So what if I'm just strolling around the field? My shots are guaranteed to go in.

Modric passed the ball to him on the right side of midfield, and as the ball rolled on the grass, Gabi's body was already close behind.

Atletico Madrid's captain braced his forearm against Lin Fan's lower back—a move that was somewhere between a foul and not a foul, with just enough force to prevent Lin Fan from turning around comfortably without drawing a foul from the referee.

At the same time, Saul pressed in from the left, blocking Lin Fan's route to cut inside and pass the ball.

Lin Fan did not force his way out; instead, he passed the ball back to Carvajal.

A burst of mocking cheers erupted from the Calderon South Stand.

They were celebrating their team's success in "defending" Lin Fan.

But Lin Fan's expression didn't change at all—after passing the ball back, he immediately ran to another position, shifting the defensive focus of Gabi and Saul.

In the eighth minute, Real Madrid launched their first threatening attack.

Marcelo received a pass from Kroos on the left wing and advanced at high speed along the sideline.

Juanfran came up to defend, and Marcelo passed the ball to Ronaldo, who was cutting inside.

Cristiano Ronaldo, facing Godin's marking on the left side of the penalty area, made two consecutive feints to create a shooting angle.

His right-footed shot was heading straight for the far corner of the goal, but Oblak made a diving save. Corner kick.

The corner kick was taken, and Ramos headed the ball at the near post, but it went just over the crossbar.

Calderon let out a sigh of relief.

But Atletico Madrid's counterattack came even faster.

In the eleventh minute, Oblak launched a quick counter-attack with a throw-in. Koke received the ball on the right side of midfield and delivered a long pass to Carrasco, who was making a run down the left flank.

Facing Carvajal's one-on-one defense, the Belgian made a fake cut inside and then suddenly changed direction, breaking through from the outside.

Carvajal was outmaneuvered, and Carrasco delivered a low cross from near the byline.

Griezmann flicked the ball with his heel at the near post, sending it flying toward the far post.

Navas reacted quickly, tipping the ball out of bounds with his fingertips. Corner kick.

Calderón erupted in a deafening roar – not for a goal, but for the 54,000 fans who saw the possibility of Atlético Madrid tearing apart Real Madrid's defense.

Simeone clapped enthusiastically from the sidelines and shouted onto the field, "That's it! Keep the pressure on!"

The corner kick was taken, and Godin outjumped Varane to head the ball towards the goal, but the ball grazed the far post and went out of play.

Real Madrid escaped a close call. Ramos yelled at the defense, pointing to his temple—he was reminding his teammates to stay focused.

In the 13th minute, Lin Fan got a relatively easy chance to receive the ball on the right wing.

Casemiro intercepted the ball from Torres and passed it to Modric on the right.

Modric didn't stop the ball; he immediately passed it to Lin Fan.

This time, Gabi's pressing was a fraction of a second too slow—he was distracted by Modric's off-the-ball movement for a fraction of a second.

It's just a fraction of a second.

Lin Fan received the ball, turned around, and started moving.

He slipped through the gap between Gabi and Saul, like a fish sliding between the two ropes of a fishing net.

Calderon's noise level instantly escalated to a whole new level—it was the noise of panic.

Saul scooped from the side, his spikes carving a long furrow in the turf.

Lin Fan jumped up to dodge the tackle, and the moment he landed, he used the outside of his right foot to push the ball to the left wing.

Marcelo has already surged forward. The Brazilian receives the ball on the left wing, with a wide-open space in front of him—Juanfran has been drawn away by Ronaldo's inside run.

Marcelo dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area and delivered a curling cross.

Benzema won the ball at the near post in the penalty area, but his header was too straight and was easily caught by Oblak.

Although no goal was scored, the attack caused a slight uneasy commotion in the Calderon stands.

Atletico Madrid fans are beginning to realize that their defensive network is not as impenetrable as they thought.

In the 15th minute, Atletico Madrid launched a three-minute siege.

Koke delivered a penetrating through ball from midfield, Torres received the ball on the right side of the penalty area, and facing Varane's defense, he cut inside, turned, and fired a left-footed shot—Navas made a diving save to push the ball out of bounds.

Corner kick. Atletico Madrid then took three consecutive corner kicks, causing chaos in the penalty area, and Real Madrid's defense was under immense pressure.

Ramos was knocked to the ground after a header clearance, but the referee did not call a foul because it was normal physical contact from Godin during the aerial challenge.

The chants of Atlético Madrid fans were deafening; they sensed a goal was imminent.

In the 18th minute, Griezmann received a pass back from Torres at the edge of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot.

The ball hit Casemiro's shin and bounced out of bounds.

Calderon let out a huge sigh, followed by even louder applause.

In the first eighteen minutes of the match, both sides demonstrated a high level of intensity and execution.

