"In the second half, focus on giving me the ball!"
During halftime, Kroos suddenly said, "This time, I guarantee I can create even better opportunities."
Everyone turned to look at him and immediately nodded, "Okay! Got it!"
They didn't even ask another question.
Kroos slowly exhaled. He had found some loopholes, but he still needed to test them through passing.
He knew, of course, that after making such a request, he would also have to take responsibility for it.
But as professional athletes, they weren't afraid of taking responsibility; they were afraid of not being allowed to take responsibility.
During his time at Bayern Munich, even if he made a request, his teammates would hesitate. They trusted Schweinsteiger more than him.
In just half a season at Real Madrid, Kroos felt he had grown a lot.
Especially with Kaka's injury, after he was entrusted with heavy responsibilities and more tactical resources were allocated to him, he continuously showed progress and growth.
But this wasn't enough!
He had to break through his own limits.
If he couldn't perform well enough even with tactical resources tilted in his favor, then he was useless!
No matter how talented, he would still be useless if he couldn't handle the pressure!
Kroos had been denied too many times, even to the point of a mental breakdown.
But at Real Madrid, Suker trusted him, and his teammates trusted him too.
Of course, the latter might be due to Suker's influence, so they might just be putting on a show.
But precisely because of this, he couldn't disappoint those who trusted him.
This was his biggest challenge yet!
He had to overcome it!
He didn't expect to be on par with Pirlo, but at the very least, he couldn't be forced into a situation where he completely lost his rhythm.
He didn't need to ensure the supply of ammunition for his teammates from the midfield.
He believed that this group of Real Madrid forwards were top-tier players.
They only lacked a stable and efficient ammunition transport mechanism, and he was the most crucial link in it.
He didn't want to be a burden anymore!
Nor did he want to be denied by others again!
So, he could only break through all of this with his performance!
In the second half, the two sides switched ends.
After the first half, the score was tied 1-1.
Juventus had to use one substitution due to Bonucci's injury, leaving them with only two remaining.
Real Madrid had a slight advantage in terms of substitutions in the second half.
However, how to convert that advantage into initiative was what Zidane needed to consider.
Currently, Zidane still had Di Maria as a card up his sleeve.
The Angel's performance when coming on as a substitute was astonishing.
Especially after Suker attracted attention, with less pressure, Di Maria's efficiency was truly remarkable.
However, it required the right moment to play this card.
At the very least, it wasn't now.
The Real Madrid players on the field needed to make things a bit more chaotic, at least not letting Juventus maintain such a strong, controlling midfield rhythm.
"Three center-backs! If Kaka were still here, we'd definitely blow them away!"
Benzema couldn't help but complain.
He wasn't complaining about Kroos, but he still had some emotions.
If the midfield wasn't creating, their combat power would be halved.
If ammunition couldn't be delivered, no matter how powerful they were, they would be duds, making noise but with no destructive power.
Therefore, they needed some midfield support, even just one passing lane would do.
"Just wait!"
Suker twisted his ankle. "Toni will find a way."
Benzema didn't say anything.
Clearly, he wasn't too trusting.
After Kroos joined Real Madrid, although he had grown, he still couldn't match Real Madrid's performance.
If Mourinho were still here, Real Madrid might have leaned towards full-backs organizing the play from the back.
The midfield would have completely become a sweeper type!
Of course, this wasn't what Benzema wanted either, but it was better than playing like this now, right?
At least they could win games.
After Mourinho left, they realized how much convenience Mourinho's tactical arrangements and command had brought them.
People always learn to cherish things only after losing them.
Now, Benzema believed that Mourinho was truly excellent!
Inhale~~~ Exhale~~~
Inhale~~~ Exhale~~~
Kroos took deep breaths repeatedly, allowing his complex thoughts to clear up.
How to play the game next, and what kind of rhythm to sort out, Kroos generally had ideas and a framework in his mind.
This also subtly excited him.
This was the first time he had shown such fighting spirit, fully concentrating on the game.
When playing for Bayern Munich, he always felt something was missing, unable to fully let go.
But here, he was proving himself by getting enough resources.
At the very least, he wanted to solidify his starting position before Kaka returned.
Beep!
The whistle sounded in his ears, Kroos immediately looked up, cushioned the ball with the instep of his foot, then dragged the ball and turned.
At this moment, two Juventus forwards suddenly darted past Kroos, trying to intercept the back pass.
Just then, Kroos reversed his step-over, dragging the ball back towards the attacking direction, completing the escape.
Slap!
Zidane clapped his hands!
"That's right! That's how to play!"
The midfield he wanted wasn't the unchanging workhorse type, but creative and penetrating midfielders.
Kroos's escape this time was excellent, using the inertia of the two Juventus forwards to complete the move.
Kroos carried the ball forward two more steps, then suddenly shifted it to the left.
As soon as he passed the ball, Kroos saw the opponent's entire team shift to the left.
"Indeed!"
Kroos immediately followed up.
Suker was already surrounded, but his peripheral vision still caught Kroos moving forward.
Suker stepped on the ball and dragged it horizontally.
The ball rolled between Pirlo's legs and went behind him.
