The game entered the 70th minute.
The score was still 0-0.
Neither side had made substitutions, and the deadlock continued.
Taking advantage of a dead ball, Toni Kroos ran up to Ronaldo and whispered, "Boss said, don't keep chasing Rafael too hard. Slow down a bit and let him have the ball."
Ronaldo looked a little surprised and turned toward the touchline.
He saw Gao Shen nodding at him from in front of the away dugout.
The Portuguese star nodded back to signal his understanding.
"Also, don't take the first shot."
Ronaldo froze for a moment, then immediately understood what the coach meant.
Gao Shen was treating him as the main attacker.
Everyone knew that against Manchester United's tight defense, the first man to shoot would often be surrounded with little chance of success. But in drawing defenders, he could create opportunities for teammates.
By asking him not to take the first attempt, Gao Shen wanted him to be the finisher at the decisive moment.
"I understand." Ronaldo patted Kroos on the shoulder.
The two separated quickly.
The match resumed.
…
After some fine-tuning, Real Madrid began deliberately shifting the ball toward Manchester United's right side.
In truth, it was not hard for them to do this.
United soon gave the ball to Rafael.
Ronaldo appeared to be strolling, casually "walking" over.
This kind of loose pressing, known as "eye defense," was common among superstars.
Rafael sensed an opportunity and pushed the ball forward, motioning for Giggs to overlap.
United wanted to attack from the right.
Kroos kept retreating, letting Rafael cross the halfway line.
The German pressed but deliberately left a gap.
Rafael played the ball into Giggs, and Kroos immediately abandoned him to close Giggs down. The nearby Real Madrid players followed in support.
Modric in particular stepped up high, cutting off Giggs' option to pass back to Carrick.
Rafael kept running forward into the open space, raising his hand for the return pass.
Giggs stopped suddenly, shielded the ball, turned, and passed back to Rafael.
But just as the Brazilian full-back was about to control it, Arbeloa suddenly surged forward, got around him, and cleared it away.
The ball rolled to Kroos, who had recovered defensively. With Giggs right behind him and his back to goal, the German did not hesitate and immediately laid it off to Xabi Alonso.
The Spanish midfielder had been harried by Welbeck all game, but since United had committed numbers forward, Welbeck could not close him down this time.
Alonso controlled the ball and, with his right foot, instantly launched a long pass over the top.
The ball curved through the air and dropped on the left side of the box.
Benzema had already anticipated it, positioning himself in front of Ferdinand. He used his body to shield the defender and brought the ball down on his chest.
Ferdinand, once among the best defenders in the world, was caught off guard. Benzema beat him to it, but the Frenchman could not turn toward goal directly.
In the penalty area, Ferdinand did not dare risk a rash challenge, instead using his body to block Benzema and force him wide.
Benzema, feeling the pressure from behind, stumbled slightly but reacted quickly to keep the ball under control.
Just as he looked set to be forced out of the box, Benzema suddenly flicked a backheel.
The ball rolled across to the left side of the penalty area.
At that moment, Ronaldo shook off Schneiderlin and sprinted forward.
The Portuguese's greatest weapon was his explosive acceleration. He burst free in an instant.
Schneiderlin lacked pace and was left behind immediately.
Ronaldo cut inside, perfectly timing his run to meet Benzema's backheel.
Before Carrick could close him down, he struck a curling shot with his right foot.
The stadium erupted with a thunderous crack, as if lightning had split the air. Seventy-five thousand United fans were stunned.
The ball flew like a rocket into the top right corner.
De Gea had no time to react. Goal!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"
"Cristiano Ronaldo has scored!!!"
"In the 72nd minute, Ronaldo scores a stunning goal against Manchester United!"
The Portuguese superstar wheeled away, sprinting wildly, screaming at the top of his lungs.
This was his first return to Old Trafford since leaving United.
At that moment, he understood why Gao Shen had told Kroos to pass on that message.
