“The first half ended with neither side scoring. Overall, Real Madrid had far more opportunities than Borussia Dortmund, but they failed to capitalize on any of them. I wonder if they will regret these wasted chances after the match. If they had seized just one of them, the situation might have been very different…”

The Spanish commentator said with regret.

In Real Madrid's locker room, Mourinho was encouraging his team. It was a real shame that they hadn't managed to score in the first half, but now wasn't the time to discuss what had happened. The key was to get the players to focus on the second half and how to score three goals.

“…I know we’ve been through a lot this season, and those things have created distance between us. But now, I want everyone to put all that aside and fight for the badge on your chests. At this moment, you are all warriors! Treat the second half like a war, a war that requires bloodshed and sacrifice to win!”

Ramos stood up from his seat, waving his fist and saying to his teammates, “We have to fight to the end, guys! Prove to those who are waiting to see us fail that Real Madrid will not be defeated! Let’s go out there and show them why Real Madrid is the most successful team in Champions League history!”

The atmosphere in Real Madrid's locker room quickly became heated, and everyone was cheering wildly.

Meanwhile, in Borussia Dortmund's locker room, the atmosphere was calmer. Klopp said to his players with a solemn expression, “There are forty-five minutes left in the game. Stability is more important than anything else. Remember, time is on our side. Every second that passes will make Real Madrid more anxious. Don't make mistakes, and the rest is just waiting for the game to end. Patience and stability are more important than everything else!”

There were no rallying cries, no passionate outbursts. The most movement the players made was nodding their heads.

※※※

The second half began with both sides switching sides and neither making any substitutions.

In the forty-ninth minute, Götze crossed from the left, and Lewandowski was completely unmarked in the penalty area. He shot from about a dozen meters from the goal, but the ball went over the crossbar.

Although the ball didn't go in, it still scared many Real Madrid fans, and as Lewandowski shot, cries and screams rang out from the stands of the Bernabéu stadium.

“Lewandowski! Almost scored! Real Madrid's defense made another mistake at this time. How could Lewandowski be unmarked?” He Ping said.

Dortmund's attack didn't end there. Just one minute later, Dortmund had another chance to attack.

Gündoğan's sudden interception in the frontcourt caused Modrić to lose the ball. After the ball was poked out by Gündoğan, it landed at Zhou Yi's feet.

Zhou Yi didn't hesitate. As he received the ball, he turned around and passed it out. He had just passed the ball when Xabi Alonso crashed into him—if he had been even a fraction of a second slower, the ball might not have gone out, or it might not have been a good pass.

But now, the ball was accurately delivered to Lewandowski's feet!

Because it was a counterattack launched on the spot after a frontcourt steal, Real Madrid's defense was caught off guard. After receiving the ball, Lewandowski quickly broke into the penalty area from the right, and then unleashed a powerful shot from ten meters from the goal!

“Lewandowski! Dortmund is coming again—!”

In Marcel Reif's cheers, the ball flew towards Real Madrid's goal like a cannonball. Although Diego López made a save, he was a little slow because of the short distance and Lewandowski's powerful shot. He couldn't reach the ball and could only watch helplessly as it flew into the goal behind him…

At that moment, Diego López felt despair—if this ball went in, all their efforts would be in vain, and Real Madrid would be like a deflated ball.

Many Real Madrid fans also widened their eyes, watching this scene unfold in front of Real Madrid's goal in horror. Some of them even placed their hands on their hearts, praying silently…

God, if you can hear our voices, please send down holy light and save your lost and desperate people…

The prayers of so many people at the same moment seemed to have been heard by God.

The ball that Lewandowski shot slammed into the crossbar with a bang, and then bounced out!

“Ahhhhh—!” Marcel Reif screamed. “The crossbar! The crossbar ruthlessly rejected Lewandowski!!”

“Woah—!” The Spanish commentator cheered, “Too dangerous! At the last moment, the crossbar saved Real Madrid! The Bernabéu goal is the twelfth man on the field for Real Madrid at this moment! God is on our side today!”

