When referee Álvarez Izquierdo raised the red card toward Ramos, Gao Shen turned away in frustration on the touchline, not wanting to see what was happening on the pitch.
He wiped his face hard with his right hand, trying to calm himself down.
Thirty-five minutes.
After just half an hour, they were a man down and had conceded a penalty.
How could they play like this?
How was he supposed to survive the next hour?
"Is he crazy?" Gao Shen walked to the bench and asked angrily.
Zidane, Carlo, Hierro, and the rest all shook their heads helplessly.
That was Ramos.
He carried the aura of a general and the presence of a leader, but sometimes he was simply too impulsive.
In truth, Ramos had been better this season. Gao Shen had deliberately kept him under control, even warning him that he would be punished if he picked up another card. Ramos had really reined himself in.
He even scored a crucial goal in the last round.
But now, here he was again.
The referee was clearly biased toward the home side, no doubt about it, but Ramos had brought this upon himself.
Now that the punishment had come, what could they do?
"What the hell!"
According to Spanish rules, a red card meant suspension. And the 26th round was none other than Real Madrid's home clash with Barcelona.
Before that, they were going to Camp Nou for an away Clásico.
That meant two consecutive matches against Barcelona within a week.
After those, they would travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Every single one of those was a crucial battle.
"I thought he was more stable now, but…" Gao Shen was furious.
Ramos walked off the pitch and stopped briefly at the bench, but Gao Shen turned his back on him, not even looking, making it clear: I am very angry now.
Very angry.
The Spanish defender glanced at Zidane and Hierro, hesitated, and then walked straight into the tunnel.
Only after his figure disappeared did Gao Shen turn back.
"We must teach him a lesson, or he will never learn!" Gao Shen decided firmly.
What should a coach do when something like this happens at such a critical moment?
The Riazor was already a difficult place to play. Now, after half an hour, they had given away a penalty and gone down to ten men. How could they manage this match?
Even Hierro, normally supportive of Ramos, agreed with Gao Shen.
"This is already the 15th red card of his career." Hierro shook his head, helpless.
That was Ramos. Always full of fire and spirit, but too often crossing the line.
In normal matches, it might not matter. But at such a vital moment, doing this left the coach helpless and deeply frustrated.
Gao Shen's mood was clear.
His plan had been to stay within two points of Barcelona, then turn the tables at the Bernabéu and take the lead in the title race.
But now?
That plan was ruined by Ramos.
Many people said Pepe was reckless and violent, but what was the reality?
The Brazilian defender was actually smart. He had received 10 red cards in his career so far, 5 of them in Portugal and only 5 at Real Madrid.
One in the Spanish Super Cup, one in the Champions League, and three in La Liga, with only one being a straight red.
And Ramos?
At Sevilla, he had never been sent off. But in his very first season at Real Madrid, he collected three red cards. Granted, that was at the end of the Galácticos era, when the defense was a mess.
Under Capello, he picked up one. Under Schuster, three in a single season.
By now, he had 12 red cards in La Liga, and with those in the Copa del Rey and Champions League, a total of 15.
"Zinedine, if I remember right, you had 14 in your career, yes?"
Zidane nodded awkwardly. He did have 14, two with France, including the infamous headbutt in 2006, and 12 with clubs, 11 of them straight reds.
Zidane had a bad temper, no doubt.
"Fernando, you played for so many years. I remember you had 19, but 6 were with Valladolid. At Real Madrid, you got 13. Not a small number."
"Roy Keane was notorious for his toughness, and he only had 11 red cards."
Then Gao Shen pointed toward the tunnel. "And he's only 26, and already has 15!"
At that, Carlo added, "But he's never received one with Spain."
Gao Shen nodded. "Exactly. That's the key."
On one hand, it was down to Real Madrid's instability in recent years. On the other, it was because the club had indulged Ramos for too long.
To put it simply, he played recklessly at Real Madrid.
From the day he joined, he had been seen as the future leader, burdened with huge expectations.
And that had made him careless.
Instead of restraining himself, he pushed the limits further.
Put nicely, he was full of fire. Put bluntly, he was spoiled.
Gao Shen resolved then and there to stamp this out completely.
He needed to end the uncertainty of not knowing when Ramos might self-destruct again.
…
After Ramos was sent off, Deportivo converted the penalty.
Gao Shen reacted immediately, sending on Varane for Higuaín.
It was cruel on the Argentine striker.
Already overshadowed by Benzema, he had finally earned a start, only to be sacrificed half an hour in.
But Gao Shen had no choice.
The flanks had to be covered, the midfield could not be broken, so the only solution was to pull a forward.
But playing with ten changed everything.
Before the red card, Real Madrid were dominating. After it, Deportivo grew in confidence and started attacking.
Varane, however, continued his steady rise.
With Gao Shen's constant encouragement, the young Frenchman looked sharper and more confident every match.
Tonight was no different.
He came on, and alongside Pepe, stabilized the defense. Deportivo's waves of attacks went nowhere.
Truthfully, Deportivo were not that strong. They were second from bottom in La Liga for a reason.
Once Gao Shen's adjustments settled the defense, his frustration returned. He was unwilling to lose.
In the 70th minute, Real Madrid made another change.
Kaka again.
Before sending him on, Gao Shen gave precise instructions.
"At the top of the box!"
"Depor defend deep through the middle. Their two defensive midfielders always drop very far. Work it out with Toni Kroos. One of you push up to stretch them, the other lurk at the edge of the box."
"Long shots!"
Kaka nodded firmly.
He replaced Casemiro.
…
Depor, desperate to avoid relegation, fought hard for points. After going ahead, they pushed for more but were cautious, not wanting to throw away their advantage.
Real Madrid's man disadvantage showed in attack.
The center lacked support, making it hard to build chances.
With Kroos and Kaka alternating forward runs, leaving only Verratti behind, it was always risky.
As Sky Sports' Solari said, Gao Shen still wanted points. He even wanted to win.
In the 78th minute, Real Madrid had their chance.
Kaka intercepted in midfield, gave it to Kroos, who slid a pass behind the defense. Ronaldo cut diagonally into the left of the box, controlled, and pulled it back.
Kroos met it at the top of the box and smashed a shot, only for the keeper to save brilliantly.
From then on, Deportivo tightened even more around the area.
The final ten minutes became an exhibition of Real Madrid attacking against Depor's block.
In the 88th minute, Deportivo captain Bellerón lost the ball to Verratti in midfield.
The Italian surged forward and released Kaka.
The Brazilian turned, drove ahead, and shifted it right to Di Maria.
On the left, Ronaldo pushed up, and Kroos stormed into the box, adding more pressure.
Di Maria cut into the corner of the penalty area but was quickly shut down. He stopped, shielded, and laid the ball back.
Kaka had hung back deliberately. He arrived at the right edge of the area, unmarked.
The nearest defender scrambled to close but was too late.
Kaka calmly trapped the pass with his left, then unleashed a right-foot rocket.
It flew like a missile. Keeper Aranzubia dived, but could not reach it.
The ball smashed into the right side of the net.
1-1!
All square!
(To be continued.)