Zhao Gang, having shrugged off Casemiro, barely lost any speed. Instead of accelerating in a straight line, he quickly pulled to the wing.

Casemiro, seizing the opportunity, executed a flying tackle, intending to disrupt Zhao Gang's attack. But Zhao Gang had already anticipated his move, veering toward the sideline and sprinting with the ball!

Zhao Gang's run was like a lightning flash, a sudden horizontal cut followed by a straight-ahead burst!

Whoa…

Even at the Bernabéu, a gasp rippled through the stands.

That burst of speed, that lightning-fast change of direction, not only shook off Casemiro, but allowed him to alter his course mid-stride. Casemiro was not only out of position, but his subsequent desperate tackle looked almost comical!

"Amazing, that change of direction! Carvajal is covering!"

Having been bypassed, Carvajal darted forward, stepping out to block Zhao Gang and force him to stop.

In a split second, Zhao Gang hooked the ball sideways with his right foot, shifting his entire body laterally.

"Oh! Another change of direction! He's opened up the angle!"

The Real Madrid defense was in disarray. Only Ramos stood between Zhao Gang and the goal!

Ramos watched as his two teammates, caught too close, were easily faked out. As the last line of defense, with Navas behind him, the world-class center-back didn't commit, but maintained a slight distance from Zhao Gang, blocking his shooting angle.

He just needed a little time for the other defenders to recover.

Zhao Gang suddenly raised his foot, and Ramos half-turned, lifting his leg to block the shot.

The ball zipped right between his legs, not with blistering speed, but with enough pace for Navas to react.

Ramos relaxed slightly, then felt someone surge past him.

He turned to see Agüero, teeth gritted, charging forward.

It was a pass!

Ramos's heart sank. His positioning had been perfect, the shooting angle blocked. He had never imagined Zhao Gang's touch could be so delicate, his vision so sharp, that he would choose to pass at this moment!

"Agüero! What a pass! The Real Madrid defense is completely breached! A one-on-one!!"

Agüero surged forward, directly into the penalty area. Navas, realizing Zhao Gang wasn't going to shoot, charged out to meet him.

Behind Agüero, Varane frantically jostled him, afraid to commit to a tackle.

Bang!

Agüero got to the ball first, blasting a shot that sent him tumbling under Varane's pressure.

Navas dove horizontally, landing hard on the ground, the ball slamming into his chest.

He scrambled, clawing his way across the ground, pinning the ball under his body, glancing around until he was sure the danger had passed, then finally took a deep breath.

"Oh, oh!! Agüero! That was almost a guaranteed goal! A one-on-one! A chip shot and that would have been in!

Varane's pressure prevented Agüero from taking his time, and Navas reacted quickly, putting Agüero under immense pressure. Agüero's shot was rushed in the heat of the moment! The save was made!"

Guardiola, who had been a whirlwind of energy on the sidelines, covered his bald head in utter frustration and disappointment.

That goal would have put tremendous pressure on Real Madrid, and given the City players a huge confidence boost, making them even more aggressive.

Instead, a one-on-one opportunity was blasted right into Navas's arms by the usually clinical Agüero!

Zidane exhaled, waving his hands.

Navas quickly got to his feet, launching the ball with a powerful throw.

Marcelo sprinted forward. Real Madrid didn't waste a second, immediately launching a counter-attack.

The City players, still reeling from the missed opportunity, scrambled to get back on defense.

"Marcelo, Bale!"

Bale surged forward, just past the halfway line. Seeing that he had drawn enough defenders, he didn't rely on his speed to break free, but slotted a through ball to Modrić.

"The Real Madrid attack is opening up completely! This is dangerous!"

Modrić's incisive passes were always world-class.

He danced past Gündoğan with ease, then, facing Zabaleta who was forced to cover, he shifted the ball laterally before unleashing a pinpoint pass to Cristiano Ronaldo, who had timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap!

Ronaldo received the ball in the penalty area, and, facing Stones, unleashed a shot at the near post!

"Ronaldo shoots, and scores!!" The commentator almost choked on the words, nearly revealing his true colors. He wasn't supposed to show emotion, but he almost blew his cover.

The goal nearly exposed him as a twenty-year City fan.

"Cristiano… Ronaldo…"

As the stadium announcer roared with passion, Ronaldo charged toward the sideline, leaping high, spinning…

It was his signature celebration.

"Siu…"

The entire Bernabéu erupted, ignited by Ronaldo's passion. The fans roared with him, a sea of white surging in a breathtaking display.

His teammates swarmed him.

Ronaldo!

It was Ronaldo again!

This scene had played out countless times at the Bernabéu.

He had once again become Real Madrid's savior.

For years, he had been the king of the Bernabéu, the darling of the Real Madrid fans, the brightest star in Madrid!

