Chapter 155: Victory and Regret

Although both are La Liga teams, Atletico Madrid's playing style was far more aggressive than that of Villarreal under Fran Escriba, committing fouls continuously in the attacking third.

The referee was already losing patience, to say nothing of the hot-tempered players.

A player altercation had already occurred earlier due to a malicious foul by Gimenez on Costa, where Gimenez executed an open, sliding tackle that carried Costa directly out over the sideline.

This naturally drew extreme dissatisfaction from the Villarreal players on the pitch. In particular, Tsubasa Ozora charged forward first like a big brother leading the charge in a movie, fiercely shoving Gimenez away before locking eyes with the Atletico Madrid fullback in a tense exchange of glares!

Up to this point in the first half, the referee had roughly kept count of Atletico Madrid's fouls on Tsubasa. Not even half a match had passed, yet Tsubasa had already been subjected to no fewer than ten challenges.

Following yet another infringement, Tsubasa sat on the turf, spreading his arms in a silent protest to the referee, which finally prompted the official to flash a yellow card to the Atletico Madrid player.

Seeing that his protest had produced results, Tsubasa sprang instantly back to his feet, regaining his vibrant and energetic demeanor in an instant.

Filipe's foul not only gifted Villarreal a free kick in midfield but also earned him a yellow card.

While the Atletico Madrid players were protesting and leisurely jogging back to defend, Tsubasa seized the golden opportunity before the opposition's defense was properly set and immediately took a quick restart.

The Atletico Madrid players, strolling back lazily, were caught completely off guard by Tsubasa's cunning play and once again swarmed the referee to protest.

However, Tsubasa had violated no rules of football whatsoever; the referee had no reason to blow the whistle to halt play and instead sprinted forward, chasing the trajectory of Tsubasa's pass.

Left with no other choice, Gimenez rushed toward the oncoming Dos Santos, intending to commit an immediate tactical foul to stall Villarreal's attack.

As if anticipating Gimenez's intentions, the moment Gimenez closed in, Dos Santos swept his right foot across, squaring the ball into the central channel and denying Gimenez any opportunity to get close enough for a foul.

Dos Santos's cross was far from aimless; the ball traveled at blistering speed, delivered almost the exact moment he trapped it.

Just as everyone wondered whether a Villarreal player would reach the ball in time, a figure suddenly surged forward, his sprinting speed easily matching that of a bird in flight.

"Tsubasa Ozora!" the stadium commentator shouted at the top of his lungs.

The fans inside the El Madrigal stadium watched in breathless excitement on the screens as Tsubasa sprinted with all his might toward the attacking third, covering ground faster than Gaitan, who was rushing from the opposite direction to contest the ball.

If Tsubasa failed to reach the ball first and Gaitan secured possession instead, a dangerous Atletico Madrid counterattack would surely ensue.

Yet Tsubasa's visible turn of pace closed the distance inch by inch, poking the ball away with the tip of his boot just ahead of Gaitan, instantly shattering Gaitan's hopes of launching a counter.

Tsubasa's touch altered the ball's rolling path while simultaneously bypassing the lunging Gaitan.

In the next fraction of a second, he quickened his stride, reclaiming absolute control of the ball at his feet.

The Atletico Madrid players on the pitch scrambled frantically to track back, while the Villarreal supporters in the stands chanted Tsubasa's name in unison, cheering on his dribbling run.

Regaining full composure over the ball, Tsubasa adjusted his footing and dribbled rapidly toward the Atletico Madrid penalty area, scanning the positions of his teammates ahead.

Filipe raced back vertically down the central channel, and the two converged diagonally near the edge of the box.

Tsubasa feinted with his right foot before pushing the ball outward with his left, keeping it securely within his radius of control to evade Filipe's challenge.

Retaining his trademark fierce defensive style, Filipe extended his right leg to block Tsubasa's path and drove off his left, using his physical presence to wall off the attacker.

Ever since Tsubasa's signature right-angle body-feint skill made waves across European football, numerous elite defenders and master tacklers had studied the move. While no one else had yet managed to execute it as flawlessly in matches as he did, several top-tier defenders had devised methods to counter it—and Filipe's approach was precisely one of them.

Yet the question remained: was the right-angle body feint Tsubasa's only trick?

He had already prepared his counter-strategy to shake off Filipe. Straightening his posture as if slowing down his tempo to reorganize the attack, Filipe instinctively shifted his center of gravity upward in response.

In that exact microsecond, Tsubasa subtly nudged the ball backward with his left heel, sending it rolling straight through Filipe's legs while his body language deceitfully promised a breakthrough to the left.

The execution of the heel-drag was lightning-fast and exceptionally disguised.

