The starting lineups were as follows:
Real Madrid (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Casillas
Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo
Midfielders: Khedira, Alonso, Di María
Forwards: Kaká, Benzema, Suker
Arsenal (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Szczęsny
Defenders: Koscielny, Clichy, Djourou, Sagna
Midfielders: Rosický, Fàbregas, Wilshere
Forwards: Walcott, van Persie, Nasri
5th minute of play.
"Real Madrid has maintained a relatively cautious defensive formation since the start of the match. Arsenal has deployed a technically skilled midfield lineup with Rosický, Fàbregas and Wilshere responsible for organizing play, while Nasri and Walcott operate on the wings."
"Although Arsenal has slightly higher possession and controls more of the initiative, most of their play has been sideways passing without creating good opportunities for through balls. Fàbregas continues searching for openings!"
Shut the hell up! Fàbregas couldn't help cursing inwardly.
Which commentator was seeing them control the initiative? Having possession didn't mean having control.
Real Madrid's tactics didn't require much ball possession, yet Arsenal didn't dare push forward aggressively. They were mostly testing the waters.
There was no other way!
Every attempted forward push would inevitably meet with Real Madrid's coordinated midfield and defensive pressure.
Losing possession wasn't the main problem - the real danger was allowing Real Madrid to counterattack. With Suker's capabilities, Arsenal's goal would be in serious jeopardy.
Therefore, Fàbregas was being much more cautious than usual with his passing.
He had to perform, he had to win this match!
Fàbregas kept observing, wanting to create simpler attacking situations.
But the damn problem was Mourinho's compact defense left no gaps to exploit. He couldn't find passing lanes to his teammates.
If he forced passes through, fullbacks Srna and Marcelo could both initiate attacks, not to mention Alonso anchoring midfield.
These players were all capable of launching counterattacks with single passes, forcing Fàbregas to be even more careful.
Thud!
Under pressure from Alonso, Fàbregas barely managed to poke the ball to a teammate with his toe.
Damn it!
The pressure was still overwhelming!
Fàbregas couldn't help complaining silently.
When he looked toward the wing, Nasri was already charging forward.
Was there an opportunity?
Fàbregas moved closer to Nasri's supporting position, providing an option to recycle possession if the wing play broke down.
Nasri attempted several moves, but Srna refused to commit, instead shepherding him toward the byline while cutting off any inward passing lanes and closely marking any crossing attempts.
"Damn it!"
Nasri cursed angrily before passing back.
"Cesc!"
Before controlling the ball, Fàbregas instinctively looked up to survey his surroundings - just as Di María came charging at him.
Instead of taking the ball down, he tried to turn and redirect it.
But as he turned, he bumped straight into Suker.
"Steal it!" Suker shouted.
Di María poked the ball away.
"Nice one!"
Suker gave Fàbregas a shove to disrupt his balance, then sprinted forward at full speed.
"Wilshere!" Fàbregas yelled as the English midfielder rushed to intercept.
Suker reached the ball first, glanced toward Kaká while shaping to pass, then executed a sharp V-turn with his left foot to leave Wilshere wrong-footed.
"Wilshere beaten! Arsenal's defense is in danger!"
Suker charged straight at Arsenal's backline. Meanwhile, Benzema suddenly darted into the penalty area.
The wingers Kaká and Di María also made supporting runs.
At this moment, Benzema did something unexpected - instead of continuing his run, he checked back toward Suker.
Clichy noticed this movement.
Suker played a pass to Benzema.
"Watch the one-two!" Clichy and Sagna immediately closed down Benzema, sandwiching him to prevent any turn.
As long as he couldn't turn, Benzema wouldn't be able to complete the return pass for the one-two - the passing angle would be cut off.
But Benzema held off both defenders stubbornly, then gently rolled the ball back into Suker's path with the inside of his foot.
The Arsenal defenders' minds reeled.
A layoff!
As they looked up in alarm, Suker was already adjusting his feet with quick steps before swinging his right foot through the ball.
The shot skimmed along the ground, arrowing toward the bottom right corner.
Arsenal keeper Szczęsny, leaning slightly to his left, desperately stretched out his leg.
Thud!
The ball was blocked away.
