Starting With Real Madrid

As soon as Messi dropped back, Xabi Alonso, positioned behind him, reminded Toni Kroos to stay alert.

The German wasn't just marking Xavi, he was also tracking Messi's movements closely. When he saw Piqué controlling the ball and shifting right, he anticipated the pass to Messi.

Without hesitation, Toni Kroos charged forward.

Just as Piqué released the ball, Kroos stepped in to intercept, using his body to block off Messi.

The Argentine was momentarily stunned by the interception and tried to regain the ball, but Kroos' physical advantage was clear. After successfully winning possession, he quickly passed left.

Ronaldo received the ball and immediately surged forward, cutting diagonally into the open space on the left, drawing both Busquets and Alves toward him.

Benzema reacted quickly. Noticing Busquets commit to Ronaldo, he peeled away from the center and moved to the left. With Piqué and Puyol holding the central line, there was no space for him in the middle.

Ronaldo understood the signal and, just before Busquets arrived, delivered a diagonal pass to Benzema. Then, he burst forward at full speed.

Benzema controlled the ball and, just as Piqué approached, cut inside with his right foot and shook him off. He then lobbed a pass with his right foot toward the top of the penalty area, aiming for Ronaldo.

Unexpectedly, Puyol charged out and headed the ball clear before it could reach Ronaldo.

The clearance didn't go far, landing just outside Barcelona's 30-meter zone.

Toni Kroos, who had planned to follow up as part of the second wave, had to stop and contest for the ball with Xavi. But Xabi Alonso had already read the play, surged forward, and intercepted it cleanly.

Just as he controlled the ball, Pedro closed in to press.

Xabi Alonso glanced up and spotted Di María on the right, raising his hand for the ball. He quickly delivered a diagonal pass into open space.

Di María was completely unmarked. After stopping the ball, he drove forward, surged into the penalty area, and sent a low cross with his left foot into the box. Ronaldo burst in, aiming to tap it home.

But at the crucial moment, Valdés rushed out and made a desperate dive, getting to the ball just before Ronaldo.

The Portuguese forward had no choice but to pull back.

The entire Camp Nou erupted in a collective sigh of relief after narrowly avoiding disaster.

Real Madrid's attack had been blistering.

From interception to counter to follow-up pressure, Barcelona barely had time to react.

"Fifteen seconds!"

The commentator was stunned.

"From the interception to the counterattack, then to Barcelona's clearance, followed by Xabi Alonso's pass to Di María and his cross—then Valdés' intervention. The entire sequence lasted just 15 seconds."

"Real Madrid's counterattack was lightning fast. You could say it completely split open Barcelona's defensive structure."

"In fact, the moment Benzema laid it off to Ronaldo, the defense was nearly breached. Di María's cross afterward absolutely carved them open. If Valdés hadn't come off his line, it would've been 1-0."

"We're only 1 minute and 30 seconds into the game, but we already see Real Madrid's tactical plan clearly."

"This is what a top-tier coach looks like—no gimmicks. Just pure tactical execution."

"The strategy is simple: stay compact defensively and strike quickly on the break. And those counterattacks are sharp. We saw Kroos, Modrić, and Xabi Alonso all breaking into Barcelona's half, even getting into the final third."

"Meanwhile, the two full-backs, Marcelo and Arbeloa, are staying more conservative—likely a defensive directive. But Real Madrid's counterattack is absolutely lethal."

"Barcelona better pay attention. This is no fluke."

…

Valdés rolled the ball out, and the match resumed.

The rhythm seemed to return to the early-game tempo.

Barcelona continued to circulate the ball in the back, while Real Madrid defended tightly along the halfway line.

The difference now was that Iniesta began dropping deeper to support the build-up, with Modrić shadowing him closely.

Both Kroos and Modrić were willing to push higher than Benzema, but as long as Xavi and Iniesta weren't in threatening positions, they immediately retreated to maintain shape.

The high level of tactical discipline from Real Madrid's players left a deep impression.

Even Vilanova, on the sideline, was visibly concerned.

Only two minutes had passed, yet the ball had barely crossed midfield, and Barcelona had already been threatened by a Real Madrid counter.

Vilanova walked to the edge of the technical area and gestured for his players to stretch the field wider, calling for more switches of play to shift Real Madrid's defensive block.

But in the third minute, something surprising happened again.

