"Atlético Madrid's offense is very effective; several attempts have posed a threat!" González exclaimed, somewhat surprised.
In this match, Atlético Madrid's offensive performance showed a hint of aggressiveness within its stability.
Although their previous offensive and defensive patterns were also intense, this match highlighted stability more.
This was also something Atlético Madrid gained from their Champions League experience this season.
Top-tier competitions can rapidly promote a team's growth, and the Champions League is especially such a stage.
With Champions League experience, their performance back in the League would also be more prominent.
After all, always playing against strong teams, when the intensity of the game suddenly drops, it naturally becomes relatively easier.
Similarly, Atlético Madrid also gained a lot from this Champions League campaign; the growth of individual players was one aspect, and overall team growth was another.
"However, this isn't Real Madrid's usual offensive rhythm," Ronaldo wondered, "It feels like they're testing the waters."
"Exactly!" González nodded, "I also have that feeling. The rhythm is so steady because, overall, Real Madrid might be in a probing phase."
Compared to before, Real Madrid's desire to attack wasn't as strong; more often, they were passing and probing.
They were approaching the match with a steady posture!
Of course, besides this factor, there was one more crucial determining factor.
That was Suker.
So far, Suker hadn't shown any performance, which was unreasonable.
The only explanation was that he was testing.
"It's almost time!" Mandžukić suddenly sat up straight.
This caused Kovacic, Brozović, and other newcomers beside him to look puzzled.
"What time?"
"Time for Suker to explode!" Modrić interjected.
Kovacic: "Doesn't Suker usually explode in the second half?"
In response, Modrić, Mandžukić, and their group of friends showed a hint of mocking expression.
"That's all a lie! In fact, Suker's explosion starts within the first 15 minutes of the first half, but this phase isn't as intense, so few people pay attention or summarize it."
After Mandžukić finished, Modrić continued, "The first 15 minutes are for observation and summary. There will be tactical analysis, pressure sensing, running trends, and a series of observation points. Once all these observations are complete, Suker will quickly enter his explosive state."
Kovacic exclaimed in astonishment, "He can read the game in just 15 minutes?"
Modrić turned his head and said faintly, "Why do you think top Head Coaches like Wenger and Ancelotti almost transformed Suker into a midfielder?"
Kovacic subconsciously said, "Game reading ability?"
"Exactly!" Mandžukić said, "This guy has a unique ability to read the game, or rather, a weakness perception ability. He can always spot a gap in dense defenses and also find offensive opportunities within the flow of the game!"
"If you treat Suker as a pure forward, then you're gravely mistaken!"
"This guy's versatility isn't just about technical aspects, but also awareness and other factors." Mandžukić pointed to his head, "This guy plays with his head!"
Kovacic turned to look at the TV and noticed that Suker indeed seemed to be stirring.
Previously, he had been drifting horizontally in the center and on the flanks.
Now, however, he had moved to the flank and begun moving vertically.
The latter was clearly more aggressive.
Suker's movements also greatly drew Juanfran's attention, and even the right center-back Miranda needed to constantly monitor Suker's movements.
But the problem quickly emerged: while Suker moved on the flank, Kroos also pushed forward, starting to move in the half-space.
They dared not leave Suker, but they dared even less to leave Kroos, who was in a better position.
This caused Juanfran and Miranda's heads to swing back and forth like a fan.
"Call it out!" Juanfran stared at Suker; he had no time to look at Kroos and could only shout to his teammates to remind him.
In fact, Suker did nothing but move up and down the flank.
But he had already put enough pressure on Juanfran.
Juanfran stared intently into Suker's eyes; his defensive characteristic was that he liked to look into the opponent's eyes.
He might make feints with his feet to trick people, but his eyes wouldn't.
Before breaking through, he would definitely look in the direction of the breakthrough; eyes don't lie.
This was also the reason Juanfran firmly held his position as the starting full-back.
Just then, he saw Suker look up to the side.
Juanfran also subconsciously followed his gaze, but there was nothing there.
At this, Juanfran broke out in a cold sweat.
He had been tricked!
Indeed, when Juanfran turned his head, he found that Suker was already in the process of accelerating.
If he allowed Suker to accelerate here, the problem would be big.
For this, Juanfran directly reached out and grabbed Suker's jersey. Just as he was about to pull down, his finger suddenly felt a sharp pain. The next second, Juanfran fell backward, and with the stinging in his arm, he also let go of Suker's jersey.
This action allowed Suker to sprint straight down the flank.
At the same time, Kroos's diagonal pass also arrived immediately.
"Suker! He's broken through!"
"Juanfran couldn't stop him; he was even knocked down in the challenge!"
González roared.
Ronaldo, beside him, grinned.
He saw it very clearly: Suker had used a clever trick.
In a normal challenge, Suker would not have the capital to directly confront Juanfran.
But at that moment, Juanfran's body was not straightened, and although he had grabbed Suker's jersey, his arm was stretched backward.