Atletico Madrid's strangulation tactics caused Real Madrid's midfield operations to become noticeably sluggish, while Real Madrid's counter-attacks made the Calderon fans' hearts race every time.

Neither side would give an inch, and the score remained 0-0.

But everyone could sense that this score wouldn't last long.

Because both sides are operating at their maximum defensive capacity, any moment of relaxation could lead to a goal.

In the nineteenth minute, that moment arrived.

Real Madrid completed a successful defensive play in their own half.

Casemiro dispossessed Griezmann just outside the penalty area and passed the ball to Ramos.

Ramos looked up and saw Lin Fan roaming near the center line, with Gabi and Saul beside him, but the distance between them was slightly greater than usual.

This is the effect of Lin Fan's repeated running over the past ten minutes.

He constantly switched between the right, middle and left flanks, forcing Gabi and Saul to constantly adjust their defensive positions.

During this process, slight cracks began to appear in the understanding between the two.

Ramos passed the ball to Modric. Modric controlled the ball, turned, and facing Koke's pressure, passed the ball across to Lin Fan on the right.

This time, Gabi's close marking wasn't up to par.

Saul came to cover from the side, but he wasn't as fast as Lin Fan.

Lin Fan had already completed his observation before receiving the ball—he saw the gap between Godin and Savic, Ronaldo was making a diagonal run down the left flank, and Oblak was positioned slightly further forward.

He decided not to pass the ball.

Lin Fan stopped the ball with his right foot, and the ball came to a steady stop at his feet.

His body was facing the goal, about 32 meters away.

Gabi charged at him from his left, Saul closed in from behind, and Felipe blocked him from the front.

Three lines of defense, within three meters.

Lin Fan swung his right foot back, preparing to unleash a powerful shot.

Gabi lunged forward with a sliding tackle, attempting to block the "shot".

But when Lin Fan's right foot landed, the way he touched the ball completely changed—it wasn't a volley, but a gentle flick with the inside of his foot.

The ball flew up.

It wasn't a powerful shot, but an extremely exquisite curved shot.

The ball flew over Filipe's head and slipped through the gap between Godin and Savic.

It has a strong inward rotation, curving into a visible arc in the air.

The air in Calderon seemed to freeze for a moment, and all 54,000 eyes followed the spinning ball.

Oblak guessed the right direction. He leaped towards the top left corner of the goal, his arm fully extended, his fingertips tracing the air.

The ball grazed his fingertips—less than two centimeters away—and then slipped into the net, grazing the bottom edge of the crossbar.

The Atlético Madrid fans' stands behind the goal were deathly silent.

What did they see?

They saw a 19-year-old Chinese boy, on the Calderon pitch, 32 meters from the goal, surrounded by three Atletico Madrid players, curl a shot past Oblak.

Oblak—the man widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world—didn't even touch the ball.

The entire Calderon seemed to have been muted.

The noise of 54,000 people disappeared in the same instant.

You can hear the rustling of the ball spinning in the net, the sound of Lin Fan's shoes hitting the grass as he runs, and the almost frenzied roars of four thousand Real Madrid fans coming from the corners of the stadium.

Lin Fan did not celebrate immediately after scoring the goal.

He ran toward the corner flag, but stopped halfway. He turned to face the South Stand—the stand where the insulting banner had been displayed before the game. He raised his right hand to his lips.

Lie.

The exact same moves as at Camp Nou.

But this time, he wasn't facing 98,000 red and blue fans, but 54,000 red and white fans.

Before him stood the enormous Tifo—a cartoon depicting gladiators stepping on the faces of East Asians.

He stood directly in front of the image, his right hand placed in front of his lips, like a silent sculpture.

The south stand erupted in that instant—not with cheers, but with fury.

Mineral water bottles, lighters, and coins rained down from the stands.

Some people were frantically giving the middle finger, some were cursing with the most vicious language, and some were trying to climb over the barbed wire fence to rush onto the field.

But Lin Fan remained standing there, his hand in front of his lips, his expression as calm as a stagnant pool.

Real Madrid players swarmed around him and pulled him away from the south stand.

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his head and yelled into his ear.

Modric jumped onto his back from behind.

Ramos rushed to the front of the south stand, clapped at the Atletico Madrid fans who were insulting Lin Fan, then turned around and gave Lin Fan a thumbs up.

On the sidelines, Simeone's face was flushed red.

He roared at the players on the field, not at the referee, not at the players, but at his own anger.

He had set up the best defense and used the most targeted tactics, having three players mark Lin Fan—and then Lin Fan shattered it all with a curling shot from thirty-two meters away.

This is not a tactical failure. This is genius ignoring tactics.

Ancelotti unusually pumped his fist on the sidelines.

The Italian had an almost helpless smile on his face as he turned to Zidane and said something.