Pirlo's old face flushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. He glared fiercely at Suker and immediately turned to chase Kroos.
Damn it!
Addicted to nutmegs?
During his time at Milan, Suker had often nutmegged Pirlo, and now the guy seemed even more skilled.
Kroos once again shifted the ball to the right. When Bale was surrounded, he went to receive it again.
However, Bale's pass was a bit late, causing Kroos to get tangled up.
But Kroos wasn't in a hurry. He casually dragged the ball and turned, completed a back pass, and then leisurely dropped back.
At the same time, Kroos extended his hand, instructing Casemiro to pass the ball to Srna.
After Srna received the ball, he instinctively looked in Suker's direction.
Then he was astonished to find that there was no one next to Suker.
"Pass quickly!"
Kroos was anxious.
What was he waiting for if not to pass?
Srna suddenly sent a diagonal long pass at a forty-five-degree angle.
"Suker is open here!"
Leidup exclaimed in surprise.
How did he get open?
Why was he open?
Even Suker himself was a bit bewildered. As he played, there was suddenly no one around him.
After easily cushioning the ball, Suker looked up into the penalty area, but there was still no good opportunity.
But the next second, he saw Kroos appear again in an open space in his field of vision, posing to receive the ball.
Suker naturally passed the ball back, then looked at Kroos in surprise.
Suker could clearly feel that the game seemed much easier.
"That's right!" Zidane was very happy; "This is the rhythm that suits us!"
Leidup turned his head: "What's going on? How did Suker get open?"
"Movement! He ran into it!"
Zidane was concise, but feeling Leidup didn't understand, he added; "You can think of it as a situation created by Kroos. When Suker was surrounded, Kroos ran to receive the ball. When receiving the ball, he didn't immediately pass, but paused for a moment. At this point, the two defensive midfielders immediately ran towards him. Then, Kroos passed."
"After the pass, Kroos moved closer to Pirlo, and at the same time, he received Bale's back pass again. Although Bale's back pass was ill-timed, it precisely gave the Juventus players a false impression of a tackle!"
"Kroos received the ball again, Benzema dropped back, and the two stood parallel."
"Benzema stood in the left half-space, Kroos stood in the right half-space, Bale was diagonally forward to the right. The three center-backs couldn't move; they had to prevent runs forward, so they could only move the defensive midfielders to interfere."
Leidup blinked: "So, Benzema drew the defenders away from Suker?"
"You can understand it that way, but there's another layer to it." Zidane grinned; "Benzema was in the left half-space, and Kroos looked at him six times. If you were Marchisio, would you dare to leave Benzema unmarked?"
Zidane exhaled and said; "Chiellini can't follow, he has to restrict Benzema's runs forward!"
"If Marchisio doesn't run over to mark closely, Benzema's position is an open space!"
"At the same time, Pirlo and Pogba were drawn away by Kroos, Padoin didn't drop back in the attacking third, so all the defenders around Suker were drawn away, and he naturally became open!"
Leidup was stunned; "You mean all of this was designed by Kroos? He could think of all this in such an intense match?"
Zidane rolled his eyes; "Why do you think top midfielders are top midfielders? Pirlo can frequently create forward runs for Quagliarella. Are these all our positioning errors? This is the result of being manipulated by Juventus's passing and movement. It's just that now it's our turn to manipulate Juventus's defense!"
Leidup's eyes were opened.
When he was a player, he played as a defender and didn't perform well, so he retired early.
After retiring, he became a Head Coach and gained experience through management, but he never touched the concept of being top-tier.
In his opinion, continuous observation by midfielders was already impressive. The Real Madrid B team's midfielders only sorted out the rhythm, but they were far from achieving this almost abnormal level of movement manipulation.
If your brain was even a little slow, your CPU would burn out.
Suker was also observing the situation, as well as Kroos's movement and manipulation, and he quickly reacted.
He had experienced this kind of manipulation during his time at Milan.
Pirlo played like this back then.
To be honest, even Kaka can't pull off this kind of manipulation now. It's not that his awareness isn't enough, but that he's too straightforward, his brain just can't turn corners.
Of course, Kroos is also very stubborn.
However, his stubbornness is a stubbornness unique to Germans; stubbornness doesn't mean stupidity.
Kroos's passing ideas are like tightly meshed gears, running at full power.
In a swift and complex battle, he absorbs effective information and creates a favorable environment for his side.
Look!
Marchisio was drawn away again.
Suker turned to look at Chiellini.
The latter also looked at him in a panic.
The next second, Chiellini gritted his teeth and immediately stepped forward to mark Suker.
Just then, Kroos suddenly passed the ball, aiming for the space behind Chiellini.
Benzema suddenly started a forward run from the left rib area.
"Damn it!"
Chiellini was getting incredibly annoyed.
He quickly rushed towards Benzema, while Marchisio was also marking Benzema from the other side.
They intended to stop this ball here.
But the moment the ball landed, Benzema suddenly stepped over it, using his heel to press the ball, making it bounce backward.
At this moment, Chiellini and Marchisio's faces turned green.
They knew this passing route too well.
Suker was going to make a diagonal run!
