Standing in front of the visiting bench at the Bernabéu, Pepe Mel was a little bewildered.
Tonight's game was completely beyond his expectations.
Many people do not know that Pepe Mel, who started his career as a professional player, actually came through Real Madrid's youth academy, Castilla.
But like most Castilla graduates, he never made it into Real Madrid's first team.
At 24, he left Castilla and joined the lower-league club Castellón. Two years later, he moved to Real Betis, where he played for four years.
What is less known is that Pepe Mel once had a very good teammate at Castilla, a man named Juancho Maqueda.
Does that name sound familiar?
That is right, he was the assistant coach when Gao Shen first took charge of Real Madrid.
The unlucky guy who was always pushed out to take the blame in front of the media.
But fate works in strange ways.
Later, when Gao Shen went to Napoli, Maqueda wanted to follow him, but Gao Shen rejected him. After moving through a few clubs, however, as Gao Shen's reputation grew, Maqueda's stock rose with it.
Who is he?
Gao Shen's very first assistant coach, his earliest right-hand man.
Could not find a footing in La Liga?
No problem. If Spain would not welcome him, he would go elsewhere.
Now he was working in the Middle East, doing well in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. He spoke often in the media and never failed to bring up his time with Gao Shen.
The more famous Gao Shen became, the more Maqueda benefitted, and the more comfortable his life grew.
Privately, Pepe Mel had heard Maqueda gush over Gao Shen countless times.
Like a dog wagging its tail at a goddess, utterly shameless.
Hearing it so often, Pepe Mel developed a rebellious mentality. On top of that, after years of coaching, every time he returned to the Bernabéu, he left with a heavy defeat. It made him deeply uncomfortable.
Each time, he wanted to prove himself at the Bernabéu.
He did not ask for much. He just wanted the fans to remember that he had once been part of Real Madrid.
That once upon a time, Castilla had produced someone like him.
So he always prepared carefully.
Tonight was no exception.
With plenty of time to get ready for this league opener, he had put in careful planning.
He knew Real Madrid's midfield was strong, so he set up with a 4-2-3-1, packing five players into midfield to suppress them.
But who would have thought that less than a minute after kickoff, his side conceded?
And before three minutes had passed, another goal went in.
How could they play after that?
It was completely beyond anything he had prepared for.
Real Madrid, attacking so fiercely, not leaving even a sliver of life for the opponent.
Pepe Mel stood on the sidelines, watching with frustration.
After conceding two goals so quickly, Betis pulled back to defend deep, barely managing to steady themselves. But Madrid's dominance remained overwhelming.
Gradually, Pepe Mel began to notice something unusual in Gao Shen's lineup tonight.
At kickoff, Isco lined up as the right winger, but throughout the game, he never stayed wide.
He drifted into the half-spaces and into central areas.
Pogba, Casemiro, and Verratti were like three central midfielders, with Pogba and Verratti pushing forward and Casemiro staying deeper, ready to drop into the backline when needed.
Madrid's full-backs pushed high, operating more like wingers.
Ronaldo and Dzeko moved actively, pulling wide or coming central to form a strike partnership.
The space between the two forwards and the midfield trio was Isco's territory.
But that was not the key point.
What made it truly difficult was that whenever Madrid pressed forward and built possession high up, forming a block in Betis' half, Pogba, Isco, and Verratti would directly face Betis' two holding midfielders.
Three against two. Madrid had a clear advantage.
Their sharp passing and movement in tight spaces caused endless problems for Betis.
The first goal came from a long pass. The second was born in a crowded defense, with Pogba stopping, turning, shaking off his man, and slipping the ball to Marcos Alonso.
Betis had no answer.
By the time Pepe Mel reacted, instructing his players to tighten up on Pogba and Verratti, Isco sprang to life.
The Spaniard was everywhere, especially on the ball.
He may not be tall, but his footwork was sharp, and he always drove forward when receiving. It gave Betis' defenders headaches.
With Ronaldo a constant free-kick threat, Betis did not dare to concede fouls outside the area, which further restricted their options when defending Isco.
From the 16th minute, Isco became increasingly dangerous.
First, a cross from the left edge of the box was blocked, the rebound falling for Pogba, whose shot flew just wide.
