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

Before the start of the second half, the players from both sides lined up in two rows again in the players' tunnel.

One column with red and white stripes, and one column with white stripes.

No one spoke. No one looked at each other. There was only the sound of breathing and the scraping of sneakers on the concrete.

The noise from the 54,000 people in the Calderon stands did not diminish at all during halftime.

The die-hard Atletico Madrid fans in the South Stand sang for a full fifteen minutes—not the team anthem, but a song specially prepared for tonight, with lyrics that roughly translate to: "In our home, no one can be king."

The referee team walked out of the tunnel and began leading the two teams onto the field. The moment they stepped out of the tunnel, the roar of Calderon's cheers once again soared into the sky.

The whistle blew to start the second half.

Atletico Madrid began their signature high-pressing from the very first second.

Just like Simeone's halftime setup—Atletico Madrid's midfield line pushed into Real Madrid's half, with Gabi and Saul sweeping through the midfield like two hounds, while Koke and Carrasco darted back and forth on the flanks, cutting off Real Madrid's lateral passes.

In the 46th minute, Atletico Madrid created a threat.

Koke delivered a precise long pass from the right flank, the ball sailing over Marcelo's head and landing in Carrasco's running path.

The Belgian stopped the ball near the byline and, facing the chasing Carvajal, made a feint to cut inside—Carvajal instinctively took a step back, not daring to challenge him.

He has a yellow card; another foul will send him off.

Carrasco took advantage of this hesitation and crossed the ball.

Griezmann jumped at the near post but missed the ball, which grazed his scalp and flew toward the far post.

Torres was already waiting there. His right-footed shot was powerful, but the angle was too straight, and Navas blocked the ball with his chest.

Ramos kicked the ball out of bounds before Griezmann could get a chance to follow up with a shot.

Calderon let out a huge sigh, followed by applause.

Simeone didn't roar from the sidelines; instead, he clapped vigorously and gave a thumbs-up to the field.

He saw what he wanted to see—Carvajal's hesitation, and the vulnerability on Real Madrid's right flank.

In the 48th minute, Atletico Madrid launched another attack from the right flank.

This time, Koke and Saul executed a one-two pass, with Saul receiving a back pass from Koke near the right byline and crossing the ball directly.

The ball bypassed Ramos at the near post and Varane at the far post, finding Gabi precisely at the edge of the penalty area.

Gabi unleashed a powerful shot – the ball deflected off Kroos' outstretched leg and went out of play. Corner kick.

Kirk walked toward the corner flag. The noise from Calderon instantly escalated.

The shouts of 54,000 people reverberated in every corner of the stadium, and the drumbeats were so dense that they sounded like a torrential downpour hitting a sheet of metal.

Koke took a deep breath, ran up, and unleashed a curling shot. The ball, with a strong inward spin, flew towards the center of the six-yard box.

Godin charged out from the near post, with Ramos marking him closely.

The two jumped up 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.

Savic jumped at the far post to contest the header, but Varane blocked his chest with his shoulder, and the ball bounced away again.

The ball landed in the penalty area. Chaos ensued. At least six people simultaneously stretched out their legs to reach the ball.

Griezmann, Torres, Koke, Casemiro, Varane, Navas—all crammed into an area of ​​less than ten square meters.

The ball bounced between countless legs, each touch raising the noise of Calderon by an octave.

Finally, one foot poked the ball.

It's Saul.

He rushed in from outside the penalty area and, before anyone could react, poked the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal with his toe.

Navas's view was completely blocked by the dense crowd—he didn't even make a move to make a save.

Goal!

Calderon went mad in that instant.

The scoreboard flashes – Atletico Madrid 3-2 Real Madrid. Goal scorer: Saul. Time: 49th minute.

"Saul! Saul! Atletico Madrid has taken the lead!" He Wei's voice was completely hoarse, but he was still shouting with his last bit of strength.

"Just four minutes into the second half! Atletico Madrid capitalized on a corner kick opportunity, with Saul poking the ball into the net! 3-2! This is their third corner kick goal of the match! Real Madrid's corner kick defense still hasn't solved the problem in the second half! Calderón has gone mad! This stadium has completely gone mad!"

Saul sprinted toward the corner flag area, but was tackled to the ground by Gabi midway.

