Marcelo's quick attack from the left.
Ronaldo pulled Juanfran to the outside, and Marcelo immediately cut inside. After combining with Toni Kroos, he quickly made a diagonal run into the left channel in front of the penalty area and passed the ball to Ronaldo.
The Portuguese saw Marcelo's gesture, signaling him to return the ball, but he still chose to cut inside with the ball. After shaking off Juanfran, he suddenly swung his right foot and unleashed a powerful shot.
The ball flew towards the goal like a cannonball.
Asenjo reacted quickly and blocked the ball, but it slipped out of his hands.
Ronaldo's shot was too fast and sudden, and the dip made it hard to handle.
After the ball spilled from the keeper's hands, chaos erupted in Atletico's penalty area. Miranda cleared it immediately, but the clearance struck Benzema's leg. The French striker couldn't control it, and Godin kicked it away.
Then Modric suddenly struck from outside the box, the ball smashing against the crossbar before flying out.
Only then did all the Real Madrid fans in the stadium erupt in exclamations.
This sudden and rapid counterattack was very threatening, but Atletico Madrid's retreat was also fast.
Even so, Real Madrid almost scored.
Atletico's situation was very dangerous.
But the Rojiblancos were accustomed to this type of defending, so they managed to hold firm in time.
…
Gao Shen stood in front of the home dugout, watching Modric's long-range shot go narrowly over the bar, and he felt a sense of regret.
Real Madrid's wave of fast attacks had been very dangerous.
But Atletico Madrid's defense was also impressive.
This was Atletico Madrid's greatest competitive advantage, their excellent defensive ability.
Still, Gao Shen noticed something else. In the past, it would have been hard for Real Madrid to launch such waves of attacks.
He glanced up at the scoreboard. It was already the 69th minute, nearly 70 minutes played.
Exactly as expected.
Atletico Madrid and Dortmund shared similarities but also had big differences.
The similarity was that both teams compensated for their lack of technical finesse with intense physical exertion, which meant high energy consumption.
The difference was that Atletico leaned more on defense, while Dortmund focused more on attack.
Most obviously, Atletico invested less in counterattacking.
So Atletico consumed less energy than Dortmund.
In fact, Simeone's side could defend solidly for a full 90 minutes.
But now Gao Shen noticed their physical strength beginning to drop.
To confirm, Gao Shen walked to the touchline and signaled Carlos Vargas to check Atletico's current condition.
As expected, analysis of the players' activity showed that Atletico had burned a lot of energy.
Just as Gao Shen had said, Atletico's stamina lasted longer than Dortmund's, so wearing them out completely was unrealistic. But once they hit a certain level of fatigue, substitutions could break them open.
Compared with Atletico, what was Real Madrid's greatest advantage?
The quality of the players?
What a joke.
Real Madrid's true advantage was the depth of their bench.
Now, in the 70th minute, Real Madrid still had players like Dzeko, Pogba, Isco, and Jesé waiting.
And Atletico Madrid?
Who else could Simeone bring on?
It wasn't that Simeone didn't want to substitute. He simply had no options.
"Isco, hurry up and warm up!" Gao Shen shouted.
Though young, Isco deliberately grew a beard to look older. He jumped up from the bench and ran to warm up.
Soon he returned to Gao Shen's side.
"Once you're on, get the ball more often, run more, use your technical ability, break through their midfield, and pull defenders out of position."
"And most importantly, focus on your passing."
Gao Shen ended his words with a firm pat on Isco's shoulder.
"You told me you like to control the ball and dribble, didn't you?"
Isco nodded firmly. He had indeed told Gao Shen that.
He even called himself a representative of street football. Controlling the ball was his life. If he wasn't allowed to dribble or control play, football lost its meaning for him.
"Good. Then I'll give you a chance now. Go out there, dribble, control the ball, break through their defense, and prove to me and everyone else what your talent and tactical value are."
"I believe you can do it."
Isco nodded hard again. "Don't worry, Boss, I won't let you down."
"Go."
Gao Shen patted him once more and sent him to the substitution area.
…
Real Madrid were finally making a substitution.
The Bernabéu erupted.
Number 23, Isco, replaced number 22, Di María.