Zidane, standing on the sidelines, clenched his fist in celebration, his expression calm, though his heart was racing.

Guardiola, in frustration, kicked a water bottle.

What should have been City's best chance had, in less than a minute, turned into a goal for Real Madrid!

"That's the speed of Real Madrid, precise and deadly. Marcelo, Bale, Modrić, and finally Ronaldo's thunderous shot to finish it. The City defense wasn't ready when Ronaldo scored.

Ronaldo is in peak condition; he's still got it!"

"Damn, that was a fluid and brutal play."

"City's in trouble now. They're down a goal and will have to attack, but Real Madrid's counter-attacks are just too much!"

"So City can only dominate in the Premier League? They fall apart when they face a real team?"

"Ronaldo, you're a beast! Score another one! Kill City! And screw Zhao Gang; I can't stand that arrogant kid!"

"Ignore that idiot; he's just craving attention. He's probably been a nobody his whole life…"

"Ronaldo doesn't need fans like you; go crawl back under your rock. You're probably a fan from the other side pretending…"

"Come on, City! You can do it, Zhao Gang! You've got this!!"

"City still has a chance; they just have to seize it!"

Having conceded a goal, City predictably upped the pressure.

The ball was often passed back to Zhao Gang, who dropped deep to receive it. Silva and De Bruyne also showed their skill with the ball and their passing range. The three of them held their own against Real Madrid's midfield maestros.

But as soon as they entered Real Madrid's defensive third, they were ensnared in an intricate web of defensive traps.

Real Madrid's defense was certainly more experienced, and technically more proficient, than City's, or those of the other Premier League teams.

Zhao Gang and De Bruyne tried several combinations to create an opening, but Agüero was lost between Real Madrid's two center-backs, and never had a clear chance.

Silva unleashed a long-range shot from outside the box, which Varane blocked. Gündoğan, ready to pounce on the rebound, was about to receive the ball when Kroos stabbed it away. Casemiro sent a long pass to Carvajal.

Carvajal didn't hesitate, sending a long ball to Kroos.

Today, Real Madrid's tactics were clearly focused on Ronaldo on the left wing. Kroos and Modrić played a quick one-two, before finding Ronaldo once again.

Receiving the ball, Ronaldo quickly cut inside. As one of the world's best forwards, he was a nightmare matchup for Zabaleta on City's right flank.

It was almost a complete mismatch.

This forced Fernandinho to drop back constantly, and Stones, the center-back, to be constantly aware of the need to cover.

Stones, reluctantly, stepped out.

Benzema in the middle was left with only Zabaleta to defend against him. Seeing the gap in the defense, Ronaldo slipped the ball through.

When closed down, Ronaldo struggled to break through the defense. His strength was his ability to use his speed to get away, but in this situation, he had almost no chance of beating two defenders.

Benzema, always a hard worker, had carried the team for years. After Ronaldo left, he blossomed, finally receiving the Ballon d'Or.

Now, even though he was overshadowed by Ronaldo, he was still one of the world's top center forwards.

Receiving the ball, he unleashed a powerful shot!

Zabaleta was at a disadvantage in terms of size, but his defensive tenacity was excellent.

Facing Benzema's shot, he threw himself in front of the ball without hesitation, the ball flying toward City's right flank, Real Madrid's left.

Zhao Gang, sprinting back, charged toward the ball without any hesitation.

Ronaldo, with his fierce competitive spirit, wasn't about to let this chance go.

The two of them leaped into the air at almost the same time.

"Oh, no, Zhao Gang's header…" The commentator held his breath. Zhao Gang's heading skills were atrocious.

He was unlikely to win this challenge, especially against Ronaldo, one of the best headers of the ball in the world!

Zhao Gang's judgment of the ball's trajectory was good, but his head wasn't a foot; his movement was clumsy.

Fortunately, the ball wasn't traveling too fast, but it had height.

The two collided in the air.

Zhao Gang, of course, didn't head the ball…

But, exerting his strength in the air, he managed to shove Ronaldo off balance!

Zhao Gang stretched his neck but didn't make contact with the ball. The ball landed, and Zhao Gang quickly kicked it, and started to sprint after it!

Ronaldo fell to the ground, sitting there, hands outstretched to the referee: foul! Foul!!

The referee glanced over, but waved play on.

Neither player had used their elbows; it had been a clean aerial challenge.

Ronaldo got up, shaking his head.

The Bernabéu fans booed loudly.

But Zhao Gang wasn't bothered by the noise. Back in the day, the Old Trafford fans would stand up and scream and curse at him; he hadn't cared then, so why would he care about a few boos now?

By now, Zhao Gang had already carried the ball past the halfway line, breezing past Modrić as if he were a wooden statue.

