"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!"
"TONI KROOS!!!"
"In the 21st minute, Real Madrid took the lead and broke through Paris Saint-Germain's goal!"
"A long shot from the edge of the penalty area by the German midfielder Toni Kroos!"
"Sirigu didn't even have time to react. Toni Kroos's long-range strike was so precise, it went straight into the right side of the net and opened the scoring for Real Madrid!"
"1-0!"
When Toni Kroos struck the ball, the German midfielder immediately turned and ran.
He had a strong feeling that this shot would go in!
The referee's whistle sounded behind him, confirming the goal, but he didn't care.
Toni Kroos sprinted straight to the touchline, charged toward the away team's bench, hugged head coach Gao Shen tightly, lifted him up by the waist, and roared in celebration.
No one knew better than him the role Gao Shen had played in his move to Real Madrid.
He had never told anyone how Rummenigge and Hoeness mocked and suppressed him when he renewed his contract with Bayern Munich after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
But Gao Shen knew.
It was something Toni Kroos had let slip during a conversation with the head coach after joining Real Madrid.
Gao Shen had said this was called PUA.
The purpose was to suppress him and maintain control over him.
The German midfielder agreed wholeheartedly, and he was deeply grateful to have come to Real Madrid, to be under Gao Shen's command.
So when he picked up Gao Shen in celebration, he didn't need to say anything. Everyone understood.
The Real Madrid players rushed over one after another. Everyone felt that Toni Kroos's reaction after scoring was so unlike him. Normally, he never showed emotion and always appeared calm and mature.
But now, he had lost his composure!
Of course, it was a Champions League semi-final goal, a crucial one at that. It was normal to lose himself in the moment.
Only the truly experienced could see that this was Toni Kroos's pride as a German.
He was telling Rummenigge and Hoeness that he could still succeed even after leaving Bayern!
And it was a huge success!
"Everyone's doing great. Keep it up, control the ball and the tempo, and wear them down slowly. Got it?"
Gao Shen's words were met with a unified response from the Real Madrid players.
After this season, Gao Shen had fully established his authority in the Real Madrid dressing room.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo had to follow his instructions.
Of course, Gao Shen never abused his authority. Instead, he focused on helping Ronaldo perform better.
For example, so far this season, Ronaldo had been leading in both the Champions League and La Liga goal tallies, ahead of Messi.
That was also why Ronaldo trusted and followed Gao Shen's guidance.
…
The match restarted.
Real Madrid continued to control possession and dictate the tempo.
Paris Saint-Germain stuck to their plan, defending steadily and waiting to counterattack.
Everything looked just like the first twenty minutes.
But the scoreboard now showed 0-1, a cruel reminder to everyone at the Parc des Princes that the balance of the game had been broken.
Real Madrid had the lead, and more importantly, an away goal.
"There's no easy way to play this game."
In the presidential stand at the Parc des Princes, sporting director Leonardo explained to club president Nasser.
He had a close relationship with Ancelotti, so he felt obliged to say a few words for the coach.
But Nasser nodded and replied, "I know, Gao Shen is too strong!"
Leonardo's expression froze.
Nasser wasn't a football expert. When he took over Paris Saint-Germain, he barely knew the game, but he knew who Gao Shen was and had heard of his accomplishments.
In fact, when Leonardo first joined PSG, the very first question Nasser asked him was: Could they somehow bring Gao Shen to Paris?
But at that time, Gao Shen was at his peak with Manchester City.
"Our squad has obvious weaknesses. We can't compete with Real Madrid," Leonardo explained.
Nasser kept nodding. He had heard similar words all season.
Ancelotti had said it. Leonardo had said it. The media said it too.
"We still need more local players," Nasser said.
"The technical team is already working on it. We've identified some players who fit Ancelotti's requirements, but the transfers are complicated," Leonardo replied.
"Just handle it boldly. I'll take care of the finances. Money is not a problem."
"I understand," Leonardo agreed.
The deep-lying playmaker was the first priority, but there were very few of them available.
For example, Schweinsteiger at Bayern Munich, Gündogan at Dortmund, Busquets at Barcelona, Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid, Pirlo at Juventus…
They were all core players for their clubs and impossible to sign.