Seeing his powerful shot being stopped by the crossbar, Lewandowski also put his hands on his head in disappointment and frustration.

Zhou Yi, who created the opportunity for Lewandowski, was also helpless and regretful. He spread his hands and patted his thighs.

“Just like at the beginning of the first half, Dortmund also had a chance to threaten the opponent's goal like Real Madrid, but they didn't seize it. Both sides are wasting opportunities, and I don't know which side the final result will punish…” He Ping said.

The game continued, and Lewandowski's shot against the crossbar was Dortmund's most threatening attacking opportunity.

Subsequently, Real Madrid regained the initiative in the game, while Dortmund, for the sake of stability, no longer actively attacked in the following game, but instead retreated to defend.

Real Madrid's possession rate once reached as high as 67 percent.

However, possession rate does not equal advantage and momentum. If possession cannot open up the situation, then it is useless.

So Mourinho made a substitution adjustment in the fifty-seventh minute.

He replaced the left back Coentrão with Kaká and Higuaín with Benzema.

In this way, Real Madrid only had three defenders in the backfield. Mourinho was planning to go all out.

But this substitution adjustment did not immediately bring immediate results to the team.

It was even exploited by Dortmund once.

Because they had just made a substitution adjustment, the three-defender defensive system still needed to adapt, and there were bound to be situations where the players' coordination was not tacit enough.

And this situation was immediately seized by the keen Zhou Yi.

In the sixty-second minute, he and Götze played a one-two pass. Götze made a forward run on the wing, and Zhou Yi quickly passed the ball to him. Then Götze crossed from the left side of the penalty area, and Gündoğan, who had inserted into the penalty area, appeared in an unmarked space, and this space was created precisely because the players were not tacit enough after adjusting to the three-defender formation…

Gündoğan received the ball in the penalty area and shot from less than ten meters from the goal!

When the ball was pushed towards the goal, many Real Madrid fans felt a chill in their hearts. A shot from such close range was almost guaranteed to be a goal!

At this moment, Diego López flew to save, miraculously pushing the ball out!

“Diego López!! A world-class save!” The Spanish TV commentator shouted excitedly.

A burst of cheers also erupted from the stands of the Bernabéu.

In front of the bench on the sidelines, Casillas also jumped up and cheered for Diego López's incredible save. At this time, who should be punished and who should be a substitute was no longer so important. What was important was that the whole team was united and overcame the difficulties together.

Diego López was the starting goalkeeper, so everyone had to support him, respect him, and cheer for him. At this time, discussing what would have happened if Casillas had been in front of the goal and Real Madrid wouldn't have conceded four goals in the previous leg was a double insult to Diego López and Casillas.

※※※

Although Diego López's save was very brilliant, it did not immediately change Real Madrid's passive situation after the substitution.

One minute later, Dortmund made a comeback. It was still Götze crossing from the left, and Lewandowski burst out from behind Ramos, heading the ball at the edge of the six-yard box, but it went slightly wide…

“Lewandowski, ah, Lewandowski…” Marcel Reif said with emotion. “So many chances, if he had seized any one of them, he would have killed this game! But unfortunately… alas!”

“Wasting opportunities will be punished!” He Ping also said.

“Götze is in very good form today, his performance is very active, and he is completely unaffected by his transfer to Bayern Munich. He has remained silent since the transfer was exposed. But perhaps he is using his actual actions on the field to answer those questions—no matter what the future holds, he is now a Dortmund player, and he will do his best for every victory of Dortmund!”

After lamenting Lewandowski's "generosity," Marcel Reif also praised Götze's performance. Since his agreement with Bayern Munich was exposed, Götze has almost become synonymous with "Judas," and his public image has plummeted. He hasn't heard such praise for a while.

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ps, This year is the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Rooster. I wish everyone a happy new year, good health, and abundance every year!