The current Champions League format hadn't changed yet.
Despite winning the Europa League last season, Atlético Madrid had only finished fifth in La Liga. So this year, they were stuck playing in the Europa League again, unable to qualify for the Champions League.
They'd once again reached the Europa League semifinals, and on the night of April 25, they'd host Benfica at ho. But even so, when their city rivals were about to kick off the Champions League semifinals, Atlético fans couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
This was the Champions League semifinals.
Atlético had already experienced the high of winning the Europa League—twice in the past three seasons. And while lifting the trophy had felt amazing, it just didn't compare to the glory of fighting deep into the Champions League.
"No worries. Next season we'll be in the Champions League too! And our results won't be bad. The whole of Europe will be shocked by the new Atlético!"
So Atlético fans tried to comfort their fellow supporters online.
Envy aside, this year's performance had given Atlético fans more reason to believe.
Real Madrid and Barcelona were still in a league of their own dostically, but right behind them, Atlético had carved out their own tier.
Their league form had finally stabilized, and Sione's iron-fisted leadership had earned him the full support of the fans and the board.
With a few smart sumr signings, Atlético were poised to show the world their true, battle-hardened identity on next season's Champions League stage.
At the sa ti, Real Madrid fans had no ti to mock their city rivals' ambitions.
They were already busy—fighting online with Dortmund and Bundesliga fans.
Real Madrid had reached a scale where no one spoke of "evenly matched" anymore.
Even if Bayern Munich had arrived in Madrid that day, the dia would still heavily favor Real Madrid as the stronger side.
It was the sa dominant treatnt Barça used to enjoy.
So now, it wasn't just Dortmund supporters rallying behind their team—Bundesliga fans across Germany were standing behind Dortmund.
Of course, that didn't an Bayern fans were actively cheering for their dostic rivals.
More than anything, they just hoped Dortmund could expose Madrid's tactics—maybe drain so of their stamina.
At the very least, force Madrid to show their cards early.
Other Bundesliga fans had a simpler motive:
They wanted a Bundesliga final.
If Dortmund sohow pulled off a miracle and knocked Real Madrid out, they'd finally have a valid coback when arguing with overconfident Premier League and La Liga fans.
This wasn't just a clash between two clubs—it was a clash of narratives, of identities, of leagues.
All eyes were on the Bernabéu.
dia crews from around the world had already descended on Madrid.
China's CCTV5 had sent its elite comntary team and reporters days in advance.
On April 23, even before fans had entered the stadium, the comntary booths were already bustling with tech tests and energy.
He Wei and Duan Xuan were together today—one of their rare joint pairings.
And with Zhang Lu in the studio as the guest analyst, this was a dream lineup.
The broadcast schedule had been promoted well in advance, and anticipation in China was at a fever pitch.
As the evening drew in over Madrid, the vast Bernabéu began to fill up.
Before kickoff, fans were treated to a mini concert featuring both local Spanish celebrities and a British boy band.
The vibe was electric.
But when the players took to the pitch for warm-ups?
The roar inside the Bernabéu multiplied tenfold.
Standing in the tunnel, Li Ang could feel Götze's eyes on him.
But he didn't ignore it. He didn't avoid it.
He smiled and nodded, casually acknowledging the German.
Just a simple greeting.
And sohow, that shook Götze.
Because in that mont, he realized:
Li Ang wasn't treating him as a rival.
He was treating him like any other opposing midfielder.
"Li Ang doesn't see as a challenge. Just another opponent."
Götze suddenly felt a knot in his chest.
But who was he mad at?
Li Ang hadn't insulted him. He'd always been respectful, even after past matches. Never said anything negative to the dia.
He couldn't hate him.
So in the end, he just fud silently.
Li Ang had no idea what Götze was thinking.
But truthfully?
Götze wasn't wrong.
Li Ang didn't see him as a rival.
This was a team ga.
Li Ang always played to win—for Madrid.
Competing like so kid to see who played better?
What a waste of energy.
Still, the pre-match dia hype had been relentless.
So when the broadcast went live, even Zhang Lu couldn't help but joke about comparing Li Ang and Götze's performances.
He Wei and Duan Xuan were more subtle, but even they leaned toward the idea that "Li Ang always finds a way to neutralize Götze."
Once the pre-ga banter was done and the teams stepped onto the pitch, Duan Xuan handed it off:
"Alright, both teams are lined up. Let's go to He Wei for the starting lineups and formations."
"Thanks. Here are the lineups for Borussia Dortmund:
Goalkeeper: #1 Roman Weidenfeller.
Left-back: #29 Marcel Schlzer.
Center-backs: #15 Mats Humls and #4 Neven Subotić.
Right-back: #26 Łukasz Piszczek.
Midfield: #6 Sven Bender and #8 İlkay Gündoğan as the double pivot.
#10 Mario Götze plays in front.
Wingers: #11 Marco Reus and #16 Jakub Błaszczykowski (Kuba).
Striker: #9 Robert Lewandowski."
"And for the ho team, Real Madrid…"
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