In the end, both sides maintained the 2-0 score until the final whistle.
Real Oviedo defeated the visiting Osasuna thanks to André's brace. Not only did they take all three points, but they also used those three points to bring their league total for the season to 18, suddenly jumping to fourth place in the standings. Right ahead of them was Deportivo La Coruña, who'd suffered an unexpected loss this round.
After their four-game winning streak, Oviedo was sought after by the attending reporters at the post-match press conference.
Hierro did not have André appear at the press conference. In fact, Hierro was feeling conflicted. Ever since Barcelona's attempt to poach him, Hierro was both worried about being unable to keep André and pleased about André's amazing performances.
Just like today, at the post-match press conference, the vast majority of reporters asked about André. Clearly, a sixteen-year-old boy was far more attractive news than Real Oviedo itself.
"Mr. Fernando, I am Reyes, a reporter from Marca. Could you please provide some information regarding Real Oviedo's number 19 player, André Cristiano?"
"André is sixteen years old, Portuguese, and joined Real Oviedo this summer. That's about it."
Bloody hell, the reporters present felt like they'd been force-fed a mouthful of nothing by Hierro's introduction. Did he really need to say that? Especially Reyes, who'd stood up to ask the question—he felt insulted by Hierro.
"Mr. Fernando, we have the right to know. We already know everything you just said."
"Mr. Reporter, if you already knew, why did you ask me?"
"Mr. Fernando, as far as I know, André Cristiano is Cristiano Ronaldo's cousin. He joined Castilla in the first place because of Cristiano. Now that such a talent has left Castilla and appeared at Real Oviedo, I want to ask if there are any secrets we don't know about? For example, is it because Cristiano left Real Madrid, or because you also came from Real Madrid, that a talent like André would leave Castilla?"
"Mr. Reporter, I think that's all your imagination. I only brought André to Oviedo after Castilla refused to renew his contract."
As soon as Hierro finished speaking, he saw the meaningful smiles of the reporters below and immediately realized he'd been tricked. The words he'd just said were exactly what those bastards wanted to hear.
Thinking of this, Hierro left the venue with a dark expression, while the reporters all had smiles on their faces.
Sure enough, as Hierro had feared, similar articles appeared in many Spanish media outlets the day after the match.
"Who is Responsible for the Talent Drain at Castilla?"
Marca used such a headline in its football section. Although it wasn't on the front page, it was in a very prominent section. In the article, Marca gave a general overview of the match between Real Oviedo and Osasuna. The reporter lavished praise on André's talent, and finally stated that at the post-match press conference, Real Oviedo's head coach Fernando Hierro, the former defensive iron wall of Real Madrid, was deeply pained by the loss of talent from Castilla.
The end of the article even said that Real Madrid would rather spend huge transfer fees every year to bring in stars than spend a small amount of money to cultivate its own youth academy. The language was sharp, directly targeting Real Madrid's youth training.
"A Talent Shines in Oviedo!"
This was the headline of an article published in Spain's AS. However, the content of the article also interpreted Hierro's words at the press conference, heavily criticizing Real Madrid's youth training.
Suddenly, Castilla was pushed to the forefront of public opinion, and André also quickly gained a certain level of fame in Spain because of this media storm. As the catalyst, fans who followed the news naturally went to watch the match videos of this "catalyst." Those who saw the videos were naturally attracted by André's outstanding performances in the matches. The nickname "King Kong," given to André by Oviedo fans, naturally became known to more and more people.
"Santiago, what exactly is going on with the André matter mentioned in the newspapers?"
Early the next morning, just as he arrived at the office and before Solari had time to sit down, he received a call from Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez.
"Sir, André did indeed stay at Castilla for a while, but during his time there, he never showed any talent for football, so we eventually let him go."
"Santiago, the team is currently facing some difficulties, so we cannot afford to be criticized elsewhere. Youth training is also a very important part of the club. Also, have you considered the matter I discussed with you last time?"
"I'll give you an answer in a few days."
"Mhm. Regarding André, do you think he's a player we need?"
"Judging from these few matches, he's indeed a very talented player, but as for whether he can handle La Liga matches, I think we still need to observe for a while."
"Fine. In that case, let's leave it alone for now."
After finishing the call with Florentino, Solari breathed a slight sigh of relief. He could hear great dissatisfaction in the other man's tone. Of course, he knew that this dissatisfaction wasn't aimed much at Castilla or himself. Most of it was directed at the first-team head coach, Lopetegui.
Entering October, La Liga had been full of malice toward Real Madrid and Lopetegui.
Real Madrid had played away against Alavés. In the end, Alavés narrowly defeated Real Madrid 1-0, which was considered a significant upset.
Because of this loss, Real Madrid also fell from second place to fifth place in the standings.
If losing to Alavés could be blamed on being away or poor form, then there were no excuses for Real Madrid's home match against Levante.
1-2. That was the score after 90 minutes. Real Madrid suffered its first two-game losing streak of the season.
It was said that Florentino left the stadium with a grim expression after watching only half of the match.
After suffering two consecutive losses, Real Madrid also fell to ninth place in the league standings, marking their worst start in nearly 20 years. Most importantly, the struggling Real Madrid would face Barcelona in the next round of the league. El Clásico was just around the corner, but with the team in such poor form, how could the fans feel at ease?
The vultures were circling Lopetegui.
And in the shadows, Florentino was already making calls.
The axe was about to fall.
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