Evening of February 25.
Real Madrid's send-off ceremony was underway around Santiago Bernabéu.
Meanwhile, Liverpool had arrived at the stadium slightly earlier than scheduled. To prepare for a perfect performance, they repeatedly came out to the pitch every 30 minutes to warm up before returning to the locker room.
Once both teams' starting lineups were announced, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez entered the locker room and gathered the players.
"As expected, Real Madrid is starting both Zidane and Ho-young. We've thoroughly prepared for this. Right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Gerrard, what's the approach we need to take?"
"The moment we sense a tactical change from the opposition, we must actively communicate to adjust the gaps between the defensive line, midfield line, and the space behind us."
"And on the attack?"
"Unless their defense collapses into the box, Torres, Kuyt, Riera, and I will form a massive attacking triangle centered around me and try to break their lines. If Garay and Pepe focus on box defense, we'll open up our attack with dynamic switching and mid-range shots."
Gerrard spoke without hesitation. Benítez raised his palm, not for a high five, but to signal that that was enough.
They were nothing more or less than manager and player.
Even though Benítez and Gerrard had spent five years together, their relationship was still somewhat awkward.
Benítez was the one person within the club whom Gerrard still felt uncomfortable contacting directly.
That was just the kind of person Benítez was.
Despite his slightly soft appearance, he was rather cold and stiff in demeanor.
Some even called him an "emotionless dictator."
Not that he was quiet either. In fact, he was quite the opposite—overly meddlesome, with constant nagging and excessive involvement in player management, which made him poorly liked on a personal level.
'Still, his tactical ability is top-notch.'
A warm-hearted manager can be pleasant to work with, but that only matters if he's also competent. A tactically inept manager is worse than having no warmth at all.
That was how Gerrard saw it.
Under Benítez's leadership, Liverpool was having their best season yet.
They were second in the Premier League behind Manchester United, and had already beaten Everton and Aston Villa to reach the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
At their peak this season, Liverpool were even eyeing a treble.
As long as Benítez kept delivering results, Gerrard didn't mind him interfering in his personal life.
He was that desperate for a title.
'Whether it's the league or the Champions League, I'll win at least one of them.'
While Gerrard was burning with determination, Benítez's speech continued.
"There's a famous phrase, the magic of the Bernabéu. Some may scoff at it, but there's a reason it exists. Real Madrid is incredibly adept at manipulating their home conditions. They regularly adjust grass height depending on the weather, and even use the ball boys to disrupt the opponent's flow."
Born in Madrid, having started his footballing journey and coaching career at Castilla, Benítez was well aware of the intricacies of the Bernabéu.
He believed they still had a solid chance of winning today.
"There's no need to be intimidated. They're strong, but we are Liverpool—stronger still. Show Madrid what Liverpool's all about."
"Yes, sir."
As Benítez walked out, the heavy mood inside the locker room lifted.
Then Gerrard stepped forward and gathered the team.
They huddled together with their arms around each other's shoulders in a big circle.
A completely different atmosphere from when the manager was present.
It was a locker room filled with true camaraderie.
And in the middle of it, Gerrard's short but powerful words rang out.
"We go Roma."
Rome, Italy—the site of the 08-09 Champions League final.
Gerrard boldly declared his belief that they could make it there.
Beeeep
[8:45 p.m., the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 has begun. Real Madrid, positioned to the left, takes the kickoff. Despite injuries to Cannavaro and Fernando Gago, they've been performing excellently in the league recently.]
[Opting out of the Copa del Rey in such a congested schedule proved to be a wise move. Even though Liverpool is on a hot streak, defeating Real Madrid at the Bernabéu will not be easy. The key will be how much of an impact the Gerrard-Torres duo can make.]
The so-called "Gerrard-Torres line."
A legendary combo known for their thrilling chemistry, always managing to awe the spectators with their fluid teamwork.
Fernando Torres, a former Atlético Madrid player, had plenty of experience facing Real Madrid.
He knew their style well.
"This match is winnable."
Especially with Real's backline weakened by the injuries to Cannavaro and Gago.
If he set his mind to it, he believed he could score multiple goals.
"We even have the advantage in midfield."
[Mascherano and Alonso, forming the double pivot, are gaining control in midfield.]
[The match has barely begun, and Liverpool is already establishing dominance in the middle. Gerrard, playing as an attacking midfielder, is actively participating in the midfield battle. Neither side is yielding an inch.]
Real Madrid lined up in a 4-2-3-1.
Robben was positioned on the right wing, Marcelo on the left. Ho-young played as the attacking midfielder to maintain balance.
Raúl was up front as the lone striker, aiming to make penetrating runs.
But—
[The intent is good, but it's not yielding much effect. Liverpool's defense keeps shutting them down.]
[Indeed. With only 16 goals conceded in 26 league matches, this is the kind of defensive performance you'd expect from them.]
In the 17th minute of the first half, both Ho-young's right-footed shot and Robben's left-footed strike registered as shots on target but failed to find the net.
Up to that point, it was manageable.
The real problem began as Liverpool's cohesion came to life.
[Zidane and Mahamadou Diarra, positioned in midfield, are struggling against Mascherano and Alonso. Gerrard's pressure from behind is also playing a major role.]
[That's right. By cutting off Zidane's ball distribution, they're effectively shutting down Real Madrid's entire attack. It turns out Ho-young isn't the main target today, it's Zidane. The pressing play used against Robinho in the Manchester City match seems to have been a smokescreen.]
[Benítez has clearly won the psychological battle. Real Madrid needs to find a solution quickly.]