When the ball was on Barcelona's left side—Real Madrid's right—Cristiano Ronaldo had dropped back into the zone usually occupied by Toni Kroos, deep in his own half, helping maintain compact defensive shape.

"Is he using Ronaldo like a midfielder?" Vilanova muttered to himself.

But thinking of Ronaldo's earlier sprint, it was clearly not the case.

If Puyol hadn't headed that ball, Ronaldo would've been through on goal.

And later, Di María's cross nearly found him again in the middle.

Clearly, Gao Shen hadn't restricted Ronaldo's attacking instincts. He had only defined his defensive role and positioning.

"Damn it, why is Ronaldo willing to listen to him?" Vilanova muttered, unconvinced.

If he asked Messi to do the same, the Argentine would've given him a look and walked away.

But he shook off the frustration and walked to the touchline, signaling Xavi and Iniesta to drop deeper while instructing Busquets to push forward.

"Let's see if Benzema tracks Busquets all the way."

…

Barely two or three minutes into the game, and both managers had already traded several tactical moves.

But fans in the stands wouldn't notice these subtleties.

All they could see was Barcelona adjusting, with Xavi dropping deeper while Busquets began advancing with the ball.

Benzema didn't follow him this time, leaving the zone to his midfield teammates.

Just as Real Madrid adjusted their defensive assignments, Messi dropped into space to receive from Busquets.

The two combined brilliantly just outside Real Madrid's 30-meter area.

First, Busquets passed to Messi and surged forward. When Messi returned the pass, Busquets cleverly used his heel to flick it back to Messi.

That tight-space one-two caused momentary disorder in Real Madrid's shape.

Modrić and Kroos overlapped their positioning slightly.

Messi spotted the opportunity and drove into the right-hand channel.

But just as he did, Xabi Alonso was there.

The veteran read the danger perfectly, shadowing Messi with disciplined positioning and composure.

Unable to break through, Messi laid it off to Sánchez outside the penalty box.

The Chilean winger recognized the cue. He took a touch, cut inside, and dribbled laterally across the top of the box, forcing Xabi Alonso to shift focus. Otherwise, Sánchez would've had a clean look at goal.

Xabi Alonso followed, but Sánchez slid a pass to the left side of the box.

Messi surged forward and controlled it, but Arbeloa was already there, arms tucked behind his back, staying tight.

"Excellent defensive work by Real Madrid this time."

"There's long been talk that Gao Shen's defensive acumen is on par with his attacking setups. Many doubted that before, but tonight, we're seeing proof. That sequence from Barcelona was slick, but Real Madrid's defense was exceptional—especially their spacing and coordination."

"If Barcelona's attack dazzles, then Real Madrid's defense is like a wall of steel."

Messi was now facing Arbeloa one-on-one at the edge of the box. Left with no better option, he crossed the ball.

But Pepe had already positioned himself perfectly, clearing it with authority.

Barcelona's build-up had been impressive, but Real Madrid's defense was just as composed.

Just when it seemed like both teams might take a breath, Pepe's clearance dropped into the center circle of Real Madrid's half.

Puyol read the bounce early and moved to block it, but Benzema came charging in and held him off with his back. Before the ball hit the ground, Benzema used his strength to bump Puyol slightly off balance.

The Barça captain staggered slightly. As the ball fell, Puyol leapt to challenge, but Benzema leaned back and nodded the ball past him. Then, he turned quickly.

It was a clever play. Benzema used his body well to fend off the defender. But Puyol didn't give up. As Benzema turned, Puyol grabbed at him to prevent the chase.

The ball was trapped between the two, both trying to gain control. They each made a touch. Eventually, Benzema nudged it to his left—toward the center circle—and then used his body to shield the ball from Puyol.

Now with space, Benzema laid the ball off to Toni Kroos, who had found space unmarked.

Xavi was just arriving but couldn't apply pressure in time.

Kroos took a touch, looked up, and didn't see Ronaldo in position—but Di María was ready.

So, he launched a long diagonal pass toward the right wing.

Di María burst forward with blistering pace.

Alba chased closely behind, both sprinting at full throttle.

But Di María got there first, nodding the ball forward with his head. After reaching the byline, he spun and brought the ball back inside, driving into the right edge of the penalty box before Alba could close down.

And at that moment, Real Madrid's second wave of attackers arrived!

(To be continued.)

***

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