Therefore, the moment Suker directly accelerated, due to the explosive force, his arm was straightened, causing pain and forcing him to let go. The entire process was perfectly timed.
"Chance!" González shouted.
He saw Suker about to enter the penalty area, but just then, Miranda suddenly burst out from the side with a fierce sliding tackle, bringing both man and ball down to the ground.
Suker fell heavily to the ground, but he was quick-witted and rolled two more times, falling towards the penalty area.
Miranda finally managed to halt Suker's attack this time, but the Referee's whistle also followed immediately.
The Referee showed a yellow card, indicating it was a foul.
Regrettably, the Referee did not award a penalty but instead gave Real Madrid a free kick outside the penalty area, on the left side of the box.
"This was truly dangerous; Miranda's tackle was very decisive. If he had hesitated for another second, Suker would have entered the penalty area, and then a tackle would have led to a different problem!"
If Miranda had hesitated, Real Madrid might have been awarded a penalty.
In an already unfavorable situation, a penalty kick could be fatal.
Real Madrid's free kick!
This was a free kick located on the left side of the penalty area, not a great angle, but the problem was that Suker and Kroos were standing on either side of the ball.
"Damn it!" Atlético Madrid's players immediately tensed up.
They truly couldn't make a judgment.
If Suker hadn't been standing there, Real Madrid would most likely have taken an indirect free kick.
But with Suker standing over the ball, it meant there was a possibility of a direct shot.
"Wall, pay attention, everyone else be ready to challenge for the header at any time!"
At this moment, Atlético Madrid was facing a formidable enemy.
They had never seen Real Madrid set up such a formation!
In the past, either Suker would take it, or Kroos would.
But both of them standing over the ball simultaneously had almost never happened.
This made it impossible for them to make an effective judgment, so they could only defend every position.
Even the players from the front line had dropped back to participate in the aerial challenge.
"It should be Suker taking it. If it were just to cause confusion, there would be no need to do this!" Simeone also believed Suker would take the free kick.
Atlético Madrid's players shared the same thought.
Just then, Suker indeed started first.
He quickly approached the ball, then stepped over it without touching it.
"It's not him?" Simeone's eyes widened suddenly.
Atlético Madrid's wall also subconsciously took a slight jump, their faces filled with astonishment.
But just then, Kroos followed up sharply, and with a sweeping kick, he directly swept the ball to the center.
And there, Kaka moved forward to receive it.
At this moment, inside the penalty area, a large number of Atlético Madrid players suddenly rushed forward, intending to tackle Kaka.
At this time, Kaka gently nudged the ball forward as he met it.
He nudged the ball into an open space on the left side.
And there, Suker had somehow run into that area.
With his back to the goal, he chested the ball down perfectly in front of him.
"How should he handle this ball?"
At this moment, a large number of Atlético Madrid players had already started to surround Suker. The opponent would not give Suker a chance to turn, let alone shoot.
But just then, Suker, facing the falling ball, lightly flicked it with his left foot, while his body turned in the opposite direction.
He not only passed the ball but also further attracted defensive attention.
The passed ball flew towards the center.
In that position, Benzema suddenly leaped, his entire body airborne, twisting his waist, and swinging his foot with a powerful side volley.
"Benzema!!"
González suddenly stood up, staring intently at the screen, watching the ball slip through Atlético Madrid Goalkeeper Courtois's grasp and fly into the goal.
The moment the ball hit the net, González shouted excitedly, "Goal!! It's a goal!! In the 17th minute of the match, Real Madrid scored the first goal!"
"The French star Karim Benzema has scored the opening goal for Real Madrid!"
"This was a brilliant set-piece tactic. Clearly, Real Madrid had prepared beforehand, and this set-piece successfully broke through Atlético Madrid's goal!"
Ronaldo also nodded in admiration, "Suker's flick pass was also very deceptive. His body turned to the right, but he flicked the ball to the left central area, which further confused Atlético Madrid's defense, preventing them from immediately bothering Benzema!"
"Exactly! Suker's spatial awareness in the penalty area has always been excellent. From this assist, you can see that the moment he stopped the ball, Suker had already noticed Benzema's position and had plans to pass. But he not only successfully passed but also further deceived the opponent's defense!"
González couldn't help but exclaim.
This is Suker's role!
When necessary, he is the sharpest offensive weapon.
But more often, Suker takes on the task of orchestrating the offensive flow.
He is both the finisher of the attack and the organizer of the attack.
The entire Estádio da Luz erupted with excitement among numerous Real Madrid fans.
This goal came very suddenly, and it was also a brilliant set-piece tactic, which was quite unexpected.
After all, Real Madrid rarely used such tactics before.
They mostly relied on Suker to win aerial duels and forcefully contest high balls.
But this set-piece tactic was much more clever.
This goal completely opened up the game and firmly seized the advantage.
Atlético Madrid fans, one by one, buried their faces in their hands.
