In a derby match, there is no room for rcy; strike when your opponent is down.
With Real Madrid down to ten n, Barcelona attempted to create chances in front of the penalty area with Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Iniesta, and Xavi using wall passes to penetrate the defense and face the goal directly.
At this mont on the defensive line, Chen Zhong had retreated from the midfield position to beco a center-back, while Baptista and Sneijder were positioned as the team’s ’shield’ in the middle.
Ronaldinho took the ball on the flank, slipped past Ramos, but instead of making a wall pass with the nearby Eto’o, he dribbled the ball himself, attempting to cut into Real Madrid’s penalty box from the side.
Eto’o raised his right hand, shouting loudly, trying to get Ronaldinho to pass the ball over, looking very anxious.
"This is Barcelona’s best attacking opportunity in the first half."
"Ronaldinho has the ball on the flank."
"After a brief pause, he moves inward."
"Chen Zhong closes in from the side."
"A bit too hasty."
"The ball didn’t get passed, intercepted instead."
"Ronaldinho made a wrong decision."
Eto’o stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, revealing his pearly whites as he looked at Ronaldinho, the bla on his face clear for all to see.
Why didn’t you pass earlier?
Why the pause?
If you had passed directly to , I would’ve scored already.
Ronaldinho avoided Eto’o’s gaze, his expression solemn as he chased back, but how could he catch up?
Real Madrid’s organization for this match was almost entirely one-touch passing, the formula being connections involving Chen Zhong and any other player, Chen Zhong-Baptista-Chen Zhong-Raul-Chen Zhong-Sneijder.
This rapid one-touch passing soon quickly pushed the ball into Barcelona’s danger zone.
When Sneijder got the ball, Barcelona’s players weren’t going to give him another chance to pass, taking him down just outside the penalty area, giving Real Madrid a free-kick opportunity.
At the sa ti, Cannavaro took advantage of the dead ball to return to the pitch.
This ant Real Madrid was back to full strength.
Rijkaard stood on the sideline, his expression appearing sowhat "grim," for this match was extrely important to both him and Ronaldinho. However, he hadn’t expected that Ronaldinho’s peculiarity wasn’t just his feel for the ga and skills, but also his "fall from grace."
No player had fallen as rapidly from their peak as Ronaldinho.
"Losing the match would put Barcelona 7 points behind Real Madrid, sothing Barcelona cannot accept."
"Rijkaard placed his bet on Ronaldinho for this match."
"Ronaldinho had once dribbled past five Real Madrid players in a Clasico, earning applause at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium."
"And had also consistently broken through four players against a defensively strong Chelsea."
"But those were usually embellishnts when the team’s victory was already secure."
"If Rijkaard is betting on stars, then Schuster relies on teamwork."
"In this match, he boldly abandoned Real Madrid’s sole post-Zidane era organizer, Guti, pairing Baptista and Chen Zhong instead."
"They may not deliver the stunning passes of Guti, or match him in ball-touch and dribbling, but their presence made Real Madrid more practical."
"The cara cut to ssi on the bench, who before the match had stated in an interview that the reason they played well but had fewer points than Real Madrid was because Real Madrid adjusted their tactics based on the opponent, making it easier for them to win."
"Perhaps Rijkaard also noticed this, which led to bold innovations in this match."
"But he forgot that Barcelona’s strength lies in their tradition of midfield ball control, not in winning championships based on the coach’s strategy."
"They primarily rely on lifelong tacit cooperation, that perfect team play, followed by outstanding individual ability."
"Rijkaard’s strategies inadvertently affected Barcelona’s sense of unity."
"Sneijder took the free-kick, sending the ball towards the box."
"Chen Zhong overpowered Puyol!"
Both teams had excellent free-kick takers, Barcelona’s Ronaldinho and Real Madrid’s Sneijder. When Sneijder took the free-kick, both fans in the stands and players on the field expected Sneijder to go for the goal directly.
After all, at the beginning of the season, Sneijder had frequently showcased terrifying free-kick scoring ability.
But from this well-positioned right wing spot, Sneijder surprisingly opted not to shoot directly, but to loft it towards the far post.
This was a small understanding between Sneijder and Chen Zhong, as Chen Zhong had previously scored for his team with a header cutting in from outside the penalty area.
When the thundering tank charged from outside the box as Chen Zhong overpowered Puyol with a violent header, applying power to the ball.
The entire stadium’s ti seed to freeze at that mont.
Puyol, eyes wide even as he lost balance, kept his gaze fixed in the direction of the goal, where his teammate Valdes was struck on the chest with a "bang" by the ball.
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