With a long pass from Hummels, the ball was sent to Reus on the right side of the front line.
The Little Rocket pulled back, got in front of Nacho, and without stopping, sent the ball directly into Real Madrid's penalty area.
Lewandowski rushed forward immediately, but Ramos reacted quicker and got into position first.
Casillas came rushing out to the edge of the penalty area, cleared the ball directly, and kicked it past the halfway line.
The start of the match was unusual.
The halfway line felt like a volleyball net, with the ball constantly flying back and forth across it.
It was not until nearly 50 seconds had passed that Carvajal finally got the ball on the right, which caused Dortmund's pressing to tilt toward Real Madrid's right flank.
Gao Shen stood on the sideline, closest to Carvajal. Seeing the situation, he immediately shouted to Di Maria, who was ahead of him, signaling him to drop back a bit to receive the ball from Carvajal.
There were several risky spots around.
Di Maria dropped back across the halfway line and received a direct pass from Carvajal. With his back to Gao Shen on the sideline, he faced left and stopped the ball with his left foot.
"The left side is open!" Gao Shen shouted.
Di Maria also noticed the gap on the left and used his left foot to switch the ball across to Pepe on the left side of Real Madrid's half.
Pepe carried the ball forward, crossed the halfway line, and sent it directly to Ronaldo's feet.
The Portuguese star advanced quickly with the ball, but Nacho on the left moved even faster. He sprinted down the touchline, overtaking Ronaldo at high speed.
Ronaldo passed directly to Nacho.
Nacho, being right-footed, had just caught up with the ball when Piszczek came from inside to block him, preventing him from cutting into the box, and leaving no opportunity for a cross.
Eventually, the ball went out of bounds.
Although it didn't create a direct threat, Real Madrid's sudden switch and quick attack down the left was still very dangerous.
The Bernabéu crowd applauded Nacho.
The young player's decisive forward move had been impressive.
If Piszczek hadn't caught up in time, Nacho would have cut inside into the penalty area and had a chance to shoot with his right foot.
Weidenfeller's goal kick went straight across midfield, but Xabi Alonso headed it back to Nacho on the left, who then passed it to the retreating Ronaldo. The Portuguese star stopped the ball with his back to goal, looking to pass to Toni Kroos. After Kroos received it, he played the ball backward with a backheel.
As Ronaldo turned and accelerated, Piszczek pulled him down. Real Madrid got a free-kick opportunity in the attacking third, but the position wasn't ideal.
After a quick free-kick, Real Madrid failed to develop an attack and were forced to pass back.
Gao Shen stood on the sideline shouting out names and making gestures, signaling his players to stay composed and not rush.
…
Klopp was also tense on the sideline.
As a disciple of Gao Shen, he also likes to stand on the touchline and direct the game. Naturally, he noticed Gao Shen's every move, but he remained unfazed.
He wasn't unaware of Gao Shen's deeper intentions.
This opening attacking approach was completely within his expectations.
He had even reminded his players repeatedly before the match to pay attention to Real Madrid's fast start.
When Klopp saw Real Madrid pass the ball back to reorganize, he almost wanted to laugh.
He knew Gao Shen's idea was to lure Dortmund into pressing forward.
This tactic was nothing new. Teams that favor possession often use it when facing Dortmund.
But Dortmund's high pressing depends on the situation.
If they really pressed forward, with the technical ability of Real Madrid's players, especially the passing and ball-control ability shown against Athletic Bilbao, Dortmund would find it hard to gain an advantage. Once Real Madrid pull them apart and find gaps in their defense, things would become very dangerous.
Given the current situation, Dortmund only need a draw from their last two matches to qualify. But they absolutely do not want to lose at the Bernabéu.
This much is obvious.
If they lose here, their advantage will be gone.
Then, in the final round, Dortmund would have to fight Manchester City head-on. How dangerous would that be?
So, the best scenario is to clinch qualification at the Bernabéu.
The key is to avoid conceding, or at least avoid conceding first.
Interestingly, Dortmund's attacking focus tonight was mainly down Reus's flank, using Lewandowski's ability to hold the ball in advanced positions, while Real Madrid focused on the right-hand side, through Di Maria.
The two teams' attacking channels avoided each other.
Whenever Real Madrid passed back to reorganize, trying to "bait" Dortmund forward, the Hornets simply hovered around the halfway line.
Klopp was almost telling Gao Shen directly, "I've seen through your tricks!"
Right now, time was on Dortmund's side.
The Hornets could qualify with just a draw, and knowing Gao Shen's attacking style, playing it steady from the start was exactly what Klopp wanted.
