On the evening of May 4th, at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.
In the 34th round of La Liga, Real Madrid hosted Valladolid.
Gao Shen rotated his squad for this match. Nacho and Pepe started together at center-back, while Kaka, Verratti, and Higuaín were all given places in the starting lineup. It was clearly a reshuffle of the usual first eleven.
After eliminating Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid learned their opponent in the Champions League final. Bayern Munich had drawn 1-1 with Manchester City at home, going through with a 2-1 aggregate victory, setting up a clash with Real Madrid at Wembley.
Gao Shen's focus now was on preparing for the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals.
But there was one exception: Cristiano Ronaldo, who continued his battle with Messi for the La Liga Golden Boot.
From the start, Real Madrid pressed aggressively and constantly created shooting chances.
In the 26th minute, Verratti played the ball wide to the right, where Di María dribbled past two defenders before scoring from a tight angle.
1-0!
In the 32nd minute, Real Madrid countered quickly. Di María crossed from the right, and Ronaldo headed in from close range.
2-0!
Just three minutes later, Valladolid attacked from the flank. Nacho and Pepe misjudged the cross and failed to clear, allowing Óscar González to score from close range.
2-1!
But only a minute later, Real Madrid struck back. Higuaín pounced inside the box to finish from close range.
3-1!
Before halftime, Ronaldo scored again, this time with a direct free kick from 20 meters out.
4-1!
In the second half, Real Madrid piled on.
First, Kaka scored in the 49th minute. Then Di María switched to the left, drove into the box and sent in a cross. A Valladolid defender handled the ball, earning a yellow card and conceding a penalty. Higuaín converted.
6-1!
In the 70th minute, Verratti delivered a corner and Ronaldo rose highest, powering in a header to complete his hat-trick and make it 7-1.
Real Madrid pressed until the end but could not add more goals.
The match finished 7-1, with Ronaldo claiming another hat-trick.
…
After Matchday 34, the Spanish Football Association announced its decision.
The 2012/13 Copa del Rey final would be held at the Vicente Calderón.
Originally, the FA had planned for the final to be staged at the Bernabéu. Florentino and Valdano even called Gao Shen separately to seek his opinion.
Gao Shen remembered clearly that in his previous life, the final that season was at the Bernabéu. It turned into a storm of red and yellow cards, with Atlético beating Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time.
With that memory, Gao Shen advised the club to give up the home advantage and play at the Calderón instead.
For Real Madrid, it made little difference. They were familiar with the Calderón, and with the split ticket allocation, they would have half the stadium filled with their own fans. They could even request the home dressing room. It was not a bad trade.
So Real Madrid conceded the venue, and the final was scheduled for May 17th at the Calderón.
To make room for the final, La Liga brought forward the 36th round between Real Madrid and Atlético to the midweek between Matchday 34 and 35.
…
On May 8th, at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid hosted Málaga in the 36th round of La Liga.
Gao Shen rotated heavily again. Out of respect, he gave playing time to players set to leave, like Albiol.
Only 2 minutes in, Real Madrid won a corner, and Albiol headed in from close range to open the scoring.
This once again showed Real Madrid's depth. The reason some players could not establish themselves here was not simply ability but also circumstance and luck.
Albiol, for example, remained highly valued in the transfer market.
The key moment came in the 22nd minute. Modric played a through ball, sending Ronaldo clear on goal. Málaga's last defender, Sergio Sánchez, hauled him down with a tactical foul and was shown a straight red. Ronaldo converted the penalty himself.
2-0!
Just 4 minutes later, Ronaldo unleashed a long shot from outside the box, blasting it in for 3-0!
In the 33rd minute, Real Madrid countered quickly. Ronaldo slipped a diagonal ball through, Benzema burst past his marker and finished from just outside the six-yard box.
4-0!
Six minutes later, Marcelo crossed from the left, and Ronaldo completed his hat-trick with a header.
5-0!