None of them would abandon their central role in one of the big four leagues to move to Ligue 1.
Ancelotti had originally wanted Thiago Motta. Leonardo had even approached Barcelona during the winter break, but Barcelona weren't interested, and the player himself didn't want to leave. Instead, Barcelona even tried to poach Thiago Silva, completely the opposite of PSG's intentions.
At present, PSG were still troubled by the lack of a deep-lying organizer.
Other clubs like AC Milan, Napoli, and Inter Milan faced similar issues.
PSG also had two other problems: their full-backs.
Maxwell was aging, and Jallet wasn't strong enough, which created issues on both flanks.
Van der Wiel could play on the right, but the left was a real problem.
Leonardo had already asked his technical team to search for reinforcements.
Now, with Nasser's backing, Leonardo felt reassured.
This season, Ancelotti had basically secured the Ligue 1 title and reached the Champions League semi-finals, already exceeding expectations. Nasser was satisfied.
The next step was to keep improving, strengthening the squad further, and pushing towards the Champions League title.
Winning the Champions League and establishing PSG among Europe's elite was the ultimate goal of the Qatari takeover.
…
After Real Madrid scored, the match returned to a stalemate.
Ancelotti was no novice. Both as a player and coach, he had immense European experience. He knew exactly what Gao Shen was thinking.
The goal was gone, and no amount of regret could change it.
The key now was not conceding again and staying composed.
So Ancelotti stuck with defending and waiting for counterattacks.
Real Madrid held onto possession calmly and didn't rush forward.
But PSG gave a clear tactical signal. Pastore dropped back, Cavani played higher up, and Ibrahimovic operated as a half-striker, focusing on occupying Xabi Alonso.
That made PSG's setup resemble a 4-4-1-1.
After the adjustment, their defense stabilized somewhat.
Especially on the flanks, they managed to contain Real Madrid better.
But their attack became almost non-existent.
This was inevitable. With a 4-4-1 setup, the midfield and backline were fully committed to defending. Cavani pressed the centre-backs, while Ibrahimovic mainly distracted Xabi Alonso. But what could PSG actually use to launch attacks?
Real Madrid tried hard to break through again, but PSG's defense held firm, giving them no real chances.
A few half-chances came, but no clear goal opportunities.
And so, the score stayed the same.
The first half ended 0-1, with Real Madrid holding the advantage.
…
"We played very well in the first half!"
During the halftime break, Gao Shen immediately praised his players.
Possession had reached 73%, a number that even surprised Gao Shen himself.
It showed just how badly PSG had been pinned back at home.
Gao Shen then analyzed PSG's defensive adjustments for the players.
Ancelotti had packed the midfield with four or five men.
Four if you didn't count Ibrahimovic, five if you did, depending on how active he was.
With so many numbers, PSG could mark Real Madrid's players man-to-man, and their balanced 4-4-2 shape made it extremely difficult to penetrate through the middle with quick passes.
Modric, Di Maria, Benzema, and Ronaldo all tried different approaches, whether dropping deeper, pushing forward, or relying on dribbling, but none could break through effectively.
It had to be said that Ancelotti's PSG defense carried the essence of Italian catenaccio.
Especially in defense, their positioning and covering for each other were very tight.
They left almost no space for Real Madrid's attackers between the lines.
Gao Shen had long anticipated this, which was why he kept using the flanks to pull PSG's defense apart.
The first goal had been a surprise strike.
But now, with PSG prepared and composed, it would be much harder to score again.
"This is the Champions League semi-final!" Gao Shen reminded the players firmly.
"Our opponents are not mid-table La Liga sides, but top European clubs that eliminated Barcelona to get here."
"In fact, they have no glaring weaknesses, otherwise they wouldn't be here."
"So, against such a team, we must stay patient and composed."
"We already have a goal. That's enough for now, there's no need to rush."
"In the second half, we will continue wearing PSG down. It's a long battle. Let's see who loses patience first."
"Trust me, even if we can't score again against PSG, I will still find a way."
Gao Shen's words reassured the Real Madrid players.
(To be continued.)