The Atlético Madrid players pressed forward one after another, forming a red and white striped mountain.

Godin crawled out of the crowd and frantically swung his fists at the south stand, letting out a hoarse roar with each swing.

The south stand responded to him, with red and white smoke drifting down from the stands and enveloping the entire area behind the goal.

Simeone had lost control of himself on the sidelines.

He jumped up, spun around in the air, and kicked a water bottle in front of him hard when he landed.

The bottle traced an arc, hit the GG sign, and bounced back onto the grass.

The fourth official came over to warn him, but Simone completely ignored him.

He turned around and pounded his chest at the fans in the stands, like an enraged bull.

Ancelotti stood in the away team's coaching area, his hands in his pockets, his face ashen.

His eyebrows were raised even higher than in the first half, but he made no gestures or called out to anyone.

He simply stood there quietly, like a statue.

Zidane stood behind Ancelotti, his arms crossed over his chest, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The Frenchman's expression wasn't one of anger, but rather a deep sense of helplessness.

He knows this situation all too well – at the Calderon, Atletico Madrid's set pieces are like a different sport altogether.

You can do all the tactical preparations you can, but there are some things that are outside of tactics.

For example, the momentum Saul had when he rushed into the penalty area; the attitude of Godin and Ramos when they were competing for a header, as if they wanted to smash each other's heads; and the noise created by 54,000 people during a corner kick, which made the air vibrate.

These are things you can't simulate on the training field.

"Another corner kick." He Wei's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness. "Atletico Madrid earned six corner kicks in this match and scored three. A 50% conversion rate. It's not that Real Madrid defended poorly—Atletico Madrid's corner kick tactics are too diverse, Koke's choices of landing points are too varied, and the intensity of Atletico Madrid players' pressing in the penalty area is a force that almost transcends the realm of sports. At the Calderon, a corner kick is a penalty kick."

Xu Yang added, "Moreover, Real Madrid is facing two problems. The first problem is that they are behind in the score. The second problem is more serious—Carvajal has a yellow card, and his defense on the right flank is completely hampered. Just now, when Carrasco cut inside, Carvajal didn't even dare to make physical contact. This means that Real Madrid's right-flank defense is practically non-existent. Ancelotti must make adjustments, either by substituting Carvajal or by having Casemiro provide more support on the right flank."

Ancelotti didn't make a substitution. He walked to the sidelines and gestured to Casemiro – move to the right to protect the space behind Carvajal.

Then he made a gesture to Lin Fan—to retreat deeper and participate in the defense.

This is a passive but necessary adjustment.

Casemiro was used to cover Carvajal's defensive weaknesses, and Lin Fan's dropping back increased the midfield's numerical advantage, while maintaining Lin Fan's passing threat during counter-attacks.

The atmosphere at Calderon completely changed after the match restarted.

Atletico Madrid fans no longer boo – they now emit battle cries, drumbeats, and a continuous, deafening roar.

The noise wasn't directed at any one player; it covered the entire stadium, like a heavy blanket pressing down on every Real Madrid player.

In the 52th minute, Atletico Madrid launched another attack.

Koke evaded Kroos's pressure in midfield and delivered a through ball. 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 for a corner.

Another corner kick. Calderón's cheers crashed onto the pitch like a wall.

Kirk walked toward the corner flag area again.

This time, Ancelotti unusually roared from the sidelines—he was directing everyone's marking positions.

Ramos marks Godin, Varane marks Savic, Casemiro marks Torres, and Ronaldo drops back to the edge of the penalty area to defend against a possible tactical corner kick from Koke.

Koke took the corner kick—the ball flew to the near post, Godin and Ramos collided again, and the ball bounced towards the far post.

Saul charged in from the far post and unleashed a powerful shot – Navas made a diving save, tipping the ball over the bar. Another corner kick.

The drumbeats of Calderon grew louder and louder.

The fourth consecutive corner kick. Koke heads towards the corner flag again.

This time he took a tactical corner kick—he passed the ball to Carrasco on the edge of the penalty area, and then immediately ran into the penalty area.

Carrasco passed the ball across the middle, and Koke met it at the edge of the penalty area and slotted it home.

The ball flew close to the grass towards the bottom left corner of the goal, and Navas slid down to catch it.