Before halftime, Ronaldo unselfishly squared to Benzema, who scored again.
6-0!
Down a man, Málaga were being shredded apart.
At halftime, Gao Shen took Ronaldo off to protect him.
But Jesé, who came on, carried the torch.
In the 64th minute, Benzema set up Modric, who fired in from the edge of the area.
7-0!
Then, in the 73rd minute, Demichelis tripped Jesé near the edge of the box, earning his second yellow. Málaga were reduced to nine men.
Kroos stepped up and curled the free kick into the net.
8-0!
The Bernabéu faithful were stunned. Even Gao Shen on the sideline was taken aback.
Who could have imagined this?
Real Madrid kept pushing, and in stoppage time, Lucas Vázquez broke down the right and cut the ball back. Morata failed to connect, but Jesé followed up to score.
9-0!
…
In back-to-back league games, Real Madrid had demolished their opponents 7-1 and 9-0.
Ronaldo had scored hat-tricks in both.
By contrast, Barcelona's 4-2 win over Betis and 2-1 victory over Valladolid seemed far less convincing.
Gao Shen seized the chance to play psychological games ahead of the decisive weekend fixtures.
In Matchday 35, Atlético Madrid would host Barcelona.
If any team could derail Barcelona late in the season, it was Atlético.
After the Málaga game, Gao Shen declared in his press conference that Real Madrid were prepared to win all three remaining league matches, but he doubted Barcelona would do the same.
"Simeone and his team are very tough opponents. I have every reason to believe they will deliver a fatal blow to Barcelona at home!"
He even went out of his way to praise Simeone, calling him the most underrated coach in Europe and claiming Atlético were strong enough to reach the Champions League quarterfinals or even the semi-finals.
Many thought Gao Shen was exaggerating.
Simeone brushed it off in public, saying he didn't care about such talk, even if it came from Gao Shen.
But the situation was delicate. After all, Atlético would soon face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.
In his own interview, Simeone said the Copa final was Atlético's biggest priority.
"This is a championship match."
He reminded everyone that while Atlético had won the Europa League last season, their last domestic title came in 1996, 17 years earlier, when Radomir Antić led them to a league and cup double.
Interestingly, Simeone had been part of that squad.
Now, he said, he hoped to lead Atlético to another domestic trophy after 17 years.
This raised concerns.
Looking at the table, Atlético sat comfortably in third, 11 points ahead of Real Sociedad in fourth.
With Sociedad battling Valencia and Málaga for the last Champions League place, Atlético had nothing to worry about.
They were nearly 30 points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, so catching up was impossible. But with more than a 10-point cushion over those below, their position was secure.
In that case, what incentive did Atlético have to fight Barcelona tooth and nail?
Some feared they might ease up and hand Barça the title.
But Simeone strongly denied that.
"We know exactly who we are. We never think we are weaker than Real Madrid or Barcelona. So when we play them, we give everything, always."
Still, he reiterated, "Next week's Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid is our most important game, and we will prepare accordingly."
That ambiguity gave everyone headaches.
Real Madrid could only shrug.
Gao Shen instead vented his frustration on Ramos.
The vice-captain was baffled. He had been training well, performing solidly, and making no mistakes. Why was the coach always singling him out?
Finally, Xabi Alonso took him aside and made it clear.
The team's predicament all stemmed from his red card.
"Boss, you're merciful. If it were me…" Xabi cracked his knuckles ominously.
Ramos froze. His complaints evaporated instantly.
He wasn't the type to be clueless. Seeing the whole squad fighting tooth and nail for the league, he felt guilt and regret.
He took responsibility.
The next day, before training, he stood before the team and apologized.
"From now on, if I act recklessly or make mistakes again, you can slap me in the face, and I won't fight back!"
Gao Shen patted him on the shoulder.
It felt like a blessing in disguise.
If chasing the league title could spark Ramos's complete transformation, it would be worth it.
(To be continued.)
***
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