It was not only about making him the focal point. It was also about letting him fulfill a long-cherished wish.
He loved United and respected Ferguson, but he still wanted to score here.
He wanted to show United, Ferguson, and all their fans that he had become stronger since leaving.
More importantly, that Real Madrid was not a circus.
They were Real Madrid.
Ronaldo clenched his fists, roaring toward the stands, releasing years of pent-up emotion.
His teammates swarmed around him in celebration.
In front of the away dugout, Gao Shen completely lost control, almost storming out of the technical area. The fourth official quickly stopped him, reminding him to stay inside.
But Gao Shen could not hide his excitement.
No matter how many times he had been here before, every goal, every victory stirred him up.
Especially tonight, against Manchester United and Ferguson.
"Well done, Ronnie, I love you!" Gao Shen shouted.
Ferguson stood frozen in the home dugout.
What did that mean?
Behind Gao Shen, Zidane, Carlo, and Hierro paused, stunned.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his teammates who were celebrating nearby rushed over after hearing the coach. Ronaldo even embraced him directly.
Gao Shen praised Ronaldo again, as well as Kroos, Benzema, Alonso, and Arbeloa, all of whom played key roles in the goal.
With that strike, Real Madrid had one foot in the next round.
…
When Ferguson saw Gao Shen pat Ronaldo's shoulder and send him back onto the pitch, a trace of envy flashed in his eyes.
Every manager dreams of having a player like Ronaldo or Messi.
They were just on another level.
This kind of strength was hard to describe. All that could be said was they were far ahead of their time.
For most players, their peak lasted a year or two. But Ronaldo and Messi sustained theirs year after year, keeping it through entire seasons.
That was the most frightening thing about them.
Just like tonight. Despite all Ferguson's efforts to contain him, Ronaldo still seized his chance and scored.
What could Ferguson say?
"This damn brat is lucky!" he muttered angrily.
It might be the last Champions League campaign of his career, and yet he was losing to this kid.
It felt bitterly unfair.
But what could he do?
Ferguson knew United lacked the strength to dominate Europe now. Even their once-proud defense had declined.
"What a pity," the old knight sighed.
United had lost 0-1 away and failed to grab an away goal. That was why they dared not concede tonight. Otherwise they would be in a desperate position.
And now they were.
With 20 minutes left, United trailed 0-2 on aggregate. They needed three goals.
Even 2-2 would see them eliminated.
That was the cruelty of the away goals rule.
Ferguson both loved and hated it.
But there was no choice. United had to throw everything forward.
…
After play resumed, United immediately made a double substitution.
Ferguson brought on Valencia for Welbeck, and Berbatov for Giggs.
They remained in a 4-4-2, but now it was clearly all-out attack.
Gao Shen also reacted with two changes.
He replaced Carvajal with Marcos Alonso, shifting Arbeloa to right-back and using Marcos Alonso on the left, to reinforce against United's right-sided threat.
Everyone knew Valencia was right-footed and excelled at low crosses.
Gao Shen himself had once developed that weapon for him at Napoli.
Arbeloa, playing on the left, would be at a disadvantage against that.
So he made the switch.
He also replaced Benzema with Higuaín.
The message was clear.
Sorry, Sir Alex. It was time for Real Madrid to defend and counter.
Ferguson fumed at Gao Shen's decisions, but what could he do?
This kid had always been shameless. Against Barcelona, against United, always the same.
Did he have any of the class of a world-renowned coach?
It was disgraceful.
Ferguson felt ashamed to even be compared with him.
But no matter how angry he was, United could not break through.
Real Madrid even threatened twice on the counter.
Higuaín narrowly missed with one angled shot, while Modric saw another effort saved by De Gea.
Both were dangerous moments.
In the end, Real Madrid defeated Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford thanks to Ronaldo's world-class strike.
With a 2-0 aggregate score, Real Madrid advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League!
(To be continued.)