"The players are coming out of the tunnel now, and Real Madrid have named their strongest available side," the commentator said as the teams emerged into the Bernabéu.
"Iker Casillas starts in goal. Roberto Carlos, Iván Helguera, Walter Samuel and Míchel Salgado form the back four. Juninho Paulista partners Claude Makélélé in midfield, with Zinedine Zidane and Luís Figo operating further forward. Raúl and Ronaldo Nazário lead the attack."
It was essentially Real Madrid's first-choice team.
Walter Samuel, in particular, had settled far better under Vicente del Bosque than many had expected after his move to Spain. Rather than struggling badly, the Argentine had reproduced much of the authority he had shown in Italy and helped give Madrid's defence a solidity it had previously lacked.
New Manchester United's line-up contained few surprises either.
Petr Čech started in goal, with Evra, Terry, Vidić and Maicon across the defence.
Curtis and Essien were both suspended after accumulating yellow cards, so Mourinho turned to Mikel. The young midfielder joined De Rossi and Beckham in a three-man central unit.
Further forward, Ronaldo started from the left, Kaká operated from the right half-space with freedom to drift centrally, and Drogba led the line.
"On paper, that certainly looks cautious," the commentator said. "Three central midfielders with strong defensive instincts. Mourinho clearly wants protection in front of his back four."
For such a significant match, the broadcast had invited two former Real Madrid figures to provide analysis: Fernando Redondo and José Antonio Camacho.
Redondo had travelled to Madrid specifically for the semi-final.
For him, the occasion created an awkward emotional conflict.
Real Madrid had been one of the defining clubs of his career.
New Manchester United had become equally important to him later.
He described choosing between them as almost impossible.
Still, if forced to predict the first leg, Redondo gave Madrid a slight advantage because of the Bernabéu.
Only a slight one.
"This is an extremely dangerous opponent," he said. "One mistake against New Manchester United can change the entire tie."
When the commentator suggested Mourinho's selection was defensive, Redondo immediately disagreed.
"I don't think you can judge them purely from the names in midfield."
He smiled.
"Mourinho can use three central midfielders without becoming passive. New Manchester United's football is built around movement, pressure and the positions players take when the ball changes hands. The shape may look cautious, but that doesn't mean the approach will be."
Camacho agreed.
"I would call them one of the most dangerous teams in Europe."
"They're young, but almost every player has outstanding individual ability. More importantly, they work within a very demanding collective structure. They run, they press, they recover their positions quickly, and they believe in the manager's plan."
The commentator then asked both men the same question.
"Who is Real Madrid's most dangerous player tonight?"
Redondo and Camacho looked at each other.
Then answered almost together.
"Roberto Carlos."
Both laughed.
Redondo explained first.
"When a full-back attacks, there is always risk. You gain another player going forward, but you leave space behind."
"Roberto Carlos has spent most of his career making the reward much greater than the danger."
He had lost some of the explosive pace of his peak years, but his recent form remained excellent.
Camacho's relationship with the Brazilian had historically been rather more complicated, but even he acknowledged the threat.
"Mourinho will have prepared specifically for him."
"Roberto isn't as young as he used to be, and if you force him to defend repeatedly, you can reduce his influence."
"But if you give him space to attack, he can still decide a match."
When asked for a winner, Camacho chose Madrid without hesitation.
Redondo was more reluctant.
Eventually, he admitted that the home side probably had the better chance.
The match began without any feeling-out period.
Real Madrid attacked immediately.
New Manchester United responded with equal intensity.
At the Bernabéu, Mourinho had no interest in trying to win an open contest against Zidane, Figo, Raúl and Ronaldo Nazário from the opening whistle.
That would have been reckless.
His first-half plan was based on control without becoming passive.
The players were expected to run relentlessly, force Madrid to move the ball faster than they wanted, close passing lanes and keep the overall tempo high.
New Manchester United's defensive movement operated as a connected system.
When one player stepped out, another shifted across.
When one flank was overloaded, the midfield narrowed behind it.
When possession changed, the nearest players reacted together rather than individually.
The whole structure moved like a net tightening around the ball.
Madrid's first avenue of attack was obvious.
Roberto Carlos pushed forward repeatedly from the left.
His understanding with Juninho Paulista remained excellent, and Zidane frequently drifted into the same area to create triangles.
In the eighth minute, Carlos found enough space to cross.
The ball reached Ronaldo Nazário inside the penalty area.
He struck it first time with his left foot.
Over the bar.
The Bernabéu groaned.
Mourinho immediately adjusted.
De Rossi was instructed to shade towards the right whenever Madrid built through Carlos.
That allowed Maicon to stay tighter and prevented him from being isolated.
The effect was noticeable.
Carlos still received the ball, but his space disappeared faster.
Even so, Madrid continued to apply enormous pressure.
Their attacking football was difficult to predict because the point of attack changed constantly.
Zidane drifted inside.
Figo came off the touchline.
Raúl dropped between the lines.
Ronaldo threatened the channels.
Juninho Paulista moved the ball intelligently from deeper positions.
New Manchester United's answer was to keep compressing the space around them.
Raúl was perhaps the most industrious of Madrid's attacking players, and his movement frequently helped connect midfield to the front line.
Without his work, and Juninho Paulista's passing from deep, Madrid might have found the game far more difficult.
Mikel played a major role in disrupting that connection.