At first glance it looked like a direct positional change.
But Atletico coach Simeone's expression grew heavy.
He had already guessed Gao Shen's plan.
For seventy minutes, Real Madrid and Atletico had been locked in a stalemate. No matter what tactics were used, the ultimate aim was the same, to wear Atletico down.
Now Atletico were nearly exhausted, and Gao Shen sent Isco on.
Would Isco play in Di María's spot, targeting Siqueira?
Siqueira had already spent 70 minutes marking Di María, which drained him. If Isco kept attacking down that side, it could be dangerous.
Thinking this through, Simeone stepped to the touchline and instructed Gabi and Turan to give Siqueira more cover, and to pay close attention to Isco's movement.
Everyone could see that after the substitution, Real Madrid's tempo increased significantly.
In contrast, Atletico became even more conservative.
For example, in the 76th minute, after Real Madrid intercepted near the halfway line, Atletico didn't press but retreated in an orderly manner.
Modric carried the ball forward down the right channel.
Isco drifted from the middle to the right, raising his hand to ask for the ball.
Just minutes after coming on, it was clear he wasn't playing the same role as Di María.
Real Madrid's tactics had changed.
From a 4-3-3, they shifted into something like a 4-3-1-2.
Ronaldo pushed up alongside Benzema, both drifting wide when needed.
The three midfielders sat in a line, though Kroos and Modric often moved forward.
Isco played as the number ten, a free role without a fixed position.
Real Madrid had used this system before, but now they did so when Atletico were tiring, which gave Simeone a real headache.
What worried him even more was that Pogba was also warming up behind the Madrid bench.
Clearly, Gao Shen was preparing another substitution.
One move after another left Simeone unsettled.
That was the benefit of squad depth.
Last season, Real Madrid would have had only Isco to bring on.
Now, Pogba was also waiting. And who would he replace?
Just as Simeone was lost in thought, Modric refused to pass to the wide-open Isco.
Although Isco was in space, Modric instead played it out to Carvajal making a run from deep.
The right-back caught up and immediately returned the ball into Isco's path. Isco then accelerated, cutting diagonally into the box behind Siqueira.
He was caught between three defenders, Miranda, Siqueira, and Gabi. Facing Carvajal's pass, he didn't stop the ball but played it first time, flicking it behind Siqueira.
Carvajal cut inside the box at speed, combining beautifully with Isco in a one-two.
The Bernabéu exploded.
Carvajal burst into the right side of the penalty area and whipped the ball across goal.
Benzema and Ronaldo both attacked it, one in front and one behind.
Benzema reached it first, but Godin intervened at the last moment.
The Frenchman's shot deflected off Godin's leg, the ball looping high before Asenjo reacted quickly to catch it.
Gasps rang out across the Bernabéu.
"A very threatening attack down the right from Real Madrid!"
"A brilliant one-two between Isco and Carvajal."
"A dangerous chance, but unfortunately Benzema's effort was blocked by Godin."
"In crucial moments, Godin showed his quality as a top defender."
"Godin and Miranda have been Atletico's best players tonight."
Even the home fans applauded.
Not only for Real Madrid's young duo, but also for Godin.
That was a superb piece of defending.
At that moment, Real Madrid made their second substitution.
Paul Pogba replaced Toni Kroos.
The Bernabéu crowd broke into another warm round of applause.
Kroos had been excellent.
Against Atletico's iron defense, no one could easily break through, but Kroos had done well in midfield.
The camera panned to the away bench, where Simeone's face had turned ugly.
Because now he faced a real problem.
Real Madrid not only had Isco roaming freely, but also two more players with superb dribbling ability in Pogba and Modric.
Whether Pogba, Modric, or Isco, all three could receive the ball, beat players, and carry it forward against a high press.
How could Atletico defend this?
Simeone looked at the clock. It was only the 76th minute, at least 15 minutes remained.
Damn Gao Shen, did you plan this?
He had timed it perfectly.
Simeone shook his head in frustration, his face bitter.
He had no choice.
So Atletico replaced David Villa with Raúl García and adjusted their formation.
It was a clear statement.
Defense first.
(To be continued.)