…
"This guy looks rough, but his mind is as cunning as a fox."
Back on the home bench, Gao Shen looked at Klopp, who was standing in front of the away team's bench, and muttered with a smile.
Carlo, Zidane, Hierro and the others glanced at each other and all laughed at the same time.
In fact, you two are exactly the same, so don't laugh at each other.
Of course, no one said this out loud.
Gao Shen is the kind of person who never forgets a slight. If you offend him, you will suffer.
"He's calculated that we're desperate for a goal and is just waiting for us to press forward," Zidane said.
That was normal.
Both teams wanted to take the initiative.
Whether it was Dortmund or Real Madrid, they both wanted the other side to press.
"Then let's just do as he wants!"
After Gao Shen said this with a smile, he returned to the touchline, gestured to Carvajal, and called out to Xabi Alonso and others. Everyone could hear his instructions from the sideline.
…
Another long ball from Real Madrid goalkeeper Casillas went forward, but Subotic got to it and headed it back into Real Madrid's half.
The ball landed outside the 30-meter zone of Real Madrid's half. Modric positioned himself perfectly and headed the ball to the right.
Carvajal, without stopping, passed it forward.
Di Maria sprinted with the ball, but Dortmund's defense reacted quickly.
Grosskreutz tracked back, covering in front of Schmelzer. Di Maria realized that even if he used his speed to bypass Grosskreutz, he would still face Schmelzer.
This is a basic truth.
Once the opponent has set up two lines of defense, even Messi would struggle to dribble through.
So the Argentine suddenly stopped, shielded the ball, and passed to Modric coming through the middle, before running diagonally toward the right channel to pull Grosskreutz away.
Modric stepped back, drew the attention of defenders like Götze, and then passed the ball to the right.
Carvajal advanced to receive it.
Grosskreutz immediately broke off from Di Maria and rushed to close down Carvajal, looking to double-team him.
After receiving the ball, Carvajal suddenly accelerated, taking long strides forward and shaking off Grosskreutz in one move. He carried the ball down the right touchline.
Real Madrid's midfield and attack pushed forward together, forcing Dortmund's defense back to the edge of their penalty area.
As Carvajal reached the right side of the penalty area, he looked to cross to Di Maria, but Grosskreutz slid in to block the cross, and the ball bounced up high.
Sven Bender tracked back, Modric followed, and Di Maria was already on the right edge of the box, looking to contest the loose ball. However, Dortmund's midfielder had gotten into position first.
In that position, you can't control the ball. If you try, Di Maria and Modric will close you down immediately.
So Sven Bender spotted Schmelzer behind him and headed the ball toward the left-back.
But just as he made contact with the ball, he saw all the white shirts moving.
The first to react was Carvajal, who immediately closed down Schmelzer.
Di Maria and Modric also rushed in to cut off Schmelzer's passing lanes. This is Real Madrid's trademark pressing in the attacking third, quickly forming local numerical superiority.
Sven Bender's header left Schmelzer struggling to control the ball, which gave Carvajal a rare opportunity.
Just as Schmelzer brought the ball under control, Carvajal was on him.
Dortmund's left-back tried to pass to Grosskreutz, who had just gotten up from his sliding challenge, but he was behind Carvajal. Real Madrid's right-back had already predicted the passing lane and blocked it directly with his foot.
This time, Dortmund's pass ricocheted off Carvajal's leg, changing direction and rolling into the penalty area.
Di Maria had initially moved to intercept the pass into the box, but now he found himself unmarked. He got to the ball, controlled it with his left foot, and turned around with his back to goal.
The whole stadium knew Di Maria is left-footed. After turning, he could just shoot straight away.
At that moment, Sven Bender was too late, and Hummels came charging in from behind to block Di Maria.
But Di Maria is nothing if not cunning.
The Argentine turned, saw Hummels rushing in, and faked a shot, tricking Hummels into lunging. Instead, Di Maria just poked the ball lightly.
The ball slid under Hummels' outstretched right foot and rolled into the penalty area.
Benzema's positioning was excellent, as always, waiting for such moments.
The French striker had been sandwiched between Hummels and Subotic, but as soon as Hummels stepped out, Di Maria's pass went behind him. How could Benzema miss such a golden chance? He cut forward diagonally, met the pass in stride, and shot directly.
Weidenfeller had already anticipated the danger and rushed out to close him down.
Benzema caught it out of the corner of his eye and, with a deft chip, lifted the ball over the onrushing Weidenfeller and into the left corner of the goal.
Piszczek sprinted back at top speed to try to clear it off the line, but there was nothing he could do.
(To be continued.)
***
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