On the evening of November 6th, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
When the game reached the 88th minute, the score was still 1-1.
Despite being away, Real Madrid boldly chose to attack from the start. In the 10th minute, Benzema combined with Modric and Di Maria on the right and scored from close range, opening the scoring for Real Madrid.
But in the 52nd minute of the second half, David Silva provided an assist. Suarez made a brilliant move to escape Ramos, shook him off, and shot into the goal, equalizing for Manchester City.
1-1!
After that, neither side was able to score again.
Until the end of the game.
David Silva once again made a long pass, sending the ball to the feet of Van Persie, who had come on as a substitute.
The Dutch striker leaned into Ramos, controlled the ball steadily with his foot, and before Pepe and Ramos could close in to double-team him, he passed the ball with his left foot toward the left side of the penalty area.
Gareth Bale made a diagonal run into the penalty area from the left wing at an extremely high speed.
From the moment the Welshman made his move, Arbeloa had already lost the best defensive position and was forced to chase from behind. When Gareth Bale burst into the box and controlled Van Persie's pass, Arbeloa, chasing from the side and slightly behind, had no choice but to stretch his leg out. But it was too late.
He tripped Gareth Bale directly.
The Welshman fell inside Real Madrid's penalty area and the referee's whistle sounded immediately.
Penalty!
At the same time, the referee raised the yellow card in his hand.
The entire stadium suddenly erupted into thunderous cheers.
Because after showing the yellow card, the referee immediately took out a red card.
Two yellows equal one red!
Arbeloa did not argue. He just lowered his head and walked off the field.
In tonight's game, his performance had actually been very good, but when defending Gareth Bale, the pressure was too great. He had already received a yellow card in the first half for a foul.
This was the second one!
…
On the sidelines, Gao Shen opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
In fact, he had originally planned to let Ramos play on the right, but later changed his mind.
This was mainly because Arbeloa had performed very well and looked sharp after returning to training.
In fact, in tonight's match, Arbeloa's performance had been very good, including several defensive interventions that were solid.
But just before the end of the match, Gareth Bale's burst of speed wiped away all his previous efforts.
This is also why Gareth Bale is so terrifying.
This kid not only has outstanding skill, but also amazing physical fitness. Even at the final stage of the match, he can still sprint at top speed. Who can stop him?
The first substitution was a tactical adjustment. Of the remaining two substitutions, one was made because Di Maria had expended too much energy and his performance on the pitch was not ideal.
Especially after Pellegrini brought on Leighton Baines on the left to strengthen Manchester City's attack, Di Maria failed to suppress Baines effectively. So Gao Shen used Higuain to closely mark Baines.
Gao Shen had always kept one substitution in reserve, but after the 80th minute, Benzema collided with Kompany while dribbling and sprained his ankle. After the team doctor came on to check, he recommended substituting him off.
It was already the 83rd minute. Gao Shen thought about it and agreed.
At that time, Manchester City's attacks were fierce. After careful consideration, Gao Shen replaced Benzema with Vasquez to reinforce the right flank and pushed Higuain into the center forward position.
The effect of this adjustment was very good, but he did not expect such a problem to arise at a critical moment.
A yellow card and a penalty kick. The referee delivered a fatal blow.
Judging from the way Gareth Bale fell, there was really no argument.
Gao Shen saw Arbeloa leave without even protesting to the referee, head bowed, so he walked over to him.
"It's okay, Alvaro, it's okay." Gao Shen hugged Arbeloa and tried to comfort his right-back.
"I'm sorry, boss," Arbeloa said painfully. "I was a bit confused at that moment, I couldn't catch up with him…"
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here." Gao Shen comforted him. "Go take a shower and rest."
Arbeloa nodded and walked into the tunnel.
Sometimes, defensive players really have it tough.
They may play very well for the entire game, but all their efforts are undone by one mistake.
This is the biggest difference between defense and attack.
For attacking players, they can miss and waste opportunities all game long, but if they seize just one chance, they become heroes.
But not for defensive players.
No matter how well a defensive player performs, in the end, they often become the backdrop for attacking players.
This is the fate of defensive players!
Arbeloa was in good form and had performed well, but because of a slower initial reaction, he could not keep up with the start and was overtaken by Gareth Bale at a crucial position.
The consequences of entering Bale's zone were predictable, so Arbeloa panicked and made a desperate challenge.
Sometimes, things happen in an instant.
…
Italian referee Rocchi blew the whistle to end the game.
2-1.
According to international convention, the home team is listed first, and the away team second.
