On April 26, Atletico Madrid's 110th anniversary celebration was held at the Calderon Stadium.
All Atletico Madrid legends, players, and guests gathered together to witness the birthday of this historic club through a grand celebration, while also looking forward to the Madrid derby the following day.
On the evening of the 27th, the second Madrid derby of the season would take place at the Calderon Stadium.
No one knew whether this was deliberately arranged by the Spanish Football Association, but for Atletico Madrid, it was undoubtedly a match of special significance.
They wanted to end their embarrassing record against Real Madrid and claim victory in the league on this special day.
As former chairman Hill once said: As long as they beat Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid will do whatever it takes, even if it means relegation.
From the very moment of their birth, the Colchoneros carried the historical mission of fighting against Real Madrid.
More importantly, this season, Atletico Madrid gave people genuine hope.
After producing stars such as Torres and Aguero, Atletico Madrid now welcomed the new generation striker, Falcao.
The Colombian forward was the most prolific goalscorer in Spanish football this season besides Messi and Ronaldo. He was also seen as the beacon of Atletico Madrid's resurgence.
Alongside him, a group of players in their prime such as Diego Costa, Koke, Miranda, and Godin also gave fans belief in their rise.
Simeone's team did not disappoint expectations. In this La Liga season, they had firmly secured third place in the league, establishing themselves as the third-strongest team after Barcelona and Real Madrid.
This Madrid derby could be described as the fiercest in years.
Coinciding with the 110th anniversary, it made the match atmosphere even more intense.
In such circumstances, Atletico Madrid threw everything into the game, with every player fighting desperately.
Real Madrid had just traveled a long distance for an away match against Paris Saint-Germain, giving the Colchoneros extra rest. At the same time, Gao Shen's team faced the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Bernabeu in a week, forcing him to rotate his squad.
As a result, just over three minutes into the game at the Calderon Stadium, Falcao scored for Atletico Madrid.
It came from a frontcourt free kick.
Casemiro fouled his Brazilian compatriot Diego Costa, giving Atletico a set-piece. Koke's shot was saved, Godin crossed the rebound, and Falcao headed the ball into the net.
After that, Real Madrid could not gain much advantage over Atletico on the pitch.
Simeone's 4-4-2 formation and Atletico Madrid's relentless pressing completely disrupted Real Madrid's rhythm and passing game.
Casemiro dropping back with Isco and Verratti in midfield lost control under Atletico's suffocating pressure.
Up front, the trident of Morata, Higuain, and Jese failed to create any real chances.
Even in the second half, Real Madrid not only failed to turn the situation around but instead allowed Atletico Madrid to create chance after chance.
Fortunately, goalkeeper Courtois was in top form, making two crucial one-on-one saves in the 49th and 56th minutes.
The entire Calderon Stadium became a stage for Atletico fans to celebrate.
They already seemed to see Atletico Madrid defeating their arrogant city rivals at the Calderon on their 110th birthday.
What better gift could there be?
…
Gao Shen stood by the visiting team's bench with a serious look on his face.
In the 60th minute, he made his first substitution, replacing Isco with Kaka.
The young Spaniard lacked composure. His dribbling, usually his strength, was ineffective against Atletico's rough fouls, disrupting Real Madrid's attacking rhythm.
He was either too sticky with the ball or too reckless, leading to mistakes.
But after Kaka came on, the situation still did not change much.
"Atletico Madrid's style of play looks a bit like when you were in Naples," Zidane said with a wry smile.
When Gao Shen coached Napoli and shocked Europe, Zidane knew better than anyone how disruptive that style was.
At the time, Napoli played in a way that had similarities with today's Atletico Madrid.
Of course, the tactical details were not the same, but the resemblance was clear.
Back then, Gao Shen's Napoli also gave Italy's top teams plenty of headaches.
Now, Simeone was doing the same.
"Come on!" Gao Shen frowned. "Back then I had technical players like Biglia, Rakitic, and Hamsik. Look at Atletico Madrid now."
Gabi, Mario Suarez, Raul Garcia, Diego Costa.
The only one who could be called technical was Gabi, who was also Atletico's captain.
Atletico's biggest weakness tonight was actually on the left.