Two minutes later, Verratti threaded a pass, Isco burst into the area and squared it. Dzeko's touch forced Peques into an own goal, but the referee flagged Dzeko offside.
In the 21st minute, Pogba combined with Isco, who drove forward before being tripped by a desperate defender. Madrid won a free kick in a prime spot.
Ronaldo stepped up, but his effort skimmed just wide.
On the sidelines, Pepe Mel was frantic. He shouted at his players to stay compact, urging them to reorganize, while constantly adjusting Betis' attacks.
But Madrid's momentum was rolling.
With a two-goal cushion, they played with confidence and freedom.
Against such a fierce home attack, Betis looked like a crumbling wooden hut in a storm. Every hole sprung a new leak.
In the 22nd minute, Madrid were still camped in the final third.
Pogba, Verratti, and Isco combined. Isco carried the ball a few steps left at the top of the box, then slipped it behind Betis' defensive line into the left channel.
Marcos Alonso surged forward, let the ball bounce once, then whipped a low left-footed cross.
Ronaldo at the near post missed it, but Dzeko slid in at the far post and bundled it into the net.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"3-0!"
"Dzeko!!"
The Bernabéu erupted once again.
Pepe Mel shook his head on the touchline.
He truly had no answers.
Looking at Gao Shen across the pitch, he could not understand how this young coach had devised such a tactical scheme.
And the scary part was that Madrid's players executed it perfectly.
Just over 20 minutes gone, and Betis were already down 0-3. How could they keep playing?
All they could do was survive.
…
Three goals down, Betis pulled back further, retreating into damage control.
But Madrid were in full flow.
Especially the Bernabéu faithful, who cheered wildly and drove their team forward.
When the lineups were announced, many thought Gao Shen was rotating heavily to save energy for the Super Cup. They expected Madrid to struggle.
But who could have imagined they would be so rampant, playing even more fiercely and beautifully than expected?
This was exactly the kind of attacking football Bernabéu fans craved.
With slick midfield combinations, sharp passing and movement, and a killer blow at the right moment.
Barely three minutes after Dzeko's goal, Madrid again tore apart Betis' defense.
Outside the box, Verratti, Pogba, and Marcos Alonso linked up with three sharp passes, switching play from the right channel to the left. Marcos Alonso then slid it into Isco.
The Spaniard popped up at the left edge of the area. He received, and instantly threaded a diagonal ball in behind.
Ronaldo darted between the full-back and center-back, controlled with his right foot, and without pause, fired left-footed.
The ball slipped through the keeper's arms and into the bottom right corner.
4-0.
A hat trick.
Ronaldo was so delighted he did not even bother running to the sidelines. He simply roared in the penalty area.
At the Camp Nou, Barcelona had won 7-0, but Messi only scored once.
Now, Ronaldo already had three goals. A hat trick in the league opener. What could be more thrilling?
…
With four goals on the board, Madrid kept pressing and created more chances.
In the 42nd minute, Isco appeared on the right, received a pass, and threaded Dzeko through. The Bosnian finished calmly, making it 5-0.
At the start of the second half, Madrid's fireworks continued.
From deep, Marcos Alonso sent a long pass toward Dzeko. The striker held off his man, turned, and laid it to the left channel.
Pogba burst forward, collected it at the edge of the box, but with defenders closing, he cut back, shielded, and rolled it sideways.
Ronaldo raced in, met it first time with his right foot, and drilled it inside the right post.
6-0.
A fourth goal.
The Portuguese celebrated wildly.
Gao Shen quickly substituted him, bringing on Morata.
But just four minutes later, Madrid struck again. After a neat sequence in midfield, Isco laid it back, Pogba clipped it over, and Marcos Alonso crossed from the left.
Dzeko could not reach at the near post, but Morata tapped in at the back post.
7-0.
The Bernabéu exploded.
Barcelona's 7-0? Impressive?
We can do it too.
We can do even better.
The fans roared Madrid on, urging them to push further.
Madrid relaxed into their rhythm, missing a few good chances, but in the 84th minute, Verratti slipped a pass in behind. Jesé timed his run perfectly, stayed onside, and scored.
8-0.
The Bernabéu went into a frenzy.
(To be continued.)
***
For every 200 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on P/treon to read 30+ advanced chapters: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves
(Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)