The start of the second half unfolded exactly as Gao Shen had predicted.
Dortmund launched a fierce pressing assault on Real Madrid from the very first minute, and it immediately led to danger.
Just four minutes into the half, Grosskreutz delivered a cross from the left. Lewandowski, left unmarked on the left side of the penalty area, fired a shot but failed to control the ball properly. It flew high over the crossbar.
The attempt made everyone at Real Madrid break into a cold sweat, though the shot itself lacked quality.
Gao Shen angrily shouted at Pepe from the sidelines.
It was his failure to track back in time that allowed the connection between Grosskreutz and Lewandowski.
The responsibility lay squarely on the Portuguese center-back.
Casillas also scolded Pepe furiously, urging him to stay sharp and stop making such mistakes.
But only a minute later, Dortmund created another threat.
This time, after Real Madrid regained possession in their own half, Ramos attempted a long pass toward Benzema. Subotic headed it back, picked up by Gündoğan, who passed it to Götze.
Dortmund launched a quick counter. Götze played a through pass, but Ramos intercepted it and cleared it back.
Before Toni Kroos could control the ball, Gündoğan intercepted in midfield and passed to Reus. Reus then played a backheel pass. Lewandowski sprinted diagonally into the right side of the penalty area, received the ball, and took another shot.
Casillas reacted superbly, tipping the ball over the crossbar with both hands.
From the sideline, Gao Shen shouted urgently at his players, demanding they stay focused, especially in defense.
Real Madrid had been trying to control the ball from the start of the second half. Possession was indeed over 60%, but Dortmund's pressing was relentless, forcing frequent passing errors.
In the 56th minute, Dortmund won a throw-in on the right side of the attack—Real Madrid's left.
Piszczek took a quick throw. Reus outpaced Nacho and passed to Lewandowski near the edge of the box.
The Polish striker nodded the ball back into the right side of the area, perfectly timing a header for Reus, who had made a diagonal run.
After receiving the ball, Reus crossed in front of Ramos.
The ball was aimed for Grosskreutz on Real Madrid's right, but at the crucial moment, Carvajal intervened.
The right-back flew into a sliding tackle, blocked Grosskreutz's shot, and sent the ball out for a corner, sliding off the pitch himself.
The entire Bernabéu roared with applause and cheers for Carvajal's heroic effort.
Gao Shen also applauded on the sidelines, but he was clearly not satisfied with the team's performance since the start of the second half.
All three of Dortmund's chances had been extremely dangerous.
"Actually, it's not too bad. Dortmund are just really strong," Zidane sighed.
Hierro agreed. "At least we didn't concede. That shows we can still hold under pressure."
Real Madrid had never been known for defensive resilience, but under Gao Shen, their defense had improved significantly. That was also true during Capello's tenure, and Mourinho—Gao Shen's predecessor—was famous for his defensive tactics.
Now, Real Madrid's defense was clearly solid.
"This Dortmund team is definitely strong enough to reach the semi-finals. If they perform well, even the final is possible," Gao Shen said firmly.
He knew this from experience in his past life, so he spoke with confidence.
Zidane and Hierro were both a little surprised, but after thinking it over, they nodded in agreement.
The key was that this Dortmund side played with incredible intensity.
Just like the beginning of the second half, the Yellow and Blacks went all in with their pressing, swarming forward with reckless abandon.
Even though Real Madrid had decent possession, they lacked dangerous attacks and had been placed in three difficult defensive situations.
Of course, that also exposed Dortmund's limitations.
Those three chances had seemed dangerous, but they were always just slightly off.
Lewandowski's first effort missed due to poor control, mainly because Grosskreutz's cross lacked quality.
Casillas saved the second shot because it came in at too narrow an angle.
In other words, Lewandowski didn't have a great shooting opportunity.
As for the third chance, Reus' pass was good, but Carvajal's positioning and timing were even better.
Sometimes, these seemingly minor details reflect the true nature of a match.
Real Madrid's defense may have looked under threat, but it was never truly on the brink.
From those three close calls, it was clear that Real Madrid's defensive performance was solid, and the players were putting in great effort.
Gao Shen looked at the clock—57 minutes.
"Hold firm. They're about to run out of steam," he said.
Dortmund had pressed aggressively from the start of the second half, but they couldn't maintain such an intense tempo forever.
If they pushed beyond their limits, Real Madrid wouldn't mind.
At worst, Dortmund might get a goal.
But the bigger question was, would they still be able to run after the 70th minute?
By that point, the game would swing back to Real Madrid's control.