Zidane did not answer. The Frenchman just stared at the number 10 on the field, who was being surrounded by his teammates, and his pupils reflected a silhouette that was all too familiar to him.

On Calderon's scoreboard, the numbers started to jump.

Atletico Madrid 0-1 Real Madrid.

Goal scorer: Lin Fan. Time: 19th minute.

On Calderon's scoreboard, the numbers 0-1 still gleamed coldly in the afternoon sun.

Atletico Madrid die-hard fans in the south stand were still throwing objects onto the pitch, with water bottles and lighters rolling all over the grass.

Stadium security personnel formed a human wall, blocking the area between the south stand and the stadium.

The referee temporarily stopped the game and signaled to the staff to clear the field.

Lin Fan stood near the center circle, surrounded by his Real Madrid teammates.

With one hand still on his shoulder, the Portuguese player whispered something in his ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"That move you just made—shushing the South Stand at the Calderon—I didn't dare do that in my seven years at Real Madrid. You did it in your first season."

Lin Fan glanced at him, his lips twitched slightly, which was considered a smile.

The match resumed after a delay of nearly two minutes.

Atletico Madrid's players stood in the center circle, ready to kick off. Their expressions were no longer angry or frustrated, but rather the ferocity of a beast driven to the brink of despair.

Gabi stared intently at Lin Fan, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Godin slapped the turf hard and yelled Spanish profanities at his teammates, so loudly that the cameras on the sidelines picked up the conversation.

Simeone's adjustments came faster than anyone expected.

He didn't wait until halftime—in the 21st minute, when the ball went out of bounds and became dead, he called Gabi to the sidelines.

The Argentine had his arm around the Atlético Madrid captain's shoulder, his mouth moving rapidly as he pointed to the possible locations of Lin Fan on the field.

Gabi nodded repeatedly, sweat dripping from his forehead onto Simone's black suit.

"Saul, you go back to the middle," Simone gestured with his hand in the air. "Gabi, you keep marking Lin Fan, but don't get too close—give him a step's distance, lure him to receive the ball, and then both of you close in at the same time the moment he turns. Understand? It's not about preventing him from receiving the ball, it's about preventing him from turning. Let him receive the ball, and then choke him the moment he turns."

The intention behind this adjustment is very precise.

Simeone observed in the first twenty minutes that Lin Fan's most dangerous moment was not when he had the ball, but the instant he turned around and faced the goal.

Before that, he was just a receiver; after that, he became a killer. And the transition between the two often takes only a fraction of a second.

In the 23rd minute, Atletico Madrid completed their first successful defensive play after adjusting their strategy.

Modric found a passing lane through the middle to Lin Fan, and the ball rolled to Lin Fan's feet.

Following Simeone's instructions, Gabi didn't get too close, but instead gave Lin Fan a step of space to receive the ball.

Lin Fan received the ball and turned around—the very instant he turned, Gabi and Saul simultaneously closed the net.

Gabi blocked Lin Fan's path from the front, while Saul poked the ball away from the side.

The ball rolled to Koke's feet.

Calderon erupted in cheers—not mocking cheers, but genuine applause for a brilliant defensive play.

Without hesitation, Koke launched a long pass to Carrasco on the left wing.

The Belgian received the ball near the sideline, facing a one-on-one defense from Carvajal.

This time, Carvajal learned his lesson. Instead of diving, he chose to position himself sideways, blocking Carrasco's inside cut.

Carrasco made two feints in succession, and after finding that his inside cutting lane was blocked, he chose to pass the ball back to Filipe who had made a run forward.

Filipe received the ball near the left byline and glanced up at the penalty area.

Torres and Griezmann were both making runs in the penalty area, but Ramos and Varane marked them very closely, leaving no space for Atletico Madrid's forwards to receive the ball.

Filipe opted for a cutback pass, the ball rolling towards the edge of the penalty area.

Saul has already charged forward.

He unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area, the ball flying towards the goal like a cannonball.

Navas made a diving save, his fingertips touching the ball—which changed direction and grazed the crossbar before going out of bounds.

Calderon let out a huge sigh, followed by applause.

Corner kick.

This was Atletico Madrid's fifth corner kick in less than 25 minutes.

As Kirk walked toward the corner flag, Calderon's fans began to make noise, the drumbeats so dense they sounded like a downpour hitting sheet metal.

Koke delivered a slanted inward-curving shot that flew towards the center of the six-yard box.

Godin and Ramos jumped at the same time, their foreheads almost colliding—Godin headed the ball, but his header was blocked by Ramos's body, and the ball bounced into the air.

Just as everyone looked up at the ball, Savic burst out from the crowd.

He jumped up and slammed his forehead into the ball.

The ball changed direction and flew towards the bottom left corner of the goal.

Navas's view was blocked by the dense crowd; he saw the ball, but it was too late to react.

The ball went into the net.