Two consecutive goals completely destroyed Arsenal's rhythm.
They could still play from a disadvantage, and it didn't matter if the situation on the field wasn't good.
But they couldn't concede two goals in such a short span of time.
Especially with Real Madrid's counter-attack, when the ball was passed to Suker, although they followed up, they couldn't make any effective restrictive measures.
They couldn't stop Suker, and as the ball advanced, other Real Madrid players had already rushed into position.
This conceded goal, to put it plainly, was still a problem with the defense line; it didn't have any blocking effect whatsoever.
If only they had gained some time to fall back, they wouldn't have been so passive.
Cheers and songs had already erupted in the Bernabéu.
Excited Real Madrid fans vented their emotions with passionate singing.
The two-goal lead filled their hearts with joy, and this match also showed the excellent form of the Real Madrid players.
However, the match could not be relaxed yet; although Arsenal was somewhat in decline, they still possessed strong resilience.
The Arsenal players retreated with their heads down; their hearts were filled with frustration.
Having conceded a goal, they used a more aggressive offense, hoping to equalize the score.
Unexpectedly, they were exploited by Real Madrid, who launched a successful counter-attack, causing the score to be pulled further away while they were already trailing.
A two-goal difference was not large, but this was the first half, and the match had only just begun.
For the Arsenal players, this was somewhat unacceptable.
"Let's play more steadily first."
Arteta saw that there was no sound from the front, so he proactively started shouting.
Arteta was not a core player at this time; with Özil and Cazorla pushing forward, he mostly needed to handle the ball distribution tasks in the backfield.
However, he could also see that they were playing a bit too eagerly.
Özil wanted to use Cazorla's individual ability to break through; this idea was fine, but it wasn't successful every time.
Cazorla was indeed strong, but he wasn't so strong as to disregard everything.
They definitely needed to create a better space for Cazorla.
And then there was Giroud's problem; Giroud's characteristics were distinct, and they also needed to create some scoring opportunities for him.
Instead of blindly passing the ball to them and letting them play freely.
Arteta pressed his hands down: "Steady! Let's play more stably!"
On the other side, the Real Madrid players were retreating.
The camera was firmly focused on Kroos.
As the best-performing player in this match, Kroos currently had one assist and one goal, contributing to both goals.
Kroos also felt that he was in very good form today, or rather, he suddenly felt like he knew how to play football.
And based on the first assist, he became more confident, and playing the game felt like he had divine assistance.
"Kroos is in form!"
Kaka looked at Kroos and said to Suker beside him.
Suker nodded: "He should be in form by now; he's performing very well."
Kroos could see the open space on the left wing and proactively moved forward, which was already very good.
After all, even if he didn't move forward but stayed in place, no one would criticize him; this wasn't his responsibility.
But he was willing to do so, which meant that he also longed for goals and victory.
"The match isn't over yet; next, we need to slow down the tempo!"
After Suker finished speaking, Kaka pointed at Kroos; "You need to tell him."
Kaka was no longer dictating the tempo.
Suker could only walk over and remind Kroos again.
Kroos was very clear-headed; despite his hot form, he wouldn't attack blindly; he knew what he should do.
Therefore, when Suker offered his suggestion, Kroos immediately adopted it and said he thought the same.
The match restarted, and after the kickoff, Arsenal did not increase their offensive intensity.
Instead, they patiently probed by constantly using passing and movement.
At the same time, they were also using passes to constantly adjust their state.
Whether it was their psychological state or their ball control, these all needed to be constantly stimulated through passing; now they were a bit afraid to attack, as they indeed feared Real Madrid's counter-attacks.
Once the ball was sent to Suker, they truly didn't know how to deal with it.
And Arsenal's style of play played right into Real Madrid's hands; they had intended to slow down the tempo, and Arsenal did it first, so the Real Madrid players were more than happy to take it easy.
As time passed little by little, Arsenal's attacks still originated from both wings, while continuously looking for opportunities using Cazorla's breakthrough ability.
To be honest, Cazorla's performance was really good.
His overall breakthrough intensity was very strong, and he played very confidently, putting a certain amount of pressure on Real Madrid with his vertical breakthroughs.
But Real Madrid's defensive line also closed in quickly; before Cazorla could tear open the defense, he had already entered Real Madrid's encirclement and was driven out.
At this point, Cazorla had to look for a target to pass to.
And the match continued in this cyclical manner.
Arsenal was probing Real Madrid's defense.
On the surface, it seemed like Arsenal had the advantage, but Real Madrid appeared even more confident.
Unbeknownst to them, the match time reached 40 minutes, with 20 minutes mysteriously elapsed, which was somewhat unacceptable for the Arsenal players.
With five minutes remaining, they were no longer preparing to remain silent and launched an intense attack again.
This time, the attack was mostly initiated from both wings, allowing the French center-forward Giroud to contest headers.