Physically, he could compete with almost anyone on the pitch.
His lateral coverage was excellent.
Technically, he was calm enough to receive under pressure and move the ball without immediately giving it back.
He did not simply break up attacks.
He helped New Manchester United survive after breaking them up.
That mattered against a side like Madrid.
Despite spending long periods without the ball, Mourinho's team still produced several dangerous counterattacks.
The best early chance fell to Kaká.
He received possession outside the penalty area and struck with his right foot.
Casillas reacted sharply and tipped the effort over the crossbar.
Madrid remained on top territorially, but the pattern was becoming clear.
Mourinho wanted to reduce Roberto Carlos's influence.
De Rossi and Maicon were doing it.
He wanted Juninho Paulista prevented from receiving comfortably.
Kaká was often the first player to close him.
He wanted Madrid's defenders forced into earlier passes than they preferred.
Drogba, Ronaldo and Kaká all contributed to that press.
There were no passengers.
That pressure gradually began to increase Madrid's error count.
Mourinho was deliberately pushing the tempo.
Madrid, with several older players in key positions, preferred to control matches through the ball.
New Manchester United were refusing to let them settle into that rhythm.
Still, whenever Mourinho's side broke, they encountered another formidable barrier.
Makélélé protected the central defence.
Samuel was strong in the duels.
Casillas remained alert behind them.
New Manchester United's few counterattacking opportunities produced concern rather than goals.
The Bernabéu crowd began to grow more confident.
Then, in the 33rd minute, Madrid found their breakthrough.
Roberto Carlos combined with Zidane on the left before moving inside.
From there he clipped a diagonal ball towards the far post.
Raúl held off Vidić and guided a header back across the six-yard area.
Ronaldo Nazário reacted instantly.
He stabbed the ball past Čech.
1-0.
The Bernabéu erupted.
For more than half an hour, Madrid's supporters had been waiting for a release.
Ronaldo gave them one.
"It is a wonderful goal," the commentator said over the noise.
"And what makes it remarkable is that New Manchester United's defensive structure had actually held up well."
Redondo nodded.
"That's the difference elite players can make."
"Roberto Carlos creates the angle, Raúl improvises the header, and Ronaldo finishes before anyone can react."
"The ball barely touches the ground."
"It isn't really a structural failure from Mourinho's team. It is a moment of individual quality."
That was the value of superstars.
Sometimes the opposition could defend correctly and still concede.
The cameras immediately found Mourinho.
He stood with his arms folded.
No anger.
No panic.
His expression could have belonged to Capello.
Mourinho turned, said a few words to his assistants, then moved towards the touchline.
He gestured for concentration.
Nothing more.
He had never expected Real Madrid to be easy to shut out at the Bernabéu.
Bayern had conceded four here in the previous round.
To imagine New Manchester United could simply eliminate every chance would have been arrogance.
Mourinho was stubborn.
He was not delusional.
He understood his own team.
He understood the opposition.
His task was not to pretend Madrid had no strengths.
It was to identify those strengths, restrict them where possible and attack the weaknesses that remained.
After the goal, New Manchester United became even more disciplined.
Carlos received far less freedom.
Kaká stayed closer to Juninho Paulista whenever Madrid tried to build through the centre-left.
Mikel and De Rossi remained compact.
Madrid began to find fewer clean routes forward.
With the lead secured, Del Bosque naturally encouraged his side to slow the game.
That suited Madrid.
Mourinho immediately opposed it.
He repeatedly gestured for his players to press higher and circulate the ball faster whenever possession changed.
He wanted the game played at New Manchester United's tempo, not Madrid's.
That had always been part of the plan.
A first-half goal conceded was acceptable.
Allowing Madrid to control the remaining hour at walking pace was not.
For the rest of the half, Mourinho's side largely succeeded.
Madrid still possessed more of the ball.
They still looked dangerous.
But clear opportunities were rare.
The whistle came with the score still 1-0.
At half-time, the discussion in the television studio focused almost entirely on Mourinho.
Everyone knew his reputation for changing matches during the interval.
Redondo expected an adjustment.
Camacho wondered whether there might even be a substitution.
Yet when the teams emerged, neither manager had changed personnel.
For Del Bosque, it made sense.
Madrid were ahead.
They had not conceded an away goal.
There was little reason to disturb the balance of the match.
Mourinho's decision was harder to read.
Was he satisfied with 1-0?
The second half began at almost the same speed as the first.
Madrid attempted several times to slow the match.
New Manchester United resisted.
The pressing continued.
The running continued.
The midfield remained aggressive.
Twenty more minutes passed.
Still 1-0.
Madrid had the advantage.
New Manchester United had the away leg to come.
Camacho began to wonder aloud whether Mourinho had accepted the result.
"Perhaps he believes losing 1-0 here is manageable."
"If they avoid conceding another goal, they can take the tie back to Manchester."
Redondo was unconvinced.
"I don't think Mourinho likes leaving that much to the second leg."
"Yes, New Manchester United would have home advantage."
"But asking them to score while also preventing Real Madrid from getting an away goal is extremely dangerous."
He looked towards the touchline.
"I think he's waiting."
"For what?" the commentator asked.
Redondo did not answer.
At that exact moment, Mourinho turned towards the players warming up behind the bench.
He raised one arm.
One of them immediately pulled off his training top.
The adjustment was finally coming.
(To be continued.)