Modrić wasn't much of a defender anyway, and his playing style was so elegant and clean that he was unlikely to commit a foul to stop Zhao Gang.

Casemiro and Bale, who had dropped back, blocked Zhao Gang's path.

Zhao Gang had already expended a lot of energy on constant breakthroughs, and, following Guardiola's instructions, he had also been working hard to disrupt play, which had taken its toll.

Now he had to pace himself, or he might run out of steam in the second half.

So he didn't try to force his way through, but laid the ball off to Silva who was coming up behind him, and Zhao Gang, as before, dragged Casemiro away with him.

Casemiro was determined not to be beaten by the same trick twice.

He stuck tight to Zhao Gang, cutting off the passing lane between Silva and Zhao Gang.

Silva, with his high football IQ, didn't pass to Zhao Gang, but continued forward, seizing the opportunity to slip the ball to De Bruyne on the left.

De Bruyne received the ball, accelerating to break free, and, seeing a Real Madrid player closing in, curled a powerful shot towards goal.

Agüero was being double-teamed in the middle. The ball sailed over the center, toward the far post.

Everyone watched.

Sure enough, Zhao Gang was there. He hadn't continued his run through the middle, but had instead moved away from Casemiro, finding space on the right wing.

As soon as Zhao Gang got the ball, especially in a dangerous area, the Real Madrid defense tensed.

This guy could pass, shoot, and dribble. He had so many options, and he was so reliable!

In an instant, the Real Madrid players swarmed him, including Casemiro.

"Zhao Gang's breakthrough! He's drawn three players: Marcelo, Casemiro, and Varane! It'll be hard to pass the ball into the middle!"

Agüero was under less pressure, but Zhao Gang's angle was completely blocked!

Zhao Gang feinted, but he couldn't break through three defenders, but he still managed to open up an angle, so that even if he couldn't pass to Agüero, he could pass to Fernandinho, who was sprinting toward the edge of the box!

Zhao Gang pushed the ball to Fernandinho, and the entire central area was wide open!

Ramos was still marking Agüero!

The entire defensive line had been drawn to Zhao Gang.

"Fernandinho has a powerful shot!"

Receiving the ball, Fernandinho didn't hesitate.

The power and angle of this shot were perfect!

He unleashed a shot!

The defenders who had been marking Zhao Gang had already started to move back toward the middle as soon as Zhao Gang passed the ball.

The ball that Fernandinho kicked had incredible power, and no one could block it.

Navas leaped, but couldn't reach the ball.

Clang!!

"Oh!! The post!! Navas was nowhere near it! A guaranteed goal, but it hit the post! What an opportunity! What a pity!!"

Navas breathed a sigh of relief, quickly scrambling to his feet, and Varane, who had tracked back, kicked the ball out of the penalty area.

Fernandinho covered his face, almost grinding his teeth to dust.

"Is luck on Real Madrid's side today? Zhao Gang dragged all the defenders away, giving Fernandinho an open goal!

With his long-range shooting ability, if it hadn't been for the post…"

Kroos received Varane's clearance, and passed it to Modrić who hadn't yet tracked back.

"Watch out for Real Madrid's counter-attack! They scored their previous goal from a classic counter!"

This time, Modrić didn't try to dribble, but launched a long ball forward to Bale.

Bale had always maintained his lightning pace on the football field.

He had been lost under Benítez, but now Zidane had found a way for all three of them to coexist.

So Bale's potential was unleashed once again.

Bale was like a wild horse, galloping down the right wing!

Fernandinho had pushed up, and Gündoğan, who was now covering, was no match for him. With a burst of speed, Bale had a wide open space in front of him.

The perfect field for a cavalry charge!

Ronaldo on the left watched Bale, while accelerating forward himself!

Kolarov, on the other hand, didn't dare get too close. If he did, Bale would simply run right through him!

He sped toward the penalty area, intending to work with his teammates to compress Bale's space inside the box.

Bale knew what his opponent was thinking, and, as he approached the penalty area, instead of forcing his way through, he spotted a teammate.

"Real Madrid's three-pronged attack. This is dangerous! Bale crosses, Benzema…"

Kolarov stretched out a foot, but the ball still slipped past.

Benzema and Otamendi battled in the middle!

Otamendi intended to use his strength to prevent Benzema from adjusting his body and getting a good shot on goal.

Bravo stared intently at Benzema's movements, completely focused!

As the ball approached Benzema's feet, Benzema suddenly made a quick run, and Otamendi instinctively followed, looking for contact.

The ball slipped past, toward the left!

"Oh!! Benzema's dummy…" The commentator's eyes widened. Benzema had shown great vision and imagination to draw Bravo's attention and pull Otamendi out of position!