Sure enough, when they turned their heads, Suker had already appeared at the ball's landing spot, guiding it gently with his left foot and driving directly into the penalty area.
Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!—
All the Juventus fans gasped.
Suker controlled the ball with his right foot, making it more stable, and caught a glimpse of someone rushing in from the side.
Suker immediately pulled the ball back, making a sudden stop.
The next second, Caceres slid past Suker, but couldn't touch Suker or the ball.
Suker shifted the ball horizontally again, creating a shooting angle.
At this moment, the hearts of all Juventus fans were in their throats.
Italian commentator Aldo Serena even shrieked.
"Danger!!!—"
Suker struck the ball fiercely with his right foot.
It was a powerful shot, with his body facing the far post, but at the moment of contact, he suddenly twisted his waist to kick towards the near post.
The ball flew into the goal, tightly hugging the post with a whoosh.
In the 65th minute, Benzema assisted Suker for the goal!
After scoring, Suker pointed to Kroos from afar, then retracted his index finger and gave a thumbs up instead.
Awesome!
Kroos grinned happily.
This goal was purely an opportunity created by Kroos's movement and passing.
Of course, Benzema's backheel flick and Suker's calm decision in front of the goal were also extremely important.
But precisely because of this, the goal was so spectacular.
"Gooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!!!!!!!!!"
González's Spanish chant erupted again.
"Oh my God! A sudden change of pace makes us re-evaluate Toni Kroos!"
"This is the choice of the young man! Striking a heavy blow to the opponent in the same way!"
"In the first half, Pirlo initiated an attack for Juventus with a change of pace and scored a goal!"
"In the second half, the young Kroos reciprocated Juventus in the same way!"
"And with this goal, Real Madrid leads 2:1 away from home!"
On the sidelines, Zidane hugged Leidup and cheered non-stop.
He had expectations for Kroos, but his performance exceeded his expectations.
A perfect offensive command!
When Chiellini approached Suker, he had already aimed for the open space behind Chiellini. Benzema and Suker's crossing runs completely disrupted Juventus's defensive rhythm.
Of course, Benzema's backheel flick and Suker's calm choice in front of goal were equally brilliant.
Suker clapped Kroos on the shoulder forcefully, grinning non-stop.
What a relief!
It was so damn relieving!
To use their own methods against them.
They initiated the attack in the same way as Pirlo and successfully scored a goal.
Suker saw Pirlo's sour face and became even happier.
Let you be arrogant!
You got slapped in the face, didn't you!
"Great job!" Suker patted Kroos's shoulder hard again.
The latter was also extremely excited.
This goal was an attack initiated entirely by him.
Organization, probing, dropping back, reorganizing, manipulating, and then a tempo-changing pass in the final stage.
He perfectly executed the plan in his mind, and Kroos was extremely excited about it.
Moreover, the initiation of this attack also enlightened him and made him more confident.
He believed that this breakthrough would allow him to play even better matches in the future.
"Guys! We must hold on now!"
Suker clenched his fist loudly: "Let's win this match!"
Everyone roared loudly again.
The comeback score greatly boosted Real Madrid's morale.
On the other hand, Juventus immediately made substitutions.
Conte replaced Pogba with the more defensively adept Vidal, further strengthening their defense, hoping to restrict Suker.
However, Real Madrid made two consecutive substitutions.
Bale and Marcelo left the field.
Di Maria and Coentrão came on as substitutes.
Real Madrid strengthened both their offense and defense, and by deploying Di Maria on the right wing, both of Real Madrid's flanks could tuck in, thus enhancing their control.
That's right!
Zidane was going to start time-wasting!
While maintaining solid defense, he would waste time by controlling the ball.
If Juventus dared, they could try high pressing!
That way, Real Madrid could also play more relaxed long passes and crosses.
But clearly, Conte didn't dare to play like that!
Even with Bale off, Suker's explosive speed on the left wing was enough to keep them pinned back in their defensive line, unable to move.
Time passed little by little.
Real Madrid stubbornly intercepted every Juventus attack, while using ball control and defense to employ a delaying tactic, slowly controlling the pace of the match.
Pirlo gradually started to get anxious.
Even as a midfield maestro, he would make mistakes sometimes.
In his haste, Pirlo also tried to use his long passes to find the forwards.
But Real Madrid had players stacked in the midfield and defense. Even if Pirlo's long passes were precise, they couldn't control the first touch, and every time, Real Madrid's defenders cleared or disrupted the ball.
Through Pirlo's mistaken choices, Real Madrid gradually gained an advantage and slowly ran down the clock.
When the 90 minutes were up, the final whistle blew, and the score remained 1:2.
"The match is over! Real Madrid! defeated Juventus 2:1 away from home, securing victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals!"
"Throughout the match, Real Madrid had passive moments, but they stabilized their rhythm and quickly made adjustments!"
"In this match, Suker had a goal and an assist! His performance was still outstanding!"
"However, what amazed me most was the young German midfielder Toni Kroos! In just half a season since joining Real Madrid, he has grown into a midfielder no less impressive than Pirlo! He gave us a brilliant performance!"
"Undoubtedly, we are witnessing the rise of a future midfield maestro!"