That damned feeling once again filled their hearts.
No matter how much they hypnotized themselves, how much they encouraged themselves, they knew in their hearts that they carried a fear of Real Madrid.
This was also the reason for their early aggressive attack, hoping to establish an advantage first through offense to improve their situation.
Even to have a higher margin for error.
But this goal completely disrupted their rhythm, making their hearts even more anxious.
"Hey! We shouldn't make such mistakes!"
"Why wasn't Suker marked on the wing? This is simply ridiculous; with so many people, not one person was looking at Suker?"
"I saw him, but I couldn't keep up!"
"Then shut up!"
"This ball…"
Atlético Madrid players argued incessantly, each one appearing restless.
This conceded goal made them very nervous and sensitive.
Real Madrid scoring first was a huge blow to them.
Based on their fear of Real Madrid, they didn't even know how to play the game anymore.
"Everyone, shut up!"
Amidst the arguments, Gabi, as the Captain, roared.
His angry roar made everyone fall silent.
Gabi glared, "Now is not the time to argue, nor is it the time for accountability. We've already conceded a goal; we need to find a way to equalize, not argue about whose fault this goal was."
"Now, immediately return to your positions and continue the game. Don't think about the conceded goal. There's still a lot of time left in the match. Adjust your emotions, and then continue playing!"
With that, Gabi turned and walked to his defensive position.
But even as he said this, Gabi was inwardly apprehensive.
As Captain, he had to encourage his teammates, but facing Real Madrid, and especially when trailing, anyone would feel nervous.
Gabi even wondered if their offense would be effective.
Costa performed quite well against other teams.
But in matches against Real Madrid, his efficiency simply couldn't compare to Suker's.
Leading was fine, but once they fell behind, they would indeed fall into a very passive situation.
"Atlético Madrid is starting to get anxious!" Ancelotti said slowly.
"Anyone would be anxious." Zidane sighed; "They finally made it to the Champions League, and they must have made some preparations, but conceding a goal in the first 17 minutes, plus facing their long-time rival who has always dominated them, that feeling must be terrible!"
Zidane understood Atlético Madrid's psychological changes well. The Champions League always puts immense psychological pressure on players, and maintaining composure in such an environment is almost impossible.
Even Suker, beneath his seemingly relaxed demeanor, must have a subtle psychological shift.
It's just that Suker has played so many times and has so much experience, plus his exceptional psychological quality allows him to hide it very well.
But for most players, any small detail in the game can affect their mindset.
Let alone conceding a goal!
In the Champions League Final, equalizing a goal is an extremely difficult task.
The Istanbul miracle, the reason it is a miracle, is that they equalized three goals in a row, which is nothing short of a miracle.
But in this match, Atlético Madrid, against Real Madrid, besides the squad difference, was already somewhat fearful psychologically.
Suker had repeatedly defeated Atlético Madrid before; this was not done idly.
At this moment, this psychological suppression was fully displayed.
When the game resumed, it was clear that Atlético Madrid's rhythm was somewhat chaotic.
Not only on the offensive end, but the defensive connections were also no longer rigorous.
"Feels like we can score another one!"
Suker looked at the flow of the game and Atlético Madrid's slightly loose defense, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
If he broke through the midfield line with a dribble, Atlético Madrid's backline would be exposed in front of him. At that point, as long as the pass was reasonably accurate, it wouldn't be difficult to create a goal.
Thinking of this, Suker felt a bit restless.
He always had the style of striking when the opponent was weak!
Atlético Madrid's current unstable mindset was precisely the opportune moment to exploit.
Suker began to actively drop back, even though the tactical plan for this match required Suker to be in the attacking third, responsible for assaulting the opponent's defense.
But Suker had a high degree of tactical autonomy. If he deemed it necessary, he could completely change his playing style according to his own ideas.
This was also one of Suker's major privileges at Real Madrid!
Even Ancelotti acknowledged this right.
Ancelotti was a Head Coach who was willing to delegate power, and furthermore, the players' judgment of the situation was faster and more profound than his as the Head Coach.
Therefore, he would grant some players special functions.
And Suker was this exception!
Ancelotti also saw Suker's retreating figure. He raised an eyebrow slightly, but quickly showed a faint smile.
Suker wouldn't run out of his zone for no reason. His action meant that something could be done, creating a possibility for a goal!
"Feels like we're about to get our second goal!"
Ancelotti was in a very good mood. So far, Real Madrid had maintained control of the rhythm, and the progression of the game was very favorable to them.
This made him see the arrival of his third trophy after coaching Real Madrid!
Winning the Champions League would make his coaching career at Real Madrid even smoother, and it would also prove his abilities.
However, Ancelotti also had some regrets.
That was, he truly couldn't steer a 'small boat' well, while a large ship was perfectly stable!
TL note
This is the last chapter in my draft before my computer broke down so I'm gonna translate more chapters now since I got a week break.