Wow!

The entire Bernabéu Stadium erupted instantly.

Penalty!

More and more fans shouted loudly, convinced they had seen Ronaldo brought down inside Barcelona's penalty area.

At first glance, it did look like a penalty.

But Gao Shen and his staff saw clearly that Piqué's challenge was just outside the box. This was more of a free kick than a penalty.

The referee's decision confirmed it. After blowing the whistle, Gómez did not point to the spot, but awarded a free kick. He then walked over to Piqué, called him out, and quickly showed him a yellow card.

"Twenty-nine seconds into the game, Real Madrid have a free kick in a great position up front."

"Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué is booked."

"Yes, the foul was outside the area, but the free kick is still in a very dangerous spot."

"Now it depends on how Real Madrid decide to play this. They could definitely go for a direct shot."

After Benzema helped Ronaldo back to his feet, several Real Madrid players gathered near Barcelona's box, while the visitors organised their defensive wall.

…

Gao Shen stood on the touchline. Although the whole stadium was booing and protesting the referee's decision not to give a penalty, he was not surprised.

The decision was spot-on.

"Ronnie should be confident from here," Zidane said.

He had practiced free kicks with Ronaldo and knew how often the Portuguese scored from this range.

Barcelona clearly knew it too, arranging Piqué, Busquets, and other tall players in the wall, even trying to edge forward until the referee made them retreat.

This was before referees carried cans of white spray to mark the line, which would have made it simpler and clearer.

"This position is neither great nor bad. It's hard to get the ball to dip and still hit the corner. That's quite difficult," Hierro, who also knew his way around a free kick, analysed.

Gao Shen nodded. In fact, if it had been a little further back, the shot might have been easier to execute.

"If we work a set play here, it might be easier to score," Gao Shen said.

Zidane and Hierro exchanged a glance and nodded.

Normally, from here it would be a direct shot, since it was central but slightly to the left. But precisely because everyone expected a direct attempt, a quick combination might catch Barcelona out, especially with all their tall players in the wall.

Piqué was originally supposed to track Benzema at the back post, but Xavi had called him into the wall.

"I didn't notice before, but now I think Xavi has the makings of a head coach," Gao Shen laughed.

At the time of his transmigration, Xavi had indeed gone into coaching, though not in La Liga but in Qatar.

Many believed he could become the next Guardiola. Barcelona had a tradition of midfielders becoming coaches, and Xavi looked like the next in line.

Right now, it was clear the Barcelona players were listening to him like he was already their coach on the pitch.

At this moment, the Real Madrid players pulled away, leaving only Ronaldo over the ball.

That was a clear signal they were going for goal.

Everyone knew Ronaldo's trademark knuckleball.

The players had made their decision on the pitch, and Gao Shen did not interfere, simply watching quietly.

…

With the referee's whistle, Ronaldo took a quick run-up and struck the free kick with his right foot.

There was a thud as the ball sailed over the wall.

But unexpectedly, it was not aimed at goal. Instead, it dropped toward the back of the six-yard box.

Before anyone could react, Benzema burst into the area. With no marker close to him, he barely had to jump, meeting the ball cleanly with his head.

His header changed the ball's direction and sent it into the far corner.

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"Real Madrid's free kick combination!"

"1-0!"

"Less than two minutes in, Real Madrid have opened Barcelona's goal with a brilliant set piece!"

"That free kick from Ronaldo caught everyone by surprise."

"I think fans everywhere, just like us, assumed he would go for goal. It fits his style. But at the decisive moment, he chose to assist instead."

"This is Ronaldo. This is what a superstar does."

"You never know what he will decide."

"Ronaldo's delivery was perfect, and Benzema's positioning was spot on. Alves was blocked off behind him, and with the height disadvantage, the Brazilian didn't even jump. He could only watch Benzema's header go in."

"That was a sudden and unexpected move from Real Madrid."

Gao Shen raised his arms and cheered from the sideline, pleasantly surprised.

He had not expected Ronaldo to opt for the assist, and the quality of the delivery was outstanding.