But Giroud was also firmly locked down by Ramos and Pepe; let alone contesting headers, even jumping was a problem.
And once the ball fell to Real Madrid's feet, they would quickly organize a counter-attack, leaving Arsenal scrambling.
In the last five minutes, Arsenal created two threatening attacks, but Real Madrid hit the target three times.
Finally, halftime arrived.
Accompanied by the whistle, players from both teams entered the player tunnel, preparing to make adjustments and set up tactics for the second half.
Standing in the locker room, looking at the tactics board, Wenger had a headache.
Various lines were drawn on it, but none of them seemed to work.
He still wanted to use Cazorla's individual ability to open up the game; a holistic tactical approach could also be used, but the effect wouldn't be too obvious.
After all, Real Madrid did better than them in this regard.
It was crucial that Cazorla could be effective; even when facing Real Madrid's offensive threat, they still had to launch some attacks to contain their opponent.
Wenger no longer thought about victory; he just wanted to score back as many goals as possible.
He would make detailed plans when they returned to home!
"Cazorla, you must push from midfield to the penalty area to create conditions for our attack!"
"In the second half, our tactics will also lean towards Cazorla, using his individual ability to create opportunities."
No one raised objections to Wenger's decision.
On one hand, Wenger was Arsenal's boss, and everyone listened to him; they also respected Wenger very much.
On the other hand, Cazorla was indeed their most effective weapon at the moment.
Of course, this was also a last resort, as facing Real Madrid's overall pressure, they could only look for opportunities locally; as for a large-scale counter-attack, it was basically non-existent.
On the other side, in Real Madrid's locker room, Ancelotti's tactics didn't change much.
The first half of the match was played thoroughly enough, so there was no need to change the tactics; they just needed to continue playing this way.
All Ancelotti needed to do was provide emotional value to the players, praising this one and that one.
Of course, Kroos truly deserved praise; even if there were no emotional value issues, Ancelotti would still praise Kroos.
Not only Ancelotti, but other teammates also did the same.
This even made the usually composed Kroos show a hint of pride.
In fact, he also enjoyed this feeling very much.
"Let's play more on the left wing in the second half!"
Suker suddenly spoke.
Everyone turned their heads to look, and he shrugged: "You know!"
Only then did everyone realize that Suker was aiming for the Champions League Golden Boot.
Currently, his goal count in the Champions League was indeed not high, especially after focusing more on offensive organization and assists this season, he had given up many scoring opportunities.
Although this was a tactical requirement, they had to take Suker's condition seriously.
After all, he was Real Madrid's only main player.
"We can play more on the left wing in the second half, but don't play too blindly!" Ancelotti said.
Suker nodded; "I will maintain a good sense of balance!"
Ancelotti nodded in response.
In the match, he didn't have many suggestions for Suker anymore; this guy was always very calm.
When halftime ended, Ramos immediately stood up.
"Let's go, we need to prepare for the second half of the match!"
Everyone stood up one after another.
"After the first half, Real Madrid is currently leading Arsenal 2-0 at home."
"Looking at the entire first half, Real Madrid did very well in both offense and counter-attacks. They capitalized on two opportunities. In contrast, Arsenal was somewhat lacking in this regard, especially when attacking. They were too focused on passing and didn't create many threatening shots. Perhaps sometimes they should also learn to just take a speculative shot!"
Both teams' players returned to the field, and the second half was about to begin.
Arsenal kicked off first in the second half.
This was their third kick-off, and they knew how tense the situation was now.
They had to score. Only then could they salvage some morale.
The faces of the Arsenal players were all very grim.
Admittedly, they knew Real Madrid was very strong, but only after truly confronting them could they specifically feel that sense of urgency.
Beep!!!
A sharp whistle sounded.
The second half began.
After kicking off, Arsenal immediately passed the ball to Cazorla.
They still wanted to use Cazorla's breakthrough ability to open up the game.
After gaining possession, Cazorla immediately launched an attack.
Casemiro immediately pressed close to interfere.
But honestly, this guy was really difficult to deal with!
He was short, had a stable base, and was extremely agile. As a Spain player, his footwork was also very nimble.
If Casemiro was even slightly careless, this guy could break free.
Casemiro's challenge was not only in interfering but also in applying physical pressure, trying to force Cazorla out of this area or make him pass.
But Cazorla stubbornly advanced the ball quite a distance before being forced to pass it to the left side.
"Damn it!"
Casemiro was irritated and couldn't help but curse.
Even though he wasn't dribbled past, he still let this guy achieve his goal.
Arsenal successfully pushed forward.
"Don't rush! Take your time! I'll help you."
Kroos immediately responded.
Now, he was full of confidence and willing to shoulder more responsibility.
His performance in this match was so outstanding; he didn't want it to end in a loss or a draw.
Arsenal's overlapping runs were very sharp, and their one-touch passing was very fast.
And this passing was not just short-range passes but also wide-range transfers.
