Di Maria!
When Di Maria intercepted the ball from Gabi, quickly evaded the Atletico captain, and sprinted forward, the entire Calderon Stadium erupted in screams.
Higuain, ahead of him, immediately dropped back to receive the ball, then turned and sprinted into the right channel.
Kaka also pushed forward from behind Di Maria, while Morata advanced through the left channel. Real Madrid launched a rapid counterattack in the final third, forming two attacking waves.
Mario Suarez was tied up by Kaka's movement and had no time to close down Di Maria.
The Argentine drove the ball to the edge of Atletico's penalty area, where Miranda and Godin finally had nowhere left to retreat.
Miranda stepped up decisively to block him, but Di Maria calmly swept a left-footed pass into the right side of the penalty box.
Higuain arrived and struck the ball first time without hesitation.
The ball flew directly into the net, piercing Atletico Madrid's goal.
The Calderon was still echoing with screams, but Real Madrid had already leveled the score.
"Goallllllllllllllllllll!"
"Real Madrid! Real Madrid score!"
"Di Maria assists Higuain for the equalizer!"
"Real Madrid make it 1-1!"
The live broadcast camera cut to the stands at the Calderon, capturing the disappointment etched on the faces of Atletico Madrid supporters.
Then the shot moved to the visiting team's bench. Gao Shen was still standing firmly on the touchline, as composed as ever.
He looked like a man in a suit and tie ready for battle.
"Gao Shen more and more carries the aura of a great general. Hard to believe he's only in his early thirties."
"But he's already a legendary coach with four Champions League titles."
"It's worth noting, Gao Shen's very first match as a coach was against Atletico Madrid."
"These two Madrid clubs share a long and heated rivalry filled with grudges."
"Tonight, on Atletico's 110th anniversary, a draw might look like a fair result."
…
A draw?
Gao Shen did not see it that way.
After Higuain's goal, as Real Madrid players came back from the sidelines celebrating, Gao Shen called over Ramos, Kaka, and a few others, instructing them to keep attacking.
Real Madrid would never settle for a draw.
It was only the 33rd round of La Liga, and they still trailed Barcelona by one point. Under these circumstances, they had to go all out to win every game if they wanted to turn the title race around.
Barcelona's Champions League form this season was shaky, but in La Liga they were ruthless against weaker teams.
The return of Vilanova and Abidal had given them a major boost in spirit.
Sometimes, football works that way.
If Real Madrid dropped points now, their title hopes could collapse.
Even more, losing momentum in the league would spill into the Champions League.
And what about the Copa del Rey final against Atletico Madrid, potentially held at the Calderon? Could they really expect to win the trophy then?
Gao Shen knew this was about more than one league match. It was about the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, and psychological supremacy over Atletico Madrid going forward.
Failing to win would deal a heavy blow.
So there was no hesitation: keep attacking!
…
Simeone also sensed the danger and made swift changes.
Adrian replaced Raul Garcia, and Cristian Rodriguez came on for Mario Suarez.
Two substitutions in quick succession. It was clear the Atletico boss wanted to go head-to-head with Real Madrid.
Simeone's stance was obvious.
He would not accept a draw either.
It would be win or lose.
The match turned into a battle.
Gao Shen could feel Atletico's transformation under Simeone more than anyone. Since his arrival, the spirit of Atletico had changed drastically, along with their entire playing philosophy.
The Colchoneros had never been elegant or refined, but under Simeone they became an iron-blooded army, infused with a steel-like will and relentless fighting spirit.
At the same time, their play was rough and extremely aggressive.
As Jese said when he came off, it was dirty.
But that was Atletico's way of survival.
For teams like Atletico and Dortmund, tactics and style existed to compensate for their lack of technical superiority.
Football is fair.
The rules are the same for everyone, and any tactics within them are allowed.
Calls to "protect technical geniuses" sounded nice, but if taken literally, Messi would be unstoppable.
"Atletico Madrid is actually more dangerous than Barcelona," Gao Shen muttered as he returned to the bench, frowning.