In Gao Shen's previous life, Atletico's defense had been rock solid with Felipe Luis on the left.
But now, Felipe Luis was at Manchester City, not Atletico Madrid.
Simeone's left-back tonight was his fellow Argentine Insua.
Gao Shen tried several times to target that flank with Jese and Higuain, but the results were poor.
Time ticked by, and Real Madrid's situation remained difficult.
Still, Gao Shen insisted they keep attacking Atletico's left and focus on pressing Gabi.
With that in mind, he turned toward the bench and signaled Di Maria to warm up.
The Argentine quickly ran out to get ready.
Soon, he returned to Gao Shen's side.
"After you go on, work with Kaka to pressure Gabi and Mario Suarez, especially Gabi. Tell Arbeloa to keep an eye on Koke and block forward passes."
Di Maria nodded. "Got it."
"When defending, drop deeper and move inside, so Verratti can stay closer to Casemiro."
"Alright."
Formations exist more for fans to understand tactics and player roles.
Once the game starts, no team follows a rigid formation diagram for long.
Players constantly move, and the team shape is fluid.
Just like Gao Shen told Di Maria to drop deeper when defending, the goal was to clamp down on Gabi.
As for Insua, he could push forward if he wanted. Gao Shen was hoping Suya would pin him back.
"Tell Higuain to attack the flanks more, especially the gap between Insua and Miranda."
"Understood," Di Maria replied.
He was a smart player who trusted Gao Shen's instructions completely.
…
Soon, Di Maria came on, replacing the young Jese, carrying Gao Shen's tactical adjustments.
The rising star who had impressed this season hit a wall against Atletico tonight.
But in Gao Shen's eyes, this was not entirely bad.
Jese was arrogant, and a setback could ignite his fighting spirit.
Of course, the blow must not be too heavy, or it could break his confidence.
Finding that balance was also part of a head coach's job.
After one defensive play, Morata fouled Raul Garcia while winning the ball and was shown a yellow card.
The young striker looked frustrated but could only accept it.
Taking advantage of the stoppage, Di Maria replaced Jese.
Real Madrid made their adjustment.
On the touchline, Gao Shen greeted Jese as he came off.
"Well done, Jese, you gave it your all."
"Juanfran played dirty," Jese complained angrily. "And the referee is totally biased for them."
"I know, I know. Don't worry. I'll have someone speak to the officials after the match, and we'll get you justice," Gao Shen reassured him. "For now, go rest and cheer on your teammates."
Jese nodded reluctantly.
But in reality, Gao Shen would never confront the referee.
This was Atletico's home, their 110th anniversary. Of course, the officiating leaned toward them.
Making a fuss would gain nothing and might even backfire.
In cases like this, from the Football Association to the referees, everyone would give Atletico some leeway.
Gao Shen even suspected Atletico had lobbied to arrange the derby on their anniversary.
It was not impossible. Tonight, Atletico played like they had been injected with adrenaline.
Jese was still too young to understand.
But this game still had to be taken back.
…
The match resumed.
At first, not much seemed to change.
But once Di Maria entered, Real Madrid's right-wing attack finally came alive.
From his touches and link-up play, it was clear he had matured.
If Jese was only charging forward blindly, then Di Maria was playing smarter and more complete. He could drive forward, but also drop deep to organize play.
Under Gao Shen's coaching, in just half a year, he had grown into a world-class attacker.
Now, no one doubted Di Maria's quality.
In the 77th minute, Atletico intercepted the ball and launched a quick counter.
Godin passed forward to Falcao, who had dropped deep.
Marcos Alonso followed him closely, staying tight behind the Colombian striker.
But Falcao had no intention of dribbling. He immediately laid the ball back to Gabi and turned to sprint forward.
Because Kaka had blocked the nearest passing lane, Falcao's return went slightly wide to Gabi's left, close to Real Madrid's right side.
Gabi accelerated to meet the ball, taking his first touch.
But just as he did, a white shirt suddenly closed in at speed.
The Atletico captain was startled. He glanced quickly. Verratti was still ahead, Kaka to the side. Passing backwards?
Before he could react, the man had already surged past faster than expected and poked the ball away.
The entire Calderon erupted in shock.
(To be continued.)