But what was most daunting was their overlapping runs.
No one could predict who the final player to take a shot for Arsenal would be.
Therefore, Real Madrid had to stay alert.
Suker constantly roamed in the front, and Arsenal was very proactive in their defense against him.
No matter where he ran, someone would inevitably follow closely.
Especially Arteta, while observing the situation, he would also constantly confirm his own position.
For a better counter-attack, Suker moved to the wing.
Although the area was restricted, there were more options for breakthroughs.
Of course, all of this depended on his teammates winning the ball and getting it to his feet.
He believed his Real Madrid teammates would do this job well.
In the 50th minute, Arsenal and Real Madrid made substitutions.
Arsenal substituted Özil and Oxlade-Chamberlain, bringing on Gnabry and Rosický, further strengthening their attack.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, substituted Arbeloa and Kaka, bringing on Srna and Isco.
Srna came on as a substitute, and just two minutes after entering the field, he completed a steal from Podolski and directly kicked the ball to Suker.
"Awesome!"
Suker cheered for his friend's performance while easily bringing the ball down.
The moment he turned, Arsenal reacted as if facing a formidable enemy. Fortunately, Sagna and Arteta quickly followed, preventing Suker from directly accelerating.
Even so, Suker still pushed the ball horizontally, shaking off the defense, and then smoothly transferred the ball to the right side.
In professional football, many people choose short passes because the distance is short, the possibility of being intercepted is small, and it greatly increases the fault tolerance.
But there are also some midfielders, or bold stars with superb skills, who like to take long shots and high balls to show off their footwork.
As for Suker, he belonged to the latter because such a transfer was more efficient.
Sure enough, when the ball reached Bale's feet, after stopping the ball, he didn't need any waiting at all and directly launched an attack along the right wing.
Bale was holding his breath. In this match, Kroos was the most brilliant.
Suker and Benzema both had impressive performances.
But he had been lukewarm, and it was easy for the media to call him an invisible player in the second half of the season.
Therefore, he also wanted to seize this opportunity.
Bale's impact was very strong. Although Vermaelen's speed was good, it was only good and could not be compared with Bale's.
With just one feint and acceleration, he shook off his marker and immediately slipped the ball to Benzema.
"Wall pass!"
Bale shouted as he ran.
Benzema understood immediately, acting as a pivot and passing the ball back in Bale's direction of breakthrough.
Bale immediately accelerated his charge, and after catching up with the ball, he took a powerful shot.
Bang!
This time, the Arsenal Goalkeeper reacted, using his right arm to push the ball away.
Mainly, it was also because Bale's shot wasn't kept down.
The ball threaded through the gap in the crowd, and just as the Arsenal Goalkeeper was adjusting his position again, through the crowd, he saw a white shadow flash like a ghost.
The next second, the ball, which had been blocked by him, actually returned again.
And this time, the angle was even more tricky, passing between Mertesacker and Sagna, taking a large diagonal shot!
The ball hugged the right post and entered the net again.
Swish!
The moment the ball entered the net, Suker turned and ran towards the corner flag.
The entire Bernabéu Stadium erupted in cheers again.
"The third goal!! It's here! It's here! Suker's goal!"
"Never underestimate Suker's performance; his goal just appears when no one expects it!"
"Fabianski saved the first shot, but he couldn't stop Suker's second shot!"
"And this diagonal shot was too tricky. Not only did he keep the ball down, but the ball speed was also very fast. Fabianski wanted to dive to save it, but he simply didn't have time!"
"In the 58th minute of the match, Real Madrid scored again."
At this point, González shook his head and said, "Arsenal really can't stop Real Madrid's counter-attacks. Every counter-attack creates a threat, and they've scored two goals from two counter-attacks!"
"Now Real Madrid is leading by three goals at home, so the suspense of this match is basically gone."
If Arsenal had pulled one goal back, there might still be some suspense in the match.
But after making adjustments in the second half, Arsenal still hadn't made any progress.
In contrast, Real Madrid pressed on, and Suker scored with a follow-up shot, completely breaking through Arsenal's defense, and simultaneously breaking through their psychological defense.
There was still a long time left, but it was no longer a question of whether they could counter-attack, but rather whether they could hold on and not concede more goals.
Arsenal was in an extremely passive situation.
On camera, Wenger also kept shaking his head, apparently feeling helpless.
Although they had made adjustments, facing Real Madrid's powerful lineup and player quality, they truly had no solution.
This Real Madrid squad was already strong enough, not to mention how complete their overall play was under Ancelotti's management.
The appearance of the third goal completely deflated the Arsenal players.
They had originally intended to use the second half to turn the tide.
A two-goal deficit was not too difficult to overcome.
But once this gap reached three goals, and the opponent was Real Madrid, all that was left for them was despair.
It could be said that unless Real Madrid made an extremely basic mistake, they basically had no chance.
And hoping for Real Madrid to make such a mistake was even more difficult!