Hierro, Zidane, and the others nodded.
Under Simeone, Atletico's style was a nightmare to deal with.
By comparison, Barcelona were easier.
What made Atletico especially troublesome was their players.
Falcao was strong, but Diego Costa was even trickier.
In this game, Falcao often dropped deep, while Diego Costa stayed high, constantly harassing Varane and Ramos.
Gao Shen never forgot the moment that defined Diego Costa's style. Against Barcelona in his previous life, he competed for a header with Pique. Pique leaned into him, shifting his weight to gain an advantage, a common defender's trick.
But Costa, sly as ever, simply pulled away, leaving Pique off balance.
The result? Pique fell awkwardly, injured himself, and left the field.
That scene summed up Costa perfectly.
Situations like that happen in a split second. To think and react so quickly proved just how cunning and instinctive Costa was.
Before this game, Gao Shen had repeatedly warned Varane and Ramos to be cautious.
Do not take the bait.
Costa was the perfect embodiment of Simeone's footballing philosophy. Both carried a bandit's spirit.
…
When Atletico pushed forward past midfield again, Real Madrid intercepted.
After the 80th minute, Real Madrid stopped pressing too aggressively.
On one side, Simeone's changes had boosted Atletico's attack, increasing the pressure.
On the other, Gao Shen never believed in Barcelona's approach of pinning opponents deep in their half.
To him, it helped maintain possession but made breaking down defenses harder.
Pushing the opponent back too far only allowed them to consolidate, which was not good for attacking.
His philosophy was to leave space, let the opponent advance, and then hit them with counters.
As he often said, a punch is stronger when you first pull the fist back.
That was exactly how he approached Atletico.
Koke tried to bring the ball across the halfway line but was dispossessed.
Casemiro, under pressure, laid it back to Ramos.
The center-back launched a long pass toward Morata.
Morata battled with Juanfran and won the header, knocking it down to Higuain.
Atletico's defense quickly dropped back. Godin and Miranda were well-positioned. Higuain controlled, shielded with his back to goal, and laid it off to Kaka.
Atletico's midfielders swarmed Kaka, but the Brazilian slipped it across to Verratti in space.
Verratti carried the ball forward. Spotting Di Maria retreating to drag Insua out of position, he threaded a pass through the gap between Miranda and Insua.
The ball slid straight into Atletico's penalty area.
Di Maria stopped suddenly, spun, and burst past Insua with a visible speed advantage, leaving his compatriot behind.
The winger raced onto Verratti's ball on the right side of the box, driving into the penalty area.
Asenjo stayed near the six-yard box, guarding against Di Maria.
The Argentine knew exactly what the keeper expected. He paused slightly, making everyone think he was about to shoot. But instead, he feinted and nudged a half-dribble, half-shot with his left foot, sliding the ball past Asenjo into the net.
The keeper was caught by the hesitation, unable to reset his balance. He could only watch helplessly as the ball kissed the inside of the left post and rolled into the goal.
"Goallllllllllllllllllll!"
"Di Maria!"
"In the 86th minute, Di Maria scores with a solo run to break Atletico again!"
"The crucial substitution delivers magic once more. An assist and now a goal from Di Maria, Real Madrid have turned it around!"
"Atletico's left side has been completely dismantled by Di Maria!"
"This is the power of a world-class star!"
"For more than an hour, Jese could not provide any threat from the right. But since Di Maria came on, he has single-handedly transformed the attack."
"Insua had no answer in this one-on-one with Di Maria!"
"2-1!"
"Gao Shen's second-half substitution once again rescues Real Madrid!"
After scoring, Di Maria sprinted toward the corner, formed a heart with his hands, and celebrated wildly.
Gao Shen also raised his fist in celebration, but he did not forget to glance at Jese, who was jumping excitedly on the bench.
Whether Jese truly understood the gap between himself and Di Maria, let alone Ronaldo, Gao Shen did not know.
But as a head coach, there was only so much he could do. The rest depended on the players themselves.
(To be continued.)