"Clear it!" Szczęsny shouted while still on the ground, unable to recover quickly.
At that moment, a white blur appeared where the ball landed.
Meeting the bouncing ball with a gentle header, the ball nestled into the net.
"Gooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!"
"Kaká!! In the 12th minute, Kaká scores on the rebound!"
"This is Real Madrid's counterattacking prowess - starting from Di María's tackle, Suker's dribble through midfield, Benzema acting as the wall to set up Suker's shot, and Kaká arriving perfectly to convert the rebound!"
"Arsenal's situation just became much more dire. Already at a disadvantage, they've now conceded another goal."
"What a counterattack! Real Madrid leads 1-0 against Arsenal!"
The stadium erupted in cheers.
Amidst the celebrations of tens of thousands of Madrid fans, the players mobbed Kaká.
Suker vigorously ruffled Kaká's hair while others hugged the goalscorer.
Benzema asked excitedly: "How was my layoff?"
"Perfect!" Suker immediately gave a thumbs up, then added: "Your passes are getting really comfortable!"
Hearing this, Benzema looked proud.
See!
This was the result of their training - not just improving his positioning, but also developing better chemistry with Suker.
"Next time I'll set you up again!"
"Then I'll give you another thumbs up!"
"I'll help you get a hat trick!"
"Brother! You're my real brother!"
Arm in arm, the two walked away.
Srna shook his head at the scene: "Has Karim forgotten he's also a striker?"
Srna felt Benzema had been completely brainwashed by Suker.
A center forward not pursuing goals but falling in love with assists?
What kind of nonsense was this?
Kaká smiled: "I think it's good. At least it makes the team more balanced. Someone needs to be the main attraction while others play supporting roles."
"But supporting actors can also shine!"
Srna gave him a strange look.
Right - he'd forgotten this was the first guy Suker had brainwashed.
With Real Madrid leading 1-0, Arsenal players looked grim.
They still needed three goals.
To advance, they needed three away goals - this single concession hadn't changed much.
But looking at Real Madrid's counterattacking threat, they felt utterly helpless.
How were they supposed to defend against this?
Szczęsny had done his best, saving Suker's shot, only for Kaká to score on the rebound.
It felt like Real Madrid had too many attacking options!
Wenger massaged his temples.
He'd stopped rubbing them - it wasn't helping anymore.
A headache!
A terrible headache!
Already at a disadvantage, now conceding first - Arsenal's chances were less than 10%.
Wenger glanced at his bench.
No options!
He missed his old Arsenal squad.
Back then, his starting lineup featured Henry, Pirès, Bergkamp.
The bench had young talents like Fàbregas and van Persie - plenty of tactical flexibility. Now, he had no alternatives.
Last match, the defensive midfielders failed to contain Suker effectively.
So this time, Wenger fielded a technical midfield to control possession.
They had the ball, but Real Madrid still dictated the tempo.
At a disadvantage playing away, they had to go all out.
Wenger stared at the pitch, expression stern.
Someone needed to step up!
Someone needed to deliver a good pass to Robin so they could get a goal, see a glimmer of hope.
Just one goal!
Wenger clenched his fists tightly.
The match resumed with Arsenal attacking more frantically.
Their four technical midfielders connected play more roughly but with greater determination.
This chaotic approach actually disrupted Real Madrid's defensive organization somewhat.
"Stay compact! Stay compact!" Srna kept reminding.
"Ramos! Drop back, you're too high!"
"Pepe! Unless you want a card, tone down the dangerous tackles!"
Srna felt like a babysitter.
Ramos and Pepe were truly stubborn - each more headstrong than the other.
Suker's stubbornness was based on his strengths - smart stubbornness.
But these two? Pure, mindless stubbornness!
Not caring about consequences, retaliating immediately when provoked!
Thud!
Sure enough, Pepe went into a sliding tackle that took out Nasri along with the ball.
Pepe earned a yellow and conceded a dangerous free kick.
"Was that necessary?" Srna sighed.
He couldn't rein him in after all.
"Damn right it was!" Pepe said stonily.
Srna thought he had some tactical justification, but Pepe's next words nearly made him lose it.
"Had to take him down to feel better! I can't play while holding back!"
Srna gritted his teeth.
