejo combined with Pato to play a through ball to Sansone, who chipped the keeper to score his ninth La Liga goal of the season, maintaining his lead in the scoring charts: 3-0. In first-half stoppage time, Osasuna’s Roberto Torres pulled one back from a penalty. It mattered little; Villarreal had once again put the game to bed by halftime and remained undefeated in the league.

While the Yellow Submarine was surging in La Liga, their Champions League campaign was somewhat volatile. In their second group stage match, they faced Bayer Leverkusen. The two teams had met in the Europa League the previous season, so they were familiar with each other. From the start, Villarreal’s midfield and forwards pressed with exceptional intensity, making Leverkusen look increasingly restrained. However, Dai Zhiwei was not at his best today, failing to score even from a favorable 30-yard free-kick.

After the break, whatever the Leverkusen manager said in the locker room worked; the German side played with renewed vigor in the second half, taking control. In the 73rd minute, Leverkusen executed a coordinated attack that created a chance for Javier Hernández. "Chicharito" finished coolly to break the deadlock. 0-1, Villarreal unexpectedly trailed at home.

Only then did the Villarreal players wake up. Realizing his touch was off, Dai Zhiwei stopped taking low-percentage shots and began creating opportunities for his teammates. In the 90th minute, it was Dai who drew most of the Leverkusen defense’s attention with a dribbling run before playing a cut-back pass. Bakambu, who had come off the bench, shook off his marker and fired a powerful strike home to level the score.

1-1! Ultimately, the match ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw, with Villarreal taking just one point. Villarreal held the edge with 53% possession and 18 shots, five of which were on target, while Leverkusen had only eight shots, four on target. Dai Zhiwei failed to score against Leverkusen, seemingly entering a goal drought, and could not find the net in the subsequent La Liga match against Espanyol, which ended in a drab 0-0 draw.

After the match against Espanyol, reporters could not find Dai Zhiwei. After a quick wash, he had rushed straight to Barcelona airport. The third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers between China and Syria was set to begin in 60 hours, and the journey from Barcelona to Xi'an, including layovers, would take at least 20 hours. The reason for the rush was that Villarreal had been reluctant to release him, and neither Escriba nor Dai believed Syria would pose much of a threat to the Chinese team on home soil.

However, what was the reality? 0-1! Sitting on the bench, still struggling with jet lag, Dai Zhiwei watched helplessly as his team lost at home to a Syria still torn by the flames of war.

Before this match, China had four points from one win and one draw, ranking first in Group A, having defeated the formidable Iranian national team in the previous round. Syria had only one point from a draw and a loss, sitting fifth in the group; their 0-0 draw against South Korea in the previous round had been their peak performance. China and Syria had met nine times in A-level matches, with China holding a clear advantage of six wins, one draw, and two losses, scoring 21 goals and conceding seven.

Perrin switched to a 4-4-2 formation, abandoning the 5-3-2 used in the previous two games, reflecting a strong desire for all three points. The biggest change compared to the match against Iran was replacing Dai Zhiwei with Gao Lin to partner Zhang Yuning up front, with Zhang Xizhe starting. In the first half, China’s offensive plan was unclear, and both sides went to the break scoreless.

After the second half began, Syria utilized a counter-attack and a long ball to disrupt China’s defense. Keeper Gu Chao made a mistake coming off his line, and Maowas snuck the ball home to give Syria a 1-0 lead. After conceding, China adjusted quickly, bringing on Wu Lei and Yang Xu for the lackluster Zhang Yuning and Yu Hai, shifting to a three-striker formation to go for broke, but they lacked the cutting edge. In the end, China lost 0-1 to Syria.

"Is this a joke?" Dai Zhiwei grimaced, but he couldn't laugh. Before the match, Perrin had told Dai, who had only returned that morning, to sit on the bench and watch his teammates win. Now, Dai could only hang his head in silence, too ashamed to face anyone.

Following the defeat, foreign netizens who followed the match expressed their thoughts online:
"China has a population of 1.357 billion, and Syria has been in a civil war for six years. Unbelievable!"
"China 0-1 Syria... The god of football favored Syria today and was lazy with the other team."
"Former Australian footballer Ned Zelic: Syria beat China 1-0, what is happening? Simply unbelievable!"
"Who would have thought a country that has experienced such hardship could leave such a deep impression?"
"Through football, I am truly filled with confidence—this is perhaps the heartfelt wish of every Syrian person."