"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"In the 16th minute, Robben scores the first goal for Manchester City!"
"One–nil!"
"It was a brilliant attacking move. Manchester City's fluid passing, especially the link-up on the right, tore through Real Madrid's defense. Robben timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap and calmly slotted it in."
"Things aren't looking great for Real Madrid right now."
…
Seeing Robben find the net, Gao Shen clenched his fists with excitement.
He had anticipated this goal, but seeing it actually happen still fired him up.
One–nil, Manchester City takes the lead!
If they can keep playing like this, more goals are on the cards.
The key issue is that Real Madrid's midfield can't contain City's midfield.
As Gao Shen had said before, Özil's defensive contribution was negligible, and Ronaldo was more focused on attacking. This made Real Madrid's high press look threatening on the surface, but in reality, it wasn't putting enough pressure on Manchester City.
After all, every player in City's defense and midfield had excellent passing ability. With their tactical cohesion, Real Madrid found it hard to gain an upper hand.
Khedira was working hard, but he had to help out in defending Xabi Alonso. With Özil not committing defensively, Javi Martínez often found himself unmarked. Meanwhile, David Silva and Rakitic were constantly running into space, meaning Khedira and Xabi Alonso couldn't afford to leave their zones. This gave City a clear midfield advantage.
"Come on! Keep it up and try to get another one to widen the gap!"
As the players wrapped up their celebration and walked back to their positions, Gao Shen shouted out his encouragement.
The players were visibly fired up, and Robben even ran over to hug the head coach in celebration.
Anyone could see how pumped Robben was tonight.
He was facing Real Madrid.
The club that kicked him out, threw him on the transfer list, and saw no takers. That's humiliating for any top-level player. But Gao Shen signed him, gave him another shot, and he seized it.
Tonight, against Real Madrid, Robben wanted to prove to the world that he was still among the best.
This wasn't just for himself, or even just for Manchester City. It was something deeper.
…
The goal shifted the rhythm of the match.
After the restart, Real Madrid looked slightly panicked.
Mourinho had stepped out from the visiting dugout and was now on the sideline, barking orders.
He urged the team to stay calm, not rush things, and wait for chances.
But Manchester City didn't give them that luxury.
Every time Real Madrid had the ball, City pressed hard and aggressively.
Madrid simply couldn't keep possession.
Outside of Di María, Ronaldo, and Marcelo, most of Real Madrid's players struggled under City's press, and the passing errors started piling up. Mourinho was visibly frustrated.
Especially with Özil. He wasn't putting any pressure on Javi Martínez at all.
"What a joke. He promised he'd give his all before the game. This is his all?" Mourinho was furious.
Özil's biggest strength was that final pass—but that was all he offered.
Most of the time, his contribution was minimal.
His defensive effort was poor, his movement wasn't active, and if it weren't for his occasional link-up with Ronaldo, Mourinho wouldn't have even considered using him.
But tonight, there was hardly any connection between Özil and Ronaldo, partly because Ronaldo was playing on the right.
That left Özil underperforming.
Should Ronaldo be moved back to the left?
But if Ronaldo returned to the left, Marcelo would be exposed.
Just a moment ago, City's attack came down Madrid's left. Di María had already tracked back, but still couldn't stop it.
If Ronaldo switched sides, Marcelo would be under even more pressure.
Mourinho hesitated briefly but quickly made a decision.
…
Di María had just fired a shot from the left side of the penalty area, but it sailed just over and didn't threaten the goal.
Soon after, he received instructions.
Mourinho ordered Di María and Ronaldo to swap positions.
Neuer took the goal kick, but Real Madrid regained possession and headed the ball back in.
After a few passes, it landed at Ronaldo's feet on the left flank.
The Portuguese winger tried to cut inside, used his body to shield the ball from Lichtsteiner, and slid a through ball forward.
Adebayo made a run from deep, but Kompany got in his way.
The Belgian center back cleared the ball to Neuer. Adebayo couldn't find a way past Kompany.
Still, Real Madrid quickly carved out another chance. Ronaldo and Özil linked up with Marcelo supporting from behind, and won a corner kick.
But the resulting corner was cleared by Manchester City. Ramos couldn't outjump David Luiz to win the first ball.