Gao Shen quickly relayed his instructions to the players on the pitch, and they understood exactly what their coach wanted.
Stay patient, control possession and tempo, and wait for Dortmund to retreat on their own.
…
The signs that Dortmund were struggling became obvious.
When Real Madrid had the ball in their own half, Dortmund's forwards began dropping back instead of pressing high. This proved the Yellow and Blacks were starting to run out of energy.
They were trying to play more conservatively.
But at that moment, Gao Shen signaled Xabi Alonso, Modric, and the others to push forward.
The time was right.
After absorbing Dortmund's opening pressure, now it was Real Madrid's turn to attack.
When the opponent advances, we retreat. When the opponent retreats, we advance.
That was a refined tactical principle.
Real Madrid gradually pushed forward, and Dortmund continued to fall back.
Even as Real Madrid's defensive line moved up to the halfway line, Lewandowski began pressing again.
Pepe received the ball near the center circle and passed to Ramos, which gave Lewandowski a window to press.
Ramos sent the ball to Nacho on the left. Reus made a feint from a distance but didn't truly apply pressure.
Nacho advanced a few steps, pulling Reus as wide as possible, then passed back to Ramos.
Ramos gave it back to Pepe.
Dortmund's defensive shape shifted from left to center and right.
Pepe dribbled diagonally to the right, crossed the halfway line, and passed to Modric, who had found space on the right channel.
The Croatian stood near the right touchline but cut inside upon receiving the ball, evading Dortmund's midfield press and entering an unguarded zone.
That was Modric's brilliance. He always attacked the opponent's weak spot.
As soon as he entered the gap, Dortmund's defense tightened and began to shift.
At that moment, Benzema dropped deeper.
Modric played a diagonal pass with the outside of his foot toward Benzema's movement. The French striker, facing away from goal, used his right foot to flick the ball behind him without stopping it.
Di Maria burst forward between Piszczek and Subotic and reached the ball before either Dortmund defender could intervene.
In an instant, Di Maria had a one-on-one chance.
The entire Bernabéu held its breath.
Countless Real Madrid fans screamed with anticipation.
Di Maria carried the ball into the right side of the penalty area. With Weidenfeller charging out and Subotic chasing back from the center, Di Maria didn't shoot.
Instead, he used the outside of his left foot to curl a diagonal pass.
The ball curved between Weidenfeller and Subotic and rolled toward the far post.
Ronaldo arrived at the perfect moment, met Di Maria's pass, and struck it into the net with his left foot.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"A brace!!!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo!"
"Real Madrid 3-0!"
"My God! What an incredible result. Real Madrid are now 3-0 up at the Santiago Bernabéu!"
"Dortmund's defense has been completely exposed tonight, not because the Yellow and Blacks are weak, but because Real Madrid's attack is simply too powerful and precise!"
"This goal will be a huge blow to Dortmund."
"Because we're now in the 64th minute, which is usually when Dortmund starts to fade."
"Real Madrid scoring a third at this point is absolutely devastating for the Yellow and Blacks."
"3-0!"
"Real Madrid, under intense pressure, have put three past Dortmund at the Bernabéu in front of over 70,000 fans!"
The entire stadium erupted into a frenzy.
Countless fans chanted Ronaldo's name in unison, their voices rising and falling like waves, echoing through the night sky.
Gao Shen was also overjoyed on the sidelines. He turned and embraced Zidane, Hierro, and the rest of the coaching staff, all in high spirits.
On the pitch, the Real Madrid players ran to the touchline to celebrate with Ronaldo after his brilliant goal.
3-0!
This was undoubtedly an epic win for Real Madrid.
It didn't just shift the momentum in the group stage. More importantly, it instilled massive confidence.
It proved Real Madrid's strength and helped the players believe that under Gao Shen's leadership, they could not only escape the group of death but also reach the knockout stage.
Many of them had never played in the Champions League knockouts wearing a Real Madrid shirt.
"No suspense now," Zidane declared.
Gao Shen nodded firmly.
At 2-0, Dortmund still had hopes of a comeback in the second half.
But now, with the score at 3-0, those hopes had been crushed.
To come back, they would need to score two goals without conceding again.
With Real Madrid controlling both possession and tempo after 60 minutes, scoring two goals against them would be as difficult as climbing a mountain.
If Dortmund truly had that ability, they wouldn't have been pushed into this position to begin with.
"Now, if the Yellow and Blacks want to get out of the group, they'll have to go all-in against Manchester City," Gao Shen said with a laugh.
From heaven to hell.
That's the brutal reality of the Champions League's group of death.
(To be continued.)