The two players' hearts sank.

Bravo, at the limit, threw himself to his left.

There was the best forward in the world!

It was a disaster!

Ronaldo wound up his leg, unleashing a powerful shot. Bravo threw himself, landing hard on the ground.

But Ronaldo, surprisingly, didn't shoot at the first opportunity, but feinted!

At that moment, both Benzema and Ronaldo seemed to have become imaginative and creative midfielders.

Bang!

As Bravo lay sprawled on the ground, Ronaldo unleashed a shot, and the ball hit the back of the net!

Ronaldo!

It was Ronaldo again!

"Thirty-eighth minute of the match, Ronaldo scores his second goal, and Real Madrid lead Manchester City 2-0 at home! Another very fast counter-attack!

And, again, after City had created an excellent chance to score, Real Madrid launched a high-quality counter-attack and scored!"

"Bale's speed, Benzema's assist, Ronaldo's finish, perfect combination, perfect Real Madrid!"

Ronaldo, arms outstretched, roared as he ran toward the sideline, exuding dominance.

Siu!!

The Bernabéu erupted once again.

Previously, many media outlets had touted City as Real Madrid's biggest rival.

But now?

What was this?

Was that all they had??

Two counter-attacks and they were falling apart!

Ronaldo!

He was the best player here, the best player in the world!

That young kid was okay, but how could he compare with Ronaldo??

His passing and dribbling were fine, but he lacked the finishing ability!

City? Welcome to the Bernabéu!

Welcome to the land of nightmares!

Zidane remained calm, but Guardiola looked grim, not kicking any water bottles, but certainly angrier and more frustrated than before.

"Real Madrid, the best team in La Liga! A powerful squad, perfect teamwork! City are just too far behind!"

"The great Real Madrid, the great Ronaldo!"

"Real Madrid will be the strongest contender for the league and the Champions League! City should focus on the Premier League this season; the Champions League is beyond them!"

"City are in trouble, Zhao's performance has been bright, but City always make mistakes in the Champions League, they seem to forget how to play football. Their finishing ability is too poor, they're no match for a top team like Real Madrid."

"Guardiola should think about how to limit Real Madrid's attacking players, instead of trying to out-attack them. A coach like him knows the consequences of trying to outscore a team with a front line like the BBC.

Real Madrid once suffered a 0-5 defeat against his Barcelona, ​​because they didn't recognize the situation and insisted on trying to outscore them!

Now, it's Guardiola's turn to swallow the bitter pill!

City have almost no chance; if they want to win, they need to keep attacking, but attacking will leave huge gaps in their defense. I believe 2-0 is definitely not the final score."

"I thought City would lose, but I didn't expect them to concede two goals before halftime. Wow, Real Madrid are really too strong this season."

On the field, the Real Madrid players celebrated exuberantly, while the City players looked dejected.

Real Madrid were too fast.

Zhao Gang, having charged forward, was forced to sprint back, but the goal was scored just past the halfway line.

He covered his face, his legs weak, feeling a sense of helplessness for the first time.

If they had simply been outplayed, he could have accepted it, but now it seemed like luck wasn't on their side.

Two guaranteed goals, gone.

And Real Madrid had immediately responded with two of their own!

Just as he was about to collapse onto the turf, he remembered the words he had spoken to his teammates not long ago.

"I have proven myself countless times, using goals and assists to defeat every opponent.

This time, I will do the same."

"Real Madrid, you're done for."

Zhao Gang gritted his teeth, lifting his head.

Forty minutes!

Fifty minutes to go!

If Real Madrid could score two goals in forty minutes, couldn't they score three, or even four, in fifty minutes??

The cameras captured Zhao Gang as he stood up again.

"This goal has been a huge blow to Zhao Gang, this match is much harder than they expected, and Zhao Gang is frustrated and disappointed.

But he didn't fall. Facing a strong opponent, facing an extremely unfavorable situation, he stood up bravely and firmly!

Just like he has always done, working hard, persevering, fighting!

We admire his skills, but what truly captivates us is his tenacity and his never-say-die spirit!

No matter what difficulties he faces, no matter what opponents he faces, he will always push forward!

This match is not over yet!

Real Madrid haven't won yet!

There are fifty minutes left, and any other team, facing Real Madrid, facing this situation, would feel powerless, and even despair.

But City are different, and Zhao Gang is different.

Zhao Gang has given us countless expectations and hopes, and today, I believe he will continue to be that most reliable person!!

Miracles are born, hope blossoms!"

The fans, who had been hanging their heads in disappointment, watched as Zhao Gang, swaying slightly, stood up again. Listening to the commentator's impassioned words, they got goosebumps.

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!!"

"Let's go!!!"

"Zhao Gang, let's go! City, let's go!!!"