Having raised his center of gravity, Filipe completely failed to notice the movement of Tsubasa's left foot, focusing entirely on using his body to shoulder Tsubasa off the ball. To his utter astonishment, Tsubasa refused any physical engagement entirely, pausing his stride for a split second to let Filipe rush right past him.

Tsubasa glided swiftly past Filipe's back, leaving the defender completely bamboozled by the rapid acceleration and deceleration. Though the duel lasted mere seconds, Tsubasa had already seamlessly chained multiple deceptive moves together at a breathtaking pace.

With that single interaction, Tsubasa had shaken off Filipe's defense, shocking all the Atletico Madrid players. They had never imagined that, even without his teammates fully supporting him yet, Tsubasa would still choose to maintain such a high-tempo offensive thrust.

Villarreal now held a three-on-four numerical disadvantage in the attacking third, yet the mental pressure weighed far heavier on the shoulders of the Atletico Madrid players.

From the elevated perspective of the grandstands, Tsubasa's only passing options appeared to be Dos Santos on the right wing and Bakambu inside the penalty area.

Atletico Madrid's defensive line kept dropping deeper and tighter, desperately hoping their teammates could scramble back in time.

However, Tsubasa charged furiously toward the edge of the box, and Atletico Madrid's defense could afford to retreat no further.

Tsubasa suddenly cocked his leg as if preparing to shoot, forcing Savic to rush forward desperately to close him down.

Knowing full well that the action was likely a feint, Savic had no choice but to lunge and thrust out a leg to block.

In modern football, who would dare grant Tsubasa the freedom to unleash a shot near the edge of the penalty area?

Just as Savic anticipated, the action was indeed a disguise.

Having used the dummy to unbalance Savic, Tsubasa took one diagonal touch into space, strode directly onto the edge of the penalty arc, and unleashed a thunderous, blistering shot.

Gimenez, rushing over from the right to cover, slid in with a desperate block, but his speed was fractionally too late. Goalkeeper Oblak dived swiftly to parry, but he too was a fraction behind, the ball grazing past the very tips of his outstretched fingers.

Tsubasa's shot possessed immense power and blistering speed, searing across the turf to drill precisely into the bottom corner near the post.

Tsubasa sprinted toward the nearest stand, spread his arms wide, and shrugged nonchalantly, implying that scoring this goal had been remarkably effortless!

This marked his 32nd league goal of the La Liga season!

A two-goal cushion finally eased the nerves of everyone connected with the Yellow Submarine, especially since Atletico Madrid was a side traditionally superior in defense rather than attack. This match felt all but secured by a seventy-percent margin.

Naturally, Atletico Madrid had no intention of throwing in the towel. Amidst the roaring fury of manager Diego Simeone on the touchline, the fierce iron-willed spirit forged by their coach began to burn brightly once more!

In the 38th minute, Gimenez won a tackle in the attacking half, and Koke unleashed a fierce 25-yard drive from the left that Bruno deflected away.

In the 41st minute, Castillejo brought down Filipe from behind and received a yellow card, while Koke's 30-yard free kick shaved the outside of the left post and went wide.

During the first-half stoppage time, Atletico Madrid mounted another wave of pressure as Godin launched a long ball from the back, setting up Gabi for a powerful 25-yard strike that Musacchio blocked over the endline.

At the halftime whistle, Villarreal led Atletico Madrid by two goals to nil.

Inside the dressing room, however, Tsubasa received a piece of unwelcome news: an hour earlier in another La Liga fixture, Barcelona had thrashed Osasuna 7-1 at home, with Lionel Messi netting a brace to elevate his league tally to 33 goals, surpassing Tsubasa to claim the number one spot on the top scorers' chart!

With Barcelona already eliminated from the UEFA Champions League, Messi could devote his undivided focus entirely to the domestic league and pad his goal statistics.

Watching the crown of La Liga's top scorer—which he had occupied for the majority of the season—slip away so abruptly, Tsubasa grew thoroughly anxious. He consulted with teammates like Dos Santos and Bakambu, exploring whether they could help manufacture more scoring opportunities for him in the second half.

Dos Santos readily agreed; as a fringe regular in the squad, he certainly dared not offend the primary wishes of the team's talismanic forward.

Bakambu, on the other hand, was indifferent rather than enthusiastic, but upon receiving Tsubasa's promise to return the favor and create goal-scoring chances for him in turn, he proved quite willing to facilitate the endeavor.

As the second half commenced, Villarreal patiently maintained their defensive counter-attacking stance, while Atletico Madrid's tactical approach in attack remained largely unchanged.

Eager as Tsubasa was to score, Atletico Madrid were not Osasuna—an opponent against whom goals could be effortlessly unlocked. As the entire team executed a disciplined, steady defensive counter-attack, he had no choice but to bide his time in accordance with the tactical plan.

After all, securing the victory of the team remained paramount!