Real Madrid escaped a close call. But Atletico Madrid's offensive showed no signs of abating.

In the 56th minute, Koke delivered another long pass from the right wing, and Carrasco received the ball behind Carvajal.

Carvajal tried to bump Carrasco away with his shoulder as he chased back, but he hesitated before making contact with Carrasco—the yellow card was like a branding iron pressing on his mind.

Carrasco used this hesitation to cut inside to the edge of the penalty area and curl a shot into the far corner.

The ball curved past Navas' fingertips, grazed the far post, and went out of bounds.

Carvajal knelt on the grass, his hands braced against the turf, panting heavily.

His face was etched with struggle. He was Real Madrid's only backup right-back – Nacho was already playing center-back.

If he is sent off, Ancelotti will have to use Kroos as a makeshift right-back or have Bale drop back.

Either option would severely weaken Real Madrid's attacking capabilities.

Cristiano Ronaldo ran back from the front, grabbed Carvajal's hand, and pulled him up.

"Grit your teeth," the Portuguese growled into Carvajal's ear, "Don't let them see you're scared. The more scared you are, the more they'll attack your side."

Ancelotti finally made a substitution.

In the 58th minute, he substituted Nacho for Carvajal.

Nacho came on as a right-back, and his steps were still a little awkward after he had just finished warming up.

But at least he didn't have a yellow card. Ancelotti also made a gesture – for Casemiro to drop back to center-back, Varane to right center-back, and Nacho to play right-back.

This is a transitional formation with three center-backs, designed to strengthen set-piece defense.

But Atletico Madrid's offensive pressure did not diminish despite Real Madrid's substitutions.

In the 61st minute, Koke delivered a long pass of over 40 meters from midfield, finding Griezmann.

The Frenchman controlled the ball with a beautiful first touch, and facing Varane's one-on-one defense, he made three consecutive changes of direction, creating a shooting angle.

His left-footed shot was heading straight for the near corner of the goal, but Navas made a diving save. Corner kick.

The seventh corner kick.

Koke's corner kick was headed out of the penalty area by Ramos, and the ball fell to Modric's feet.

The Croatian looked up—Lin Fan had already started moving on the right flank.

Modric launched a long pass, the ball crossing the halfway line and flying towards the right side of Atletico Madrid's half.

Lin Fan glanced back at the ball's trajectory while running at high speed, and then used the instep of his foot to catch the ball the moment it fell.

Before him lay a vast expanse of grass.

Atletico Madrid's defense pushed entirely into Real Madrid's penalty area during their last corner kick, and they are now desperately chasing back.

Godin was five meters behind Lin Fan, Savic was chasing Ronaldo on the left wing, and Gabi and Saul were cutting in from the side.

Lin Fan dribbled the ball forward. Every step he took felt like Calderon's heartbeat.

The Atlético Madrid fans in the south stand made a terrified noise—not a boo, but the kind of instinctive scream you make when you see a car about to crash into the guardrail.

The heartbeats of 54,000 people accelerated in sync with Lin Fan's pace.

Godin caught up to within two meters of Lin Fan.

Gabi lunged in from the side. Oblak rushed out to the edge of the penalty area, blocking Lin Fan's shooting angle.

Lin Fan looked up. His eyes swept across the penalty area—Cristiano Ronaldo was making a high-speed run down the left flank, but Savic was marking him closely.

Benzema rushed in from the middle, but Godin's tracking back was positioned right between Benzema and Lin Fan. Neither pass was ideal.

He decided not to pass the ball.

He dribbled into the penalty area. Oblak spread his arms to block the near post.

Godin stretched out his leg from behind to interfere. Gabi slid in from the side. A three-way encirclement.

Lin Fan suddenly slowed down while running and pulled the ball back a step with the sole of his foot.

Godin sped past him, unable to stop, and crashed into Oblak.

Gabi's sliding tackle missed, leaving a long plow mark on the turf with his spikes.

This is the moment.

Lin Fan used the inside of his right foot to curl a shot into the air.

The ball flew through the gap between Godin and Oblak, curving towards the top left corner of the goal.

Oblak barely managed to extend his arm while off balance, but his fingertips were still a hand's breadth away from the ball.

The ball grazed the bottom edge of the crossbar and went into the net.

3-3.