Javi Martínez reacted quickly and pounced on the second ball, launching a swift counter. He passed to Rakitic, who fed it to Robben, but Madrid's defenders retreated quickly and closed down the Dutchman before the halfway line, forcing him to play a horizontal pass to the deeper-lying Suarez.
To be fair, Mourinho had his own approach to organizing the defense.
Suarez collected the ball, kept dribbling backwards to find space, and then passed it to Javi Martínez to reset the play.
But Real Madrid didn't drop back—they pushed up, hoping to trap City near the halfway line.
That area is dangerous. If they won the ball there, they could launch a direct threat on goal.
Manchester City passed the ball around, but couldn't find a way forward and were forced to recycle back to the defense.
David Luiz received the ball, stepped forward, and noticing no immediate pressure, continued to dribble. Spotting a passing lane, he fed the ball to David Silva ahead.
The Spaniard had his back to goal, and as soon as he took possession, Khedira pounced like a wolf.
The German midfielder, with his height and strength, looked like a tiger leaping on a lamb compared to the smaller Silva.
But no one expected what came next—David Silva expertly turned to his left, feinting as if to dribble that way, but suddenly threaded a pass with his left foot.
It was slick and completely unexpected.
Khedira, who was pressing from behind, didn't see it coming. Neither did Arbeloa or Carvalho in front of Silva. They didn't anticipate him escaping the pressure and making such a pass.
But it was inch-perfect—like a surgeon's scalpel, it sliced between Arbeloa and Carvalho, slipping into the open space on the left side of Real Madrid's box.
Then Robinho, who had looked harmless just a moment ago out wide, suddenly exploded forward, cutting inside behind Arbeloa at full speed.
Real Madrid's right back reacted quickly and turned to chase, but Robinho had a head start and the momentum.
Carvalho also tracked back, but Robinho met David Silva's brilliant pass near the edge of the box, dribbled into the left side of the area, and found himself one-on-one with Casillas rushing out.
The Brazilian went for a direct strike.
Casillas dove sideways, but Robinho's shot had too much pace.
The ball hit the net!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"In the 24th minute, just under eight minutes after the opening goal, Manchester City strike again!"
"Robinho! A goal from the Brazilian left winger!"
"Two–nil!"
"Unbelievable. In under ten minutes, Manchester City have scored twice!"
"As we said earlier, Real Madrid's back line was playing too high. That gave an advantage to Manchester City's players, who are very good at making those runs behind the defense. A single pass was often enough to break them open."
"Real Madrid's defense is under serious pressure. Suarez dropped so deep that when Ramos stepped up, Carvalho had to follow too. The whole line was pulled too far forward."
"In under half an hour, they've conceded twice. It's been a night of repeated defensive mistakes for Real Madrid!"
After scoring, Robinho completely lost himself in the moment.
The Brazilian sprinted to the sideline and roared at the camera in front of millions watching around the world.
Since leaving Real Madrid, most believed Robinho's best days were behind him. He even had a public falling-out with former manager Mark Hughes over vacation time.
But since Gao Shen took charge at Manchester City, Robinho found his form again.
Tonight's goal was the ultimate statement.
Screaming at the top of his lungs in front of the cameras and the fans, Robinho let all the frustration out.
Manchester City players soon gathered to celebrate the goal with him.
Two–nil!
City had extended their lead further!
…
Gao Shen was completely stunned the moment David Silva escaped Khedira and delivered that pass.
His first thought was—how did he even see that passing lane? How did he pull that off?
Even with Khedira tight on him, he managed to make a stunning pass. It was pure magic.
But David Silva was capable of this kind of magic.
When Robinho scored, Gao Shen couldn't help but clap and burst out laughing.
He hadn't expected things to go this smoothly tonight. And for that, he felt like thanking Mourinho.
If he hadn't gone with such an aggressive, head-on approach, this match wouldn't have opened up like this.
Once again, Gao Shen's judgment was proven right.
Real Madrid's tactics were completely off the mark!
Thinking this, Gao Shen turned to look toward the visitors' bench.
But Mourinho was no longer on the touchline. At some point, he had retreated to his seat. Gao Shen couldn't see his expression, but it had to be priceless.
Trying to go toe-to-toe with us at the Etihad?
That's like lighting a candle in a toilet!
Realizing this, Gao Shen suddenly felt a surge of confidence and pride.
Florentino, you're watching the broadcast, right?
Did you see that?
I was right!
(To be continued.)
***
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