The fans at the Etihad Stadium clapped and cheered wildly to celebrate the team's victory.
This match was crucial for Manchester City, even a key match that could determine their qualification.
Real Madrid suffered a devastating blow.
After the match, Pellegrini immediately walked to the visiting technical area and shook hands with Gao Shen.
Regarding this match, the Chilean engineer highly praised Real Madrid's performance and progress.
He knew very well that, from a tactical perspective, he had even been outplayed by Gao Shen. But his players were strong enough to help Manchester City secure the victory.
In a way, he was able to win thanks to Gao Shen.
At least Gao Shen had left him with an extremely strong squad.
Gao Shen was in a low mood. After exchanging a few words with Pellegrini, he left.
The Real Madrid players also walked off the pitch one by one with their heads down.
Gao Shen went to them, shaking hands and hugging them one by one.
"It's okay, cheer up."
But after a defeat like this, how could the players keep their spirits up?
Everyone could see that losing this game had forced Real Madrid into a desperate situation.
This damn group of death is terrifying!
Every opponent is so strong that if you are not careful, you will be crushed.
This is completely different from the league.
In La Liga, when facing a team like Zaragoza, Real Madrid could still beat them even if they lost focus during the match.
But in the Champions League's group of death, even a moment of carelessness can lead to irreversible disaster.
Even now, although Gao Shen had left Manchester City, many Manchester City players still respect him.
On the pitch they are opponents, but off the pitch, they maintain their connection.
After Gao Shen finished speaking with his players, the Manchester City players came over one after another to greet him.
Many of them performed well in this match, and Gareth Bale is clearly stronger than last season.
There was also De Bruyne. After Rakitic got injured, Yaya Toure became the main starter, but De Bruyne also became an important midfielder for Manchester City and his performance improved rapidly.
Gao Shen also set aside his disappointment over Real Madrid's loss for a moment and exchanged a few words with the Manchester City players.
The Manchester City fans at the scene also gave Gao Shen a warm round of applause.
Obviously, even now, they have not forgotten Gao Shen's contributions to Manchester City.
Gao Shen also interacted with the Manchester City fans, thanking them for their support.
On the pitch, they were rivals. Off the pitch, they were not.
…
Whether in the locker room or at the post-match press conference, Gao Shen emphasized one point: it was not the time for Real Madrid to give up. Even during the post-match press conference, Gao Shen made another point.
"Perhaps, when I say this, many people will think that I am trying to find something to be happy about in a tough situation, or trying to celebrate at a funeral, but I truly believe that this situation may not be a bad thing for us."
"As a newly reorganized team, we have gathered many top players from different countries. Many of them were the core players in their previous leagues and teams, which has made it difficult for them to adapt after coming to Real Madrid."
This is actually very normal. Almost everyone goes through this and faces the problem of integration.
"But now, we have no choice. We must let go of all our prejudices, all our persistence, all our burdens…"
"There is only one way forward, and that is for everyone to be of one mind!"
Gao Shen emphasized to the media that Real Madrid's performance was not bad. The key issue was that the team still lacked that final bit of sharpness.
"We always make mistakes at critical moments."
It was a statement that went straight to the heart of the matter.
"It could be a player's mistake, it could be for other reasons, but those are just surface-level issues. The real problem is that we have not fully unleashed our full potential."
"Just now, in the locker room, I asked my players to think carefully about what comes next."
"Will we continue to be eliminated in the group stage like in the past? Or will we break through?"
When asked by the reporters, Gao Shen once again stood by his previous statement.
"I've said before that if I don't win La Liga or the Champions League, I will be fired. It was like that before, and it's still like that now."
"But I believe in my players. I trust them!"
Gao Shen did not think there was anything wrong with losing to the team he had built for three years.
"This is different."
"The two teams are in different phases, different stages. There is no comparison."
"On the contrary, if Real Madrid could beat Manchester City, I would see it as a failure on my part, a failure of the past three years!"
Gao Shen's comments were recognized by many reporters present.
Manchester City was the team he spent three years building, and Real Madrid is a team he has just taken over. Now, if Real Madrid were expected to beat Manchester City, would that not mean all of Manchester City's efforts over the past three years were meaningless?
Do you really think Manchester City's squad is weak?
In fact, it is already very good that Real Madrid was able to fight to this level.
Especially considering that Real Madrid is still plagued by injuries, and Arbeloa had only just returned from injury two days ago.
But recognition is one thing, the indisputable fact is that Real Madrid is now in a desperate situation.
Especially after the result of Dortmund's home match against Porto came out.
(To be continued.)
***
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