"To be honest, Ronaldo has really changed," Hierro praised.

The sudden choice to assist was completely unexpected.

If the Real Madrid bench was caught off guard, then Barcelona were certainly stunned.

But that's football.

"Yes, he's playing more for the team now, not just trying to be the hero. It's probably tied to his performances this season. He's been scoring plenty," Zidane analysed.

Gao Shen remembered how, when he first took charge, he had pushed Ronaldo hard to change his approach. Now, it seemed to have paid off. Ronaldo had embraced a more team-oriented style, which only made him more dangerous.

Just like this goal: Ronaldo had dropped deep to get the ball before Alves, bursting from behind to win it. If he had stayed too high up, the chance might not have come.

He won the free kick, took it himself, and assisted the goal.

The first two minutes were all about Ronaldo.

"This guy is good!" Gao Shen said with a wide grin.

He was genuinely happy to see Ronaldo's transformation.

…

Real Madrid's early goal sent the Bernabéu into a frenzy.

But once play restarted, Barcelona immediately pushed forward.

Real Madrid's shape remained compact and organised near the halfway line.

After half a season of fine-tuning, their defensive system was both structured and flexible. The players worked tirelessly to close spaces, making it hard for Barcelona to pass through the midfield.

This was a different approach from Gao Shen's Napoli days.

Back then, in a 4-2-3-1, he would press hard between the 30-metre line and the halfway line. Once opponents entered that zone, Napoli would swarm them aggressively, often sending extra players into traps, especially out wide, where they would form a fan-shaped pressing unit.

That worked well with three or four midfielders on one flank.

But in a 4-3-3, with wingers pushed high and only three midfielders, it was harder to form such small traps.

This time, Gao Shen had Ronaldo and Di María drop deeper, the full-backs push up, and with Modric and Kroos joining in, they could quickly form pressing groups on the wings.

Benzema stopped pressing Piqué and Puyol, instead focusing solely on marking Busquets.

This greatly disrupted Barcelona's build-up.

Xavi and Iniesta dropped back often to help, but when they tried to push forward, they found themselves blocked.

Gao Shen watched intently from the sideline, studying his team's defensive shape.

As the match went on, Barcelona dominated possession. Even trailing, they pushed forward aggressively, with Messi, Sánchez, and Agüero dropping deep to help, but without much success.

Tonight, at the Bernabéu, Barcelona's midfield looked jammed.

In football, nothing happens by accident.

Once Barcelona's passing lanes were shut down and their possession brought no threat, their weaknesses began to show, especially the flaw Gao Shen had pointed out before the match.

Their counter-pressing.

Many would scoff at the idea. After all, Barcelona's famed "Dream Team III" was known for their immediate counter-press after losing the ball. How could that be a weakness?

It was not that they had lost the ability entirely, but it had declined.

That was closely linked to their reduced running capacity.

As they grew more focused on possession, and with ageing legs like Xavi and Puyol, their running and intensity in counter-pressing dropped. The desire to press immediately weakened, and it became more obvious.

They had tried to address it by signing players like Seydou Keita or, more recently, Alex Song.

In Gao Shen's previous life, they even brought in Mascherano to strengthen interceptions, but ended up converting him into a centre-back.

Now, their counter-press was vulnerable. Not every time, but when it failed, it was costly.

Like in the 18th minute, when they tried to play a ball in behind Real Madrid's defence, only for Varane to head it clear into midfield.

The young centre-back was having an excellent game, frustrating Messi repeatedly, including on this clearance.

Kroos outjumped Xavi to win the second ball, heading it toward the centre.

Xabi Alonso stepped up to collect it, and at that moment, there was not a single Barcelona player within ten metres of the Real Madrid midfield.

This was a clear flaw in their transition. Alonso drove forward, and Xavi failed to close him down quickly, forcing Iniesta to step up instead.

That allowed Di María to cut inside into Iniesta's space, raising his hand to call for the ball.

At the same time, Carvajal made a decisive overlapping run on the right at full speed.

(To be continued.)