Goddammit!
You get to play recklessly while I clean up your mess.
"Don't take it personally," Ramos patted Srna's shoulder. "That's just how he is."
Srna's silence was deafening.
You're no better yourself!
For Arsenal's free kick, Real Madrid retreated to defend.
Arsenal committed numbers forward, creating chaos in Madrid's box.
When Fàbregas delivered the cross, it curled from right to left.
Arsenal players pushed and shoved, disrupting Madrid's marking.
Then, at the far post, a gap appeared.
Or rather, van Persie found space.
"Shit!" Srna abandoned Nasri to close him down.
But the Dutchman didn't need to control it!
Van Persie jumped slightly to meet the dropping ball with a deft touch, redirecting it into the net.
29th minute.
Arsenal equalized 1-1!
"Van Persie! The Dutch striker scores with his trademark first-time finish!"
"This goal gives Arsenal hope, and with Pepe on a yellow, Arsenal may target his side now—"
Before the commentator finished, the referee's whistle blew.
Real Madrid made a substitution.
"A substitution? Already?"
Commentator González sounded surprised.
The cameras showed Carvalho ready to replace Pepe.
The close-up also caught Mourinho's thunderous expression - his gaze at Pepe could have flayed skin.
Mourinho tolerated zero defensive mistakes.
World-class strikes were one thing - those couldn't be helped.
But stupidity like Pepe's unnecessary foul? Unacceptable.
Truthfully, Mourinho had been patient with Pepe. Anyone else would have been benched long ago.
But the defender kept making reckless decisions, infuriating the manager.
González remarked: "Mourinho is being overly cautious here. Pepe could have lasted another 20 minutes until halftime before being subbed."
Clearly, González didn't know about Mourinho's traumatic experience at Inter Milan.
A certain Mario Balotelli had gotten himself sent off within minutes, leaving Mourinho without forwards.
That lesson made Mourinho hyper-vigilant about such situations.
With Pepe's unpredictability, he wouldn't risk keeping him on to be targeted.
Pepe looked confused coming off.
He understood the yellow card warranted substitution, so he didn't protest.
Mourinho ignored him completely, still fuming.
Suker saw this but could only shake his head.
If Pepe had been wronged, Suker might have spoken up.
But this was pure idiocy - nothing to defend.
Pepe needed to control his temper.
Not that it was likely.
With Pepe off and Carvalho on, Real Madrid gained defensive stability.
Carvalho's positioning allowed Ramos more freedom to push forward while relieving Srna of babysitting duties.
However, with Carvalho just entering and Madrid still leading, they maintained their defensive approach.
The remaining first half proved that when Real Madrid avoided self-inflicted wounds, their defense was impenetrable.
Despite Arsenal's varied attacks, Madrid cleared every threat.
Huff... huff... huff...
Fàbregas checked the clock - first half nearly over.
"Let's regroup at halftime," he panted.
The half showed they still had hope.
They'd scored once - with more pressure, Madrid might crack again.
Halftime: 1-1 (3-1 aggregate).
"Arsenal needs two more goals to advance, but Real Madrid looks rock-solid defensively. Capitalizing on a Madrid mistake, Arsenal pulled one back - can they create more after the break?"
The English commentator hoped: "The first half showed promise. Let's see what they can do next."
In the dressing room, Wenger tapped his tactics board:
"First ten minutes after halftime - we defend! Absolutely must hold firm!"
The players looked confused.
"Boss, our attack was working. Why defend? More pressure could force more mistakes!" Nasri said.
Others nodded agreement.
Wenger sighed: "Haven't you noticed? Apart from the early stages, Suker hasn't exerted himself. Do you think he's just watching passively? No! Mourinho is preserving him to destroy us in the second half!"
"The first ten minutes will be Madrid's most intense onslaught. We must withstand it and look for counters."
"Song! You're replacing Nasri. Your only job is to mark Suker - ignore the ball, ignore others. Stick to Suker like glue, understood?"
Alex Song nodded firmly: "Understood!"
Meanwhile, in Madrid's dressing room:
Mourinho's message was simple: "Now - we crush them."
He knew Wenger would anticipate this.
But anticipation meant nothing against Suker's execution.