In the midst of that, left-back Aurelio's intelligent overlapping created a decisive chance.
A build-up flowing from the left toward the center.
Liverpool's attack unfolded with short, crisp passing.
Tap!
Receiving a pass from Aurelio, Gerrard looked forward.
He spotted a slight opening behind the defense and delivered a killer pass.
[Fernando Torres breaks the line! Using his explosive pace, he splits the gap between Pepe and Garay!]
A sudden 1-on-1 opportunity.
Casillas rushed out quickly to close the angle, but it wasn't enough.
Thud!
Torres calmly used an instep kick to guide the ball into the net.
The first goal was his.
[Gooooal! Fernando Torres opens the scoring with a brilliant run!]
[It started with the full-back overlapping, then Gerrard's killer pass, and finally Torres breaking the line. That's classic Liverpool. And once again, they execute it to perfection.]
The opening goal from Liverpool brought despair to the Bernabéu.
The absence of Cannavaro, who always organized the backline, was felt even more deeply.
But the truly terrifying part was what came next.
[Liverpool changes shape from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1.]
[It's the exact same tactical shift they showed against Manchester City.]
Liverpool's second line, composed of Riera, Alonso, Gerrard, and Kuyt, became the first wall of defense.
Mascherano formed the second layer, and the back four served as the final line.
A deeply layered defensive tactic designed to neutralize all attacking threats.
'I remember now. Our team got crushed by Liverpool and were knocked out in the Round of 16 during this season.'
What Ho-young saw now was eerily similar to the future he already knew.
In other words, everything was unfolding as expected.
'Then all we have to do is carry out our prepared strategy.'
Everything was going according to plan.
It was time to show what they had.
The start of the counterattack.
Real Madrid maintained a fast tempo on the pitch but introduced a tactical change.
[After conceding the opening goal, Real Madrid makes a tactical adjustment.]
[However, there's no drastic change. They've kept the formation but pushed Ho-young up as the striker and dropped Raúl into the attacking midfielder role. It's a simple position switch, likely to disrupt Liverpool's compact defensive line.]
"Hm."
Benítez observed the change and responded immediately.
He urgently called over the physical center-back Škrtel and gave him instructions.
"Abandon zonal marking and switch to man-marking. Stick to Ho-young. Just don't give him any space."
"Understood."
Škrtel was confident.
Before flying to Spain, he had said as much in a British interview.
–Liverpool will face Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16. Many expect you'll be marking Ho-young. What are your thoughts? He's already humbled numerous center-backs.
Škrtel answered without hesitation.
–I've seen his play. It's impressive. But we'll shut him down our way. Do you know how many goals we've conceded this season? He'll burn himself out trying to get past us.
Bold words.
In truth, he didn't believe he could stop Ho-young alone in a 1-on-1.
But with his teammates, it was possible.
Even if peak Pelé came back, he believed they could still stop him.
And right then, Real Madrid began their attack.
[Just barely receiving the ball in midfield is Diarra. He looks forward but seems to have no good options.]
[There's no room to breathe. Even before you control the ball, Liverpool players are swarming.]
Against Liverpool's 4-1-4-1, Madrid was numerically outmatched in midfield.
But if they could just break through the middle, they would hold a massive advantage.
That was what they aimed for.
Tap.
[Diarra passes, Zidane receives and immediately threads it forward!]
The class hadn't faded.
Zidane's pass slipped cleverly through the defenders' legs and split the field open.
It nullified Liverpool's pressing in one motion.
[Ho-young receives the ball with his back to goal.]
[But there are still six defenders behind him. This alone won't be enough.]
It definitely wasn't.
To score, he needed to get close to the penalty area.
So Ho-young pressed forward.
He went straight at Liverpool's web-like defense.
Exploiting the gap created as Mascherano followed Raúl.
Tap, tap.
"…?!"
[Ho-young breaks through the second line with ease!]
Since mastering both feet, his dribbling had become far more complete.
Above all, he now had immense confidence in his ball control.
[Still carrying the ball forward.]
[With Riera covering the flank, Aurelio cuts inside to mark Ho-young.]
It was meaningless.
Ho-young, having reached the pinnacle of ball control, flicked the ball with his back foot and spun past Aurelio in an instant.
He even adjusted his tempo perfectly.
Tap, tap!
The tension mounted as he dribbled with terrifying intensity.
"Crazy."
Ho-young approached the penalty area and faced Škrtel.
Škrtel, not expecting this situation, quickly positioned himself.
'I must not give him any space.'
And he didn't.
To anyone watching, it looked like all the space was completely cut off.
But then.
Thud!
[Ho-young breaks right! In an instant, he opens up the shooting angle!]
Space wasn't found. It was created.
What followed was a left-footed outside shot.
The net shook moments later.
Rustle!
[Goooooal! Ho-young's mid-range strike finds the back of the net!]
[My God. What just happened?]
A simple breakthrough that cut through Liverpool like a knife.
No one could explain what had just unfolded.
One thing was clear: Škrtel and Rafael Benítez had both been silenced.
Benítez turned to his assistant.
"Damn it. From now on, shift focus from Zidane to Ho-young. Even if we pick up cards, stop him like we did with Robinho."
The assistant instructed Mascherano and Alonso to shadow Ho-young like glue.
But Real Madrid didn't sit still either.
[Real Madrid changes tactics again immediately after the restart.]
[They switch to a 4-4-2 formation. Ho-young moves up front to pair with Raúl in a two-striker system. What are they planning here?]
As if they'd been waiting for this, Real Madrid revealed their hidden claws.
Tension spread across the field.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)