In the 56th minute, sensing that the team's offensive rhythm had fallen into a stalemate, Simeone made tactical adjustments, replacing Gaitan and Correa with Kevin Gameiro and Yannick Carrasco, hoping to inject fresh energy to alter the scoreline and reinforce the attack.

Although Carrasco would later move to Dalian purely for financial gains during his peak years, his individual quality on the pitch was undeniable.

Barely moments after stepping onto the pitch, he linked up brilliantly with Gameiro. Following a trademark breakthrough down the flank, Carrasco delivered a cross into the box where Gameiro ambushed the defense with a sharp, sudden header, forcing Fernandez into a reflexive, fingertip save to tip the ball over the crossbar.

Simeone punched the bench's seat in frustration, though not out of sheer fury, as his substitutions had produced an immediate, tangible impact.

By reinforcing the flanking incursions and the aerial presence in the center-forward position, Atletico Madrid aimed to pulverize Villarreal through a relentless barrage of heavy assaults.

Shortly after, Carrasco and Gameiro engineered several more promising attacking opportunities, with their shots whistling narrowly past the frame of the goal, keeping the Villarreal supporters on tenterhooks.

Realizing the defensive line was under mounting duress, Tsubasa was forced to drop deep into his own half to assist in defensive duties. Although his tracking back helped Villarreal stabilize the midfield once more, his dream of scoring seemed to recede further into the distance.

As the match ticked into the 80th minute, Koke and his teammates steadied the tempo through short passes, gradually working the ball into the central channel. Capitalizing on the fact that Villarreal's players had shifted their focus entirely toward Carrasco's surging runs, Koke slipped quietly into the space near the edge of the penalty arc.

Suddenly, Carrasco burst forward toward the endline. Just as the Villarreal players anticipated another cross, Carrasco instead snapped a cutback pass straight to Koke at the top of the box.

Koke shaped his body for a long-range blast and struck the ball with ferocious power. The shot was so swift and cleverly placed that Fernandez, stationed on his goal line, was practically resigned to conceding—yet with a resounding thud, the ball struck the goalpost and bounced out over the baseline.

"Arghhhh!" Koke roared up at the sky in sheer, unadulterated frustration!

Atletico Madrid had suffered immensely throughout this match. Could anyone genuinely claim they had created no chances from start to finish?

It constantly appeared as though they were pinning the opponent's goal under siege, yet every effort missed finding the back of the net by the narrowest of margins.

Defending always made time crawl, and as Atletico Madrid maintained their rhythm with wave after wave of fierce attacks, it felt as though Villarreal's goal might be breached at any split second.

This made the defensive ordeal excruciating for Villarreal, akin to being sliced apart by a dull blade.

At that exact juncture, an Atletico Madrid attacking thrust was cleared over the sideline by a Villarreal defender, prompting Escriba to finally make his final tactical substitutions.

He sent on Alfred N'Diaye and Rodri to replace Dos Santos and Bakambu.

Escriba's tactical intentions were as transparent as Sima Zhao's heart—obvious to everyone on earth.

Defense!

Aside from defense, nothing else mattered!

This was Villarreal's ultimate tactical decree for the remainder of the match!

Seeing Villarreal completely surrender the initiative and invite pressure, Atletico Madrid had no reason left for hesitation.

Center-backs Godin and Savic, previously rooted deeper, pushed all the way up near the center circle to participate directly in the attack.

In the 83rd minute, Atletico Madrid mounted another wave as Gabi slipped a through ball into the center, allowing Carrasco to unleash a long-range effort from 30 yards out that drifted wide.

A minute later, following a headed knockdown by Gameiro, the hitherto invisible Antoine Griezmann made a sudden late surge into the box and struck a 20-yard drive that similarly missed the target guarded by Fernandez.

Atletico Madrid swarmed around Villarreal's penalty area in a relentless offensive wave: flashing crosses into the box, aerial battles for headers, and powerful long-range efforts from outside the area.

Atletico Madrid exhausted every single tactical weapon in their arsenal, yet simply could not force that stubborn ball past the goal line of the Yellow Submarine.

As the fourth minute of stoppage time ticked away, the referee finally blew the final whistle to signal the end of the match.

Ultimately, Villarreal preserved their clean sheet, locking in a two-nil victory—marking Escriba's very first home win against the traditional big three of La Liga.

More importantly, following this round of fixtures, Villarreal extended their lead over Atletico Madrid to three points. With only four matchdays remaining in the league campaign, a third-place finish was now firmly within sight and reach.

The sole regret remained Tsubasa dropping to second place in the La Liga scoring charts by a margin of a single goal, sitting ahead of Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo, yet trailing just behind Messi.

Logically speaking, standing shoulder to shoulder with Suarez, Ronaldo, and Messi was an achievement worthy of immense pride, but would Tsubasa ever truly accept settling for second?